Anyone here from Bath, UK or Paris, France or knows of anyone in those areas?

[Sheila]

My daughter Beth (baptised at our Melbourne International in October - yay) is off to the UK for three weeks as part of a training scholarship and will be away from 21 March until 11 April.  Two weeks in Bath and a few days in Paris on the way back, so we're pretty sure she will be in Bath on the night.  She is panicking and worried sick about not being able to get to the Memorial.    Her itinerary is not finalised enough so that she knows exactly where she will be - YMCA Hostel in Bath or an unpronounceable place in Paris (from memory I think its Mygne or something like that)) and her anxiety is kicking in badly.   Is there anyone who can offer a phone number she/we can ring or an email address we can use to try and make arrangements for her to get to either meeting at either city? 

 

I realise its 6 or 7 weeks away yet, but we need to keep her anxiety down as much as possible.   If Jehovah wasnt backing her all the way with this, she probably wouldnt be going, but trust me, He's right there with her.    She is going with a small group of others (non-witnesses), but is able to take time out to get to meetings etc as long as someone picks her up and drops her back.   Would really appreciate help from any brothers or sisters who can assist. 

[Áine]

I'm from Bath and know brothers there if you need any help

[Sheila]

Oh, thank you so much, Annie.  My daughter will be so relieved to hear that good news.  If you don't mind, I will pm you after I've spoken to her - probably tomorrow (that will be Thursday here - you are 10 hours behind us).   Much love and many hugs to you,   Sheila

[Áine]

Your welcome no problem. ..my brother lives just outside of Bath add well, it's a beautiful city she will love it

[Raindrop]

And I know a sister in Paris who went to school with me that I can ask if needed - just mention the date with the place to make sure of where they are. Paris is so big and with the "banlieu" it can be quite a distance.

[carlos]

Oh, thank you so much, Annie.  My daughter will be so relieved to hear that good news.  If you don't mind, I will pm you after I've spoken to her - probably tomorrow (that will be Thursday here - you are 10 hours behind us).   Much love and many hugs to you,   Sheila

 

Sheila, even if you don't find anyone your daughter can contact there, don't be worried. When the Memorial is a bit nearer there will be a list at http://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/ with all the locations, times and languages in every area. There you can find also the contact phone number of every congregation.

 

There are two congregations in Bath that share the same hall, and it is located just outside the Oldfield Park train station, so it should be very easy to get there.

 

In Paris there are a lot of English congregations and any address in Paris can be easily accessed by subway. There are subway stations everywhere.

 

Edited February 5, 2015 by cvillarrubia

[Sheila]

Thanks for your replies - my daughter is hoping that today she will be given her timetable then she can organise herself.   We located the nearest Kingdom Hall to where she will be staying in Bath and it is pretty close to the railway station, but the organisers of the trip insist that any of the girls have to be picked up and dropped off whenever they leave the rest of the group - for safety and security reasons.  We have no idea about Paris until we see her timetable.   She's doing a double Diploma in Child Care and Nannying, and this trip to Bath/Paris is the final part of attending college, the rest of the course is to be done part-time by correspondence.  

 

She's excited at a) going on the trip and b)finishing the one and a half hour drive to the Gold Coast and back each Friday and c) after the trip, she's planned to spend that one day a week out in the work with a pioneer sister in our congregation.   Lots to look forward to at this stage.  She has yet to experience the joy of being part of a world-wide brotherhood and meeting brothers and sisters in countries other than Australia, and possibly even get out in service somewhere.   Unlike me, she's great at informal witnessing and last week, when the subject of Jehovahs Witnesses came up at college (to do with celebrations etc) she spoke up, admitting she was a JW, and spent the next 40 minutes explaining our stand and answering questions, apparently three of the girls are quite interested, and all in the class said they had never spoken to a JW before.    At least now they know we dont have two heads!!

Edited February 13, 2015 by Sheila

[Sheila]

An update on my daughters visit to Bath and Paris - the trip this month was cancelled for some reason, and has been re-scheduled for May, so getting to the Memorial is no longer a problem.   Beth heaved great sighs of relief when she heard the news (see below).  And hopefully the weather will be much better in May too.    So thanks everyone for your help, she will make contact closer to her trip dates (she still doesnt have a schedule, but at least its definitely May).

 

She also had a wonderful experience this last Friday at College - the Training Coordinator (one of the head honcho's of the college) asked to see her after the final class for the day, and Beth approached her wondering what she'd done wrong.   After introducing herself and requesting Beth sit down, the TC began to question her about her speaking to classmates explaining about being a Jehovahs Witness. (see my last post).   Beth was a bit stunned and for a few seconds also a bit worried.   But you wouldnt believe it, the TC then gave a huge smile and told my daughter that she was a JW too!!    Big smiles and tears and hugs all around.    So how about that then??    Just goes to show that you never know who is who, and that you may often never know the results of your informal witnessing.  She's found a new sister and made a new friend.   She's beginning to appreciate how close we are as brothers and sisters, even though we may be strangers, and that we are one big happy family. 

 

Beth is actually very pleased the trip this month was cancelled as during the recent cyclone, underneath her house was flooded and rain leaked through the roof which necessitated them punching a hole in the kitchen ceiling to let the water escape, so her home was/still is a bit of a mess.  Its taking quite a time getting repairs done, and its been a bit stressful and she may possibly have even cancelled the trip herself, so re-scheduling has been a good thing in this case.   

 

One added bonus is the TC mentioned that the girls aren't supposed to leave the group at all, but she is going to ensure that Beth gets time off to attend at least one meeting in Bath, and possibly one in Paris.   One problem solved without her needing to ask - Jehovah is certainly looking after her.

Edited March 8, 2015 by Sheila