Bonjour!!!!
Well this week I feel like Im starting to feel like mom. Im kind of ready for the entire world to go back to school and work. Im ready for normal scheadules. Im ready to start hearing french on the metros again, rather than just about every unrecognizable language and LOTS of english. I am ready for the vacance to be over. But only a couple more weeks and I think we'll be there so I'll keep my complaining to a minimum. Naturally, we as missionaries try our best to ignore vacance and keep things going. So this week was full of lots of member visits, zone conferance, and doctor visits.
First off- member visits. Well last Monday was Soeur Williams' birthday (22 wahoo!) and it was so good! We went to Sacré Coeur...which is one of the most famous churches in Paris and little did we know it was a Catholic holiday on Monday so the crowds were less to be desired...but other than that the day just worked out perfectly. It was one of those days were the weather is perfect, the metro pulls up just as you walk in every time, and magically you find a cheap ice cream stand rather than one of the over priced ones. But the best part was at the end of the day we had an appointment with a member that was amazing. We have been trying to work hard during vacance to just get to know the members that have stuck around. This has led for some really cool experiences when we get to hear amazing conversion stories.( your right dad- that really is where the gold is!) This lady was especially powerful-honestly I want to take her to all of our teaching appointments because her conversion story is beautiful. She shared with us some of the very difficult things that have happened in her life...and she said that when those events happened rather than asking God 'why me' she chose to ask him 'what is the purpose behind this?'. She found the sister missionaries in the metro in 1994, apparently that year the Pope came to visit France, so there had been alot of religious people out and about Paris. But she said when she saw the sisters and thier nametags she knew something was different about them and she had to ask. Well they talked with her and invited her to church, but it took her a couple months to get to church. But she said as soon as she walked into the building she could see a light in the members and she knew she had found the truth. I thought this story was a beautiful example of never giving up on people (Im sure after she didnt show up the missionaries didn't give their encounter in the metro much thought) and of the power of members. I don't think members know how much they mean to us. I mean, I hear in their prayers every week at church or in their homes 'please bless the missionaries', but I hope they know when we go home we are praying 'please bless the members'...because without them our work is MUCH more difficult.
Which reminds me of Zone Conferance. Which of course was amazing. One of the best parts was I actually understood what the heck was going on! This is huge improvement from last zone conferance where I was guessing most of the time. But one thing President Poznanski emphasized was 'yes- every member a missionary, but also every missionary a member' He really wants us to get to know our wards and feel like we are a part of the ward. We talked about many different ways to do that and it made me grateful that we've had the opportunity this summer to get to know many members à cause de the dreaded vacance. Blessings in disguise, blessings in disguise. (although a huge part of me is ready for the 'blessing of vacance' to be over! haha) Also, President Poznanski said that when he was in the MTC being trained with all the mission presidents the brethern said that they want mission presidents to try and move missionaries around as little as possible. They really want missionaries to feel 'at home' when they go into in area and get settled for a while...which gives me hope that maybe Ill be staying in Paris for one more transfer !!! On verra...
We also had a funny moment at a members home this week. We had a mangez-vous with this cute couple in our ward. He is Croatian and she is German, and they are both converts. So we asked them for thier conversion stories. Well turns out his conversion story is intertwined with how he met his current wife (this is a second marriage for both of them)....but the best part was watching them during the story. He would describe trying to date her and she would make this cute giggly noise (mind you they are probably both in their 60's if not older), but then at the end he looked at her and said 'Love is alot of work...' then turned and looked at us 'so you have alot of work a head of you!' hahaha...we both set that bit of advice aside for the post-mish life haha.
And finally- the doctor's. So this week Soeur Williams had a 'bone scan' which is terrifying process where they give you a scary radioactive potion to drink (literally radioactive- she was told to stay away from children); then you sit in the waiting room for two hours while the potion spreads (enter us telling each other the plot of every book the other one hasn't read) and then she was 'scanned' and they could tell where the problem is according to how the potion spread. Well results came back- everything normal! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR...but the good knews is the Poznanskis found a new doctor for her so hopefully this week when we meet with him we will finally actually get some answers!!!!
Oh- and to sum up the week there was a baptism in the ward! This girl is from Tawain and she is in Paris for vacation for a couple months. But she was wandering around looking for a place to pray one night and she heard one of the missionary concerts going on...so she walked in and asked if this is a church. Obviously the answer was yes and the chinese elders starting teaching her that night. She is adorable! She was supposed to get baptized two weeks from now but moved it up because she couldn't wait. The cutest part was after she was baptized (while standing in the font) she turned to everyone and said "thank you for being here, I know its been a short time, but in my heart and in my mind it has been a very long time I've been waiting for this day"...so tender. I really am so grateful to be a missionary and to be apart of moments like that...when the long search inside of people's minds and hearts are finally answered.
I love you and miss you all!!
xoxo
Soeur Smith
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