Another week gone to fast in Poitiers. This week was...
GENERAL CONFERENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Obviously you know that, but it was
so amazing I just can't even get over it. I don't know why but just
looking at all the apostles and the prophet and their wives and such made me all sensitive and I burst into tears. Haha, I just love them
all so much it's embarrassing. But also how amazing was the last song
of the Sunday afternoon session? I loved how it started with just the
one voice and then slowly got louder and louder and louder! It was so
powerful.
I loved President Nelson's talk about women. Especially all the
adjectives that were used in it: serenity, virtue, light, love,
knowledge, character, faith, strong, courageous, converted, covenant
keeping, pure... So many! I just felt like everything he said was so
needed, the men and women of the church and everywhere cannot
duplicate each other, each brings a needed aspect to the table and all
our voices must be heard. I know I for one needed that boost of
confidence, so my goal now is to try and figure out how to step
foreword and take my place as a sister missionary, and become bedrock
firm in my faith and my convictions.
One theme I loved was testimony, and how important it is that we are
nurturing our faith and progressing so that testimonies may never
falter. And also, I just felt like so many of the talks were a call
for us to stand and take our place as believers, as the covenant
people of God. I felt a great call to be different, to stand as one
who will not bend to the influences of the world but will forever
stand tall and upright in keeping the commandments and in being an
example of Christ. It's funny because as missionaries we don't really
have a choice in standing out, we just do. With the way we dress
everyday, the badges we wear, going to talk to people all day. We
stand out, it can't be helped. I remember at the beginning of my
mission being annoyed at wearing the missionary badge because I felt
like so many people just disregarded us before we could even say
anything. People would see the name Jesus Christ and just shaking
their fingers at us and keep walking, and it bugged me. I thought we
would be able to do so much more with out these badges on because then
people would actually stop to talk to us before prejudging based on
looking at our badges. But now, I LOVE it. I love that I wear the name
of Christ unmistakeable visible each day. I love when people look at
it and ask me what I'm doing and I get to tell them, or people just
look at it and I get to smile because with out words I am saying to
them, to the world that I believe in Christ. And isn't that our great
call, to tell the world that we know he lives.
I know Jesus Christ lives, he is my best friend, he is the great
example for my life, and for what I want to be like. I love him and I
wish and want everyone to know that.
So, conference was wonderful and I have so many things I need to look
back on and act on, especially the ponderize. I love that.
This week we had a cool miracle happen. We were in Limoges for
district meeting, and someone called, but we were in the middle of the
meeting so we didn't answer. The person left a message and it ended up
being a less active member who got our number from a member he was
still in contact with and called us saying that he wants to come back
to church and he wants to start meeting with us. That has never
happened to us before, so we were pretty excited. We called back, set
up a rdv, and Saturday morning met with him. It was really cool, he
was baptized in his late twenties, and was very active, but about 8
years ago stopped coming. We had a really good get to know you lesson,
he asked for both of our favourite scriptures and chapters and said he
would read them. And as we were talking we found out he is a huge fan
of genealogy, and is week it just so happened that there was this big
conference thing in Poitiers about genealogy and the church had a
stand at it where the members were stationed to show people how to
sign up for the website etc. and he said he was going to it, so of
course we told him about our stand, and we told the members he would
be there. He spent a whole hour or so at the booth with his mom
(against the church but opened up a ton at the conference and spent a
ton of time looking at things with the members and telling stories).
He told the members there that he would come to some of the
conference, and he did and I think it was awesome. It was the Sunday
morning session and he loved in. It was cool to see all these things
kind of lining up to give him a good new start in the church.
And this week was cool for another reason. We were waiting for a
member at a bus stop to go and visit someone, and we were there a bit
early, so we walked down a street doing some contacting, no one, and
so we were turning back, and I just kind of said, hey let's porte this
house, and so we did, there were four doorbells, we did one, then the
other, then all, nothing. Just as we had turned on our heels to walk
away the door opened and this lady answered. We asked if we could do a
questionnaire, she said yes, then said a few words in English. So we
chatted about that and then she just says, "do you want to come in? I
don't bite!" No one ever invites us in! And so yes, of course we did.
So we go into to little entrance hall, and we start the questionnaire
with her and she says her mom has been the biggest example in her
life, then her eyes tested up and she said she hoped we didn't talk
about that anymore because she just died. We said about how we were
there to share the message, the truth with her that families are
forever and that she will be able to be with her mother again. She
said of course, that she believed that, then she invited us in to her
house house part. So we go, and we keep chatting, and she says, I
don't have a lot of time right now, but come back again and tell me
all about your church. ( She has actually been to Salt Lake City) she
was so funny, she said, that's my family, but I won't introduce them
to you because,( in a whisper) they aren't believing. Haha. We all had
a good laugh about it. I'm so excited to hopefully start teaching
her!!!!
Here are some questions our Chinese Amis asked us to week. I seriously
think they are the cutest people I have ever met, ahhh I just love
them!
1) Zoë, asking about the angels appearing to Joseph smith, why do they
wear white, and why don't they wear shoes?
I just said they live in the heavens, in the sky, they don't need
shoes and we all just laughed and she says, your right, that's a good
explanation! Haha so funny.
2) Anastasia, talking about the Buddhist gods asked if God and the
Buddhist gods were neighbours. She's so funny! And don't worry, we
have answered their questions. :)
This week once again was wonderful and filled with so many blessings.
I'm so thankful for the wonderful things that God is letting me be
apart of.
Love Sister Christensen :)
