Arrival and right to Work

 After ten hours in the same airplane seat, we were thrilled to be vertical and greeted by Elder and Sister Bourroux, the temple visitor center directors.  They are delightful, experienced in the Church as a former bishop and worked in the Computer field.  His sense of humor cannot be beat!!  The long ride encircled Paris and so didn't include any sites associated with the city.  We were both jet lagged and so had a hard time staying awake even though we had tried to eat and sleep on France time for the two days previous.

They took us to our apartment where we finally met Elder and Sister Campbell, who we replace.  They graciously moved out and let us take over their apartment.  Things were well prepared for us including some food, clean linens, etc.  They even put a new memory foam mattress topper on our bed for us.  The apartment has a kitchen, living room, office, and one bedroom.  We will be sufficiently comfortable here for 18 months.

From the living room  balcony looking northward

Kitchen Balcony also looking north

After unpacking and getting somewhat settled we were to be at the center for orientation.  A bit bleary eyed but anxious to learn we arrived and met some of the Sister missionaries that cycle through the center.

Friday we slept, or tried to.  Then we went shopping for some necessities.  The walk around Chesnay (pronounced shenay) was delightful and in the 60's.  Spring is in the air so trees and budding and flowering...the tulips and daffodils are even up.  We found most of what we wanted at Monoprix, a large store somewhat like Walmart or Target, but in the mall.  The Campbells also took us to the little health food store and neighborhood markets but we have yet to have time to explore them.










 Then Saturday morning came...it was to be our first big visitor's center adventure.  That morning the Rennes stake brought about 150 people to the temple with youth and children.  The visitor's center planned presentations for the 75 youth.  Elder Meunier...a very talented speaker and presenter...spoke to three different groups as they cycled through their baptism sessions.  We have also fallen in love with the Meunier's and look so forward to developing close ties with them and the Bourrouxs.  Unfortunately, the Meuniers leave in September.  I have been asked to take over the presentations as we work to make the center a tool for the wards and branches to bring their members to Christ and His temple.

While the youth and their parents and leaders were being both entertained and instructed, the sisters worked to entertain the 40 Primary children by helping them love Christ and His representations around the center gardens.  Sister Frogley fit right in and loved being with them...children are precious in any language.

As the families left, other guests came to explore the center...most from Paris and suburbs.  One woman came for her second visit.  I was asked to show her around and answer her questions.  She was from African and eastern European descent with ties to past nobility.

She asked as we stood in front of the Christus, "Will He come back?"  I assured her that He had promised to come back.  After listening and talking for almost an hour, she was about to reveal her true nature.  She almost erupted with, "No, He cannot! He brought nothing to this world!  He was but a poor fisherman!  He developed nothing, He invented nothing, He organized nothing....But we have invented, organized, ruled... He said that God is in us.  We have done all that because God is in us...I am god!!  I am god!! So He cannot return, you see?"  I said, "You have said that since God said that He is in us and you and your royal ancestry have done so much for mankind, then you are god?"  Said, "Yes, so He cannot come back!"  I said, "Well, I can see the logic of your story.  We all have a story, don't we?"  She agreed so I continued.  "Since He said that He was coming back, then, as often is the case, two stories contradict each other, so both cannot be true, or perhaps both are false."  She agreed so I went on... "What if we were to find life on a distant planet that also believed in Jesus Christ from our world?"  She agreed that would be solid evidence that He is real and is who He says He is. I suggested that back at the time of Christ, the American continent, or new world was as separated from the old world as planets are.  So what if the Biblical Christ were show up in the new world some time after His resurrection?  She agreed that would be amazing.  I then explained the Book of Mormon and then leafed through the pages and paintings with her.  We talked about some of the differing doctrines about what God is like, and what Christ taught and then showed her how everybody's stories, though contradictory can find some support in the Bible like drawing lines through a single point.  I then asked how many lines cold be drawn if we had a second point.  She agreed that only one line could pass through both points.  That I suggested is why the Book of Mormon is so important in determining what doctrines and stories are true, more than logical.
 She asked if the missionaries could visit her and teach her more....

I have been overwhelmed with the difference 50 years has made for the church in France.  We have met so many very well anchored and doctrinally sound saints that take initiative and sustain those new to the faith.  We are so grateful to be working with the Meunier's and the Bourroux's as well as others we will yet get to know in our new ward in Versailles....

March 18-27 MTC Week

We have finished our MTC training and wait to fly to Paris.  The MTC experience was filled with great insight, wonderful relationships, and good solid preparation for our assignment in the Visitor's Center.  

We started our training with a devotional on Video from Elder Bednar on the Attributes of Christ.  He use several powerful scriptural examples to show that His focus, even in the most extreme of circumstances, was on the welfare of others.  One example was His temptation experience as He went into the Deseret to be with God and then was "afterwards" tempted of satan with three episodes of "If you really are..." language to goad Him into self-focus.
Yet in each circumstance, whether with stones to bread, an angelic descent into the worshippers at the temple, or the wealth of the world, Christ was consistent in His response to glorify His Father.  Then when He should have been ready to accept the well-deserved ministering of angels to recover and prepare, He instead sent those angels to minister to John the Baptist newly in prison.  Even on the cross, after enduring Gethsemane, scourging, and the nails, His loving character was sufficiently deeply rooted that He was repeatedly concerned with others: Romans doing the cruxifixction, His mother, the thief suffering next to Him, etc.  We spent the week working to see everything through the character of Christ.

Jensens, Dellapiana, S. Eams, Kukua, Shakleford, Frogleys 

The young missionary trainers have been so well trained and served as very effective instruments in teaching us how to "Invite others to come to Christ."
Our district was marvelous and so much fun.  From such different walks of life we were thrown together to discuss, wonder, study, laugh, and learn together.  Sister Dellapiana, Sister Kakua from the Big Island, Sister Shakleford from Lehi, Elder and Sister Jensen from Hooper along with us made of our district.  We wended our way through writing lessons that would meet real needs first, with another couple from outside our district, Elder and Sister Klaas from St. George, and then our teacher, then another teacher, and finally a church member volunteer from Highland.  Each of us has needs to which we must learn to be sensitive and then through relationships, truth-thoughts from scripture or discourses, invitations to apply, promises concerning results, and finally a follow-through that enables and supports the individual we found ourselves bonding with each other as we sought to be divine instruments.  As companions we discussed, prayed, studied, and wrote together as we sought unity as "two by two" instruments.

The other couple from outside our district became our meal companions as well while we enjoyed living together climbing beyond our vastly different lives and backgrounds. As we each worked to bring each other closer to Christ we grew closer together.

THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST

 One of our favorite things was the pondering time with the large murals depicting missionary moments through out time.  We spent most of the Sabbath sitting and pondering all twelve murals.

Nephi, Not knowing before hand what he should do...Following the Spirit

Ester, Perhaps for just a time such as this were you born...

My priesthood quorum all stood on our last Sunday and shouted together..."Hurrah for Israel" as we left to go gather them

His question to each of us, "Do you love me more than these?"

 On our final days we went to the Salt Lake Visitor's Center to experience a tour as if we were the visitors.  The two sisters, one from Being China and the other from the Phillipines bore such a humble and spirit filled testimony with personal conversion experiences that moved us to tears.  They were so cute as they demonstrated the acoustics of the Tabernacle.

As we close this chapter I have to to give thanks for my companion from whom I never will have a transfer to a new one.  I love her...she completes me!!  We are off into the world to gather Israel before that last great and terrible day!!

 The Book of Mormon is our trumpet to call all that will hear and know the voice of the Master.  It furnishes answers to the great questions that occupy the thoughts of all men and women.