Packers France Paris Mission Blog 40

Packers in Paris Blog 40 – December 10^th – December 16^th, of 2018

PARIS IN THE WINTER!

When we first arrived in Paris exactly 9 months ago, we were freezing. We had our good winter coats for dry cold weather, but we had not prepared ourselves for the cold humid weather. I remember thinking 9 months ago that it was bone chilling cold! Well, it’s back. No snow yet, but the bone chilling cold of winter is back!

To make things more fun, we are still walking in the mornings for exercise. We are doing the mega stairs repeatedly though inside the metro for 15 minutes, so that helps to warm us up before stepping back out into the cold for a brief walk. It’s making us tough!

I know this doesn't look cold! Such a beautiful morning in Paris!

41^st YEAR OF WEEKLY DATES!

We are still so grateful for weekly PDays to get caught up on normal, everyday things, but when we are not able to do anything else that seems enjoyable during the day, we are most thankful for time we always take to honor one another with a date that evening. No matter how busy things get, we have always made time throughout our marriage for one another, making sure we’ve always put the Lord first, then us. With our large family, that we dearly love and which took a majority of our time, it was a necessity to make time for honoring one another. We look forward to these weekly times no matter what! Tonight was a simple, but needed evening of dinner out and game night. We are in our 41^st year of weekly dates.

BRIEF TRAINING AND THE STORY OF TWO OLDER MEN MAKING IT JUST IN TIME!

After a wonderful District Council, we went straight to work in the center. Though not many came in, we were able to help the missionaries a little for our next week's experiment, and continue working on needed Family History documents to prepare for an experiment this coming week. 

Part of our District! - Ludwig, Jensen, Packer, Bell, Packer, Cheng, Kiene, Patrick

Just as Steve was closing the doors at the end of our day, he noticed two elderly men looking at our sign and our operating hours. Their faces became rather forlorn when they noticed we were just closing. Steve opened the door and invited them in and asked how we could help them. They didn’t want to inconvenience us but told us their plight. One of the two men was searching for more information concerning his great aunt and needing the use of a Genealogy center. They had been sent on a wild goose chase. They had not even heard about our center but braved the cold searching for another genealogy center someone had told them about. Walking throughout Paris streets, they were led to one dead end after another, till someone sent them to our place, just to find out we were closing! It had taken them several hours to find us at that. How could we ever turn them down after such a story! Hours are just hours, but helping people is priceless and eternal!

We joyfully began to help them after asking a few more questions to make sure we were helping as they needed. We proceeded to help the one gentleman to sign up for a FamilySearch account. We found out that they are in their mid-80’s and still going strong. It was like working with the older men in the movie, IQ, smart, slow and funny. As we got them as far as we could, they left happy, willing to return again for more help sometime soon. We made sure they took a picture of the hours of operation.

2 Men and a Sister Missionary 

STEVE TOOK 12 MISSIONARIES TO OFFI, AND RENÉE STAYED AT THE CENTER WITH MARYN TAN

Steve took the 12 missionaries to OFFI this last Thursday, leaving me to watch the center almost on my own, if it wasn’t for dear Maryn Tann who came to sit with the old folk! She is such a sport, always helping us, creating for us and is such an amazing photographer and friend.

She was there to help as needed and kept me company. No pictures? What was I thinking!

FRIDAY IN THE FAMILY HISTORY CENTER WITH THE ELDERS! –  EXPERIMENT PLANS FOR NEXT WEEK

We are preparing for an experiment after receiving direction from Brother Léporé in Salt Lake FamilySearch department that will help booster our numbers. Since we are alone with no other missionaries helping in the center, we are experimenting with two sets of elders this next week on Thursday and Friday, something we are hoping to implement very soon with other Elders every day.

As we were preparing for our experiment this next week, we first spent time with the Elders engaging them on our interactive Discovery computers. This ended up being much more fun than they had anticipated and they were glued. I think they are going to like it here. We can’t wait to share with them all the other ways they are going to help us in inviting and engaging those from outside. They have great abilities and skills that we do not have and will be a great source of energy here.  

We’re hopeful and very prayerful about our involving the missionaries and our great need for their help.

