Decmeber 9, 2013

Hey y'all back home I cannot believe that is has been another week and today I found out that I am STAYING in MULHOUSE for six more weeks and that Elder Johnson is leaving. It is weird that I stayed and he left but oh well that is life as a missionary. This past week was great we had another one of our investigators follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized. It was great so let’s start at the beginning of the week. So Monday was just another great p-day. I loved it. We chilled all day looking at stores and more of the Christmas market and doing emails. We did some cleaning and relaxed it felt really good. Then we had a Family home evening scheduled but the family called us and said they were at the hospital with their daughter who might be having her baby so we had to change our schedule at the last minute. But we ended up seeing Marjan that night and finished up the lessons with him and now we are preparing him for the Baptism interview questions. Then on Tuesday we had our last District Meeting of the transfer. After that we had another lesson with Marjan going over the questions with him that he would be asked the next day for his interview. Then we did some contacting and then met with Ricky and had a great lesson with him. Then we just did some porting that night and that was our day. Then on Wednesday we had lunch with a family in the ward so that was super fun. Then we had Marjan's interview for his baptism and he passed and is ready for Friday! After the interview we had some time to do some contacting. Then we came back to the church and had our big Family Night with all of our investigators and we watched a movie about the Book of Mormon. It was about how this Italian guy found it with not title or name on it and he spent most of his life looking for the church it was really cool. Then on Thursday it was a holiday it was called St. Nicholas day and it’s not Santa but another guy that comes and gives gifts to the kids and the French it a ton on this day. It is mostly sweets. We did some contacting then Elder Johnson had to give an interview for the one of the Sisters investigators who was getting baptized on Friday as well. After the interview we had a lesson with Ricky. Then we finished the night eating at a Family's house. Let me tell there was tons of food and it was all so good! We just stuffed our faces. It was fun. Then on Friday we had weekly planning then DMP meeting. Then we had a baptism service for TWO people our investigator and the sister's investigator. It was an awesome service and the members were super happy as well. We sang at the service, all four missionaries. It was really fun, and the spirit was super strong at the meeting, it was perfect. Then Saturday we pretty much worked doing contacting and knocking on doors all day. Nothing exciting really happened that day just a lot of work trying to find more people to teach. Then on Sunday we had church and Marjan received the Holy Ghost. It was so cool to see him smiling and bright after it and he told us he felt entirely like a new person. After church we had a lunch with a Family and with their less active son and it was a really good time for all of us because the members told us that what we talked about and how their son reacted was an answer to their prayers so we will be seeing him some more. Then after lunch we did some contacting then some porting then went and saw Marjan as a new convert it was super to see him and all the change. He truly is a new person. And that was my awesome week.

Novemeber 25, 2013

Hey y'all this week was super fun and full of fun memories for me so let’s hope I can share them with y'all. So on Monday it was a normal p-day. We left the apartment at 10 and got all of our shopping done by 10:30. Then we went to the ZOO. It was the second time for me but the first for Elder Johnson. There was not a single soul at the park. We were seriously the only ones and the animals were all out and being animals because there was nobody there. I have pictures to share with y'all as well. Then after the zoo we did emails and looked at some stores and then did some contacting. Then we went over to Patrick's and ate dinner with him and taught him and Marjan, another investigator. Then on Tuesday we had district meeting. After district meeting I headed up to Strasbourg for an exchange and it was super fun but it rained like the whole time. It is getting very cold here! It’s like a high each day is 5°C! Yea not fun for a Missionary who is from Texas. So I got to see a lot of Strasbourg and it is amazing and HUGE!!! Then on Wednesday I hit my 9 month mark since being a missionary! I can’t believe how fast the time is flying. That it has almost been a year since I entered the MTC!!!! Well so after my exchange in Strasbourg we headed back to Mulhouse and then I headed to Belfort for another exchange yea!!!! So we got to Belfort with just enough time to eat and do some porting. While we were out porting it was the last door we knocked on and it was a young family and they let us in and we prayed with them and had a great lesson. Then on Thursday it SNOWED!!!!!! We woke up to see snow everywhere and it was still snowing. I could not believe what I was seeing but we still did missionary work. We did a service project and some contacting then headed home to Mulhouse where we then taught Ricy at the church and that was Thursday. Friday was a day filled with normal Friday stuff like weekly planning and DMP meeting. We also taught lessons to our investigators Marjan and Ricky and that was really our day. It also snowed some more that day. Yea! This is going to be great. It’s FREEZING here in France!!!!!!!! Then on Saturday we did some contacting in the snow, taught a lesson to Marjan and Patrick and finished up our weekly planning and had time to go porting. But sadly no fun experiences porting because nobody answered. Really so we did not get to talk to a bunch of people. Then Sunday we had church and Patrick received the Aaronic priesthood!!!!!! And we found a family they just came to church it was incredible. Then after church we talked to this family. That night we saw Ricky again and Marjan getting them ready for their baptisms and that was our fun week.

November 11, 2013

Hey y'all back home hope y'all had a great week I had the best week it was super fun and super spiritual as well if that is a surprise for the life of a missionary.

