Day 5

As I started to think about what I was going to write in this post a song popped into my head..."Let's start at the very beginning a very good place to start." Random, but true-so from the beginning.

We woke up late this morning. Typical I guess, but it stinks when you live 45 minutes away from church, it starts at 9:30 and you get up at 8:50. So we got a late start-not the end of the world. We got ready, ate breakfast, and were off.

We took the metro in. Our stop is Boulogne Jean Jaures on line 10. We have to change lines to the 4 to get to the church. We did this yesterday and once we get out at our stop on line 4 we can't figure out what exit to take. Today we tried a new way and still ended up slightly lost. I have a pretty good sense of direction and with Allyson's help and a few nice strangers along the way, we usually make it.

We were about to turn onto St Merri, where the church is, when our cell phone rang. Allyson answered it and said something about I'll let you talk to your sister. It should have been so obvious to me that it was Michael calling at that point, but I'm not really use to that so it didn't register until I grabbed the phone!

He called to ask me if I was going inactive after just the first week. I told him we were just about to turn the corner and he said he was standing at the door. I saw him and we went into church. He asked if we wanted English or French and I said French of course!

He showed us the room and I shook his hand and said thank you Elder Helvey hehe We went in and Allyson and I sat down and Michael sat across the aisle from me! I got to sit next to Michael at church (well kind of)!

As sunday school was half over, a man walked in and Michael went and shook his hand, then he sat down next to him and shared his scriptures with him. It was one of his investigators. It was so cool to see him in action! Some of the girl in my group told me at one point to day that my brother was so cute and it looked like he was such a good missionary.

After sunday school there was sacrament meeting. There was a man who was in sunday school that michael said he didn't recognize and he went to talk to him before sacrament meeting started. Michael ended up sitting by him in the meeting. After the meeting I was talking to his companion and Michael said that he was recently from Spain and he wanted to meet with them and come to FHE tomorrow night. I bet that will be in the letter tomorrow. I guess I should have said spoiler alert :)

My great aunt and uncle, Herb and Sharon Cutler, also came to sacrament meeting! They have been in Europe for 5 weeks and were in Paris this week. It was great to see them. Michael thought it was funny that he hasn't seen any of his family on his mission and now in the same week here are three of us in sacrament with him.

Tender Mercy: The opening hymn was Ensemble a tout jamais-which in English is I have a family here on earth. How appropriate to be singing that song in the same ward as my brother!

Michael had four rendez-vous today so he was off. Herb, Sharon and I went to lunch at a little cafe by the Seine and then we went to the Musee d'Orsay. It was so great to be with them and see some of Paris together.

I headed back to Notre Dame to meet with my group and we listened to the organ concert, which was amazing. It was so awesome to think that I live here and that I can just go and sit down and be in this amazing cathedral any time I want for the next 12 weeks! Wow!

Allyson and I headed back home taking a long scenic tour of a few metro stations, but we made it. We had dinner with our host family, this time only one and a half hours...still four courses. They speak in french unless we (most the time I) don't understand. Tonight we had to try to explain in French we don't believe in polygamy. The french are very well-informed and there had been an article in a magazine about this 'latter day saint' and his five wives. That was fun. What I really wanted to say was well we can have my brother come over and explain it all to you...I'm not that comfortable yet!

So tomorrow begins a new day. I keep forgetting that I am having a birthday! I'm sure it will be an awesome day! Michael has a P-day so we are going to lunch. Its also my first day of classes, and I have two FHE's to go to. One with our group and one at the institute with the French young adults and the Elders!!!

At church together! There might be a very similar picture coming form Michael tomorrow!

The cafe where we had lunch.

Another look at Notre Dame

During our wanderings to a metro station.

(Palais de Justice)