Perpignan 4:4

Okay. So another week has passed. And based on some questions this

email is going to be very honest about what I think about my mission.

Here I go.

First things first, I love my mission, and I'm pretty happy, but, not

everyday is easy.

When I wake up in the morning, usually my first thought is, here we go

another day and I'm a bit bummed out, but then once I actually get

going it's fine. I'm working on changing that, but like I said, in

this email of honest soul sharing, it's hard. Right now not many of

our Amis are progressing, and not many people talk to us. It's

discouraging. The days when all we have planned is walk and walk and

try to find people, waking up happy and excited for the day is hard.

And the days, well more, everyday, when someone looks at the name

Jesus Christ on our plaques and says how they want nothing to do with

us, that's hard. Feeling inadequate in my abilities, and in my French,

that's hard.

BUT

It is all completely worth it.

No matter how hard the mornings are, or the negative feelings I have,

I smile and I work, and with out fail there is something everyday that

I look back on and say, today was worth it. What I have learned and

felt so far on my mission far outweighs any negative things that have

happened. I think about my future, and I am overcome with how much I

will need the things I am learning on my mission, and how thankful I

have for this time to learn, to go through hard things, to be

rejected, but also to see the changes that happen in people's lives

when they let God and Christ become a greater part of their lives. As

a missionary I am learning and seeing in my life and the lives of

those around me the importance of things that before, I might have

taken a bit for granted. For example, we have an hour for personal

study and an hour to study to get her each day, I always knew it was

important to read and study the scriptures each day, but right now,

there is something different in my day if I don't get those studies

in, I need them, and I rely on them. We can not progress with out it.

Also, with having companions I have realized how important good

communication is. For me, I don't get mad or frustrated with other

that easily, I can get over things fast, and I'm not that picky, so

I've always just kind of ignored the things that bug me, I just figure

I'll get over it and I leave it there. but I have noticed with the

companions that I have talked to, openly and honestly about the things

I am thinking and feeling in regards to our relationship and I guess

who they are, that more good comes from that open conversation than

from trying to just ignore and get over it. We need to communicate,

otherwise, we can't teach, we can't have the Spirit, we are not

effective. (I'm a huge fan of comp inventory now, I know, it's

shocking, me expressing my feelings! I have made so much progress :) )

and don't even get me started on goals. When I say goals you say

planning, GOALS! (Planning) GOALS!! I hope your saying it! At the

beginning of my mission I had no idea what to do with goals, I had no

idea picking goals took forever!!! Now, I have too many tags I want to

make goals about and get better on. You know that scripture about

being shown our weaknesses... Ya, it's very true, I have realized so

many weaknesses, was I really just blind before? I don't know, I just

have anol of work today. And it's awesome, because that's what life is

for, becoming someone better. And it's awesome when you can look back

at a week or two weeks 7 months... And see the changes that have

occurred. Seriously so cool.

So, yes, life is hard right now, but there isn't any other way I would

have it. :)

Now, back to Perpignan. This week,

I will start with the weird experience. We were walking to a rdv doing

some contacting, so I stopped a man and asked if we could ask him 3

questions about the family, he looked at me and without saying

anything slowly turned his whole head, not just his eyes down to my

shoes and stood there, regarding them very pensively,  very very

pensively and then without looking up he said no and slowly turned and

walked away. Weird. But funny. We had a good laugh. It was the first

time I had ever been rejected because of my shoes. And they aren't

even that beat up yet.

The cool experience of the week, a few weeks ago we talked to this

lady named Claire. We walked with her as she was going to a bus stop

and then waited with her and taught her about the restoration, and

what we're here as missionaries doing. She gave us her name and

address and said we could stop by. We had spent the last few weeks

going over, but never being able to see her, she wasn't home I guess.

And then during the exchange we we just walking by her house, and in

my head I though, I guess we could see if she's home, but I was a bit

skeptical, because we had tried so many times before and nothing. But

just as we get to the door, sister Stapley got a phone call, so we

paused out side her door, and then as we are standing there guess who

walks up. Yes! CLAIRE!! She looks at us and says with the biggest

smile, your coming to see me!!! We go inside with her to her apartment

and he whole time all she is saying to us is at she is so happy to see

us, "vous pouvez pas imaginer combien ça me plais!" And then to top it

off, I ask her if she read the brochure that we gave her, and she did!

I asked her what she thought, and the first thing she says it that

it's true. And how it can't be a lie. I was so stunned. So stunned.

That has never happened too me before, never! Np one ever actual

reads, let alone likes it and thinks it's try! And thenwe spent the

rest of the rdv answering her questions. So cool :)

Another cool thing this week is a conversation that we had with a

woman on the street. She said she didn't have much time, but let us

ask the questions,  it before we could even finish, she asks us about

what we are doing, who we are etc, and so we had a good conversation,

she believed in God and had a lot of faith that he guides her and

plays a large role in her life. So we had a lotto talk about, and we

asked her if we could pray with her, she didn't know how we prayed, so

we gave her a quick lesson, and then I said the prayer. At the end she

was even more interested in us and asked about church, when where...

And the she said how she really needed to talk to us, and how much

good it did her, and how she wants to see us again because she really

thinks it'll help her. :) so we got her info and will hopefully see

her soon.

Also, this week we gave the relief society missionary minute and I

talked about the joy that comes from member missionary work, I showed

the pic maija sent of ashel and fleur and how important they are to

us. I was a living sprinkler, with ugly sound effects and all. (Okay,

that's an exaggeration, but not that far from the truth)

:) love  sister c

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