Report for Week 3

It's only been less than a week since our last report, but somehow we've just passed our first month-iversary.  Yikes! I guess, I forgot to count the week-&-half at the MTC.

I already reported on our trip into the country last Saturday.  The next day was a special meeting of all the Lyon wards to divide them (three) into four.  Three new bishops were sustained.  It was a good meeting.  I was amazed at how many members there are in Lyon (compared to my earlier mission)!  Elder Roney told of a Spaniard who was befriended by a member lady from Lyon while she was on vacation in Montpelier (southern part of our mission).  She invited the guy to church and gave him a Book of Mormon.  But the Montpelier missionaries lost contact with him when he went back to Spain.  A year later, one of the Montpelier sister missionaries was in Geneva and ran into the Spaniard at the train station.  He was returning from the Swiss Temple where he had been doing baptisms.  Pretty cool!

On Monday, Mom and I drove to Villefranche sur Saône (about 25-30 Km north of Lyon) to look at some apartments.  Villefranche is part of the newest ward out of Lyon, and the mission wants to put two elders in this little town.  So, we need to find them an apartment.  It's a cute little town, and the apartments we looked at are right in the center.  One was terrible!  It gave us an idea of what the low end of the spectrum looks like.  The other (St. Joseph) was tolerable.  Large bedroom, living room, medium quality kitchen, tiny bathroom/toilet.  I am so desperate to find my first apartment, that Elder Kunz and I lobbied pretty hard for the one on St. Joseph.  Elder Clark helped temper our enthusiasm by asking us to get more pictures of the bathroom, and to make sure all the appliances could be hooked up and would fit.  So, reluctantly, Kunz and I agreed to go back to Villefranche on Thursday for another look, and to check out some more choices.  [The photo is of the main cathedral in the center of Villefranche - near where we're looking for an apartment.]

We have leads in other cities, where missionaries or members are doing the site visits.  But we can't get them approved without lots of pictures, and a completed checklist with answers that satisfy Elder Clark.  It takes time and lots of back and forth, so we haven't had any approved since our arrival.

Meanwhile, this week was transfer week, with close to 20 missionaries going home, and 9 new ones coming out.  Plus all of their companions in the office, since none of the young missionaries can ever go anywhere alone.  Suzanne has been busy buying train tickets for everyone.  The office is in chaos with all the missionaries milling about, eating, and renewing friendships with old companions, telling exaggerated war stories, etc., etc.

Today (Thursday) Elder Kunz and I went back to Villefranche and looked at 3 more apartments.  We were unable to get the key to St. Joseph.  The first apartment had possibilities, but was about to be renovated.  In theory, it would be perfect with all the improvements, but we would never get Elder Clark's approval on the speculation of what it might look like a month from now.  The next one (rue Roland) was very nice!  Hooray!  It leap-frogged ahead of St. Joseph on our list.  Then we saw one twice as big for less money.  The reasons for the "bargain" price were obvious before we got through the front gate, and at every turn throughout.  It looked like the set for a horror movie.  So, now we have a couple of examples of the low end of the spectrum.  We came back to the office, showed the pictures and the checklist to Elder Clark, and he approved the apt on Roland!  Happy Day!  Later that day, he also approved one in Toulouse that was scouted by another senior couple.  Finally, we're starting to check off some new apartment needs from our list.

Above: an old dovecote (pigeon tower) in a private back yard.  Below: I took these lilacs for Suzanne, in memory of her mother.

This is the private home where the lilacs were growing.

This is the cool-looking train station ("gare") near the center of Villefranche.

Tonight, we had supper with President and Sister Roney at a nice restaurant in the middle of Lyon.  We walked there with the Clarks.  Well, they do a lot of walking, so we tagged along behind them, trying to catch up whenever they got stopped at a traffic light.  The steak and fries were very good.  The entertainment was watching the quantity of food that a couple of the elders could eat!  On the way home, we decided to take the Metro.  That cut our walking distance by probably 80%.  And it gave us our initiation to the Metro, so we know how it works and can use it to go to Church or to see things on our P-day.