Packers in Paris Blog 17 – July 2nd – July
8th, of 2018
FHE & BYU FOLK DANCERS LIFTED THE ROOF!
Family Home Evening this
last Monday was MUCH better than the swing dance we taught the YSA’s last week.
This last Monday we actually had the BYU Folk Dancers teach the YSA’s several
dances that they absolutely loved! Not only did they teach them, they danced
with them and they had an absolute ball! What a thrill not only for our YSA’s,
but the BYU dancers loved interacting with our YSA’s. What a thrilling
experience we shared with them.
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| BYU Folk Dancers raising the roof! |
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| BYU Folk Dancers teaching the YSA group! |
Click here
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| Isaiah Vela from Burley, Idaho (great nephew to the Streeter Family) |
ZONE CONFERENCE WITH PARIS EAST ZONE
This was the last
conference for Steve and I to present our PowerPoint Presentation on Gathered Into
the Garners. It has been well accepted, because it’s helping the missionaries
understand the importance of understanding how to use Family Search for their
own names so that they can then inspire those they teach to learn more about
their ancestral past and help initiate Family Search. It has proven to be such
a productive and positive experience as each missionary instigates this process.
Preach My Gospel has a new update on this very topic as well. It’s the very
thing we were already doing.
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| Anyone want their picture taken? I guess not! ;) |
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| As soon as they are done with ZC, they are checking their phones! |
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| Not the sisters! They are always ready for a beautiful smile! |
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| How could you not just adore these darling women! |
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| Smiles and spirit that could win over anyone's hearts! |
DISTRIC MEETING
We were feeling a bit of
melancholy because two great missionaries will be leaving soon as their mission
comes to an end. Our District President, Elder Mackay and Elder Ho will be going
home in a couple of weeks, but this was the last time we were all going to be
together. What amazing and tender instruments of good they all are.
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| Last District photo of this group! :( |
BYU FOLK DANCE CONCERT AT THE L’OPERA DE MASSY
With just a few weeks’
notice, we really had very little time to get massive publicity out to all of
the three Paris Stakes and invite friends to come to these two concerts this
last Wednesday.
We took an hour-long RER
and long walk to get to the performance venue. We attended both shows. They had
a matinee and evening performance. We were pleased with the attendance, and the
efforts by everyone involved for both concerts. The BYU group was also very
pleased! They were then off to Poland for an International Dance Festival. Poland
is also the place where Steve and the Folk Dance team were in a festival over
40 years ago, where their luggage was taken off the train by the Czech authorities
and not returned for 10 days. Of course, they danced without costumes and still
had a marvelous experience.
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| Jeannette Geslison - Artistic Director - Such a delightful woman! |
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| Mountain Strings - Fabulous! |
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| Steve so enjoyed watching the show seeing favorite dances he had once danced! |
If you have ever seen a
BYU Folk Dance performance, you would know they are outstanding and so entertaining.
I’ll put a link from YouTube, not that it’s from this performance, because we couldn’t
record any of the performance. We did however record some of the preshow corridor entertainment that you can watch.
4 MONTHS INTO OUR MISSION (ON THE 5th)
There are days we think
we’ve been here for a year and other days not so long, but each day is busy
with something or another for our mission, our center project and also for
every day homemaking needs and keeping up with family. These are all things
that must be done. Thankfully Steve and I each have areas that we work on together
or separately depending on what the needs are.
PROJECT UPDATE!
We were grateful to see
this past week that there was some great progress on the center with some tear
down of the wall coverings. We’ll keep you posted as progress comes along. The
workers will probably be annoyed by my taking pictures, or maybe excited we are
documenting their efforts.
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| And the walls came tumbling down or at least the wall paper |
COSTCO & TEMPLE TRIP IN ONE DAY! EXHAUSTING!
One would have to be insane
to do what we did in one day, but you wouldn’t know until you try it, right? Right!
