May 24, 2025

This morning, May 24, I am sitting in our Basque chambre d'hotes in Bayonne writing while Tom is out running. This is the first city he served in, in Dec. 1968. He arrived in time to witness the baptism of Sr. Sorhaitz who became the third member here. She is now 90 years old and we are visiting at her apartment this afternoon.  Interestingly, when Erin our daughter served in the Bordeaux mission 25 years later, she was invited to the Sorhaitz's for lunch.  There she was shown a picture of some elders sitting around the same table and asked if she recognized any of them.  She pointed to one and said ‘That is my Dad’.  Pretty fun for Tom and Erin.  One of the elders who taught Sr. Sorhaitz, Elder Fred Nelson, died this week of a quickly growing cancer.  We visited him and his wife Rella last fall before we came to France.  So grateful for that afternoon.  Although we still feel young sometimes, we are old enough to be grateful for each new day and each new experience.

Yesterday, we skipped Biarritz and Tom and I went exploring  La Plage de le Chambre D’Amour in Anglet.  As we got out of the car, an air force jet like a Blue Angel, in delta wing configuration did a low level sharp turn over the ocean right in front of us.  I knew it was a sign that this was my kind of place; rugged cliffs, German bunkers from the war, a lighthouse, a 41/2 km cement walkway, restaurants and stands.  We sat in the sun sharing a lentil salad and baguette and let the ocean waves ease away the stress of cities and driving. 

It has been marvelous travelling with Pres. and Sr. Schow this week. While they have been emphasizing ‘everyone everywhere’ referring to finding people and inviting them to Sacrament meeting, we have been teaching basic health. Nutrition—5 fruits and veggies a day, whole grains and protein. Cleanliness—apts., kitchen, especially hands (20 seconds with soap and water, one verse or chorus of Je Suis Enfant de Dieu). Digestive system and water absorption - constipation, hemorrhoids, diarrhea and the brat diet.  Ingrown toenails -cutting straight across and soaking.  Exercise - strength, flexibility and stretching.  This is the most fun because we ask  what they do with their 30 minutes every morning.  We are not concerned about cardio because they all walk so far.  They are surprised when the president and Elder Spackman can touch their toes, do planks, jumping jacks, and fancy stretching and all are invited to join what they feel comfortable with.  Everyone who participâtes gets a toothpick for an extra treat like grapes, strawberries, or mango.  Their real break food is an apple and nuts.

Tom and I have used this trip to find some charming little country gites to stay in just outside the cities where the zone conferences were.   We took 4 extra nights in between to celebrate our up coming 53rd anniversary.  From Lyon we drove along manicured, ready to bloom, lavender fields and discovered the inspiration for Van Gogh’s poppy field. Magnificent red.  I had never seen a poppy field before.  We stayed at La Ferme Rose just outside Moustier Ste. Marie (ma ville préférée) on the way to Nice, where we experienced a restored French apartment in the Old Town.  Loved the ceilings.  Outside of Marseilles it was Le Moulin de Sonnailles.

La Bluette, sat on a high hilltop over looking beautiful vistas. Our hosts were delightful as they showed us their little countryside house with a fully equipped kitchen.  Unfortunately we had no food to cook.  We ordered from them for our dinner and breakfast.  Authentic cassoulet with white beans, duck, and sausage, and salad and bread on the side.  When we went to check out the next morning, (our rooms prepaid) they only took cash and we did not have enough.  Embarrassing!  What to do?  They gave us a card with their bank number so we could direct deposit.  I thought them very trusting but it was the only solution we could think of.   About  fifteen minutes down the road we came to a town which accommodates many hikers  on the Camino.  It had a bank machine where we could withdraw some money.  We could pay our debts without exchanging dollars from Florida to euros in France in a bank transfer.  Back we went, but our hosts were gone.  We tucked a note in their door explaining we had left their money in ‘la terrine’ on the kitchen cupboard of the little house which was still open.  Lesson learned: carry some cash.

May 18, 2025

I have been exploring many ideas in the last few days. I have been thinking about  Elder Soares’ conference talk about reverence - respect and praise for what and who is sacred (my definition).  It made me wonder if reverence is the opposite of the pride of the world.  

An article from a recent conference on Abraham asked this question from Rashi, a French Rabbi in AD 1040.  Who was the most important  figure in the Old Testament?  His answer: the unnamed man who told Joseph where his brothers had gone.  Why could it be possible to agree with him?  If he had not been there, Joseph would not have found them or been sold into Egypt.  No slavery in Egypt, no Moses, no Passover, and so on.  We all have a role to play in God's plan.

From Elder Holland (1980 For Troubled Times) referring to the mists of darkness in Lehi’s dream as the distractions on all of us.  We avoid them by holding onto the rod of iron - the words of Christ. He is the safe harbor.

We have spent some time this week making plans and reservations for the four zone conferences we will be attending in southern and western France next week.  We will be in Lyon, Nice, Marseilles, and Bordeaux. Those are stories for next week's blog. 

