Soeur Alyssa Trotter: Another Week in the Mission (Week #14)

Date: February 29, 2016
Area: Paris
Companion: Seour Archbold

Coucou Mes Amis!

I must say, this week has been full of surprises. I officially have a reputation too I think. "The Soeur who tries to pretend she is not actually a missionary." Haha not really, I just have this awful tendency to forget my plaque. I have been Soeur Kinder on multiple occasions, and then I was Soeur Clements on even more multiple occasions. And now I have the honors of being Soeur Archbold :) I guess I should be grateful I have companions who remember to wear two plaques every day... It is because I only have one! One fell off in the street my first week! But I am thinking about making a sign to hang on my door. Because remembering on my own doesn't seem to be a thing :) We had OFII at the beginning of the week. It is something for all new missionaries, in order for us to officially become legal in France. I won't bore you with the details of all the paperwork and the uncomfortable medical exams haha. But because it is for all new missionaries that came in with me, it was like giant reunion, and you would think we hadn't seen each other in years! It was way fun to see how everyone is doing though. We had six soeurs stay at our apartment, so that was 10 missionaries in one French apartment. Which may not mean a lot to you, but trust me, it is a lot... Haha. Worth it though! Me and Soeur Kinder definitely got to reminisce on some of our "old" memories from like 1 whole month ago ;) I had a few really good moments this week that stick out to me. We had a "jour de consecration," or a finding day. It is this new thing we are doing where we don't schedule lessons or anything as a district, and we just go out and we find new people to teach. And I was stoked because I got to go back to my old stomping grounds, the great sector of St. Ouen. I really do miss that place so much. But me and Soeur Archbold contacted this woman who proceeded to go off on kind of a rant about how she was a missionary for 12 years and how it was pointless and a waste of time and about how we are brainwashed and she went on and on... and on. So we tried to share a little message with here, and then we left. But Soeur Archbold said something that kind of made me stop and think. There is a reason that missions are 2 years and not 12. Because, while we should always be missionaries, there is a time for everything. And we should also start families, and get educated, and gain experience. But I am just so grateful that I have these 18 months to be completely consecrated to the Lord and to finding His children. It isn't going to last forever. In fact, it is already going by scarily fast. And I am just so happy that I am able to be so focused. Because I am never going to be able to be this consecrated to the work again . But for now I am. And I am having the best time finding people and teaching and just doing my best to be led by the Spirit. Oh and this was my highlight of the week I think! Not even a huge story, but it just made me happy :) I love simple things that just make me smile and love people. We have this ami, Philip, who is dating a member in the ward. But we have been teaching him, and he is British and a very intellectual thinker. And he was comprehending what we were teaching, but we could tell he wasn't really "feeling it." And then at church, he came up to us and said, "I felt the Spirit!" and he was kind of really excited so we were kind of really excited, and we talked to him about it later. And he couldn't describe what he felt exactly, but he recognized it. And he liked it, and he knew it was testifying of something good. I know that when we start to feel the Spirit, it is something familiar. Because we are children of God, and we have it within us to recognize it :) I am grateful for Him. He makes me happy, as all our amis and members do. I am grateful to be given hard experiences that test my patience, but also good ones to remind me that it is all so worth it. I am going to keep working hard. I just love it. I love all of you. I think about you and pray for you all. the. time. I hope that you can feel my love and support :) I can feel yours!

Soeur Trotter