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.