The Most Memorable Baptism Ever: Part 2

We went back to see the family, after picking up the Elders, the very next week on the 7th of Nov.   This time, we were prepared with a psudo-flannel board and colorful circles to help explain the Plan of Salvation to the kids.  We also had mini-Twix bars to 'bribe' them into listening, and all together it worked like a charm.  The poor Elders, being kids themselves, were clueless as how to calm the masses, so they once again took the back seat to Jack.  He, being a natural-born teacher, caught their attention and soon had them raising their hands and participating.  We got Daniel involved with placing the circles on the board, and it was a good night of learning.  They all wanted to have a turn to pray, because it was a new experience for them, and Alecio promised they would be at church on Sunday, but they didn't come because the toddler got sick.

     Our main concern on our next visit was to wish Sofia a happy 15th birthday (with a big chocolate cake) and figure out how to help them get to church.  (Alecio's panel truck has no seats, and the last time he tried to take his family loose in the back, he got picked up by the police and fined.)  They have a DVD player and an old TV where everyone's faces are green, but we watched the Joseph Smith Story, in Italian, on a laptop.  With no speakers, however, the children had to huddle around close to hear it.  (You would be amazed at the electronic devices that even the poorest people have in their possession nowadays).  Everyone sat quietly through almost the whole movie, until Daniel made them all scatter when he passed gas!  He's the 'bomb' all right!

     On our next visit on Nov. 20th, we had visual aids to help teach the proper steps of a prayer, and the Elders taught about the 10 commandments.  Then they dropped a 'bomb' on us by setting a baptismal date for the girls for Dec. 1.  We were surprised, but the girls squealed excitedly.  Alecio hadn't stayed for the lesson, he'd gone with a gym bag to do some boxing.  Sofia blurted out the news that she didn't want her Dad to baptize her, and Sara said," He's not baptizing me either!"  Rosa was upset and said her girls don't honor their parents like the commandments say they should, and we soon said good-bye leaving chaos in our wake this time.  Jack and I had reservations 'big time' about this rush to baptism (then we found out that one of the Elders was going home the 5th of Dec. and it meant a lot to him to see them get baptized).  I brought up my concerns, but they countered with the girls' need to have the Holy Ghost in their lives to help them progress.  That made sense, but they also 'need' parental involvement, and will be hard pressed to find it with a mother who is overwhelmed, and a father who works hard, but doesn't relate well with his daughters.  Then, the Elders had to admit defeat after all, when none of the family made it to church on the 25th because their oldest son's wife had just had their first baby.

     I can't figure out their lifestyle.  I've never seen any signs of dinner being cooked.  They seem to exist on snacks and candy, which are plentiful and spread out all over the large round table (and onto the floor as the little kids grab and run with cheese puffs and chips and bon-bons of all sorts), and liter bottles of pop, guzzled without a glass by Daniel, and  I wonder if Alecio brings home out of date products for them?  The time Bishop Duez came to meet us there started out badly.  Ten year old Kelly was striking matches on the porch, then in the house (that tinderbox!), chasing her siblings all around with them!  Rosa wandered in with the baby on her hip and I pointed it out to her.  She distractedly shook her head, 'Oh those children', she sighed.  Jack called them all together and retaught prayer, and Sara gave a good one.  The Bishop showed up and will help Alecio get started on the papers he needs to become legal in France...step by step progress is being made.

     We were at another ward when the family came to church and met with the Bishop in his office.  A new date was set for the baptism, for the very next Saturday at 3 P.M., if Rosa felt they were ready.  We took the Elders out there on Friday night, and they were determined to get all the rest of the lessons taught that night.  Jack was beside himself...'You're going to do all those tonight and call it good?'  We sat back this time and let them handle things, but the girls were giggly, and Sofia sat by herself.  When they talked about tomorrow's baptism, Rosa protested that they weren't ready, but in the end she was talked into it.  Sofia is a question mark.

      We spent the morning baking banana bread and cookies when we got a frantic call from the Elders.  The Strecovitch girls had gotten wet and dirty from the floor of their Dad's van and were refusing to come.  Could we go and pick them up and smooth things over?  We had room for 3, what about the others?  They said they'd call Bishop Duez and see if he could help, and he was soon on his way also.  When we got there Sara was distraught that her good pair of jeans had gotten dirty (there was dried mud on the sleeve of her shirt also), so Jack said, "Come with us and we'll get you a new pair to wear!"  She was so surprised at that, she got right into the back seat, followed by Kelly and Indira.  Rosa looked nice in her long black skirt, dangling earrings and sparkly top, but her face had that usual worried look as Sofia was not to be found anywhere.  Jack said, "We're leaving now so we can shop for Sara", and we did.  We found a chic clothing store and our funny little band trooped in and found something suitable right away.  Sara tried them on and worried that it cost too much, ($14.99) but we grabbed them and got going again.  At church the girls were whisked off for their interviews, and the next time we saw them they were a sight to behold.  Kelly was in a ruffly dress, Sara in a 3 times too big jump suit, and Indira had on knee length trousers and a large white shirt that someone had knot-tied in the front showing tummy.   Bishop Duez had told Rosa last Sunday that the baptism would not be today, and she was relieved because "My girls aren't ready yet."   Someone mentioned that they should bring extra dry underwear, and she wailed, "My girls don't have underwear!" YIKES!  That's why she put up a fuss yesterday when the Elders told her it was set for today.  We didn't know any of this until after we talked to the Bishop, and he was 'misinformed' also.

     Finally, they got the program started at 3:30, with one glaring omission from the printed program; Sofia had refused to come with the Bishop no matter what he said to her, she said NO.  She said that her father and she had fought, and claims that he hits and kicks her. 'Why can he get away with such behavior and be a church member?' seems to be her question.  So, 4 sisters names were on the program, but only 3 young girls dressed in white on their baptismal day, Dec. 8, 2012.

