Saturday October 24, 2026

Last Sunday we met a couple from Utah at church.  Since they didn’t have a car, we offered to take them to see Pont-du-Gard, the majestic Roman aqueduct.  It is only 20 minutes from our house.  After our last visit there we wanted to see if our registration for a (free) annual parking pass would work.  It did.  Also, our GPS took us to the other side of the river than we usually see, and we liked the park-like grounds much better there!

This was on Sunday evening going home, with a brilliant sky (pardon the fuzziness).  The jagged rocks on the left (les Issards) were the site of an American bomber crash after being hit by German ack ack during the Allied invasion of southern France on Aug 15, 1944. The crew names are on a plaque at our local cenotaph in Rochefort.

The last few days we have been in Lyon for exit and intake. We said farewell to Sr. Tew who was with us in Chalon.  We are eager to meet the new arrivals. They are exhausted from travel but excited to be here and appreciate a home cooked meal.  Wednesday we had just 13 coming in - so much easier than 26.  Seems like an outstanding group!  We always learn something from listening to Pres. and Sr. Schow.  While we were gone our landlord moved in a new fridge to replace the one that had formed a small glacier in the main compartment.

new fridge with skylight and loft visible

We were able to invite Srs. Bucy and Hanni and Elders Bell and Villaroel to our house in Rochefort-du-Gard for dinner at different times. We fed them pot roast pork with lots of veggies,  salad, and apple crisp for dessert. They were delighted with homemade food which they didn’t cook.  They were expecting to leave Avignon. Sr. Bucy was transferred to Annecy and Elder Villaroel to Lyon as Zone Leader.  We now welcome Sr. Lindemann and Elder Spivey.

We are into wool sweater weather with lows in the high forties and highs in the mid sixties. This morning we even learned how to turn on the wood-pellet-burning heater - pretty simple.  

The leaves are changing colors and our landlord shared 4 butternut squash from his garden. It is soup season. Some of our favorites are split pea, chicken tortilla, lentil, potato, and chili.  I will have to start keeping some in the fridge to take to Institute on Wednesday nights. (We always take food).

We have received a few questions about the demonstrations in the country.  So far we have avoided almost anything, except for the time in Nimes in old town 2 weeks ago when we were trying to find the Maison Carré in our car and turned down a narrow street to see about 15 police people at the far end.  As we came close to the corner where they were standing we looked left - where we had to turn - and saw a large number of students milling about.   We gestured to the police about what to do and they motioned that we should proceed along.  The police and the students were just watching each other and we passed without incident.  Missionaries are given instructions about areas to avoid, especially in the big cities. Day-to-day one would not be aware of anything going on, but the weekend rioters today will face a significant police presence. 

Walking from the parking lot to the house

October 12, 2026

How the weeks fly by!  We started this one listening to General Conference from Salt Lake City with messages from the prophet Dallin H Oaks and the twelve apostles. This is something Tom and I anticipate every six months.  We believe that their words are those Jesus Christ would speak if He were here on earth. One of the topics most necessary to our North American culture was the warning about gambling - trying to get something without hard work - and its dangers.  We also picked up Andre and Jeff, who had flown in from Phoenix for a few days in Provence.  The week ended feeding 40 hungry missionaries pulled pork sandwiches, potato salad, fruit kabobs, carrot sticks, baby tomatoes, nut cups, brownies and cookies in Marseilles and picking up the Bridegans, friends from Florida, at the airport. 

We took the time to show our two sets of guests some of the treasures of Southern France.  La Maison Carrè (Nimes) is the best preserved Roman temple in the world and magnificent with  its columns and carvings. This was architect  Andre’s favorite viewing.  

Maison Carré, Nimes

Le Pont du Gare, a three story aquaduct over the Gare River is a monument  of unbelievable  proportion. On warm summer days, many swim, kayak, and canoe here to cool off and gaze at this gigantic structure. 

Joann, being a family counselor, loved St. Paul de Mausole, a peaceful place where the mentally ill, including Van Gogh, were treated from the late 1800s.  

Van Gogh's window is in the left middle of the 2nd floor

We all wished we could attend one of the concerts still held in the summers at the Theatre in Orange, the largest Roman stage outside of Italy.  2100 years ago, all the productions were free, but you were seated according to class.  

