Our Trip to the Madrid Temple

Alicia and Sephora

After our weekend in Angouleme, we checked out of our cute little hotel and were picked up by Jean-Pierre on another rainy day in France.  Yesterday, Remy Demolombe said all his potatoes have rotted in the ground because there have been so few dry days this spring.  J.P. had just taken Marion to the bus for her school where she'd like to learn how to care for 'old people' (that is until one bopped her good one, and another accused her of stealing), now she is thinking seriously about baby care!  We loaded up their nice big SUV (lots of baby stuff), and had just the room we all needed since grandmere Genevieve took the train.  Little Alicia, at 4 1/2 months old, was such a good girl as we sat in the back seat with her between us.  It was a 10 hour drive (with stops to feed her) and she was stuck in her seat, unable to get off her back, but was wide eyed with curiosity and gave us many sweet smiles to die for.  We finally drove through the Pyrenees Mts. into Spain and pretty much left the bad weather behind us, for blue skies and sunshine.

    The large Madrid temple sits bright and white on a corner of a busy street, and is eyecatchingly beautiful, with the angel Moroni blowing his horn just above for all the world to see.  We got to park underground and took our luggage into the housing area where we were expected (I think):  Joana & Jaque Motcalfo.  We claimed the names and for the two of us, we paid $85E. total for a 5 night stay in two dorm rooms, where we both had upper bunks and 3 roommates.  I lucked out with my two Spanish sisters, and Genevieve; the lady in my bottom bunk was a temple worker from Barcelona who came to give a week of service.  She was very nice, with just enough English for us to be able to figure things out between us; and her worker-bee, early rising schedule, was good for me and got me going also in a timely manner.  Jack was dressed and raring to go the next morning at just past 7 A.M., because his roommate is a big-time snorer.  He couldn't even drown out the noise by lying on his good ear, and so he had a rotten night of very little sleep.  But, we were so happy to be going to an endowment session after all this time, his night time woes were soon forgotten.  In the chapel they find out how many people are there who speak different languages: Spanish, Portuguese, French, English, etc., and whoever has the majority of people, that's the language the session is done in.  Our first was in English, and our second one was in French and we were asked to be the witness couple.  I decided to try it without headphones as an experiment, so Jack kept nudging me to keep me on my toes about when to do this or that.

Sephora, Jean-Pierre & Alicia

Jean-Pierre, Alicia & Jaime

    At 3 P.M. we gathered again for the sealing ceremony of Jean-Pierre and Sephora, and waited for the arrival of a friend who was on a 6 hour drive from France to be there also.  Tall and lanky Jaime (Hy-mie, born in Madrid) was a branch president years ago in Angouleme and J.P. was one of his counselors.  After his mission, he met a young French divorcee with 4 YOUNG CHILDREN and they married and have added 2 more to their family...what a neat guy he is.  The ceremony was nice, then they brought Alicia in to be sealed to her parents.  She had been fussy downstairs, but J.P. rocked her to sleep and the matrons whisked her off until time to bring her in.  They dressed her in a beautiful long white princess gown (fluffy with ruffles) and we gasped at how pretty she looked.  The matron placed her where her parents hands were clasped, and she laid her little hand on theirs, and she looked around at everyone, but kept her hand there the whole time.  Even President Paia, (who sealed them) was mesmerized as Alicia, then in her father's arms, began to speak to us...' ahhhh, ahhhh, ahhhh, ahhhhhh.....'  She sat there straight and tall, eyes on all of us adults in the room, calmly sounding as if she was telling us all about this wonderful world that she knew so well.  She was in total charge for over two minutes...none of us wanted the moment to end, we were so amazed and delighted to have been a part of that experience. 

   We asked Jaime if he knew of any restaurants in the area for an outing the next night.  He found one in the phone book that sounded good, so after a day of temple work, we headed out into the city in two cars. 

Jean-Pierre's French GPS didn't like being in Spain and kept sending us in wide circles as we tried following him, and up one-way streets to nowhere.  Finally we found the city center street we were looking for, and after parking we marched up and down looking for a non-existent restaurant - it had closed its doors for good some time ago.  Hmmmm. Plan B was to ask the man on the street, and we were directed a block away to a small place, not too new or clean looking, but we were game (and hungry), and there were plenty of customers at the outside tables (smoking!), so we sat inside.  Jaime ordered several traditional dishes for us all to try, plus the cafe brought free samplers of fried pork rinds,  and crusty little fried fish as long as your finger, and creamy mild Spanish olives to start with.  Deep Fried is the name of the game for Spanish people, and we've noticed this at the temple apartments kitchen also.  Then the food started coming....potato salad with thick mayonnaise, potato salad with tuna and other stuff (yum), yellow potatoes covered with an orange colored paprika sauce (yum), Spanish potato omelet, deep fried cheese balls (both yum), deep fried squid pieces (scary, but we tried it - not bad, just must get it past your eyes first), and large slices of chorizo sausage (Jack loved it).  It was actually quite a potato fest, all beautifully prepared and presented, and I was pleasantly surprised by all the different tastes.  We ended the night at an ice cream shop, got lost on our way back, and felt like naughty teenagers coming timidly in after hours, hoping our parents (or security!) wouldn't be mad at us.

