Day 85

The days are just are not slowing down. I can't believe all that I have done and all that I am still planning to do before I leave. So here I go...

Ally and I planned to meet Trisha and Sutton at 10 at the Grand Palais to try to get into the Monet exhibit again. Ally was not ready on time, so I left and I gave her the phone. I got to Grand Palais a little after ten and I couldn't find anyone. The guy who worked there said that the line would be 4 hours. I decided that it was just not that worth it to me. So I left. I dont even know our phone number so I couldnt even tell Ally. So I just figured I would do the stuff that I wanted to do anyways.

I went to Rue de Rivoli to pick up some of my last souvenoirs that I had not bought yet. Then I took  little stop in the Louvre. I had seen the Mona Lisa in passing, but I always said I would come back later to really see it. Finally today I went. It was cool to be that close. I had some one take a picture of me. (I'm a mess, but at least I have the picture!) 

After that I went to the Pantheon. I hadn't been yet and I wanted to just see it. It was really beautiful. I am glad that I went. One of the coolest things was the crypt. Rousseau and Voltaire are buried there apparently and I thought that was cool. It was a huge crypt.

On the metro I had a tender mercy, that made me very aware that the lord is aware of me and is also aware of all of his children and their needs. I have tried to think of ways to help the homeless people here that does not involve giving them money. For a few weeks I would have little clementines in my bag that I would give away. Last week I bought some big wool socks, because I saw a man with no socks or shoes. I decided that next time I saw this I would be prepared! So I gave those to a man on Sunday. The last thing that I had was a pair of little mittens. I saw them on the Champs-Elysees for five euros. They would fit a child who is about three or four. I saw them and I knew I had to buy them. I rarely see children with beggars, but occasionally there will be a gypsy woman with a child. I worry about giving them money ecause I heard they drug their children to make them look sick or other things, but I also wanted to be able to help a child and a mother in need. So I bought the gloves. They have been in my purse now for a little over a week. I have been praying that I would be able to find the little child that needed these gloves. it seems silly, but I know that some one needed them and I wanted to find them. I had even gone looking in places where I had previously seen women begging with a child.

Today as I rode home on the ten, a gypsy woman got on the metro. She had a child in a bjorn on the front of her and it was not an infant. This girl was at least three. She was bigger than Porter and here was this woman a head shorter than me carrying this child, begging for money on the metro. She announced to the metro her story and asked for money. As she did I remembered the gloves in the bottom of my purse. I took them out and as she came to me I handed them to her. At first she didn't know what they were so I told her in French that they were gloves. Realization came to her eyes and she very genuinely said merci. She handed them to her daughter and moved through the rest of the car. While she waited for the metro to stop at the next station, she put the gloves on the little girl's hands. The little girl was smiling and looked happy to have something that was hers.

As they got off, I couldn't hold back the tears form my eyes as I realized that the Lord had answered my prayers. I had wanted so badly to find a mother and child in need of something little, so that I could show them that someone cared about them, and the Lord put them right on my metro. This was one of my favorite experiences that I have had in these three months abroad.

I was headed home because I had to make some pies! Michael's high school teacher thought that he would like a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving and they don't really make them here, so she sent all the ingredients that we couldn't get here with my mom and I made a pie for Mook. She brought enough for two, so I also made one for my host family for our last dinner with them.

After I put the second pie in the oven, my dad skyped me and told me that he had just tried to call me on the cell phone and ally said I wasnt there. It was perfect! My dad called Ally and asked her where she was and what her plan was. Everyone was meeting out at Chateau de Vincenne to take pictures by these huge, white block letters that say Paris. 

So after my pie came out of the oven I hurried over to the other side of paris and found all the girls! I am so glad I didn't miss that, because that is one thing I have really wanted to do. All the missionaries do it and it is just a fun picture to have. I finally found some of the girls and we all met up and headed over to the letters. We took some fun pictures.

After there were six of us, Berit, Shae, Sutton, Trisha, Ally and me, that wanted to go out to la Defense to a Christmas market. La defense is on the opposite end of Paris, so off we went again. I am pretty sure it could not have been colder when we got off the RER. The Christmas market was fun though. It was mostly just shopping and little random booths. I think those are really fun. We got some hot chocolate that was so good and chocolaty. 

After we were completely frozen we headed home. Ally and I had our final diner with the Deveranes tonight. We really do have so much fun with this family and it was amazing to me that we understand each other so well. I usually know what is going on and even when they talk at their normal speed I understand. I think it is because I am use to them and I know them, so I can usually guess. We had muscles, because Madame Devarane had asked me if i liked them and I said no, but then the truth came out that I had acutally never tried them before. I ended up liking them. We also had little microwavable french fries that were so good! I wish we had those in the states. 

We had my pumkin pie for dessert and it was funny because they had never had anything like it. Aude said she had never had a pie that you keep in the fridge before and I was trying to explain what the really name was in French, but none of them had even had anything like it. It was fun to see them experience something totally new that is so normal for me. I don't think they loved, but they did eat it! 

That is it for me today. I have another huge day tomorrow, so I am going to go to bed! I hope I have enough energy for everything tomorrow. I am exhausted. I feel so old.

 Rue de Rivoli

 Louvre

 Me and Mona!!

 This is the huge apple store my the Louvre. My computer got a new hard drive here!

 Christmas by at the Louvre

 Pantheon

 I know its blurry, but I'm at the Pantheon

The Crypt

 Rousseau

 Voltaire

 You can see the Eiffel Tower when you come out of the Pantheon.

 La Sorbonne

 Cluny metro stop

 BYU Apartment, where Madame lives

 Thats how we get in!

 Making pies

 Chateau de Vincenne

 Have I mentioned it is snowing here? Its really cold.

 These are the cool letters!

 ME!!!

 Ally and Me

La Defense

 Me at the Grand Arch at la Defense

 Me at the Christmas market

The Grand Arch

 Here is our dinner table.

That's my spot!

 My first time eating muscles.

Bernard Deverane

Caroline and Aude