Where Did April and May Go?

Hello to all,

We have been so busy that I can't understand where the months of April and May went, but they are gone and we are way behind in our writing. I feel like the butcher who backed into the meat grinder and got a little behind in his work. We are sorry that we missed a few birthdays, but we promise to catch up.

We are still working with the Corga family, and they are striving to keep the commandments--especially the Word of Wisdom. They both have been smoking for a long time and it has been hard for them to stop. This week, they asked for a priesthood blessing and since that day they have made great progress. They are the best of friends with us and we love them so. Their little 22-month-old girl, Beatrice, calls out frere, frere (brother, brother), when ever she hears my voice, and today they are getting used to sitting fairly quiet in Sacrament meeting.

We are teaching a young woman, Sephora, in her late 20's who has said she has made a mess of her life up until now and wants the direction of the Church in her life. She has a 5-year-old son, Jeremie, who doubles our young primary. We had such a great meeting with Sephora last week and there were some tears of joy shed as we talked about the importance of the Savior in our lives and the special part that Jesus can can play in our future.

The weather has turned hot in the afternoon with clear blue skies. With the good weather, Joanne got the bug to get the yard as it should be. I took out the dead hedge in front. There were six dead plants that made up the hedge with roots that had to be dug up and then severed from the fir hedge plant. It was a two day job. Two of the plants had to be eventually pulled out with a good rope and the car; then new plants put in, and because a 16 foot area was exposed to the neighbors (which is a definite no, no), I put in a bamboo fence with poles painted green like the shrubs. It now looks neat as a pin.

I need to talk about one other thing that is unique here in France and that is the shopping carts. First, to get one you must invest 1 Euro to unlock the cart from all the others outside the stores. You get the Euro back when you return the cart and lock it up with the other carts again. There is a slot in your cart where you place the Euro and the force of the Euro in the slot unhooks the cart.

The carts themselves are different than those in the United States in as much as the two wheels in front and the two in the rear will turn. This make it difficult to steer your cart since you must control four turning wheels instead of just the two in front for you in the States. When the carts get filled, they are unwieldy or, in this case, unwheeldy. The carts need your arm and leg strength to get them to go in the direction you desire. One good thing about the four wheel drive is that if you are standing still and someone is coming at you, it is easier to dart out of the way in any direction at a standing start.

The escalators here have no steps on them when it comes to grocery stores--they are long, flat moving walk ways up and down. The carts can fit on them and the walk ways are grooved as are the cart wheels so that once you get on the walk way the cart wheels fit in the grooves and you stay fixed in the braked position until your front and back wheels hit the pavement again.

Well that's all folks.
Elder Dad

Birds

Hello to all from Angouleme,

We have just gone through a period of rain and now that the sun is out for a few days, Mother Nature has put on he best dress as all is in full bloom. After being in Cokeville for 29 years we really forgot what beauty really can be like. There are so many different flowers here in the yard that at times it boggles the mind at what colors and smells there are here in France. Outside the office window are three trees that are entirely different in size and in shape. I have watched the trees flower and the leaves change as the season has progressed.

As I sit here typing I can also hear a myriad of tunes played by many different birds in the yard. It is so good to hear the blending of the birds calls here so that it sounds like a symphony with all the various instruments playing in harmony. This is a far cry from the crow's caw that was the only ear splitting sound coming from the trees in Cokeville. It is the difference between classical music and heavy metal.

We are enjoying the branch membership so much that I know that leaving here will be a major emotional situation that I am not looking forward to experiencing. We are progressing and the branch is growing. One retired member returned to Angouleme, an English couple contacted us about moving hear in June, and our member who runs a growing construction company just hired a return french missionary. This missionary has a small family of wife and two children, with a new one coming soon.

We are still working with Sandra Corga. She is having a rough time trying to stop smoking and she has asked for a blessing to help her. We will gather the brethren on Sunday for that. Carol is progressing and we have encouraged her to pray. Praying is something new for the people here because they have never had a conversation with their Heavenly Father. Either they only know prayers that are memorized or they have abandoned religion altogether because of the bad reputation it has had in the last 40 years. To get people to realize that they have a Father in Heaven who loves them is a concept as far removed from them as quantum physics is to the average citizen. The public's view of Heavenly Father is also new to them. Someone that is a resurrected glorified being as is taught in the Bible is so strange a concept and so different from that taught by the Nicene Creed that is the present belief and has been for centuries. It is so different yet appealing to those who will listen that they want to pray and have a meaningful conversation with God as James talks about in the Bible, but it takes time for them to grasp the idea.

