19 Nov 1927
John to Mother / Montpellier, France
I received your letter of the 4th of October the other day. It always seems so good to hear from home. There has been nothing very extraordinary happen over here since I wrote last. We put in most of our time tracting and study. That reminds me. I believe there is a book home called "Modern Prophecies and Their Fulfillment" or something like that. Will you please sent it to me. There is no duty on books over here. Also I wish you would have a copy of my Patriarchal Blessing made and sent to me. I'd like to read it again.
The work here doesn't seem to be making much progress. We find a few friends but they don't seem to take to the religion very good. I guess the French people never will take to religion like the Germans and other nations have. I still have quite a hard time trying to tract but I try to tell them something about it (the Church) and when they don't laugh at my funny accent, things go over pretty good. It seems the more you tell them or try to tell them, the easier it is and the quicker the time goes. I'll be glad when I'm able to carry on a good conversation. I believe tracting would be real interesting then. It is interesting now, but it is yet hard. It surly gives you an opportunity to study people and human nature. I find all kinds. Sometimes I have one lady laugh in my face and tell me she can't understand what I say, and after I tell her I've only been here two months and don't know much French, she tells me I speak very good French for a foreigner. I find some (people) that as soon as they see who it is they slam the door, and others who invite me in and want to know all about it. I find people in all kinds of moods and positions and sometimes when (I) come when the lady is preparing dinner and busy, (I) don't get a very good reception. Other times they want to talk for hours.
I go into all kinds of houses - anything from old dirty houses where the stairs are so so dirty and slimy you can hardly climb them, and where you find a few people crowded into old dirty rooms, who can't read and are just existing, to big high-power places finished in marble where you find a sign tacked on a side door, "Ring here for service". It's surely a great life and a wonderful experience, only I wish there wasn't so much of it.
They had a big conference in Geneva last night, and as a result, we are due for a shake-up down here, I think. There were two Elders released, both Conference Presidents. Frere Cowles, I think, expects to succeed one of them. If this is so I guess I'll have a new companion soon. I am not libel to get moved for six months or so yet. I like it pretty well down here anyway, except it is a new branch. Well, we'll know about it in a day or so.
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