President's Wish

We had the privilege to attend a combined Brussels and Lille zone conference and the visiting authority was Elder Teixeria, who is the Regional Seventy for this area. He was very inspirational and gave some great tips on how to increase our teaching group. He said when you make contact with someone, whether they are interested in the message of the restoration of the Gospel or not, we should ask if they know individual(s) who might want to hear our message. If we do this each time it will increase our contact list without further time spent. As we continue to do this, the number will continue to grow rapidly. He also challenged us to try this as we left the conference.

Joanne and I left the conference and headed to the train station and made contact with a man in the park. He was interested in our message so we got his phone number and address but when we asked if he knew of others that would be interested he said he was the only one of his family here and the country he came from did not have missionaries. We met another young man who helped us get on the right metro car so we could get to the train station, but he was going one way and we the other, so we just had time to get his name and phone number. We picked up one more name as we helped an older lady with her bags on and off the train. She was headed to Lille and we met her son at our stop at Lille. We have not had time to visit him yet because as we were leaving the conference our mission president came to us with a new assignment.

The mission is trying to place missionaries in different areas in Paris that will help the Chinese speaking Elders in Paris , but to open a new apartment the mission needed to close another. To hand back the apartment to the owner we had to make sure the place was ship-shape. President Posnazski asked us to go to Paris and see if we could get the work done. We said we would go and do it. We said that we would drive down, but president told us that we would never find a parking spot in that area and that we could stay in the apartment that Elder and Sister Jones were in before they finished their mission. We knew that their place was way out of Paris and that we would lose a lot of time going by train as we made our way into Paris. We told the president and his wife that we would bring our inflatable mattress and camp out in the apartment and save time. Sister Posnazski was shocked and said we couldn't do that. We told her that we are not the rich and famous and we would be right on the job early each morning.

So off we went to Paris to help out. We only had a week and so we had to sandwich everything between Thursday night institute and our meal after the class and Monday night's family home evening with the young adults. So Friday morning bright and early we took off for Paris. We made arrangements with a young adult in Paris to help us get set up with all our needs. We met him at one of the chapels in Paris with the help of Mappy Ann (GPS) and he took us to the apartment.

It was a large apartment that had a large living room, dining room, bedroom, bathroom with adjoining WC, or toilet as you would call it, and a kitchen and hall. The wall paper had to be taken off and the ceilings painted. There was a large hole at the shower area and the bathroom needed to be painted.

Matt, the young adult, and I left Joanne at the apartment to start tearing off the old wall paper and we headed to the nearest Leroy Merlin store. This establishment is as close to the French get to Home Depot. We spent 380 Euros on all the things we needed and rushed back to get into the major job before us. Matt Fuller, a returned missionary, came back that evening with two young adult friends to help. We tore the old paper off and then had to water down the backing paper to get it to peel off. All hands were working until 10:30 PM. At the end of the night we tore off the paper in the living and dining rooms and the three young adults got two walls finished with the new wall paper. We then inflated our mattress, opened the windows and plopped down for the night.

We were up at 6:30 and we went right to work. I put on the paper under the windows that spanned the living room and dining room. Joanne kept right on tearing off paper and bagging it up to throw away. We had seven large garbage bags full and still counting. Elder Godfrey, whom we had known in Lille, was the Zone leader in Paris and he and his companion came at 10:15 and worked until 2:00 PM. It was hard to get everything going as we wanted because we only had one ladder. We got an assembly line going with three of us. Cut the wall paper to size, brush on the glue, and then get it up on the wall straight. When the two missionaries left the living room was done and Joanne had most of the dining room free of the old paper.

Joanne and I ate two small quiches tarts, two pastries and drank a lot of water. In the afternoon two more missionaries came. These two were the Chinese speaking Elders. One was from Taiwan and the other from Quebec. You could rattle the elder from Taiwan by asking him what it was like to live in China. He was good natured but he would let you know right away that he was definitely not from China. These two missionaries headed to the bedroom to tackle the old wall paper.

We had a hard time with corners because the rooms were not square and it took much trial and error. We actually left the corner area and headed for some straight flat surfaces. Two more elders came to work in the bedroom and by 9:00 PM we were down and out for the count so we called it quits. We had no place to rest except on the floor or on the toilet as places to sit. The hole in the bathroom now had two coats of mud and it needed to dry before some sanding, the dining room was almost finished so we figured that we had made good progress for two days. With the help of Mappy Ann we got the keys to Elder Godfrey and headed home to Lille and arrived just before midnight.

After family home evening with the young adults we headed for Paris again. We took the toll road each time so we could get there faster, but it also cost 15.40 Euros one way. We double parked so we could get the keys from the elders mail box. Joanne jumped out of the car, punched in the door code, reached into the deep mail box and retrieved the keys. We were off in an elderly couples attempt at a "flash". We arrived at the apartment, inflated the mattress and got a good night’s sleep.

