Eleventh email from France (Vitrolles)

Hey, how’s everything going? Sorry I didn’t email you yesterday, we didn’t have time. Everything is good though. Lots has been going on. First of all two nights ago we got a call from out zone leaders saying that for preparation day they wanted to go on a day hike thing in Aix en Provence to Mt. St. Victoire so we decided to do that. We went in the morning. Me and Elder Clyde had to go early so we ran all the way to our bus station at like 7:00. It’s over a mile and we didn’t even stop so I was already pretty tired. Then when we got there we met Elder Hanson and Kelly then Soeur Oliver and Djimi, her companion. We got on this line of busses going to the mountain. It was really fun. We didn’t know really what trail to start on so we just headed up kind of making our own trail. We had some of the amis from aix en provence with us. There were two guys then a 12 year old from a member family. We hiked for like an hour and a half to this spot then just kind of chilled for a while. Pascal and then other ami had to work so they just walked down where we came up but since it wasn’t really a trail we decided to keep going till we found a better way down. We kept walking then decided to just keep on going along the ridge till the summit which wasn’t to bad of an idea. We were on a really good trail by this time. We didnt know really where we were but we could see the town where the bus could pick us up on the other side so we just set a goal to make it there then head back. The only problem was that we had no idea how long it was. I knew it wasn’t going to be just a little walk but whatever, I figured we could do it. We ended up getting on this trail with like chains to hold onto mounted into the rock and just like steep “almost Colorado” stuff. It was really fun though but why I’m emailing today is cause it took us 8 hours or something like that. Really all day we walked really far. It was okay though just took a lot of time. I took a lot of good pictures I’ll send y’all. The town we ended up in had Picasso’s castle so that was cool (I think anyways, that’s what people told us- look it up on Google, its cool). I heard Missouri got flooded right after you left. I’m glad y’all weren’t there for all that- but that’s just what someone told me. The fete de music was this last week- the big Vitrolles party was right outside our apartment. It looked so fun, there were so many people there around this big community bonfire. We walked through all the crowds when we were coming back to our apartment. Then I cut Elder Clyde’s hair that night so he took a shower and I was dancing around our kitchen cooking some cous cous. Then I ate on our window sill and was talking to all the people walking by. They had loud music playing pretty much all night. It was cool but the only thing is almost all of our amis partied to hard and couldn’t come to church the next day. We had the last district meeting for this transfer last week and President Merrill and his family were all there. It was really good, it lasted for like 5 hours instead of 2, but it was really good. He talked about the importance of keeping the Sabbath day holy. He had a lot of good stories and examples then Soeur Merrill took us home cause we missed all the busses. This transfer is almost over. I think I might go. The word is that Elder Clyde might train someone else to take his spot as district leader for the next transfer. So we’ll see what happens. I read the story today that you sent about the Marignane airplane pilot. Yeah I know Serge Portellano. I talked about him in the last email cause he’s one of the only families who feeds us and his son Raphael is the one that baptized Barbara. They’re a really cool family and yeah I see those big water planes all the time. They are bright yellow. They have a big one right in the middle of town so that’s cool. Why the heck were you on ldscops.com? haha I figured you ran across it trying to find a picture of the chapel and yeah that’s the right one. So that’s us in Vitrolles- everything is good. I’m fried from yesterday so the back of my neck and legs hurt so bad from being in the sun for so long yesterday but no problems. Well I have to go but I’ll email you next week- maybe I’ll be in another town. Love y’all, Taylor

Tenth email from France (Vitrolles)