     In  PART 3  you will find out what happened next.

The Most Memorable Baptism Ever: Part 1

 Back in early November was the first time we met the Strecovitch family.  One of the Elders in the ward recognized the father of the family, when he slipped into sacrament meeting by himself two weeks in a row, from the time he had met him earlier elsewhere.  In talking to Alecio, the Elder found out that he was a member, and had 7 children at home, 4 of whom had not been baptized yet.  If you ever want to make a missionary drool, just tell him that!  Their problem was that they live a good 30 minutes out of town, and transportation was the issue.  The Elders got out to their place one time, but found that they live in an enclave of illegal, ramshackle, pasted together hovels, where the kids run wild and they were unable to corral them long enough for any kind of lesson because of their undisciplined behavior.

     The Elders begged for help from us, not only to drive them there, but to help teach them if possible.  Our first look at their place was quite a shock, it had rained and the ground was muddy and strewn with hoses stretched across the width of their yard as we drove in.  The people there tap into the city's water supply that way, and also know how to string electricity to their places too.  We hear that the police raid this complex of several streets of shacks periodically, tearing out all their lines and hoses, but before long things are back in place and 'normal' for them once more.

      Alecio is Italian by birth, and found the church when he was a young man.  His wife is a Bosnian gypsy, born to that nomadic culture and way of life, and when they married she persuaded him to join in it also.  His family were so upset by this that they disowned him.  Somewhere along the line though, Rosa gained a testimony of the gospel and was baptized, to the dismay and chagrin of her own family with their traditional Catholic background.  Some of their children were born in Italy, some in Germany, and now some in France, and they all have language issues and speak quite the mixture of Italian/German/French.  The kids are struggling in school, where they stand out because of their slightly shabby used clothing; their language problems have some insensitive teachers telling them to 'go back to where you came from, we don't want you here'.  They don't go to school regularly, so keeping up is hard, but two of them are especially smart and determined, so there is hope for them.    
                                                                                                                        
      Their house is an amazing conglomeration of cast-off pieces of building materials, such as  french doors with glass squares, which make up the front wall, and Rosa's cooking area is a room off one side of their long front porch.  Alecio is industrious to the max and has created a huge living room space for them with wooden floors and a roaring fire in a make-shift stove made from a metal barrel complete with a fat pipe that leads straight up through the ceiling.  I was impressed by how shipshape the room was, with paintings on the walls, and couches and cupboards and a large round table and plenty of chairs.  He probably is a collector (with his large, white panel truck, with no seats), a scavenger of discarded items that people put out on the sidewalks and within minutes just disappear as if into thin air. Rosa is a sweet-faced earth-mother type with a lovely serene smile and laid back manner with the chaos all around her.....'Oh, these children', she would say to me over and over as they raced madly around, showing off to their four foreign visitors.  But then Jack took control, and before long had them seated, and mesmerized as he taught them about Joseph Smith's first vision.  The 8 year old, shy Indira, 10 year old wise-eyed Kelly, the deceptively quiet 12 year old Sara, and 14 year old Sofia who is just budding into young womanhood all listened intently, but the younger three listened best.  Sofia was easily distracted and hard to reengage, but we loved being with these kids, they are good kids, just clueless at how to comport themselves in an accepted manner.  There is also 6 year old Daniel, the instigator of all havoc in the house - literally bouncing off the walls and off his sisters with karate chops to the backs of their legs or boxing and hitting them whenever they weren't looking;  wow what a kid!  Jack even corralled him for awhile.  The other children are 3 year old Kristina, with deep dimples and a crush on one of the Elders which she showed by pummeling his face constantly, and 1 year old Samata Amela, big eyed with amazing dimples also, who was still nursing and was very insistant about it!  What a family...we went home happy, but exhausted, and hoped that they had learned what they needed to know about the prophet and what an important event the first vision was; and we left wanting to return again to see them again soon.

      Well, I had to set the stage, so if you are interested in the rest of the story you will have to wait for chapter 2.   ;)

Love to you all.........Mom  (Joanne)

Visit from an Apostle

   On Friday, Nov. 16, we drove to Paris for our first All Mission Conference, held in the Versailles Ward, to hear an Apostle of the Lord speak to us.  We timed it to arrive at 10:30 and we did, with 10 minutes to spare, only to find out that with a V.I.P. arriving, preparations and expectations and time schedules are on overdrive.  We didn't do much for 2 hours except try to get the whole France-Paris Mission in place for a mission photo on the stage at the rear of the chapel area.  Just in time we were alerted that they were driving up, and the noise of talking abated, and as Elder Marquez sat at the piano and played, we all began to hum or sing softly to the music of the hymn along with him.  The Spirit was strong as we anticipated seeing our leaders, and as they came into the chapel they were very touched by the reverence and love being shown to them by the missionaries. 

     They sat in the seats in front of us for the picture taking session, then they lined up to shake hands with all of us as we filed out of our rows.  Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Twelve Apostles shook my hand and thanked me for my 'service', then Elder Teixeira (Regional 70), Elder Boutoille ( from Lille- Area 70), President Poznanski (Mission Pres.), and a couple of other leaders each shook our hands.  We then found seats in the chapel and heard several short talks by some of those men and 2 of their wives.

     Elder Andersen then came up and told us how he has known Pres. Poznanski for many years, ever since he, himself, was the Mission President in Bordeaux, and Pres. Poznanski was a 28 year old young father and Branch President there.  He was running himself ragged in his job with a pharmaceutical company, with his church position, and with a family he sometimes didn't see for days on end.  He decided he had to ask to be released from his calling, but then President Andersen, counseled him to hang in because the Lord expects more of us than to give up when the going gets tough.  So President Poznanski changed his mind, and he and his wife also changed some of the ways they were doing things, and life got easier and better for them as they were obedient and continued to serve with honor. 