Costco
trip
We started off early so
to make the best use of our time, by taking the RER train and busses first for
Costco, which took just a little over an hour. It seemed fine at first with our
two roller bags and an extra bag just in case. It took us a little over an hour
for shopping and we were so grateful for the wonderful and much needed items at
much better prices and larger quantity and the quality is fabulous! BUT, when
it was time to take it all home, we barely fit everything in all three carrying
containers and then they were so heavy that we could hardly lift them through
all of our transportation. Lesson learned, just because it fits, doesn’t mean
you can take it with you! Sounds kind of like an eternal value lesson!
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| At Costco! |
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| Don't let your eyes deceive you! They are so heavy! |
Temple
trip
After we got home with
our load we unpacked and ate lunch and took off for the temple in the opposite
direction, which takes a little longer. It was, as always, a glorious and
refreshing experience to be in the House of the Lord. The contrast of any type
of castle, cathedral and monuments of grandeur, even Costco (😉) cannot even begin to compare with the peace,
the beauty and instruction from on high. This place gives us the renewal that
is needed to get through our lives.
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| Our loads were lifted from attending the temple! |
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| We can't get enough of the beauty of the temple grounds! |
By the end of the day,
we were exhausted, but so grateful for the Lord’s help in getting through this
whole day and know we were blessed in so many ways.
Below is a wonderful talk that will help you reflect on the miracles and blessings of the Paris temple and then other very pertinent lessons on making people much more important in our lives.
The
Joy of the temple for Janine Green
When I think of the
temple, I also think of my sister, Janine Green and what the temple means to
her. Janine has been attending the temple 5-6 times a week for the past nearly 10 years at the
Provo Temple. Through the many trials and challenges she has been faced with,
this daily sacrifice has blessed her a million times over and for each of the names
on the other side of the veil that have also been blessed. I have seen the
healing balm it has been in her life and will forever be grateful for her
example and how it blessed all those she has become so close with. As she
leaves for China in September, she will be living in Nanjing, where there are
no temples close. She was told by her program coordinator, “Sister Green, you will
find that Christ is in China too.” She will find solace and intense joy as she
loves the people in China. She is magnificent in how she loves all those she
meets. She will, no doubt, make it a sacred and holy place, just as the temple
has been to her.
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| Janine Wood Green |
APARTMENT CHECKS –BE PROUD MOMS!
Saturday was apartment
check for two apartments, which includes a total of 6 elders. Again, we were
really proud of how clean they were keeping their apartments. It gave us a
wonderful chance to get to know them better and give them thumbs up and boost
for doing great with their mission efforts too.
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| Two of these great elders had just finished been cleaning, thus why they were in their grubby clothing |
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| Two valiant elders |
SUNDAY AT SAINT MERRI
Sundays are never
typical, and I look at them as a blessing each week as we meet new friends and
feel blessed for their example and sacrifices to search for and find the church
and come and spend time renewing their covenants by partaking of the sacrament
and often sharing their testimony of the tender experiences they have during
their trip here in Europe. It is a very common thing to hear these remarkable
experiences each week. We are drawn towards our visitors and feel a connection
with them and other special people we meet along the way.
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| The Packer family - we're sure we're related some how! |
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| Three great women - the middle sister from Rancho Cucamonga and the one on the right from Gilbert, AZ |
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| Happy 14th Birthday Maddie Packer - She is doing amazing after her major surgery. We enjoyed a fun video chat with her! |
Avec amour et gratitude (With
love and gratitude),
Elder et Soeur Packer
Grandpère et Mémé Packer (Please use our last name on any mail, or
it will get returned)
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
I have that same 'old lady' roller bag....IKEA, right? I just gave it to one of the Elders (since we are packing out) and he was thrilled. Also I didn't know Janine was going to China. For work? For what? you can email me.....Oh, and we didn't ever make it to the Paris temple. Finished after we left. Bummer. But luckily they have asked full time missionaries to help in the Rome Temple....okay, not doing temple work but we are helping to get it ready. Hooray!
ReplyDeleteLove the temple pictures! Love all of them lol
ReplyDelete