Saturday, August 16, 2014

In which I Explain the Situation and Give You the Warm Fuzzies. La Version Française: Une Explication où J’explique la situation et vous donner les ‘Furets Chauds’ (Ne vous inquietez pas. C’est une expression bizarre en anglais qui veut dire < réchauffer le cœur> Je vais pas vous nuire!)


In which I Explain the Situation and Give You the Warm Fuzzies. La Version Française: Une Explication où J’explique la situation et vous donner les ‘Furets Chauds’ (Ne vous inquietez pas. C’est une expression bizarre en anglais qui veut dire < réchauffer le cœur> Je vais pas vous nuire!)


Hello there. It’s been a week and a half since I got home and even longer since I’ve given anyone an update. In all honesty, what happened in the last week of my mission was a blur and I didn’t actually think I’d be sent home seven weeks early because of a health problem. I don’t want to talk about that over the internet, so I appreciate no one asking questions. It was nothing serious and I could have stayed out in the mission field, but my mission president felt really strongly that I should come home a little early, get healthy, and get ready for the new semester. It was nothing exciting or dramatic. That’s all that happened really.
I thought a lot about how I wanted to make my last post an accurate rendering of how I felt about my mission, and  I decided to share a brief testimony and give updates on some the people you got to read about over the past year and a half that I haven’t mentioned in a while.

Okay….



Beauty: Unfortunately, she still has not made the effort to be baptized, but she still is close friends with some of the greatest members in the Dijon ward. I will never forget her beautiful Nigerian prayers that were so intense, you didn’t really know what to do with yourself during them. (This is a picture with our Ward Mission Leader as well...it was his birthday...)










The Philipes: I hope everyone remembers these lovely Brazilians. Another sad story, they still have not been able to get married and Nice has long since stopped coming to church because of language barriers and her timid personality, but the family is still being visited by the missionaries and is being prayed for.



The Mudarras: INCREDIBLE! Remember the couple in my second area that was exactly like my grandparents, the member and her husband who hasn’t accepted the gospel for thirty one years? Well, their grandson happens to be a missionary in the mission as well, and we got the chance to speak a couple times before I left. He told me that a little after I left Carcassonne, the missionaries were able to make it over to their home again and Soeur Mudarra caught her husband sneaking a peek in the Book of Mormon outside in their garden. That man is so getting baptized, it’s not even funny. And they’re so cute….




Isaac: The sisters are still working with him. He has a lot of worries and a hard time coming to church. He needs lot of prayers.


Maria and her family: Maria has been able to stay in the country and still comes to church! She has been able to get her family to church several times as well and is a big support for all of them to stop smoking. She was recently diagnosed with diabetes and Carmen with hepatitis. Their family is getting throttled with opposition right now and needs lots of prayers to keep their amazing faith and endurance. The good news is that Maria has been able to find a job and can provide food for the family.



BérangèreShe is the biggest miracle of my mission. This is the woman that came back after twelve years of being inactive. She has, since I left Clermont-Ferrand, taken initiative and organized weekly activities with all of the single adults in the ward and has been happily seeking ways of how she can get more involved in church and learn more about the scriptures. I love her so much. I never met someone more like me on my mission. She also has found herself a nice mormon man who was baptized at the beginning of this year. It has been such a blessing seeing all of this fall into place for her.


The Clermont-Ferrand ward: Still awesome. And still my favorite ward.
(See below for awesome photos)

I have to say that there has never been a more eye-opening, more rewarding, more difficult, more invigorating, more frustrating, more satisfying experience I have had in my life than my mission. I miss the feeling of being so close to my Savior every day. It’s something that missionaries sometimes take for granted. I can say, with full and unshaking confidence, that there is a God who has planned things out so carefully for us, because He loves us.  There isn’t a single thing that disproves that. I have stacks of proof, in my journals, in my mission photos, in letters I’ve received and written, in the actual written words of God and his prophets. This knowledge doesn’t change my trials, but has definitely made the weight they bear on my shoulders easier to carry; knowing that all will be made right through Christ’s sacrifice, knowing that we have divine lineage, knowing that there is meaning in our family relationships, in our actions, and in our entire existence.  It’s pretty neat actually. And I intend to live by this principles for a very, very long time.

ET MAINTENTANT.........................

Bonjour! ça fait une semaine et demi depuis que je suis rentré chez moi et meme plus que je vous donnais de nouvelle. Honnêtement, tout ce qui c’est passé pendant la dernière semaine de ma mission est flou et je crois toujours que je pourrais rester dans la champ de mission. Ce n’est rien de serieux, mais mon president de mission a ressenti fortement que c’est le temps pour moi de rentrer, guerir, et préparer pour le nouveau semestre de l’universite. Et je le crois. Tout simplement.

