Fall Flashback; Vaison-La-Romaine

Our Church Week—One of our main tasks this week was to become legal to commence our second year here in France. The end of this month marks the end of our first year living in the country. We needed to go to Pau (45 mins to our west) to complete that legality. It was painless as the Mission Office keeps all our documents in order that we brought with us when we first arrived. Then they resend them to us in packet form with an added letter of introduction to complete our second-year legality in France.

Because our second-year legality had us in Pau, we were able to help pave the way for one of our new members here in Tarbes. It is a good example of what we do as “Member-Leadership Support” (MLS Missionaries). Chevez, a convert of 7 months, thought he might be interested in attending University (“Uni”) in Pau. Putting two and two together, we jumped on the opportunity to time our legality paperwork with Friday night Institute in Pau and show him the University and Church location there. In October, we asked for special permission from the Mission President to have the Elders go with him by train to Pau and meet up with us after our legality paperwork was done. That way, Chevez could learn how to come by train to Pau and find the Institute Class (more in-depth religion class) at the Pau Chapel on his own in the future.

The Pau Ward (a ward is a unit one-step larger than a Branch congregational unit) there has an on-property Institute program. For him to attend here in Tarbes, it would be a long-distance Institute via Skype. It’s a great second choice if you are not able to attend Institute in person; but we really wanted him to see the Church beyond Tarbes and see the benefits of being with other Church youth his same age. Having that support of other Church members his age who are balancing school, starting up their careers and trying to live high standards in a world that tends to go in an opposite tide is invaluable and vital to being able to stay active and advancing within the Gospel.

We encouraged him to let us help him find housing near the missionaries or with a Church member if he decides and gets accepted to Pau University. We emphasized the importance of setting up and building his social support system around Church values and friends who share his same values. He is open and absorbing what we are trying to say. After Institute class, he voiced how nice it was to have someone else from Church his age to talk with, continue his Gospel learning alongside of and be in a safe Christian environment. Four Institute students in Pau are returned missionaries and embraced him. He caught the vision and we are thrilled. If that is the only thing we ever accomplish here, we would feel our efforts are a great success.

The current pattern we have set with him is he comes over to our apartment an hour before the Missionaries who then join us for dinner. We teach Chevez tips like how to navigate Gospel Library and some other on-line Church resources to help him in his personal studies. After dinner, they either play ping-pong or we play some Gospel topic games.

We also met with Louise with the Missionaries this week. She is our 80-year old investigator who often has us in stitches. After our lesson, she decided she wanted to make us all lunch. It was unplanned. It’s France—good conversation and food are always connected, so it was a more of the same in her eyes. The only thing suffering is the extra pounds we seem to be adding as we seem to be eating everywhere we go. Louise knows we don’t have wine with our meals so selected her best “Aged” water, highly recommended for the entrée course. Meg was closest to the side table with the water and baguettes and was re-filling everyone’s glass, until she got to Louise’s glass. She said too much makes her “tipsy” and she’d pass. She says it so dryly and keeps going onto the next topic. We are all just busting inside because she’s so quick-witted and doesn’t skip a beat or crack a smile. We enjoy teaching her Gospel truths and being with her. After lunch, the Elders went on their way and we took a walk with Louise and her dog. We loved the baguettes at lunch, so she took us by that boulangerie (bread shop) where she normally gets her bread. She also gave us a tour of her favorite fresh food market next door.

And of course we had Evelyn and Valerie over for lunch and getting to know each other that we spoke of last week. Pics below.

We also are working with Lionel who is a well-read and knows his scriptures inside out. He has many translated versions of the Bible, has read The Book of Mormon and has read the Koran. He rotates churches each week trying to find which one is true. He just can’t figure out how so many religions and interpretations can come out of one Bible. Because his knowledge base is so broad, we have to “run” pretty fast to keep up with him…and in French of courseJ. So it is quite the work-out. Today we went over the Plan of Salvation.

He’s a bit of a “doubting Thomas” yet at the same time is wracked by this seemingly unsolvable riddle that delves him deeper and deeper into studying his many versions, comparing them and coming to the conclusion that they just don’t agree….which only brings more confusion. He is trying to unravel the confusion he finds in their different interpretations. We think we have some answers for him. But ultimately we told him he will have to ask the question: Is the Book of Mormon true? Is it a companion to the Bible and The Word of God? The Book of Mormon adds clarity to the Bible and we couldn’t be more happy to share with him how that is.

Town of the Week—Vaison-la-Romaine. This town is in the Southeastern portion of France (Provence). It sports almost 2,000 continual years of history dating back to the Bronze Age from the end of the 4^th century BC, through Roman times and the Medieval Period. All these periods are represented in the town environs. The town is Medieval in layout and architecture as that Age built over the Roman remains of buildings, etc. There is so much history from Vaison-la-Romaine, particularly Roman relics that the relics are shared in over 25 museums throughout America and Europe. That’s a lot for a small town! So the pictures will appear more Medieval since the Roman relics.....are elsewhere.

A la prochaine.

Valerie brought a Galette de Roi for our luncheon

Evelyn and Valerie over for lunch

Cutting of the Galette de Roi....the treasure piece went to Valerie....who hosted this year's cake, and it looks like next year's as well. Maybe we'll have to return to France for that one!!

This year's porcelain "truc" in the cake

Screen shot of two of our three District Councils within a 6 week period will be by Facebook messenger video. It will REALLY save a lot of traveling time to get everyone coming

from different ends of our District together

Going back to fall...these are grape leaves changing. You can see the veins in the leaves and how they change. When the sun gets behind these leaves they appear on fire.

The picture doesn't do it full justice.

The boulder harvest is looking really "solid" this year

Book boxes all over towns to share reading materials;

very popular and well used.

Known to have a few Book of Mormons or so.

Roman Bridge Road, built 1st century AD. Of course in France, it's not just a cute name....it marks an historic spot. Roads in France are names of historic places or people that have made significant contributions. Unfortunately we are on the bridge and forgot to get the bridge itself on the return. Next trip.