Okay so on Monday it was nothing special just the usual p-day activities such as cleaning, shopping, eating, and emails. After emails we got a chance to look around Mulhouse. They are starting to decorate since the region of Alsace is very well known for Christmas. Just by looking at what they are doing it looks super cool. After p-day we had a lesson with Ricky and after that a lesson with Patrick getting him ready for his interview for his baptism. On Tuesday after the normal morning we went out contacting and talked to some funny people who were very impressed that there were two American boys speaking very good French in Mulhouse. They just got a huge kick out of it! When we brought up the church they immediately stopped talking almost like magic. Then we had a kebab for lunch and then met Patrick and helped him with something. We taught him after and showed him lds.org. It was very cool. After that we had a lesson with Christope and Patrick came to it and he invited him to his Baptism. I tell you guys this man is amazing! That night we had a less active lesson and that was it. On Wednesday we had district meeting, lunch and then we did an exchange. Elder Johnson went up to Strasbourg and I stayed in Mulhouse with one of the Zone leaders. That night we did Patrick's baptism interview and he passed with flying colors which we knew he would!! Then we spent the rest of the night contacting and having fun. On Thursday we finished up our exchange and then headed up to Strasbourg and I got Elder Johnson back. Then we headed back to Mulhouse. When we got here we ran to the doctor's office for Elder Johnson. After that we headed over to Patrick's house where we ate pizza and had an awesome lesson and talked about his baptism. Then on Friday we had a fun mangez vous with a member for lunch. After that we headed over to the church and cleaned out the baptism font because it was kinda of gross and had not been used for over a year! Then we made the baptism programs and then came the big moment. Members starting showing up then Elder Johnson and Patrick changed and we started. I had to give the talk about the baptism which was very nerve racking but it went super well. Then Patrick was baptized. It was such a neat baptism and the spirit was super strong. Then on Saturday we headed up to Nancy because we had stake conference. We were there Saturday and Sunday and we spent the night at a MEMBERS home in Nancy. It was a super cool and also very weird experience but we had great time. The conference was amazing! That was our week. After the conference we came home but got home pretty late so Sunday night we headed back to the apartment and ate and planned.

Pics Pics and more Pics!

This was the district meeting where we Flan Sucked, so you see those things on our plate yea we just sucked them up and that is how we ate them, sounds like fun right? 

 This is Sarah she is a member in the ward that works for that computer company I was telling you about and she reminds me of Meesha.

Not a bad view for this house right? 

This is a picture I took while out porting and it looked very pretty.

Saw this field when porting  Where is Elder Allen?

We went to the zoo!!!   This was a pretty part in the zoo i liked it.

 The Tigers!!!!!!

The penguins I thought it was weird that they were not in a cold habitat but oh well! I think they enjoyed it. 

They had a little alligator. He was so cute.

The girl lion

 The male Lion

Here are the Zebras of course

So we had the zone leaders at this meeting but its fine. This was my district minus the two guys who are right next to me .The top Elder Dussiere(he is French and zone leader), me, Elder Schultz(zone leader), Elder Lee (Tahitian), Elder Pierre (Tahitian)   bottom Soeur Jackson, Elder Whatcott, and Soeur Hafen 

September 21. 2013

Hey y'all back home. I hope all is going well. Everything is super here in France. It’s starting to get cool and the leaves are changing. It’s pretty great to be in a place where fall happens when it is suppose to and not in December! But that just means it’s going to get very cold, great. Anyways my week …

Monday was great. Just the normal stuff in the morning. It was a surprise when we got to emails to find out that Elder Whatcott was leaving because we both thought he was going to stay one more transfer! But it was fun after that we did some packing and got haircuts and ate dinner. Then we went and visited some of our amis to say goodbye and also teach. It was a fun night with some tears and pictures and of course the spirit. I love teaching these people about the gospel. It is amazing how simple it is and yet blesses us so much and to see people feel the spirit so strong that they know everything we are saying is true. It is one of the best parts of being a missionary 

Tuesday was awesome. Elder Whatcott finished packing in the morning. We then left and got the tickets for our train tomorrow then we ate lunch with a member family from the ward. They made spaghetti it was very good. We then taught another lesson with one of our amis and Elder Whatcott said goodbye and we got a picture of course. Then we had dinner then left for Belfort where we stayed the night before Transfers 

Wednesday Today was transfer day. We got on a train headed for Paris. Then we dropped of our old companions at the church and I met my new one. His name is Elder Johnson. He is from Utah and he is the oldest in his family of 4. He has 2 brothers and 1 sister and he is great. He is only one transfer ahead of me. Then we got on our long train back, ate diner, and then did some porting. We met Zorica and her family and taught a lesson with them and that was that day.

Thursday We woke up and did the normal workout, ate breakfast, showered, and of course my favorite part studying. It was a blast. Then the Chastons came over and fixed our door. We ate lunch and then went out and did some contacting and some porting so I could show Elder Johnson more of Mulhouse. Then we taught Laurent at the church, ate dinner and finished up the night with some porting. It was a great day.

Friday was a very busy day with DMP meeting and then weekly planning and transfer planning but we did have some time to do some contacting and we even found this new guy and this family from Brazil who we are going to start teaching. It was amazing. 

Saturday we helped this family move from their apartment into a house. It took a while but it was a great service and we had some fun. Then after that we did some contacting and then taught a lesson to Mona and Idris.  Elder Johnson got to meet them as well and he is getting better with knowing our amis and Mulhouse which is super. We are loving our time together 


Sunday was church and it was a great sacrament. The only thing that would have made it better is if we had our amis there. grrr why don't they come? Anyways Elder Johnson got to meet our members.  I just gave out all the cards I have left. They are a hit here! The members love them so much. It is great! We also ate lunch with some members after church then the rest of the night we did porting and taught some lessons. It was a great first week for the transfer. 