     Our remaining days at the temple were busy with more endowment sessions and we helped Jean-Pierre with some family sealings he had been working on since 2007.  That was a special session for us as the Spanish officiator gave us a card with the words in French so that we could follow along more easily.  A woman slipped in to help us and Jack helped her by being proxy for her father and she for her mother, as they were sealed across the altar.  She wept for joy as the spirit was strong and it was a special time.  Then later, after we went to get dressed again to go to lunch, I stopped to use the WC real quick (I thought!).  I flipped the lock to get out of my stall and the door would not open!  Hmmmm.  This was just plain crazy - was I doing something wrong?  It was a simple latch up is open, flip it sideways to lock.  But, nothing I did helped at all, and no one else was in the room, lunch time you know!  I was not going to yell for help in the temple - I'd rather suffer a bit than do that!  The stall had very tall walls, with very little space at the bottom, maybe 6 or 8 inches, enough room for my head to scootch out, but not the rest of me.  I prayed for some aid to help me...maybe Jack was missing me!  Sure enough, a couple of minutes later my Barcelona roommate came calling to see if I was there.  She tried the door from the outside, then with a tool, but nothing gave, so they called in the Big Guns!   It was quite funny listening to the chatter of concerned women, wondering how I was doing, trying to encourage me to not give up hope, until finally a deep man's voice cut to the chase - the answer to the problem had arrived.  I watched as big fingers came up under the door, feeling for the hinge, but that idea was banished quickly.  He tried the door, pushed on the door, then WHAM, slammed a tool into the lock and BAM the door leaped open with gusto (glad I was standing way back!) and I was freed from my cell.  Everyone gathered around and congratulated me for surviving my ordeal, and were so very nice to me (the main concern I had was to be sure to wash my hands before leaving)!  That just goes to show that funny things can happen to a person anywhere you might be. 

    We left on Saturday, and J.P. took us on a little side trip through an Atlantic Ocean tourist town called St. Jean de Luz, that was just beginning its season.  He stopped so that we could get a good look at the lovely curve of smooth sand and sparkling blue water that stretched out along the coastline.  This was every bit as appealing as the Mediterranean Sea side of France and Spain…what neat playgrounds the people have here.  We got to Angouleme and stayed the night with Patrick Humblot, who was alone since his wife is under a doctor's care in a rest home for a few weeks...we don't know why, but it seems to happen a lot here.  We visited Carole in one a few years ago after we had just got to know her, and also knew another woman who was admitted for a rest and evaluation...it seems to be free.  Maybe that's what we need when life starts throwing us curveballs, a place to rest for awhile...sounds good to me!  After church on Sunday, Patrick handed us sack lunches he had thoughtfully made for us and got us to our train on time for the trip back to Lille.  Come to think about it, we did get a much needed rest......a weeklong trip to the temple of our God in Madrid, Spain; what could be better than that? 

A Side Trip to Angouleme

   We were both excited for this trip to Madrid because it was to be via Angouleme first, since we were going with Sephora and Jean-Pierre from there by car.  We packed our bags Friday night and were out the door at 8 A.M. Saturday, rolling them noisily down the empty streets several long blocks to the Metro station; then onto the train that would take us to Paris.  At Paris we had one hour to get across town to another station for the next leg of our trip.  We had to stand in a long line just for more Metro tickets and onto a crowded subway as the clock moved relentlessly onward.  Poor Jack had to carry our suitcases up and down several staircases to finally get us into the right station.  Voila!  We made it, with minutes to spare, and were soon whizzing toward Angouleme at speeds of 180 mph, passing cars on the freeway like they were standing still.  

