Bonne Année!

Bonjour tout le monde!

I hope everyone’s Christmas was wonderful!

Christmas here in Chalon-sur-Saône was definitely an adventure!

On Christmas Eve, we had dinner at our branch mission leader’s home. We ate all kinds of weirdy fishy Frenchy food. Including caviar. Which is not my fave.

The Landrés (and Sebastian).

 

I also got to eat chestnuts for the first time. So, my “chestnuts roasting on an open fire” dream was made true. Turkey and chestnuts is the traditional Christmas dish in France.

We also had a bûche cake. (It’s a Christmas log cake which is also a traditional French Christmas dish.

Oops. You can’t see the actual cake. That’s because Soeur Landré LOVES whipped cream.

We shared a Christmas thought about light and Christ and then returned home, where we had an extended curfew of 11:00 (but we actually went to bed at 10 because we were tired). BUT we did all open our one Christmas Eve present (I opened my PJ’s).

Christmas day, we got to sleep in until 8:30. This was probably the best part of the day. Kidding… kind of. Then we got up and opened all of our packages around our tiny Christmas tree.

I felt so loved and SO spoiled as I opened all of my gifts from family and friends back home. A big MERCI to  mom and dad (duh) and the kiddos, Big Momma and Big Daddy, Debbie and Helmut, Jonah and Josie, the Taylor family, the Wilders, and the young men and young women of Cypress, Texas. You are all the best! Thanks for thinking of me!

We even got super sweet matching mission watches from Président and Soeur Roney!

It has the pictures of the French and Swiss flags on it and says “La Mission Française de Lyon, WATCH us baptize” HA.

We had Christmas lunch at the DuCoeur’s home. Turkey and chestnuts!

Joyeux Noël!!!

Then, we went to the Millers to Skype our families. This really was the best part of Christmas! I loved getting to talk to the fam! I loved getting to see everyone and hear about their lives! SO fun! I can’t wait to do it again on Mother’s Day!

We finished off our Christmas week by spending Friday at a zone training conference in Lyon and Saturday, we went on exchanges with the other equipe in Chalon.

It was REALLY windy.

I can’t believe this transfer is already halfway over! Time is FLYING!

I also can’t believe it’s going to be 2014 in just a few days. Like… two. SO weird.

I hope everyone enjoys celebrating the New Year! We are having a little New Year’s Party with some members. They’ve promised us fake bubbly. So. We’ve got that to look forward to!

I love and miss you all!

Avec amour,

Soeur Jones