All our visitors were charmed by the missionary accommodation in our 200 year old rock house and by the hourly church bells of Castelas, an 1100 year old church in the old town. The vineyards and olive groves of Provence make almost every country road memorable.

October 4, 2026

 We spent Sunday evening at the mission home with the Schows. It had been three weeks since seeing them but we always look forward to time and conversation with them. Tom attended Paris Nord boussole and found their format different from Lyon. We plan on alternating that meeting every other Sunday between the two missions.

We were blessed to be in Switzerland this week. Monday we drove to Lauterbrunnen and spent the afternoon hiking to Murren after taking the tram halfway up the mountain. We are always rejuvenated by the breathtaking beauty of this place and almost surprised that it is still so spectacular although we have been there before. It makes me grateful for the personality of God, his creative ability in contrast with his unlimited wisdom and love, giving us opportunity to develop more of each of these through our own experiences. 

Our real purpose for travel was to be at the temple in Bern with our friend Alban as he received his endowment. We were at his baptism in Dijon and his ordination to both the Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthoods in Chalon and Lyon. We thought there would be other branch members there but we found him in the food room of the patron housing  completely alone. We were so happy could be there for him.  We went for dinner together while he caught us up on the good news from Chalon.  The branch is now very full each Sunday, thanks to some Tahitian families who moved in, and they are looking for a more spacious meeting location. 

The temple experience has been changed and improved for those coming for the first time and Tom was able to enjoy that as the escort for Alban.  A good orientation was read from a card, so it was not dependent on the personality of the temple worker.  Alban really enjoyed the session and is eager to return to do the proxy work for his grandfather, and others in his family.  

In other mundane news we were able to get our car maintenance done.  We had heavy rains on Wednesday evening and night - we think about 3 inches fell.  The summer is definitely past but the days are still warm (80F today) but slowly cooling.  We expect visitors this weekend and next and Conference this weekend - a sure indicator of Autumn.  

Sunday September 27, 2026

We made some great memories this week visiting St. Remy, Glanum, Les Baux de Provence and the Palais des Papes with the Patches. They took the TGV to Paris Tuesday afternoon and flew to Florida Wednesday.

Nougat shop at Les Baux

Valley near Les Baux

Statue of Van Gogh at St. Paul de Maussole

A ceiling in the Palais des Papes

The next few days we got back to our normal schedule: laundry, exercising, medical meetings, lots of phone calls, Institute, studying and grocery shopping.

Yesterday we made 2 quarts of BBQ sauce and cooked and froze 38 cups of pulled pork for Marseilles Zone Conference. Pulling the fat off between the meat motivated me to ask Tom if human fat looked the same?  When he answered in the affirmative it made me want to lose weight.  I found a couple of new walking trails and logged 17 miles in my journal for the week, the most in 6 months.  Listening to podcasts makes walking alone much easier.  I have a couple of favorites found on All In: DeAnn Sadler—The Love Story Hidden in the Ten Virgins, Davis Smith—The Mission Ends The Next Ten Years.

An olive grove on Sue's walk

We were invited to lunch with a delightful couple in the branch who live quite far away.  We found somany connections with them - both are long time members who lost spouses to illness and remarried 7 years ago.  We found several Bordeaux connections and others, the most amusing being that the sister, at age 16, was in love with a missionary who became my companion later on.

September 20, 2026

It was great to be back in Lyon at the mission home with the Schows who were not only preparing for the intake of 23 new missionaries but two talks each for a Stake Conference Saturday and Sunday.  We  spent some time with the Laters (office) who return home the first week of November and gave big hugs to the Berubes (YSA Lyon) who return to Alberta at the same time. We had planned to travel to Scandinavia with the Laters next summer but have decided to visit them in Utah after Ethan’s graduation in April. We will miss both these couples when they leave.

We were impressed by the group of 13 elders and 9 sisters who arrived Wednesday afternoon from the Provo MTC plus one from Brazil. Tom said they were the first group he has interviewed with none on medication for emotional or mental issues. I was impressed with the help the sisters offered in food prep and service, and with Elder Clegg and Elder Kastendieck who helped me clean until the bitter end - washing the dishes and the floors. Sr. Landes at the mission home has decided that she wants to do the lunch bags for the trains so that responsibility has been removed except for putting the sandwiches in at the church.

