Lille

We are in Lille as of last Monday. We drove up in our Chevy, bigger than our Cleo from last time. We got into our apartment and we were impressed. We found the church thanks to the French couple we are replacing and spent family home evening with 5 of the young adults and the couple that has been with them for quite a while. This good couple comes from 30 miles away and they are not even in their own ward. Good people.

We spent the week getting food and things for the apartment and that is still going on. The convection oven was delivered Tuesday morning and it is great. The washer and dryer came the next morning and we went and bought a fridge that will come next Monday. The apartment has a living room and dining area combined, a small bedroom we are using as office space and a bedroom with a queen size bed. The bathroom is just fine and the toilet is a small box by itself. Mom put two gold letters on the door that spell WC. The kitchen is small but compact. It has good cupboard space but I am happy to say that there is only room for your Mother, so I am excluded from entering. The only problem we have is that for now we have to park on the street and we have to pay from 9:00 to 5:00. We pay until 11:20 and then take off for the day. We hope to have a place in the buildings garage soon.

The chapel is large and has a great kitchen area. Two wards use the building. There is plenty to do in finding the less actives, so we won't lack for things to do. Our Monday, Thursday, Friday and Sundays are usually taken with the young adults. Tomorrow we head for Charleroi, Belgium for a conference with the European leader of the young adult program.

Fix 'er Uppers

We felt like we needed something to do so we approached the Assistants to the President and asked them if there were any missionary apartments that needed attention. The next day the president got a hold of us on the phone and gave us a place out in the suburbs that needed help. So we took the metro to Chatlet, which is the metro and rail hub and then with our cell phone we had the elders direct us until we finally got to the right train platform. We traveled through the underground network by walking and riding a moving sidewalk. We bought tickets for the train and then went downstairs and out to the correct platform where we waited for the correct train. Once the train came we went through the towns that surround Paris until after 40 minutes we arrived at Evry. The elders were waiting for us and a short half mile walk brought us to our work station. We started by painting two walls a color called Orang Moutard. It looks more like a peach color. It took two coats so while we waited for the first coat to dry, we put the hanging down electrical wires holding the lights into the ceiling where they belonged. The French don't put up light fixtures, they just let the lights hang down like the old tenement houses in New York during the 20's. On our next trip we bought a bookcase for the elders, purchased through the mission funds, and painted one long wall cream. The roller we had was not doing the job so I went to the nearest store and bought some rollers and another handle to apply the paint. Between the two of us we were able to finish the painting, put together the bookcase, and repair two more light fixtures in six hours. The total time for the two days was 14 hours (plus the trips to and from took 3 more hours each day).

We also fixed lights and painted in the apartment we are staying in. That was a major process since there were cracks in the walls and ceilings. After fixing the cracks we then plunged into painting. We started with the bathroom wall that faced out. We used the same orang moutard. Moutard is mustard in French. We tackled the wall facing the street and then did caulking in the kitchen and bathroom. Took care of mold in the bathroom and then used cream and white paint to finish the bathroom. The last thing I need to do now is do a little touch up in the Visitor’s Center and build a drawer for a study desk. We have an apartment in Lille and should be driving there Monday or Tuesday. We let you know we have arrived. It is in the heart of Lille but is only 8 minutes by car from the church. We will have a car because we will check the missionary apartments each transfer to make sure they are good and clean. We will cover about 7 apartments throughout the zone so that will take us to the English Channel. All is well with exception of sore muscles, but we have both lost weight and are down 10 pounds even with Christmas and New Years. Love to all of you.

Visitor's Center Helpers

We are in good spirits holding down the fort at the visitor's center in Paris. The regular couple have taken a trip or some thing and so we were asked to keep the center open. Like all assignments we were sent on our own and scramble to get things going. I think the story of the couple missionaries is to fumble through things until we get it right.

We have had three contacts today and two yesterday and the we hope for more today as the day is still young. The missionaries use this place as a place to meet their contacts and give lessons. There is a large room with pictures and explanations of each but I go around with the people who come in to answer any questions and add some needed information. In a smaller room are two TV's with videos of various teaching and the testimonies of the 12 apostles. the last room in the back is for missionaries who teach lessons to their amis or friends of the church and a sound room for CD's. We have continued to have people come and I was able to get a person to want further contact with the missionaries.

