Christmas in Bailleul

Wonderful Belgian chocolates are a great way to start Christmas day don't you think. We each had on about 11:00 and then we took off to pick up the Elders and drive to Bailleul, a quaint little town in France.
We were invited to spend the day with the Degraves a kind, well-respected family in the area.
We arrived to the hustle and bustle of a big family which made us feel right at home.
We had a huge delicious meal which lasted for about 4 hours. We started out with appetizers of little bread rounds spread with pate of olives, pate of anchovies, and pate of eggplant. I didn't try the anchovie, but the other two were pretty good. Then we had raw oysters and escargots. DH did not even eat one oyster. He remembers gagging on as a young kid. He did have one escargot. I ate 2 oysters which I liked and I really liked the escargot although a lot of the kids even here in France said EUH! Then we had boudin blanc or white sausage served with a prune sauce (very mushy) which was just delicious. I loved it. Out main course was chapons. It took us a long time to figure what it was. They said it was a small turkey, but not a turkey. Finally with the help of a computer we found out that they were capons or castrated chickens. They were very tender and tasty. We ate these with green beans and little mashed potatoe balls, about the size of gumballs, fried like mashed potatoes. These were also very tasty. Then many went to the town square for a walk and some like most of the kids for ice skating. When we returned the meal continued. We had salad, a variety of cheeses with bread and finally Bouche de Noel and chocolate candies. The Bouche used to be cake, but now they make them out of ice cream, so they are ice cream cake bouces. They were yummy. We were so full.
After that we still had to take the Elders to another town so they could eat dinner with another family. I don't know how they managed to eat again, but they said it would be no problem. I guess big boys can eat a lot.:)
After we dropped the Elders off, DH got to talk to his french family. They talked and laughed for a whole hour. It was great for him and them too. We also got to talk to all of our family either Christmas day or the day before.
We had a wonderful day, although I must say that I missed my own family a lot, a lot!
But, the work of the Lord must go on, so I must be brave. We are impressed with the testimonies and love of the Lord that these wonderful Saints here have.


We wish everyone a wonderful Christmas. We love you.

Bailleul

This is the wonderful Degrave family with whom we spent Christmas day. To the left is Raquel who married their son Tomas. They have a little daughter, Amaya who is 22 months old. In the middle is Stephanie and then there is Claire, the Mom. The Degrave's have 10 children and 22 grandchildren with one daughter in labor right now and another one due any day. At this time Bro. Degrave is suffering with Parkinsons which is affecting his muscles so much that he cannot eat and has to be tube fed. He also is mostly bedridden although he did briefly get up. At one point he even took a short stroll in his garden with DH, a feat which amazed his family. He is a former Stake Pres. and is also a Patriarch, so I think the two of them had something to talk about. Next is Elise(daughter). She is about to have a baby any day. She and her hubby have 3 children. Marc is the high council rep for Outreach so we will be working with him. He served his mission in Greece and there he learned to speak English as well as Greek. He says that Greece is the most difficult mission in the church and that the people are extremely hard to teach although he did love them. Remember that Greeks are pretty stubborn and also "every word has a Greek root" :) Who knows what movie I'm quoting? Marc and his brother develop, construct and run several day care centers that are centered in large business corporations.



Next we have David, a fireman and Elder Baker from Manchester.

This is Claire and me. Claire says that we have so many things in common and I agree. We hit it off right away.

The final picture is Stephanie and David. They have 3 children. Stephanie served her mission in Scotland and he in England. Both speak great English, so I lucked out. I had lots of people to talk to.

Bailleul

The outskirts of Bailleul where we went to the Degrave's house for Christmas. The church is almost across the street from their house. The next picture is their house.

On the way to the Center of town.

The last picture is of the Mayrie.

Bailleul

Pictures from the lovely French "ville". That is Tomas's head. He is married to Raquel and served his mission in Spain.

A street corner and then pictures of the church.

Bailleul

A castle like building behind the Mayrie and another part of the church with DH and 2 elders beside him.

Still more of the church and then some of the quaint houses and shops. This particular "ville" is very charming with each house cuter than the last.

Bailleul

In front of the Mayrie in many of the towns and cities that we have seen there is a temporary ice skating rink that many enjoy. After a huge 4 hour meal, we went into town and walked around. The children and a few adults skated.

T
This is Raquel a daughter-in-law from Madrid, Spain. She lived for a great part of a year in Illinois and speaks great English.

Next, you see one of the charming streets and a picture of the church which is just behind the Mayrie.


The Degraves loaded us down with gifts. We each got a beautiful book. One is of the land and the waters and the other is of castles and abbeys. We also got a box of chocolates and a homemade roll for breakfast the next day. The roll was delicious when we ate it this morning. How kind they were to include us in gift giving. They also gave each of their children and grandchildren a gift and I noticed that they were quite modest, such as a dish towel and potholder, a photo, a book, etc.

Missionaries

Here are our missionaires. First we have Elder Bailey from Seattle, Wash and Elder Neilsen from Tremonton Utah. They are the Zone leaders. These two are the greatest. They are spiritually inclined, smart, and have great sense of humors. Next we have our Sister Trio. Sister Boucout is from Guadelupe. In the middle is Sister Stay from American Fork, Utah, and on the left is Sister Santos from Sao Paulo, Brazil. The sisters are just awesome.

Irene is the girl on the left. She is from the U.S. but has moved a lot. Her origins are in Korea. She served a mission in Toulouse, France and is now on a Teaching Assistant Assignment from BYU. She already has her B.A. and is working on her masters. She is a lovely young woman. The missionary in the midst of the girls is Elder Perez from Toulouse, France. He speaks a little English, but not as much as he first led me to believe. His french is sooo fast. When I ask him to slow down, he says, "No, No" . Well we were doing some role plays at the last mtg and we were doing it in English. He said "Oh, too fast". Well Elder I said now we have the reverse situation. We all laughed. He is full of fun. Next we have Elder Riley from S.L.C. Utah. He is the district leader. He's very quiet and serious all the time, but a real go getter. His companion, in the middle, is Elder Cabrera. He is brand new from Oregon. He is full of fire, smart and the nicest guy. On the right is Elder Baker from Manchester, England. What a great guy. I love talking to him. Actually all of these Elders and Sisters are just awesome. You can really feel the spirit strongly when you are with any one of them. They put the Lord first in all things and they are having very successful missions. We are blessed to be working with them and we have grown to love them even in this short time.

I don't know why my computer is being so crazy. I can't seem to format my paragraphs to go where I want them. Oh well, I figure this is better than nothing. Hope you all understand.