Date: April 25, 2016
Area: Rouen
Companion: Seour Spencer
Bonjour à tous,
C'était vraiment une semaine
géniale dans la Mission de Paris :) Or in words you understand, this week was
so amazing!
I was asked to give a talk last
week, and I did what I always do, and Saturday night I started freaking out
because I had no talk, let alone in French. Story of my life. Thank goodness I
am like my dad and can usually talk for hours without planning much :) Haha so
I wrote one, went to bed and then the next morning before church I realized it definitely
wasn't in French... scariest moment of my life. So I walked up to the pulpit,
said a prayer, and gave my talk. And I know that I was able speak with a power
that wasn't my own. And I felt the Spirit as I testified of that Book of
Mormon. In french. What an amazing moment to look at those words in English,
and just know what to say. He is blessing me, all I have to do is rely on Him.
Some of those words I did not know, but I still said them.
So part of me still questions if it
was coherent at all becuase the whole congregation was just smiling and nodding
their heads. We will never know because Mormons can't be mean, even the French
ones :) But I know the Spirit was there and that is all that matters :) It was
a good moment.
Now, I have to start off by telling
a funny story because it made my whole week, and Soeur Spencer too, because as
a missionary you would never except to recieve what I call a "marriage referral."
Now, a normal referral is what you say when someone in the ward or another missionary
gives you someone that wants to be taught :)
Anyways, Saturday morning we headed
out to Le Havre, a city on the coast of France, to have a day of finding with the
other missionaries. We took the members contacting with us, found some people
to teach, spent time in a new ville, it was just a really good day :) And there
were a lot of members there to help! And there was this one man who was talking
to us a lot and he was speaking in english and we couldn't figure out why,
because he doesn't really speak english :) But gotta give the man credit for
trying I guess ;)
Anyways, I didn't think a ton of
it. So we continued on with our day, and slowly and slowly people went home and
the day came to a close. So we hopped on a train and went home to Rouen. But
pretty soon after that the Le Havre elders told us they had some important news
for us so they needed us to call them when we had a moment. So we did. And apparently
they had a "marriage referral"for me. That man in the Le Havre ward
apparently wanted to know more about the American sister missionary and if she
was single... Haha awkward... the things you think you wouldnt have to deal
with as a missionary. Haha can't catch a break. I do gotta give him a thumbs up
for his courage though. It made for a good laugh and probably madez for an
awkward Sunday for the Le Havre elders. #parisfrancemissionprobs
But now that I have spent my time
sharing that nonsense story with you all that really didn't have do with anything important, I have to tell
you about our amie Hélène! We taught her the other day and before we could even
get the words out, she was asking us when she could be baptized. we were both
speechless- well not completely speechless because that would have been
awkward- but it was an incredible moment and we didn't even know what to think.
It is so amazing how the Lord prepares people. When we set a date for June 4,
she just looked at us and said "Do you
think that I am ready?" And we told her yes! And then she said,
"oh good! I was so afraid you would say that I am not! But I have been
praying, and I know that this is what I want to do." And now her cute
little family is going to grow up in the gospel and she is going to always have
the companionship of the Holy Ghost to be her guide and her comforter. She is
so amazing. I cannot explain my love.
It is so amazing how lives can be
turned around so quickly and so drastically. The course she is choosing is no
where near the one she was on before. And I just look at her little family and
smile everytime! Remember the picture of the cute little boy in church I sent
last week?! If not I will send it again! He gets to grow up and learn about
Jesus and who He is as His Greatest Friend! And then one day he can teach his
children the same thing! I am finding it impossible to look at people and to
not see their potential with Jesus Christ at the center of their lives. It is
impossible. These people need the blessings in their life. With it they know
their true potential and the possibilites that are in store for them and their families.
I just have say, being a missionary
is pretty dang cool :) Nothing beats it. Nothing makes you work so hard or pray
so much. But then at the same time it is the most important thing that I have
ever done, and without question the most fulfilling.
I love you all and I pray for you.
Know that you have a missionary in France who misses you and can't wait to be
reunited. And when things are hard, just remember that you are important in
the eyes of He who created you. That is
what I do and it works like a charm :)
I love you!
Keep in touch!
Soeur Trotter
"We must develop the capacity to see men not as they
are at present, but as they may become when they recieve testimonies of the
gospel of Christ." - Thomas S. Monson :)
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| Hélène! |
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| Hélène! |
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Hélène! |