We are in good health. We have been in good health throughout our mission even with the damp weather here in this part of France. The weather is like that of the Northwest with overall temperature stability without the constant rain. We do have rainy weeks, but in between a 5 day period of rain are weeks of good weather in the 70's and 80's.

We are doing well and the time is flying by. People are telling us that they want to boycott the end of our mission and go on strike so we can't leave. Our hearts are pulled in two by the love we have for these people and the future of seeing family and friends at home.

Love to you all,
Elder Dad

Week of Supreme Service

Hello to you all from Angouleme,

This week was a week of service and for me it was a supreme effort. If you didn't know before, I am not a pet lover, not because I don't like animals, but because they restrict your movement so much. I like to take off when ever the desire hits me and with a pet you are in need of someone to watch over the pet.

Well this last week was our turn to help a family that have a dog, fish, two cats, and a hamster. We thought we lost the hamster one night, but we found him burrowed into the very back of his little home filled with cotton batten. Panic struck with the thought of trying to find him. I don't do well crawling on all fours through the house any more. The dog was the only one who could not be left alone, so Joanne and I decided to keep Booba in our garage. We could feed the rest each night at the home of the family.

The first thing I had to do was build a confined area in a corner of the garage so that this fairly big dog couldn't run wild in the garage. She is a little over a year old and is a strong dog. The 9-year-old boy and 13-year-old, slightly built girl can easily be dragged when the dog is on a leash. This dog is strong enough to take a small child on a wild ride on skis on the packed snow.

Once the enclosure was made, we had the dog delivered on Friday. I spent the rest of the day building up the enclosure so she couldn't get over the barrier and filling in the holes in the walls where she could force her way through. Once that was done we knew we could sleep through the night.

The mornings were something else. Early to rise and out with the leash. With the dog out front and dragging me along, we head out down the street. She would pull me along and then stop all of a sudden to sniff and then off again. I do have admit that she walked and pulled fast enough to get my heart rate up to where I knew I had a good exercise. I am the only person I have seen in France that took some plastic bags to clean up after the dog. After a good brisk walk it was back in the yard. The whole yard is enclosed with a fir type bush that is about five feet high in the front and seven feet high on the sides and back. I have a tennis ball and she does chase after it but has no concept of bringing it back for another throw, so that game was short lived.

When we headed out the door, the dog went into the garage enclosure and, lucky for us, was able to stay put without any noise until we returned. It rained much of the week so she was reluctant to go out in the yard. Once the sun came out she would stay out, but when she got excited, which was often, she would start to dig in the grass. I tried to stop her from doing that but to no avail and in the enclosure she would go.

At the end of the week, she was better and on Saturday she even went into the enclosure without being told to do so. It freaked me out because I couldn't find her in the yard and I couldn't believe she could get out. All of those panic feelings went through my mind. I even thought that someone took her, but I soon got rid of that feeling because they would bring her back after 5 minutes since that is all the time it would take for her to take over their lives.

Today the service project was over and the dog went happily back with her owners without even saying a word of praise for our patience and concern for her. I guess that is true service when you do something without a reward.

Everything is fine here and the time is flying by. We had 27 people out to church today and the Elders were able to bring back a family that had been inactive for close to a year. After the meeting, they said they would be back next Sunday. It is good to see progress, even when it is just a little.

We love you and pray for your well being.
Elder Dad

Moving On

Hello to all of you out there,

The work is moving on and there are some good changes coming from Angouleme. The branch music director has started a choir and we are getting more participants every Sunday. The only problem that I see is the fact that when the choir sings for sacrament meeting there will be more in the choir than in the congregation. But if we continue to grow and bring in new members and those who have been less active our music director will have added a great dimension to the branch. We are planning to have them sing for our stake visitors and for the branch music festival.

