On Monday we went to Home Teach Kate, a member of our Branch who lives in Belgium. Of course we went through the backroads to get there and of course we saw some nice country - nice little villages, lots of forests but no sangliers. We were really hoping to see some this trip because the lady we were visiting sees them regularly on her way to church. We had a great lunch with her, shared the monthly lesson and helped her stack wood. She lives in a beautiful home in a little Belgian village called Mazée which is just over the Belgian border. We had a great day and love Kate. She is a great member of our Branch.
On Tuesday we made our weekly trek to St. Quentin for our District Meeting. We have a new District Leader, Elder Roth. Elder Karl got transferred. We will miss him but Elder Roth did a great job. We had a great meal - Crepes, home made bread and apple pie. On the way home we stopped at a second hand store to look for things for our new missionaries' apartment. We also went shopping at Auchan, a Walmartish store in France.
On Thursday I went over to the church to help work on the garden. We cleaned it all up and made it look good for our Branch Conference coming up on March 1. We had our Home Teachers over for supper - Laurent and Isabelle Biver and their daughter Clara. We had an enjoyable evening. Laurent and Isabelle are the ones who teach folk dance. We had to miss this again this week because Lynn is still not 100%.
Friday was a highlight for us. In the morning we went to the train station to pick up two missionaries who came up to do some contacting with us and for us. Elder Mattson and Elder Jouffray are Zone Leaders and they wanted to support us here in Charleville-Mézières. We took them out for lunch and gave them a home cooked supper which they don't get all that often. They stayed overnight with us and went back on Saturday morning. They were out pounding the streets of Charleville despite rainy weather. Ed went out with them in the afternoon and really enjoyed it. It was a great experience. We admire their dedication to share the gospel with as many people as they are able. As a result we have 5 new contacts which is great for our little Branch. That is exciting news. We don't usually do contacting like the young Elders and Sisters do. It takes a lot of courage to randomly share your beliefs with others on the street as all those who have served missions can testify. It is however very satisfying to share our belief in the Saviour and see the hope in others' eyes as they allow you to say a prayer with them and let them know of His love for them.
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| Our Zone Leaders Elders Jouffray and Mattson |
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNvZfWFb7hA&feature=youtu.be
After we took the Elders to the train station we headed to our Stake Conference in Lille, about a 2.5 hour trip. We went through Belgium. On the way we stopped at Rocroi, a fortified village. There is a wall built around the whole village in the shape of a star. It was built in the 16th century. It is a place we have earmarked to go back to in the summer.
We also stopped at a "Friterie". This is a snack bar that specialises in French Fries. They are all over Belgium. We had fries and two breaded snacks that were great.
Conference was great. We had speakers from our little Branch, from the Stake and the President of our mission and his wife, the Babins. We stayed at a hotel overnight and headed home on Sunday.
We also had a chance to talk to all of our kids and grandkids this week. That really is a highlight for us. Dustin has entered an essay contest where you can win a Westfalia Camper van, old style but in pristine shape. He outlined our family's 4 generations of volkswagen mania in his essay. It sounded great and we, of course, hope he wins.
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| "Clementine", the coveted prize! |
Au revoir de la France
Lyndi-lou and Eddie too.
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