Hey! How’s it going? I guess y’all are in Missouri now- that’s cool. I hope y’all are having fun. Tell everyone I said hey. That’s cool that your camps were good. Everything’s going good here, just the same stuff. Actually this morning I was in Marseille for the second appointment for my carte de sejour. It was crazy- just a lot of Muslims. Really they’re everywhere here. I’m pretty sure there’s more of them than French people. But that’s ok, some of them are nice. Yeah, the missionary work here is going good. We’re still working with a lot of people and having a lot of progressing amis. We actually have a rendez vous at the church in like an hour so I don’t think I’ll have that much time to email. We are emailing from this new place -kind of dumb- it’s like a teen center place, ha, so the hours of when there gonna be open are a little unsure. Oh yeah, tell Uncle Chris that that’s the same spot me and Quinton used to fish years ago. That’s pretty cool. It sounds like there doing a little better than we ever did though. Yeah I got a letter from Brian and then Jace so it was good to hear from them. I just read Dad’s email. I can’t believe y’all are driving all the way home from Missouri now. I bet that was a long drive. Sorry I don’t have any idea where the lifejackets are. There should be two for fishing behind the seat of my truck maybe or just in the garage but the other ones are probably at the Zachary’s if I had to guess. I’m not sure though. Sorry this email isn’t very long. We don’t have much time today. You don’t have to put it on your blog. Or you can pick out some stuff to put on there. I know a lot of these emails really make any sense but whatever just change it up a little. I got letters from Melanie and Jenny today cause they were sent to Marseille after I moved to Vitrolles. So that was cool. I’m gonna start to write people more, there is just so little time. I’m gonna try to print out some pictures and send y’all- it’s just hard because we never have any time. I’ll try to get a little box or something to send y’all. I have a lot more papers and stuff just like I sent you after the MTC. Well, I’m gonna go. I’ll talk to yall later! Love y’all, Taylor

9th email from France (Vitrolles)

Hey, how’s everything going? I hope good. Sorry this email is so late, we didn’t have time to email Tuesday because we were moving into our apartment so we called the zone leaders and they said it wasn’t a problem to do them today. But it sounds like there isn’t even anyone there to get this. I guess its just Dad and Chelsea at home for the week. That’s cool. It’s kind of good that I didn’t email Tuesday, though cause I have some good news. Tuesday we had a rendez vous with the Albertini family. It was really good. Before we even sat down, Laetitia said “Oh yeah, I chose a date for my baptism- I think the 21st sounds good.” So we were really excited about that. It’s in two weeks so we will probably be planning that out and stuff. Everything else is going good. Today we have already had 4 rendez vous and they were all really good. Two of them were with Temoin de Jehovas though so that’s always a little hard but nothing too bad. Then one more with Joelle and Laurent- they are doing really good, we just stopped by to read a few chapters in the Book of Mormon with them. We have already taught pretty much everything so now were just reading with them and trying to see them about once a week. They are still waiting for the divorce thing to work out and to be married and baptized, so that’s really good. Then the other was with a really cool 17 year old kid who I met 3 days ago on an exchange with our zone leader, Elder Kelley. We’re all moved in so that’s a big relief! Everything is good, I really like our apartment. It’s kind of small but that’s ok. If you want to Google map it, it’s the rue de la paix and like I said, it’s just at the base of the rocher. We have gone to the top a few times now- it’s really cool especially at night with the sunset. I’ll have to send y’all a few pictures. Last night we ate with the family Portellano. They are really cool, just one of the more normal families in the ward. Raphael is the one that baptized Barbara. For our pense spirituelle we talked about the 25 seminary scriptures for this year cause he just finished. If you can send me one of those plastic cards with all the scripture masteries for the 4 years I would really like that. I guess I should know them already. But it was really good. We don’t really eat with members that much. Yesterday really was the third time, I think except for a few family home evenings, Are the elders still coming every Monday night? Is Roman still there? I really can’t believe how fast the time is flying by here. I’m gonna find some stuff to send y’all this week. Sorry this wasn’t as long as usual. We don’t have a lot of time- our cours de anglais is tonight in 10 minutes. I hope I get those pictures soon. Love y’all -oh yeah, happy fathers day Sunday, Dad. I don’t know if it’s the same day there,but it is here. So have fun at camp. Oh yeah, Evan said he shaved his hair. I got his letter yesterday. Is it like shaved or just buzzed? I have to go but tell everyone I said hey. Tell the Lovelace’s to email me.

