Okay you guys craziest, funniest week ever, nothing is going to beat it. But first I have to begin with a little note to mom, you know that cat attack you wrote me about? Yeah i'm going to Belfort tomorrow morning. haha and yes I can't tell you how many cats their are, they're everywhere! I actually have that written in my journal several places.

Anywho, now to the awesome stories! I met the police, and got my record checked! Hilarious.
Okay so we went out into the countryside, a bit out of Mulhouse and were doing some porting. And this man drove by and was like you guys have to leave, and a bunch of other stuff, suffice it to say that he was not the nicest person i've met. So we had to leave the area. We got to the bus stop and had 30 minutes, so I was like hey lets port down this other neighborhood, i'm full of great ideas. So we were finishing porting and heading back to the bus stop when the Police turn down the street. And soeur Mataalii is like 'you've got to be kidding me, this nuttella did not call the police on us'. Yeah he did. So they took our drivers license and called us in to check, asked us a bunch of questions. And so as this is happening we see our bus pass by, and Soeur Mataalii gets a little mad. Because it's already after dinner, the next bus isn't for an hour, and their is no way we can walk home. So she's all sassy to the policeman, her exact words I believe were "i'm hungry, and i'm Somoan, so when we get hungry we are hungry" But in French, and with lots of sass. 

Anywho, they say were okay and let us go, so we just keep walking pass the bus stop, because were like that's dumb to just sit for an hour. So we're walking and the police pull up next to us again, they open the door and tell us to get in. First thought was 'am I being arrested', second thought 'okay'. I mean it was 105 you guys, and we were way way hungry. So we got a ride back from these policemen, and we were just chatting with them in the car, the way you do. And the reason they came back and gave us a ride? One of them thought we were cute! They were trying to hook up with us. Funny funny police men. So that was awesome.

Next story, just as funny, we always run into this scary man, I think he's like Ukranian, really unsure though. He says he was taught by missionaries once, and he's so nice to us. Anywho, in short terms, he offered to take care of anyone who was bugging us. Basically i'm becoming a mob boss here. It's legit.

Next story, not as epic but I think the family will enjoy this. So i've almost been here 3 months now, and the members now think it's okay to make fun of how I was my first 2 weeks here because I didn't talk a lot....or as they say at all...They claim that I communicated through acting things out and facial expressions. So on Sunday they made it a competition to see who could it the best. And I can tell you know, apparently I act a lot of weird things out. And then they made fun of me now, because as Soeur Blazevic says, i'm extremely animated. Although I don't know how you can be animated when you can't speak the language. These people.

So this is getting long, i'm about to finish it up promise. The temperature finally dropped today, so that's good. It was killing us, and with the medicine I was taking for my toe and then not eating we had a really bad day. But that's in the past.

Oh!! And for Soeur Larsen, I am told I have an Alsacian accent. Which I am not happy about. Honestly I am blending English, French, Alsacian, and Somoan all together. It's really messing with my brain. haha Oh well. And can you believe transfer is in a week?!? Whoa.

I'll end, that's long. Sorry. 

I hope everyone has an awesome week!! Do what I would do, but better. :)

This is going to be just a little e-mail, sorry. :)

It has been really hot this past week, and this week it's still just going to be up in the 100's. Wednesdays it's supposed to be 110, the highest, that will be fun.

The missions goal is to find young families right now, so everyone is out doing a lot of porting, just days of porting. And not really a lot of finding, because everyone in France is on vacance right now. So it's a bit difficile, and it's a little sad, and hard to keep doing. But eventually we'll find someone who wants to listen.

Saturday was a really hard day. And then Sunday came along and these adorable members, called the Kimbergt's, they are my age, gave me and Soeur Mataalii journals that they got for us at the Suisse temple. They are really cute journals, and they wrote a little note inside, with their email and address so we can stay in touch. And the note they wrote was really cute, here is some of it:

Nous savons que Dieu sera toujours la pour vous aider et vous soutenir dans les moments d'epreuves, car il vous aime de tout son coeur. nous seront toujours la pour vous.

Translation: We know that God is always their to aide you and to sustain you in moments of trail, for he loves you with all his heart. We are always here for you.

It was something me and Soeur Mataalii both needed on Sunday. It was really cute of them, they are just a cute young couple, so strong in the church. So that was so great of them. Man the members her are so great. Each week they prove that to us. And they are just so grateful for the missionaries and the work we are doing, since most of them or their parents were converts they are very aware of missionary work, it's nice.

So that's about it for this week. Hope you guys all had an awesome week!! LOVE YOU!!!