J’ai réfléchi beaucoup sur comment je voudrais écrire ma dernière entrée qui peut illustrer mes vrais sentiments de ma mission. Alors, je vais vous rendre un petit témoignage et vous mettre au courant de toutes les personnes que vous avez entendu parlé pendant cette dernière année et demi.
Alors….

Beauty: Elle était ma première amie de l’église en mission à Dijon. Elle ne s’est pas encore fait baptisé, mais elle est toujours des bons amis avec les meilleurs membres de la paroisse là-bas.




La famille Philipe: L’une de mes familles prefers dans le monde. Malheuresement, ils n’ont pas encore trouvé un moyen de se marier et Nice a arrête d’aller à l’église à cause de la barrière de la langue et son personnalité timide. Ils sont toujours visité par les soeurs.




La famille Mudarra: INCROYABLE. Leur petit-fils est un missionnaire dans la mission aussi par hazard et on a parlé plusiers fois avant que je suis partie . Il m’a dit qu’après j'etais muté de Carcassonne, les missionnaire ont visité chez eux encore et soeur Mudarra a vu son mari(qui n’est pas un membre) dans le jardin dehors leur maison en train de LIRE LE LIVRE DE MORMON!!! Un jour, il va être membre. Sans doute.  Ma grand mère est converti depuis troiante deux ans et Mon grand père depuis sept ans. C’est possible.




Issac: Les soeurs travillent toujours avec lui. Il a beaucoup des soucis et du mal à venir à l’église. Il a besoins des prières.







Maria et sa famille: Maria a pu rester dans le pays et vient toujours à l'église! Elle a pu apporter sa famille à l'église plusieurs fois et elle est un grand soutien pour chacun d'eux à cesser de fumer. Elle a récemment été diagnostiqué avec le diabète et Carmen avec l'hépatite. Leur famille a beaucoup de l'opposition en ce moment et a besoin de beaucoup de prières pour garder leur foi et l'endurance. Les bonnes nouvelles sont que Maria a reussi de trouver un emploi et peut acheter de la nourriture pour la famille.






Bérangère: Elle est le plus grand miracle de ma mission. C'est la femme qui est revenue après douze ans d'être inactif. Elle a, depuis que j'ai quitté Clermont-Ferrand, pris l’initiative et organisé des activités hebdomadaires avec tous les adultes célibataires dans la paroisse et en train de chercher des façons de comment elle peut s'impliquer davantage dans l'Église et apprendre plus sur les Écritures. Je l'aime tellement. Je n'ai jamais rencontré quelqu'un de plus comme moi sur ma mission. Elle s'est également trouvé un homme mormon qui a été baptisé au début de cette année. Il a été une telle bénédiction de voir tout cela tomber en place pour elle.


La Paroisse de Clermont-Ferrand: Toujours cool. Toujours ma paroisse préféré.
La Famille Villierme, Yan Ming, et nous

Les Hughes et Soeur Burton

Armand et sa belle famille


Les Cool Obrechts

Le plus mignon couple du monde, les Canonicis

i La familia Estrada!

Des très cools personnes

Thibaud et Lisa :)

Je dois dire qu'il n'y a jamais eu de plus révélateur, plus gratifiant, plus revigorant, de plus frustrant, plus difficile, plus satisfaisante experience que j'ai eu dans ma vie que ma mission. La sensation d'être si près de mon Sauveur tous les jours me manque. C'est quelque chose que les missionnaires prennent parfois pour acquis. Je peux dire avec confiance pleine et incassable, qu'il ya un Dieu qui a prévu les choses avec tant de soin pour nous, parce qu'il nous aime. Il n'y a pas une seule chose qui infirment. J'ai des piles de la preuve, dans mes journaux, dans mes photos de la mission, en lettres que j'ai reçu et écrit, dans les mots écrits réels de Dieu et ses prophètes. Cette connaissance ne change pas mes épreuves, mais a certainement fait le poids qu'ils portent sur ​​mes épaules plus faciles à transporter; sachant que tout sera justifié  grace au sacrifice du Christ, sachant que nous avons un potentiel divin, sachant qu'il ya un sens dans nos relations familiales, dans nos actions, et dans toute notre existence. C'est cool, n’est pas? Et j’ai l'intention de vivre en ce principes pour une très, très longtemps.