Elder Patrick and I are cousins, related to President Heber J. Grant - Here you can see that his line goes all the way back to Adam and Eve! He didn't even know that he could do this

HENRI PAUL’S BRIEF FAMILY HISTORY STORY

Henri Paul has been coming in several times weekly for quite some time now, feeling so grateful for his ability to use the center. This last week we began to talk more and he asked me what the main purposes of our center was. I told him what I felt he could understand and he was quite pleased. This was all in French and so I had to make sure I was choosing correctly the words to explain things to him. He them told me that he had gone to Salt Lake City last year to visit Temple Square and the FamilySearch Library, the Conference Center and other places. I was shocked and so pleased. He loved it and loves having this center to use.

Henri Paul is on the far left and Wallace on the right talking to Elder Kiene

A GIFT FOR WALLACE’S MOTHER

Wallace, our ‘adopted’ son in France, came to visit again to do more research. He told us though that he would be going home to Sao Paulo, Brazil for two weeks to be with his mother for Christmas. I knew right then and there I needed to go out and purchase a gift for his mother. Though I have not met her yet, I feel I know her because of Wallace and his deep love for her. I left the center in Steve’s hands and told Wallace I would return and that I had something for him (that would hold him captive till I returned ;).

After searching for what I felt would be a suitable (maybe not perfect) gift for his mother, I also picked up a treat for Wallace. As I brought the package and treat back to Wallace, he was so touched that I would think of his dear mother. Some day when we get to meet her, I know I will embrace her as a friend, someone with whom I already have a connection, someone I already love. This little gift is one small way of showing her my love and our love for her son, who we now call our son.

SATURDAY’S RIOTS IN PARIS AND AN ALL DAYER IN OUR APARTMENT

Anticipating yet another possible challenging day in Paris with the riots on Saturday, our Mission President asked that we, and all the Paris missionaries, stay inside our apartment all day.

Gratefully things weren’t as bad as last week or even the week before, though sadly there have been 8 deaths from this. We are praying it continues to dwindle and resolutions are made. This doesn't mean it's over and that hard things did not happen, but it hasn't escalated. No pictures to share!

Meanwhile we used our Saturday for a continuation of our preparations for our experiment next week. After dinner, we finally decided we needed a break from work, and we played games for the evening and ate  70% dark chocolate! Heaven it was! 😉

SUNDAY WARD CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION – CHARLOTTE – ANTONIO, EMAD –

     Ward Christmas Party Celebration

Because of the riots in Paris, the ward Christmas party was postponed to Sunday after Church, but it also ensures more people come to this event if held on a Sunday. Not the norm though.  

After church, the chapel was set up for the festivities. We were so excited to be the main activity at the beginning of the party. As the food was being brought in, the missionaries and I (Steve had to be in the Family History Center) started off with a “Light the World” video, Light Your Family. Then we shared with each person a double-sided cardstock family history coloring sheet that we asked Maryn Tan to create for us, that represents your 3 generation family history line. On the other side were questions to help them savor a Christmas memory and to write it down. When they were done, they could later bring it to the Family History Center and we could help them put it into FamilySearch memories and also receive a treat from us!

We had no idea how this event would go over, especially with the sweet savor of the food just at the end of the room. Not only did they enjoy the activity and catch the spirit of it, they didn’t want to stop, adults and children alike, as they diligently colored in the page and wrote their stories. We finally had to ask them to finish at their home so the food could be served. It was amazing to see their faces light up with this family activity. We hope that this activity lit up a light in their hearts to come to the center to learn more about preserving their family history and memories.

Maryn Tann - our art designer, photographer, helper, gifted in all things, musical, dear friend, married to awesome Freddie! 

     Charlotte

Last week I mentioned about our dear friend Charlotte, who is now nearing 7 ½ weeks pregnant as a single mother, with no other help with family. She too has become like an adopted daughter to us. She really has no one else to guide her through this. We pray for her like she was our own. We mentioned to her that many family and friends back home were putting together funds to help her with much needed baby gifts that we’ll purchase here. She was overcome with emotions and gratitude. Her circumstance is unique and we have felt that she was a very important recipient of this help. She continues to be strengthened by the gospel in her life and has seen the Lord’s hand in hers as she continues to move forward from her difficult past. 

Charlotte - dear mother to be! 

     Antonio and Emad
After the party, ward members started to come into the center to see more of what it was about. Antonio and Emad especially looked forward to their treat and getting their information into FamilySearch. We helped Antonio get onto FamilySearch and helped him put his story into the memories section. He was so pleased, all while doing it in his native tongue of Portuguese. 

