26 Aug 2013 email

Dear Everyone,

I guess I should have given you more details about Chriso's baptism. We were really stressed about it all week as we prepared everything. Then to top it off, we found out that the Metro line 13, which everyone takes to get to the church, was going to be closed that weekend. We scrambled around trying to find someone to give Chriso a ride to the church.

Luckily, it was a rumor and everyone got there on time. I gave a talk on baptism and then the ordinance was performed. Elder Maxwell, who did it, was already nervous because during the last baptism he performed the investigator, who was a kick boxer, kicked him in the head when he went under. Well, Chriso also panicked a little bit and started breathing when he was still under water. Now whenever he sees Elder Maxwell he like to joke "you left me under water man!” It's so funny!

We taught Gina twice last week and even set up a time to help her organize her son's stuff later this week. We're supposed to do a service every week, but it's hard to find opportunities. And we get to wear street clothes for a few hours!
Valentine is a woman who has come to church twice after she we helped her carry her groceries onto the bus a few weeks ago. However, we found it difficult to make an appointment with her. Well we taught her twice this weekend and she told us that she feels a peace that she's been looking for for a long time at church. She says she likes that we are "serious". And.....we set a baptism date with her!!! For the 14 of September. She asked us before we could ask her!

Zone Conference was this week as well as interviews with President. It's weird to think it might be my last interview before I go home.
We met some super nice American Jehovah's Witnesses this week and had a good talk with them. One of them knew nothing about our beliefs and wanted to know more so I gave her a brochure. It was a cool experience.
Bethany

5 August 2013 Hello Tout le monde!

Hello tout le monde!

Well, I'm not leaving St.Ouen! Soeur Callister and I had been talking the past few days and even though we figured I was leaving, we had the feeling that something crazy was going to happen. Even this morning I said "I don't think I'm going to pack. I'm going to wait until we get the email". Sure enough, it wasn't me, but Soeur Callister. She's going to Le Mans. So I'm going to be finishing training Soeur Gordon, which is funny because I had been systematically leaving Soeur Callister and Gordon alone more often than usual so they could form a relationship for after I was gone. Haha! Just shows that you never know!

Glad to hear that Kaila entered the MTC on a good note and that Laura has been able to see Sadie. That's the cool thing about living in Provo. You know a LOT of people when you're at the MTC.

Miracle time!!!! So many, I've even been having a hard time writing them all in my journal because there are so many.

Joyce and family: an inactive woman who has always had a strong testimony. She's done a really good job teaching the gospel to her children. They are a very tight family. She's ready to come back to church and her 11 year old daughter Alicia wants to get baptized. When we gave Alicia a Book of Mormon she squealed and said she'd treasure it more than her own life! Her other daughter Kecleen is 13 and would like to get baptized too, but she is mentally handicapped so we'll be working with President to see if she is capable of making a decision like that.

Aisata: a referral from a member. She's been looking for a church to attend. When we taught her the first lesson she understood everything and seemed happy to hear it. I really think we could be setting a baptismal date soon!

Valentine: we helped her and her sister take a lot of groceries on to their bus. Found out that they don't live far from the church and that Valentine is looking for a place to go to church. We got her number and gave her the church's address. However, when we called to remind her about church the number didn't work. We were pretty bummed. But....she came all by herself! She even stayed for the baptism afterward.

Chriso: is getting baptised on the 17th of August!!!! He still needs to tell his wife which will be interesting, but we've been praying and fasting so much for him. At our last lesson he asked what will happen to his parents and siblings who died before being baptized by the proper authority. It felt so good to be able to give him an answer!

The Elder’s miracle: this isn't ours, but it's still good. The St.Ouen Elders were stopped by a lady who said that several years ago, when she was living in Italy, her brother killed himself. She had gone to pray in a church, but she was still very sad. As she walked out two Elders stopped her and said she looked sad, but that she should know that with the Savior she could overcome anything. She was impressed that these Elders didn't try to convert her, just comfort her.

She then told the St.Ouen Elders that she knew people made fun of them a lot and it was hard for them, but she wanted to let them know that there are still people like her in this world that appreciate them. They are currently teaching her and her husband. I thought that story was really touching.

Gina: This is my favorite miracle and it just happened last night. We contacted Gina, but while she wasn't unbelieving, she didn't want to hear about Jesus Christ right now because her son had killed himself two years ago. We spent a few minutes testifying about the Plan of Salvation, but she wasn't interested. Just before leaving he,r I felt that I should say that her son was at peace. I hesitated because we had already told her similar things and I figured other people had already told her that even if we hadn't. However, it occurred to me that people also might have told her that he was in hell or limbo because he committed suicide. I said "I just want you to know...that...um...I just want you to know that your son is at peace right now". Suddenly her arms were around me and she was crying. I was a little startled because that's not how I imagined things going three seconds earlier. She simply said thank you and then said we could call her. We sat down next to a fountain and prayed with her. All I could think, and all I'm still thinking now is, this is why I came on a mission.

There were other miracles, but these are the ones that stood out. I hope they bring a little sunshine into your week!!

Bethany

Pictures are of Bethany in 2 traditional African dresses. The first she bought and the second was given to her as a gift.