Gene and Sara arrived on the TGV Friday. In the last three days, between telephone calls and eating, we visited Orange, with the petit Arc de Triumph, Roman built, as the gate to the city where a legion of soldiers retired. We toured the ‘Theatre’ (UNESCO World Heritage Site) believed to be the first of many outside Rome, where thousands of people were entertained by tragedy and comedy. 

The theater in Orange

In Arles, at the Antiquities Museum, we saw the 2000 year old Roman barge, discovered in the last 20 years and rescued, with  cargo intact, from 3 meters of silt in the Rhone.  Also a UWHS. We enjoyed the Museum of Ethnography,  which showed everything from lace caps and shoes to a typical dining room, to the bedroom of a new mother with three women guests ințroducing the baby to the world with gifts of salt for wisdom, an egg for fullness, and bread for goodness.

Yesterday we attended Sacrament in Nimes instead of taking Patches to Stake Conference in Marseille. We climbed Tower Magna, the only remaining of 60 which protected the Roman capital. It stands on a hill in a beautiful park over looking significant fresh water springs where yesterday they were demonstrating scuba diving lessons. Nearby was an Arabian horse ballet. The park also included a temple to Diana and beautiful trees and flowers. 

Tour Magna

Garden of the fountain

After a 30 minute drive we reached Pont du Gard (UWHS). It is magnificent in the middle of nowhere. The river is so clean that it encourages swimmers, paddle boarders and kayakers on a hot day. The aqueduct, a spectacle of engineering genius, transported spring water to where it was needed.  It is a calming and  peaceful place to meditate and observe.  We came home each day exhausted but grateful for the education history provides. Most of what we saw was built before or during the time of Christ.

September 13, 2026

 Tom: It was a relatively calm week, with a lot of medical communication and record keeping to do.  We have been trying to keep tabs on an unfortunate occurrence in our Jacksonville condo.  A few weeks back in the night a sewer pipe on the 8th floor (straight above us) backed up with leakage into all the apartments ending in 3 (803, 703, etc).  Never having submitted a claim on our home insurance we weren’t clear about the process.  However, we engaged ServePro to come in and do the ‘mitigation”, which included lots of plastic sheeting, air handlers, etc. since it was a sewage pipe.  They took out sheetrock in a couple of bathrooms and the entry and kitchen.  

That is now finished and we received the bill, with a couple of reminder emails to pay it.  Of course we informed our insurance company, not knowing who would be responsible since the overflow didn’t originate in our apartment.  We were debating how we could pay, looking at about 25k overall, including the restoration.  Not too bad considering, but it makes a big hole in the planned budget.  I had the credit card in my hand and was ready to put the mitigation on it when we received a call from our claims manager, asking if we had questions.  He instructed us to send his contact information to ServePro and the insurance would handle it from there.  The timing was truly providential! We were overcome with gratitude. Truly the Lord is merciful  The budget is much happier paying insurance premiums going forward.

I spent a lot of time prepping a talk for church today, based on Elder Rowe’s conference address about following Jesus.  I told our own story about going onto a lava flow field in Guatemala where there were still active vents.  The guide instructed us to follow exactly where he stepped.  It was an impressive experience: the heat, the strong sulfur smell, the smoke.  It helped us appreciate Dante’s Inferno and following carefully.  I also told stories about deciding when to serve my first mission, and also how blessed we were to be sent to Chalon-sur-Saône even though we had hoped to be in the warmer south.  Following Jesus also means submitting our will to the Father’s, as He did, including accepting assignments and callings.

It is transfer week and our Elder Abad will be finishing and returning home to Madrid.  He admits that his mission probably helped him more than anyone else, but he is a very sweet missionary and has done a lot of good.  We’ll be in Lyon for 3 days this week and then have friends arriving on Friday; great fun!

Sue: It has been a great week for me. I walked 13 miles which is the most in 5 days since last April. I am inspired by the beautiful lush green countryside. I have learned to listen to podcasts and have found inspiration there as well. Adam Miller on Ecclesiastes, Sister Porter on what it means to engage children (the most pure people in the church), Elder Holland on missionaries and the need for Preach my Gospel. If you listen to podcasts, especially those that are inspiring, please send me a link. I am always looking for good ones.