Antonio - took time to get on FamilySearch and write his Christmas memory!

Emad was also very excited to bring in his paper and show us his efforts. Though he’d already put this info into FamilySearch, we were so pleased by his efforts in bringing it in. He also shared with us his amazing news of becoming a French Citizen and his blessings of finding a much-needed apartment. He continues to see immense blessings that have come his way since embracing the gospel in his life.  

Emad also finished the coloring page, but also excited to share with us his great news! 

We hope that more will come during the week or after church next week, but more importantly we hope that it will have started them thinking about how they can begin their journey with FamilySearch.

FACETIME WITH THE WOOD FAMILY CHRISTMAS GATHERING IN UTAH

The annual Wood Family Christmas Gathering has been a tradition for many years, and nothing was going to stop my parents from coming this year to Bountiful, Utah this last Sunday, December 16^th. Though my father was not feeling well the morning of, they made the trip anyway with my cousin, Patsy Smith, who drove them to Bountiful from Burley, Idaho. It pleased everyone to have them there and for them to see their posterity, being a joyful time for all!  

It has usually been held at a local church house near my sister, Lucie Gibbon’s home, since my parent’s posterity is so large. There were new comers (cousins) who came from my mother’s side of the family. Also, Sharon Olson, our dear friend, has come for years, knowing she is a part of our family, and always brings cheer to the awesome group. They all love her!

This year with two of us siblings in a different part of the world, it was decided that one of the activities would be to have a “Facetime Live” experience from Paris, France, and Nanjing, China. We were called first to speak to Facetime with the whole family, but especially to our parents and children. My heart rejoiced seeing everyone and the usual laughter and kids running around. While my sister, Janine spoke (cried) with everyone from China, our daughter, Janine called us back and walked around for us to personally speak to our family. It did our hearts good to hear and see them. Ann, our eldest sister was back in Burley, not feeling well and needing to stay home. She’s the one who keeps things running for our parents and so many others.

Thanks so much to Lucie and Barry Gibbons for hosting yet another great event! They organized “Comfort and Cheer” baskets from everyone’s gift donations to deliver to those needing a Christmas lift! What an beautiful thing that will be!

There is such an importance of family gatherings for more reasons than most can even imagine until you look back and realize we are here on this earth to bind us with our loved ones for eternity!  

Happy 65th Birthday to Steve as we await the Facetime call from home at 3:00 a.m. our time! 

A Packer photo scramble of some who were there during our Facetime chat! I may have been crying at this point! How we love and miss them all!

My parents, Elden and Picola Wood, while we spoke with them! What joy this brought me! 

Janine Packer Hunsaker - Elden Wood - Nathan Packer

Bowen and Austin Packer and Great Grandpa Wood

Austin Packer with his Grandpa Elden Wood

____________________

From an article we recently received from Roland Léporé (FamilySearch), titled, The Stories that Bind Us, by Bruce Feiler (2013) concludes with these brilliant and beautiful statements to solidify the importance of family gatherings and sharing the stories of our past. 

“Decades of research have shown that most happy families communicate effectively. But talking doesn’t mean simply “talking through problems,” as important as that is. Talking also means telling a positive story about yourselves. When faced with a challenge, happy families, like happy people, just add a new chapter to their life story that shows them overcoming the hardship. This skill is particularly important for children, whose identity tends to get locked in during adolescence.

The bottom line: if you want a happier family, create, refine and retell the story of your family’s positive moments and your ability to bounce back from the difficult ones. That act alone may increase the odds that your family will thrive for many generations to come.”

* See attachment in the email of this article!

Our desire for each of our loved ones is that we cherish, gather, uncover and bind the stories of our past. The ones that are forgotten, the ones remembered, and the ones that seem insignificant, but may at last bring a family closer together by simply sharing them over and over again. 

Chérir l’amour que nous avons les uns pour les autres (Cherishing the love we have for one another),

Elder et Soeur Packer                                                                                                  

Grandpère et Mémé Packer (Please be sure and use the last name on any mail, or it will get returned)

EXTRA  PHOTOS WE WANTED TO SHARE!

Yet another Notre Dame photo from our morning walk! 

Taking a different route, we noticed these very old buildings right in the middle of the normal Paris stone buildings 

Our first roasted chestnuts in Paris

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
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