TROP bénie

Wow... I'm going to have to type fast this week. I have a lot of miracles to write about!!!

Our favorite baguettes

Actually using chopsticks!

Let's start off with the beginning of the week!! So we called just about every ancient ami we have in our area book (that's the most ancient ami fiches I've seen in my whole mission....) So we just set rdv after rdv and found SO many people that kind of fell beneath the cracks somewhere along the way. I have a few stories about this for this week. :)

We wanted to porte this one so bad!  Not sure if it's a house though.

Getting artsy with our pictures

Thanks for the cool pic Soeur Bagley

We set a rdv with a woman named Paqueline - she had just had a baby about 3 weeks before and i think she had stopped rdvs because she was nearing the end of her pregnancy. anyway, found her in the middle of all the fiches. She was SO happy to hear from us! She invited us right over. Then we find out she has 3 beautiful daughters and her husband who is interested as well!! A FAMILY!!! We picked up right where I'm sure the last sisters left off. She said she'd been reading the BOM and that she found that it really contained God's plan for us within it. She's studying with the témoins as well, which is always a good sign. I think it means people are really searching diligently to find the truth! She agreed that she would be baptized when she found the truth!! (She couldn't come to church this week because her poor 3 week old baby is sick..... everyone pray for her!!)

Replacement glasses arrived!

Sound check for this weekend's spectacular spectacular

A couple more ancient ami stories.. :) So a few days after we made all the calls, we get a call back from a man named Vako. He's an immigrant from Russia. He took the missionary lessons for a few years and knows the church and the ward very well. It was super unclear on his fiche why the lessons stopped (seriously that's my biggest pet peeve), but I think he might have just been having a hard time and needed a break for a bit. So anyway, he called and told us that he'd love to meet with us again! We set up a rdv for that saturday. He arrived right on time but our member tombez-vous-ed us (haha it's okay she forgot), and it was pouring rain so we couldn't have the lesson outside.. he assured us he would be at church the next day and that we could just meet next week! HE CAME TO CHURCH!! And we had to do literally NOTHING to get him integrated. He went straight into priesthood and started chatting with a bunch of people. He will be baptized.

Train ride to Oloron

The Pyrenees

We went to pass an ancient ami family - the Lumwmba(?)'s (I usually write and say Lulumba because I don't know how to pronounce it or spell it haha). So we passed and they were so excited to see us!! We couldn't go in because the wife wasn't home, but they told us that we could pass whenever we wanted to! Afterwards we decided to porte a bit on that street. Within 20 minutes we found THREE OTHER HOUSES who were interested in learning more!! Can you believe that? Maybe that doesn't sound as awesome as it was, but we are stoked. We'll be going back next week with a member and teaching all 4 families. :)

Mirror selfie

Church in Pau

Michael update: He texted us this week telling us that he wanted to stop lessons and coming to church. Didn't phase me whatsoever. Basically texted back and told him that we weren't giving up on him and that he needed to have patience with himself and God to be able to receive his answer - we reminded him that "ce qui cherche trouve." (seek and ye shall find) Later that night he responded with this Benjamin Franklin quote: "The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason. The morning daylight appears plainer when you put out your candle." And he came to church.

I love Oloron!!!

Construction in Oloron is still beautiful

Oloron

Oloron reminds me of home (Carcassonne)

Soeur Bagley

Just an explanation of all of the gorgeous pictures - we went to Oloron this week to visit a family in the ward and a less active (and to do some other work because missionaries hardly ever go there). I cannot WAIT to bring you guys there! It is breath-taking and they have a Lindt chocolate factory there.. it smells like chocolate when you walk around. Seriously its a fairy tale there. Reminded me so much of Carcassonne. :)

While we were porting last night

Let me tell you a little bit about last night. So we had people we wanted to pass and I thought for SURE i knew how to get to certain road without looking at a map (seriously always a bad idea). We started walking and we got sooo lost. We were wayy off from where we needed to be. I stopped and asked a couple if they could tell us the name of the road. They were so willing to help. They told us - "oh just come with us!! we'll go look it up on the computer!!" We followed them to their house but by then we had talked out where the road was. So the wife offered to take us to the road! Seriously, who does that! So nice! She told us that her daughter had just returned from backpacking Costa Rica and thought that she would have wanted someone to help her if she had been lost, so it was the least she could do. They were seriously the nicest people. They thought it was wonderful what we did. We didn't really have much time to talk but we left her with our card! Hopefully we run into her again!

Hey Soeur Richardson, I found cheap sticky notes in France!

Are you proud? Look how much water I drank this week!!!

So after that we porte-ed a bit because we couldn't find the ancient amis house and then we started trying to find a bus to take home. Sunday schedule is the weirdest and there are practically NO buses. We started walking and by then it was dark and we were having such a hard time finding somewhere. We ended up walking in back roads and I started to have the weirdest feeling. Never felt anything like it before. Then I heard a voice speaking to me "Don't get on the bus. Call a member." We checked the bus times and it came in about 30 minutes, I just knew we couldn't be outside, or get on the bus. And there was no way I was ignoring a prompting that strong. My companion at first thought I was just a little bit crazy because I'm always anxious when we're out when its dark. But of course she agreed we should listen to the prompting. We camped out in US Pizza (to avoid being in the streets...) and started calling everyone we could. Seriously no one could come and get us. Finally (bless her heart) Aline (Leang) came to the rescue AGAIN - she always helps us, I seriously love her. Still don't know what would have happened had we been on the bus or outside but as soon as we were in the car with Aline, the horrible feeling went away instantly.

My beautiful companion

Me!!

We wrote her a poem to thank her for everything she does for us that I just have to send home.

Aline, Aline you are so great.

You've picked us up when it was late.

You speak English like a boss.

You probably even know the word "dross" (don't know if that's really a word, but it rhymes...)

When we need google, you're always there.

No one could replace you and they wouldn't dare.

Maintenant on écrit en français,

parce qu'on a pensé que c'était une bonne idée.

On sait que l'église est vrai,

et l'évanglie apporte la paix.

C'est un poème de nos coeurs.

On vous aime sans fin

     -les Soeurs

She responded with this. :)

Chères amies, je vous aime

Tout comme les nems...! :-D

Je ne said pas faire de bon rimes

Mais au moins, ce n'est pas un crime...

I'm glad you called me

So you can go home safely!

Ahhhh we died. I love Aline. I love our ward. I love Pau. I love my life. I love the gospel. And I love being a missionary.

Have a great week family!!!

Je vous aime!!

View from Centre Ville

Soeur Everett

3 Nephi 11:14-15

Carcassonne news: the family Pondela are now ENGAGES (committed) for baptism!!! WHAT!!! I about cried when I saw them on the engagé list this week!!!!