BLOG 2 – OCT 19th – OCT 24th, 2022

GOODBYE UTAH – HELLO LYON FRANCE!

We have survived our first week after our departure from Utah to our first five days in Lyon, France.

Packing all our belongings into 4 very large suitcases, 2 carry-ons and our personal bags is a mentally exhausting experience, but we finally made a conscious decision to allow our 4 large bags to reach 70 lbs. each and pay for the added expense. It was well worth the stress. Bless Steve for being so awesome and patient in this procedure. We grateful spent the night before departure at my sister Claire’s home.

And here is a lot of weight!

We were grateful for some of our children who were willing to drive us to the airport. We asked Jaron, our third child to drive us and we enjoyed a beautiful visit with him on the way. Our last farewell to family was with Jaron and then we didn’t look back! We specifically had Sky Cap check us in, helping us with the heavy bags, which was much easier and worth the tip!

Farewell to Jaron!

Jaron Packer

While waiting for our flight, we met a Brother and Sister Blake going to Israel, who said they had a granddaughter in Lyon on a mission. I sent their granddaughter a messenger text and we began to converse, maybe not all quite within mission rules, but she was thrilled that we got to meet her grandparents. Hopefully we’ll get to meet this sweet young woman.

I still have a love affair with Paris!

Brother and Sister Blake - granddaughter in Lyon Mission

Beautiful Salt Lake City!

Memories of my childhood –

Landing in Paris and resting for a couple of hours to then search for the Lyon gate was like going through the most baffling cornfield maze ever. How missionaries and anyone find it was incredible to us. We weren’t the only ones thinking this either, but once we found it, we then waited till it was time to walk out onto the tarmac to board the small plane for an hour flight to Lyon.

Going out to the tarmac in Paris to Lyon

I’ll never forget the first time I ever flew in an airplane. It was when I was 5 years old, and our family was moving to Belgium. I remember walking outside onto the tarmac in Salt Lake City to board the plane, and also receiving a piece of gum and an airflight pin from the stewardess. It all came back to me walking out onto the tarmac that day.

Thursday, Welcome to Lyon –

It was glorious to finally fly over the gorgeous countryside of Lyon, France, where stunning patchwork quilt farmland was so beautiful to behold. It was now Thursday early afternoon, having gained 8 hours in flight.

Lovely Lyon

Lyon - the beautiful patchwork quilt fields

We were met by our dear friends, President Roland and Sister Amie Léporé, who are the current Mission Leaders for the France, Lyon Mission. They are like family to us, and we love them dearly. We had our beginnings with President Léporé nearly 5 years ago shortly before our 1^st mission in Paris and worked with him throughout our Paris mission and continually with him on Sharing Church Resources (formerly Community Resource Initiative) for the church for the last 2.5 years between both our France missions.

President and Sister Léporé picked us up at the airport in Lyon

They took the time to take us to our apartment in Lyon, near the Old Town of Lyon and unload, where Sister Gannaway (over cars and apartments with her husband) also met us there to explain the apartment. After doing some unpacking, President and Sister Léporé later came back and took us on a brief tour of the Old Town and out to dinner.

Old Town Lyon

There is rich history in Old Town Lyon

Looking outside the window of the restaurant

Driving by Old Town Lyon at night

The Vision –

While at dinner, we spoke more specifically about our assignment and where to start with helping stakes in this mission to help them instigate Sharing Church Resources and inviting members and missionaries to work together to help the community with all the resources of the church by meeting others where they are. For the last 15 months, President and Sister Léporé have been helping their missionaries learn how to approach people with genuine Christlike love and to meet people where they are and see how they can help them with whatever their needs are. It has been transformative to the missionaries, knowing they are helping others and building bridges of love and trust. It has been remarkable for everyone they meet. We could not be more grateful to walk into a mission where the vision is already present. We will begin working with other Senior Missionary couples teaching them how to help facilitate the Stakes to move forward with this effort, then joining hands with all the missionaries. The goal is to strengthen the stakes, so that they own this effort. I will be sharing more in another week on this and sharing links to the gospel library documents that you can learn more about.

Friday whirlwind –

On Friday, we continued to unpack and settle more into our apartment and then we were picked up by Elder and Sister Ganaway (our other dear friends we’ve known for a year now, just prior to their mission). We headed to the office, where we were given a sim card for Steve’s French phone, car keys and instructional training for driving in France. We loved having the wonderful opportunity to meet Elder and Sister Ovard, over finance and office needs. We also met the three Assistants to the President (AP) and some of the young sister trainer leaders.

Elder and Sister Gannaway - office couple that is amazing!

Elder and Sister Ovard - awesome office couple!

We then were off, driving our mission car. Talk about a little fear and trepidation, not in the driving a car part, but in driving the streets of Lyon and their strange streets and signs. We knew we never wanted to drive in Paris, though Steve did once on our mission, but things are done a bit differently here, which threw us off. I was his navigator, so, no naps in the car for a long time.  

This is the car that is getting us around on the scary streets in Lyon

We desperately needed to go shopping for food, so we hit a small store, not much there and then tried to find the mega mall, that had a huge 3 floor Super Center within. We had a couple of, learning what not to do, experiences driving that day.

A very small scale of the Mega Mall

Saturday more driving fun –

Knowing we have much ahead this coming week for our mission, we tried to cram more of our needed errands in on Saturday. So, once we got our daily routines done, we later headed off for IKEA and LeRoy Merlin (like a Home Depot), which was about 30 minutes away, but felt like 3 hours. Driving the freeways and learning their system of exits and such was a bit daunting, not to discount the fact we drove home in the dark. The Lord was with us, and we felt His guiding influence.