We are waiting until after the new year for the apartment search to continue so we will be in Paris for at least another week. We will be with the young adults next week, so that will give us something more to do.

We had a good conference with the other 10 couples in Blois, which is on the Loire River. We were able to get some good games and interaction helps from the other couples. We did get to see a huge chateau and walk around Blois. The members fed us well on the second day at lunch but we went to two restaurants for the evening meals.

We had a miracle happen on our trip. I left my brief case in Angouleme and in it I always put the keys to our place in Paris. There are three large french keys plus the small chain and metal container for the consecrated oil attached. All in all there is some heft to the combined package. I called Angouleme and arranged for Carole Serard to bring the brief case as she was going to visit a friend in the outskirts of Paris. I wore a pair of slacks to the couples conference because the president told us to come casual. Each evening as usual I would empty my pants pockets and put everything on the dresser. Each day I would don the same pants. On the way home in the train Carole phoned us and said she couldn't find the keys in the brief case. Joanne thought that she had left her key in the apartment, but she looked in her purse once more and in the far recesses of her purse she found her key.

When we met Carole at the subway exit I couldn't find my keys in the case, so we went home and the three of us entered the apartment. We gave Carole some money for the two train rides, coming and going, and then I put my hand in my pocket to take out some change for the metro. She refused but I dropped it into her hand bag anyway. I then sat back and placed my hand back in my pocket and touched something metal. I grabbed what I felt and pulled out the keys that had been lost for three days. We all looked at the keys with wide eyes knowing that there was no way they should be there. I emptied my pockets for three nights, the keys were heavy enough that I would have felt them in my pocket, and when I went in the pocket for change I would have felt them. Heavenly Father can do what He must to help His children on this earth and I am thankful that He sent a message that we were under His care.

We wish all of you a Happy New Year or, as I would say, have a frantic first, and all the best for 2012.

Arrive in France

We left the airport with hugs from Heather and Josh. It is always tough to leave family knowing that we won't see everyone for 18 months. It is good that I have enough technology in my brain to get us to the blogs so that we can see what is going on with some of you. The flight was uneventful and we even managed a few hours sleep. I had the chance to talk to a Frenchman headed to his home in Lyons as he was coming from his work in Las Vegas. I gave him some reading material and we said goodbye.

At the airport we meet the Assistants to the President, Elder Hall and Elder Duarte. Elder Duarte is from Portugal. It took us 2 hrs. from the airport to the mission home due to bottle necks on the freeway. We talked along the way and were able to get a feel for the mission.
At the mission home we met President Poznansky and his daughter Marie. The President's wife was off to Angers to take care of a problem with their home there.

After lunch we got squared away with a cell phone, keys to our apartment and off we went with the AP's. The AP's paid for our metro pass for the rest of the month and away we went on the metro with all our bags. On the way we made two contacts, one with a less active sister. I was able to get her name and phone number.

The apartment was at the next to the top floor. Sixty-two steps up on an almost circular stair case. We were exhausted by the time we reached the door and it is a good thing two young Elders were there to get our bags up the stairs. We are staying in Paris because the church has not been able to find us an apartment in Lille.

The place we live in is a studio apartment. It was for 4 elders with bunkbeds at each end of the long room. The zone counselors who were there before us broke one of the bunk beds into two single beds for us and left us enough to eat until we could buy some food for ourselves. There are four study desks, a eating table in the middle of the place, and a bathroom fully equipped. The stove and sink plus some shelves are opposite the dinning table. The place is big enough for the two of us.

The 62 steps, the 400 meters to the metro, the 400 meters to the platform, and the same to get out of the metro has changed us physically. With all the walking we are doing, my calves are big enough to take to market and we have so much more stamina. The other benefit is that we only eat two meals a day so our weight is dropping. The weather is not too bad. It has rain lightly a few days and got down to 38 degrees on one day, but the temperature has raised to around 50 degrees yesterday and today.

We did have one bad experience that made me angry. I put my wallet in my pants pocket and my suit coat was over my pocket. My raincoat was over all that, but I think that I looked to well off and a group made me their mark. On a rolling sidewalk in the metro four people, one right after the other, bumped into the side where my wallet way and when I got to the end of the sidewalk to get my metro pass out, the wallet was gone. Driver's license, 30 euro, debit card and my metro pass were in the wallet along with photo copies of my passport and the two visas to France and Belgium. It was a good thing they were only photo copies.

