Meanwhile, back at the Mission Home
The President’s Staff in Paris took part in the burden and blessing of running and maintaining the palace we lived in, but they were, after all, mainly missionaries. Valerie took over from Mammy some general supervisory responsibilities whose boundaries were never entirely clear to me; in those, she had the active assistance of the Mission Financial Secretary, Elder Christensen. We all, of course, did anything she asked; I still do.
I think it was Elder Christensen of the Mission Staff who cornered Valerie one day and asked if she knew of extra beds anywhere in the Home. A particularly large group of new missionaries was arriving, and he’d run short of places to put them for the night. When she replied that there was such a bed in our room, he puzzled a moment, then said no, he was sure we had only two. Then he blushed, as the salient characteristics of our cohabitation dawned on him…
We also had two non-missionary (indeed, non-Church-member) employees, both Spanish: Pardo, the cook (never did learn his first name—or maybe it’s his family name I don’t know, to this day), and houseboy José Muñoz.
3806fewJose.jpg
José’s birthday, in the Dining Room
Pardo, a pleasant, dignified fellow who shared our appreciation for garlic, prepared dinner and supper, five days a week. José handled cleaning, light maintenance, and incidental errands, and contributed the flavor of his distinctive personality to the Home.
“Valerie…has been wonderful! Our new cook, Pardo, had to leave for ten days, and she took over, doing an excellent job and all in such a sweet spirit. The elders love her for all her goodness to them.”
—Pappy’s addendum to Mammy’s journal, Page 114.
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