Sunday in France

I went to the Rennes Ward today - Paroisse, on dit en bon Francais. It was a branch when I left. It's not really that it's grown very much in this area of the world, but because they changed the boundaries to make a Stake.

Every single prayer that the children pray involves, "fait qu'il y a un temple en France." - "please make there be a Temple in France." Imagine being one of the most powerful countries in the European Union and not having an LDS temple. Having to go to Germany - where if I'm not mistaken, there are more than one.

After la societe de secours ended, Esther came running up to me. I can't tell you how happy it made me that she remembered me!!! Her father, Frere Cheve, is the bishop now. Her sister married an American and she's dating another American. Cindy, her older sister, is in Lehi, and both Esther and her younger sister Rebecca are going to Utah next year! I'm excited to hook up with her and show her around. She was a good friend to me when I was in France.

Lots of other people remembered me, too - they surrounded me, and made me tell them what the heck I was doing in France again and again and again...it was a great feeling, even if "faire la bise" - you know, doing that cheek-kiss thing they do here - makes me go a little bit out of my comfort zone...it felt great to be remembered.

I can't even explain to you how much I understand. It's weird; I definitely know that I understand more now.

Pierrick and Claire called me "delure" - with an accent aigu on the final e. You have to look up the meaning. It's fun - I get the double-meanings, and words actually have connotations! I can't tell you how strange it is to think about swears when you're in another country. You wonder why one word has more power than the rest, when in the end they're all just words, but that's because of the lack of context/connotation that surrounds it. I have a context!!! It feels good.

I need to sleep.