We came to the church visitor center and used the phone to cancel the debit card and then trudged home with a new metro card the zone counselors bought me. What a bummer! My feelings about Paris went down a few notches, however when I made my report to the police I got to talk to the officer about the church and that helped build my spirit. I have been able to give out pass-a-long cards most every day in the metro by using some unique approach. Once as we were bout ready to board the metro a lady saw our tags and read out loud the name of Jesus Christ. We talked to her as two other trains past and gave her some literature and the address to the church.

Well that is all for now. We will try to get some pictures to Joanna or Chris so they put them in since our lap top doesn't let us do that.

Love Pappa et Momma

Goodbye to Summer

Bonjour to you all, family and friends -

A brisk ocean-like breeze has blown in from the coast today, and I can tell that Fall is just around the corner. Hmmm. As a matter of fact, I'm a bit chilly, and just ran to get myself a wrap to wear while I type. After seeing a few homes being built, we realize that insulation is virtually unused in them. We actually loved coming into our shutter-enclosed, darkened house after being out in the summer sun, because it was like walking into a cool cave. But, as the weather cools down outside of these basically rock or cement block homes, we do begin to bundle up more inside and shiver in our boots a bit on the tile floors.

We have been experiencing some "panic attacks," off and on lately, as we realize that we will be leaving here in just a few short weeks. The thought of having to say goodbye to the Branch makes us very sad and leaves us torn with conflicting emotions. Jack's second counselor, Patrick, says that we can go home for a month's vacation, and then return and be just like we were. We actually kicked that thought around for a while--maybe we should come back and get an apartment here, so that we could finish helping our friends, and tie up our dangling loose ends. Don't worry, sanity does have a way of returning as we began to realize that it would NOT be the same. We have been so blessed with perfect places to live, all furnished for our use, practically falling into our laps. We'd most likely not be that lucky if we returned. Besides, people do move on; we aren't indispensable; and others will step up to fill in the gaps that we have left. It's just that you become accustomed to seeing certain people often, and there is a trust and friendship that builds up between you when you've shared problems with them, and their happy or sad times also. It will be hard to leave.

Then again, there is Alain Kaus, whose latent cooking genes have been somehow activated. He is now in the kitchen constantly with me each week, "helping" with the bachelor repas. On the one hand, I like help; on the other hand, he is so unpredictable he drives me crazy. Last week, he brought in not just his one loaf of honey white bread (which has improved in texture immensely from his inedible first attempt), but also two more "dessert" loafs--one of which was studded with chocolate and one made with goopy caramel. He also brought special jams to eat with them, an orange marmalade, and a scary looking banana confiture; plus two jars of nutty or smooth peanut butter, and a jar of Nutella. He then set about cutting up each of those large, square loaves into slices, while my little helper (79-year-old Adele) and I, tried to make the green salad and keep out of his knife-wielding way. Then he was with us, wringing out a piece of mozzarella cheese that he'd brought, cutting it right on top of the lettuce, as we stood back and let him have his way. He brought Jack some Turkish Halva to try (which appears to be a near-eastern sweet treat), but he hasn't been up to opening it yet, because it really isn't very appetizing looking. Then last night at FHE, he brought me a cooking magazine 'Cuisine Actuelle', and seemed to be saying, as he talked and talked at me, that I needed to learn some French recipes. I like that idea, it's just the many translations of words and terms that I need to master first; but that was nice of him--I think.

The Elders have found a new Ami who is very interested in the church, and has come to church the last two weeks. The bad news is that he is also a bachelor and, as Richard sadly shook his head, this is a Branch of 'Celibataires'. He is a sweet little man whose apartment is cluttered with clocks, as that seems to be his passion in life; and he is under a doctor's care, and gets through life's trials with pills apparently. That seems to be France's answer to every body's problem. I sat behind him last week when Jack spoke in Sacrament meeting about the Apostasy and Jesus Christ and the restoration, and he was nodding his head vigorously throughout, agreeing with everything that was presented. He is wanting baptism, but the Elders want him to receive all the lessons first. He came and played UNO with us and won his first game ever played and killed Elder Chlarson with plus 4's every hand. We have a lot of fun together on Monday nights.

