Week 95 (Amiens)

HELLO_WORLD_
Yes, I'm still alive! We're holding down the fort out here in Amiens. We don't really go out because of the quarantine, but we manage to keep ourselves busy.

The days all sort of run together since they're all the same, so I'll give you the run down! We wake up at 6:30 to start off every day, then we go on a quick run to get some fresh air. Then we'll come back, shower, and eat some breakfast to get ready for the day. Afterwards we'll do some studying, then we often call or message people until it's time for lunch. After eating we'll message people on Facebook or set up rendez-vous, then we normally have a couple rendez-vous with our amis in the afternoon. We'll often end off the day by listening to a General Conference talk and eating dinner. Then we'll get ready for bed and go to sleep by 10:30.

To change it up a bit we've gotten into baking. We made chocolate chip cookies to snack on last week, and today we baked some banana bread! I wonder what we'll bake next!

But what I'm really looking forward to is Conference. Not only is it the 200th anniversary of the First Vision, not only is it going to be unforgettable, not only is it something to take our minds off the quarantine, but with all these missionaries going home and everyone being quarantined in their homes together, this General Conference will be watched by more complete families than any other in history! This is a spiritual experience just waiting to happen! So I hope you've all listened to President Nelson and that you're all ready for an amazing experience this weekend!

Allons-y!
Elder Wood

Elder Wood with his newly baked banana bread

Food photo: Delicious banana bread

There aren't any lines left at the grocery store as everyone minimizes their trips

A quick moment outdoors with the sun a huge ball of fire in the sky

The exterior of their apartment building

A view from the apartment window, including a helicopter potentially out looking for those breaking self-isolation rules

Their study area, with the American and French flags

Week 94 (Amiens)

A week in quarantine. But still a busy week.

As opposed to almost every other missionary I know, I'm still out here doing missionary things amidst the pandemic. For those who don't know, most missionaries serving in foreign countries are going home because of worries about the coronavirus, but I guess they're not worried about us here in Europe! So all my friends who were serving in South America, the Philippines, etc. are gone. But in quarantined France, the work continues thanks to technology!

We've been teaching a bunch of people through video calls, and since the entire country is on lockdown, everyone is free all day long! We've also been talking as a mission about how we can be more effective online. Despite being stuck inside, we can still be a light to the world through the power of the internet! So whatever our current difficulties, be assured that it will all turn out, and we'll be able to make it through. The Lord is on our side, and if He is with us, who can be against us?

Bon courage!
Elder Wood

"A picture hanging on our wall, past missionnaires must have made it"

Quarantine photo: They've added a clear partition on the bus so the people riding can't pass germs to the driver

Quarantine photo: They have plastic wrap around the cashier stations at the grocery store, again to prevent virus transmission

Food photo: They made a quiche

Food photo: And they made delicious-looking cookies!

I guess this also qualifies as a quarantine photo - he stayed in the house for almost 24 hours over the weekend

Week 93 (Amiens)

I would have thought that being quarantined meant a boring week with nothing to talk about. I couldn't have been more wrong!

So yes, in case any of you hadn't heard about covid-19, they've shut us up in our apartments for the time being. And at first that sounds pretty boring, but when you're actually living it, you realize how much you still go out, especially in my case! This past week, the restrictions have escalated pretty quickly, moving from just "don't shake hands" to "stay in your apartment unless completely necessary." They also sent home all the missionaries at risk from coronavirus (senior missionaries, those with respiratory issues, etc.), including my companion, Elder Black. So when Président Sorensen announced the beginnings of the quarantine, we only had a couple days before he took a plane home.

And even with the quarantine going on, we had plenty of reasons to go out and about. When the time came to get to the airport, we packed up all our things and left Tours behind. We met up in Paris with everyone else headed home and said our goodbyes, then I and my new companion, Elder Hill, made our way to Amiens.

On Monday, we went to Paris again, this time for Elder Hill's legality. He needed to go pick up his Titre de Séjour, so we took a train and braved the Paris metro system to get to the Préfecture. We stopped by the mission office to pick up the payment, and had a nice chat with the new Office Elders as well as Président Sorensen. Then when the other companionship that was going with us showed up, we started walking over. But when we arrived, we found the Préfecture closed because of the coronavirus. So we turned around and started the long walk back. But we were glad to get the exercise instead of being stuck in our apartments!

In the meantime, when we have been in our apartment, we've been keeping busy. This Sunday we actually one of the busiest I've ever had. Now that everything is closing, people suddenly have more time than they know what to do with! So we're able to call and teach them all about the gospel. People have been comparing these times with the "Freeze" in Ghana, when the government shut down all Church functions for over a year. But because of all the attention it brought, the Church grew dramatically. It shows how the Lord uses opposition to hasten His work, and it's exciting to be a part of it!

Lavez-vous les mains!
Elder Wood

Farewell to Elder Black!