Carole & Elder Metcalfe

   Carole met us, and was soon showing us her rental property that she bought with the money from the sale of her home.  She took us down a passageway which opened up into an unkempt, but private courtyard with 4 apartments in a row.  She has happily been cleared by the church to be able to rent to the missionaries, and so the Elders are in #4, she has apt. #1, and her son Clement has apt.# 2.   Her apt. was small, but cozy like a cave, and she loves living there.  She has spent lots of time painting and fixing things up in the rooms and is doing well.  She has grown so much in the gospel since her baptism last Christmas Eve, just as if she is a flower beginning to bloom in the sunlight...her only problem is that a man at the Branch (Michel Dano) has set his sights on her, and actually tried the oldest, worst myth of subterfuge in the church...'I received a revelation that you are to marry me.'  Hmmmm.  He's not dealing with someone just off the boat here, she let him know it, but he kept up his unwelcome attentions.  She finally went to President Savreux and appealed for help, so he called Brother Dano into a meeting with himself, Patrick Humblot, and Michel Menardin (as a third witness) and 'counseled' him to back off.  Things have been better since; she is so attractive, but what most people don't know about Carole is that she has a burning desire to go on a mission (humanitarian) someday...but it it very expensive and that is the stumbling block for her.

     Jeremie finally got permission from his father (Sephora's ex-boyfriend) to be baptized, so we were able to be a part of that also.  Jeremie's behavior used to be either wonderful or in the tank, but tonight he was very well behaved as he sat snuggled up to his grandfather  who was going to baptize him.  It's very touching to see how much the  presence and attentions of an older man can mean to a boy.  The baptism went forward without a hitch; Jean-Pierre conferred the Holy Ghost, after which Jeremie cried as he hugged all those who had been in the circle.  Then came a real treat.  The men of the Branch had cooked dinner for everyone, and the menu was:  Ham roll filled with a vegetable concoction; turkey cutlets with rice and a superb mushroom sauce/ or chicken with taboulet grain; green salad with a selection of cheeses and baguettes; and fruit crumble with cream for dessert.  It was all so very good, and the men served us and cleaned up afterwards completely.  We stayed that night at a little two star hotel across from the train station, with a two person (shoulder to shoulder) elevator.  I actually prefer a local hotel to the chain Hotels we've been in...the bed was soft and white as snow, the pillows were fluffy and the 4th floor was quiet.  We slept well.

On the streets of Angouleme.

    Carole picked us up in her little powder blue Nisson, whose back seat might hold 2 midgets comfortably!  Jack squeezed himself in crosswise for the short 5 minute drive to church.  Several people must be picked up for church by those who have cars, and  I know Patrick make TWO trips to pick people up...I just love that man!  Sephora is the Primary President of the Branch, and Jean-Pierre is the Sunday school teacher.  He is a chalk board writer with scriptures and notes covering the whole thing by the end of his lesson.  In Relief Society, the  lesson was taught by Carole, who led the discussion like an old pro, and there were 12 sisters in the room.  At Sacrament meeting Jack and another former Branch President visiting from the States, Elder Crum, blessed the Sacrament, and Jean-Pierre passed it along with his son, Clement, who turned 12 in May.  Then both Jack and Elder Crum were asked to bear their testimonies and the main speaker for the meeting was....(who else) Jean-Pierre!  That's how it goes when you are in a Branch of the church, you are needed, wanted, and become the backbone of the whole entity.  Everyone was invited to stay and eat afterwards because there were plenty of leftovers from the night before.

    After eating and clearing up, we asked Carole to take us out to see Madeleine (our dear 102 year old friend) at the rest home in the town where she used to live.  I gave Jack a break by taking his place in the back seat, and it began to rain during the 1/2 hour drive.  The rest home was new and clean looking, with bright and cheery colors all around - very impressive.  Madeleine wasn't in the common room with all the others, so a worker guided us up to her room.  We knocked and Jack opened the door and ushered me in first.  She was sitting next to her bed in the darkened room in front of the TV.  I said her name and went to her, and she was shocked speechless.  What a grand surprise it was for her to see us once more, and she hadn't met Carole yet.  She took to Carole right away with her lively, friendly manner, and when she broke into tears describing how lonely it gets there,"people here are just waiting for the time to die!", Carole jumped from her chair to a stool in front of Madeleine and took her hand to comfort her.  We laughed and talked and Madeleine is so bright, she is a joy to be with.  Her family is planning to take her somewhere special this summer, but the days are long here and waiting is hard.  She insisted on walking us to the elevator, and walked arm and arm with Carole.  Jack was happy they  became instant friends and knows Carole will follow up with her.

Madeline & Carole

Elder Metcalfe wins the silly face contest!

