Packers France Paris Mission Blog 21

Packers in Paris Blog 21 – July 30^th – August 6^th, of 2018

HAPPINESS/JOY IS:

What brings you joy or happiness? Joy or happiness can come in so many forms and often you find them in the smallest and most discrete places. Basically, missionaries are most often the happiest or filled with joy because they are serving others (Mosiah 2:17, 18-27). Missionaries aren’t the only ones who experience true joy through service, but we’ve loved witnessing this joy increase in our own lives and those of the missionaries and members alike as each of us serve others.

Other things that have brought us joy and happiness:

-        On the top of the list! Speaking with our children, grandchildren and parents brings us so much joy, especially video chatting or receiving a Marco Polo or video!

-        Watching little children here in Europe! They are so adorable and stir longings for our own adorable grandchildren. “They are so mignon (cute)!”

-        Witnessing how others (usually strangers) treat the elderly with such care and respect.

-        Helping someone find their family names on Family Search

-        Seeing the YSA group mingle together to lift one another

-        Learning something new even if it hurts at first!

-        Feeling the spirit when someone shares their testimony of Jesus Christ.

-        Experiencing someone enter the waters of baptism

-        The list could go on and on!  

FHE CONNECTIONS

Maryn and Freddy Tan

We were so happy to meet a fun and new couple who joined us for the first time and will be living here for the next two years. They are so delightful, talented and energetic! As we began to ask more questions, we were delighted for one more connection. Their names are Maryn (Jenkins) & Freddy Tan. Maryn was from the same Stake in Bountiful that my sister Lucie is from. She knows the Gibbons well! They are going to be a great addition to our Institute here. Welcome Maryn and Freddy Tan! 

UTAH “TUTOR” GUESTS

Last Tuesday we received a surprise phone call from our former French tutor, Halie Wooley Watkins and her husband, Sam. They and Sam’s family have been traveling together for several weeks and once in Paris Halie and Sam wanted to meet up with us. We were thrilled and invited them over for a visit. We had become very close to Halie and so thrilled to meet Sam at our farewell gathering in Utah. They are an exceptional couple and we so enjoyed our wonderful visit with them. We secretly didn’t want to let them go. 

Packers with their sweet guests, Sam and Halie Watkins

     Baby news!

At the end of our visit they made their special announcement that they were expecting a baby in February of next year. We were so happy for them. I received permission to share this glorious news for any who might know them. We sure love the Watkins and wish them the very best! Sister Wooley Watkins served her mission here over a year ago and was known for having the finest French accent in the mission (and we would agree) and she was such an amazing missionary! She is incredible, as is her dear husband!

 

Halie and Sam Watkins

PARIS SUD (SOUTH) ZONE CONFERENCE – MANY LESSONS LEARNED - FAMILY HISTORY CENTER AT ST. MERRI UPDATE

     Paris Sud Zone Conference

Last Wednesday we attended Zone Conference. It was another feast! Our mission president and his wife are such remarkable people and always captivate us with their life lessons and valuable mission truths. Sister Sorensen can’t always attend, as they still have younger children to care for, but every time she is present we feel of her love, her deep-rooted testimony and her ability to teach us exactly what we need to learn. Today was no different!

Sister Sorensen - Mission President's wife

We are so thrilled for them as this last Thursday they were picking up their oldest child and daughter at the airport from her mission in Norway! Those are some of the sweetest days and moments of joy!

 

President Sorensen

     Here are a few things that were taught and that especially touched us!

-        “Be the kind of person that your family (friend, example, etc…) couldn’t live without.

o   I then asked myself, “What kind of wife (insert any title) would I be that my husband couldn’t live without?”

-         “A simple prayer can activate the atonement!” Pres. Boyd K Packer

-         “Hopefully, each mistake we make becomes a lesson in wisdom, turning stumbling blocks into stepping-stones.”

-        Boyd K. Packer once stated, “Things that don’t change, remain the same…” “And when we are through changing-we’re through.” Taken from April 2018 GC- Lynn G. Robbins Elder Robbins continues, “Because we don’t want to be through until we become as our Savior is, we need to continue getting up each time we fall, with a desire to keep growing and progressing despite our weaknesses. In our weakness, He reassures us, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”

-        Don’t leave your apartment (home) till you have the spirit with you!

-        President Eyring stated… “Great ministers have qualified for the Holy Ghost to be a nearly constant companion.”

     Repentir – O Divine Redeemer

This beautiful word, Repentir, has taken on deeper meaning and especially with the song, “O Divine Redeemer”

Last September of 2017, our mission president met one of his departing sister missionaries, by the name of Sister Newell. It wasn’t until this time that President Sorensen, a new mission President, had known who she was. Her father is Lloyd Newell, the voice of, “Music and the Spoken Word.” Once he knew her connection, he was curious about how his stories came about, and then she told him that some of them came from ideas of others and then his own personal experiences. She told President Sorensen that her dad is always up for new ideas. If he would just let her know, she would share his thoughts with her dad, Lloyd Newell. Right then and there he told her that he would love to hear the story shared of Charles Gounod’s (he was from France) writing of Repentir (O Divine Redeemer). She sent this request to her father and within a month of when they had spoken, in October 2017 General Conference Sunday’s Music and the Spoken Word, Lloyd Newell shared the story from Charles Gounod on Repentir, a remarkable story. The link is below and if you go to 14 minutes, you’ll get right to the story and then hear the choir sing, their beautiful rendition of, O Divine Redeemer (Repentir).