September 16, 2013

Well I’m in my 5th transfer now and I know what’s going to happen this transfer and sadly Elder Whatcott is leaving me so I am getting a new companion who I will tell you about next week. Mais pour cette semaine alors.......(But for this week ….)

Lundi- for our wonderful p-day we did the usual stuff like shopping and cleaning and studies and of course emails. After all that we mailed home something that Elder Whatcott needed to mail home and that took a long time. I bought a new journal because I filled up my last one and this one is called moleskin.  They are very cool and this one is a DISNEY one! It’s got Mickey Mouse on it. It’s so cool. Then we just relaxed outside because it was a nice day eating ice cream. Then we had diner. We did some porting which was nice and we had a blast singing hymns dancing in the rain.  It was fun and we got to talk to some people which was nice.

Mardi- Today was the last district meeting of the transfer so it was fun. After district meeting me and Elder Whatcott did some porting up around the church. We had a rendezvous with Michelle one of our amis (friends) then we did some more porting up in Riexheim. We are really trying to find families and people to teach.  Then we had dinner with the Burri family oh and she loves your cards like LOVES them. She loved the Texas one I gave them this time and that was our day.

Mercredi- Well today was not that fun. We had studies and then we had a rendezvous but he called us and said he could not meet again. That was frustrating. It’s starting to get cold which kind of stinks but oh well. We had lunch then the senior couple up in Nancy came by and visited our apartment to check it out and fix a couple of things. Then we spent the rest of the night at a rendezvous and traveling from one to the next. It was a busy day too. It ended nice but it was just really cold.

Jeudi- I woke up very sick so we stayed in the apartment all day and I slept. I was very sick. I think with the flu or something like that but it was not fun. I just hope I did not get Elder Whatcott sick from me being sick haha. 

Vendredi- was great we did weekly planning and we also had DMP meeting and we visited some less actives.  I love teaching our less actives because they have such strong testimonies just they forget the small things that really help strengthen our testimonies like praying, reading the scriptures and going to church.  When we prayed and read the scriptures they got so excited and the spirit is so strong and each time they say wow! I forgot how I felt when I read or pray.

Samedi- was filled with tons of porting and more lessons and in fact we did a lot of porting it was insane. We did some porting in this lovely area it was so pretty and you could see the mountains it was nice. We also saw this Star Wars house it seriously looks like it came from the movie it’s so funny.

Dimanche- well last Sunday so it was great we had an ami named Ricky come to church with us and ten after we did some more porting then taught Mona and Idris our young family we just talked about Jesus Christ and having faith and what is faith. It was awesome! We even used pictures for the kids they loved it and it was a great lesson. 

And well that was my week and next week is going to be a new adventure with a new companion. I am excited. 

August 19, 2013

Howdy y’all,

I hope everybody had a great week and all that. I had a great week it was full of fun, teaching, and following the spirit and seeing miracles. Okay so let’s start at the beginning.......

Monday was my first p-day at the church and it was pretty great so we did studs then cleaned the apartment which did not take very long. Then we did our shopping then lunch and emails. After emails we went looking at all the churches here in Mulhouse. They are very big and very pretty. Then we met the Elders in Colmar, a city just north of us. So we met them because Elder T. and I are in the same MTC group so we had to do Belgium Legality again. Elder T., the sister missionaries in Mulhouse, and I left that night for Paris because we had to stay the night and Elder W. and the other Elder Allen worked in Mulhouse. The train ride was long but fun and we ended up getting to Paris at 8:45pm. We had to get from the train station all the way to the Paris Zone leader's apartment because that is where we were staying. Let me tell you I am so thankful for my memory because I was able to get us there through the metros and the streets of Paris. All because I have been there one time before when I did my France Legality. So we got to the apartment at 8:58 yea very close! Then we just went to bed. Tuesday  Elder T. and I left the apartment and went back to the gare where the train left at 10:30 for Belgium. I got to see all my friends back from the MTC again. It was super fun and a great reunion for us all. Belgium was fun they took us to the same places so there is nothing really big there. After Belgium we left to go back to Paris. We got in Paris around 7:00 so we could not go back to Mulhouse till the next morning. So we stayed in Paris and did some work in Paris. We did some contacting and we met this Mormon couple from Colorado in Paris. They were here on vacation and they screamed ELDERS!!!! Very loud so when we heard that we could tell they were not French and definitely members. They were so happy to see us! hahah just love members!!! Then that was our night in Paris. On Wednesday we woke up very early because we had to be in Colmar by 10:30 for our district meeting so we took another long train. We had a great district meeting. Then I went on an exchange, because my companion is district leader. I will be doing these a lot. So this exchange was with the Zone Leaders so I got to meet Elder S. and he is a very funny Elder and we worked in good ole Mulhouse and it was very fun. We met this amazing guy who is totally ready for the gospel that night. On Thursday we taught the guy and he is awesome. At lunch the exchange was finished and I was with Elder W. again. Then that night we had our meeting with our ward mission leader. On Friday was full of weekly planning and we had 5 rendezvous in one day. It was insane. Then Saturday was fun. We had a ward picnic and we had our investigators come to that. It was a great time for our investigators to get to know the members. Then we had 4 more rendezvous that night. I was super tired by the time we got home. Then Sunday we had Church. Then after church we had lunch at the B. family's home, they are the family that is from San Palo Brazil. They are really cool and they made us this meal called chilli carcarna. I think that is how you spell it, any ways it was very good. They live in the tour of Europe, this huge tower in the middle of Mulhouse with an amazing view of the city.

