Carnaval

Had a first happen this week. I was buying some olive oil at the grocery store. The man in front of me was well-groomed, mid twenties, and black . He was buying one little tub of something but for some reason his card wouldn’t work. The checkout lady asked him to step aside and moved me forward. As she rang in my purchases, I asked her to put his purchase on my bill. She was very surprised and so was he.  I think it cost 1.25 euros but brightened my day. I said “Bonne journée” and walked out.  I hope to do this again sometime.

I spent hours working on a talk for Sacrament Mtg. this week. No topic assigned so I picked three of my own experiences illustrating the influence of God in my life. One focussed on my Mom thinking she would die during the birth of my sister Jane. The second was learning to forgive someone who had really injured me emotionally. Hugh Nibley always believed that we came to earth to learn two things: how to repent and how to forgive.  I love the Bible dictionary definition of repentance which is to change, to turn to God and submit to his will.  My own definition of forgiveness is allowing all others to do the same.  I specifically picked this experience because of a feud in our little branch where two members can only look back instead of forward.  Unfortunately neither of them was at church today.  From his D&C commentary,Terry Smith shared a fascinating insight about Joseph Smith and each of us.

"Joseph’s role as a prophet did not give him a direct insight into the souls and motives of those around him.  They would betray him but God did not give him a preview of their hearts. Joseph was God’s child and chosen instrument of the restoration and God would support and protect him in his work. However the neighbor who was determined to prove Joseph a fraud, was also God’s child. God would give Joseph enough discernment to protect himself and others, but would not give him the information to condemn and judge his fellowmen while they were still on the earth working out their own probation. They might yet turn to God and change.  God is working on the salvation of each of his children, not just the heroes of our story."

My third story was from a medical experience in Guatemala where a father carried his four-year-old safely home, tied to a little wooden chair on his back. I likened it to Christ carrying us. Tom translated my talk into French and I practiced reading it. The preparation was worth the talk.

In other news, it is the start of Carnaval here.  There was a parade today with some bands and lots of people in costume.  We include a photo of our baker’s shop window with some costumes and masks, and some floats that went past our apartment today. We went for a lovely walk around the golf course, which is also a public rose garden when spring comes.

A somewhat skeptical Carnaval participant

A Mexican-costumed band and others

A Western-themed float

Winter golf

The cheese truck that we pass weekly on our way to church

A week of dealing with a virus

Sue: It has been a very slow, restful week lying on the couch trying to get rid of a bad cough and a headache and a 16” long, now golden, bruise on my left shin.  Fortunately there were several kinds of my homemade soup, and Tom’s homemade black beans in the fridge so we didn’t have to cook much and took it very easy.  We cancelled all our appointments except one with Pres. Catogni visiting some of our branch leadership 1 1/2 hours away. Tom could still function well as the medical advisor while I watched favorite period movies on Britbox like Pride and Prejudice ( Colin Firth) North and South (Richard Armitage). I also caught up on Terry Smith’s 332 page commentary on the first 10 sections of the Doctrine and Covenants and am ready for the next installment this week.  Inspiring insights!  I am often amazed at the methods the Lord uses for personal revelation.  

Tom: I am a bit further along in recovery from this virus, so I was asked to speak today in church.  I felt like sharing some stories about building personal growth and development, with the hope that it will help us as a branch.

The first is so long ago that I don’t remember all the details.  I was stake YM President.  The youth committee was in charge of planning and carrying out the stake activities.  We had a stake youth council (SYC) chair who was a teenager and a bit rebellious (feisty might be a better word).  The council planned a dance, and at the direction of our stake presidency counselor we discussed what could go wrong and what we would do about those issues.  Pres. Harris  helped me to understand that once you give someone a responsibility, you can’t take it back without damage, so you had better learn how to be supportive and help him avoid failure.  Sure enough, at the dance we had three youth who disappeared from the building for over an hour.  When they returned, they were met and led into a classroom by our SYC chair, to have a conversation and impose any discipline.  We stayed outside and prayed!  When the door opened, all emerged without any damage done - they had been chastened and a limitation had been imposed on their next activity, but all was well.  The result was a SYC chair whose testimony had been greatly strengthened because he lived up to his responsibility - an opportunity he had never experienced before.  I learned a lot about leadership, and put those lessons  to good use when called as bishop 2 years later.

The second story is my wife’s, about dealing with our oldest son when he was about 12.  I have always said that about the age of 12, young men turn into something other than human for a few months or a year.  I was used to that, being the middle of 5 boys.  Sue was the youngest of 4 girls, her brothers having left home by the time she was aware.  She became very frustrated dealing with the 12 year old under our roof.  Finally, out of desperation, she decided at the end of every day that she would write down the good things that he had said or done that day.  After 2 weeks, she found that she had the most wonderful young man living in our home.  

Third, I found out while living in Kenya that in the last area, Versailles, of my first mission to France, that there were two children in that primary who had grown up to be prominent leaders:  Sr. Caussé, wife of our Presiding Bishop, and Elder Giraud-Carrier, General Authority Seventy.  

We live around many people, but usually we are not able to visualize their eternal potential and nature without great effort and inspired vision.  If we could see each other as God sees us, we would likely treat each other differently.  We are called not only to love each other, but to help each other develop the potential that we have to become like our Eternal Father.  

