June 10, 2013 - Living in a Gangsta Paradise

‪            So as usually I will start by explaining the meaning of the subject of the email. Last night we were able to have dinner at the Family Chantiaux house. We teach Killian (a 10 yr old) the recent convert lecons (lessons) cause he was just baptized!! His sister recently put in her papers and things are going great for that family!! Anyways, we ate dinner at their house on Sunday. It was quite the experience! After our dinner Killian got out a story to read with us called Crèpes avec Maman....or something like that! It’s about Africans and they make crêpes!! It was hilarious!! We were each taking turns reading a page when we had this fabulous idea to try and read it with an African accent!  Hahaha! French with African accents are CRAZY!! We thought we were sooooo funny!!! Well it came to my turn again and I thought I would mix things up and rap it! They LOVED it! They thought it was sooooooo funny! We all then took turns gansta rapping the children’s story!! I was clearly the best! Hahaha ;) It was so funny to see Killian rapping!!! He was doing gangsta hand motions.  Overall my rapping was a success! We really got our gansta on! I figure since I got pepper sprayed two weeks ago and rapped this week that I’m pretty much living in a gangsta paradise!!!  Hahahahahaha!  Ohhhhhh good times in France! I love the members!! They are SOOOO fabulous! Soeur Bayles and I were specifically asked to work with the members a few weeks ago and its been an absolute delight!!! I am already dreading transfer calls! I don’t want to leave Toulouse! But I will go where the Lord wants me to go!!

So I would like to give a shout out to MODERN MEDICINE!!! And prayer! As you know, Soeur Bayles and I visited the doctor and got the wonderful news we had strep throat and sinus infections.  We received loads of medicine to help. Sadly we were on our death beds for the next two days and then a blessing from above happened—the SUN CAME OUT!!!! Glory Hallelujah!! The weather here has been very unusual!  Everyone keeps telling us that it hasn’t been like this for 30 years!! It’s usually always bright and sunny by this time of the year! It got rainy again at the end of last week.  I am really hoping that this doesn’t continue! We need to be really careful with our health—as directed by the cute senior couple in our area and its getting old to have to worry about!!! I would rather always worry about my investigators rather than my stinking health!!! But things are looking up!!! 

The only bright side of being stuck in bed is that I got to do a lot of study time! I am almost finished with the Livre De Mormon! What a fabulous book! I tell you....I am in love with it! I also read a fabulous talk by President Utchdorf on Patience! Find it and read it...I think its from the April 2010 conference?? Possibly during the Priesthood session? Je ne sais pas?!  It’s got some great one-liners!! One of my favorite lines goes something like this: Patience it’s not the receiving  but the waiting when you grow the most. I really feel like God keeps telling me to be patient with myself...especially with the language!! I have been trying hard to listen and apply this past week! 

            So we talked to our one investigators about setting a date for baptism! I committed her to baptism last week but we tried to get her to commit to the 6 Juillet! She said....NO! It was really heart breaking...She has been soooo awesome! (she is the one that has been coming to church on her own, etc.). After she said no, she didn’t show up to church the next week....a double whammy! But I am keeping a good attitude and trying to not let my heart be completely broken! Curse peoples agency!! If they only knew the blessings that comes from this gospel! I have grown such a deep testimony of that. It soooo sad to see soooo many people still in a state of apostasy...their hearts are hard.  It reminds me of the stories in the Book of Mormon. Sometimes I feel like Mormon.....soooooo sad for his people and their state of wickedness trying soooo hard to cry repentance to their souls. I am trying sooooo hard!!!! And I know that if they do not harken to the words of the Savior they will be judged for their works. PLEASE PRAY FOR THE PEOPLE OF FRANCE. We need open hearts!!! 

I love you all!! Thanks for all the prayers you have been sending my way!! Please send them to the people of France!!!  Oh and dad... was it Elder Vistcanti who bore his Testimony at the youth conference??? He is from Poe and we all knew him from the MTC!! He is in the Provo mission. He is awesome!! Also I got/didn’t get the package!! Its here it arrived Saturday but we weren’t there so now its at a post office place and we cant pick it up until tonight! So thanks SO much for sending a package!!! I am SOOOOOOO excited to open it!! It was sooooo nice of you to send, THANK YOU THANK YOU  Momma!! PS. I love those shoes you mentioned but don’t worry too much.  If you don’t want to send them it is fine.  They are, of course, super cute! 

xoxox 143 Stand up straight and smile remember who you are!!! 

ps. HAVE FUN AT COUSINS CAMP!!!!! I am going to miss being there with everyone!!! I am sending my love from France!!!! xoxoxox