     We drove back to Angouleme and were dropped off at Sephora's for their family home evening.  Clement had prepared the lesson all by himself on service with visual aids and other things to interact with one another...it was great.  We played a word game called BOUM! where you have to come up with words from cards on which only endings are given, like:  ION, ERT, SON, and you pass around a small black ticking bomb quickly so as not to be holding it when it goes off.  It was funny and a struggle to come up with words under pressure.  Then we took pictures of everyone making silly faces and the grown-ups were the worst, which got to be hilarious -  Jack got into that big-time!  For dessert we had, not one but two sumptious cream cakes (oh my heck, how the French, and ALL of us love our sweets!), that ended our day and our time in our old stomping grounds of Angouleme - a place we will never forget because of the different people we met there...size, shape, color, disposition, spirit, fortitude, faithfulness, trials, errors, repentance, acceptance, and just plain love for one another and for the gospel of Christ that brings them all together time after time.

Young Adult Conference

 I tried to send the information concerning our experience we had at the end of April with our young adult conference but, when I was done and I tried to send it, the whole report went up into the lost internet messages in the sky, so I'll try to report again.  On the last vacation weekend of the Easter school vacation the young adults planned their first young adult conference. The presidency planned out everything except the meals. They asked Joanne if she would plan the meals for Friday , Saturday and Sunday. Fortunately we have Bishop Doit in the Lille ward who is a chef and he took on the responsibility for the Sunday afternoon meal. Joanne made the menu for the Friday night meal and then the lunch and evening meals on Saturday. The bishop took us to a store in Lille that sells to restaurants so we went around the store and made a list for our purchases that would be made the next week with Bishop Doit.

Food for an army.

   Joanne planned a barbecue for Friday night because many of the group would come at different hours since the participants were coming from Belgium, southern and eastern France and throughout our stake. Forty-seven young adults signed up for the weekend. We made all sorts of cookies, rice krispy squares and chocolate squares for desert and also for the dance that would take place that night. The barbecue was a hit.  We planned a week ahead by buying pork roasts on sale at one of the large grocery stores. We had a slow cooker and so we cooked two of the 10 roasts at a time, pulled the pork and then place it in the freezer. A pasta salad was made that could feed an army and then I peeled potatoes for what we call at home, funeral potatoes. I was the sous chef and gave my blood for the event by slicing two fingers in the potato peeling undertaking. It was all worth the effort as the young adults ate with gusto. The cookies American style are a hit here and it doesn't take long for food to disappear. Joanne's efforts were rewarded by hearty appetites and by grateful thanks.

   The dance was a success and it was a good ice breaker. We have a Wii so it became the half time entertainment as all the group tried to follow the dance movements on the large screen on the stage. I had Joanna send BYU hats and tee shirts and Vocal Point CD's for rewards during the dance. We ended the dance at 1:00 PM but by the time we got home it was close to two in the morning. A whole different mission from any other. We had a young sister stay with us who was from Belgium. In the morning Joanne made pancakes for our guest.  

Saturday morning there were two workshop sessions on the atonement. The workshops where conducted by two institute teachers from France. At noon we had something special and that was a baptism for Cedric, our newest young adult. Cedric planned the event and had the young adults give the talks, direct the music and the opening prayer. The only exception was that he gave me the blessing of offering the closing prayer. The baptism was accomplished by Pierre-Louis, another young adult from Lille who has been called on a mission to Benin in western Africa. The missionaries who taught Cedric did the right thing by getting the young adults involved.  

The baptism was not only attended by the young adults but also by 30 members of the ward so we planned lunch for everyone. We had hogie sandwiches, the rest of the barbecue pork as well as salads and deserts brought by the ward participants. It was good thing we had left over salad, potatoes, and cookies because with more than 70 people for lunch everything was eaten.  

Saturday afternoon was filled with fun activities and bowling by the group. Dinner was green salad, tomatoes, cucumbers, and a spaghetti dish; chicken with a special white cream sauce. The desert was a treat as Joanne made strawberry short cake. The participants gave her a standing ovation for her great efforts. I don't think the young adults expected to be fed that well. The rest of night was made up of more group games and ended with a short dance. The whole group got together and took down the decorations and cleaned up for the Sunday morning meetings for the two wards and our special afternoon meetings. It was great to see all get involved and work together.

   The Sunday school lesson was taken care of by two of the priesthood brothers from the Lille Stake and they got everyone into a good discussion on the subject. The sacrament meeting was done by the young adults and the closing speaker was our regional seventy. The bishop provide and excellent lasagne meal and the Relief Society of one ward brought the entrees and the other the deserts. It was enjoyed and well planned. These members know what they need to do and it was great for Joanne to enjoy a meal someone else prepared . 

  
 What an experience to see the leadership of our group and to have these young people come together. The main reason to have these events is to bring the youth together and hopefully to start some romances. In the weeks after we had two young men come back to see two of the young ladies of the the Lille area. Good payment for our efforts. We love these young people and the mission pays dividends in spiritual gifts and new loving friendships that will last eternally.