 Click here for Spoken Word and Repentir Story  – go to 14 minutes, you’ll get right to the story and then hear the choir sing their beautiful rendition of, O Divine Redeemer (Repentir)

Elder Poulson on the left is from our old home town in Poway, CA

     Center Update -

As we left for a short moment to pick up the lunch for the ZC group, we looked into our center to see workers smoothing out the floor with cement first off, then other agents later.

INSTITUTE DINNER AGAIN!

Enough said! 😉 After we were finished melting in the kitchen from cooking, we needed to leave asap as we needed to pack and leave early the next morning! Elder and Sister Bonny stopped us on our way out to wish us a Happy 40^th Anniversary from all of the YSA!

             A bit "happy" because we are on our way back to our apartment to get ready                              for our special weekend! 

JOY OF CELEBRATING 40 YEARS OF MARRIAGE! FRIDAY, AUGUST 3^RD, 2018

Speaking earlier of joy, this would be it! Our relationship as husband and wife is choice, tender, very sacred and eternal! We have been so blessed to have one another throughout these many years to help lift, encourage and comfort one another and with our family as well. We continue to learn and grow together, and especially being on a mission is one of the most exhilarating and hardest things we’ve ever done together, but we are growing more than ever! How deeply and genuinely we love on another!

For this momentous occasion, we were hoping we could take a little outing to honor this time in our lives. It’s not very often you’ll be living in France and living near so many wonderful sites. We both agreed that we wanted to visit the Loire Valley southwest of Paris over the weekend. The Loire Valley is known for its many Châteaus. Since we had a limited time, we tried to cram in what we could. Here is a brief synopsis of our weekend. It was magnificent to say the least!

 

Arrival in Tours via Train

     We spent from Friday, August 3^rd – Monday, August 6^th in the Loire Valley.

We so enjoyed our experience in Tours, France to see four different Châteaus and Tours itself. On our anniversary we went to the Château de Chenonseau. The next day we saw three other Châteaus in one day that were all so incredible (ok, very exhausting too). We saw Château de Chamborde, Château Royal d'Amboise (where Leonardo Da Vinci’s tomb is located), and then finally Château du Clos Lucé – Home of Leonard Da Vinci’s work! This particular Château encapsulates so much of Leonardo Da Vinci’s inventions, his life’s work, paintings, and his personal life’s sacrifices. His life was inspiring and most fascinating to say the least. Each had their unique adn special charm that we could write on and on about each, but we will spare you. Hopefully the photos will say a little of what we saw! We’ll try to post extra photos at the end for those who may want to see a few more. 

Another train ride to our first Château - I see happy!

Château de Chenonseau

Final photo of the evening of our 40th Anniversary! Such a wonderful day! 

THIS IS NOT MY PHOTO - FROM INTERNET! This might help you to see its majesty! 

Château de Chamborde

Painting from inside the Château

The outside beauty of this Château exceeds the interior, though it was magnificent as well!

Château Royal d'Amboise

Side/Front View from the other side of the ridge

The actual - Leonardo Da Vinci's Tomb inside the small chapel below

Painting of Leonardo Da Vinci on his death bed 

Look at the intricacies!

Château du Clos Lucé - home of Leonardo Da Vinci's and his work

Hi work room - there's so much more of this room - seen in brief video below

Though this is not the actual Mona Lisa, this portrait hangs in this room to honor the artist, Leonardo DV!

One of many of his inventions - this area was replete of drawings and replicas of his inventions!

 Click here to see a brief video by Renee of Leonardo's work room

 

     Church at Joué lè Tours

Sunday was a wonderful day to attend church in Joué lè Tours. We met with the sisters for that area and met their friend they brought to church, Bernard. We had the opportunity to participate through giving prayers and playing the piano and the sharing of my testimony. We later met the Branch President, President Momo Djemai, who is an amazing leader, and works for the church over a large area of Europe for Employment and Self-Reliance.

The Sisters (Foley and Todd) and their amis, Bernard

President  Momo Djemai and Packers

 

     Dinner with the Athènour family

We were kindly invited to have dinner with the Athènour family later that evening joining with the sister missionaries. We enjoyed a wonderful time with them. They were so gracious and fun! Their home had a wine cellar (not used) from the 15^th or 16^th century. It was cool! They were cool! Rachel Athènour is the sister to Renée Hall, our bishop’s wife here in Paris.

The sister Missionaries, part of the Athènour Family and their friend

Rachel and David Athènour

    Too many photos to post - Be thankful there aren't more than there are!

The pictures we will post, of hundreds we took, will have to suffice, or you’d never get through this blog. We spent some time in Tours in the Old Town on our final day and felt our time in the Loire Valley was perfect! To say the least, it was a heavenly and fulfilling weekend, but most importantly because it was with one another! How grateful we are to have had this time together to relish our dear relationship as husband and wife!

 

Old Town Cathedral in Tours France

Part of the sections of Old Town

Musee du Compagnonnage - Exhibits of many of thesis projects by all the craftsmen from the mid 1500's to date! FASCINATING!

FAMILY HISTORY CENTER AT ST. MERRI UPDATE AGAIN!

While we were gone, most of the tile was laid! Even though it wasn’t our choice of the tile color or flooring we wanted, it’s a beautiful sight to see these daily changes.

 

Tiles....

     Conclusion

May each of you find your own daily changes for good! Be it finding more joy, discovering how you can serve others and how you can build your own foundation of truths and goodness!

 

CONCLUSION PHOTO

This rare plant/flower brought me to my happy place! Beauty is one type of joy!

Deux oiseaux amoureux à Paris (Two love birds in Paris),

                                                

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

Email address:                                                                                                                                                            Renée: srpacker10@gmail.com                                                                                                                                   Steve: wf-packer@hotmail.com

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

We are 8 hours ahead of Mountain Standard Time