Sœur Green

Friday, August 1, 2014

For All My Petites Chou Chous.

Well, Zone Conference was this week...............IN THE TINY CITY OF MONTAUBAN! This was the first conference ever held in this city because our chapel is so small. Normally we go to Toulouse, but the APs asked me for the address and a few phone numbers at the beginning of the transfer and we had been planning this conference ever since. It went so well, minus our microphone not working; but other than that, it was just peaches and berries, my friends.


FACTS I LEARNED:
  • If you ask an elder for some batteries so that your microphone can work for a conference with your mission president, chances are he will give you dead ones and everyone who gives a discourse has to scream from the podium for three hours.
  • If you tell your twenty five year old ward mission leader who wants to immigrate to America for his studies that the epitome of American culture is "The Princess Bride," chances are he will rebuke you for wasting his time and money at your next meeting. We're still friends.
  • If you live with a German for three weeks, chances are she will make you the most delicious apple pancakes often and ruin your workout routine that is made for people who are in better shape. My thighs are cursing you, blasted carbohydrates!!!
  • We can play uno every Sunday afternoon with the old people in the retirement home down the street from our apartment. Score.


I want to make it known that I only have nine weeks left in France, but only for this reason: Things are picking up. My German schwester and I have been teaching and teaching and talking to people and doing service and teaching some more. After Elder Andersen came to Nice, I took up his advice and started to work towards having more faith and looking for miracles. "Do not live your mission without miracles!" You can never put a limit to them. I'm working for more.

I love you, my petites chou chous. Have a lovely week.

Sœur Green

Intense FHE with some members and their neighbor. Played some uno...
Voilà, the curvature of the earth.
La Française. Great place to play uno.

I drew a caricature of myself during our nightly planning session...
and succeeded....

Sunday, July 27, 2014

"I'm Happy Like a Schnitzel!!!"


The title of this brief expression of thought is brought to you by Sœur Reichelt, my beloved German companion. And, yes. It is a phrase that is used in modern colloquial context in the eastern regions of Germany. 


Well, besides biking forty kilometers to teach a girl who wasn't interested in engaging herself in our lessons, this week was fantastic!!! Before leaving the chapel on Sunday, we prayed for a miracle. And, God being a God of miracles, gave us one. AND IT WAS INCREDIBLE. We had a lot of time after church to go contacting because one of our lessons fell through and I decided to show Sœur Reichelt the pretty parts of Montauban. Turns out God planned that for us anyway, because we met Roman and Daniella, a fourteen year old boy and his mother from Bulgaria. This boy is incredible. He learned how to speak English from watching television and is fluent, so we explained to him who we were and what the Book of Mormon was. I wish his reaction was caught on film. He was so open and excited! He said he has found his faith recently and that he has so many questions that need answers. After we exchanged information with his mother and set up a time to pass by them Thursday, the boy looked at us and said that this was a miracle. We prayed with them right then and there on the street and they were so touched. I even got to use the one Bulgarian word I learned in Bordeaux :) (Blogodaria!!...phonetically spelled, of course). Agh!!! The church is so true, it's not even funny.



Top five Sœur Reichelt quotes thus far:
  • "I hope lightning strikes them when they're sitting on the toilet...."
  • "Don't disturb my skirt!!!"
  • "Sorry, maybe I'm too German but that's not going to happen..."
  • (Talking to a broken printer) "Are you making jokes with me?!"
  • "Please remind me to remember that word." (English language study)






Before forty kilometers




and after.




On the way back from the lesson, little Sœur Green had to take a break and take pictures in a nearby field.




Oh, I forgot to mention that after biking for two hours in the afternoon, the wheel broke off the front of my (borrowed) bike and I had to carry it through a strip of outdoor restaurants of staring people in centerville.




But, lo. Our ward mission leader came by and fixed my bike today before I have to give it back to the person who lent it to me.  Repentance works!

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

I've Only Got Five Minutes Before We Go to the Train Station, so....

I've Only Got Five Minutes Before We Go to the Train Station, so....


This has probably been the most stressful day I've had in a while, so I'll briefly tell about the miracle week we had before today, haha. I've only got five minutes before we go to the train station, so....
Highlight number 1: We just got a referral from the sisters in Bordeaux......and guess where this girl is from. Yeah. Deutschland, baby.
Highlight number 2: We celebrated Bastille Day with our dear buddy, Sœur Korpal. We got permission to stay and watch the fireworks until twelve. 

