June 11, 2012 "deja vu"

Well this week I've been going through a wierd déjà vu....Strange how life goes in circles.

This week we had exchanges and I did exchanges in a ville called Nogent...which is right next to Paris. So guess what we got to do? Visitor Center shift! I know that probably means nothing to all you back home...but I spent many hours in that little visitor's center my first 6 months in Paris. Therefore I was having all sorts of wierd flashbacks! Especially when the Paris elders walked in and told me that ZDRAVKO IS BACK in Paris and doing well! I was kind of hopeing his bouncing curls would make thier way into the visitor's center but the elders killed that hope when they told me he shaved his head...alors...I'll have to wait another time to run into him.


It was very strange being back in Paris. Even the sound of the metros sent me into all sorts of memories. I know I'm wierd. And with X-amount of time left I have a feeling Im going to become more and more sentimental. Also this week, Soeur McGhie and I were invited mission council. Again, that probably means nothing to you, but I attended mission council like my third day in the field...its just wierd seeing everything twice- once from the 'blue I have no idea which way is up' perspective...to the 'I'm the sister all the elders look at and say "its so wierd your dying, I remember when you were born". Oh gosh...yes I feel like a grandma.


So inbetween all my freakouts about age and feeling like I'm living in some sort of wierd time warp...we fixed a baptisimal date! True to all mission traditions, all the miracles always happen during week 5 and 6 of the transfer. Rositta, our amie passed to us by the other sisters, fixed a date for June 30th!!! Apparently there are supposed to be 4 baptisms that day between the two wards here in Lille, so we are super excited and hoping that will help the ward get excited about the missionary work! Anyways, Rositta is awsome. She's really struggled with quitting coffee, but this week she just quit on her own and was super excited to finally fix a date!


I'm not going to lie, this week was kind of a crazy one, between exchanges, mission council, taking trains out to see members in super cute little french towns, and stake conferance, I felt like we were barely in our area. But looking back just over this past 5 weeks, especially this week with fixing a baptisimal date, I just feel like saying "and thus we see that by small means the Lord can bring about great things"1 Nephi 16:29. Its truly by the little prayers and little bits of faith we can muster, that miracles happen, one little bit at a time! How great it is to be a missionary and be able to see the hand of the Lord in my life so clearly!


I love you all and hope you have a great week!
Soeur Smith