The Mission President asked Doug and I to attend church in the French speaking Annecy Branch. Annecy, France is about 40 minutes from where we live. Because it is a little tricky to find the building where the Branch meets, President Murdock said he and Sister Murdock would drive us down and show us the way. Monday was the day they had time to do that. It was a beautiful sunny day and the drive there was absolutely gorgeous! We drove on a nice freeway through green rolling hills that were dotted with trees starting to change colors and little groupings of homes always with a church at the center.
All of this was edged by tall rugged mountains. On the way we drove through 3 tunnels.
Rather than tear the mountains down they tunnel through them which saves the landscape and makes for a much more interesting drive.
Part of the time driving is on a toll road. It costs about $10 each way.
Along the way is the most beautiful bridge.
We only get a glimpse but hope to get over to where it is sometime. Going to Annecy will be a treat each time. When we got to Annecy we drove to the chapel. The church area is on the main floor of a larger building. It is near the train station and bus lines which is important for so many. After we practiced finding our way from the freeway to the church a couple of times we decided it was time for lunch so we went to the center of town which is located at the edge of a large lake. We parked the car and the four of us were walking along the sidewalk at the edge of the lake – all in our missionary clothes and name badges. As I was standing there a young couple with a baby came up to me and began asking me questions in French! I quickly got President Murdock’s attention. They thought we were connected to the boats that went out on the lake but of course Pres. Murdock took the opportunity to talk to them about the gospel. They talked for about 10 minutes and seemed quite interested. Sister Murdock and I tried to entertain their baby. While we were talking to the baby another group of people came up to me and asked if we were Mormon missionaries to which we replied yes and then one of the women asked where we were from. When I said Fruit Heights she said “No Way!” I’m from Fruit Heights also and I’m here on business. It is such a small world. We did not know her but were familiar with the name of her parents. We talked for several minutes while the President and Doug were talking to the couple and then while we were still talking to the second group another little old lady came up to us and wanted to know when the boat would leave. It was a very crazy few minutes! We must have looked very official. We then continued walking to the center of the old section of town. There is a canal that goes into the town with charming sidewalk cafes on each side with a fun walkway that goes across it. You can see what I mean from the picture.
We had lunch in one of the cafes. It was so charming and really delicious! When I imagine being in Europe this is what I imagined. I can hardly believe it. After lunch we drove around a little bit then returned to Geneva.
We will attend church in Annecy for the first time on Sunday.
The week was full of lots of work at the office – Doug is getting ready for the French government audit. And I was just busy doing I don’t know what. It was a relief to have Saturday come and have a quiet day. A new couple arrived today the Chatterleys. They are from Simi Valley, California and will be at the Young Adult Center in Geneva. They will be Great!
On Sunday we got up early and drove to Annecy. We weren’t exactly sure how long it would take us so we left earlier than we probably had to but it was nice not to have to worry about time. The weather going down was a little rainy and misty but that just made it all the more beautiful.
We love the tunnels especially this one with the blue and gold lights. The Murdocks call it the Christmas tunnel.
On the way we cross the French/Switzerland boarder twice – once by our house and the other just outside of Geneva. They call the check points the “Douane”. It is usually very uneventful and we have never had to stop or show our passport.
Once we got to church the people were so nice and helpful. There were about 24 adults and children there – it is a very small branch but the people are strong and wonderful. There were several that spoke a little English so they helped me all they could. The meetings are all in French so I just smile and nod my head. And, every once in a while I recognize a word or two. Sacrament Meeting was the last meeting. There are two girls that are about 10 or 12 and they took turns playing the piano for Sacrament meeting. They have only taken piano lessons for a year or so but they did pretty good. After the Sacrament the Counselor was announcing the speakers for the meeting and I thought I heard him say Elder and Soeur Todd. I asked the woman sitting next to me if he had said we were speaking and she said yes. OH NO!! When it was time we went up and Doug translated for me – he was scrambling to remember vocabulary as well but we did get through it. Wow! We did not know it before hand but this branch has a “Linger Longer” time on the third Sunday which is today. They invited us to stay and eat dinner with them, which we did. It was nice to get to know the branch members a little bit and the food was delicious. It was a very pleasant drive back home.
When we got home we quickly changed clothes and were just ready to take a nice long Sunday nap when the phone rang. It was President Murdock asking us to pick up the Chatterleys on our way to dinner! What dinner? They had forgotten to tell us about the dinner but that’s okay. We took a very short Sunday nap, threw a salad together and left to meet the Chatterleys and have dinner.
What a fun blog! Annecy is so beautiful. During the summer, it is packed with tourists and the French who come to swim and boat at what is called one of the cleanest lakes in Europe.
ReplyDeletePlease convey our best wishes to our friends in the branch. We loved every minute. We took Frog-eye salad one Sunday to the linger longer and another time took Sloppy Joes!
We only took the freeway when we were late. Normally we drove through the countryside, using our (your) GPS. After a while, we didn't need it. Be sure to visit the chateau on the east side of the lake which is still inhabited. We'll have to look up the name.