Bonjour from Paris!
Thats sounds so much cooler than coming from the MTC! Of course to you its all the same... but I feel much cooler writing from an internet café than from the laundry room in the MTC haha. Paris is amazing! Most days I cant believe that I actually live in PARIS!!!!! Yup I may or may not say it to my companion multiple times a day just because Im still very much enchanted with the idea.... even the smelly metros enchant me...simply because they are Parisian. This week has been quite one to remember...I probably wont make every email this detailed but since this is my first Ill go overboard on telling you everything thats happened.
We landed on Tuesday around noon. The plane ride was good... honestly I didnt even notice that we couldnt watch movies because I slept for most of it. Of course it helps that we had a direct flight from Salt Lake. At the airport the mission president and the APs picked us up. We put our suitcases in the missions vans (probably the only vans in France because the cars here are TINY) and they fed us our first pain o chocolate... course I think I was too jet lagged to really appreciate it. From the airport the mission president took our stuff back to the Mission home while we took the metro into Paris to have our first contacting experience. When we arrived in downtown Paris it was honestly exactly what I pictured. Cobblestone sidewalks, random old buildings everywhere and churches everywhere, and it was crazy busy! It also happened to be really hot and sunny which was unfortunate because we all wore suitjackets to impress the mission president...but it was nice because it gave us a very nice first impression of Paris. We went to the chapel right in the heart of the city...which ironically enough is in the heart of the gay neighborhood of Paris. But its adorable...its in a very old looking building with a big blue door and a cobblestone enterance way. Its hard to describe so pictures will be coming. We then were teamed up with some of the Paris area missionaries to go contacting. I was paired up with Sister Jorgenson... who was very welcoming and talkative. We had about a half hour to conctact and apparently there are alot of rules about where you contact...not in front of stores, not in front of churches, no muslims, etc. etc. So by the time we found a place we only contacted 2 people... but I did hand out my first card haha. We then regrouped in the church and headed on the metro to the mission home. The mission home is beautiful; it is somewhere on the outskirts of Paris but I cant really tell you where because Im still figuring my way around. But its beautiful and really felt like a real home. President and Sister Stahlie (sp) were so were so welcoming. Sister Stahlie made us a real home cooked meal of lasagna with french baguettes. That night we had our interviews, ate dinner, had a short testimony meeting, and then went to bed around 9. Which was very much needed.
The next morning we woke up and after breakfast were assigned to our areas. Our district went all over the place. The interesting thing was that he told my companion that he thought he was going to send her to Paris, but after our interviews he felt that he needed to swith us. So I guess he planned on sending me to Belgium...but I meant to be here in Paris!!!! And I'm so grateful...the area I'm in is called St.Marie...basically its just the name of our ward and are area is downtown Paris. Our ward has 10 missionaries in it! There are 4 mandrin speaking elders, 4 french speaking, and us the sisters. Its great...here in Paris we feel like we see other missionaries all the time because there are so many of us! After being told where we were going and who our trainers are, the President took us up to a place called Concencration Hill. Its not actually called that, its actually the place where the Louis the 16th was born, but President took us there because its one of the few hills in Paris...and probably France...and we were told to reflect and really put away the things of the world and dedicate our lives to our missions. After that we came back to the mission home to meat our trainers! Mine had "train"ed in from Normady that morning. Her name is Sister Pearce and I love her! She is from Provo, Utah. She honestly is great. The APs and the president kept telling me how happy and great she is all the time...and then as I've met all the other elders and missionaries they keep telling me I got the best trainer. I love her because the first thing she said to me was "I like to work hard...and I like to play hard" Perfect attitude if you ask me! Her french is great (thankfully) because she is in her second to last transfer and she is so great to me. Once she picked me up the elders were going to drive our suitcases to the apartment so we went into the chuch to figure out what to do with our day (turns out the church we went to the first day is my church!) But we went there and found out we were actually on duty for the visitors center from 4 to 8 that afternoon. Oh right...they have a visitors center kind of attatched to the church that the missionaries run. Usually they have 2 sets of missionaries, one companionship stays inside and runs it while the others go out and invite people to come in. So we took a quick stroll to Notre Dame (so tall!!) and then came into the visitors center. We ended to just spending 4 hours in there because the elders who were with us had to go do something else...but that meant we were responsible for cleaning up and closing it down...which meant my first day in the field I was cleaning the tolits of the visitor center already haha. It was quite memorable. Finally after that we went to our apartment. We are whitewashing this area which means we are 2 completely new missionaries (obviously) in the ward starting fresh. Our apartment is adorable. We share it with 2 other Soeurs...one of which is Soeur Jorgenson who took me contacting the day before...the apartment is just one giant room plus a bathroom. But I love it...pictures will come soon!