We have finally got the Corga family into a home not far from where we live. We have been so busy that we have not had the opportunity to go see the house, but we are invited tomorrow. It is so good to see them out of the hotel room that they have been in for the last two months and know that their life we be more on the normal side. With Joao first month of work coming to an end, it will be good to see him earn a pay check and the family will be on the road to recovery.
Spring is here and the farm fields are brimming with growing crops. It is strange to realize that for the second year we are seeing the crops growing. The other day we noticed the first cut of hay. That is hard for those in Cokeville to take. There is a plant that produces cooking oil and it gives off a bright yellow flower. It is quite something to see the fields blooming on the hillsides with this vibrant canary color.

We are doing well and our health is good although with the cool mornings and the warm afternoons we a sporting the beginnings of a spring cold. If that is all that happens, we will be in good shape.

My gardening skills are better here than in Cokeville. The last time I had a garden there it was killed off by two late frosts that made it impossible to start over a third time with the short season. Here we have peas, beans, tomatoes, and Joanne's spinach. The plants have sprung from the ground with the last three day rain and the warmer weather the last week.

Joanne is getting ready for her third talk in church this Sunday and this is the time that I see stress in her life. The French is coming, but it is not where she would like it to be. Joanne understands much more than she can answer to. Giving talks in French is not something she feels comfortable with. Her French is good when she reads and the members and amis of the church pay a great deal more attention to her talks than most because they want her to succeed.
Well we pray for everyone at home and love you all. Please spread the news of our goings on and the joy we have in serving these great people.

Love,
Elder Dad

Worth of a Soul

Hello to all of you in this wonderful world,

This morning, when Sandra Corga came to pick up Joao from his mornings work, we talked about general conference that we all participated in yesterday in Perigueux (some 80 miles south of Angouleme). Sandra had her hands full with her daughter, Beatrice, but she was able to hear one talk and parts of others and was impressed by the spirit. She noticed the picture of Sandra and Keith and the children on the frig and said that she wanted a family like that. I said that there were only three things that were stopping her from having her family sealed to her in the temple of the Lord. One was getting married. Sandra and Joao and Joanne and I are going to the city hall tomorrow afternoon to fill out the necessary papers. After a two week waiting period they will be husband and wife. One problem solved. The next question was to set a baptism date, and so she picked Jono's birthday on the 31st of May as the date. She is working hard with her promise to stop smoking and was showing us the gum she was chewing as a way to accomplish that--along with prayer. The final hurdle is to endure to the end. This young mother has impressed me with her determination to do what is necessary to accomplish her goals. With the help of the Holy Ghost and the church teachings and the members, I know that we will be back here in a year to witness a sealing in the Madrid temple.

Some might say that we have paid a high price to bring one person to the waters of baptism, but I also know that we, as a couple have consecrated, all that the Lord has blessed us with to bring souls unto Jesus. This family is worth all the energy we have expended and more. Staying home would have never brought us in contact with this beautiful family, and we would have not have experienced the pure love of Christ that we share with them. We have spiritually adopted them into our family and we would have paid the last penny in our account to see this wonderful blessing come about.

For those who don't know how this feeling fills the soul to over flowing, I yearn that they might experience it some day. The worth of a soul is priceless, and we have seen the change come over this family as they have let the commandments of Christ enter into their lives and make a mighty change in their outlook, love, and willingness to serve others. I know why we were sent here for our entire mission. Without the time to spend with these souls, we could not have seen the change in their hearts. It has taken love, patience, and, above all, time to help them experience a change of heart.

We are experiencing so many wonderful happenings in Angouleme, and have had the privilege to meet and love some wonderful people. Staying home would not have giving us the opportunity to stretch our souls and get out of our paradigm. Being in the box is no longer something we want to do with our lives. We have a desire to consecrate our time, talents, and all else we have to the Lord and His work. Yes, I know that our Heavenly Father could get it done all by Himself, but in His wisdom, He has allowed little old me to grow and love through service.

I love you all and I am so happy to be with Joanne here in Angouleme to give what little I have to offer.

Elder Dad

Not Something I Like To Do

Hello to all of you;

We are doing fine and the weather has been great, but we need some rain or the farmers here are going to be in a world of hurt. It is interesting that everyone who isn't a farmer loves the sun everyday, but we who have worked Mother Earth know that too much of a good thing for everyone else doesn't feed the population.

