LETTRE VINGT-NEUF POUR LE 17 MARS 2013

We finally received nice enough weather to walk the cobblestone streets of Vieux Lyon (Old Lyon) during our preparation day on Saturday.  According to the travel books of  Rick Steves, Vieux Lyon offers the best concentration of well-preserved Renaissance buildings in France.  These are buildings in pastel colors that are connected to the three main streets by unique doors opening to traboules (passageways) leading through courtyards.  There are plaques at some of the outside entrances that describe the history of the building or who lived there during the 15^th century such as a lawyers, doctors and printers.  The pastries displayed in the windows of one of those buildings constructed in 1498 lured us inside to sit down for a minute and enjoy the most delicious éclairs that we have eaten since we arrived in France.  These traboules were hiding places from the Nazi soldiers for Lyon’s French resistance fighters during World War II.

We helped two couples through a changing of the guard. The Johnstons stored some of their luggage in our apartment while traveling to Italy before returning home to Lacey, Washington last Friday.  Earlier that week, the Millers (from Rawlins, Wyoming) arrived to stay with us and then travel by car to Mont de Marsan, a small city near Bordeaux.  They will only stay there for two weeks and then move to Chalon which is north of Lyon to support the branch there.  Two young sister missionaries will likely take their place in Mont de Marsan.  There will be a similar experience later this month when the Brias come from Virginia to replace the Perrys who will return home to Utah after serving in the Nice Stake Young Single Adults Program.  Elder Bria served in Nice as a young missionary.

I am impressed with our leaders in the Lyon stake.  President Bennasar, our stake president, is a strong dynamic leader who always inspires us when he speaks.  We were blessed with his inspired words during our last sacrament meeting and then earlier in the week during the Lyon Zone Conference.  He talked about the Lord not necessarily always calming the storms of life but calming and supporting us during the storms that we encounter.  He also taught us that the Lord’s ways to bless our lives may not always be the logical ways that we map out for ourselves.  President Bennasar is in his forties and he describes “Why he is a Mormon” on Mormon.org.

President Roney, Sister Roney and the assistants also provided edifying messages during zone conference about the power of prayer, setting standards, and the importance of planning.  Four missionaries who will depart for home in two weeks bore their testimonies for the last time in a Zone Conference.  A couple from the Ecully Ward in Lyon prepared and served lunch.  We and they were touched when all of the missionaries sang “As I Have Loved You’ to thank them for their service.

Nos Petits-Enfants

You will notice in the pictures that are part of this letter that there are unique doors that require a special touch to open.  When opened they reveal dark passageways that lead to the light.  Our prayers of faith are the special touch that can open doors that lead us from the darkness of difficult and troubled times to the light of the Savior’s love, example and guidance.  Prayers of faith can be enlightening and powerful and produce miracles in our lives.  Please strive to receive the blessings of prayer in your lives.    

LETTRE VINGT-HUIT POUR LE 03 MARS 2013

Our mission’s future planning is now focused on the expected impact of President Monson’s announcement during the October 2012 general conference that lowered the missionary age for young men and young women.  After the arrival of twelve new missionaries last week, we now have 153 young adult missionaries:  110 elders and 43 sisters.  After the June 2013 transfer, we will have 190 young adult missionaries:  122 elders and 68 sisters.

To plan for and accommodate our expanded missionary force, President Roney divided the mission into eleven zones instead of seven and called four new sets of zone leaders,  and he also called  two additional office elders (Elder Dean from Fairfield, Ca. and Elder LeDuc from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada) to devote a major part of their time to finding and setting up new apartments.

We welcomed six elders and six sisters last week:  two elders and two sisters from French Polynesia, one  elder from England, one sister from Germany, one elder from California, one Elder from Oregon and one elder and three sisters from Utah. 

Sister Jeppson and I are getting accustomed to a major role in planning, providing the food and cleaning up duty for lunch on Tuesday and breakfast and lunch on Wednesday when a new group of missionaries arrive.   Providing lunch continues on Friday when missionaries that arrived six weeks ago come back to Lyon with their trainers for additional instruction and the following Tuesday when the zone leaders come to town for zone leader council.  The work is totally worth it when we have the opportunity to  associate with these new missionaries and their trainers and the leadership of the mission.

Eight of the 22 zone leaders arrived in the mission field after we did.  It is inspiring to see these relatively young elders step up and take on these leadership responsibilities.

In the middle of all of this activity, Sister Jeppson prepared and delivered a talk on prayer in sacrament meeting a week ago Sunday with the help of the wife of the second counselor in the bishopric who translated for her.  Sister Jeppson has a wonderful and inimical way of communicating with and inspiring people when she speaks.

During this busy time, I  had the opportunity twice to meet with our Chinese speaking elders and a student from mainland China.   They need to have a member with them when they teach a woman.  She comes to church almost every week.  They teach her about the gospel, and she tutors them in Chinese.  She tried to think of a Chinese language characters that would come close to the name, Jeppson.  She wrote Elder Jeppson and Sister Jeppson on a sheet of paper in Chinese for me.

NOS PETITS-ENFANTS

We know that President Monson is a prophet of God and was guided by Jesus Christ to expand missionary work though out the world by changing the missionary ages.  It is exciting to serve in France at a time when we can help our inspired mission president implement the impact of these changes.  As my mission president, President Martin, communicated to me 46 years ago during my last missionary interview with him:   Always follow the prophet.  I encourage you to read in the Friend and the New Era, and listen to General Conference in April for the messages of President Monson and follow what he teaches.