Melun Olympics

Saturday the Melun ward had an Olympic gathering of sorts. We played all kinds of team games including the giant tug-o-war. Everyone played hard and "pulled together" for a fun afternoon. Attending these church functions is especially great for the kids because they have no other option...they have lots of opportunities to practice their French. I can definitely see what a difference a year makes in this regard. Everyone has a good understanding and can carry on a conversation. That's a "gold medal" performance as far as I'm concerned.

Barbecue

Barbecue usually brings to mind the all-American summer party. Our church in Melun hosted a spring barbecue that was equally as great. When I asked what I should bring they said, "sausages and salad". I was a little confused and probed around to find out what kind of sausages and how many. Yet another moment of translation humor. When asked to bring sausages to a French bbq they mean any type of meats that you want to cook on the grill. There was quite an assortment that day: marinated pork, hot dogs, grilled chicken, steak, etc. It was a very casual event and the kids raced around, playing soccer and tag and the rest of us enjoyed time to talk and eat together. Good times.

l' accident (the mishap)

With all of our travels and company we had l' accident on Sunday. Olivia was asked to play her violin for the Ponelle baptism at the church. We misunderstood the request and she showed up on Sunday unprepared and without her violin. When the mistake was realized I hurried home to fetch her violin. She hadn't practiced all week due to our many activities, but she remained as calm and pleasant as ever. Her good friend Alysee offered to accompany her on the piano and in just 20 minutes of practicing they had a nice little song prepared for the program. Nice to know that under pressure friends can help us through many trials!

Relief-Society

The Melun ward celebrated the Relief-Society's birthday Saturday with an activity. The Relief-Society is the largest women's organization in the world and its motto is "Charity Never Faileth". Since I was 18 years old I have been a part of Relief-Society and I have learned so much from women all over the world. Yesterday we had a class on Asian cooking from one of the sisters in our ward who is originally from Hong Kong. We made spring rolls and they were delicious! Other activities were available to fill all interests. The nicest part of the day was visiting and really laughing. These women are fun AND they have purpose and dedication in the way they live their life. From France to Hong Kong to Salt Lake City Happy Birthday RS!

President Hinckley

We learned early this morning via the internet that the Prophet and President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints had died. Gordon B. Hinckley was an amazing man. He made us all want to be better people. He was encouraging, optimistic, witty, fun, kind, smart & gracious. His faith and testimony led the church for 12 years. He is the only prophet my children have known. This morning when we woke the kids to get ready for school we told them he had passed away. Each of them expressed feelings of tenderness towards President Hinckley. It is a strange thing to be away from home when such events take place. You just want to talk with others who share the same sentiments and to reminise on a life that has truly lifted your own. The world is definitely a better place because of the life, service and legacy of President Hinckley.

Discours de primaire (Primary Talk)

Miss Clara Jane presented her first French discours de primaire in church today. She did an awesome job. Her topic was on the Creation. She wrote her talk in English and then Taylor helped her translate it. There were a few difficult words, but she managed to say them without any problem. You can tell from this photo she was feeling relieved and good about life when it was all over. Last week Taylor gave a talk in Sacrament meeting. I hope they don't ask me next!

Church in France has been a comfortable and happy place for our family. The members have gone out of their way to befriend us.

Melun ward

A few highlights from the Melun ward church Christmas party last night. You can see from the decorations and joint signs of Joyeus Noel and Merry Christmas they made us feel very welcome. This is truly a group of people who are full of fellowship and kindness. Dinner was served in courses and between each course they had music and speaking parts from the Nativity. It was neat to hear the nativity story read in French. Olivia was asked to play her violin and she did a lovely job. One of my favorite parts of the program was when 4 different groups sang "Angels We Have Heard On High" and then everyone joined in the chorus. One man sang in his native African dialect, another couple sang in French, the missionaries sang in English and the Reed family did American sign language. A Christmas memory we will not soon forget.

Aller a l'eglise (to go to church)

Sunday is our day to aller a l'eglise (go to church). We attend the Mormon church in Mellun. It is about a 25 minute drive from our house. The members there have been so warm and welcoming. A few speak a bit of English, but overall we are the minority. Last week after church the kids were especially discouraged. They spend all week at school trying to concentrate and understand a foreign tongue and then to go to church and not comprehend what is being taught is just too much. Somehow I think prayers were answered because today when we arrived at church they had headsets ready for translation. We each put on our little earphones and someone translated the meeting for us in English. Ahh to comprehend! After the meetings today they had a church luncheon. Everyone brought a dish to share. They cleared the chairs away from the chapel and it was transformed into the "lunchroom"!

Sharing a meal is a wonderful way to break barriers and get to know new friends. Everyone stayed long after church to eat, visit and relax together. We tried lots of new food and were very uplifted by our church experience today.