     Then, they were asked to become leaders of the Institute in Angers (working for the church), so he quit his highly paid job, uprooted his family and moved to northern France where things are a lot different.  It was hard on the kids, especially at first, to leave everything they knew and their friends behind, but they thrived in their new home and became much loved in Angers.  One thing I know for sure, Elder Andersen had his eye on Pres. Poznanski for good reason - he and his family  (his wife is a jewel) are outstanding people and members of the church here in France. 

     Elder Andersen then threw out the question:  Where in the Book of Mormon do you find the Doctrine of Christ outlined?  Some of our sharp missionaries called out the very scriptures that explain it best :  2 Nephi: 31  Tells why we must be baptized - to follow Christ,  it is an ordinance of commitment ;  3 Nephi: 11  Christ appears in his resurrected body so that ALL the people would be witnesses of the truth, and he authorized his disciples to baptize, to become one with Him ;  and 3 Nephi: 27  To call His church in His name, and He gave commandments to repent, be baptized, and to follow His works.. the 'do' 'do' 'do' 'do' 'do' verse 21 ( if that is not works, I don't know what is! )  These chapters should be studied carefully and  become precious in our lives.  The Doctrine of Christ is the True Belief...of Atonement and Faith.

      He spoke for a long time and emphasized that being a missionary is not just baptisms, but giving spiritual aid to all, especially members who may be struggling.  Baptisms are only one measurement of your mission, you have to see yourself in the true role you are in.  Be simple, be concise, share your miracles with the members, be the flame, be the light among them, it helps them be firm and true over the years.  He said that he was just an ordinary, every day missionary when he served in France, not a leader at all, but he tried to have the spirit with him every day.  He told us if we will see ourselves as disciples of Christ who carry the light of Christ to the people of France daily - that is how we will be successful.

     When he finished talking to us he couldn't stay around and shoot the breeze because he had things to do, places to go, and more people to see, so he took his leave and said goodbye.   We also did what else we had come to Versailles to do, exchange cars with the newly arrived couple in the mission.  They were given the car that the Hall's had used in Brussels, but with its Belgium license plates, taking it to Cherbourg ( south of the Normandy coast ) would put it too far from that country.  We, on the other hand, being only minutes from the Belge border are the more logical ones to drive it.  The cars are both Chevy's, but ours was a bit bruised and worn from being driven by the Elders before we got it.  Their's was the newer model of the two cars, and I think Elder Bellessa looked askance at its several minor, but noticeable cosmetic problems, and Jack heard him ask someone inside the church later if they were aware of them.  We had to chuckle a bit, I guess little things like that bother some people more than it does others. 

     Funny enough that was not the end of our adventures in Versailles that night.  We were asked to get a hotel room so we could take the papers the real estate people needed on Monday with us back to Lille, and they would be ready for us in the morning.  That sounded like fun, we didn't have a tooth brush between the two of us!  Jack's nose always sniffs out the nearest inexpensive Ibis Hotel, but it was on a busy one-way street with no visible parking, so he made his way around the block and parked like a local, illegally with blinkers flashing!  We quickly realized this was NOT a good idea (from the disgusted looks of passers-by), because we were partially blocking a pedestrian walkway....OOps!  So he went to back up and this fine new car would not go into reverse...no matter how he tried, it utterly refused to do so!  People now were stopping by to give us a piece of their mind, with Gallic gestures galore, not exactly what my thoroughly fustrated husband needed right then.  We checked the instruction book but that was not helpful at all, so we switched places and he pushed the car  back into the street far enough so we could go forward again, and called the Elders to meet us at the chapel.  I know he was furiously trying to figure out the 'why' of the problem.  We sat in the parking lot looking at the book again when suddenly his fingers found the elusive 'ring' on the shift nob that when pulled up turned 1st gear into reverse.  This Chevy, being newer, actually had one more gear than our other one had, so the mystery was solved, but what drama!  

     The one thing we cannot say is that things are boring out here!

The Invasion Sites of Normany

*The pictures accompanying this post met a tragic digital death in France, but Mom says it gives them an excuse to visit again.  The two pictures included are from earlier visits to World War II cemeteries.  They are included to give an idea of what the cemeteries are like.* 

    It is here in the north of France that you see the signs of the wars that have been waged on these vast plains of Europe.  The most poignant ones for me are the many individual, pocket-sized military cemeteries that dot the countryside,  most simply carved out in the middle of corn or wheat fields.  They are always walled, and filled with rows of crosses or tomb stones lovingly kept bright and clean by someone, with the grass all around each marker clipped to perfection.  There are always road signs indicating that a cemetery is just ahead for Regiments of Australians, Canadians, British and some Americans also.   Months ago at the Canadian visitor's center at Vimy Ridge, we were given a map so we could find the grave of Jack's uncle, who in the first world war lost his life two weeks before the Armistice was signed.  We finally found it off the beaten path, and it too was in perfect order, almost one hundred years later.

     After working in Rouen for 2 days, President Poznanski gave us leave to take time for ourselves, so we decided to head to the Normandy coast to see the World War ll Allied Army Invasion sites.  All through this area is where the German army tried to repulse the Americans (at Utah and Omaha beaches), the Canadians (at Juno beach), and the British forces (at Gold and Sword beaches).  The tide was out now in the late afternoon as we looked at the vast Atlantic ocean before us, and we wondered what it must have been like that day, June, 6, 1944, for the awaiting Germans, to see the vast array of troop ships, battleships, destroyers and support craft spread out upon the waters, coming against them with their might!  They did have some strong defenses ready just in case, but they were not expecting the invasion to be in this area because it was not the most direct route from the staging point in Great Britain.