Comings and Goings

The Lord continues to bless us with experiences that inspire and teach. Tuesday afternoon we attended the cremation of the son of a ward member.  He was sixty years old, born with Down’s syndrome, and very low functioning.  His 85 yr. old mother had taken care of him at home until the last 9 months of his life when he was moved to hospice.  The venue itself was a stark white room with at least 20 foot ceilings.  It seemed very cold to us.  By the time the service started, the room was full of friends, a hand full of branch members, two of his companions from hospice in wheel chairs and several hospice workers and his family.  I thought the prelude music, Johnny Cash singing ‘Ghost Riders in the Sky’, unusual, until learning that Hervé loved all things western—especially John Wayne.  Listening to the words, I thought how appropriate that he was free from all the limitations of his earthly life.  The taped music transferred to Consider the Lilies of the Field and the change of  feeling in the room was palpable. It was as if the Holy Ghost had descended on this little  place to testify of the love of God for his children.  I think everyone there could feel it as his two brothers and niece and mom spoke of his personality, and their gratitude for him, and their relief that he had passed to a better life. 

We spent that evening and the next morning preparing for my nephew and wife and missionary son now at the end of his mission to stay at our house, although we would not be there.  We had a great visit with them at the mission home and then went our separate ways - them to our house and us to the intake of 10 new missionaries arriving from the MTC.  We help with their arrival meal and Tom reviews the medical records with each individual.  The next morning we make sack lunches for the trainers and the trainees to eat on the train to their first assignments. 

I must record Sr. Poznanski’s welcome in the ‘greet your first companion’ meeting. She was quoting the President of France  from 2014—the 70th anniversary of invasion of Normandy:   

                                              

       “They were 20, a little older, a little younger. For them 20 was the age of duty, the age of commitment, the age of sacrifice.  What were these 20 year olds thinking?  They surely were thinking of their mothers, fathers, or loved ones.  Yet these young people did not hesitate for a single second, advancing on French soil in the face of fear.  They advanced to defend a noble cause.  They continued to advance to liberate us at last.  Their General said that anyone who set foot on French soil that day was a hero - those who were still advancing for our freedom, and who brought with them a brilliant hope, were heroes.”   François Holland

    She proceeded, “ You are our heroes. You are doing the same thing only spiritually.”

We learned this week that our new permanent mission leaders will be here March 31. Their last name is Schow and he is a pediatric anesthesiologist from Kalispell MT.  Tom sent him our introductory letter (senior couples do this so their president knows who he has available).  Is he related to the Schow family in Cardston?   We know Rick from high school  and George from dental school.  He answered us almost immediately. That was his family and his dad Brian is the oldest of the three sons.  Remarkable!

We have yet to see new callings being given in our re-organized branch.  What we have noticed is the increased distribution of assignments given.  For example, a brother spoke in our Sacrament Meeting this morning who had not given a talk since our arrival, and it was well done.  The brother who led the discussion in the combined Priesthood Meeting said that before today he hadn’t attended Priesthood Meeting for over 10 years - mostly because he didn’t like studying the lives of the prophets.  Today was the study of Pres. Eyring’s conference talk from last October.  He began by asking, “What is the doctrine of Christ?”  There were a couple of errant answers after which I spoke up to say it is faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end - basic training for missionaries.  He complimented me on giving the correct answer, to which I replied, ”Yes, but I cheated.  I read the manual”.  I was asked to confer the priesthood on Eric, our newest member, and ordain him a priest.  What insight into this sweet man, who always prays in public for the children and the innocent of the world who suffer!  

This week we also said farewell to Sr. Ilskov, from Denmark, and hello to Sr. Hammond from California.  The sisters we have worked with have been outstanding!  

Sr. Ilskov 2nd from R, catching the train to Lyon

Feb 2, 2025 Another Branch Baptism

Sometimes I think not much has happened in the past few days until I read my journal.

We Zoom the last Monday of each month with the Area Medical Advisor, 2 Area Mental Health  Councilors, (these are in Frankfurt), Area Dental Advisor (a temple worker in Rome) Pres. and Sr. Poznanski, and Tom and me.  Technology makes this meeting  possible.  We discuss the specific mental and physical health problems of missionaries serving in the  France Lyon Mission.  I am always amazed at how much effort goes into building individual committed successful missionaries.  It reminds me of some wisdom that my friend Terry Smith shared in his Doctrine and Covenants commentary: “God began with who Joseph Smith was and the culture in which he found himself and BUILT the man blessed to open this last dispensation. The Lord had to find a way to do this while keeping Joseph progressing, intact, and grounded during his lifetime.”  Pres. Poznanski was grateful to hear from one of the councilors that his client had said of Pres. Poznanski that after her interview with him, she had felt heard and understood for the first time.

We enjoy Zoom FHE every two weeks with between 6-10 couples participating.  Each couple decides the activity, discussion, and format when they are in charge.  We live several hours apart so most of us have never met in person but it is fascinating to know each other through responses to questions and visiting online. This week we answered three questions:  Where do you serve and what is your specific assignment? What would make me want to visit you (what is in your area that I want to see)?  What is one of your favorite experiences since arriving in the mission field?  We all answer individually. We heard everything from picking up garbage and thus meeting our neighbors to making connections that could only be orchestrated by God.  Tom and I love relating with all these couples although being the medical advisor is unique to us.

Tuesday we drove out to a small village where an older single woman from Switzerland recently moved.  She had asked  Elder Spackman to come to bless her apartment, not yet unpacked.  He blessed it with the spirit of  peace and protection.  It brought her the calm she needed.  Sr. Tuhoe and Sr. Ilskov carried some filing cabinets up the stairs out of her storeroom and we moved a bookshelf next to her computer and hauled several empty boxes away to enhance her workspace.

Yesterday we went to Dijon for the baptism of Eric Laforêt, a middle-aged single man who found the Church through his own searching.  Many of the branch members were there, including all of the new presidency.  He shared his testimony today, saying he knew his parents and grandparents were proud of him and the vicarious work he would soon be performing for them.  The branch is growing slowly but steadily.  

The water wasn't warm !

Srs. Ilskov and Tuhoe

An interesting opening dish for lunch - that's an egg in the middle

This is Goliath, an aging Shepherd in his favorite position