A pretty good day.

Well! Today has felt like Strasbourg. By that I mean, I feel like we had a “good day,” the kind we had quite often in Strasbourg. We haven’t had them anywhere near as often, so we’re thankful for this one today.

At 10 a.m., we met with Sister Monique SADZOT. A less-active member, she had granted us the opportunity to talk with her about genealogy, and nothing else, about 3 weeks ago, before she went on vacation. When we arrived today, she had her genealogy on the table in several binders, and within 10 minutes, she had pulled out her baptismal certificate, dated July (I think) 1962. We looked at it. She had been baptized in Nice, by Elder Kent Greene. Mom/Alice recognized the name of this Elder Greene! But neither Sis. Sadzot nor Alice remembered each other. But they both mentioned to each other things about Nice at that time period. So we think they should know each other.

We spent 1 ½ hours with her talking about several things, much of them related to genealogy, but not all, and she was almost apologetic for returning to other Church themes. She showed us her beautiful backyard, and we’ll try to remember to get pictures of that the next time we’re there. Her grandson, not a member, was able to recite the names of his paternal line back five generations. How many of all of us can do that?

She showed us several pedigree charts, which included not only her handwriting, but also some notes/writing by someone else, who, she said, was a person at the Family History Center. She was highly offended that he had written on her pedigree charts (!) (in pencil!) and had stopped doing any genealogy thereafter! So it was really lucky (or something else!) that we ended up using genealogy as a way to spend more time with her, back when we first met her a month ago.

I asked her if I could copy some of the info with paper and pencil, and told her I would do some research for her. But she offered to photocopy 4 of those sheets, so I brought them home and looked in Family Search for some of her ancestors’ names. I found very few, but I did find one family (1730’s) of parents and 4 kids, the names of which had been submitted probably by another church member. I’ll have at least a little bit of good news for her when we see her next time.

As we left, I mentioned what I often do, that is, that it’s we who make the visit who profit as much from the visit as do those who receive the visit. She certainly agreed!

We then went to see Sis. LEBLICQ. She had her 11 yr. old granddaughter Estelle with her. We brought the Casio keyboard with us, and sang three songs. At first hesitant, Estelle warmed up a little. (I am amazed at how shy, if not downright distrustful, many people in this country are! We’ve heard Hispanics living in Strasbourg and here complain that these French speakers are not “warm” enough!)

Anyway, we sang 3 children’s songs. We asked if Sis. Leblicq knew of anyone who might like piano lessons, free. We mentioned we could give lessons in other things too, like English, or even reading French. She said she needed help with that. So Alice came home and looked on the Church site for “literacy programs.”

Then we tried again to find a person who has “escaped” us once before (many have!). He is Johnson EDIKU (I’m writing lots of this for myself, as well as for you guys). Our bishop asked us to go find him. He’s married, has 2 kids, non-member wife. He was a little distant at first (yeah. . . of course!) but then his wife joined him at the door and she helped warm things up. Although we just stayed at the door, that was our 3rd good meeting today.

Last, we called up the PIRLET family. The papa had called me up yesterday and said they had to cancel our rendez-vous (appointment). But we called them today on the cell phone (I’m finally starting to us it a little!) and they said they’d let us come. I wanted (like I always do) to stay a short time, and leave them wanting us to come back (instead of staying a long time and having them feel like, “Wow, no more of that!”). Well, we sang a couple of songs with them (I think singing is the best thing we do!! I really do!) and I was ready to go. But then a relative came, then they offered us drinks, then the relative left, then the father told us the long-drawn out story of the tragedy of their second child (born after greast labor on the mother’s part) born with an open space on the top of his head (and water on the brain) who would, had he lived, been a vegetable. I am amazed that the few people who are not shy or distrusting “let it all hang out!”

However Bro. Pirlet is not dumb! Here’s why I say that. He said, as we were leaving, “Your name is not American.” (By that he meant it’s not like the names of most of the missionaries: Smith, Jones, Brown, etc.) “No,” I said, “it’s Swiss-French.” “Oh,” he said, “I thought, until you told us you were Americans, that you were Swiss German.” And he repeated it! Now that. . . that is the highest compliment I’ve ever had! What he’s saying is “You’ve got a little accent, but it’s like a German accent, but not really like a real German’s. So you must be Swiss.” I walked on Cloud Nine all the way back to the car (about 50 meters).

So, when we got home, we realized we had had four pretty good meetings with people today. First time that’s happened since we came 3 months ago!

Last Thursday we drove from Seneffe (near Mons, near Brussels, if you want to look at a map) to Calais (northwest coast of France) in about 2 ½ hours. Then took a ferry to Dover, on the coast of England. We stayed in a bed and breakfast, then took a train to Cantebury Cathedral (the “mother church” of the Anglican Church (Episcopalianism). Guess what the Canterbury Tales are named after? Geoffrey Chaucer, in the 1300’s, wrote stories of Pilgrims wending their way from northwest England to Canterbury to visit the shrine of St. Thomas Beckett, who was martyred in this cathedral.

Friday evening we found Stacy, We ferried and drove back to Seneffe, arriving at 2 a.m., and then Stacy accompanied a small ward choir on her violin Sunday morning. Did I already tell you all of this?

Well, I’ll end abruptly. Things could be better. But they could be MUCH worse too.
Luv,
Gerry and Alice (Dad and Mom).