HERE'S BENJAMMINNNN!!!! Guess where I was a couple hours ago? Visiting the CHAMAGNE CELLARS. We live literally right next to one of the world's biggest champagne producers. They sell 5 million bottles a year. And so what did we do when they offered us our free glass of champagne? We had white grape juice..... it was alright I guess. Then we had a little lesson with Fred by the cathedral, then we bought train tickets, then we renewed our bus passes for June, then we came to talk to our FAMMMMILIES :) I love you guys. I am sure missing a lot of good stuff back there. Making it world famous in the Cleveland magazine?? Riding trains across the states? MULCHING THE FRONT YARD??? I'm missin' big time. Oh Well. One year and seventeen day will be gone way too soon I'm sure. All though it's true like you said, it does seem like forever ago that I left. But then again it has gone soooo fast. That's cool that the Cleveland magazine said that you have a son on a mission in France. Dang right you have a son on a mission in France!! He is working his skinny little butt off. Speaking of "skinny" though, I have gained about 15 pounds on my mission. JUST KIDDING. Of course I haven't. I haven't gained or lost an ounce since I've been a missionary. Thanks for giving me an agreeable metabolism.

This week I got to go on an exchange with Elder Hales and Elder Godfrey in Amiens (cool cool city up north). Elder Hales, Elder Godfrey, and I were all in the same mtc group and us three would always day dream about getting to serve in a tripanionship when we were *gasp* actually in France. And so last week a lot of crazy stuff happened that resulted in us three going on an exchange. What are the odds. We made a traditional french Tartiflette for dinner to celebrate... except maybe it wasn't all too traditional because we like tripled the amounts of bacon and cheese. We're missionaries :) So it was a way fun exchange but I am happy as a clam to be back in my favorite city with my favorite companion. Unfortunately we've probably only got another week and a half left as companions because we've been together for two transfers and it's about time for Elder Pieper to leave his blue ville (he's been here for 6 months).

So remember those glory days when we lived in Fulmer, England for a couple years? Well since then I had never met anyone that knows about the little village of Fulmer -until this week, and I met two of them! One day we were walking up a little cobblestone road in between our house and the bus stop and I heard some British people speaking English. "Oh boy!" I though to my self. So I put on my most thoroughly convincing British accent and asked the blokes whereabouts they were from. "England!" they said. "Brilliant!! I replied. "I live in Windsor!" "So do we!" They said. I was like "Do you know the village of Fulmer?!" And of course they did so I had to regress back into my blunt American accent and tell them that I wasn't really British so that they didn't start asking me questions. They told me they never would've know though. Hmp. So proud of myself. And then also there is an Irish boy in Reims for a couple weeks and Windsor was his first area on his mission (Slough Ward). Soooo, yes.

I am currently exchanging emails with Jordan. I miss him. Our conversation is... well... yes. AND JORDAN FINISHED THE BOOK OF MORMON IN LESS THAN FOUR WEEKS!!! Okayyyyyy: confession time... After 6 weeks I am still only in 3 Nephi. I've been in 3 Nephi for about 2 weeks. We got really busy there for a while and then I never went back and made up everything I missed, and then I just kind of got discouraged, and now I'm chugging along at a less than stellar speed. Just goes to show that the youngest children really are all that and a bag of chips. I will finish soon though :) Speaking of the Book of Mormon. We were in a rendez-vous with a girl the other day and she was telling us how much she likes "well-being books." So we said well "here is one well-being book to rule them all." ...or something like that.

This is week 6 of the transfer. We are on pace to get 100 lessons for the whole transfer, but it's going to have to be a busy week. It feels so good when there is missionary work to do! Hurrah for Israel! Also, watch this http://radio.lds.org/Joseph?lang=eng

I love you to the sun and back.

Love Benny Boy Elder Coburn

ps: don't drink champagne. just grape juice.