It’s a Small World, after all
Our Church Week— This was Maïly’s last
week. She’s headed to Paris to enter a
program in her career field working with small children, but specializing in newborns
through the first year, sometimes until age three. She has completed the child developmental
side of her training. In Paris, she will complete the medical side of her
training. It’s a bit different than Stateside
Neonatal Intensive Care because she may follow the children for some years in
their home after leaving the hospital.
Examples may be for newborns hospitalized just after birth or needing surgery
just weeks to months old through age three.. Other scenarios would be special
needs children who will be under her care.
It makes for a smooth transition for the children because they get to
keep their caregivers until after hospitalization and through the home care
phase. She’s a beautiful girl and we will miss her. We hope to see her from time to time when she
comes back to Tarbes to see friends here.
Small world story #1—This week we met with Chantal who lives several towns
over. She wanted to meet us, so the four of us went to visit her. Chantal has
been away from the Church almost 40 years but wanted to come back. She did not know where the closest Church was
near her. About 2 weeks ago, the Elders
were at the train station in Tarbes and Chantal waved them over. The Elders
always tell us they really cringe when someone motions them to come over
because sometimes they get a tongue-lashing because they are not Catholic (in a
very Catholic country). Other times they get a tongue-lashing because they are
teaching Religion in general, sometimes anything in between. Chantal said she was a baptized member of the
Church when she was 8 years old. She
told them she wanted to come back to Church.
She told them upfront that she smokes and drinks and asked if she could
still come back. ABSOLUTELY she can come
back.
She’s working on stopping. All proactive choices—wanting to come back to
Church and beginning the process stopping smoking and drinking. Went to visit her in her home and she is a
delightful person. All the way there (30+minutes
one way) we are wracking our brains wondering how we are going to get her to
Church. Too far out for a train, buses
don’t run on Sundays, no members live close by and it would be close to 2 ½ hours
of travel to go over and back to get her and over and back to take her home. We thought we’ll just have to figure that
part out later. She WANTS to come back,
no sweeter music to our ears. We visited
about 2 hours then she told us she was planning to move to Tarbes ASAP! Whew. We
hadn’t brought up the transportation challenge.
Things have a way of working out.
And what a small world that the Elders and Chantal were at the train
station at just the right time!! More like
a miracle.
Small world story #2—On the way home, Elder Wolfgramm showed us a picture
of Elder Vera who is now back in Canada.
We didn’t recognize him in “street clothes”. As I was looking at everyone in the picture,
low and behold there is Brandon Warren!!
I recognized him before Elder Vera and said, oh, there’s Brandon and
showed Marc. He was just as surprised to
see him. Brandon now goes by “Jay” and
has been recording music the past while, sometimes with “James, The Mormon” who
was also in the foto. They were in
Canada on a singing tour….in Elder Vera’s ward.
Brandon danced at the same Ballet Studio as Nadya for years and of course we
know him Mom from all those years backstage.
What a small world! Needless to
say, we were re-living days of yore.
Small world story #3—A few months ago, we were in Pau where we have our
baptisms (minus children from member families who can be baptized in a local
pool). Anaïs came up to us because she
recognized our names…POUSSARD. She asked
if we had a daughter serving in Montreal.
“Mais, oui, bien sur!” She met
Nadya briefly as Nadya was coming into the mission field and she was heading
home to France. Anaïs asked if she could be on Nadya’s blog so we added her
name. We shared stories. She was an absolute delight and cute as can be. And we
understood her (fresh into the mission field ourselves) as she spoke English…along
with French and Spanish. Last week Nadya mentioned that Pedro, a person that they were teaching in Montreal was going to be baptized Saturday. Today Anaïs sent a picture of Pedro who was dressed in Baptismal clothes alongside
of Nadya at his baptism Saturday. Sometimes
we never know how far-reaching the lessons are that we teach. He wasn’t quite ready to make the commitment
when Anaïs was teaching him. But he didn’t give up on learning
more. How exciting that Nadya could be a part of the seeds laid by Anaïs. What
a small world!
It's hailing as we type.
A la prochaine.
Maïly
Marc and Maiïly
James the Mormon in center left, Elder Vera to the right
in green T-shirt, Brandon on the far right
Kamon and Elder Wolfgramm
exchanging goodies. Kamon bought
expensive peanut butter for the Elders, the Elders made him cookies!
Kamon and Carolie
Chevez wearing Elder Vera's Mandarin Missionary plaque
Marc and Second counselor, David
The 4 of us on the way to see Chantal
traipsing this way and that trying to find the right building...
Out trying to find addresses....nothing here but the squirrels
View out Marc's office window
Celebrating Elder Templeton's 21st birthday
at restaurant
The big 21 !! Of all the restaurants in France....
he wanted an American burger
We don't drink caffeinated (green or black) tea, only herbal tea. This was herbal tea that the restaurant prepared for us on the house when they heard us sing Happy Birthday. Elder Wolfgramm has never had any kind of tea. It was comical because he did not know what to do with the stacked teapot on top of the tea cup. Getting the tea bag out of the hot water was really comical and it kept falling off his spoon. After all that work, he said "tea" tastes like dirty water.
He doesn't care to have "dirty water" again.
This is us delivering a wheelchair to a Church member. We visited he and his wife at their home and asked if he thought he was ready to come back to Church. He just lit up. He thought he was ready. So last Sunday he came after a long absence due to some serious health problems involving dialysis 3 times a week. It was very hard for him to walk so we asked if he would consider a wheelchair. Yes. The NEXT DAY, our neighbor across the street was getting rid of this wheelchair. Have miracles stopped? We say nay. Does God know our needs? Absolutely!
Pink puddle after a light rain
Hard to believe since summer is still very much here.
But fall is also very much around the corner
with ever-so slight signs of leaves changing.
Crepe Myrtle
Very old pony-express mailbox
Argeles-Gazost is one of our favorite towns in our branch
Argeles-Gazost
We bought some bikes for our P-day (day off). Are you sure this isn't heaven?
Michel. A short while after his retirement, he was pruning a tree
and fell severing his spine. What a jovial soul, through a difficult tragedy.
We met on the bike path. He is interested in having us over to talk about the Church
Very common to be on a country road and come across crosses, shrines and chapels
Saint Savin...readying itself for their summer festival this week
Ah....France. This chapel is 10th century
Medieval home with beams hewn by hand and "nailed"
together with wooden pegs
All original beams; home completed in 1441
Yes, this building was constructed in 1441
Pictures from our bike ride atop the mountain,
back down to the valley floor. Incredibly beautiful day.
The altitude? Well, that's another story. We huffed and puffed.
What a small world that you would meet someone who had met Nadya! I LOVE the pictures! France is so beautiful! And the people's faces in the photos are also so wonderful! Isn't the Gospel the "Enlightener" in every sense of the word?!
ReplyDeleteWe will be going to Paris in early February. We will be going to the Rome temple open house then will travel north through Italy and make our way through Switzerland and then to Paris. It won't be beautiful like it is now. So sad! I just looked where you are on the map - you are almost as south as you can be in France! I'm afraid our paths won't cross on this trip but I will be thinking of you both while I am on the train passing through France to Paris! We love and miss you two (and envy you too!)
Becky