     The beaches the Americans stormed onto were vast, flat, sandy expanses with a small knoll in which the Germans had built many cement gun emplacements, all pointing seaward.  I can't imagine how it must have been for our soldiers being rushed ashore in those transports, knowing there was a huge probability they could die in the next few minutes. 

     We were in awe as we drove around the countryside, down narrow roads surely unchanged since those very horrific events that were happening virtually in people's backyards those first few days.  The nearby city of Caen looks unlike any other city in France, especially from a distance as it is full of white, similar sized buildings.   It unfortunately was in the middle of the war zone and largely destroyed in the fighting.   We passed through the famous town where one unlucky American parachutist had dropped next to the large Catholic church and his chute snagged onto one of the spires.  The poor kid was a sitting duck, and was soon shot dead by a German soldier.  Imagine our surprise (and dismay) to see that poor paratrooper still hanging from that spire when we drove into that little town.  The city fathers have made a cottage industry out of that historic incident and there are replicas of the doomed soldier in all the store windows down the town's one main street.  The town's name is Ste. Mere-Eglise, and Jack remembered it from seeing the notable war movie "The Longest Day" in France on his first mission in 1961. 

      The American Military Cemetery is along the ocean not far from Omaha beach, and what an awe-inspiring spiritual place it is.  The grounds are pristine in every way - not a leaf out of place, grass like a carpet, and the markers white and gleaming against all the beautiful surroundings.  People were walking among the crosses, reading names and musing about all those men who willingly put their very lives on the line for freedom's sake.  I can't help but think that men with principles like that had to be some of the best of our nation - a whole generation of good men who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

 

      It was a cool and blustery afternoon, yet lots of people were there, with their families in many cases.  The thing that really surprised me was that most of the language being spoken was French, and it was evident in their hushed tones that there was reverence and respect being shown at the grounds.  Many French people have the point of view that throwing down gum wrappers or other unwanted paper is no crime because there are people employed to pick this stuff up.  They are actually 'helping' someone with job security, so what's a little littering going to hurt?  But here, nothing marred the surrounding burial grounds at all, and I was so grateful for this recognition of the solemness of the grounds we were visiting.


     The next day before heading back to Lille, we checked out the Canadian and British landing beaches further north along the Normandy coast.  These areas are vastly different from the long wide expanse of flat sand where the Americans disembarked.  These troops were facing tall cliffs up from the water's edge to climb, so their task was quite dangerous in a different and formidable way.   This whole coastline where the invasion took place has a special feeling about it, and I'm so glad it worked out that we could come here before returning home to the U.S.

Lilloween

   The two wards here have had a tradition for some time to give the ward members a chance to have a Lilleoween party in the cultural hall. The young adults made up the greater part of the decoration committee and they worked hard all Saturday to get everything ready for the night's festivities. There was a spook alley that had a long line during the night and an area for other activities for the youth. At one point there was a scream test to see if the children could give out a good scream of fright and when they did they had the chance to break a pinata in the form of a black cat. When the pinata was finally broken open the candy flowed and there was a scramble to pick up all the goodies. Special treats were made available for all who attended and it was a time for the members to invite their friends who are not members.

   Joanne and I decided to go dressed as a missionary team. Joanne took an old missionary suit left in the Amiens apartment that fit her very well and I dressed with my shirt, tie, french hat , and suit coat on backwards. I had Joanna send us in one of our care packages a pair of plastic glasses with a nose. I put that on the back of my head and we entered the chapel to the joy and laughter of the members and the missionaries. I went around shaking hands with everyone with my hand backwards. We had a good time and it was especially good to show the friends of the church that we were not stuffy and that we could have fun like everyone.

The Servants of All

 After a couple of months of being put off by Sandra and Michel Thille, we came to the conclusion that what they needed more was our friendship, rather than to feel that we were pressuring them to come back to church.  So we asked if we could just have a time to play Uno with them one day, and they happily invited us back.  We spent a fun hour with them, while Emma slept through it and Maelys sat on her Dad's lap as his lucky charm.  On a Tuesday, two weeks later, Sandra called Jack for advice about how to take out a wall to open up her kitchen area, so we dropped everything and drove out to see what could be done.  The wall had an electrical outlet, but was not a bearing wall, so Dad concluded there should be no problems with it.  We promised to be her helpers, but Jack said we'd have to come back in a week.  On Thursday night she called again and said she couldn't stand waiting to hit that wall of hers until next Wednesday, and had begun punching it out...would we come tomorrow? She knew how to get his attention!  So, we loaded up the ladder and toolbox and headed out to Armientiers, where we found that the impatient Sandra had taken a mallet to the left side of her kitchen doorway and was feeling very proud of herself.

Sandra and her mallet.

Her refrigerator had been hiding behind that wall, and was now in the open, plus there was a hole in the tile floor and a scar running up the wall and across the ceiling to be dealt with.  She is such a funny duck - I knew when we saw her Tuesday that she was mentally ready to go after it, and saw the disappointment in her eyes when Jack said we'd be back in a week.  But, when she took the bull by the horns, he had to go to her aid, and that was that!  She would not give up that mallet  it must have been therapeutic to the max as she pounded on the wall with all her might.  Their walls are not like our sheetrock at all.  They are thick and hard, like white chalky cement, so it took lots of heavy hitting to bring it down, piece by piece.  Hiding behind the right wall was her bank of built-in floor level cupboards, one tall free standing cabinet that held her oven and microwave, and counter space with those cupboards underneath.  Plus, behind the tall cabinet was a door (to the hall area), closed and unusable until now.  What she wanted us to do seemed slightly crazy; to saw through the countertop and remove the underneath cupboards to just THIS side of the countertop burners, then reposition the tall cabinet into that new space.  To hire experts for this job would cost hundreds of Euros, so just get the nutty Metcalfe's to do it for free!