Highlight number 3: We had an older couple come to church on Sunday and they want us to come over anytime. And they are totally normal, kind people! They don't want our money or to talk about America. They are actually interested in the gospel!!!!!
Kay. Gotta go. Love you all. Peace and blessings. Sœur Green

Yay France! And Germany! And America!



Got a high five from the cutest kid in the world basically. Be jealous.

Worst photo I've taken on my mission...but evidence of our joy...

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

I'll Give You a Hint: I'm Serving with a Citizen from the Winning Country Against France this Past Week.

 I'll Give You a Hint: I'm Serving with a Citizen from the Winning Country Against France this Past Week.


GUTEN TAG. AGAIN. Staying in Montauban for round two, except only this time I'm serving with my second German! Das ist gute. Her name is Sœur Reichelt and she is on fire. She kind of scares me a little actually (haha.......). With that said, we will have a total of four baptisms this transfer. We are teaching a family that has a date for the 15th of August and they are having to climb some painful obstacles. Please pray for the Tomasin (Tom-ah-zahne) family :) There are going to be crazy miracles this transfer.


FACTS I LEARNED: 
  • I'm old in the mission. Don't know when that happened. I'm practically in the missionary retirement home.
  • In the missionary retirement home, you have to work really hard to keep your mind sharp and your muscles from atrophying away.
  • The senior couple, the Burtons, in Clermont Ferrand is getting transferred to NICEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CLERMONT WILL NEVER BE THE SAME!!
  • In good news, one of the little boys I taught in Clermont got baptized this Saturday!! I am so, so happy :)

Sœur Green



Here's the little tike :) I'm so sad I didn't get to be there.
Sœur Grunke told me that the whole family was crying and more than half the ward showed up.


After transfer calls, Sœur Caldwell and I treated ourselves to our first restaurant experience in over a year.
She is happily serving in the city of Tarbes now.
Also, I discovered that I needed to relearn restaurant etiquette. haha


Oh, and let me tell you how great it is to celebrate the Forth of July with an eighty year old French woman.
It is great.

We lost some really good missionaries in our district this transfer.
Here's a tribute to Elder Peel, whose head is cut off in the photo unfortunately. Huzzah!


Our good friends, the Tomasins. August 15th guys.
This family will be a blessing to this branch.


We had an activity on Sunday were we made cookies with a few families...and we caught this little guy licking the dough off the roller. Thankfully we bless the food before we eat it.


Couldn't resist posting this photo of one of our member families.
The World Cup here is even bigger than the superbowl in America.
Amplify our enthusiasm by twelve thousand. People even get off work early to go home and watch it.

Monday, June 30, 2014

"Why U Have First Same Name?"

Wow this week... Lots of of items checked off my bucket list. Started teaching a man from Madagascar named Dieudonné. Direct translation: "God given". He was a miracle when we found him; we stopped him on the street after two hours of being rejected. God gave us this new investigator, truly. Also, we played a heated match of soccer at a church activity against our ward mission leader, our second counselor in the branch presidency, and this Afganistani guy that we invited two weeks ago to our English class. I know all the secrets of how to play like a European/Asian now, so watch out. The Afghan texted us after and was asking us really funny questions in broken English.  


Unfortunately, we will not be having a baptism this transfer, given that we get our transfer calls in five days and our investigators have dropped us like flies because of smoking problems or laziness about coming to church. And that's okay. I've learned so much this transfer and have gotten the hang of working with a tiny branch. There are some incredible members here and I can't wait to work more with them.


Sœur Green

Spent some time with this beautiful family on Saturday in a city that's far away.
They waited until the train rolled away to go back to their car.
I love these people like family. :)

As close as I'll get to Iceland for now.


Haha....yeah....only when I'm a missionary does this happen....


Sœur Caldwell hit her year mark!! We celebrated with sticky ice cream in a frozen lemon,
using plastic spoons we asked for at a bakery, by a canal. It was quite glamorous.


Excuse my demented expression. This was when we visited a less-active member and surprised her with some pastries. She announced this week that she started her plan to stop smoking! She will be completely done in six months!!! She is another member of my Montauban family :)




We trained a couple young adults how to use Preach My Gospel for a FHE activity and they taught us a beautiful lesson on how to recognize the Spirit. Sœur Green gave herself a short haircut and got a nice tan.




I was going through Sœur Caldwell's camera and found a series of photos of me taking pictures of roadkill.
I have changed a lot on my mission, but I'm still the same person...




My favorite picture of the week:  drawn by the little girl that you see in the first picture.
She taught us how to walk like gymnasts. :)