Week 5: Zone Conference



Hello family and friends!!

This week has been wonderful. First of all, today I got my very first package/letter/anything from the US.  Ha, it was so exciting!  It was the Easter package from momma.  I loved it.  Ha I loved that you opened the peeps so that they would go stale for me.  Ha, that was awesome. It’s so fun because the smallest smallest things make us so happy. Thanks a ton.  I took a picture of my excitement, but they aren’t showing up for some reason.  I may even hide some of the stuff you sent me so I can find it on Sunday.  Thanks mom. I have sent two things home.  Sounds like you’ve gotten one. I hope the other one gets there soon! Naomi, I’ve sent you two letters.  I hope you got them.

So we had zone conference this week in Paris with Elder Richards. It was so wonderful and so needed. I really needed a spiritual boost cause I was struggling! He taught us how to teach simply and clearly and really gave me a confidence boost.  It brought my companion down to my teaching level and it was so nice to feel the spirit for that long!  Also we got to stay in Évry.  It’s about an hour away from Paris, and it’s called little Africa because everyone is African!  So fun. 



Sister Missionaries at Zone Conference

 

Zone Conference

After conference I have been really happy.  I have been talking to people much much more and I have a spring in my step.  I got to see lots of people and say hi to friends that I haven’t seen yet, and a few people from high school are here that I didn’t know about ha.

Tugsuu is going sooo well. She was worried about marriage. She kept reading that it was important and she didn’t want to be married because she worked at an orphanage and saw many girls be raped and horrible horrible things.  She thinks that men are horrible. But we shared Joseph Smiths message with her. She said that she feels better about men and she sees the good examples of the priesthood holders in our ward.  She said maybe one day she’d like to get married.  She is so cute.  Every time she does something that she feels guilty about, she tells me and says she’s been praying for forgiveness.

Raymonde is doing well too!  She got her hearing aid and is much more calm and is really learning lots now that she can actually hear.  She is so eager to know and she takes no offense when we tell her she is wrong. She’s definitely on track for baptism!! She’s even bought her dress I think!

Steph and Lauren, I read your quotes hahaha.  I loved them. I cried and laughed at the same time; Tassiii, I just finished reading a few cards each day!  I also love them!!  Thanks everyone.

So I was on the metro, and some guy came up and stood next to me and a rat popped out of his hood and it was like right by my face. Then it crawled out and into his bag. Interesting and I like pressed myself against the wall as hard as I could so that rat wouldn’t jump on my. My companion was laughing hysterically. 

I’m really starting to love my area.  We have a new focus on the members and were trying to get to know them.  We know that they will be the best way to strengthen Gods kingdom!!  I’m also learning to really love the Book of Mormon. I dedicate 30 of my studies to it and I’m always so sad when I have to stop and move on and study something else!!!

Here’s a list of things that I don’t need, but would be nice for like a birthday gift in June or something. I’ll probably add to it as the weeks go on.

- Peanut butter, crunchy (it is sooooooooo expensive here.)

- Reese’s PB cups: pieces. they don’t exist really

-Mascara….the good kind here is like 9 Euros. Not worth it.

- A white slip to knees or midcalf... I hate spending p-days shopping

I love you all! I miss you all so much! I love hearing from you! Please be good

Soeur Kohert



Week 4: Heyyy tout le monde!!!

I had a pretty awesome week. I definitely understand a little bit better about whats going on, so that's awesome.

The Old City of Rennes

So I am spoiled. Heavenly Father truly loves me. We have two baptismal dates. Two. I haven't even been here for two weeks yet. The first is Raymonde. She is crazy. Literally and I love it. 60 years old. Her husband is a recent convert. The missionaries have been teaching her for like six months but she drew us a picture and on the back she wrote... i have something to tell you... and we said what?? And she said that she wants to be baptized! we were so happy. She reads the Book of Mormon so much. She can't really hear, so lessons are tricky. But we're trying to go slow so that we know that she understands. April 13 is the date and her wedding anniversary. I hope I don't get transferred.