We went to Geneva for the first time on Thursday. The drive from our home was spectacular even though we were on the autoroute the entire time.  We were extremely impressed with the engineering of the bridges and viaducts and the mountains. Not so impressed with the city.  When we got to the chapel, all the doors were locked and we thought we were at the wrong building.  There were 2 vehicles in the parking lot and neither was the President's but I could hear someone playing the piano.  We tried one of the doors again and someone walking in the hall happened to see us and let us in.  No one had informed us of a door code.

Tom gave a seminar on health and wellness. Most young missionaries do not understand the correlation between water consumption, diet,  constipation, and diarrhea. Nor do they know that diarrhea is the #1 problem in missions worldwide. Tom taught the digestive system and also after showing  a great ingrown toenail picture of one of their contemporaries, showed them how to cut their toenails so they would not suffer as this elder had. 

Pres. and Sr. Schow have changed the format and the times tor these meetings. At least half of the training involves full participation like role playing or interaction with each other.  We work partly in French and partly English.  Sr. Schow told of her mom and dad considering divorce but then found out they were pregnant with her.  Both were struggling with issues in the church.  She was born with a white film over her eyes, congenital glaucoma, and her parents were told she would always be blind.  It was suggested that her father give her a blessing but although he did not feel worthy, he did give her one and the white film disappeared over a few days.  The doctors described this as an act of God.  Because of this miracle, her parents stayed together, had four more children and all served missions.  She told the story to introduce the idea that the Lord gives all of us a part of being in a miracle. Then we talked about some mission miracles and that one of our mission themes is "expect miracles". We talked about Christ being the greatest provider or instigator of miracles. 

Pres. Schow recounted his experience in the Coordinating Council, the weekend before in Paris.  Our Coordinating Council is the stake presidents in France and French -Switzerland, the mission presidents, the temple president, and the Area Seventy.  After discussing the idea that repentance is not a punishment but an opportunity to change, the topic became the importance of welcoming back everyone who had strayed, no matter the reason. One of the stake presidents brought up the question of possible behavior which would require church discipline. The Area Seventy replied with the parable of the prodigal son whose father saw him away off, ran to meet him, brought him a ring, a robe, and prepared a feast.  His lost son had returned.  Discipline is not where you start.  I was endeared to this interpretation: not judgment but love and acceptance and help moving forward.

 We are learning so much serving here. We love our Presidents, both Catogni and Schow and all the missionaries and the people we meet.

Two whimsical umbrellas over a street on the walk home from church

May 11, 2025

Spring has sprung. We do not recognize what we thought were familiar roads for all the trees and forests and grape vines with leaves growing out the top. Monday we were invited to our Branch President’s home for a farewell dinner for Sr. Hammond.  They are such delightful people and the drive through the countryside invigorating.  On our way home we stopped in a village to connect to an unscheduled Zoom meeting with Pres. Schow, a missionary, parents, and home stake president.  The missionary has been dealing with strange symptoms from two different body systems, and all agreed that it will be much faster for them to transfer home to a service assignment while sorting this out.

With Srs. Hammond and Peterson at Catogni's

Tuesday we drove to Lyon to the Mission Home.  We helped with preparations for the evening farewell meal for the 12 departing missionaries.  They played sports outside (pickleball, trampoline, etc.) and then enjoyed, as did we, the meal of raclette (melted cheese over charcuterie, potatoes, bread, etc.).  Following that they were given a few words of council from the Schows about going home and being accountable for their own spirituality.  Then they wanted to sing together.  It was a very happy time.  We were joined by two sets of parents who had come to accompany their daughters home from the mission and then, all were gone.

The next morning we were working on food preparations to welcome the 22 new missionaries arriving that afternoon.  Most were coming from the Provo MTC; 2 came from the Brazil MTC.  Overnight flights for all.  A snack bag awaited them when they got off the plane, and  a lasagna dinner  at one of the chapels when they arrived  in Lyon - there wasn’t enough space in the Mission Home.  Of course their planes were late, so they didn’t get to the chapel until after 6:30 PM.  Even so, dinner was delicious!  We accommodated a new sister with celiac disease with chicken cacciatore.  While they ate, Pres. Schow started his interviews with each missionary to help decide their initial assignment.  Sr. Schow also visited with each one and I asked about their health history individually and explained the system for their medical care here .  It was a long evening, but very rewarding.  This seems to be a strong group - keen to work and with few issues to hold them back.  They were clearly more tired than the interviewers.

Thursday was assignment day.  We went back to the chapel to finish the sack lunches they would take on the train.  Meanwhile, the Assistants and Sr.Schow took them on a historic  walking tour of old Lyon, and Pres. Schow did a training session with the new trainers.  The schedule  for the intake  meeting was tight.  Each missionary is invited to come to the front, open their letter and read in French their first area of service and the name of their first companion.  Each trainer in their turn runs to the front, gives them a big hug, gets the companionship picture taken pointing on a map to their area, and then they sit  back down together.  No one knows ahead of time  where they are going or with whom.  Pres. Schow was able to get through all the assignments with a little time left for an inspiring orientation about expectations and goals and was done before 1:30 PM.  Those with the first trains at 2:15 were hustled out with their luggage to the station.  It is truly a momentous day in the life of every missionary.

