2025 !

Last Sunday (Dec 29) we travelled to the mission home in Lyon to visit Sr. Soulier.  We learned many years ago that when someone is grieving, don’t wait until you know what to say; go and express love and that will suffice.  The two office couples, two Assistants, and Pres. and Sr. McConkie from the Area were there reminiscing by a crackling fire.  I gave her a hand massage.  It was a lovely afternoon.  Bishop Causé and his wife stopped in for a few minutes and during that time, Elder McConkie was voice to a blessing for Sr. Soulier.  It was a remarkable experience which we were grateful to be part of.

We were happy to face time with Kent and Donna on his 71st birthday. On New Years Eve, with permission tickets from Ben, we stayed home and went to bed early, although I eventually heard fireworks in the distance.  New Year’s Day was a study day and I learned much about reformation religion (18th and early 19th centuries in U.S).  I did not understand any of their five precepts: total depravity of man, unconditional election - God chose who would be saved and who would not, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and perseverance of the saints.  No wonder Joseph Smith was thought to be a heretic with his ideas of a Heavenly Father who loved his children (his greatest creations), and had a plan for their eternal progression based on their agency and the atonement of Jesus Christ.  Restoration ideas.  Tom and I peeled and cooked honey garlic shrimp and decided we would do that again.

Thursday we were back in Lyon with our three surrounding zones.  Elder McConkie conducted the meeting and opened by explaining what would happen in that meeting and in the mission going forward.  Elder Poznanski, former Paris Mission President and Area 70, will come with his wife tomorrow (Jan 6) to direct the mission temporarily.  New mission leaders will be called to relieve them in a few weeks. 

Sr. McConkie led a discussion around two questions: 1) What was your response immediately after the Zoom call telling you that Pres Soulier was dead?  Some of the answers were: prayer, fasting, gathering, reading scriptures, notes to Sr. Soulier.  She concluded: you are training yourselves to respond in the best ways to those difficult experiences that will happen in your individual lives.  Always turn to Jesus Christ and to each other.  2) What characteristics about Pres. Soulier do you remember?  Joy in focusing his life on Jesus Christ; he was a friend, a brother an advocate, a team player, and a missionary with us.  He always had a smile and was very positive.  She concluded: you have the opportunity to turn this tragedy into good, to bring people to Christ.  You can have that same joy of living the gospel and turning to Jesus Christ for the rest of your life.   

Elder McConkie led us through a discussion of John 11: the story of raising Lazarus.  He noted the individual attention that Christ gave to Martha and Mary, appropriate to their personalities. He pointed out how people responded differently to Christ.  Some believed and some ran to the Pharisees.  Christ gave people the opportunity to act. He certainly could have rolled away the stone.  We need to act, turn to him (repentance) to remove obstacles so we can enjoy miracles in our lives and “call Lazarus forth”.  Faith is a power.  We can act in faith to choose Christ.

Sr. Soulier spoke about Pres. Soulier’s love of all things French - how he would be so happy that his death certificate was in French!  She expressed much love  for the missionaries and gratitude for all the love she had received.  

At the end of the meeting, a group photo was taken, and then each missionary was invited to visit with Sr. Soulier.  We were delighted to see Elder Mou who had come from his service mission in Grenoble and that he was so happy.  We visited with many others as well.  It was a sweet time!

During the meeting we received word that the local officials had decided that the death was due to natural causes, and therefore no autopsy would be performed.  That will allow the body to be transported back to Utah about 2 weeks sooner than expected.  

We ended the week yesterday finding some Trader Joe’s peanut butter that Tom liked enough to go back to the store and buy five more jars.  (That’s the African shopper reflex: if you like it, buy enough for a long time because the store will run out!). Saturday evening I was cleaning a shelf on a 6 level cupboard when the whole thing tipped over on me and spilled the contents onto the floor.  What a surprise!   I thought it was hooked to the wall.  Canned goods, flour, sugar, vinegar, oils, sauces, nuts, chocolate, plastic bags, cereal, avocado, pears, etc.  Only the rice wine vinegar broke but when mixed with flour it was quite a mess!  We were grateful that none of the cans hit my head.  So begins 2025.

An annual tradition kept!