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.