Packer's France Paris Mission Blog 3

Packers in Paris Blog 3 – Week 2 in Paris

Week 2 in Paris is filled with new experiences that we’ve loved being a part of. Hopefully what we share with you will not only give you a glimpse but allow you to feel what we have felt. We’ll give it a try! 

Project Phases: Photos will come as we get start interior construction

Our project will possibly be done in multiple phases, but with no definite time fame, we are acting more on faith and obedience to move this along as we’ve been instructed and as the Lord allows. 

We’ve proposed what our final center will look like, yet we know with much needed funding it will take more time. You are more than welcome to pray for this project to move along. 

Because of our location, there are hundreds who walk past our center each day, allowing us an amazing opportunity to help introduce the love of discovering their family roots. 

For those not of our faith, here are some of the reasons Family Search is of value 

Gathering our genealogy has multi facets and purposes. We believe families are forever and that we need to connect with them. We certainly are not experts in Family History but have come to realize that when we get to know our ancestors, connect them to our present, families are strengthened from these efforts. The value that we gain from this connection has far reaching blessings. The world has felt a great surge in family history, as millions are starting to connect with their past.

The LDS faith has had a great love affair with family history for many years, seeking their relatives as far back as they can. Through indexing, the church has documented through volunteers, billions of names to make available for the world to access. 

We have also come to realize and learn that no matter what one’s ancestral stories are, we can find righteous traditions that are weaved into our history, to learn from and be inspired by. In the hearts of most men and women though, are found desires to do good and improve. We can be inspired by our past, to help improve the future for our posterity. 

Young Single Adult

We continue to meet with the YSA groups several times a week and love what they are teaching us with their self-sufficient characters, knowing they are often alone in their beliefs. They have such strong faith and can see what a difference their choices are making in their lives. We look forward to how our new center will give them great purpose when it’s completed. 

Additional Assignments

We have found that as Senior Couples we are given additional assignments that we gladly and willingly do. Somehow, we see the Lord allowing us to accomplish all things that are needful. On top of our main assignment of developing our center and attending Institute and FHE with the YSA’s, here are a few other things we are doing. 

·       Attend weekly District Meetings

·       Track certain accomplishments of the missionaries 

·       Sunday assignments in the English Branch

·       Getting a photo board of all the YSA

·       Finding where all the YSA’s are that we’ve lost contact with

PDay – What is this? 

Yes, we have taken a preparation day each week, but mainly to get our apartment in order and buy needed food, but we’ve been told that it’s crucial as seniors to take time to visit the sites. So, we’re hoping to get out each week to start searching.

We will be creating a bucket list of places we’d like to see while here, not just from what we pass by during our normal walk to our assignments. 

Visits with our children, grandchildren and parents – favorite part of the week!

Taking the time to visit with our children, grandchildren and parents has proven to be of great value for us. We need them desperately in our lives and hopefully they need us. It does our heart so good to hear their loving voices, see their smiling and gleeful countenances and to catch up with their lives. 

Through these modern times of technology, Marco Polo, FaceTime, Group Me, Facebook, Texting and phone calls have been such inspiring forms of communication for senior missionaries. How we LOVE modern technology, unlike how it was 40 years ago when I, Renée, lived here in Paris for 6 months with BYU Study Abroad. I was engaged with Steve at the time and we wrote 2-3 times per week. Or, when Renée’s dad, Elden Wood, was here serving a full-time mission in Paris for 2.5 years in 1952 while he was married to my mom, with 2 children back home. Those letters though from 40 and 66 years ago from Paris, are priceless. I think we need to add to the snail mail tradition, coming from both directions. 😉 Thanks to Micaela for sending us our first letter! We loved it!

Amazing General Conference and Missionaries

We invited three sets of missionaries and an investigator over to watch General Conference and then join us for dinner last Saturday. Conference began at 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. We watched the Priesthood Session the next day on Sunday. We were so pleased that we could fit 9 of us in our little apartment comfortably and enjoy the wonderful spirit of conference. 

Conference this last weekend took on a new experience for several reasons. So far, it stands out as one of the most poignant and inspiring conferences we can remember, and how we love each conference dearly, but we’ve since heard how many have felt the same. It’s hard to put into words the emotions and joy we felt as we sustained a new prophet, seer and revelator and his counselors and twelve apostles. The words spoken, procedural changes, new directions and admonitions were deeply felt and accepted with such unanimity.  

Watching conference from our mission in a distant land, also took on new emotions. We heard the words, as missionaries, with new meaning and purpose as well. How we desire to be fully obedient to what we heard and the personal revelation we received. 

Easter Sunday

We were so grateful to attend the home of our dear bishop and his wife, the Halls with 7 other Senior Couples. It was so delightful to be with these people and feel the love of the Bishop’s family. What made this day even more memorable was listening to conference again! How could we be more blessed than to have a loving Savior guide and direct our paths on this earth, through His atonement and through incredible leadership of the church.

Announcement of the Layton Temple

What joy we felt when the prophet announced about a new temple in Layton, UT and also 5 others. 

Images along our path!  

Just a few photos that we see along our path in Paris to and from our center and shopping. 

Avec Grand Bisous (with big kisses (very French)),

Elder et Soeur Packer                                                                                                  

Grandpère et Mémé

 Our Address:

4 quai du Marché Neuf

75004 PARIS 

FRANCE

You may still text or FaceTime Renée at 801-564-1332

We are 8 hours ahead of Mountain Standard Time