Well, that's a little update from us over here for now. Hope all is going well in your part of the world, stay safe, endure well, and we love you!

Sister Mom (Joanne) Gran'ma

How Grows Our Garden

Bonjour -

Our summer days are winding down, and we feel like we are almost on borrowed time hoping for a harvest of the gospel seeds that have been sown these past 20 months. I love the analogy of the good seed (from Alma 32) that is planted in our hearts (that has to be a good spot!), that if you do not cast it out with your unbelief, and resist the Spirit, it will begin to swell and grow. When this happens, we begin to see and understand and become enlightened, and the fruit of our faith becomes delicious to us. It's so wonderful to read in the scriptures how the word of God works in our lives.

The actual garden that Jack planted and learned from, did rather well, and we are enjoying the fruits of his labor. We have tomatoes for us and some to share, which is always nice. I actually was a little nervous when he brought in the very first one, because it really did look slightly bizarre. It's skin was strangely transparent, and you could discern veins showing through it, all yellow and greenish in color. I took a knife to cut into it, and was loath to release those fluids into the atmosphere! Eeeek! (I've probably seen too many old science fiction movies, do you think?) I don't know where that one came from since all the others have been fairly normal in comparison. He got a tiny crop of peas and a few beans, and then cleared out the old vines and popped in more beans, which promptly sprouted and just finished flowering, so we'll see what we can get there again.

Sophora Croq was 17 when she became the "black sheep" of her active Mormon family, and was excommunicated for her unrepentant actions. She had a son, fell out of love, and lived with other men, off and on, until she began to see how this was affecting her 5-year-old boy, Jeremie. Her mom brought her to church in Angouleme, a 40 min. drive from where she lived, and we drove out to see her several times after that last year. We were stymied because she was living with someone at the same time that she was making overtures to return to her faith. When she finally sent him packing several months ago, we returned and began to teach her again. Jack started at the beginning with her, using Preach My Gospel, and the day that she prayed aloud was such a great breakthrough. Jeremie loves to pray, but when Jack told him that it was his mom's turn, his eyes got wide with wonder, because she hadn't done it before with him. We all sat quietly with heads bowed, waiting for her to find the words, and I was so surprised when the talkative little boy stayed silent also. After 2 long minutes, she gathered the courage to talk to her Father in Heaven, and said a beautiful prayer, asking for his help to come back into his fold. Her case has been reviewed, and after some personal interviews she will be cleared for baptism. We had a very good lesson with her last time, when Jack had her read aloud all 39 verses in Hebrews 10. It is all about how the Lord accepts repentance, but that it is a sacred promise that must not be reneged on, or it's as if you are trampling the Son of God under your feet. It's a powerful message of having patience and enduring to the end for our final reward. I think she is scared of failing, because she knows it will be hard in many ways, but she seems willing to continue to pray for help, and to ask (as Jack suggested) if there is anything else she needs to do in her life before being baptized again. We hope she keeps the date to keep moving forward.

Joao and Sandra are in a tizzy with their new baby, and his worries about his continuing health concerns have him even more frazzled. We dropped by for our appointment and found the social worker with Sandra in the kitchen, the kids running around the house, and Joao complaining about the temperature he's had for several days which makes him unable to take his medication. He brought out a thermometer, and yelped when he saw that his temperature was normal, and ran to get his shot kit. He came back to where we were sitting, pulled out the needle, and began the process of filling the chamber and flicking the needle with his fingers. He was just pulling up his shirt to plunge that thing right into his liver, when Sandra gave him a horrified shout to STOP! She made him take himself into the kitchen to do it, so we wouldn't have to see it. I knew he'd done it when I heard the loud OW! from the next room; darn, we miss all the fun! They haven't come to church for over 2 months now, and it's always the same excuses: it's too hard on the children, 3 hours are too long for them, the members don't like hearing noisy kids, Sister Metcalfe can't speak French to them (so they did notice that!) Jack talked like a Trojan, countering their every objection: We've all been where you are now with the kids, people do understand your plight and would like to help, and my wife is ready with a lesson and gets help in the translation from the Elders. We had such high hopes with Sandra, but maybe she needs to develop at her own pace, so we don't lose her completely. We need to ask the Lord's help on this, and ask for a change of heart, and more patience and desire for the gospel of Christ in their lives.