We have planted a small garden with beans and peas and hope to put in a little lettuce, spinach (for Joanne), and some tomatoes. The Corga family has been helping with the yard and spring cleaning. We have finally found a way to make their stay permanent and legal according to the confusing laws of France and the European Union. The two entities do not match up with their laws and the French demand that they meet both rules. We have a member who is a plumber. He will hire Joao and we will have them work for us the first month (which they have), and then he has work for them at his home and in his business. They only have to work 15 hours a week for 200 hours total to qualify for assistance and medical benefits.

With a work contract, Sandra Corga, is going to march triumphantly to each office she has been fighting for the past year and win one for her family. Sandra is a real fighter and this will be a great victory for her as she can now meet all the crazy laws here. The problem is that the laws conflict and counter act one another, but victory is in sight.

We went to the funeral of the son of a member last week and as most of you know this is one of the least enjoyable things for me to do. I have almost decided to not show up for my own funeral. We traveled to the small village where the service was to take place and the day was cloudy and windy. The member, Sister Demolombe, was so happy to see us. I, as the branch president, get to do things that the rest of the missionaries can't do and that was to give her the traditional kiss on both cheeks. This is a very important symbol of love and close relationship especially for the older people of France. It was a privilege for Joanne and I to be counted as family. Remi, the husband is not a member of the church, so he had a Catholic service for his son.

The service took place in the small Catholic church in the village. The churches of France are very cold inside, even on the hottest days, but the love of the villagers made up for the cold temperature.

France has lost many clergy and so the service was taken care of by the villagers. I feel that their display of love for the family made the service have a more of a caring feeling. The other thing I noticed was that all the villagers who took part in the service were older than me. The youth of France has given up on most religions and the Catholic church is suffering from a lack of young members. I thought of what is going to happen when these good people of the village die and there is no one to perform their services.

My thoughts went back to our last Stake Conference here in the Bordeaux Stake and the youth choir that sang. There was a marked difference in the number of members in the choir and the ages of the members. Although the people at the funeral had good voices, there were only 9 of them and they were all aged. In contrast, the youth choir at conference came from the Bordeaux area and numbered 45 and showed the vibrant future of the church here in southwest France. I marvel at the Saturday meeting held at stake conference here. The members out number those of my home stake and these members come from places often a 100 miles away. The singing during the priesthood leadership session always gives me goose bumps.

The other thing that is very noticeable in the service held here, was that it was not on a personal note. Everything was scripted and done from rote memory. The personal touch for the family was lacking and, for me, I think the service is for the living more than for those who died. In that aspect, the service was cold as far as remembering the son and the love that was shared by the family. We were given a place of respect in the walking procession to the cemetery as we were placed in the third row behind the wife and children and the parents and sisters. Holding an office in the branch or wards of France is a very respected position and it is very humbling to me to be in that position.

The only personal note was made by one of Francise's two sisters that are members of the church. Marie Lore is married and formerly lived in Minn. but now lives in San Antonio, Texas and Marie France lives in Thaiti. They both flew from their respective homes to be with their Mother and Dad and show their love to their brother. Marie France took the opportunity to take the microphone provided at the grave site service to pay her respects to her brother and give a short testimony on the Resurrection and the importance of Jesus in our lives.

We met with the extended family in an open roofed area of the local elementary school in the village. It now serves 29 small villages in what is now called a commune. France has had to do that because the number of children per French natives is one child per family. As we snacked on cookies and orange juice, I thought that this was so different from the Relief Society providing a meal after the service in a warm chapel. Joanne made soup for the family and we took it to the Demolombe's home the next day, along with two loafs of bread and some cheese. Marie Lore had to explain that this was the way it was done in the church back in the states and elsewhere. They were grateful for our show of love to them. I have found out even more that this it is what it is all about, LOVE.

Well, we have many new amis to teach and the Elders are keeping busy as well as ourselves. We will keep you up to date on the progress in Angouleme.

Love,

Elder Dad

Baptism in Angouleme

Bonjour everyone -

I sure hope all is well in your lives, as we think of you often, but we have had plenty to occupy our time and energies here, especially lately in our small Branch of the church.

