We arrived in France on September 28th. Two days later, after (mostly) recovering from jetlag, we were asked to visit four long-empty missionary apartments in Le Pontet (by Avignon), Montpelier, Beziers, and Rodez. We travelled for three days by car, and I remembered how crazy it is to drive in France. On the main highways, called "autoroutes", the speed limit is often 130 kilometers per hour, which converts to about 80 mph. However, there are trucks which aren't allowed to go nearly as fast, and "zoomers" (as we call them) who want to pass you doing at least 90 mph and probably faster. Once you get off the main high speed toll highways, the one-way narrow alleys make it hard to find your way anywhere without a GPS. Fortunately, our Toyota Yaris Hybrid has one, which I (Wayne) very quickly learned to used out of absolute necessity.
The following week we drove to Switzerland to visit 5 more empty apartments in two days. Finally, on October 9th, we drove to our apartment in Beziers. We only had a mattress on the floor to sleep on for the first week. Our Ikea bed frame was delivered on October 18th, which I assembled myself. But to get the bed into the bedroom, I had to disassemble the bunkbeds and move them to the smaller storage/bedroom.
Our toilet was running constantly so badly that the mission office had received a notice of excessive water consumption. I figured out how to disassemble the French flushing mechanism and fixed it, and installed a BioBidet as well.
Then we visited, cleaned, and fixed up missionary apartments at Gap and Vitrolles. We made two more visits to Le Pontet to fix a hole in the wall and put back up the window shades. In the process, I had to clean out a window ledge filled with a pigeon nest and pigeon poop. YUCK!
We were supposed to get internet on Wednesday, October 28th, but the technician never came because my cell phone had quit working and he couldn't get ahold of us. I had to buy a new cell phone to replace it, but the next available appointment was two weeks later.
On November 2nd we drove to Carcassonne to pick up the two elders so they could ride with us to our first Zone Conference in Lyon on November 3rd. Late Wednesday night, on the way back from Carcassonne to Beziers we discovered the access to the main highway was closed, so we had to noodle our way through lots of tiny towns and roundabouts to find our way back to Beziers at 1 a.m.
The following week is when disaster struck. We had to drive to Lyon again to get our long-term visas finalized, and fix up another apartment in Villeurbanne, a suburb of Lyon. On the way back from our visa appointment my wallet was stolen. By the time I realized it was gone and called our bank 5 hours later, the thieves had drained our checking account and maxed out our overdraft account. What a hassle to get that straightened out. Fortunately, Visa covered nearly all the fraudulent charges, and I only lost the cash that was in my wallet. I still need to replace my Utah driver's license and insurance cards.
Today we returned from Toulouse where we attended our first stake conference. We were able to meet some of the leaders with whom we will be working to serve the young adults of our stake.
We have been teaching a mother and son from Montenegro along with the young elders, and they are planning on being baptized on December 11th.
We are teaching an English Connect 1 class Friday evenings from 8 to 9 p.m., and expect to soon start teaching another class to help young missionaries adapt to mission life.
I've been asked to accompany the Primary children's program next Sunday, and I play the piano for church most Sundays.
As you can tell, we've been very busy since arriving in France, but the Lord has blessed us with health and safety. After fixing a few things and lots of cleaning, our apartment is starting to feel like home, and we even have started putting up a few Christmas things.
Oh no about your wallet! I'm glad you were able to recover most of your charges. Looks like a really beautiful place!
ReplyDeleteIt is great hearing of all you are doing. Many are being blessed as a result of the many things that you are doing!
ReplyDeleteI'm so proud of you both. Your example of Christlike service is an example to all. You both look great. Love all the pictures of France, especially the beautiful woman in front of the lovely flower shop. I'm so sorry that happened with your wallet while you are so diligently serving the Lord. Love and prayers for you both.
ReplyDeleteWpw! what an introduction to your new mission..how great it is that you have so many skills and patience.We have been busy, too. But our business wasn't as much fun...Jack has been recomvering from melanoma surgery and the miserable effects of his infusion. He just got out of the hospital yesterday, but is still having a lot of problems. fortunately, I am getting stronger, and am able to help him more. The Lord blesses us constantly. We love you two and are so happy that you are able to serve Him on your missions. Keep upcthe good work.
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