So there you have our gardening efforts . . . it begins with the planting, and continues with all the growing pains, and I'm not sure how long the harvest lasts, because those seeds are too important to give up on. You hang in there too, we miss you.

Love,
Sister Mom (Joanne) Gran'ma

What Next?

Bonjour everyone - Have yourselves a great day today!

It's when I blew up my breakfast oatmeal that I kinda knew what sort of day we would be having! We had an 11 o'clock appointment with Sister Walter to take her the sacrament, and had to leave by 10 to be on time. As we drove into her yard, we were surprised to see that her car wasn't there. That was very strange, so we got out and knocked on her door to make certain, and . . . NO answer. While Jack wrote her a note, I walked around her large back yard looking at the crumbling out-buildings made of those old piled up stones that you see everywhere; and sure enough, the 'mortar' seemed to be dirt that I could easily brush away with a finger. Her near-dead dog roused himself with great effort, and began to do his duty by barking at us, so we gave him the satisfaction of having "chased us away" by leaving, after placing the note in her mailbox. We'd been back home only a few minutes, when I looked for my bag, and couldn't find it anywhere. My heavy, clunky, ever present bag, with all my stuff: my quad de englaise, my scriptures de francaise, my hymnbook (with translated titles . . . the only way on earth I know what I'm singing), and not at all least - my journal! EEEEK! Yes, I really did leave my bag sitting on the back stoop at Chantal's house; I was sick! Jack said, "Don't worry, don't worry, we'll be going back for it." Then the phone rang, and it was Chantal calling to apologize for getting her dates wrong; she thought we were coming the next day, and to tell us "the news" that she had my bag. I mouthed the "news" to Jack . . . "I NEED my bag!" So he told her we'd come by later to pick it up. Then Carole called us to move our meeting with her back by an hour and a half because she was swamped with work, so Jack grabbed me and said let's go right now. We dove into the car and took off once again to Chantal's little commune, Le Pruneau (love that name); because if you feel naked without your bag, you must have your bag, right? We got to meet her son, a young man in his 20's, who was there to help her fix some water damage from an earlier storm, and told her we'd be back in the morning.

Then, we were off to our appointment with Carole, who is such a different person from the timid, stand-offish woman we first met a year ago. Their place of business is clear on the far side of Angouleme, so it seemed like we'd been in the car for hours. We got off to a good start with my small offering of her personal favorite: lemon bars, a treat she cannot refuse! Jack felt that she needed to understand about opposition and agency, having been the victim of a crime, so we read and discussed 2 Nephi 2, which talks about why God allows his children their agency to act and how they are responsible for the consequences that follow. She read the verses, then reread them, and discussed them with Jack. It is a hard concept to forgive someone who has hurt you or a loved one, but she is trying to come to terms with it. I snapped a quick picture of her and Jack, and she told him that she's gained some weight back, and is up to 50 kilos now. At her low point a few months ago, she was at 47 k.; bound and determined to get down to her "magic" number of 42! Fifty kilos is just over 100 pounds, and she is about my height. Jack and her fiancee, Dominique, worked so hard to get her turned around, to realize that she was "losing" her beauty by becoming a scarecrow, not enhancing herself as she seemed to think. It finally seemed to dawn on her, and she has lately had much more spark and liveliness, and we are so glad for her because health is everything. Carole seems to just drink in the knowledge of the gospel, and is reading the Book of Mormon. When she gave the closing prayer, she said something that thrilled us so much, "Father in heaven, please help me so that I can be baptized." It was great.