Our second day we woke up unpacked and then had our first 2 rendez-vous (appointments) The sisters before us had set the appointments so we had no idea who were meeting exactly. The first was a recent conver named Eva...she lived in rather...different part of town haha. But while waiting for her we had our first contacting experience with a guy named George...it was pretty exciting for me! haha Yes I get excited by every little thing. I'm still very much 'blue' (which I guess is what the french mission calls green missionaries lol) Eva has two adorable little girls and she is from Africa. Which was actually really nice for me because her french is slower than the Parisian french. She missed church the past couple weeks so were just checking up to make sure she was ok...turns out she was on vacation. But we asked her to share her conversion story and although I couldn't understand much I could feel that she just had such a testimony of the Book of Mormon. After that we went back to the church for our second rendez-vous. This was with an investigator named Ann Sophie. All we knew about her was she is a 21 year old Parasian who had set a baptisamal date with the missionaries at their first rendez vous. She is amazing! I feel so lucky that she just fell into our laps. She is friends with one a YSA in the ward who she works with. They've talked lots about the church and she has already read the Book of Mormon through Alma! Honestly, she should be teaching us the lessons. But all confidence I gained from understanding Eva's french was lost when trying to speak with Ann Sophie. Oh well it will come haha. But she is great! Her baptismal date is at the end of May and I can't wait to get to know her more.That day also marked my first experience with real french bread and a pastery...and yup they really all they are cracked up to be :)
The next day we went to mission council. Which I guess it is unheard that a blue would go because its only for zone leaders and then one set of sisters are invited...and just happens that my companion was chosen so there we go...3 days in the mish and I was invited haha. But it was great to hear our President and the wise insights he has about our mission. I'm sad that he will only be my president for a few months...he truly is great man. After that we had a "district finding activity" where all the missionaries in our ward get together and to a contacting activity. This week we went to a park and sang hymns while a couple missionaries contacted. It was cool. But while singing I had a very surreal experience. I never in the my wildest dreams imagined myself standing in the middle of a busy park in downtown Paris belting out hymns. But there ya go...and it worked! We actually got a couple numbers from it so we will see where that goes! After that we had a meeting with our ward-mission leader (here its called the DMP...I have no idea what that stands for haha) He is great and really involved with the work...which is nice to have him organized and coordinating 10 missionaries with the ward. After that we had another meeting with Ann Sophie which of course was great!
Saturday I finally saw the Eiffel Tower for the first time!!! It literally took my breath away...and I had one of those "i'm actually living in paris france! moments" We were playing basketball with the elders so I haven't visited it yet...but Chris would be so proud to know that I played basketball in the shadows of the Eiffel Tower :) haha That day we also taught an english class at the church. We are in charge of the beginners class...which was great because they are just as horrible at english as I am at French so I feel very comfortable speaking with the students :) There are two sisters from Algeria (who are unfortunately Muslim but have actually asked alot of questions about the church so who knows) but they were so sweet. When they found out it was first week in France they told me "don't worry..we are your sisters in Paris" It was a tender moment. We also had our first "mangez-vous" or in other words dinner with members haha. We went with the Chinese elders to some Chinese members house. The dinner was very.....interesting?! I don't know half of what I was ...but I think its better I don't ask haha. It was very generous of them to offer to feed 6 missionaries though! And their apartment had an amazing view of the eiffel tower!!
Sunday finally came and was probably the most exhausting day thus far. We had over a 100 visitors!!!! I think tourist season is starting...it made it very difficult for us to know who were visitors, who were members, and who are BYU students studying abroad. But I'm sure we will figure it out slowly. We didn't have introduce ourselves..but the bishopric warned us that we will next week. Honestly my head was pouding by the end from trying to understand french...or maybe it was from fasting I'm not sure...but I'm excited to get to know the ward. The americans in the ward were very friendly to the missionaries and we have had lots of dinner appointment invites so thats good. After that we had a baptism. We had to take the metro over to a real chapel though that has a baptismal font. The baptism was actually for an excommunicated member, but we went to support him. The bishop said something I really liked. He said life is not meant to be a straight shot to heaven, in fact that was the plan of the adversary. Life was meant to be full of ups and downs, but no matter how low the downs Christ has already paved the path for us to return. I really liked that. Anyways, I was so excited that we had a baptism because I though it meant food...well turns out the Africans were in charge of the food so again we had some very interesting options. I went for the don't ask theory again haha.
Today was finally P-day. And today is the first day I feel un-jetlagged. We went grocery shopping and had the most french meal I've eaten (and I was so excited after the Chinese/African adventures we've had) We had bagettes with cheese and apples. We had planned on going to the Eiffel tower but its raining so we opted for the Arche de Triumphe and the Champs-Elysees. It was so cool! I had some really good views of the Eiffel tower and one day I will climb it! The good thing is have 16 more months to fit that in! We also ate pasteries on the Champs-Elysees and went for a nice stroll (in the rain haha) So there ya go...first week in Paris sorry this is ridicously long!! and I'm sure I put in to many details...but its my first week I'm allowed to be super eager about everything! haha The french....is coming. But I'm loving it here already!
Oh and by the way. If you want to mail me letters my address is : 52, rue du Faubourg St. Antoine
75012, PARIS
The other sisters said letters get here in about 5-7 days...and is faster than sending stuff to the mission home (although i think packages have to go to the mission home) But family you can email me know since we pretty much are on the computer as long as we need to be. Of course letters are always appreciated :) I'll probably just email you back because its faster for me and we don't have much time to write letters.
I love you all so much!
Soeur Smith
