May 26, 2009 Update

This is an update and recap from Jenni's email this week.
So I was thinking a little bit about President Erying Talk a few conferences ago when he talked about looking for the tender mercies of the Lord each day. I've tried to do that and pay special attention to even the little miracles i see. I testify that it works. Right now we have two amis that are really progressing. the first (I can't remember if I told you about any of them last week so if I did sorry) Anistasio he is originally from Portugal he has learned French over the last few years. He is so humble and very prepared for the gospel. We had the chance to teach the plan of Salvation earlier this week during the lesson soeur Mongas talked a lot about baptism. At the end of the lesson he said someting to the effect that little by little he wants to follow, he feels all the things we tell him make sense and are true. The spirit really has touched his heart. Friday and Saturday this last week were fruitless days. all of our appointments cancelled and all of our passby people weren't home either. So we didn't really get anything accomplished. Saturday night during planning we planned Sunday with 5 lessons all with different members and we were also fasting with one of our amis. We prayed that all of our lesson's would go through and that Rossni would get her answer. Sunday morning we got up and went to church. I was really excited because I could enderstand just a little more than I could last week. right after was our first lesson with Rossni. Usually during the lesson she will mostly listen, when ever we would ask a question she would give really short replies and not say much in general. On Sunday we watched part of the Special Witnesses video then Soeur Mongas was talking to her trying to ask quetions to get her to say something. Finally she asked the right question. (don't ask me what it was because i really didn't understand.) She started crying and got up and walked out. We waited a minute then followed. She completely opened up. She admitted she had a testimony and that she knew what we had been teaching was true. It was a really cool experience to see how sometimes it takes asking the right questions and not settling for an easy answer to get someone to talk. The rest of our lessons Sunday worked out. WE were able to find 3 new amis and teach all of our lesson's with a member. Heavenly Father blesses us so much when we give all that we can and do our best. Yesterday was Zone Conference. It was actually combined with another zone so we had to go another town about 3 hours away from here. I can't remember what it is called. We had to catch our train at 6am meaning getting up at 4:30. so really i was up before you had probably gone to bed Sunday night. Crazy! I was so tired. On our way there I stared to have this mental struggle. Satan knew i was tired and he worke don me the whole way there. I started to feel so insecure with speaking and understanding French. We were traveling into another city that I wasn't familiar with, I started to think about home and my family it was just a bad struggle. When the conference finally started i treid to push it all aside and focus on what President and Soeur Carter were teaching. It kind of worked. But then after lunch I had a total break down and started crying. You know how I get when I get really tired and stressed. I felt so dumb. but after crying for awhile I felt better. The spirit really touched my heart and by the time we left the conference I was feeling so much better. Even today I have felt that I can do this there is no way Satan can talk be into giving up. no matter how hard it gets. I love this work. I'm trying to Love FRench and the French people. Heavenly Father is by my side helps me a lot.

First Email from France:)

This is excerpts from Jenni's first letter home and I am leaving them unedited (good luck deciphering what it really says):
So you thought my spelling was bad before you are in for a treat now the French Keyboard is just a little bit different than the a,erican one for example the a and the q button are switched and I cant find the period so this ,ight be one long run on sentence, other than in french the comma is our period,
They took all of us to the Bus station and dropped us off, If you look at a map you will see toulouse is on one side of the country and Nice is clear on the other side, we were on the bus from about 11am until about 830 PM, I got to see so much of the country side and glim^ses of teh cities, Everything is so green and pretty, There were red poppies everywhere, So pretty! > my first day in Nice was not a typical day either the elders had arranged for us to help a member that lives out in monoco do some gardening, It was awesome, I have to tell you first that everywhere we go it is by the tram or the bus, to go to monoco we took the bus, there were 2 other members with us who dont speak french so that was fun to actually speak in english, as we traveled through monoco we were actually on part of the track for the Monte Carlo race, it was really cool to see that, I hope you dont mind you are getting a play by play but it is all so interesting so far i dont know what i can leave out: but anyway,,,That night we had 2 teaching appointments with a member named nelly, the only way I can explain nelly would be to have you picture Aunt Kathy as an active new member, When you picture that you have Nelly She is awesome we teach a lot with her, > French People speak so fast, most of the time i have no idea what they are saying it get frustrating but at the same time i try as hard as i can to listen and figure out what they are talking about: so far in our lessons i will bezar my testimony at the end and that is about it, but ca va, I have been really lucky to be here Soeur Mongas had been teaching a man named Marc and a Woman named Violette who were both baptized on Saturday, So my first week here I witnessed two of Heavenly Fathers children returning to him making covenants with him, That itself was really cool, I was so overwhellmed by the time we left I just started crying, I hadnt understood anything and was so frustrated, I was glad we were going home, Yesterday at church it was better; I pray everywhere we go that i will be able to understand something, and at churhc I did understand so,ethings, still not much, it was funny when the 2nd counselor in the bishopric announced that there were 2 new missionaries in the Area me and an elder Miller, Then he said we would like to have them come and tell a little us where they are from and share their testimony, That was actually fun, It was broken French but it was something that i have parcticed many times and could do!> I am still adjusting to being in such a big city, it is so different than anything i am used to but its all good, Each day I can feel my Heavenly Father leading me and helping me to understand just a little bit more than i did yesterday; Especially during the lessons, that is where i can see his help the most,

Arrival in France

We received an email from President and Sister Carter today stating that Jenni had arrived safely in France. She has been assigned to Nice. Her p-day's are Monday so watch for updates on Mondays. I am sure when we hear from her we will have an address besides the mission home.

