July 27, 2009

Our schedule was all thrown off this week. We had to get all of our stuff repacked Tuesday so that we could move WEdnesday morning. The couple that is called to over see the housing for the mission came and cleaned our new apartment then helped us move our stuff. Our new apartment is so much nicer than our old one. It is in the center of the city which is very helpful. We were unable to get all of our stuff moved Wednesday morning because of some trouble with the cops and not being able to park the car just outside the new apartment.....Wednesday night found us sleeping on our mattresses on the floor with boxes and suitcases all around. We didnt have our chairs or desks so w e ate and studied on the floor as well. It was kind of fun. Brother and Soeur Alanic and the elders finished moving our stuff over Thursday morning. Trying to get all moved took a lot of our time. and really it was spiritually draining. One would think that it would be a nice change of pace and a break from the work but really it was just exhausting.Walking and teaching all day can be tiring but just physically it is spiritually recharging. If that makes sense. Yesterday we had a really neat experience. We only had one lesson for the entire afternoon. We had just finished it and were walking to catch the Tram with Nelly(who had taught with us in the lesson) We were waiting to cross the road when I saw this lady that we Soeur Mongas and i had contacted a long time ago. I debated for a second whether to say anthing to her or not; lets just say that i followed that promting. Next to her was a young man, named Karim. He asked us something then we started talking. the other lady left but Soeur Bitanga, Nelly and I stood and talked to karim for close to 2 hours. REally the time passed really quickly. We fixed a Rendez-vous with him for tonight. The Sporot really touched him. As we were saying goodbye he said there is something different about you. i could see the light in your eyes. As we walked away we talked about what a miriacle that was. we are only in that area maybe once a week. Heavenly Father really does direct us to find those that are ready, those who have been prepared.It was really a testimony builder for me that even those little promptings are important to follow. The lady is not interest in the gospel but because she was there we found Karim. On saturday I was so grateful to have rules. We have been teaching this single man that is in his 50's. He has seemed really interested and read and was full of questions everytime. In a Rendez-vous earlier in the week we engaged him to come to church he said that he was scared to come so w e suggested that Saturday w e could all go to the Church and we could explain a little of what goes on during the meetings. As hard as we tried we couldnt find a sister of the ward to go with us so when we got to his appartment we said we couldnt ride in his car with him but that we would have to take the bus. well come to find out he really didn't want to go he wanted us to go in his car. As we continued to talk we foudn out he wasnt reallyinterested in the church but in us.If we didnt have rule about being alone with people of the opposite sex we could have been in a lot of trouble. I will forever be grateful for the mission rules and the commandments because really they for our goodthey dont take away our freedom they actually protect us and give us more freedom. I know with all my heart that Heavenly Fathere watches out for the missionaries. He leads us and hleps us when we are willing to do our part. I look forward to this new week to move forward and progess in the work of the Lord.

July 20, 2009

I am getting more confidence in myself to just open my mouth and talk with people. Talking to people is the only way to find new amis. We have a lot of amis that are on vacation right now so it is hard to fix appointments. That is one thing ab out the French they take their vacation seriously. Everyone takes almost a whole month to go on vacation. and most people go this time of year.We had a really cool experience this last week. Rossni one of our amis has been telling us for almost 2 months that she know the next step is baptism and that she is wants to be baptized but she just isnt ready yet. She hasn't come to church for the last month. I was really beginning to think that we wouldnt be teaching her anymore, I kept praying and hoping that we would atleast be able to fix a rendez vous with her. Finally she called us and said we could see her Thursday. I was so excited we planned to talk about baptism again and propose a baptism date with a plan to help her prepare for that date. Before we could really start she told us that since the last time she came to church she has really felt a difference in her life like something was missing. She recogniwed that it was the spirit. She wants to be baptized but she doesnt want to cause tension in her family. They say it is ok but she wants a little more confirmation on their part. It was a really neat experience to talk to her and be guided by the spirit to promise that if she prepares to be baptized and works for it that Heavenmy Father will bless her family and help them as well. She is going to be baptized on the 15 of August! She is amazing! She also told us that she finished reading the BOM this last week. Her testimony is strong. I cant help but think of all the good she will do in the church and in her life. Another cool experience yesterday we had no rendez-vous after church which meant pass backs and contacting all day. There was one man that said to call him and he might be able to see us yesterdayso we called him We were in luck he was free. It ended up being a really good rendez-vous. He doesnt have a religion but he has a very strong testimony of Christ. The rest of teh afternoon we were really guided in the places we went I dont have enough time to write all of the miracles that happened. Just one other was an inactive sister. The Bishop has asked us to teach her and help her come back tok church. She was baptized 30 years ago but never gained a testimony of JosephSmith or the BOM. I was thinking about it that is exactly why she is inactive without a testimony of those 2 thing really there is no difference in our church and anyother church. She has agreed to see us again and hopefully we can help her gain our find her testimony of the BOM and Joseph Smith. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be here serving; No it is not the easiest thing i have ever done in my life but at the end of the day i think of how manytimes the Lord directed me or helped me to talk to someone, then I realize that those moments of being tired or rejected were worth it. the reward in the end was so much greater!