I was called on to give a different kind of service than usual when we came an hour early to FHE, and set up a barbering station in the kitchen for the Elders. I first tackled Elder Chlarson's hair, which sticks out straight all over his head. It has a coarse, heavy texture that I'd never dealt with before, but he was desperate enough to allow me a free hand and took all the buzzing and clipping and "oopses!' with a determined smile. Then Richard Humblot snuck in, hoping to save himself the 45 euros that a haircut costs him at a shop. His bald pate needed shaving, then I mowed the sides and especially got rid of the heavy, curly forest that grows down the back of his neck. I thought his hair was white as snow, but there are plenty of black ones sprinkled throughout that surprised me. Next came the fussy Elder Hill, whose close cropped, curly, short hair hardly looked like it needed cutting. At first he directed me to just trim some off the sides mostly, but soon he said just take it all, that his hair could never be too short! So, I got after it, and to me it looked the same after I'd finished as it did before; every person is so different from each other! It was his birthday also, so after our lesson he got to blow out the 20 blazing candles on his chocolate brownie cake (what else?), and we all pigged out as we played our rousing UNO games with cheers, groans and great gusto (especially when our resident funny man, Bro. Bourdicheux wins and celebrates triumphantly!).

We honestly never know what's next around here, but the journey has been worth it because of all we have gained along the way. Take care of yourselves, we think about you, and love your place in our lives.

Til we meet again,
Sister Mom (Joanne) Gran'ma

Reflections

Hello to everyone. We are doing fine and are working to bring some long strivings to fruition. I am convinced that the present day ideas of living together without the commitment of marriage is reeking havoc on France. Couples, for the greater part, are living together and when a major problem arises in the relationship, are going their separate ways even when there are children involved. If the couple doesn't marry and they have children, the state will pay the mother a monthly sum for raising them and the father is off the hook to go his separate way and take little or no responsibility for the child.

We had a case here with someone we know that the father was to take his son for a month during the summer vacation. After 15 days the father had had enough of the fatherly duties and sent the son back to the mother. If the father doesn't claim the child by filling out the necessary papers, the mother is totally responsible and the state then takes on the financial responsibility of 150 dollars a month. Dad goes his way and can continue the cycle all over again.

I am convinced that commitment to each partner in the marriage and to the children we are blessed with is a major contributor to the stability of the child and they will probably follow the example of the parents unless the false ideas of the world take hold. I am also convinced that marriage is not a 50/50 partnership; it is 100% on both sides. When a major problem comes our way and causes a problem, both partners can fight against the urge of pulling away and still overcome the problem.

I do not say that there are not valid reasons for dissolving a marriage, but for the day to day difficulties of life, a total commitment on both sides is needed to weather the storms that come down upon us.

To get people married here in France it takes patience. The documents needed do cost much more that at home and there are medical concerns and a waiting period. So to avoid all that, people just live together and avoid the hassle.

Changing gears drastically, I would like to say that there are few gated communities in France. The reason for that is that each house is gated. Where we live, each house has a wall around it and gates at the driveway and at the door leading into the yard. Some driveway gates only open with a electric door opener. We leave the house with the gate open so I don't have to get in and out of the car to open the gate on our return. Everyone here closes the gates behind them with a key when leaving, even for a short while. There is very little conversation among neighbors in France and when they do talk it is over the fence if it is low enough for them to see each other. We are totally enclosed at our house except for the iron gate out front. Not much opportunity for interaction. Even the church is locked up tight as the property is surrounded by a fence and a gate at the walk-in area and at the drive-in area; so different from at home. I feel that our way is an automatic welcome whereas here it is just the opposite.

In our 2nd summer here we are still amazed at the beauty of this country and the fields are a patch work of different crops and therefore you see a constant variety everywhere. We enjoy the few trips we have within the mission because the landscape changes quickly enough to enjoy every trip. There are greens of every hue and the flowers that bloom here are of every shape and color.

The French take care of their yards and most plant flowers, shrubs, and trees are of different colors. In this area, just about everything will grow, from a certain palm tree to pines. There is a tree here called a monkey tree because monkeys can't climb it due to the way the bark turns upward and it is sharp at the ends. The yards are planted in such a way that something is in bloom all the time and the colors and shapes of the flowers are all different and beautiful.
Unfortunately, in a way, we are seeing the time pass quickly and when the mission home starts making your home bound arrangements it is evident that this part of our life is coming to a close. We love the people here, but know that there are loved ones waiting to greet us at home. It is a little like when we leave this world and are greeted by loved one there. There is a care and love for those left behind, but there is plenty to see and do after this life if we hold to the iron rod.
As I always say to those I know here, Soyez sage, or be wise or be good.