Love y’all, Taylor

Eighth email from France (Vitrolles)

Ahh- that’s so awesome! (Lovelace mission calls) I was wondering if they would go to totally different places. That makes me happy. Tell Eric Idaho is a little different than Florida but that’s gonna be so good. Then Jace has a little work to do in that mission. Gotta get them on the right track- I'm pretty sure that that’s the place that just had the big scandal with the Catholic Church and Elder Clyde has a cousin that’s there now- Elder Keck, so that’s cool. I’m really excited for them. I was disappointed last week when they didn’t know yet. Then Clay is gonna do so good learning Spanish. He will be at the MTC a lot longer than Jace and Eric though. It’s ok though, it went by pretty fast for me. Did they do anything when they opened them or just call and tell people? And Bryan, too, that’s really cool, Berlin. I figured you had told them I was in France. We should have stopped to see them on the way to the mtc, Mom, I know you wanted to- just not enough time. Anyways everything here is good. We’re just getting all packed up today to move tomorrow. I’m really excited to get into our own apartment. That will be nice. We already gave alot of our stuff to the assistants to bring in the big car to bring to a members house, Frere Vendrassi then tomorrow were gonna go to Vitrolles with the rest of our bags and meet Frere Renderanaridera and a guy from the rental company to make sure there isn’t any problems. Then after that we should be good to move in but we won’t have any of our stuff till tomorrow night cause that’s when a few members can help us. It’s normally not that big of a deal but since we’re the first ones we have like a bunk bed and desks, chairs and tables, dishes -just all the stuff we need to live there. So I guess we're gonna be busy doing all of that tomorrow but we still have 2 or 3 rendez vous for around noon tomorrow so im sure its gonna be crazy. I’m sure well be running back and forth all day. It was a little stressful last night because as we were trying to get all of our stuff together to give to the assistants today we had 8 elders there. They were just there for the night cause we had zone conference yesterday and 2 of them were headed back to Gap ( it's a city not a store) and the other 2 are going back to Aix en Provence today for blues conference.Oh yeah I got two things you sent me. I got first the pictures in the envelope from Whitneys birthday. Thanks those were good. I have to admit Evan looked more like me than I thought he ever has before in one of the pictures- freaky, maybe it was only cause he was wearing my shirt. Elder Clyde is convinced that our family is wild and y'all were the ones that spray painted on the wall...I said it was very possible but probably not. That’s cool though that she’s driving. I hope she is a little better than Ivy was, probably not though. Then I got the package yesterday at zone conference so that was cool. Thanks for the candy and stuff. ha and the hackeysacks- I’ll start working on doing the five. I never have any time so it might take a while. Yeah President Merrell is amazing. Elder Clyde is convinced he’s gonna be called as a 70 next. I wouldn’t be surprised at all. He’s the most spiritual man I think I’ve ever talked to. Yesterday we were there from 10 to 6 and for the most part he just talked about his life experiences and just the most amazing stories I’ve ever heard of miracles and blessing that he has seen and had. It was really really good. The main thing he talked about was music and the influences it makes on our lives and the difference it can make on our ability to have the spirit with us. He talked alot about how the process worked when President Monson became the president and applied that to how we should act and sustain the new mission president when he comes and do everything we can to have a smooth change making it easier for us and for him. I heard that when President Merrill came he only talked to the old president for 2 hours then took over. I also heard that the old president before him already had the transfers worked out but President Merrill came and just changed everything without even knowing the cities or the missionaries so I’m not sure how it will work with President Carter when he comes but we only have around 4 weeks left. Sister Merrill also talked to us about the Book of Mormon, she is the best teacher I have ever heard I think. I remember at blues conference she talked about the apostasy and it was just amazing. She is really good at using facts and scriptures to explain everything she teaches, yesterday she really explained the history of the Book of Mormon- she used timelines and all kinds of old documents form Cortez and the early Spaniards who invaded Mexico city and also non church history resources about the Mayas and their culture. She even had old national geographic cut outs and compared them with the references and dates in the Book of Mormon. It was really amazing- dad would have liked to hear it. Then she also had a lot of pictures from her trips down there to see the different ruins and stuff it was really neat and interesting. I’m doing really good though, the French is getting better and better- still no French dreams but I hear they will come. Love y’all, Taylor

Seventh email from France (Vitrolles)