Thank you to all, both near and far who remembered my birthday. It seems the older one gets, the fewer remember,  but that was not the case this year. We know many elders and sisters and many remembered their zone conference cook.  Tom and I spent some time looking for good pizza to celebrate, but it was not better than what we make at home. 

I have challenged myself to read PMG in French. To my great surprise, I could understand about 80% of it. I read with my Google Translate so I can look up the words I don’t know. If people speak slowly in church, I can understand what they are saying. I am learning! There are perhaps 6 members of our congregation, besides the missionaries who speak English.

Our landlord's chickens, posing for us!

Another grape harvester

September 6, 2026

It is already Sept. 6 but still 99 degrees today. I want to start our blog with one of the thoughts from Psalms 103:12. "As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us." Through the atonement of Jesus Christ all can be saved.  A great quote from Elder Holland which I am learning from: "We must master this thought…..God is for us. We and all others have the freedom to make choices, including stupid, cruel, or evil ones. Because of this, He can be against things we do and things that others do for us. He will always be against sin, abuse and error…..but even then he has the divine ability to separate His opposition to the sin from his unyielding love for the sinner."

A dad taking his two kids to the first day of a new school year

A beautiful house in the neighborhood

A highlight of the week was Zone Conference in Marseilles. Another senior sister and I made chili with all the toppings for lunch - raw onions, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, black olives, avocado, and sour cream. We had homemade zucchini bread and orange bread with sliced nectarines and whipped cream on the side for dessert. We now have 6 zones in the Lyon Mission but they are half the size they used to be. It is much easier to cook for 35 than 70.

I always learn from Pres. and Sr. Schow’s presentations. He elaborated on an idea from Elder Renlund about encouraging ward members to be more involved in the work. Members feel guilty  because they are not doing enough, or they think finding and teaching is for full time missionaries and the member responsibility ends with a referral, or they just don’t know what to do. How can we bless them? How can we help? The suggestion was that the ward council develop a menu of missionary opportunities, from something as simple as praying for them, to finding and teaching with them, to supporting new converts. The menu could consist of many choices and members could pick what they felt comfortable doing. Everyone could do something.

A duet by two angelic voices...

accompanied by Soeur Rasmussen

Sr. Schow emphasized the majesty of the plan of salvation in a unique way. She started with an identity map of what I know about myself in the pre-existence: I listened to Satan and Jesus. Satan wanted to force me to follow. He wanted to thwart my becoming more like the Father. He wanted the power and all the glory. He thought he was smartest.  He wanted the Father’s plan to fail. Jesus wanted to follow the plan of the Father.  I would have the agency to choose. If I made stupid, cruel, or bad choices, Jesus would cover me through his sinless life and atonement, if I would choose to change. He would do this because he loved the Father and he loved me. I chose to follow Jesus and defend him. I wanted the chance to learn and to become with His help.

Tom: Two contrasting approaches were on display this week.  I monitor missionaries' health experiences in the MTC as they are reported in medical notes.  One young missionary developed severe anxiety, something completely new for them.  Counseling in the MTC was not sufficient, and a decision was made to return home and be treated.  Another missionary has been in the field for 3 months and is struggling to keep up with expectations due to severe leg pains that they had prior to the MTC but that flared again in the MTC.  Here is a quote from the notes: "Expresses confidence in ability to manage walking during upcoming trip... Denies symptoms are severe enough to cause limping or prevent walking 5-7 miles per day. Confirms [they are] ok to go on the trip and does not feel the need to postpone it for more aggressive treatment."  There is a 50:50 chance this missionary will have to return home.  We will do all we can to keep them here and functional.  However, from my perspective, it would always be better for the missionary to not arrive in the mission with problems.  There are so many other challenges for new missionaries that will help them grow without adding a physical or mental illness challenge.  If you know of any prospective missionary who is downplaying the magnitude of a problem so they can get to the field sooner, it would be better to help them get "tuned up" as much as possible before taking on the physical and spiritual challenge of inviting everyone they meet to Come Unto Christ.

Behold the vineyards are purple, ready for the ...

..mechanical harvesters.