Love
Elder Dad

Random Thoughts

Bonjour everyone -

We are in the lazy days of summer here in France, and much of the country seems to just close down, as people take their vacations. We have a French native, Elder Del Bel, who just finished his mission. He's in his late 20's, and after joining the church, he decided to serve and was a wonderful missionary, ending up as our Zone Leader. He told us that in his work as a librarian, he was entitled to 16 weeks of paid vacation every year. We could hardly believe it, but he assured us that it was true. School children here seem to get many weeks off for vacation during the year too, plus they also get every Wednesday off, it's nuts.

Living in a real home has changed some things for us, because houses need to be tended. Sister Bouchard loves her mission at the genealogy library in Salt Lake City so much that she is talking about extending. With us leaving at the end of October, if she extends for say, three months into March of next year, that will leave the house empty for quite some time. It has turned into a jungle around here, and we have to beat back the overgrowth of foliage and weeds constantly. Thank goodness we had the Corga's help while they were able. Sandra finally had her baby girl last week, and they plan to return and help us again when they are able. Joao has weekly shots that lay him out completely for his hepatitis, plus he told us that he is HIV positive, and so it would seem that his health is in serious jeopardy. He is very remorseful that he fell away from the church, and made decisions that have left him in this awful physical condition at his young age. Jack has done everything but taken their cigarettes physically from their house (he did threaten to do that too!), to get them to stop smoking, but their habit has them hooked fast so far.

Our experience with the ancient hedge out front has been a saga. Sis. Bouchard said we could do whatever we wanted to in her yard, but I bet she never would have dreamed Jack would take that literally, and tackle the ugly dead part of her hedge out front. He pulled out the sticks that had no foliage, leaving it a kinda shell of its former self, into which he planted new 3 ft. plants to take their place. Then we realized that didn't look good, so he cut off all the branches remaining, which left grotesque spiky stumps, so we knew that they had to go! He started digging around them with a shovel, tied a rope around each one in turn, positioned her car with its undercarriage hook, and pulled those suckers out with that extra added horsepower. It was like pulling out 6 huge teeth by their roots, and he was having way too much fun! We then went shopping for poles and bamboo fencing, because you must cut off the view of your neighbors in France, it's mandatory, I think! Later, at the grocery store, we began talking to a nice English couple in the line ahead of us. Their French wasn't too good, so Jack helped them explain something to the cashier, as she waited for the two Englishwomen ahead of us all to resolve their problem! They were stuck because they had failed to get prices on their bags of produce, so my ever-helpful husband ran back and got that done for them. Everyone was suitably impressed (the Englishman said that he should work there!), but Jack shrugged it off modestly, attributing it to his early boy scout training.

Jack has quite a fan club going on here, between Madeleine, who thinks he's wonderful because he helps in the kitchen, and does dishes, 'like no Frenchman would!'; and Adele, who hangs onto his every word, and tries so hard to please him as she reads the Book of Mormon with us each week, and tries to understand and answer his questions correctly. She has come a long way, and now prays each time we visit. Her prayers are not quite in our usual format yet, but she is talking to Heavenly Father, so that is good.

Sandra knew from the beginning that what he told her was true, it's just the cares of the world that keep her down; she really wants to be baptized. Carole has gone from being lost in the dark, to letting the light of the gospel open her mind to the wonderful knowledge that God knows her, and loves her, no matter what challenges and mistakes she's made. In her last prayer with us, she asked for help so that she could be baptized . . . we were so thrilled to hear that. Sister Trillaud loves him because he got her to realize that she could pay her tithing, which was all she is lacking for a temple recommend; then came up with the idea to help her set aside the money for it. We've become closer to her by helping the Elders as they take her the sacrament each week. Last Friday though, as the Elders met us at her apt. they were talking on the phone, to HER. "Don't come up! Don't come up! I'm going to the hospital, I'm sick!" she told them. We found out later that she has the Swine flu, and will be in quarantine for a month! Next, there is tiny Sister Walter, who lived upstairs while she went to school to become a nurse's aide. She looks on Jack as an older brother, and they get a kick out of each other's humor. We went to see her at her crumbling down old home at Le Pruneau (I love that name!), and she was given the sacrament (she always kneels down), and an object lesson on the three things we need to do to keep our channel of communication open to the Lord. She does two of them, reading the scriptures and praying, but the third one: coming to church, is harder for her. So, we are her little burr under her saddle to keep her remembering what she needs to do. Last is Sephora, who tripped over the traces at age 18, and was excommunicated. At age 27, unmarried and with an active 5-year-old boy, she is making her way back to the fold of Jesus Christ, and it's not easy at all. But she wants more for her son than the world can give, and she knows her life went sour through her own actions. She has welcomed us in eagerly to teach her again what she had almost forgotten. She has shed tears of joy at the thought that she can be forgiven for her past sins and it has been wonderful to be with her on this journey. Then there is ME, I'm in his fan club too, but I live with him, so I happen to know that he's human, not ready to be translated yet, and he needs me to keep him grounded, which I'm getting better at all the time.

