Small, Smaller and Smallest

 Last week we were in Toulouse, which is small compared to Paris.
[Metro Paris = 13 million, Metro Toulouse = 1 million]

We presented about church history in France
to the Institute class of Young Single Adults.

We also had a fascinating walking tour of Toulouse.

This monastery (Couvent de Jacobins) seemed like a nice enough place
until we learned it was the birthplace of the bloody inquisition
against the Cathars in 1231, which lasted 4 centuries.

We discovered Toulouse has always been one of the wealthiest cities in France.

From cultivating pastel, an expensive blue dye in the 15th century,

to building the Midi Canal in the 17th century,

all the way up to present day, where its biggest employer is Airbus
whose commercial aircraft manufacture is larger than Boeing. 

Then we went to Périgueux, in the lovely Dordogne Valley.
It is smaller, only 100,000 in its metro area.
It is the home of an incredible cathedral

There we attended the Périgueux Branch and presented a fireside.

There are many wonderful members in that ward with great stories to share.
See Martine's conversion story below. 

Even smaller is our own assigned Branch in Rodez
[metro population 56,000]

Our news this week is that we finally moved into a new apartment,

not far from Rodez, after looking for 5 months.

We are in La Primaube,
our smallest town so far with only 4,500 people.

Church History Moments

Martine was one of 15 children and had a difficult childhood, so she married young. However she did not have a happy marriage, and had no children. She was in the process of leaving her husband when her sister invited her to listen to the missionaries with her. Martine was not interested. Her sister said the missionaries wanted to show a video, so could they come over and use Martine's VCR? She reluctantly agreed, and ended up being very interested after all in the video and Joseph Smith's first vision. 

Martine eventually joined the church and found a lot of joy in the Gospel. At one time she felt the Spirit was telling her to return to her husband. When she went to see him, he told her he had been so unhappy without her, he had prayed for the first time in his life. Although he was not religious and had never once been in a church, he promised God that if his wife returned, he would start going to church. He meant the Catholic church, but Martine told him she was now a Latter-day Saint, so he said "Fine, I'll join that church."  She told him he shouldn't join just for her but he had to study the church, which he did, and was eventually baptized. He had a Patriarchal blessing which told him the Lord had planned for him to join the church where he could accomplish much good and be of service to others.

They were both happy together with this new development in their lives, and soon became involved in their branch. They decided to have children, which they had not wanted before they were church members. They raised a large family and served together for many years in the Périgueux Branch, the Bordeaux District and then in the Bordeaux Stake. 

To read other posts in our Mission Blog,
click on the arrow or 3 lines to the left of NEVILLES IN FRANCE
then click on ARCHIVE to see a list of all posts.