Well that was my week I hope you enjoyed it and enjoy the picture I took of my night in PARIS!!!!

The mountains in the back are the Black Forest in GERMANY!!

The view from the Tour of Europe

May 13, 2013

Okay so this last week had its ups and downs. Monday after emails we went to the apartment and I wrote Jared and Rachel back. Then we took a nap a much needed nap. I love P-days! Then at 6:00 we went out to go porting and nobody wanted to do anything with us. We got to thinking that we need to have rendezvous in the nights because we schedule them in the middle of the day and we should also try to get a F.H.E at a member’s home. So the next day we had a district meeting, last one for my first transfer!  It was awesome. My district leader Elder A. is super cool and super funny. We got this funny farewell because of transfers. After the district meeting we left the soeurs because they were getting the car. Yes we have a car and no I do not drive it yet. I don’t have a license here in France and it is stick shift which is really hard to even watch somebody drive let alone drive it oh la la. So we left the soeurs and we came back to Vannes and we had a rendezvous set up but we went to the wrong house. Then we could not find it so we called D. up and he said no problem just come by next week. We said okay and then this lady stopped us on the road and started talking and she agreed to meet with us. Because she was single we gave her to the soeurs but it was cool that she was totally prepared by the Lord. Then Wednesday we went porting and we ported this house with an old guy who name was Monisuer Allen but he told me I pronounce my name wrong and his was right. I was like okay. He was a very nice old man and he let us in. We found out he was Lutheran and he knew of the Mormons and he said it’s great that you are here to confront the Catholics. We said we are not here just for Catholics.  We are here for everybody and we went into the first lesson just like that about the restoration and authority and the true church. He did not seem believing but we are planning on going back to see how he takes the Book of Mormon. Then that night we had a meeting with our branch mission leader. We call him a DMB and that was super fun. Thursday we went to Peaule to visit our favorite English family and we taught L. about faith. We talked about burying his weapons of rebellion like the Anti Nephi Lehis buried their weapons of war. L.needs to bury his cigarettes and he said he would it just needs more time. He does not think he can take that step of faith. Brother G. pulled out Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade movie and turned to the part where he has to take the leap of faith to save his dad and get the cup. It really helped L. out. It is amazing when members are helping the missionaries. The work moves and members are so important to missionary work. Then we did service for the G. family. We cut this huge bush so it looks good now. The G.s have this cat named Belle and Elder W. loves Belle but I am okay if she stays away from me. So after we did service the G. family fed us and while we where waiting for diner Belle came inside. Elder W. started calling her and he got on the floor so he could hold her and I was sitting on the couch. Belle came up and jumped on my lap, laid down, and I started petting her and she purred. Elder W. came up and said come here Belle come to me but she would not move. Belle does not like Elder W.. It is super funny. Friday we had weekly planning and it was fun I guess as planning can be. But it was much needed. We discussed ways to find more people and help our investigators into white. Then we went porting and nobody wanted to even say a word to us. I am getting used to doors slamming in my face. I just wish people would hear what I have to say. Saturday was fun. We had a rendezvous scheduled with this less active member but he canceled on us. We did not get the chance to meet him so we are trying to get another time with him. This elder couple came to our place to inspect our apartment and we passed and they said it looked so clean. Yes!! We then went porting and this one house we ported a girl answered and she said her parents were not home so we were like ummm what do we do. But then she said do you have a message for me about your church and we said yes. She said give it to me. So cool!  We gave her a card with our number on it and hopefully something happens with that. Then Sunday I got to go to church and did not lead the music this week. After church we got a ride with the G.s and then I Skyped you. Elder W. had to wait a couple of hours because of the time difference. After he Skyped, we ate tea, it’s what the G.s call dinner. Then we left and got back to Vannes at 8:58. Perfect timing because we made back in the apartment by 9. And that was my week.