We still had much to do and only two more days to get it all done. Rip the old paper off, slosh the wall with a very wet sponge, tear off the under coat, and let it dry. Joanne and I got into a groove with the new paper as we cut the paper to size, applied the glue with the paper on the tile floor, put the new wall paper up, and wash down the floor to take up the glue that got on the floor.

At 2:00 PM our first helper came. We called him "Hy" because his Tahitian name was impossible to pronounce. He had come to France to find work and in the process found the church and had been baptized 4 months before we met him. He is 22 and planning to go on a mission. Two elders came and went to work on peeling the hardest parts of the bedroom. Hy went to work in the hall with Joanne, and I worked on the bathroom. Later on after the first set of missionaries left, two more came and started putting the paper up in the bedroom. One elder had the touch and could get the paper up so you couldn't even see a seam.

That evening two young adult sisters who were born in Africa came and David, a French young adult that helped previously, came to the rescue. We had a major problem with the sink and tile in the bathroom and he came up with a solution that allowed us to get the sink and the tile back flush with the wall. With some caulk we were able to get it looking better than before. Joanne and I decided to take a rest.  While the others ate food from the local McDonalds, we went to a Chinese restaurant in the area and enjoyed much more that pastries and quiche tarts. We were all dog tired and so I sent everyone off home with a hearty thanks for all they had done.

The next day two elders from the mission home came with an extra ladder and the 4 of us went to work. We were now up to the task and with the experience we had we worked hard and almost had it done when the elders had to leave for meetings with investigators. Their help was just what was needed and Joanne and I were able to put the finishing touches on the walls in the hard to get to places. Painting was finished in the bathroom, floors mopped, windows cleaned, garbage bags taken to the cellar for disposal, door locked, and keys once again placed in the elder's mail box. With it all done we headed for home after a total of 66 hours of work by Joanne and I and 65 hours by young adults and missionaries.  It was a job well done! When the owner inspected the apartment he was thrilled and our mission president said that it was great to hear the owners’ compliments.  It was wonderful to hear that the good name of the Church was upheld in the eyes of someone in France.

I need to add one more blessing that we received from our Heavenly Father. You will remember that our mission president said that we needed to come by train because we would never find a parking spot anywhere near the apartment. Each time we came we prayed that we would find a parking spot so the work could get done.  In the 4 times coming and the 4 other times we had to leave to get materials we always found a parking spot close to the apartment. Of the eight times, four were right in front of the building. Twice we came very late at night when there should be absolutely no spots. Both times someone was pulling out as we pulled up to the apartment. These are the tender mercies the Lord pours out upon those who trust in Him and who are about His work. The other is that without the help we received from good young adults and missionaries we would still be there. We love this work.

Another Temple Trip

Our young adults planned for a temple trip after Jack gave them the idea.  Our temple district is in London, and they would be able to stay overnight there, but they were all booked up, so the Holland temple would work just fine for a day trip.  We met at the church at 8 A.M. and were aboard our large, modern bus and on our way 20 minutes later, for the reasonable charge of $25 per person for the whole day.  The temple president at 'the Hague' (Den Hagge) Holland called Jack last week and virtually gave our group the whole afternoon to do as much temple work: baptisms, confirmations, and even endowment sessions as we wanted to do; the whole afternoon was ours.  We had 25 people and picked up another 14 persons from Brussels, Belgium who had wanted to come with us.  As we traveled along, I was amazed at the wonderfully flat land of these two countries. We got to see a little bit of the city of Rotterdam, and it's interesting to realize that this area of Holland has been reclaimed by the ingenuity of its people from the sea.  Much of the land is below sea level, and there are canals, pools and just standing water along the roadsides showing the part water plays in the scheme of things here.  New dikes now protect the country after a huge storm caused massive flooding several years ago.  We passed 2 nuclear reactor towers looming over the countryside, but only 3 old style windmills that Holland used to be famous for.  One was right by the temple, which is set on a corner lot unmarked by sidewalks or fences.

   The bus pulled into the parking lot and we got out with our lunches and found places on the lawn to sit, have a prayer and eat.  Our 3 cute sisters from Saint Quentin divided everyone into 2 groups, because this small temple doesn't provide workers: baptizers, witnesses, recorders, and helpers in general have to be a part of your group.  Jack was in charge of the Priesthood stuff, and the first bunch got into their white jumpsuits while I dressed in white also, to be able to hand out towels to those coming out of the font.  Each person did at least 12 names, and I loved watching them here, in this wonderful setting.  Sister Hall, from Brussels, was to replace me for the second group, and she told me how to get to some neat shops nearby; but I felt compelled to stay in the temple because that is why we drove 4 hours in a bus, not to buy more cheese!  

