Sunday

Hanging out in the courtyard after church.

Sunday we went to the LDS Paris Ward for the first time.  The ward has 100-250 people attending each week depending on the time of year.  Up to half of those are tourists.  There are actively attending members from over 30 countries including Sweden, Croatia, Ukraine, Germany, England, United States, Canada, Spain, Ivory Coast, Congo, Ghana, Madagascar, Tahiti, Algeria, Peru, Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, Portugal, Paraguay,  Guinea,  Haiti, Cape Verde Islands, China, Taiwan, Nigeria, Cameroon, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines.  The meetings are translated into English and Mandarin.  I took advantage of the English translation headphones and was very grateful for them. After sacrament meeting Isaac was greeted by 2 boys his age, one who spoke English, who took him to class.  Libby and Luke were very brave about going to primary and were pleased that almost everyone (adults and children) spoke English as well as French.  Singing time was mostly in French, with a few songs in English.  The kids seemed to really enjoy it.

I was really touched by the Relief Society lesson.  Maybe it was because it whispered in my ear through the translation headphones, but I felt strangely connected in a way I usually don't. One thought the teacher shared that I particularly liked was about faith and perseverance. She said that when an artist paints a picture it might not always look right as they are painting it, but the point is what it looks like when it is finished.  Just like our own lives that don't always go as planned and can often be difficult and messy, but are we working to have a beautiful painting at the end of our lives.  I'm sure I've messed up her thought, but I really appreciated it.  

Madame Monet And Her Son By Monet, Claude, France

We are still trying to get over jetlag and Isaac and Libby both fell asleep Sunday afternoon.  Luke had some quiet lego time.
In the evening we went to a fireside at the Bishop's beautiful apartment.  It was a very nice welcome for the BYU students.

Libby has taken on the chore of watering the flowers outside our front windows.