Flying Out!

Today Jenni flies to France. Her flight was scheduled to leave around 4:30 pm this afternoon and she is scheduled to arrive in Paris around 3:00 am (Utah time) where she will go through customs and then fly on to Toulouse. She called home this afternoon and we talked for almost an hour. She is ready to begin a new phase of her mission - she will be an awesome missionary. The next post on this site will be after she arrives in France.

Pics from Mission!

Here are a few pictures Jenni sent back, they are in no particular order.

I don't know who all these people are, but half of them are her district

Jenni and Elder Zach Garling (he lived in Morgan awhile ago, and was my age)
Jenni and her companion

I thought that this looked fun.

Jenni, Elder Jansen Bennett, and Elder Brad Mead

I just thought this picture was kinda cool.

Snow Angel made in the garden at the temple

Elder making the Snow angel

I thought this was kind fun lookin

San Fransico (where she flew to get her Visa)

Jen and her district

Jen and her district again.

I thought this was a cool picture, and represents what she is doing.

Jenni and her companion Sister Cordner

This week has gone by so fast. not going to lie it has been hard to focus since we got our flight plans last week. Class time has actually been a life savior because it has forced all of us to stay on task and actually do something besides talk.We got a nice surprise this week at devotional. Elder Ballard and his wife came and talked to us. We were so excited because usually apostles come every 4 weeks and it has only been 3. But needless to say it was a pleasant treat. His words were exactly what I needed to fan the flame under me. He talked about having desire. He said wake up each morning with a desire to work. Miracles happen when there is desire in the soul. He told us to desire to accomplish great things and they will happen. if we will pray for a desire to do anything Heavenly Father will make it happen. i think the best part was at the end he thanked us missionaries, then he said "when you write home next tell you parents and your family on behalf of the quorum of the 12 and first Presidency we want to thank you for allowing your missionary to serve. We love you." Then he closed by leaving an apostolic blessing on us. It was so powerful. I'm so grateful today for the chance I've had to sit at the feet of another apostle of the Lord. Today I am so excited to be able to go to the temple one more time, the last time for the next 17 months. I don't think I've looked forward to it this much. There is such peace there. I'm so excited to be leaving but at the same time I'm sacred to death mostly of the unknown. But I know that if i put my trust in the Lord he will provide for me. One thing I'm most excited about is to get a new companion and to be able to start teaching. I know that my French will be rough but the only way it will get better is to continue speaking it. I have loved so much being at the MTC. There is such a strong spirit here. One of the elders was saying the other day that he was afraid that when he gets into the field and things start getting hard he wants to be able to remember all the super spiritual moments we've had here. I have been thinking about that. That is exactly why we come here first we are taught and lifted up so much, then we are sent in to the field on fire ready to spread the word to everyone we see. I feel that right now I can't wait to share all i have with the people in France. this work is true. Missionary work is so important.

I am happy to report that I received my flight plans yesterday!!! It was quite the deal. My district and the other district in our zone had decided that we would all go together to get our plans from the mail. So after dinner all 20 of us walked over, you would have thought it was Christmas morning! In some ways it was like Christmas morning. We have been here for so long and we have been readily awaiting this day. There were lots of squeals and cheering. I am happy to report that I will be leaving on Monday May 11. We leave the MTC at 1:30 in the afternoon and our flight will leave at 4:40!!!! It is a nonstop flight from Salt Lake to Paris!After we land in Paris we jump on another plane to Toulouse.
This week I have loved my personal study time. I usually struggle trying to decide what I want to study not this week. On Sunday in Relief society Sister Cook from the YW General Presidency came and talked to us. She talked to us about virtue. I am still so excited about this new YW value. She gave us a copy of the Virtue insert and challenged us to go through and complete the goal. That is just what I have been doing. I love it. I would challenge all of you to do the same. She told us that in this world virtue is being thrown under feet." We all can improve on it, not just young women. It is amazing!
This week when we went to the TRC to teach the second lesson I was so excited. It was the first time for me to actually be excited for it. I have kind of taken on the attitude of come what may and love it. I know that I don't speak anywhere close to perfect French but I do know that if I'm trying that Heavenly Father will help me. when we went to t teach i just relaxed and tried to speak everything that I could about the plan of salvation. I am so grateful for Heavenly Fathers help. I know with out him and without the spirit it wouldn't have gone as well. I love this gospel and am so excited to be going to France in just a week!!! It will be interesting getting to speak French all the time and hardly any English but the best way to really speak a language is to be immersed in it!