Soeur Alyssa Trotter: "Hey Guys, is it just me, or did the elevator stop?" (Week #57)

Date: December 26, 2016
Area:#5 Orléans
Companion: Soeur Robertson

Hello Everyone :)

First things first, I hope that you all had a fantastic Christmas! Christmas in Orléans was a week full of miracles. Christmas Eve was district meeting, which was held in the Orléans Soeurs apartment. Which, seemed like a good idea. But by the time the Elders left, I wasn't even positive that it was the Orléans Soeurs apartment apartment. Haha the place was... messy. We will leave it at that. We were able to make cookies all together though and then we headed out on the town, where we handed out cookies to people we saw who might have needed an extra smile this Christmas! :) it was super fun to be all together and to be doing an act of service. The day started out good because that morning, me and Soeur Robertson ran to the store to grab something for the cookies, and on our way back, we found a woman who was struggling to get down the street. She was juggling her groceries and a cane. Her name is Joelle. Well, as we approached Joelle, we walked by, and I felt something tell me to just turn back, to ask her if she needed help. So we did. And as we helped her, this poor woman just collapsed in the street. And for a second we didn't know what to do. We were able to help her get situated on a nearby bench though, with our superhuman strength of course, where she proceeded to tell us a little about her life. Something that I remarked though, is that even we were late to district meeting, I was looking at this woman and suddenly didn't feel so rushed anymore. We weren't able to do a ton for her this Christmas, but I think that that 30 minute conversation did us all a ton of good :)

Well, if that didn't set the day off with a bang, I don't know what would. But it is true that we were able to have a white elephant gift exchange, bond a little, serve some people. After our adventure of delivering cookies to people on Christmas, we headed back to our apartment. The Blois elders had a train to catch, and we all had places to be with members that Christmas eve. Well, let me just say this. French elevators are extremely small. They say they fit 5 people, but those people better be pretty small, because once an Elder sees that there is a really small elevator that fits five people but that doesn't look like it, they have to try. Haha well, we fit five people alright. But those five people didn't actually make it to the 4th floor where the soeurs live. It went up, up, up, made a bang sound, a light bulb fell out of the ceiling, and then it stopped. right in between the second and the third floor! And just like that, we were stuck. With one poor Elder on the outside who didn't have a phone, or the french vocabulary to use, if he did have a phone. So, you can say us missionaries all got pretty close this Christmas Eve. Literally. We were in their for over an hour as we waited for help. It was a learning experience for us, but it made for an adventure as well. Nothing ever goes the way that it is supposed to. I'm learning to roll with it. :)

This Christmas, it was a party. We were able to go with a family in our ward to their house, which is about an hour into the countryside, and so it was a pretty tranquille Christmas day. We were able to eat some escargot, with is surprisingly good, some caviar, which is not as good, some duck, some other things that I don't really have a name for. And we literally ate all day. They don't know how to stop! Oh la la! Like 8 courses! And it was really funny actually because they were feeding us so much food, that finally it was getting late, and we were all, "Do you mind if we skype our families now?" And they are all like, "Of course not! Head on upstairs! But make sure you leave enough time for the last two courses of the meal!" Me and Soeur Robertson said many a prayer that night. :)

But overall, it was a fantastic Christmas. A less active, Marie-Pierre, who we visit every week, received news from the doctor that her cancer is getting worse, and she was having a pretty sad Christmas. It was fun to stop by and surprise her with some Christmas songs and a little gift, and to just spend some time together. It is funny, because I remember last Christmas I was away from home as well, and while it is sad, both Christmas's, I have been able to still be with people I love, even if it is not family, and the message remains the same. It is fun to see people smile through little acts of charity, and it is fun to be able to celebrate Christ :)

Well, enough with Christmas. This week we stopped by our investigator M'Biya, and we taught the restoration which went really well. She wants to be baptized on February 11th, so we set that as a date and will be working towards it. Our amie Audrey-Rose is excited to be baptized as well. Basically Orléans is blowing up with people who are prepared. It is so true that God knows where each one of his prepared children are, and He knows how to find them! And we are blessed enough to be used as His instruments in doing so. And he leads us and guides us and waits for us to listen. And when we do, miracles happen. :)

I love you all. I miss you a ton but I just love where I am and the people I am with. They are pushing me to keep working with all my heart, might, mind, and strength, and they are helping me to have a ton of fun!

I will talk to you all soon :)

Soeur Trotter