The other is TUGSUU my favorite. She was the one that I mentioned last week.. The one I gave the Book of Mormon to. During her like 2nd lesson we asked if she wanted to be baptized within the next few weeks! She said "of course". She said she never thought she would be Christian. We got a Mongolian Book of Mormon, and she reads like crazy. She said she fills full. I like her because I have gotten to take all the major steps with her. Her date is also the 13th. We learned that her sister was murdered and that through our teachings, she has been able to forgive her murderer. How cool is that. I learn so much more than she does from me. She really is a light and I love her very much.

It Rains A Lot

I'm definitely trying to hold back on eating everything in sight here. I think the excitement of having speculous spread and bread everywhere will wear off here soon. And good thing, because I feel like I'll be two of me when I come home. I haven't gotten any mail from anyone yet? But I hope to at zone conference this week. Well, I best be off  Welcome home Kyle Asay and Jed McLoughlin soon.

The Chapel in Rennes

Oh I've also really learned how the atonement can really strengthen us and not just fix us; I have been praying for God to strengthen me rather than to help me fix the situation I'm in. I feel my french improving tons. Continue to pray for me three times a day for the gift of tongues please.

Week 3: Made It to Paris!!

I made it :) Wahooooo. Ah I forgot that the keyboards here are weird: Ha soo I know I told my family this, but for those of you who don't know, I found out like 20 hours before I left for Paris that my visa came in!!! I'm so grateful! Most missionaries are having to wait and be temporarily reassigned: My poor companion didn't know till 2 hours before we left!! Well the plane ride was good. I didn't get much sleep but I tried. I was glad that it was a straight 10 hour flight though: that was nice. So we got off and met our mission president, his wife and the 2 APs. They gave us some pain du chocolat (yummy chocolate filled bread) and a baby packed lunch and sent us on our way to Paris to street contact:

Sister Walker, Me, Sister Posnanski (the Mission President's wife), and Sister Melville

President Posnanski and My MTC Companions at the Paris Airport

  We got on the metro and they said okay, go! So we did. My companions sat together and got this girl talking about church right away. I talked to this man and women: We didn't get much farther than the fact that I’m a missionary, but we talked the whole train ride. We then go off in pairs by the modern museum. This is where I saw missionaries street contacting 6 years ago and that’s because our church is like right there! Ha in the middle of the gay district. I met a sister....and we went and talked to people! It wasn’t fun at first but once we got used to it, it wasn’t bad: we almost gave away a BOM and almost got a contact. 

The Mission President's Office

So then off we went to the mission home where we filled out papers and then went to Consecration Hill. 

Sister Melville, Me, and Sister Walker at Consecration Hill

It’s a beautiful park that looks all over Paris. The park is exactly like Lehi’s vision. There is a river and across it tall and spacious buildings and then a path with an iron rod and a patch of trees at the end. There was even mist. We were asked to ponder on how we are going to serve the 12 million people in Paris and how we were going to be the best missionaries. It was cool. 

Consecration Hill

 We then went and met our trainers My trainer is sister Stapley from Cache Valley (good job Lauren). She is at 8 months and is super cute and loves to talk. 

Sister Stapley (My Trainer) and Me

 Sister Melville has 2 companions and sister Walker went with sister Stapley’s old companion. And then we were assigned our areas!!!! Sister Melville went to Versaille... close to Paris so that she could do her law stuff with her car accident. And Sister Walker went to Lille (where Eleanore is from)... and I got assigned to RENNES!! It’s like two hours southwest of Paris by train. Everyone was so jealous of my area. They said that the ward is great and that it is one of the most successful places in France! Sweet Right?? I guess every sister wants to go to Rennes. Well it turns out I’m in Elder Gavin Davis's district (Damon's and my friend from Everett, Washington)/super cool. Anyway, we finally got some sleep. I was so tired from not sleeping for like 48 hours. That was good.

Rennes on the Map

Dinner at the Mission President's home

The next day we got on a train and went to Rennes!!! It’s a cool little city with a great metro system and a carousel in centre ville. It’s awesome. The weather has been nice but it rains lots and lots and lots. Oh and we have a car! We don’t use it often but we use it! And we have an awesome apartment with a washer and dryer and 2 rooms and a living room/dining room with a sweet balcony. So on my first day (Thursday); we went to French class that the ward puts on; Tugsuu (Tooxoo) was there; she was contacted in the metro. She is a refugee from Mongolia. I love her!!!! She is so pure and so great and she asked us how to pray and how to be like us! She said that she’s angles around us and that our faces are so bright!

