Christmas Report

We had a very good Christmas, even though we missed seeing any of the family.

The Saturday before, we attended the baptism of our new dear friend Huguette Charrat.  She first began to examine the Church in July when her son was baptized.  She wanted to make sure he was not getting into something bad, so she came to his baptism.  Several members (including us) met her and befriended her.  Next day she attended his confirmation at Sacrament Meeting.  Same thing, several friendly welcomes, and even a dinner invite.  From there, we started teaching her.  First lesson at our house, with a member couple helping us.  Then, we brought in the young missionaries, who carried the teaching, but invited us to attend and help.  It was a lot of fun to watch her grow in understanding and especially in faith and testimony.  For a while, she attended our ward, because that's where her son lives, so she was in my Sunday School class.  That means I also got to teach her there, and again watch her progress.  It was a great blessing for Mom and me.  After a time, she was progressing toward baptism, but still not committed, and we had a talk about how and why ward boundaries are made, and the importance of obedience and order in the Church.  No one said she had to change wards, but she understood that she should normally be in one of the other wards.  She decided, without being forced to it, that she would begin going to her correct ward, even though it meant less contact with her new friends, and being a stranger in the new ward. The sister missionaries helped with the transition, and she soon had friends in both wards.  Then the sisters challenged her to set a baptismal date, and to pray about the date, instead of whether or not to be baptized.  She met with her new bishop in October and set Dec 20 as the date.  (That is St.Théophile's day in the French calendar - Théophile means love of God.)  She immediately felt good about the date, and prayed for God to help her prepare to join "our" Church.  By the end, she was getting impatient to be baptized.  Her son baptized her.  That was very cool!  I confirmed her the next day, the Sunday before Christmas.  A very big honor for me, and very humbling.

Huguette's son Arnaud Millet, Bishop Roland Léporé, Huguette Charrat, and Huguette's friend from her new ward.

Gabriel Kevin (left), baptized the week before Huguette, and Gerald Hun, a young man from the other ward, baptized the same day as Huguette.  Gabriel is in our ward, and in my Sunday School class.  Both are very sharp and will add strength to the wards in Lyon.

Sister De Feo, Suzanne, Huguette & Sister Tippets

On Wednesday of that week (Dec. 24), we drove to Geneva after about an hour in the office.  We arrived at noon, delivered some late Christmas packages to the Zone Leaders and then invited them to lunch with us at a little restaurant.

Elders Du Pre and Tihopu, Geneva ZLs at lunch on Christmas Eve.

From there, we drove another 15 minutes north to Nyon and spent the afternoon visiting with Gisèle and Philippe Dubrez.  Friends from forever.  In the evening their kids arrived with the grandkids.  We played some games, opened presents, sang some Christmas carols, read the nativity story from the Bible, and then ate a big turkey dinner with lots of other good stuff, and visited until late.  (Their daughter Christine wanted a full report on each of the Kennard kids.)

Christine, mother of Pauline & Simon

Pauline, Laura, Simon

Florence, mother of Laura

Nativity set made by Laura (age 12) for her Grandma Gisèle

Christmas Eve supper is about to be served!  

Next morning, we had a simple continental breakfast (bread & jam - but not just any bread: fresh croissants and Swiss tresse!  To die for!).  From there, we went for a walk down by the lake.  Came home for lunch and more visiting.  We left at 5 pm and arrived back in Lyon at 7 pm.  Gisèle & Philippe had to leave at the same time to go back to Zolikofen for temple shifts the next morning.  It was a very simple, but very special Christmas.  No sign of snow.  In fact, it is the most beautiful weather!  Almost shirt-sleeve weather, sunny, bright, and hardly cold at all during the days. 

 Gisèle & Philippe Dubrez on our Christmas Day walk in Nyon, Switzerland

 The view of Lac Leman (only foreigners call it "Lake Geneva") from the Nyon Château

 The Nyon Château 

A modest lake-side home in beautiful Nyon

It was actually my second Christmas in Geneva.  Near the end of my first mission, I was in Geneva for Christmas, 1967.  My brother Lee came down from Frankfurt to be with all of us missionaries.  He was in the Army at the time.  That was a memorable Christmas.

We hope you all had (and are having) a very good Christmas and holiday season.

Saturday Trip to Le Puy

On Saturday, we drove 2 hours south of Lyon into the mountains to visit a small town called Le Puy.  In French a "puy" is a mountain peak or dome, usually of volcanic origin.  Le Puy is in an area surrounded by ancient volcanoes, and has several plugs of old lava rising sharply out of the valley floor.  On each of these "puys" they have built churches or statues.  The entire center of the old town (dating to medieval times) climbs the slopes of one such hill, with the main cathedral crowning the top.  (Left side of photo below.)  Above that is an even higher puy with a statue of Mary and the Christ Child.  (Center of photo.)  Below and to the right is the Rocher St. Michel.  ("Rocher" means "rock.")  Hidden from view is the Rocher St. Joseph, and beyond that is the Chateau de Polignac (not pictured - maybe next time).  

(Above)  View of Le Puy from a hillside on the edge of town.  

