C & C in France Paris Mission

 Week 14 July 15-22, 2023 Craig and I continue to serve in the Paris Family Search Center and assist patrons with their family trees.  We continue to work on our Book of Mormon Firesides and French. We have found a new app that is wonderful and works with spoken programs with the wonderful grammar book that we are using. On Wednesday, we were called into the Center for a special meeting with the Mission President and his wife.  They had an "opportunity" come up and wanted to discuss it with us.  It would involve a move to Brussels, Belgium, which is in our mission. After discussing their needs with a senior couple in Belgium, it was unanimously decided that it would be best for us to stay in Paris.  Craig was assigned, though, to assist with some of the Belgium legal paperwork in behalf of the missionaries who will be serving in Belgium.  He will get signatures, send letters, and get all the documents ready to go here in Paris and then send them to a repres...

 Week 13 July 9-15 This week, Craig and I spent quite a bit of time in our apartment having personal and couple time studying scriptures, French, preparing Book of Mormon firesides (with music and spoken word), research and planning on upcoming activities (Christmas Program, Summer Olympics, etc.), and some relaxing chill/park time. Our morning routine is becoming more settled which includes a healthy breakfast of fresh lemon juice, spinach green drink, a trip to the gym, daily food shopping (our fridge is quite small and holds only so much, so we shop very often), and walking and exploring the streets of Paris.  We enjoy going to the Bastille Market on Thursday mornings.  It's an experience to walk among the many people of different nationalities, sizes, shapes, and ages. Hearing so many different languages spoken in one place feels like the "Tower of Babel" city-style! You can find just about every kind of fruits and vegetables, rotisserie cooked chicken, fresh oysters ...

Week 12 July 1-8 What a wonderful day it was to meet our new mission president and his wife, President Ryan and Sister Heather Munns!  We at once felt at home with them.  His brother is our Bishop in our Ward at home, and he looks just like his brother.  Sister Munns is lovely and both make a wonderful team!                                             Elder and Sister Jorgensen with President and Sister Munns We had our 2nd Zone Conference on Wednesday (our first conference was President and Sister Hansen's last and our second conference was President and Sister Munns' first).  It was a joy to hear from both of them and learn and meet their entire family.                                                ...

 Week 11  June 18- 26 Sunday, after our Ward Sacrament that is held in French, Craig conducted the English speaking Sacrament meeting and I led the music.  We were grateful for this opportunity to serve.  What is fun is that I usually meet someone that I know at these meetings, as so many people visit Paris in the summer.  It is wonderful to visit and spend some time with friends while they are here - and seeing people you know from home is very special - especially being half way around the world  from home and meeting up here in Paris! (Scott Miller, whom I have sung the Messiah with and served with in the Salt Lake Temple and his wife;  my friend and student Brigetta who is singing with the Tabernacle Choir; Elliot, Nancy Thorup's nephew - to name a few)  We were invited to a member's home for dinner: Georgette and her husband, and her son Alex.  It was quite a journey to find them (a metro journey that was new for us), and when we finally...

 Week 10 June 12-18, 2023 What fun it is to get together with all the Senior Missionaries for our monthly luncheon!  They are a great group of men and women who are doing so many wonderful things for our Paris brothers and sisters - and for each other.  I learn so much talking with each one of them and learning about their experiences that they are having here in the France Paris Mission. We are working at the Paris Center by greeting all who come there: missionaries, visitors, people who want to work on their genealogy at the Center, practicing my music, and studying, practice speaking French.  We enjoy the missionaries so much and as soon as I figure out how to really cook on our stove and oven, we will begin inviting them over for dinner.:) Today I saw the Paris Opera House for the first time. Marvelous! We look forward to attending operas here while in Paris. As I looked over the city from the top of the Lafayette Department store, the opera house was a cross the...