Concert in Normandy

exchanges this weekend took me to normandy, to CAEN.

it was especially a pleasure because sister Nicole Herway is an old friend from when we lived in Belgium who is just finishing up her mission there. She and her companion publicized and really talked up our coming for a concert for their little branch.

some of the other missionaries + members did piano pieces which were great to show off their little upright :) -- even a brahms rhapsody. then Sister Brough and i sang a nice arrangement of I Need Thee every Hour, and all the sisters sang my arrangement SSAA of Where Can I turn for Peace?

The spirit became palpable when I began to talk about the death of my grandmother, and my oppurtunity to play Meditation at her funeral. many were in tears when I played Massenet's famous Meditation from Thais. I also played the g minor sonata for unaccompanied violin and ended with a gypsy arrangement full of double stops, rhythm changes, and octaves of If You Could Hie to Kolob / Come thou Font. quite a change from the first time that Jane and I performed the first draft of this arrangement sophomore year of HIgh School.

the last one was by far the favorite of the evening. They stood up and clapped in unison for a while until the priesthood leader went up to the pulpit –I thought to say announce a closing prayer—but asked if there could be something more? … the other performers looked at me, and i don't have too much in my fingers on the violin right now… so I sat down to the piano, and played the showy Poulenc Italian Caprice. She plays the piano too!? Crazy.

It was so fun. the members begged me to come back to their branch--which I couldn't agree too--but I could agree to pray for them and continue in my gifts after my mission.

God was glorified through everyone who praised his name through music that night, and I was so touched to be a part of it. This tuesday marks 6 months on a mission... it is going by too fast!

love you all, soeur wilson