Soeur Alyssa Trotter: Scout :) (Week #17)

Date: March 21, 2016

Area: Paris

Companion: Seour Archbold

Bonjour Mes Amis,

Oh là là. This week was really short. I feel like I was just writing my weekly email and now here I am, doing what? I am writing my weekly email. Haha you will all be very happy to hear that after three months of living right by Paris, I FINALLY made it to the Eiffel Tour. I didn't make it up the Eiffel Tour, but I got to stand directly under it, so that's good enough for me. I have never been SUPER interested in architecture or anything, and I always found myself sounding like my great grandpa. He used to say, "Why would I go look at it if I can just see it on a postcard?" Haha but now that I went, I realized how big it actually is and it looks really cool up close :) so I can now

check that off my list!

If any of you know my family at all, you know that us Trotter kids have a big problem bringing home stray or otherwise unwanted animals. We would save them all if we could. Emily saved some mice who were going to be fed to the class snake in her fourth grade class, she

saved a few cats these last couple years ;) haha and well, let's just say if it didn't say "don't have pets as a missionary" in the missionary handbook, I would probably have one by now. Anyways, me and Soeur Archbold went to Toul this last week for exchanges. Toul is probably my favorite place in France. You blink and you miss it. There is nothing there and there is no one there. Just green fields and brown fields and trees and prettiness.

I absolutely love it.

Those missionaries have to have a car too because everything is so spread apart. Well. Soeur Archbold was with Soeur Empey, and Soeur Jicha was with me. And the other Soeurs had a rendez-vous, so me and Soeur Jicha decided to go porting, or in English we decided to go be

missionaries and to go do what missionaries do- knock some doors. Well, within a few minutes, we noticed we had a little friend. This super cute dog was following us everywhere. For a long time! And he had no collar, he was so dirty and smelled so bad, and was so skinny

and had cuts on him.

So I did what anybody would have done- I named him Scout!

Now, looking back I shouldn't have named him because like I said, in the rule book is very clearly says I can't keep him. But we could not leave this dog there. So we took him back to the apartment with us, fed him some meatballs, gave him a bath. It was lunch hour don't worry

;). Turns out after trying to pawn him off on Président Babin's son, we took him to the vet and he had an owner. Not a very good one apparently, but they wanted their dog back so that was the end of Scout. BUT I had a dog for like an hour or two so that was exciting.

Soeur Empey is here for her first transfer and she wanted to know if that is how all exchanges are. The answer was a resounding "no" haha but it made for an adventure :)

Now onto more spiritual- more worthwhile things, although I do like a good story! and dogs! We still cannot get a hold of who was our most progressing amie, Zoé. She wanted to get baptized so bad and now we don't know what happened. We keep praying and we keep hoping but she

is just so unreachable. So the prayers and the phone calls continue. We will see what happens :) we won't stop trying though! I know she is ready for this.

Our amie Djélika really wants to get baptized. She is 21 and has read the Book of Mormon 8 times and has been taught all the lessons and is so ready. She knows this gospel is true. But her dad is Muslim extremist and it is making it really difficult for her. It is actually really hard for me to watch someone who has so much trust in God and in the scriptures, and who wants to progress and just can't. It just breaks my heart! BUT she is continuing to progress and I know that things will work out the way the are supposed to, whether she can get baptized in May or in 5 years, it is all in His timing. He always knows best.

By the end of this week we will know what is happening next transfer. We are pretty nervous because a few people have hinted we are up for another challenge but we will see what comes. I was thinking about it, and I realized that transfer calls are the same weekend as Easter. Coincidence? I think not. There is a reason that the Atonement enables us. It is true that it can cover our imperfections and that He lived and died so he could always understand what we go through in this life, but he also died to enable us to be able to do what seems to be impossible.

I know that we all have our different lives, and some of you are parents and grandparents, and some of you are friends of mine from high school, college, some of you are my young women that I love so much. I find it is so incredible we are all in such different stages of life and yet the

Atonement works for all of us and it strengthens all of us individually, but collectively.

I love all of you. I hope that you have a really amazing Easter, and I hope you remember why we celebrate Easter :)

Oh! And Hand of the Lord moment! I don't know if you remember Marie-Clausette- She was the amie that feel asleep in our first lesson when I was with Soeur Clements in St. Ouen! BUT she is progressing and the Elders called last night and said she went to church! Miracles! :)

Anyways, until next week,

Soeur Trotter