From near the Préfecture in the business section at the bottom of Le Puy, looking up at the main cathedral, and the statue of Mary beyond.  The statue was made from the iron of 213 cannons captured by Napoleon II from the Russians during the Crimean War.  It was erected in 1860.  

Here's a telephoto close-up of the statue.  I was here in 1967, when this statue was already more than 100 years old, and I did not remember her looking so bright and shiny red.  Then I discovered that the monument was restored in 2013.

A steady climb through the old streets leads to the Cathedral Notre Dame.

Plenty of natural light inside the cathedral, and numerous beautiful stained-glass windows.

This is a telephoto view of the Rocher and the Chapel St. Michel from the hill above the edge of town.

This view of St. Michel is from the level of the Cathedral Notre Dame.

Same location, St. Michel with medium telephoto.

Same location, St. Michel with maximum telephoto.  If we had had more time I might have climbed the stairs.

This photo is looking west from the level of the Cathredral Notre Dame toward the Rocher/Statue St, Joseph (Mary's husband with Christ Child.

Same location, St. Joseph with medium telephoto.

Same location, St. Joseph with maximum telephoto.  

Behind the Cathedral Notre Dame is this wonderful cloister.

The view from the other end.

Our visit happened to coincide with a Medieval Fair, so the whole town was full of people dressed to the hilt in medieval costumes.  The parking was tricky, but once we found a spot, it was worth it.  The costumes made our visit feel like a step back in time

A proud lord of the manor with his beautiful young daughter.  Medieval version of sending her off to the prom I would imagine.

This is more of a merchant class gentleman, with his lady all dressed up to go to town.

The Black Knight and his page.

Is this Silver Knight getting ready for a contest of arms with the Black Knight?

How would you like this for a bike helmet?  It would keep the rain off the back of your neck!

Miracle of miracles!  I found this quaint street with no pedestrians!

We watched this sharp little dog shepherd a flock of geese . . . 

The handler would holler "right," "left," "stop," "go."  And the dog would make the geese waddle around the court yard, first through the tunnel at one end, then over the bridge on the right, then through the tunnel at the other end, and then finally into the holding pen on the left.  It was pretty fun to watch.

Le Puy is famous for the hand-made lace ("dentelle") that the ladies make, using this kind of lap cushion and these little spindles, called "fuseaux."  They still teach the younger generation how to do this to preserve the culture.  The streets leading up to the Cathedral had a dozen or more little shops selling different lace products.  Only the products that are actually made by hand are allowed to be labeled with the special "hand made" sticker.

We had a beautiful day.  Enough clouds to keep the heat down, and to make for beautiful skies, but never any rain.  This fountain in the town's main commercial square was surrounded today by the Medieval Fair booths, with demonstrations, and souvenir sales.  (And crowds of people!)

About Lyon

Usually on Saturdays I try to run for an hour or so, often in a different direction to see parts of Lyon that are new to me.  Recently, I ran across town to the Saône River, and then north along the quai for quite a ways.  I already knew about the "Frèsque des Lyonais," but I had never really paid much attention to where it is, and I had never thought of going to see it.  But, that morning, I stumbled on to it during my run.  It's pretty cool.  It's the entire side of a building, plus the end, painted to look like windows with people standing on their balconies.

The people are all famous people from the history of Lyon (as understood by the proud Lyonais).

It begins with Roman Emperor Claude (14 BC - 54 AD) who single-handedly invented the Roman amphitheater (of which two fine examples are still in use here in Lyon).

Others include Laurent Mourguet (creator of Guignol);  St. Exupéry (author of "The Little Prince," inventor of air mail, and France's answer to Amelia Earhart - having disappeared on a flight to Africa during World War II);

André-Marie Ampère (inventor of electricity, for whom "amps" are named);

Joseph-Marie Jacquard (inventor of the jacquard knitted sweater);

The Lumière Brothers (Auguste & Louis) inventors of cinema (for whom Disney's candlestick character in Beauty & Beast is named);

and Paul Bocus, of course the world-renowned inventor of French cuisine.  

Across the street for this building, there's another building with a window painted on the wall in which a grandmother and her grandson are looking across the street and the grandson is pointing to all the famous people on the first building.  Is this the invention of "interactive?"

One of the people honored on the big building was Major Général Martin who created a famous school (high school) in Lyon called "L'Ecole Martinière."  Several others on the wall were famous graduates of that school.  The school itself is just up the street from the Frèsque des Lyonais:

Around the corner from the school is an interesting luthier shop (violin maker) that reminds me of the one in downtown Salt Lake, with the mural on the wall.  Here's a picture of this shop's wall and its store-front window display - made even more interesting by the reflection of buildings across the street.

A few more tidbits.  In a city filled with wonderful wall art and out-of-control random graffiti, here is a bit of the melding of the two:

And, of course with two grandfathers and an uncle named "Leonidas Kennard," I couldn't pass up this little shop selling Belgian chocolates:

Finally, as I made my way home, and the battery on my camera was about to give out, I came to the Lyon Stock Market building (La Bourse).  Mom and I had seen it once before and wanted to shoot it, but we didn't have our cameras.  So, here it is.  Enjoy!