May 6, 2013

Monday when I left the email place the elders that we were staying with for the night took us to their apartment where we ate and dropped our stuff. Then me and Elder W. high tailed it to the "The Steps of Notre Dame". That’s from Hunchback of Notre Dame in case you were wondering. Mom, this building is simply amazing! It takes my breath away every time I see it. Then Elder W said lets go inside and see inside. So we went and ohh my gosh it is gorgeous! After Notre Dame we went tie shopping for our father son ties. It is where we get matching ties. So cute right haha! Then we ran to the Eiffel tower and it is amazing and so big! Like really big! We did not get to climb it because the lines were really long but we did meet sister missionaries who were serving in the Paris area got say hi. They asked why we were here and then we met a ton of members from BYU Idaho and we got to talking with them.  Then sadly p day was over and we headed back to meet the elders we were staying with. We did some contacting and then they asked us to help clean the baptismal font because they had a baptism the next day. So that was fun and this font was huge. We then went back to the apartment and that was our day. Then on Tuesday we went to the church and met everybody I came into the field with. I got to see Elder K. and everybody else from my MTC district. It was so cool then we did our legality and I am now legal in France. Yea!! Then we got trained by the APs and then we went back to Vannes. Three hours on the train. Then on Wednesday we did some contacting in Vannes but it was so hard because it was May first and it’s a holiday here called MAY DAY. I guess it is like our veterans’ day and all because May Day sounds like what the air pilots say when they are going down. They have this white flower that they give to people who served and they wear them the entire day so we ended up porting and we talked to this lady who explained it to us. Really cool. Thursday we had our district meeting and also we met with L. and had a really good lesson with him. I think he might stop smoking. Then the G. family, they are friends of L’s they introduced us, had us over for tea, it is what they call diner, which was really good and really funny. They are the family we are going to be with when I Skype. Then Friday we did weekly planning and then met the soeurs to get our bus passes renewed. Let me tell you this story. Soeur J. is from Texas as well and she was on sister exchanges. So her original companion was not here. She had a different one and her name is Soeur M. and she is from Texas as well. Galveston to be exact. Any ways she was at this rendezvous and the lady’s dog was so excited to see the missionaries that he started to pee. They saw it on the ground and avoided that area. Then the dog came up to Soeur M. and hiked his leg up and peed on her. She felt this warm feeling and she had to keep her cool because they were still in this lady’s house. It was the funniest thing I have ever heard. The rest of the night we visited this less active and we got him to come back to church. That was exciting. Then on Saturday we did a lot of porting (door knocking) up in Sene and it was hard. Not one person let us in but they all talked to us. But not one lesson and I broke down and started crying and Elder W. came up to me and said this is hard but you are doing your best. We finished up the street we were at and then prayed to know where to go. We felt we were needed in Vannes so we caught the bus back. Then our phone rang it was E. and P. E. is one of our investigators and P. is a new convert and they said they did not have a ride to church so we tried to find a ride but nobody was back from the temple trip yet. We called them back and said we could not find a ride so they said okay and thanked us for trying, Then Sunday we totally forgot to find a ride for us so we walked to church and it took a good hour and it was super hot. Not fun let me tell ya! But church was really good. We got to listen to some awesome testimonies and had a great lesson. After church we ate dinner and did our studies. Then we went to visit E. and P. and told them what they missed and just talked about church and what we felt and we shared our testimonies. It was a very good lesson and I was so happy we went over there. Well that is all for my week!

Paris Pics

Eiffel Tower

The Largest Church in France, Notre Dame, means "Our Lady"

Some pics

Some homes in Vannes

The port

What Elder W. and I call the outer wall.

Outer Wall

Hmmm I wonder who would enjoy this store here. It is a perfume and cologne store, super cool also

I love being on the coast. It is humid here so it feels like home, but the wind is killer. It makes it feel cold but not freezing. Here is an old mansion they turned into a museum and garden.

April 29, 2013

Well I am early today! Sorry I am in Paris RIGHT NOW!!!!!! Getting myself legal in France. I will be here until Tuesday then we leave back for Vannes. So I hope the family is all doing well. Still no package but there is sister who is serving in Vannes too,from Dallas Texas,  who just got a package so I know it will come.
So Monday after emails me and Elder W. went and did some contacting around Vannes and set up a rendezvous with a member for  FHE but it fell through. So we ended up going porting with no success. Then on Tuesday we had a regular morning but we did make this chicken curry for our district meeting we had today and it was good and a huge hit at the district meeting. We had a district meeting today which was really good and loved it. Then after the district meeting the district leader went on splits with Elder W in Vannes and I went with Elder Davis in St. Brieuc.  This time we had more time so when we arrived in the city this French girl came up to us and said hey you guys are speaking English what are you doing here? We told her and she wanted to meet with us and talk in English. Then the rest of the day we went porting and a couple of people asked for us to come back later.  Super excited about that. Wednesday still in St. Brieuc and we went contacting till lunch and got some phone numbers which was cool. Then we met our companions at the gare (train station) and me and Elder W took a bus back to Vannes. Which was cool because we got to see a lot of France.  It is so beautiful here.  I love it! We then got back to Vannes then we had to go to the church for a meeting with the branch missionary leader.  We discussed missionary activities which I am really excited to see how they pan out. Thursday we taught L. and E. and they are doing great. E. is taking our lessons and understanding them and he is ready for baptism and L. is cutting down on the smoking which is a huge miracle for us. Friday was a usual Friday. We weekly planned and ate and did studies but we did some more porting and visited N. and K. our new amis (friends) and had a great lesson with them. Hopefully they come to church this week. Saturday was fun. We were doing our morning studies when the sisters called and said this guy was scaring them and following them. So we go down there and told this French guy. Now we just walk by the sœurs (sisters) apartment to just check it out.  So the rest of the day was good we went porting some more and this guy opened up this one door and I said Bonjour Madame.  Then I stopped and said to myself dang it and then said Monseiur but he already closed the door .That was fun! Then I poured out my soul to this one guy who we met and was asking us questions about the church and I shared my testimony in French. It was so cool and he took a Book of Mormon. He said give him five days and then call him up. So super excited about that!  Sunday was great!  We taught Sunday school but N. and K. did not come. Then today we rode the train and arrived in Paris and can do emails so I will have some pictures to share next week.  I can’t wait to share them next week. so have a great week and next week I will be in Vannes so we will do emails at normal time again love you so much. 
BUSES (kiss kiss) it’s the way they say hi and bye with the kissing on the cheeks things yea they totally do it haha 