Apparently we have to go sorry: I wish I could finish her story I will soon. I hope all is well!! I love you all very very much and I do enjoy the work.

Week 2: San Fransisco

I miss you all very dearly. Thanks for all of the love and support you've shared with me just over the few short weeks that I've been here! Thank you so much.

So on Wednesday we went to San Fran. We left at 5am and got home at 9pm. We talked to the consulate. they don't think well get our visas in time, but they said we might. The elders already have their visas and they say April 1st on them. They got reassigned. we just got their travel plans today. They are going to Montreal and leaving at 4 am tomorrow. They are there for 4 weeks then to Paris. I cried when I found out they are leaving so soon. I will miss them so much. they are such great missionaries and they were only here for 11 days. Insane. We got our travel plans for Paris. we are supposed to leave on Tuesday if our visas get here. we leave at like 4 pm I think. We will get to call home. If my travel plans change I'll let you know as soon as I can.

San Fransisco to go to the Consulate

 I went to San Fran with nine other missionaries going to Paris. It was sooooo much fun, and there was sun. We loved it so much, and we got to eat some non MTC food YAYYYY. I got to become really good friends with everyone we traveled with. I love them so much already. We also got to go to Lombard Street, Pier 39 and the Golden Gate Bridge.


 

Golden Gate Bridge

We tried preaching the gospel everywhere we went. We gave away a few pass along cards. We learned that everyone is really watching us. We really do have to make sure that we are the best representatives of god that we can be. It was the first time for us out in the "real" world and we definitely noticed the difference in the way that people look at us. On the plane I interrupted the guy next to me reading like 9 times to try to get a gospel conversation going. It didn't work. He never asked me any questions back and I was sad. I heard my companion a few rows back gibing the first discussion (Sister walker went on Monday so it was just me and Sister Melville). I decided to take a nap since we woke up at like 4:20am. I woke up and my companion was on like the 4th lesson. He even asked her how he could convert to our church and asked how he could keep in contact with her. He is devout Jewish but he was really ready to hear the gospel. We hope we hear more from him. At first I thought that I had done something wrong to not have a missionary experience like her and I was sad. But then I realized that we were totally on the same team and I was so excited. I heard her teaching in ways that we learned together and she did such a good job. I am so happy that we may have helped someone. The gospel truly is for everyone.

Lunch

  We also had to do a stool sample and take our blood for Belgium. It was awful... ha we delivered it to the nurses in a white lunch bag. They thanked us for their lunch when we gave it to them. We laughed. Nicole look forward to that!

Oh, and one of our investigator's names is LEO. Haha I died laughing. Hahhahaha Leo. 2/7ths 2/7ths. Hahaha. (inside joke).

So I have the most amazing zone ever. The people come from everywhere. We have people from Japan, Germany, Somoa, Albania, New Zealand, Columbia, Mexico, Canada .... you name it, we have it. They all can barely speak English so its hard to talk to them. I was having a hard time loving them because I couldn't understand them. It was something I was trying to work on. On Sunday some of the leaving missionaries sang A Child's Prayer. They were horrible. You could not understand them and their pitch was awful..... but I felt the spirit more strongly than ever before. I knew that Heavenly Father loved them. I knew that their trials were beyond what I could imagine. Many of them are the only members in their family and have no support. Their testimonies are so strong. One sister saw a missionary when she was 13. She asked him, "How can I be like you?"  He said that if she followed His message that he knew that she too could be a missionary. She is now. She served a mini mission which I don't understand yet, and then she waited for 6 months for her visa before she could come here and start her mission.

Teaching at the MTC

 M. Russel Ballard came and spoke to us on Tuesday. It was so amazing to have an apostle here. I sang in the choir. He so casually addressed us as his fellow missionaries. It was so cool. We really are working side by side with our apostles. We are all united in the same work.

Thank you so much for everything you have done for me family and friends. Be obedient and be good. I love you so much and miss you and can't wait to hear from you soon. Next week, I'll probably be in Paris. CRAZY :)