Overall we felt like the process for this large group of missionaries went according to plan and that it was a good experience for all.  We confess to being dog-tired at the end!  On our 75 minute drive back to Chalon I had to stop and nap for 15 minutes to make it safely home.  Shortly after arriving we were able to get to the VE Day 80th Anniversary ceremonies taking place at the Cenotaph just around the corner from our apartment.  Some of the speeches talked about the necessity of preparing for war to preserve the peace, and the threat to peace in Europe by the neighbor to the east.  We live in interesting times.

Lower right with his red beret, Bro. Landré, stalwart member and veteran

 We have now recovered somewhat and are getting ready for the next two weeks - stay tuned!  Sr. Lewis was the new missionary assigned to Chalon.  She is a bright, energetic bleue (greenie) with a good accent already.  Both sisters spoke in Church, followed by me, on the topic of Priesthood and keys.  It isn’t Mother’s Day here for another two weeks.

May the 4th (Be With You!)

How the weeks fly by and our opportunities to serve multiply!  We have spent more time with the Chalon Soeurs because  Sr. Hammond goes home to CA in two days and Sr. Peterson will remain here and become a trainer.  The four of us lunched with Sr. Sauvage and her 3 little girls.  When we arrived, she was in tears, in her robe vacuuming.  She had been up all night with an asthmatic daughter.  We helped her clean and cook and Tom gave the daughter a blessing.  By the time we left, everyone was happier. 

We had a fun zoom FHE with the senior couples, getting to know them by playing Kahoots where you anonymously share two truths and a lie about yourself and they guess which is which.  It is amazing what surprising things you learn about your fellow missionaries like hiking in Nepal, being written up in the Ensign, or conducting The Messiah.

Thursday, May 1, we headed to Bern to the Swiss Temple with the soeurs. A recent convert, David, was doing baptisms for his parents and grand parents and we had permission to join him.  We noticed driving through town that many were selling little bundles of lily of the valley.  That is how the French celebrate May Day and the official coming of Spring.  

It was a warm, blue sky day with no wind.  We drove the country roads enjoying the green forests, flowering bushes (intoxicating smells), and the stunning panoramas.  We stopped to explore Chateau Frontenay and heard bird choirs praising the sunshine.  It seemed all the world was rejoicing.  We also toured Neuchâtel Castle in Switzerland and then headed for Sr. Hammond’s favorite restaurant “Holy Cow” in Bienne.  I will let you guess what kind of food they serve. 

Plaque at the entrance to Chateau Frontenay

Private graveyard of the chateau

Chateau Frontenay

The courtyard of Chateau Neuchatel

Chateau Neuchatel

Friday Tom and I did three endowment sessions plus sealings. I did not realize that the words are printed on the screen, usually in the language of the session.  What French words I could see, through the heads in front of me, I could read and understand.   For the next session I planned to be early so I could sit on the aisle and see all the print.  To my surprise, the session was in French but the printing looked something like Russian. After a couple of minutes, a temple worker came to get an ok from a man across from me, and the session continued.  This man watched the words intensely.  As he went to the veil, I noticed his height - probably 6’7”, and the determination in his face.  I found out that the language was Ukrainian and made the assumption that he was as well.  I don’t know why this made me feel so happy but it did - to think that he had made the same covenants with Christ as I had and was at the temple to strengthen them.  Who knows what conditions he was living under.  In session 3, I made it to the front row but, oh, the session was in German and so were the captions. I listened with English ear phones.

Friday evening we met the Stafflers, friends and former missionaries from the Africa Central Area who live in Geneva and serve in the temple.  They walked with us to a lovely busy German restaurant, where we enjoyed schnitzel and a chicken/asparagus dish while we caught up and visited about friends from Africa.  While they were there they had befriended a young man who eventually joined the Church and is now a returned missionary.  From small deeds…

We found out that our telephones did not function in Switzerland.  As we arrived back at our hotel, the inbox quickly filled up with missionary health questions and problems.  We weren’t able to get to bed as early as we had hoped.

Saturday we did more temple work, ending with a baptistry session with our newer member and the sister missionaries.  It was a wonderful experience.  He was able to confirm several patrons while Tom recorded, because of his ordination as Elder many weeks ago.  The trip home was long.  Previously the sisters had been invited to the 18th birthday party of a new member in our branch.  She and her older sister are the only members in a large family and they had prepared a large buffet for us.  Unfortunately they live about 40 minutes out of town, and given the time we felt we should go
there directly before going home.  The party was definitely for a younger generation but we enjoyed it despite being very tired.  

Today we had a baby blessing in our meeting.  A Tahitian family moved in a couple of weeks ago and this is their second child, probably 3 weeks old.  Her father gave her a beautiful blessing (while she slept contentedly) and then gently kissed her on the forehead before returning her to her mother’s arms.  It was a spontaneous expression of love and reminded us all of Heavenly Father’s affectionate care of His children.  

With Stafflers 

A country cheese store on the way home