More Pictures from Nice

Jenni with her huge calzone at the Bishops restaurant
Jenni with Nice in the background!
She looks happy!

July 13, 2009

I have to say that this week was a week of miracles and jsut really good lessons. On Saturday we had a lesson with a new amis; He had been contacted by the other sisters in January and agreed to meet with us. His name is VIn and speaks English. I was excited to teach a lesson in English. During the lesson the spirit was so strong. It was a lesso unlike any other i've ever had. He really has no religious background. It was very humbling to teach him how to pray then teach the Restoration. Not going to lie i went into the lesson a little big headed thinking that it will be easy to teach in English. Let me tell you it wasnt. yes i did have the vocabulary but when I teach my mind thinks French, it was very humbling. The Spirit really is the teacher in all lessons. I think I have said this before but I dont know for sure but this ward loves to eat together. since most of them live a little ways from the church they bring the stuff they need to prepare a dish for a picnic. Normally they eat together after a baptism, fast and testimony meeting or if they have an activity during the week. but yesterday there was a group of them that decided to have a picnic just because and invited us to stay. I had a really good time just alking witht he members and helping prepare the food. Until Friday I hadn't tried anything that i absolutely didn't like. Friday we ate with some members. Soeur Aslin had worked with us earlier in the week and she said she would make some african food for Soeur Bitanga. She made this chicken (that was really good), and this stuff called foofoo. It was so grose. I dont even know how to explain it. if was goopy and kind of like bread dough. litterally it made me gag. i tried my hardest to pretend that I like it. but Soeur Aslin knows me well enough and could tll i didnt like it. I hope that i never have to eat that again. One last miracle for the week yesterday we were in a parking lot waiting to meet someone when we saw Anastacio. He hadnt come to chruch and he hadnt answered when we called after. come to find out he had locked himself out of his house and didnt have his phone. But we were talking with him and following up on his reading in the BOM and his prayers; he said that He finally received his Answer!!!! He knows it is true. It was a really neat experience.This work is amazing. It is really the work of GOd on the Earth. There is no place i would rather be. It is not easy but every minute is worth it.

July 7, 2009

This week was really good. It was a week of reevaluating and setting goals. First Last Tuesday we had district meeting. Our new district president Elder Mayo asked us to bring pictures of the people we love the most. He had us put all of them up front for everyone to see then proceeded to talk about how when we teach we should teach each person like they were one of those people int he pictures. Because really we are all brothers and sisters. Just because we don't speak the same language or we come from different places doesn't change the truth of us all being brothers and sisters. That hit me pretty hard. I thought about it all week and have been trying to look at people in a different way. What if it was my family that didnt have the gospel? I sincerely have been trying to apply that. When you have love for a person you are teaching you want so much for that person to understand, you want them to have the happiness you have. STreet contacting has not been something that i have really loved. But After that lesson I have looked at it with different eyes. It is still not something that is easy for me but I am trying. THen yesterday at Zone Conference Soeur Carter said to us "it is better to try to talk to someone and have them reject you than to not have tried at all and ignore the spirit." I thought that was pretty cool. I loved all of zone conference. It is like a half time pep talk from the coach. AFter you leave you feel like you can take over the world, that nothing is going to stop you. On the train coming back to Nice last night soeur Bitanga and I were with Elder Mayo and Elder Miller We talked a lot about random things but it was like a wall that was between Soeur Bitanga and I came down. really for the past two weeks we haven't talked all that much. But when we got home thing were different we were talking and things were just different. I don't know how to explain it. It was really cool. I am excited for this next week to keep working. President Carter yesterday talked about attitudes and motivation. They go hand in hand. Attitude is really all a matter of choice. If you want to have a good day you have to decide that you are going to have a good day. then when things go wrong or things are hard during the day you have already made the choice that it was going to be a good day and thos things aren't going to stop you. Life really is 10% what happens and 90% how we react. Soeur Carter had talked to us to about how we can creat things in our life. How we can create joy specifically. It is the same principle that if you want something you have create it you cant wish for it to come to you.