The 58-year-old son of one of the most faithful members I've ever met died last week, and it has been hard on her to lose him, because, of her three children, he was the one who didn't become involved in the church when she was converted and baptized, some 40 years ago. He became a doctor, but when he began to develop the symptoms of diabetes, he went into denial and would not seek treatment until it became too late; loosing first his sight, and then just recently his life. His two younger sisters, both temple married, with active families, flew in from Tahiti and Minnesota for the funeral; and Jacqueline clung to them, as well as to us, for the support she needed. She considered us as family too, (her LDS family), and insisted that we be by her side as we attended the Catholic funeral in the small village where she was born. It was a very interesting experience, in an ancient building made of stone, on a cold, blustery, sad, rainy day; and when Jacqueline's youngest daughter leaned over to tell Jack how glad she was that a priesthood holder was there with them, we were especially glad we were there too.

Bro. Bourdicheux has had some amazing experiences as he got closer to his baptismal date. Because he is living on his pension, Elder Green thought that he'd not have to pay tithing on that money, but that was not true. Then also, Bro. B had staged a mini protest against the French government for taxing his retirement, by not paying his taxes! They came after him for it, so a chunk of his monthly check goes to repay the government until this Oct., making things tight for him, and making him question how he could handle the payment of tithing? When Bro. B. dreamed at all, they were usually terrible nightmares that woke him up and left him shaken. But, last Sunday night, after he prayed to Heavenly Father long and hard for an answer to his question, he dreamed a dream. He said, if someone had been in the room with him, they would have heard him talking out loud to a voice that came to him. "Who are you?" he asked the voice. "I am the voice of Him who is on high; I live on a planet far from yours, but I am always near; your life has been spared 4 times, and that is the end of your blessings." Bro. B. asked, "Should I pay my tithing?" And the voice answered, "Yes." Then the dream vanished. He never remembers dreams, but this one is embedded into his memory, and just thinking about it makes him light as a feather!

He got a call from the son of his deceased best friend in Paris, and told him about the dream; to which the man said, "That's just a figment of your imagination!" Then, Bro. B. told him that he was going to even pay tithing, and the man shouted, "See, all they want is your money!" to which he sadly shook his head and said, "You will never understand, my friend." He related this all to Jack on Monday afternoon, while it was still fresh in his mind.

On Wednesday, we went to his apartment with white shirts and pants for him to try on, and they were all too small, until we had him try on the one temple baptismal, zip-up front suit we had. Finally, they got that zipper up over his belly (he can't suck it in) and it is going to work! The only other thing he needed was some white underwear, so we will pick some up for him. Bro. B. closed our little visit with the nicest prayer (just a simple conversation with his Heavenly Father) that I've heard in a long time; it was great.

Jack went to pick up Bro. B. on Saturday, and made the mistake of asking how he was feeling; which set him off onto a recital of all his many maladies! "I got my hair cut yesterday for my baptism, and it was hot in the salon. Then, I came outside, and caught a chill; I've been sneezing all morning, and have the sniffles and I feel terrible. Maybe I should wait and be baptized in April?" "No." said Jack, "you need to be baptized today." "Even if I'm sick?" "You will be fine." "Are you sure?" "I'm sure you'll feel better after you are baptized." "Really?" "Yes." "OK, if you say so." He came, and changed into all white clothes. We somehow got through the slowest filling of a font ever (first it was too cold, then it was steaming hot), but when the moment arrived, lo and behold, it was suddenly perfect, and we all breathed out a sigh of relief.

Bro. B. carefully followed Elder Green down into the warm water, with a big smile on his face, as he looked up into the happy faces of all his new friends. They spoke together for a moment, and then the Elder raised his right arm to the square and said those simple, but significant few words of the baptismal prayer. We all held our breath as Bro. B. didn't hold his nose as he was immersed--would he come up sputtering? No! He came up smiling wider than before, and looking back at Elder Green, he asked if he could go under again! We all laughed, as he was told that one time was enough since it was perfect. After dressing, they came back into the chapel, and Jack asked Bro. B. if he would bear his testimony to us. He told how, for a split second as he came up out of the water, he saw a symbol of two things that he really loves: birds, and to dance. He saw a bird dancing, so that is why he wanted to go under the water again. He thanked the Elders who taught him the gospel, Elders Gibbs, Green and Gunter, for making him realize that Jesus Christ is not just a pretty story to help children get to sleep at night, but that He is his Savior, and that he needed to be baptized into His church. We had some refreshments, and he told me of the 4 times in his life that he almost died, and how he knew that he had been preserved for a purpose. We drove him home, and he thanked us with a smile for his new underwear, and said he'd always remember us each time he puts them on.

