We listened to a live broadcast from Brussels with Sister and Elder Oaks. I was surprised to see him helped to the podium by two men and a chair placed behind him so he couldn’t fall. I loved what he said:
‘There are many interferences with unity: economics, politics, controversies over doctrine. There is one sure and permanent solution. Pres. Hunter - Only Christ can be our ideal. Avoid anything that robs you of your agency because obsession becomes your God. Be different from the world. Act, speak, and dress like you are disciples of Jesus Christ. Seeking perfection is a Destiny which will take âges to accomplish —line upon line, example to example, even beyond this life. Overcome our natural self-centeredness by serving others, motivated by the pure love of Christ or it counts for nothing. Pray unto the Father that you may be filled with this love. Be a witness, testify of him - the more excellent way.’
Also heard a podcast of Markus Martine, the first black missionary (Brazilian). He spoke of the role of thinking - not just feeling, of pondering, of having questions but not doubt, of having absolute faith that eventually there will be an answer. Can I be patient and continue to build a connection with Jesus Christ? He quoted Elder Eyring from 2010.
´Reading, studying and pondering are not the same. We read words and we may get ideas. We study and we may discover patterns and connections, but when we ponder, we invite personal revelation from the Spirit. Pondering is the thinking and praying I do after reading and studying the scriptures carefully.’
The question Martine is pondering at the moment is ´What effect does eating of the fruit of the tree of life have on us?´
Last week in Chalon on the weekend was the second largest street festival in France. It was called ‘Chalon dans la Rue’. Thousands came to town to watch mimes, jugglers, musicians, break dancers, theatre productions, lights on the river and even a levitator. Most were great entertainers but there was one I walked away from. It was not appropriate for a person with the name tag of Jesus Christ and his Church pinned on her shirt, to be standing there. The young missionary sisters said they had never seen so many hippies. I was not sure they knew what hippies were since most of them were born 40 years after the fact.
We had the largest exit and entry days of our mission career. Tuesday, 24 mlssionaries, including both APs were going home. It was a raclette dinner for them plus 4 senior couples. It was exhausting. For advice about going home we shared the ideas of being your best self (Renlund) and our Sackley plan. Next day we received 24 assigned to our mission plus two visa waiters - one from Tahiti and one from northern France. The group from the Provo MTC arrived at 4:30. All were interviewed and fed and were preparing to leave when the others arrived from Preston England. We were very late leaving the Sans Souci Chapel. Thursday was the most exciting day because each missionary met their trainer and accepted their first assignment. By the time Tom and I got home, we were exhausted.
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| Last p-day, at the mission home |
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| New arrivals |
Friday Ben and Christy and Jeff arrived from Paris. We were able to watch the sweet memorial service for Ross with his children sharing their love for their father verbally and in song. Jack was the closing speaker, basing his comments on four of his own poems.
Our week ended checking off part of my bucket list. We drove to Champignon to observe part of the 20th stage of the Tour de France. WOW! A parade of sponsors preceded the actual race. They threw to the bystanders everything but the kitchen sink: hats, sausages, cans of Orangina, and even Asterix books. This was not the candy at the Raymond Canada Day parade. Then came the support cars with extra bikes on top, the Gendarmes, the street sweeper, the EMT vehicles, the helicopters and finally the lead cars with flashing lights and the camera men. The bikers themselves sped by in literally seconds: the leaders with the crowd erupting wildly, two minutes later the peloton - the crowd exploding again, the third group and the fourth group. An hour and a half drive, two hours picnicking, waiting, and within eight minutes it was over. ALL WORTH IT.
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| Sponsors parade - Orangina! |
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| The leaders arrive |
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| Support car & photog on moto |
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| The rest of the pack |
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| We visited the Comte cheese museum after the race |
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