5/27/08

Hey, what’s up? Sounds like everything is good with y’all. Gosh, I can’t even believe Whitney and Evan are done with school already. I didn’t even think it was near that time. It’s really going fast here. The weeks really just fly by here. We’re still in Marseille in the same apartment but we’re with the 2 other Marseille elders now. So that’s ok. I don’t like it so much, you know how I am. I would just rather be by myself than in a room with 4 guys all trying to walk around and no real places to sit. But its not that bad and we’re moving a week from today on the 4th so I’m looking forward to that. I think the office elders are going to drive down and help us move. They have all of our appliances and stuff because they are from the old Marseille apartment that we had to clear out last week. I don’t have an address for you to look online but our apartment in Vitrolles is right next to the big rocher or the big plateau thing. It’s in the really cool looking old part of downtown too, so I’m excited! I’m sure its not gonna be the best but it will work. It’s just gonna be good to just have our stuff to mess with because the apartment we’re in now has been a missionary apartment for years so there is just collected junk laying around- stuff that I would just throw away if it was my choice. So next p-day we should spend all day moving and stuff, this week really has been kinda frustrating. It’s really hard not having the car. We have to get up get ready, study and stuff, then go get on the Marseille metro to the bus station then to Vitrolles. Its just a mess and its taking alot of money. Just the metro is like 3 euros every day, then the bus is 3 euros each way. So its over 10 dollars a day- it’s a little ridiculous but I guess we have to do it. We bought this 7 day pass for 19 but we found out yesterday it won’t even work for the line of busses we use. The girls at the station- I don’t think they like us cause they can’t figure out how to use our credit cards because they have to slide. Everybody’s here has a little chip to scan. So I’m completely out of money now on my card until the first. Just the traveling has cost so much. I have 90 euros in reimbursements I need to send in so that will be good when all of that goes through. Another thing is the last bus from Vitrolles to Marseille is at like 7 so we come back really early every night. Gosh I can’t believe its summer already. I hope y’all are having fun. Tell me what plans y’all have coming up. Are y’all still going to the family reunion thing? I’ll try to get y’all some pictures. The only thing is that it’s like really 25 cents for every picture I would print out. I know I need to for y’all. I just don’t want to spend that much money. What Elder Clyde does is just sends memory cards back and fourth so maybe we can so something like that or I can just print out the really good ones. I have been taking alot though. I have like 280 from the start of the MTC. I bought a book of postcards to of Marseille so I’m gonna start sending people those, there alot easier ha I just need to buy stamps. We didn’t have as many amis at church this week cause it was Mothers Day or “fete de meres” here which is like mother’s party in English. (which I think is cooler anyways ha) They have been having a lot of “greves” or "strikes". But the thing is they're not like actual strikes they're more like scheduled days for not working. People just like sit outside in lawn chairs saying there not gonna work but they know they're just off for that day and they will work the next day. So they don’t get anything more out of it. That really messed up our trip to Vitrolles one day this week cause all the busses and metros weren’t going. Oh yeah everyone asks us about the presidential campaign. We’re not really supposed to talk about it at all. I think most of the people here like Obama. They really don’t like Bush at all. ahh Crawfish sound so good right now. We ate last night at the church with the family Renderanaridera for FHE- it was really good and fun. He has helped us so much to find our apartment. He has gone to every meeting with us and really just done everything to help us. He makes all the phone calls and everything. He doesn’t really work so he is always there to teach with us too, so that’s cool. He always finds people for us to teach. Awesome. We had district meeting yesterday in Aix- that was good. We have us 2 then Soeur Oliver so that’s really good to see her, then then our zone leaders than that’s it just 6. It was really good though. But that was another big mess with the busses, to get back to Vitrolles another thing is that the busses don’t go on Sundays so we had to take a train to church and get someone to pick us up in the town over Marinane which is okay- its just gonna be really nice to finally live in our area. The trains are really cool though, I really wish we had them at home- it would just make it so easy to go to Houston or somewhere for the day. The trip to Angoulem was really cool. I got to see alot of cool sights. There were a bunch of castles. One that really reminded me of Hogwarts, seriously. It was that big with that many spires and stuff. It was really cool. You know how she writes in the Harry Potter books, she writes his name in an english accent like "arry otter" or something like that- that's how they say it here. It's so cool. They don't really pronounce the h or the p. Today we played ultimate frisbee in the park, that was pretty fun. It was really windy. One of these days I want to play ping pong. They have alot of tables here, all the churches have them. So I'm gonna have to get that going. Take this out cause it's wierd to talk about but my arms are shrinking every day. It stinks! ha I got so much bigger in the MTC working out everyday, especially with the powder I had. I'm in really good shape though -we walk alot and its starting to get hotter. It rained really hard the other night. I really liked it. I really missed the rain when I was in the MTC. It's rained a few times here so its not to bad. It's not nearly as humid as it is there so that's good. I dont have that much more to say. I was really hoping to hear where the Lovelaces were goin this week -hopefully next week. Well that's about it. I hope everything is good! Love y'all, Taylor

NOTE

I recently went back and added all the MTC emails to the beginning of this blog. They are very entertaining so check them out if you get a chance- especially the MTC week 7 one- it's the day the French Ambassador came to visit! I'll delete this post soon, just wanted to tell you. Also, drop me a comment so I'll know who's reading!