Jack worked his tail off down on the floor trying to figure out how the cabinets were attached to one another.  He finally found the well concealed screws and was able to work them out; so he and Michel pulled out two banks of drawer units, and were left with the free standing counter top.  Sandra borrowed a 'mighty' hand sized jig-saw from a neighbor and Jack cut across the piece real slick and Voila!...her dream kitchen is realized!  (Thankfully not the nightmare of last night when she dreamed that all her pounding made her house fall down!)  The tall cabinet slipped into place beside the countertop burners nicely, then Michel took the once hidden door off its hinges and a new passageway through (past the WC) to the hallway and stairs to the second floor was revealed.  Sandra is a wonderful person and I came to know her much better that day and found out a lot about her life.  I would like to write about that one day.  We enjoyed our time there and playing with the new addition to their family, a little black puppy who reminds me of the little dog we had on the ranch in Cokeville whose name was Muttsy.  It was fun playing with her even though she is a toe-nibbler.

Cutting the countertops.

  
On our next big working day in the Thille family kitchen we brought a young adult with us, a refugee from Somalia who was rescued by the Catholic church and sent to live in Italy.  There, Emmanuel Katura encountered the LDS missionaries and later joined the church.   He has gone through some horrible things in his life (the loss of both parents by violence), but he has a great attitude, a wonderful outlook on life, and an irrepressible smile that wins him many friends wherever he goes.  He told us that he learned the plumbing trade in Italy, so he was happy to help members of the church all he could.  His friendly personality and disarming manner quickly won Sandra's confidence, and they soon had mutual respect for one another.  He and Jack's job today was to replace the kitchen countertops: one holding the sink and the other the gas-top burner unit.  They loosened the burner unit first and used the old counter as a pattern for the new one that Sandra had found for a good price online.  

Emmanuel and Elder Metcalfe

Emmanuel knows his stuff!

                                                                                                                      
    Cutting out the hole with the little jig-saw took a lot of time, and Sandra wanted to feed them lunch, so we took the two girls and walked down the street to a small store for sandwiches.  That's when the 'fun' began with Emma.  There was a line of people (with 2 groups ahead of us), and only one man filling orders.  Emma was content for a couple of minutes with the toy she had brought to hold, but then the attraction of all the different candy displays was just too much; and her constant "Mama, mama" filled all our ears as we watched her grab a candy bag here and some Tic-Tacs there.  Sandra tried to restrict her enthusiasm, but she kept twisting out of her arms, her strong little body almost too hard for her mother to restrain all ready.  I felt guilty because I had not wanted to leave her behind with the workmen.  They were so absorbed with what they were doing, they'd all ready left the front door open so that the puppy had gotten out and led us a merry chase as she dashed into the street.  So the customers in front of us, and behind us now too, waited in uneasy silence, wondering who would win this mother/daughter tussle; while the tally for treats that Emma couldn't live without evened out to 3, to Maelys 1 item.  The poor overworked sandwich maker was throwing himself into his work, hands flying, until we finally got our two baguettes and could get out the door.

Emma keeps busy while the work progresses.

     It was interesting to see how the two girls co-exist in their family setting.  Maelys is now 5 years old and she wonders why Emma gets by with things that she is taught are not to be done, and wonders why her sister doesn't interact or talk to her like her little friends at school do.   With Emma there is always lots of drama going on, whereas Maelys can be talked to and reasoned with, so that gives the parents joy in a sometimes hopeless seeming situation.  The two girls sometimes fight over possession of what one might have and the other wants, but I didn't see 'mean' aggressiveness (hitting), so that's a positive.  But, Maelys IS frustratedas with Emma's lack of sisterly or even human connection to her (sharing smiles, talking to each other, playing dolls together); it just doesn't happen, and that's just really sad.  Later, when Emma was amusing herself outside in their large playhouse, Maelys came up and said something to her mother about us two speaking English to each other.  Sandra, who served a mission in England, told her that's why she should study hard at school, so someday she can do it too.  Then the bright little redhead began showing me all the English words she has learned so far:  hello, good-bye, thank you, you're welcome, pleased to meet you, etc.  Her accent was very good, so I hope she takes the challenge to heart.

Maelys

     The men finished up with the sawing part on both counters, now it was time for Emmanu (his nickname) to shine, and he did; he knew his stuff.  They put the burner unit together and settled it into place, then they worked to hook up the new sink and faucet, complete with overflow device.  When the water filled her 'chic' new round sink, Sandra beamed happily.  Michel came home from work just then and as he looked at the kitchen he also beamed happily.  It was a good day of work and we've come a long way with this wonderful family.

Sandra beams happily.

Flea Market

We kept hearing about something that was going to happen on the last weekend of August, but since we really didn't know what it was and we were so busy we forgot to ask. We have heard of a lot of city activities in Lille, however we have not had the time to look into any of them because there is always some activity involving the church or church members. We kept hearing about the Braderie and this time we got totally immersed in it because it is the biggest outdoor market or flea market in Europe and our neighborhood was totally swallowed up in it. When we came home Friday evening we noticed that all parts of the streets around us were being taped off with red and white plastic tape and every available space on the sidewalk was beginning to be occupied by trucks, cars, and vans.

   Saturday morning we got up early because we had a home repair project with one of our home teaching families who live 30 minutes out of town. We drove out of our private parking spot onto the street and off we went without any problems. We worked with the Thille family all morning long and at about two in the afternoon we started to head back to our apartment.. The closer we got to Lille the more the traffic started to pile up. This is not unusual for a Saturday but soon we were at a standstill. It took us twice as long to get off the freeway as usual and when we did we noticed that all the streets heading to our place were blocked off. We tried a few side streets but they all led us to police barriers and so we kept looking for a way home. At the same time we noticed that, in our absence, street after street was filled on both sides with make shift or professional booths set up on both sides of the streets and the middle was filled with the walking public going up and down looking at whatever was placed on the ground or on tables.

