Soeur Alyssa Trotter: Creole and Chaos With The Kids (Week #11)

Date: February 8, 2016
Area: St Oeuns 2
Companion: Seour Clements

Bonjour à tous,

This week was a pretty typical week in the mission field. Well, typical for this mission. I have learned that "typical" in the France Paris mission consists of lots of Africans that are hard to understand, cancelled appointments, interested men (not sure if they actually care about the message) and lots of people who are factually genuinely interested. And usually I eat Lots of pastries in between
those things. So if I ever say a week is normal, that's usually what that entails.

But a few fun things that happened this week. We have this ami de l'église, Marie-Clausette- if any of you remember her, she is the one that fell asleep in our first lesson. Yes, somehow she is progressing and keeping commitments. :) But she has been so frustrating for me because she is from Haiti and I cannot understand her accent to save my life. And we brought a member from Haiti with us this week to help teach and maybe give her a friend in the ward. And when we left after the appointment, she just looked at us, and was like "that woman in there was not speaking French. That was definitely Haitian Creole.
With some French mixed in..." But now I can confidently say I feel better about my language abilities! So funny! Marie-Clausette is such a character! She's the only person I have ever met who's favorite scripture is about Lehi pitching his tent in a valley. :) but we love her. We just love all our Amis so so much.

We have been meeting with the Filipino woman I contacted and her mom and aunt. And they are amazing. Their culture is so welcoming and they treat us like family. And they don't have much but they give us everything they can. And I am amazed by them. The aunt, Malu, has so many questions and interests in what we believe and me and Soeur Clements just get this amazing feeling that she will get baptized one day. I love teaching everyone. People that have been passed to us from previous missionaries, friends of members, but I feel a special love for them because we found them by walking down a street on a freezing night when we were tired and cold. But we kept going. I know when we keep going and don't stop is when I will see the most miracles.

But I am just having so much fun. My ward is incredible and they are hilarious and supportive and just amazing. Some of them are odd, but that is what makes it so fun! There is so much personality!

There are these kids we teach right now, I will send a picture. And they are sooo wild. And the little boy Pierre. He just knows so much and he isn't even 8 yet! He answers all our questions and he keeps this Book of Mormon and has all the missionaries sign it! His dad is less active but I just love that family. The kids always steal our name tags and pretend they are the missionaries. They teach great lessons. In better French than I can pull off. ;) haha

I hope you all know how much I love these people. Missionary work is so much bigger than I thought it was. We are able to help little old women get to the grocery store when they can barely walk. And we get to visit the lonely members of the ward, and we get to help less active members remember what joy they once felt from coming. And we get to help new people find this gospel, who didn't even know they were searching! Isn't that the greatest?!

I saw this quote and loved it- "We must develop the capacity to see men not as they are at present but as they may become when they receive testimonies of the gospel of Jesus Christ." That was Monson. I love him. I am learning a mission is just that. Everyone has potential because everyone needs this gospel. Not everyone wants it, but they all need it.

I am grateful to be a part of this missionary force. And I am grateful for my Father in Heaven who called me to this place through his Prophet and Apostles. They really are called of God and lead us.

I hope all of you try to be missionaries- through trying to see people not as they are but who they can become with Jesus Christ. And know that I'm rooting for all of you in your challenges and in your lives. I have he best support system ever. I'm so lucky! :)