  Jack was the recorder, running names onto the screen so the baptizer could see them quickly and properly.  Cedric Bokiala was in this second group, just enjoying every new thing he learns about the gospel all the time.  He was baptized April 21st and is truly converted, having just received the Melchizedek priesthood and become an Elder. In the Congo he knew a boy at school who was well versed in the Scriptures, and found out that he was a Mormon.  He told his mother and she said, 'Stay away from the Mormons', so he did.  Then, earlier this year when visiting his sister in Valencennes, he told her that he was looking for a community of believers to associate with, and she said, 'Look anywhere, but don't mess with the Mormons'.  Just after leaving her apt. he saw 2 Elders contacting people on the street, and stopped to talk to them.  They got his address and forwarded it on to the Lille area Elders who took the ball from there and began teaching him.  He was going to school and living with a cousin, and tried telling him of the great things he was learning.  His cousin wasn't at all interested and tried to get Cedric to go drinking and partying with him, then got mad when he refused.  Cedric took the major step of getting himself out of that bad situation, and moved in with someone else 40 miles out from Lille.  He applied for new housing and got it, but for several weeks he had to travel those long distances to both attend school and now church as well.  We drove him home several times after Institute or Family Home Evening, where he was coming and getting to know a whole bunch of different new people and way of life.   He is really not a Young Adult, at age 31, but it's hard not to accept these new members who need fellowshipping, and just leave them stranded.  His father was in the Congo's diplomatic service to France at one time, so he is well educated.  He is also quiet, but now everyone is noticing his droll sense of humor and love to be around him. 

 

  We were finally done by 6 P.M. and our leader, Sophie, had the bus driver take us to the seashore so we could picnic there with the sandwich makings, cookies and drinks they'd brought along.  It was now overcast outside, and threatening to rain, but there were plenty of people on the boardwalks enjoying the cool breeze.  We ate by some strange metal artwork in a plaza, some of our group ran down to put their toes into the cold North Sea, and then we began to get sprinkled on, so we headed back to the bus and for home, where we arrived past midnight.  The name of the game here is activity in the church, and association with members their own age helps these faithful young people to stay focused and on track to return to our 'real' homes someday.

Our Trip to the Madrid Temple

Alicia and Sephora

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

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

Sephora, Jean-Pierre & Alicia

Jean-Pierre, Alicia & Jaime

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

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

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

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

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

A Side Trip to Angouleme

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

Carole & Elder Metcalfe

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

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

On the streets of Angouleme.

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

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

Madeline & Carole

Elder Metcalfe wins the silly face contest!

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

Young Adult Conference

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

Food for an army.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Emma

I want to thank my sister Laraine for putting together two packages of 'stuff I can't get in France', and sending them to me in the mail...they got here amazingly fast! Graham crackers, and powdered spices ( Herbes de Province is the favorite for the people here, all manner of dried leaves abound, but I think powdered is best in many recipes), and instant pudding so I can make Joanna's cinnamon rolls one day, and a cup of corn syrup very cleverly contained in a juice box bottle, plus more. Sandra also sent a goodie box...thanks so much!

Shopping here is a scream...so many aisles, so many people! The mega-mart Auchan has it all, so that's where we shop the most, any day but Saturday if you value your sanity. One time we were in the checkout line there when I got tagged as a loser! The cashier held up my bag of 4 lousy little tomatoes that had 'no price' on it...with this disgusted look on her face. Jack was bagging our other purchases as I looked desperately at him. "Go price them", he advised, "Hurry!" The line of customers behind us made way for me as I tried to remember which way to get to the produce department. The resigned looks on their bored faces made me scoot away in double time, down the cheese aisles..turn left several rows, then turn right. The produce areas at home are nothing compared to all the choices here. I found a scale, tapped the Legumes picture, glanced at the offerings - no tomatoes! Tap it again...there they were, all 15 different varieties - find 'tomate allongee' (same as our Roma), push the picture, and out springs the price tag: $1.20 Euro; slap it on the bag, and hurry-scurry back to find that No One had defected to another line! WOW! What troopers! French people are used to waiting in lines! The cashier smiled gratefully and counted out our change in English.