   We finally found a street that wasn't blocked off and started to move towards home. We found out that this was our only avenue home because there is a fire station on the next block near our building and they needed a way to take care of emergencies and so that street was not used for the public market. We got within 200 yards of our parking place when we ran into the full force of the flea market. We pleaded with people to let us through and when they did we had just enough room to inch the car down the two blocks. It took us 20 minutes to go the 200 yards. We finally parked the car and got safely into our apartment. Once we got our wits about us we decided to see what this was all about.

   We immediately launched ourselves into a sea of humanity and we found out that the entire downtown area of 4 square miles was taken over by sellers of every type of merchandise and that there were a million buyers who had come to Lille from all over Europe to look for just the right item (s) that they were looking for.

   Every one way and two way traffic street had booths on both sides of the street and every four lane street had 4 lanes of booths. The city even arranged the different sections of the downtown by the type of merchandise that was for sale so that the interested consumer could look on the map provided and go to the sections that interested them the most. We traveled up and down the streets in our neighborhood and were struck by the amount of things for sale and the mass of humanity that had come by train, plane, car, and bus to pick over the merchandise that was for sale. It was interesting to see that many people had come prepared to buy their chosen article whether big or small. They brought furniture dollies, wheel barrows, children's wagons, and baby buggies to cart away what they bought.

   I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that Joanne was not carried away by the many things to buy and so the only thing we came away with was two pair of new socks for me and we only shelled out 2 Euros for both pairs. I must admit that there were paintings, furniture, and other things that, with a discerning eye and good knowledge of antiques, a person could come away with great buys, but we kept our hands in our pockets and were content to experience the greatest flea market we will ever see.

   On Sunday we learned our lesson and left the car in its spot and walked to the subway to get to church. There was not much activity at that time in the morning, but as we returned the streets were packed again for the final day of the Braderie. This was a once in a lifetime treat.

Desmond

  One of the things that we have noticed in this mission is the ways in which the Lord brings his willing children in contact with the restored Gospel of Christ. We have witnessed many miracles through which brothers and sisters have been provided the opportunity to meet the missionaries. Today I would like to introduce you to Desmond Asante. Desmond is from Ghana, Africa. He had a small business in his country and wanted to build his financial business beyond his own country, so he made a trip to England to see what could be done find business partners. While he was trying to expand his business, his partners in Ghana cut him out of his major interest and he was left destitute and could not afford to return to Ghana. He knew that his visa in England was coming to an end and so five people he met in England that were in the same situation decided to leave England and try their luck in another European country. So the six of them entered Belgium and tried to find visas and work to support themselves, but alas Belgium was less inviting than England. The six of them, one young woman and five men, were living on the streets and trying every which way to stay alive.

   They felt that the only avenue to find work was to go to France and so the six went to Calais, France. Upon arriving in Calais the group was picked up by the French national police and taken into custody because of lack of the proper papers. Desmond being a Christian, turned to prayer while he sat in his cell. He and the other five were interviewed by French officials and in the end the woman and Desmond were given permission to stay in France and the other four were deported. Desmond was told he could go any where in France and continue the process to stay in the country, but nothing was for sure. He exited the police station and immediately felt that he needed to evaluate his situation; a park close by provided him with a place to pray and meditate. After a silent prayer on a park bench he met two missionaries as the two elders were going through the park to their apartment. Missionaries are not encouraged to contact people in public parks, but both elders were prompted to go to Desmond and talk to him. After introducing Desmond to a short explanation of the restoration of the Gospel and the Church of Christ to the earth, Desmond received a feeling that he should go to Lille. 

 

   The Calais missionaries gave Desmond the address of the church in Lille and gave the Lille elders a heads up about Desmond. Upon arriving in Lille, Desmond and the elders made contact and the process of introducing our new friend of the church began. Desmond came to church the next Sunday and we had the pleasure of meeting him. An invite for supper was given and accepted and, with elders, we spent time together enjoying a good meal provided by Joanne and great conversation about the principles of the Gospel. We were able to take our brother to buy some new clothes so his needs were met.

 

   We had been given some clothes and two suits from a departing missionary and in sizing up Desmond everything fit just right. Joanne spent some time fixing one of the suits and presented it to our  new friend the next time we met him at church. Another thing happened and that was Desmond began to read the Book of Mormon with the free time he had. In his previous religious experience he was told to shun the Book of Mormon because it had nothing to do with Christ. The experience this brother had in reading the opening pages made him realize that he had not been told the truth. He was very quickly into the chapters and through prayer realized that within the pages he was studying many of the questions he had before were answered and new truths were revealed to him. 

 

   He requested baptism and to my surprise he asked me to baptize him and also give the talk on baptism. He made a request that Joanne give the opening prayer. The day arrived and Desmond came dressed in his new suit, white shirt and tie and a huge smile. The two of us entered the waters of baptism and since Desmond doesn't speak French, I gave the prayer in both French and English. After coming out of the water the joy of Desmond could be seen and felt from everyone at the service. The next day was Sunday and Desmond was confirmed by the first counselor, Charles Tessa. The expression on Desmond's face and his words after the meeting about his spiritual experiences of the last two days were overwhelming. He said he could not express his feelings in words adequate to do it justice. It reminds me of experiences in the scriptures.

