Going to church

The ward we attended was held in an old building, right downtown. We walked right past it the first time, as the sign is up high, and over a part of the building that fronts the street, but looks like it is seldom used. The entry was through the courtyard where there is some limited parking. Cars overflowed into the street by the time the meeting started, but we had arrived early. By the time the meeting started, the room was packed. People from all over the world attend here. The service was in French, of course, and they said they might have headsets and have things translated, but they weren't working today.

The prayer on the bread was given in French and the prayer on the water was given in English. The counselor and the bishop both spoke in French.

It was fast and testimony meeting today, so instead of having headsets, whenever someone spoke English at the pulpit (except for the opening prayer, which was given in English), a man would stand by the microphone and translate as the testimony was given. Two of the testimonies were given in English, one by a man who had lived there for a year, and wasn't conversant enough to give his testimony in French. But his testimony was powerful and pure.

Another was by a woman who was a Jewish convert..hers was rather long and very interesting. She was converted when she was 47, and was now 74. She spoke about the misery she was in before she decided to believe, and how the gospel had brough such joy into her life. She spoke about how difficult it was for her to abandon her childhood beliefs, as she had been taught all her life to avoid Christians. She talked about how serving others had made all the difference in her life. Sweet.

The others were hard to understand but easy to feel.

Music has always had a spiritual effect on me, and today was no different. Even though the songs were all in French, the music was familiar and the Spirit was easy to feel.

After sacrament meeting, we attended an English Sunday School lesson attended by about 10 people. They are on the same lesson we are on! The pattern in the church is universal. Too bad we won't be here long enough to get really involved...just this one meeting. Ellie was feeling ill, so we left before we had a chance to attend Priesthood, Relief Society, and Young Women (I think she was just too nervous to attend YW without Mom and Dad).