April 22, 2013

So this week has been a blast let’s start at the very beginning shall we. So after emails we went home and made dinner.  We had burgers which was kind of cool. We then left the house at 6pm and we made a goal to at least give away 2 copies of Book of Mormons. So off we went and we talked to everyone and nobody wanted to hear anything.  We got really discouraged because we were not going to make our goal so we said a little prayer that at least let’s give away 1 Book of Mormon. It was 8:30 and we headed back home and we came to a cross road to turn right or go straight. We turned right and went down this street and this guy hopped out of his car and ran up to us. He said I want to join your group and we got so excited his name is L. and we gave him 1 Book of Mormon. Tuesday was our zone finding day so we spent the whole day finding people.  Well at least trying to and we talked and tried but we did spotted this one door and we met N. and his cousin K.  They are two guys from a little island near Fiji called Wallis which was really cool. So we set up another rendezvous with them and that was Tuesday. Wednesday we had my first zone conference and got to do an interview with the president and his wife and they are awesome.  I love them so much okay so this how you say there last name P. The conference was amazing and a much needed boost for us. The next days Thursday and Friday were great we met with E., an investigator who has a date for May 11th for his baptism. We also met with L. our miracle man which was really cool. Then Friday we met with L. who is doing much better with the word of wisdom and now has a baptism date also for the 11th of May.  We also met with N. and K. and they are super chill. They love hearing about Christ and the idea of eternal families. Then on Saturday we bought some cake mix and made a cake for our branch missionary leader which was cool and his wife now wants are recipe which is kind of funny because we don’t have one and all. We had our first Branch Council that day which was nice getting to talk about the missionary work and getting a plan, then Sunday was just a usual day here in Vannes. Nothing big happened.

Meeting the people in Vannes

Well what a busy week this has been, let’s start with grandpa's question Elder W. is from Azusa, CA and I am picking up on the French but it is really hard to understand some people because they talk super fast and sometimes mumble but they say the same to me so I guess it means I am now French hahaha. Okay this week was super fun. Vannes is a gorgeous city and I love it. It’s such a slow moving city. Here is some French culture for y’all, in France everything shuts down at 7:00pm so nobody is outside either. It is like a ghost town.  Nothing is opened on Sundays so that is another cool thing. On Monday when I got off we walked around and then had a diner appointment with the branch president. He fed us diner and we watched the last sessions of general conference which was really good. Then we left them a card and left. On Tuesday was my first district meeting and we had to go to Renne also. We did exchanges so I got to go to Saint Brieuc with our district leader. Renne is a beautiful city. It is like Paris just smaller and cleaner. The meeting was great. we got to know each other and discussed finding. Then we ate lunch together which was lasagna, salad, and CREPES. Man, we eat a lot of those let me tell ya! Okay after that I said goodbye to my "Father", that is what they call your trainer for elders, and left for Saint Brieuc. So Saint Brieuc is just like Vannes just north of us and is really nice. We got to contact a few people and we got a couple of numbers which was pretty exciting. Then the day was done just like that. Got to talk a little with Elder A. and he is awesome. He is super funny and really weird. I love it. The next morning we went to the train station and met my father and Elder A’s companion and we ate lunch.  I had my first kabob. It was really good but nobody knows what the meat is. It is very strange. Then we said goodbye and Elder W. and I left back for Vannes. We arrived in Vannes at 3 and got to work. We contacted a few people and got some numbers.  We gave them a call but nobody answered so we just left messages. We then ate dinner and rode the bus to the church and had our first missionary night. It is when investigators come and meet members. We give a little message and then play a game. It was pretty fun. We have two investigators named L. and E.. Elder W. met L. through the G. family who you will hear about later and he has been meeting with the missionaries for a while. He has a baptism date for the 20th of April but we don’t think he is ready yet because he is still struggling with the word of wisdom. But E., Elder W., and I met through a recent convert of the church. He is awesome! He does not speak French so it’s English with him which I am grateful for! But he is doing well. We met with him on the next day, Thursday, and discussed who we are and what we are here do to along with the first lesson. He accepted everything we taught him and has a date for the 11th of May which is super cool! We will be meeting with him twice a week to make sure he is ready. Then on Friday we taught L.. He has an amazing story. The G. family is a family from England so they speak English and French. It’s super cool. They met L. and his family and have been working with him for awhile before they brought in the missionaries. When they did he just took off and his kids are also interested.  L. has a problem with smoking. We met with him and the G. family discussed the word of wisdom with him early. He came to us saying that the coffee he drank taste horrible to him now and he can’t stand the taste. Every time he smokes he burns himself and can’t stand the taste. It was so cool to hear him say this. We discussed that the Lord was showing him that he was making a right choice by meeting with us and getting baptized but he still does those things because it’s his way of dealing with the stress. We gave him stuff to do instead. One of them is eating chocolate and he said he will try. So after the appointment we had dinner with the G. family. They are super funny. Gosh, I love English accents! It seriously feels like I am in a Harry Potter movie. The family is super cool. Brother G. moved his family here because he felt like they needed to move to France. It was cool listening to his story, he has two teenage daughters who asked for my facebook name and are now on a quest to find me because they can’t find me. Both of them are friends with L's kids and they work on the kids. This family is incredible with missionary work and they loved the card we gave them. They said it looked so professional haha. Saturday we met with E. again and gave him a baptism calendar and discussed our plan for him and what we are going to be teaching which lead into God's plan for us. So brillant haha!! The lesson went really well and we said goodbye and ate lunch at McDonalds so tell Meesha that a McBaguet is really good! haha. Then we got a call from Fere B..  He is the mission leader for the branch and he took us to visit some new converts. We met this one family with cutest little girl and they are a super solid family. Sunday, it was my first real Sunday here in Vannes so we went to church and they do it backwards. Priesthood was first. Don’t ask me what they said because I could not tell you! Just that it involved conference and members being missionaries. Then we had Sunday school with E. and L. and we discussed families. It was so awesome. L. loved it and so did E. Then we had sacrament meeting last and they asked me and Elder W. to say the sacrament prayers.  I was super nervous because my French was not great but I said the water. I messed up saying one word and said it again perfect. I was so grateful for my companion. He helped me just before. Then because it was fast Sunday we had testimonies and I got and introduce me and bore my testimony. After the meeting everybody came up and said hi and some other stuff and L. was crying because he told me he felt the spirit so strong. I told him if you want to be baptized commit to me right now to obey the word of wisdom but he would not do it. UGGGGH !!! After church we ate lunch and went contacting and everybody was out taking nice Sunday walks. This lady came up to us and said you are Mormon boys and we said yea and then she asked American Mormon boys and we said yea. She then said really loud I LOVE YOU SO MUCH and we just stood there. I said thank you that is so sweet here take this book I am sure you will love it too. I gave her a Book of Mormon and she took and shook our hands and kissed them. It was really weird so we did not go back down that street! While we were walking by the port we saw this older couple just playing boule (bocce ball or lawn bowling) together. It was so cute. We went and said hi but they were not interested in the church. This morning I cleaned the apartment kitchen. It was so gross! Now we now have a white stove and regenerator and microwave not a brown and black one.  That was good and that was my week.