 

 

 

   The story doesn't end there. Desmond has since brought one of his new found friends to church and his baptism date is set for next month. The french officials have done something that is rare in France, and that is that they have quickened the acceptance process for Desmond to receive refugee status. He has been given a small living stipend which is very rare and now instead of going from homeless shelter to homeless shelter, he now has a permanent place to stay and some work to earn his meals. Desmond is active each Sunday and was ordained a priest two weeks ago. He is willing to teach with the missionaries, bear testimony in church and the two of us gave a talk together. It is not easy to translate for someone who wants to move on with his message of the restored gospel in quick fashion. I was able to give the members the main points, but as they say, much was lost in the translation.

 

   It is great to be here and see people come alive to the gospel and to play a minor part in the spreading of the word that has been revealed to us in our day. In a side note we met with Margaret yesterday and I asked her if she has continued to pray about the truthfulness of the message we have presented. She responded by saying, "I don't need to pray about the truthfulness of the restored gospel because I know it is true." We still have some more to teach, and her attendance at church needs to become a priority as well as getting her husband's permission for her baptism. This last time we had the pleasure of meeting her husband and he was very friendly and it doesn't seem that permission will be a problem. Margaret asked if she could keep the DVD on the life of Christ that we watched while we were at her home. She hopes to show it to her oldest daughter before she heads off to Paris for school. We also gave her the restoration DVD since I had ordered two for some reason and had an extra. I don't wonder any more why I ordered two. We also let Margaret know that there were young adult groups of the church in Paris and they would welcome her daughter with open arms. Margaret is all for that because she does want her daughter to meet some good clean living young people.

70 Years Young

Margarite & Elder Metcalfe

Jack's 70th birthday dawned on a Sunday this year, but what he was excited about was that our new ami (friend of the church), Margarite, had promised to come to church today. This long journey began for us back in mid-June when Elders Andrus and Meyers (two super missionaries) passed her along to us because she lived too far away from the city for them to teach her. They had contacted her by helping her with several heavy grocery bags, and had gotten her name and address. Finding her house was incredibly hard...it's like she lives at the end of the world; a former commune that she and her husband are gradually renovating from dorm like rooms into a residence for their family, consisting of three nice sized buildings. So few streets are named on signs here in France that even Mappy-Ann gave up, and we resorted to asking the 'man on the street' for directions. We were 15 minutes late by the time we finally figured it all out, but she was gracious and understanding of our plight as we met her for the first time. Jack launched right into the first discussion of the Godhead and Joseph Smith's first vision, and she sat and listened respectfully, nodding her head and asking a couple of questions here and there. He gave her a Book of Mormon and she read the promise, then I had her mark it with a red pencil so she could find it again, and she said she'd try to read, but was very busy with two young teenage daughters.

At our next visit we showed her the Joseph Smith story on video, and afterwards in the discussion he asked her, "If you gained a testimony that the Book of Mormon is true, would you be baptized?" "Well, that would be the natural next step, wouldn't it? she smiled. She said she'd been baptized as a baby, and because of the influence of her religious grandparents she has always believed in God. Jack told her how in our church we don't baptize babies because they are sinless, and I thought of Moroni's chapter 8, which teaches why infant baptism is an evil abomination. It is strong doctrine, but Margarite is so open minded that I thought she needed to hear it. I found it in her book and she read the heading, then got into the verses, reading quickly aloud, until she finished the whole chapter! We sat there amazed as she seemed to be carried away with the words she was reading. Jack talked to her about prayer, how it is a conversation with her Heavenly Father, pointing out the steps and asking if she'd close with a prayer. She did, even though it was foreign to her to pray aloud, but she was pleased and vowed to do better next time.

Two weeks later at our next meeting, she wasn't home when we drove up, no cars to be seen anywhere in her courtyard. We were quite sad, but as we turned to leave Jack's phone rang and it was Margarite, saying don't go away, she'd be there in 5 minutes. We helped her in with her groceries and then had another great visit with her and answered her questions about Adam and Eve, with help from 2 Nephi 2:11 where it talks about opposition vs. agency, and about Satan's designs on the children of men vs. the joy we can have with God someday. We taught the Plan of Salvation and it made sense to her with the scriptures to back it up, she definitely chose the Celestial Kingdom as the goal to strive for.

Then just last week, we had a great experience with her, because a couple who are stalwart members of the nearby Branch came with us to teach her about the Word of Wisdom, and it was so much fun to see these French people connect with each other. By the end of our visit, Margarite had promised to come to the Branch this Sunday, so we were all very excited about that. Jack and I left Lille before 8 a.m. Sunday morning, for the hour's drive to St. Omer to be there for Margarite's first time at church. It is a small Branch, and this is vacation month, but the people are very faithful (even though few in number) and we had all three meetings for her to experience when she came. The members welcomed her heartily, and one woman even knew the person Margarite had once worked with who was Mormon, and who had impressed her very much. This is why Jack was a happy camper today, on his birthday, that he was able to be a part of the welcoming committee for a special ami that we have been working with, and have such good feelings about and high hopes for.

Emily

Singing Soeurs

After church we rushed home to get ready for the 2 p.m. dinner appointment at our apartment with the 3 Soeurs (sister missionaries) who are serving in Lille together right now, plus a young member who could use a friend, Emily. We got home and I had an hour to get things ready. Jack went to pick up the Soeurs because the Metro was running slow, and they brought a chocolate sweet treat from the legendary Paul's for me to sneak into the fridge. Then Emily came bringing a pear tart and a big, round brownie as well....hmmmmm. Since he asked me to make him a Lemon Luscious Dessert for him, I see a huge sugar overload in our future! I wondered how everyone found out about his birthday? We had a nice dinner and sampled all the desserts, then the Soeurs sang a special song and their voices blended together beautifully. Then Jack requested that they sing his personal favorite French hymn, Souviens-toi (Remember me), and that capped things off perfectly.


A surabondance of birthday treats!

