Rivas in for Christiansen

Sunday, June 14, 2015

We recently found out that we will not have a free place to stay in Nancy much longer.  We were asked to close out the Nancy couple's apartment, a process that takes about three months.  We need to vacate it by August 18.  However, there is a possibility that we may move the sister missionaries into it and close out their apartment.  In any case we will be closing down one of the apartments.  

Apartment building in the background has 5,000 tenants

Great view from this wonderful apartment in Nancy

Because of the impending apartment closure we will need to spend a bit of time in Nancy.  And so we headed there on Friday to do some repairs in  Metz and Nancy.  While there Ed repaired some holes in the ceiling of the Metz apartment, assessed some needs in the Nancy Elders' apartment and fixed a light socket for the Nancy Sisters.  It's tough being a handy man.  You have to do everything by yourself.

Hard at work in Metz

Assessing in Nancy.  Lynn cleaned off all the mould.  Needs some scraping and paint now.

We took the opportunity to take the Metz Elders out for a kebab and the Nancy Sisters out for a sub.  The Nancy Elders got short changed but we will make it up to them.

Elder Wells and Elder Edmunds

Elder Lloyd and Elder Stolk

Soeur Kitchen and Soeur Bell with our good friend Guillaume Olivier in Nancy.  Guillaume just finished his Masters and is beginning his PHD in French Literature in September.  WhooHoo!  Congrats Guillaume.

We loaded up our car and headed for home on Saturday after lunch.

The rest of the week we made progress on a couple of fronts.  Our teaching moved forward.  We gave lots of lessons.  Our investigators with baptism dates are progressing nicely.  As of this writing we have dates set for June 21, June 28 and July 4.  It's exciting.  These are the first baptisms for nine years right in Charleville, although the branch did do a baptism in Reims a couple of years ago.  Reims is about an hour away.  We want to do a baptism in  town to encourage all our members to be there, as well as family and the other investigators.  It is an exciting time for our Branch.  

As of yet we do not have a place to baptise.  We think we have it nailed down to a lake in Charleville but Ed still wants to double check with a couple of local pools.  After church today we went to look for a site around Lake Warren and found a couple that would be great and they are free.  We will probably pick one of these.

Contemplation of a baptismal spot.  Elder Wilson with Elder Dayley and Elder Rivas.

These impending baptisms are great experiences for our Branch.  We are all on a spiritual high.  Our investigators are very special.  They are very faithful and full of the spirit.,  They will make great Latter Day Saints.  What a marvellous opportunity this is for the rest of the Branch to catch that spirit and to reach out to these new members.  

We had an opportunity to visit a chateau we had never visited before.  It is in Belgium at a town called Bouillon.  It is about half an hour from us.  It was incredible - perched on top of a craggy hilltop.  We don't see how anyone could attack it.  Because this was Elder Christiansen's last P-Day on his mission we took the younger Elders.  We stopped for frites (Belgian fries) before coming home because Elder Dayley had never had them before.  Of course, they were delicious and Elder Dayley loved them.  Best part was the Restaurant was called, "The Beetle".

You can see the castle on the left and the beautiful valley it is in.

Looking from the Castle down on Bouillon

They actually had a falcon/bird show.  We enjoyed it.

The dungeon.  Lots of suffering happened here.  Trying out the chains!

Of course anyone who knows Great Grandpa Wilson will know why we put this in here.  Him and his typewriter collection.  There was a great collection of calligraphy antiques in this castle.  We thought of our good friend Connie Ferguson Card.

Lynn had to take this one because of the flowers and greenery growing everywhere.

We find beauty here everywhere we look

Our friends, Glen and Jayne Steenblik are serving a mission in Brussels working with the Young Adults.  We were fortunate to have them here with us Monday night.  It was fun to spend a little time with them.  It was nice to show them around our neck of the woods here.  We even discovered how great one of the little restaurants is just behind our house.  Bonus!

Us and The Steenbliks

We said goodbye to Elder Christiansen this week.  He left Charleville on Wednesday.  On  Tuesday we did some last minute running around to help him out.  His train got into Paris quite late on Wednesday and so Ed drove him and Elder Dayley an hour and a half to Châlons en Champagne so they could catch an earlier train.  That worked out great.  Elder Christiansen was a great missionary.

Elder Christiansen and Elder Dayley with us in Place Ducal

The missionary effort does not stop when a missionary leaves.  At the same time Elder Christiansen left we got Elder Rivas.  Originally from El Salvador, he now lives in Brussels.  He has fit right in and hit the ground running, giving lessons, contacting and supporting wherever he can.  He introduced himself and bore a powerful testimony at church today.

Our wonderful new to Charleville-Mézières Elder Rivas along with Elder Wilson and Elder Dayley

We had a baby blessing at Church today.  The Dampts new little petite fille.  Such a beautiful experience.  The Dampts also have their daughter who lives in the US come and visit with her twin girls.  Of course Isabelle and Lynn loved having them in Primary. Isabelle brought a kit to make elastic bracelets and they learned "Le Saint Esprit".  It was a marvellous day.

Ady and Aurélien with their precious daughter.

Happy Grandpa.  Murielle and her girls who by the way speak beautiful French.

A great moment saying Happy Birthday to our beloved Claire today, with Paulette and Betty.

Here are just a couple of extra pictures that Lynn took and wanted to share.

Fields of Poppies on the way to Nancy.  Wonderful sight.  The colours were outstanding.  This does not do it justice.

This just appeared on a building in Nancy.  We met the artist, a guy from Berlin, on the elevator up to the Elders apartment.  Beautiful job using spray paint.

It's amazing how many beautiful flowers just grow wherever the seeds have blown.  Even in the tiniest amount of soil.  Which proves, "Where there is a will, there is a way!"

We are fortunate to have the blessings we do as we continue our missionary efforts.  God looks after us.  We love to see the progress in our Branch.  All is going well.

Au revoir de la France.
Lyndi-lou and Eddie, too.