Pics!!!

My MTC Roommates!

My 1st view of France from the plane!

This sign looks familiar!

This is the church building.

There is a cool courtyard on the other side.

Sacré-Coeur-Basilica of the Sacred Heart



View from the top of the Sacré-Coeur



FRANCE!!!

Well I am finally here in France!! I don’t know what time it is at home but it is 4:00pm here. Well let’s see a lot has happened since the little old MTC.  First with the lamb it was kind of fun. (As a family we were asked to do a secret act of service and given a lamb to leave for the benefactor with the scripture Matthew 25:31-46).  When we first got to the MTC me and my companion were so lost and we found what we now know has a Narnia hole. It is where missionaries who leave the MTC leave a little something in there.  We found a rubber band ball that was huge and that was it. So when we left we left the rubber band ball and this Easter bunny mask that was really freaky and a map of the MTC with little notes from us of what not to do and what to do, shortcuts, and pretty much the ins and outs of the MTC with the lamb.  That is my lamb story. Well when I left the MTC there was a total of 21 of us leaving for Paris and we were all so excited and could not wait to get on the plane and leave. Me and this other elder were travel leaders and we had to make sure everyone got on the plane and stayed together. That did not go so well but more of that later. Our group made it through security, not a big surprise there. Come on! We are missionaries! Then we found our gate and everybody split looking for a phone. I walked up to this pay phone and a lady, who was a member, said don’t use that.  I did not like it when my son called on that because the bill was so high. Then she gave me her phone and I called thinking I would get to talk to just my mom and Aunt Michelle answered. I was like what?? And it turns out everybody in the family was there.  So cool!!! Italked to everyone and then had to board the plane but remember I am the travel leader yea!!! So this other elder and I waited at the gate and everybody got on the plane but 3. We were like where are they and no joke we look down the hall and there are the 3 sister missionaries running like in the movie Home Alone. It was so funny! We all got on the plane and took our 10 hour fight to France. I slept most of the way so that was kind of nice.  We landed and got our stuff and found the Mission President and his wife along with the APs. They had Book of Mormons for us. There is a really good pastry called pain du chocolate. It was so good. They then took our bags to the church and we took the metro to the church. Man it was crazy and so much fun at the same time! I was in complete shock. I did not get to see many sites but I will and you will get more pictures so don’t worry. Anyways, the church building was really weird. It was not a regular church building in the states but it was still cool. So this whole time I felt like I was in the movie Les Miserables. It was awesome. At the church they had some tech difficulties so the meetings they had for us went longer than planned. After the church we went straight to the hotel which was nice. The next morning they took us not to Notre Dame but to the Sacre le Coure which is very beautiful and we wrote our goals for our mission up there.  It’s on a mountain so there were a lot of stairs. After that we went back to the church to find out who are trainers were going to be and where are first transfer was. I was so excited. We walked in the room and on one side were our trainers and the other our seats. We sat down and when the President began he would show a power point and then the trainer and then the new missionary or blues, as they call them here. SO the slide came up for VANNES and ELDER WALLACE and then my name. I jumped out of my chair with joy. It was awesome! After the meeting I said hi to my trainer and he is from California and loves Disney just like me. He was in band too and we have a lot more in common. Then we left for the train station, I have never been on a train. It was so cool.  Our train ride was 3 hours.  When we got to Vannes, which is on the west side of France, we met our branch missionary leader. He is awesome and he took us to his house where we ate lasagna. Then we went to the apartment and slept. The next day I went contacting for the first time and it was kind of scary but it’s really fun even if nobody wants to talk to you. I have been doing that and tracting for the past week except for the weekend. We got to watch conference on Saturday and Sunday. The Saturday am session is live here at 6pm super weird. But then on Sunday we had to watch the priesthood and Saturday pm not live. Then Sunday morning AM live at 6pm just because of the missionary schedule. Conference was amazing and super uplifting for me. I just can’t wait to go back out and serve some more, tonight we are going to have FHE at our branch president or bishop house and watch the rest of conference. Can’t wait so until next Monday.

Last email from the MTC!!