IKEA - let's hope this was our last trip!

Sunday worship and meeting dear friends –

Ever since we stepped our feet onto Lyon soil, something rested over me that caused me to fall in love with Lyon. I felt in part, because it was where my parents served for 2 years in 2000-2002, but certainly there was more. Someone wanted us here and we felt peace and an assurance we had a work to do.

As we entered the chapel, we began right away to introduce ourselves to all we could meet. We even went up to the podium and spoke with one man at first. He kept telling us that he had met us before. I didn’t realize where, but then I asked him if he had ever been in Paris. He then told us his name, Phillipe Simonet. My heart melted, as I knew exactly who he was and when we had met with him in Paris. He is the Regional Director for the church for Seminary and Institute in France. He knew my parents really well while they served here in Lyon. Last time I met him, he shared with me the most beautiful story of my dad, of which I would like to share here. I asked him to write it down for me over 3 years ago. He is a counselor in the Stake Presidency.

President Phillipe Simonet - dear friend of my parents from their mission in Lyon

Touching email from Phillipe Simonet – via email on July 4^th, 2019

“Yes, I do remember well your parents and especially your father leading a choir at a huge conference that we had for all Europe French speaking YSA. Those young adults were very excited to be together maybe too much, and they were chatting and laughing while Elder Wood was trying to organize a choir that would be singing during a fireside two days after for an authority who was visiting the conference. As he was not a tall man with a strong voice, he tried several times to calm down the group but without success. I could see in his eyes that he was not upset but very sad. After several attempts to be heard, he finally stood up in front of the group and just put his finger on his mouth and waited. After a few minutes everyone looked at him, puzzled. Silence came. Then in a very soft voice and about to cry he said: you cannot sing and talk at the same time, you have to choose. If you talk you will not be able to understand what you sing and you will not convey the beautiful message of this song through the Spirit. The Holy Ghost speaks with a very soft voice, and if you sing with your hearts, only sing, He will speak to the audience and testify of the truth. There was a warm silence. The rehearsal started. He was the only one to speak, gently correcting the singers, helping them patiently to repeat and repeat the notes. He was totally concentrated. The Spirit was in the song. When the time came to perform at the fireside, there was nothing but silence in the room and as the piano started its part, all the voices began to raise in the air with a different sound, and suddenly something wonderful happened. As the whole choir started to sing we all had the impression to be supported by a host of angels, it was beautiful, harmonious and not comparable to the rehearsal. Some singers started to cry, people in the audience started to cry too.

And I will never forget that picture, this simple man, small in stature, holding in his hands a group of about sixty singers, all riveted to his mouth and hands. What a talented man I thought. What great gift did he receive from the Lord. It was a miracle.

My English is not my native language as you can guess, you may have to correct the text. Philippe Simonet – Regional Director S&I”

One sister in the Ward also remembers my parents, especially my mother, who was so thoughtful and caring with this woman. This woman’s name is Patience. We both felt an instant bond of love. 

Patience - her first name first her perfectly 

We also met many other dear and loving people, all of which were thrilled to have a Senior Couple in their ward. We pray we can make a difference here in the ward and throughout the mission. On our way out, we met up with President and Sister Léporé and family as they were entering for the next ward meeting. 

These missionaries are serving in this ward, and we look forward to getting to know all of them, their names by heart and their hearts!

The wonderful Léporé family that we met coming out of our meeting

Monday, a day of more errands and visitors and visiting –

This day, we decided to go to one more store to get the remaining items on our list, and see if this store, being much closer, would work better than the mega mall super store. It was wonderfully closer and much easier to get to. It was definitely sufficient for all our main needs.

Later in the afternoon Elder and Sister Ganaway and Elder McNevin came to give us a gift, an air conditioner for next summer, as one became available, and we will need it. This we know, after spending two summers in Paris. It’s brutal if you don’t have a way to cool your place.

While visiting with Steve, Elder McNevin, mentioned where he was from, and Steve asked if he knew Dave and Lynette Spear, the parents of our daughter-in-law, Larissa Spear Packer. He is dearest of friends with them and was thrilled to make this fun connection. We then spent time, drooling over the great people the Spears are and how great their community is.

Elde McNevin - at our apartment, talking of fun family connections

We then went to visit a neighbor on the 5^th floor of our apartment building, as we are on the 1^st Floor (second floor in American buildings). This is the De La Londe Family who have 4 exceptional sons, from 8-18. Elder and Sister Gannaway had met them first and bought a calendar from their 12-year-old son, Gabriel. Then the missionaries met the older brother and played tennis with him. They now love the missionaries and look forward to them coming again. We left them with a little gift of chocolates and a card with our name and phone number and which floor we were on. They are an absolutely amazing family!

Gratitude for the Lord and His bounteous blessings –

As I close this chapter of the last week Steve and I are incredibly blessed and grateful for the gracious blessings we have received to help us prepare, arrive safely, feel settled and to meet amazing people, missionaries and neighbors. We LOVE serving together and we LOVE serving the Lord. There is nothing that can compare with when we are feeling a sense of peace in the midst of doing hard things. The Lord is our light and our salvation.

With all our love,

Elder et Soeur Packer                                                                                        Grandpère et Mémé