I didn't mean to write a book. I'd better end this now. I love you all, my family and friends, and hope you are all doing well. See you soon!

Take care, Sister Mom Joanne Gran'ma

Going Home

Hello to all of you out there. It has been some time since I have written and so I will overcome my blue funk and get to the news at hand. The first thing is that time is passing so fast and there is so much to do that I am worried there will not be enough time to get it all done. We have good news though with the progress of some of our amis.

We will set the baptism date of Sephora Croq this Thursday. She has made so much progress. With our last visit, we felt the Spirit. Her promise to continue to pray and read the Scriptures is a great factor to her being ready to take on the challenges that are hers now and to progress in the future. I will interview her Sunday and then the Stake President will be here on the 30th for her final interview.

Carole is ready and prays for her baptism to come soon. We need to get her and her fiance married. We will meet with Dominique and Carole to see when the date will be. Getting the family members here that they would like to be present is the problem and we are patient with all that. It has been great to see the change come over her and the major hurdles she has met and conquered over the past year. Each of you would be amazed at the challenges that have faced her, but I know it would not have taken place without the Gospel teachings and the Lord's help. Clement, our young 9-year-old young man, bore his testimony Sunday and wants to be baptized. We need to get his estranged mother's permission or according to French law there will be future difficulties. Even though the father has custody of Clement, the French law allows a mother who is divorced, does not have custody, and has other major problems, to have a consent ability even though she has become disinterested in his real life progress.

The Corga family had a new addition with the birth of a new beautiful baby girl. Joao's health problems are still a problem and his treatment to be cured is difficult on him. They both have cut back on their smoking and it is the only thing holding them back. Sandra is down to 2 a day but this is the hardest thing she has had to do in her life. She has smoked since she was a young teenager and this habit is so tough for her to kick. It makes me want to take on the cigarette manufactures and give them a swift kick.

Our new young family is great for the branch and they both accepted calls last Sunday and were set apart as branch missionary leader and primary president. With their 4-year-old daughter, Jeremy, Sophora's 5-year-old son, and Clement, we had 3 in primary. We have the Corga's two young children to add if we can and we will be up to 5. We had one other visitor Sunday so we are growing. Joanne does such a great job with the help of the missionaries, but having someone there who can be there always and who can speak French will be such a great boon to our progress.

It took a lot out of me yesterday to take 2 missionaries to the mission home for their return trips home. Elder Archer, from Magna, has been here for 4 months and this is the third missionary we have sent home from Angouleme. These are tough moments after we have spent so many good and tough times with him and the others. The other missionary was Elder Green, who served here at the end of 2008 and into April of this year. He was in a city to the south and so we picked him up on the way down to the mission home.

At this time in our mission, it was a sad reminder to us how soon we will be leaving. We love these people with all our hearts and being here for two years and investing our efforts in their eternal opportunities has taken a toll on our heart strings. These are great members and amis and we will leave behind a major portion of our hearts here in this part of France. I know it is a hazard of serving and not being able to bring them home with us, but there are other major projects for us to do and loved ones to see and squeeze with huge hugs when we get home. I have learned the value of a hug since being here. The missionaries do it all the time when they meet. It not only shows your emotions through the force of the squeeze you can give but it puts your mouth to their ear to tell them how much you love them.

We love all of you and are looking forward to showing some of you the sights and the people here when you come. It will be good for you to put the faces and personalities with the names. Until the next time.

Love Elder Dad