We came home and crashed and slept hard, and the next day Brother Bourdicheux was confirmed a member of the church, and it is a real good feeling to have him with us. It was all worth it. Take care!

Love,

Sister Mom (Joanne) Grandma

Oh, What a Beautiful Morning

Hello from France;

We are experiencing some great weather here in Angouleme and we are loving every minute of it. In the last 10 days or so, we have had only one bad day. We have been out in the yard taking care of all the work that was pretty well neglected by Sister Bouchard. The Corga family have been coming over and giving us a hand. We have been digging out all the weeds around the rose bushes, cutting the grass, and getting our little garden area ready for planting.

Two things that I have a hard time with when it comes to France is the pruning the trees and bushes and the grass. Sister Bouchard had Remi Demolombe come over and prune the bushes, roses, and small trees. He, like all other Frenchmen hack away at the bushes and trees until they look like nude sticks, but they seem to always come back in the spring. We will work on Sister Bouchard's dying hedge out front by pruning all the dead branches and then planting some new hedge bushes. The hedges last about 15 years and they get trimmed every fall to keep them square and neat.

The grass here would make an American go around the bend and off the deep end. The French let everything grow in the grass. Just as long as they plant flowers it is allowed to grow in the grass. Once the flower has died it is time to cut the grass. No such thing as getting all the weeds out and grooming your lawn to look like a carpet. The nearest thing to a carpet lawn here is a patchwork quilt.

We spent a great time with our 99-year-old sister, Madeleine Chauveau. Joanne prepared a meal and a birthday cake for us to share with her. Since we had a late meeting in Bordeaux, we brought the Elders with us and she really enjoyed the time spent. I told her that the firemen said it was against fire regulations to put 99 candles on the cake, but she blew out the nine that were on the cake. She is a great sister and has a strong testimony of the Gospel. The members called and sent flowers and even our past 1st counselor from Bordeaux came with his good wife to visit not long after we left.

We had a change in the Stake Presidency here and so we got to go to Bordeaux for Saturday and Sunday meetings. We rented a mini-bus and Joanne took the car because we had so many amis that came with us. I have a to say that Elder Kerr, our regional seventy from Scotland, has become one of my favorite speakers. I love his accent and the powerful messages he gave to all of us. He speaks with authority and power. His testimony rocks the world.

We will have a baptism the 21st of March. Our 78-year-old brother, Jean Bordicheux, is one of a kind. In the 7 months since the Elders met him, he has grown in faith and love. He has changed before our very eyes and he feels the difference in his approach to life. He is someone who thinks things through, prays for guidance and then puts the principles of the Gospel into practice to see how they work in his life. He says that all his practice has been true to the scriptures and the lessons received.

We hope to have all our amis and members there so the amis can feel the spirit and the members to realize that the missionary work is going forward. This is not a church for sissies. It is put up or shut up. I like the scripture where it says that Jesus would rather have us hot, but not lukewarm, for if we are lukewarm, He will spew us from His mouth [Rev. 3:15-16]. We need to recognize that we have made promises and it is up to us to keep the promises made. We often forget those promises and lapse into being lukewarm. It is like the coals of a fire, as long as they are in the mist of the hot burning fire they stay red hot, but once they get away from the heat of the Gospel light they go black. All we need is to be nudged back into the heat of the light of Christ and into active participation and we light up again.

We love you all and we realize that we must do all we can to help others wile we are here. There is still plenty to do on our part and with those we are working with.

Love to you all,

Elder Dad

Moments to Remember

Bonjour!

I hear you are on daylight savings now, but we won't be until the end of the month (I think). I'm looking out the back window at the blooming yellow, white and pink blossomed bushes and trees, and I like it! It's trying to be spring around here, but it is still cold and cloudy, and hovering in the 40's temperature wise, so I'm not officially 'crowing' about all this yet. I made crepes in my new pan this morning, and they turned out just right. Sister Bouchard's 3 pans are all too clunky and heavy for me, so I went out and found one that I could handle, lightweight with a nice round bottom and high sides. That for breakfast, and the fact that he had a good night's sleep, got Jack's day started off right. He spent the morning helping the Corga's with their car problems, and said that Joao finally realized that his prayers for help WERE being answered by Heavenly Father. "Can He come down to earth and help you Himself?" Jack asked him. "Well, no, He doesn't do that!" "Then, how does he help you?" "He helps us by sending you and your wife to us!" blurted out Sandra! They looked at each other, and knew it was true, and that was a breakthrough moment.