On a Thursday in early March, we had our first visit with our other home teaching family set for 5 PM at their home in Armentieres. After searching for people all afternoon, we headed there, and Mappy-anne got all goofy on us directing us in the opposite direction at first, so instead of being just a couple of minutes late, we were 20, what with rush hour traffic to boot! When we arrived at the Thille family place, the father, Michel, seemed reserved at first, but soon warmed up with smiles all around. His wife, Sandra, had been on the phone for the last hour with her sister, and asked if we'd tried to call, (we had, but couldn't get through), so all was well. I brought her a pretty purple-flowered potted plant and chocolate chip cookies for the kids, and also had 2 of the soft balls from our Green Leaf Ward humanitarian project tucked into my book bag. Their oldest girl, little sharp-eyed Emma, grabbed one and ran off with it first thing (to her mother's chagrin), so my plan to give them out as part of Jack's lesson was thwarted! Emma has Down Syndrome characteristics and is big for a 6 year old, going on 7. Both she and her 4 year old sister, Maelys, have beautiful red hair. Emma has the mental abilities of an 18 month old, and the very unfortunate 'habit' of communicating by SHOUTING very loudly, MAMA! MAMA! MAMA! constantly, as she busily runs around, or drags jam, bread and knife from the kitchen to the table for a snack. She can do that, but spreading jam is beyond her, as is dressing or washing herself. Sandra said, "Emma, no!" so often that it could be her name: Emmano! Sandra is a wonder; patient and kind. They have fallen into inactivity because how could they have Emma with them in Sacrament meeting at this stage of her life they wonder?

Jack had visited them in Feb. with the Bishop and found out that Emma had torn pages from Michel's Book of Mormon, so he presented him with a brand new one in a zippered case, which blew him away! Jack then gave them the Ping-pong ball verses Golf ball lesson, comparing two look alike balls, but one full of nothing, and the other full of substance (like the gospel of Christ to keep you strong even when adversity or trials come into your life). He let the girls hold each of them, and try to blow them away with puffs of breath. The ping-pong ball of course rolled hither and thither, but the golf ball remained steadfast...such a good object lesson for the parents, that they need the gospel in their lives to steady them through the tough times that come to us all. Emma reluctantly gave the ping-pong ball back to Jack and then was horrified when he stomped on it to make the point about it having no inner substance at the core. She burst into tears and ran from the room and stomped up the stairs, condemning his heartlessness with every step! Michel began to laugh and almost lost it, and we couldn't help but join in at Jack's expense, because he hadn't thought ahead of what Emma might think about ping-pong ball cruelty! She soon came back down again, and now she was MAD - at Jack! ( He was having a rough night!) She mumbled under her breath at him for the rest of our visit, but finally got over it. Bishop Doit told Jack that he always comes away with a headache from Emma's constant, top of her lungs racket when he visits them. He's asked his quiet, 20 year old daughter, Esther, if she'd be willing to take Emma into another room at church so that the family could attend Sacrament meeting, and she agreed to do so. It probably won't be as easy as that, but we're trying to figure out how to help them. We met Michel coming out of church the next Sunday with EMMA, we missed it because we had an early meeting in St. Omer and had just got back for our regular ward Sacrament meeting. She was dressed nicely for church and was so demure I was speechless, and he carried his scriptures and seemed calm, but Sandra and Maelys stayed home.

On our next visit in April, as we walked inside, we immediately sensed a difference from last time. Emma was lying drowsy-eyed on the couch, and Sandra said she was sedated because of a urinary tract infection. Emma noted our entrance, but fell back onto the pillow, sucking her binky and clutching her floppy toy dog. I gave them a bag of rice krispie squares and we sat with them at the table for our lesson. Jack had Sandra read John 17:3 'And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.' They then talked about what it means to KNOW God and to KNOW Jesus Christ...and Sandra knows that it is she that is holding back and knows what she is not doing. (It is so hard to call people to repentance, but it is essential for us to face up to what is holding us back from the path to eternal life.) She said, 'When I was on my mission, I knew the importance of the gospel and how to live it. But, now it's so hard.' Emma literally wears her out, and at the end of the day she unravels, and feels she never accomplishes anything. By now her tears were flowing and little Maelys got a tissue and reached up and wiped her mother's wet cheek. Do you pray for Heavenly Father's help? asked Jack. No. Do you pray over the food? No. Why? Then came the excuses...too tired, it's late, we're not together as a family...Jack said, Heavenly Father can't do his part until you do yours and show that you want his help. Michel chimed in and said, 'I want to pray, but she doesn't want to.' Sandra is bogged down in depression; she's sure that it's her fault somehow that Emma is how she is. Jack told them both," No, this is just one of the hard things that we have to deal with in this life, it's why they are called trials. Emma has an assured future, no matter how old she becomes, she will have the mind of a toddler, she is innocent of the sins of the world and will live with Heavenly Father again. We're the ones who have to overcome the world to be worthy to be with Him again. Do you want to see your daughter in Heaven, faculties restored to her perfect body, and be with her there? We are the ones who must work towards that goal by doing all we've promised to do." He got them both to promise to begin again. Sandra is such a sweet-faced, mild-mannered woman, but this trial is taking its toll on her. We should all pray for one another and our trials, so that with God's help they can be borne.