Sixth email from France (Vitrolles)

05.20.08
Bonjour!
How’s everything? Everything here is good. Ok, I’m really sorry but this computer is really messed up so I can’t space between words. I guess just try to go through and fix it before you send it to people. (You’re welcome, everyone! It did take some time-Gwen) haha This is gonna be really hard for you probably. Get Evan to do it or something! We’re in Marseille right now. Looks like I’m gonna be here for another six weeks at least. (if everything works out with the apartment we think we’re getting). I’m pretty excited about that. Everything seems to be going good. We’re still in the Marseille apartment for now but we should have the one in Vitrolles soon. I think if everything goes right, we will move in the first of June. Until then we will have four elders at our apartment- us and two of the other Marseille elders. The papers for the new apartment aren’t finished but I think there shouldn’t be any problems with it. President Merrell said Sunday that if we don’t have it by this week, we are definitely going to have to go somewhere else and he said it probably won’t be Marseille and it probably won’t be together. So the Lovelace’s calls haven’t come yet? That’s too bad. I really want to know. Hopefully next week. Today we haven’t done that much. We’ve just kind of cleaned our apartment for the new guys coming in. We had six elders at our place last night because it was transfers, so that was crazy. One of them is going home today so he was really excited. Thanks for the email. It sounds like everything is going good. Barbara got baptized Saturday! It was really amazing. There were a lot of people there. I’ll send y’all some pictures somehow. The program and stuff- it was really good and spiritual. Her sister, Laticia was crying after and the bishope asked me if the spirit had come and “hit her in the face or something”. It was funny. Awesome! Yes, President Merrell did come and was there for the confirmation on Sunday. He didn’t actually do it. She wanted someone from the ward to do it, which was good I think. We probably tried too hard to convince her for President Merrell to do it but she didn’t even know him. Frere Hotz from the ward did it and it was really great. We’re still working with her mom and sister. They should get baptized in two weeks. They are ready. We normally see them like three or four times a week. After the baptism we had a little lunch with them planned at the church. We met there and cooked the food. It was so great. Everything was good, we had so much food. Bet y’all had fun at the campout at the Brooks. Have you seen Daniel at all lately? I never even got to talk to him between school and when I left for the MTC. That’s funny about Whitney’s story. That sounds just like her. I was always tardy, too. It’s a family curse. Guess it worked out for her anyway. I’m actually getting used to waking up early, though. It’s not bad at all anymore. I like to think that I could do it after I get home, too. But going to bed at 10:30 isn’t that easy normally so I’ll see, I guess. I don’t really need anything at all. That’s cool about Alex’s job at the plant. Is he still at Frasch? Did he decide to go to Provo? Probably- that should be cool. Send a picture of my room. I don’t know if you have changed anything or not. Yeah, I should write Coach Suarez. He would like that. I don’t know his address or anything and about Coach Bourgeois, that sucks. Does Coach Lebato have cancer? Oh yeah, Happy Birthday, Whitney! That’s crazy. I guess your gonna drive the truck. That’s sweet. Keep working on getting that jeep, though. Oh yeah, Mom, find that kid that owns my car and get the pictures. So yeah there are a lot of iffy things. Just keep praying that we can get the apartment thing going. We have been talking to President all the time, trying to get all the papers worked out. Today is the last day for us to have a car, so we will be taking the bus everyday. That’s not too bad. It will just be a little inconvenient. Sorry again for the not spacing. It will only space if I type really slow but I don’t have time to. Well, I’m gonna go. I’ll let you know how everything is next week. We had seven amis at church Sunday so that’s pretty amazing. That made 85 all together. Our ward is sweet!

Love y’all, Taylor