I've mentioned Sister Trillaud (tree-oh) before, she is the home bound member whose heart problems have caused her body to swell up with retained water to monumental proportions. Even though she must weigh close to 400 pounds, she can get around fairly well, but cannot get too far from her oxygen tank. We visited her with the Elders to give her the sacrament, and had a testimony sharing meeting with her that was wonderful. When her turn came, she told what the gospel means to her, and how she knows she can't make it to the temple, but that it comforts her to know that she could hold a recommend. It's what Jack told her last week, and she's been pondering the idea since then, so he set up a meeting with her the following Thursday. When that day arrived, I sat in her kitchen reading while he interviewed her in the living room, and everything went smoothly until they came to tithing. It would be $54 a month, and she says everything is such a tight squeeze all ready (her oxygen unit sucks up electricity madly), she doesn't know how she could possibly do it. They went over her expenses, and it would not be easy, so he asked her to pray about it, and they will talk about it again soon. As we left, I found out that we and the Elders had been invited to lunch with her the next day, (Yikes! she doesn't need to feed us - that would be money saved right there!) and she asked if we would bring her some parsley from the store.

In the evening, on our way to genealogy, we stopped by her apt. with the nice bunch of french parsley we got for her, and I jumped out of the car to take it in. I pushed her ringer button and rehearsed a few words to dazzle her with; and heard the door unlock. I pulled on the door, but the dumb thing wouldn't open, so I kept on pulling (mumbling under my breath), all the while getting more and more frustrated. I heard her high pitched voice calling to me, but I couldn't understand any of it! "Pousser, pousser!" she shouted, as I continued to pull and pull, and I could have cried as I watched her heave herself down those stairs little by little, until we were face to face through the glass, and she opened the door, that just needed a little PUSH. (Another singular 'senior' moment in my life). I lowered my head in despair, and she lowered hers, and our foreheads met; I said, 'sorry', and she was gracious and kind and smiled that all was well.

The next day at lunch, she told us that as a young married woman with two children, she and her husband lived in Paris, and were very happy together. He was a postal worker, and all was well until he "allowed" his mother to make job changes for him, and they moved down here to where she lived. They began to argue and fight, and then they split up and were divorced. She became suicidal, once overdosing on pills and waking up a week later in a hospital, and one time leaping from the top of a 6 floor building, and only fracturing her arm! But, it was here in this area, where she came into contact with members of the church, and now at least she has the gospel. The food was too much, as usual, but it means something to her to reciprocate a little of what she feels she receives, so we ate! For dessert, she brought out 2 (two!) identical timisu cream cakes (a first for all of us), which have a thin layer of cake topped with cream, whipped firm, and sprinkled with cocoa. We each had a piece, but the other one was untouched, so she insisted that we take it and share it between us. As we cleaned up in the kitchen, Elder Gunter checked the package label, and the thing had some coffee and some alcohol listed in the ingredients . . . oops! I'm sure she had no idea about that stuff, so we had to repent that night and try to stop our misbehaving ways! When we picked up Sandra later for her daughter's eye appointment, Jack saw a busy street worker, so he got out of the car and took the 2nd timisu over to him, "For all your hard work!" The surprised man thanked him, and now has a story to tell about the moment that he was thanked for being a street sweeper.

Well, that's all for now, you take care of yourselves until we see you again.

Love, Sister Mom (Joanne)

Fun Times

Bonjour to everyone -

I miss you guys, and hope you are all well, and that your days are filled with joy in your lives, and happiness for those you love. It's so good to hear from you in letters, email and the occasional phone call, and we thank you for taking time for us.

We seem to be sliding into Spring, and actually got out into the yard and (with Bro. Demolombe's help) got things more ship-shape around here. We were instructed to call him for the rose pruning ritual, and then, with a pair of clippers in his hands, he was virtually unstoppable (the French love to clip and chop and train their vegetation!). But, don't think our surroundings have been a dull brown or gray all winter long; things here stay amazingly green the whole year around.