Outside the Amiens Cathedral

Amiens Cathedral, also known as Notre-Dame d'Amiens

Elders Wood, Hill, Jensen, and Wilson meeting up at the mission office.

Elders Hill, Wilson, Wood, and Jensen on their way to the Préfecture

Food photo: Enjoying O'Tacos

Préfecture closure notice

Week 92 (Tours - Repost)

(Reposting after the original one had issues)

What a crazy week. And something tells me it's just going to get crazier!

In case anyone is worried, no I don't have the Corona virus. But we did go shopping today to prepare ourselves for a 14-day quarantine! Hopefully it won't come to that, but President wants us to be ready just in case. And honestly, I almost hope it happens, some of that food we bought looks really good!

We visited a nice couple this week, the wife is a less active member and the husband isn't a member. They made us a nice dinner, and topped it off with a blue pear cake! They told us they put Smurfs in it :-) But they told the story of how a missionary back in the day had really offended the husband, and as a result, he didn't want to see another missionary for years. Luckily, he changed his mind, and we had a great evening getting to know them and talking about the gospel.

But what hit me is the impact this one decision had. That missionary probably didn't mean to offend him, but because of what he said, this man was kept from the gospel for a long time. So we all need to be careful when considering what consequences our actions may have.

Ne tombez pas malade! Prenez bien soin de vous!

Elder Wood

Avec un éclair

Elders McLeod, Wood, Schombs, and Black at Chateau de Chambord

Elder Schombs (during exchanges) walking down a French countryside road

Food photo: The blue pear/Smurf cake

A slice of the Smurf cake, showing off the blue coloring

Shopping for staples

Their pantry filled with lots of canned goods

Week 92 (Tours)

(Quick note that this post appears to have issues with photos for some reason. Please try the "Repost" version instead: http://eldermichaelwood.blogspot.com/2020/03/week-92-tours-repost.html)

What a crazy week. And something tells me it's just going to get crazier!

In case anyone is worried, no I don't have the Corona virus. But we did go shopping today to prepare ourselves for a 14-day quarantine! Hopefully it won't come to that, but President wants us to be ready just in case. And honestly, I almost hope it happens, some of that food we bought looks really good!

We visited a nice couple this week, the wife is a less active member and the husband isn't a member. They made us a nice dinner, and topped it off with a blue pear cake! They told us they put Smurfs in it :-) But they told the story of how a missionary back in the day had really offended the husband, and as a result, he didn't want to see another missionary for years. Luckily, he changed his mind, and we had a great evening getting to know them and talking about the gospel.

But what hit me is the impact this one decision had. That missionary probably didn't mean to offend him, but because of what he said, this man was kept from the gospel for a long time. So we all need to be careful when considering what consequences our actions may have.

Ne tombez pas malade! Prenez bien soin de vous!
Elder Wood

Avec un éclair

Elders McLeod, Wood, Schombs, and Black at Chateau de Chambord

Elder Schombs (during exchanges) walking down a French countryside road

Food photo: The blue pear/Smurf cake

A slice of the Smurf cake, showing off the blue coloring

Shopping for staples

Their pantry filled with lots of canned goods

Week 91 (Tours)

I don't even know where to begin, there's so much that happened this past week!

After arriving in Tours, it only took a day or two before we left. We went off to Le Mans for a day trip to visit the Austins, a senior missionary couple. They had asked for our help to teach someone since our French is better. They're really nice, Sister Austin even made us some cookies for having come all the way out there!

We also had Stake Conference this weekend. It was over in Paris, so we had to hitch a ride with a member Sunday morning. It took 2.5 hours by car each way, so it was good to have someone taking us. The conference itself was amazing though, totally worth the trip. There was an Area Seventy there, Elder Hurst, and he gave a great talk. He shared lots of funny stories and somehow ended up realating them back to the gospel and to each other.

One of the stories he shared was about a man who was worried about his wife's hearing. His doctor told him to test how bad it really was. He started on the opposite side of the house from her and called her name. Then he worked his way closer room by room until she responded. He ended up getting all the way to the doorway of the room she was in. When he called her name she responded, "What in the world is it? I've answered you five times now!"

He related this to how we need to be careful when we perceive faults in others. We need to make sure that it isn't really a fault in ourselves. And if it is, we need to be humble enough to admit it and do something about it.

À la prochaine!
Elder Wood

Soeur Severson and Elder Wood finally saw each other at the train station during transfers. She is his second cousin and has been in France for 9 months, but they'd never crossed paths before.

District meeting, where Elder Wood made tiramisu! Elders Van Den Berghe, Darrington, Wood, Thomas, Rangassamy, and Karratti.

With the bishop of the Nivelles ward and his wife; Elders Van Den Berghe, Poulson, Wood, and Morrison

Animal photo: Visiting a horse

Elder Wood and Elder Van Den Berghe saying farewell at the train station

Visiting Chateau de Chambord in the Loire Valley

Inside the Chateau de Chambord

Exterior of the chateau

Front of the chateau