The next day we arrived at the church for Family Home Evening and there was quite a good crowd of young people there. I took our rhubarb dessert into the kitchen and the irrepressible little Somalian refugee, Emanu, rushed in begging me to quickly cut a piece so that he could put a candle in it for "Elder Metcalfe". "It's his birthday, a day late, but it's his birthday, so hurry, I've got a candle!" I did it, and it was presented to a surprised Jack as the Young Adults all sang happy birthday to him. Then they brought out homemade greeting 'cards' from all the Elders and Soeurs in the area (including Andrus, who is now in Orleans ), complete with their handprints to seal the deal. He loved the whole thing and was very touched by their show of love for him, and that was how Elder Jack Metcalfe spent his 70th birthday.

Surprise!

Make a wish.

Two Different Experiences

Waiting for the race.

Jack heard that the 'real' Tour de France bicycle race would begin its premiere stages here in the north, so he looked on the map to see if it would be coming through anywhere near our area. We'd been traveling to Calais to work on the apartment there, and he saw that a side trip from the freeway would take us to a little town called SAINGHIN-EN-WEPPES, where the race was scheduled to pass through at 10:30 a.m. We decided that catching a glimpse of the race would be a fun 'memory souvenir' for us; so on July 3rd, on our way to Calais, we veered off for the 20 minute ride to the village. We got there 10 minutes early, only to find out that it wouldn't come through until after the noon hour! Rats....those best laid plans, foiled again! Jack said that we should wait because this was a onetime event for us, our chance to see a real French tradition in person, so we did. Finally, at almost 12:30, the pre-race HOO-HAA began to arrive: support cars and advertising sponsors hawking their products through loud speakers, came zooming wildly through this little intersection, throwing things at us from their tricked-out vans and trucks. They targeted a little 9 year old girl and her energetic mother a few yards in front of us, so Jack was able to catch a bag of Madeleine cookies, and another one of crunchy snacks, that were tossed into the air. Finally, at 1:32, a break-away group of 4 riders rushed by us surrounded by cars so close to them it was scary. These barely 2-lane skinny French roads are a trial for cars, let alone break-neck speed bicyclists trying to jockey each other for position. Three minutes later the main body (the peloton) of riders came by us....ZOOM, ZOOM, ZOOM, with their bright colored costumes and head gear; more support cars with their extra bikes and wheels on top; and camera crews, all before you could even blink an eye! That was it, the whole she-bang over and done with...sure glad we didn't have to pay admission for that 3 minute show, but it was interesting to say the least and Jack did have conversations with several people there, so that was good too.

The Breakaway Group heads through first.

Here comes the Peloton!

Support cars trail with extra bikes.

We love working with and getting to know the missionaries here in Lille, and we've had many experiences with them, mostly about the work, but sometimes things take a different turn; like the time we got a frantic phone call from the Elders when their apartment key broke off inside their door lock, and they were all stuck out in their hall. They asked the neighbor lady if she'd get a hold of the owner for them, and she just laughed at the ridiculousness of such a request. Apparently no one had even seen such a person for 25 years at least! So one of the Elders called Jack and asked if he could come over with his tool box to help them out maybe?

Four homeless waifs.

Almost two hours later, on a cold rainy night, I answered the intercom - it was Jack, and he said, "I'm back, and I have 4 homeless waifs with me!" They'd tried everything they could think of to loosen that key, but no luck, so he brought them home with him to do the best we could. Luckily, we had just bought 2 blow-up mattresses for some Young Adults to be able to stay with us for their weekend conference, plus, one shorter Elder might fit on our half-sized couch; but we had no blankets or sheets or toothbrushes (and no Walmart nearby). None of them had eaten since lunchtime, so I started pulling out left-overs from the conference out of the fridge to warm up for them. The one thing there was plenty of was the chicken spaghetti, and they were so grateful for some good hot food it was funny. I also had a pan of brownies made for the next day's Institute dinner, so they got a good dessert too. We figured out the problem of no toothbrushes by handing out floss and baking soda. We could only come up with 2 extra pillows, but two heavy BYU sweatshirts, each rolled up into a ball worked OK. The poor guys just had the suits they'd been wearing all day, and we only had one blanket on our bed; but we passed out Jack's robe, the pretty little lap quilt that Heather gave me at the airport, and coats from our closet to use the best they could. We turned up the heat in the living room til it was nice and warm in there, and since I knew they were awkward about being around a female, I told them I was shutting the door to my room and that was the LAST they'd see of me that night!

Le petit-déjeuner au Café Metcalfe

Those good Elders' alarm 'watch' went off at 6:30 a.m., so we were soon off and running. We were almost out of milk, but I had some newly discovered Lait Fermente (looks and smells like buttermilk to me!) for pancakes, and plenty of eggs, so I scrambled some while they all took turns showering, and we had a nice breakfast with orange slices and yogurt to boot! While Jack had a captive audience, he taught them the ins and outs of genealogy, but Elder Maynes slipped away to the kitchen to help with the dishes. He loves history and was able to be a part of a flag folding ceremony at the U.S. Soldiers Monument at Normandy a while back. He talked to some of the old ex-servicemen who were there and was touched by their stories. One man in his 80's was in France for the 'last time', hoping to locate the very SPOT where he was wounded on a day so long ago. It meant so much to him to be a survivor when all around him other men had been killed or were dying. This was his third try, but everything seemed so different now that he just couldn't find it.

Soon it was time to leave, someone had the idea that maybe super glue might work to meld the two key ends together...Hmmmm. Their best bet had to be Plan A - find a locksmith, and they actually got one willing to come and help them out. The locksmith came with a special tool so as not to ruin the wooden door and was able to finally install a new better quality lock system with much heavier keys. We paid $265 cash for it and were reimbursed later. They all hung together and we had an interesting experience and love each other all the more for overcoming the little trials of life.