We had a great fast Sunday this week, because Kola (the Nigerian man whom we have been sitting in the teaching of with the Elders) actually came to church with his wife, and their 3 (well-behaved) children, just like he promised he would. He and Chantal are as alike in manner and looks as two peas from the same pod, and she is very intelligent and nice. They are beginning to drink in the Gospel, and grow in their understanding of how the Book of Mormon is a second witness of Jesus Christ, and tells about God and His plan for us. They had the notion that WE were prophets because we were out and about preaching about God; so it's interesting to find out where people are in their heads, and their experiences, and to begin to teach them correct principles. She also took a giant leap forward when she was sick in bed last week, and decided to seriously read the Book of Mormon this time; and said that she felt the Spirit, and was anxious to learn more. We are feeling more at ease with one another in their home, and when he called on "our mother" to give a prayer, I had to smile about my new title. Have you ever sat through the blessing and passing part of a Sacrament meeting that only took 3 minutes from start to finish? That leaves an awful big chunk of time to fill for testimony bearing, and very few members to draw from; but, as always, with the prompting of the Spirit, things worked out just fine and the time was soon gone. Afterward, what made us happiest, was that Chantal said that she would be coming every Sunday from now on, even though her husband will be working in England for a month.

As for me, I was all ready to give my long awaited debut lesson on "I Am A Child Of God," and, once again, no one showed up for Primary. (However, that could change now that Chantal knows what church is all about!) Last week, I did have eight-year-old Clement, and we read 1Nephi 12, about the interpretation of Lehi's dream. We then spent time creating a mural of the dream in full living color, that he seemed quite pleased with. I could tell, because he kept it "straight," without his usual skull and cross-bones, or long-bodied creature-men that he likes to put on his papers. Later, after we had fed the Elders and Bro. Bourdicheux, a man wearing army fatigues walked down the hall, and the Elders recognized him as the Armenian political refugee who had hailed them on the street and asked if they were the Mormons? We invited him to stay for dessert, and the Elders showed him the First Vision video (in Russian) since he really knows nothing about the church. He's brand new in France, and is probably lonely for one thing, but he wants us to "teach" him English (he has a smattering right now), so we will gather together for that with the Elders on Thursday, and see where it goes.

Our new P-day is on Monday, and we decided to go to the newest circus to hit town because neither of us has been to one in at least 40 years! The tents are huge and brilliantly colored, and lots of people were streaming toward the entrance, probably between 6 and 700 at least. There was one center ring, with a loud band situated up high off the floor, over the opening where the performers would be coming in. The atmosphere was all dark, bright, misty, and loud, with the hum of the voices of excited children filling the air. (I was just as wide-eyed as any of them--my 2nd childhood coming on!)

It started out with 2 men in 2 separate man-sized cylinders that swung in a wide arch, over and over, and they kept their balance both inside the 24 inch wide base, and on top of it! Then came 2 Bali girls who about turned themselves inside out; it hurt to watch them! Next 3 white horses ran around the ring, along with 3 mini-ponies that were small enough to run under the horses bellies! Then came a troop of Chinese acrobats with a hoops act! Then a blond woman, working magic hanging and twirling from long lengths of material in a dazzling outfit! Next, out came the 2 elephants, with their simple tricks, and then it was intermission, where (for 5 Euros) children could get rides on their backs. We figured they made at least 200 Euros extra by getting 5 on each animal for a quick tour of the ring. The lead elephant was clever, and swept its trunk out over the front row seats as it passed by, and snatched up someones whole blob of white cotton candy and had it stuffed into its mouth in the blink of an eye.

The second half started with 6 angry looking tigers in their nice large cage! Then, the Chinese acrobats came back with a bungee jumping act from up high this time! Then in roared a tiny brightly lit train, with two box cars that were full of little dogs that were so fun to watch; and ended with 30 dogs in all! There was a comedy team of clowns that was very good and the one I really enjoyed was the quick change artists. It was a couple in fancy clothes, and she would step into flat looking hoops and he would pull up a column of material over her head, and 2 seconds later, Voila! a brand new costume! The best was last when he poured out a bucket of large pieces of sparkling gold confetti over her head, and by the time it hit the ground, she was in a sparkly golden dress to match! I guess you can tell that I loved every minute of the circus!

Take good care of yourselves!

Love, Sister Mom Joanne