Well a lot has happened this week. Let’s start with Tuesday. After I was finished emailing I went back to my room and read in the scriptures in French and English just trying to learn some French until it was time for choir. Last week the choir teacher told us that Tuesday was going to be special. I thought there was going to be an awesome speaker but when we got to choir there was a camera crew there. It was kind of weird but he told us that on the Saturday session of conference, you know how there is a little thing between the two sessions; they were going to discuss the MTC and how many missionaries are here now. So they asked us to sing this song and they filmed us and we are going to be in the thing! So be sure to watch for me. The speaker that night was not an apostle but was still a great speaker. His name was Scott D Whiting, of the Seventy, and he talked to us about swallowing our fears and having faith and how we have the Holy Ghost to comfort us and guide us so we just need to trust in the Lord. Wednesday I got a letter from Jared and Rachel and Tori and Garrett. It was awesome!! It totally helped me during the week and I am so grateful for them. Oh and Jessica, one of Derek’s friends came in to the MTC and it was fun to talk to her and find out where Michelle was going on her mission. I also saw Tasha Singer, she is a teacher here and it was cool to talk to her as well. The rest of the week was the same but Saturday I was preparing for our lesson with Yann and I was kind of stressing out because I was not ready. The Lord blessed me because we had a sub. It was an awesome spiritual lesson. I learned so much from him. His name is Fere Wilcox and he taught us about scriptures and how important they are and how Christ quoted scripture when he was tempted. It was awesome. He told us not to let our lack of faith limit what the Lord can do and that Satan is angry when the weakest member gets down on his knees. Sunday was awesome! Our choir teacher told us that next Sunday for Easter we are having some members of the 12 come speak to us! It is going to be great. Brother Allen spoke to us about our missions and it was funny and powerful. Monday was a regular day but I did get my travel plans!!! I leave the US April 1st. It’s a direct flight which is awesome!  I love you all so very much and keep up the great work at home.

Week 4

I am just so happy I can get your mail okay.  So this week has been the best week ever!  Tuesday after p-day we had a devotional like we do every Tuesday and Sunday night. I sang in choir and it’s a blast. We had Paul V. Johnsons of the Seventy come and speak to us. He asked where we will be in 2015 and we wrote some goals down for us. Then he told us how we can tell our investigators about Christ and how He loves everybody because He atoned for our sins and pains and died for us. It was a very powerful devotional. The next day we taught our teacher who has been pretending to be an investigator named Yann.  I spoke so much French! It has been coming so well to me. I am so thankful for the Holy Ghost for helping me with the language. But that night we had a sub come in because our night teacher was sick. We talked about Alma 31 in a mission way of how to pray and have charity. It was awesome and he shared some personal experiences with his mission and how it was hard but with the Lord we can overcome our trials and have the best experiences. Then we watched the Mormon Message Mountains to Climb and I recommend watching. It was amazing. The rest of the week was normal here we taught, ate, learned and we did service. Then it was Sunday already St. Patrick ’s Day haha. We wore green in our district. In sacrament meeting we learned about having faith in Christ and we talked in priesthood about the Holy Ghost compared to the force from Star Wars. It was awesome. Then it was Sunday devotional and Robert P. Swenson, director of missionary services, spoke to us. He asked about the reference of stones and rocks in the scriptures and he told us how we are all like sedimentary rocks and how by little pieces of faith and trails that pressure us we can learn experiences and form into this solid rock and be solid in the Church.. So yesterday we spoke French alllll day.  It was kind of hard but really fun. We are speaking French every day till we leave for France on the 1st of April it its coming so fast. We learned about the Holy Ghost and how we need to invite him by prayer if we want him in our lessons. We taught Valentine, she is our night teacher, as an investigator and we taught her about Christ and how he is so important to her and how she can overcome anything through Him. Well that leads today HAPPY  BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!!I hope your day was great!! I just went to the Temple. I only have one more Temple trip then no more for two years because the Temple in France it not yet built yet. And we are doing laundry. :(

Week 3

So this week was not so good. Tuesday when I got done emailing the family I went and cleaned my room and that was really great. It was so nice to just clean my room. Then Brother Adkitiaus spoke to us on the 3 kingdoms of glory. It was amazing. Then Wednesday I started to get sick. It was awful! I took some medicine and hoped it would go away. But the next day I went to the nurse to finish up all my shots and after I got back got this huge headache. I threw up and doing that in public bathrooms is nasty!! I got to sleep for a couple of hours and then I was fine. It was awesome. The rest of the days have been pretty much the same. I did hit a French block but my zone leader told me I was the best missionary he has seen. He said I work so hard and study so hard. He then asked me if I can pray in French, and testify in French, and conjugate verbs.  I said yes and he told that is awesome. That I have already met the branch president's goal for us. Ohhh my branch president is President Mangum. I don't know if he is related to our patriarch or not. He told me I met the Lord's goal as well. I just need to trust in the Lord and keep working hard. So gym time at the MTC is super fun! More and more French missionaries have been playing volleyball and right now we try and only speak French. It's so fun to hear everybody scream FRAPPE THE BALL!!!! Which means to hit the ball. It just makes my day. I love it. Sunday we had a devotional on our purpose and it was great. We learned how to connect with our investigators and how we can get them to connect with God. I am super excited to serve in France and hopefully the French are ready for me! Got a letter from Aunt Michelle and it was awesome, loved it. Love you guys and cant wait to talk to you later.

First pics from the MTC

We got a SD card in the mail from Elder Allen today.  Here are a few pics.

In class

The boys in front of the Provo Temple.

We are thinking this is Elder Allen and Elder Kochel

The trip to San Francisco

Thinking of Grandma Jones

where they ate lunch

Alcatraz

Golden Gate Bridge

Elder Allen and Sister McQuay!