At Notre Dame

Residency in France

Mon 7/15/2013 8:12 AM

 

Well I didn't even hear about the train wreck in Paris. That's crazy, because I was on a train in Paris that day, weird..

This was a super weird week in all. With the trip to Paris is just set things off weird. But we had some cool stuff happen. Paris made it so we missed 2 days of doing missionary work, which really was a bummer, but then on the train ride back to Mulhouse we looked up and saw a guy reading the Book of Mormon. Both of us looked at each other with our jaws hanging and had to take a second look. Then we finally got up the courage to walk over and talk to him, he came and sat by us and we talked to him a little bit about what he was reading. By the end of the train ride two other men were talking with us about it. It was really fun. The guy lives in Mulhouse and ran into the Elders once. It was sweet.

And our ami Brenda has a baptism date!! It was really great...now we just need to work on the law of chastity...as she is a 19 year old living with her boyfriend...But it was super great. She asked for the date. The only bad part is it is August 11th, which means I could be transfered to another area. I'm a little worried about that.

I finally did a flansuck this week, it's a huge intiation thing here, it's fun, but you look ridiculous. I tried to send you the video but it wont let me, which is probably for the best.

OFII was awkward, but I am officially legal in France, and have nothing really wrong with me that they could see. So whew.

Paris was a madhouse. It's vacances here, so everybody is on vacation, but there were a TON of tourists, it was crazy. July is not the best time to go to Paris you guys, it's when all the pickpockets are out.

That's about it...Oh wait!! My wonderful talk, i'm just glad it's over with, here it is, enjoy:

bonjour freres et soeurs,

Audjourd'hui je voudrais de discuter au sujet de la transmission de l'oeuvre missionaire. Notament le discours donner par Elder Russel M. Nelson.

Il a commence sa discours avec un interview avec soeur Neill F. marriott qui est le deuxieme conseillere de presidence de jeune fille. Et apres sa conversion elle a commence avec l'oeuvre du temple et de l'histore familiale. Pendant elle faire cette oeuvre elle a dit 'Je ressentis le salle est remplir des gens qui est interesse et contente' Donc, qu'est-ce que la role de l'oeuvre du temple dans l'oeuvre missionaire? Apres cette interview Elder Nelson a dit: Nouse separons l'oeuvre du seigneur dans different parties, mais l'oeuvre est pas a part. Il est un oeuvre.

Joseph Smith a dit: Apres tout ce qui a tete dit, le devoir le plus grand et le plus important est de precher L'evangil. Sa c'est notre appe, de partager l'evangile de Christ avec tout le monde. Afin que nous puissions trouver beaucoup de bonheur pour eternite.
Elder Nelson a dit, si vous baptiser quelqun les ancetre de quelqun qui sont mort rejouir parce que maintenent ils peuvent etre trouver et baptises.
Et sa c'est notre objectif, de apporter la famille ensemble a jamais. meme apres cette vie. Dans Doctrine et Alliance Chapitre 138 vers 57 a 59 President Joseph F. Smith parler beaucoup au sujet de l'oeuvre apres cette vie. Il a dit: READ.

Comme il a dit il y a des gens dans le prochain vie qui sont rassemblement d'Israel et qui sont toujour travailler dans l'oeuvre missionaire.

Et notre responsabilite est de suivre l'exemple de Jesus-Christ et precher l'evangile avec tout le monde.

Elder Nelson aussi a dit, vous ne devez pas une missionaire de precher l'evangile. Les missionaires icic simplement de vous aider. Chaque membre est un missionaire. Et vous pouvez trouver les gens qui sont pret pour l'evangile si vous agisez avec votre coeur et l'amour pour les gens.

Precher L'evangile c'est notre responsabilite. President Howard W. Hunter a dit: Porter l'evnagile a toutes les families, langues et peuple est de loin la plus grande responsabilite que nous ayons dans cette vie. mais pas simplement une responsabilite, mais une benediction. De porter le message divin. Nous avons un message de paix et bonheur et vie eternelle. Et si vous cherchez pour l'occassion de partager l'evangile vous voulez recevoi beaucoup d'aide.

mais pas un benediction juste pour vous or le personne qui vous enseigne. Mais aussi pour les ancetre qui attendent pour leur oeuvre temple, pour l'occassion d'etre baptiser.

Tout l'oeuvre de l'evangile sont un oeuvre: realiser l'immortalite et la vie eternelle de l'homme, sa c'est le but de Dieu.

nous avons une mission dans le monde: chaque homme, chaque femme, et chaque enfant-notre devoir est de precher l'evangile a tous les hommes..c'est ce que Dieu attend de nous.

Nous avons une grand occassion, et responsabilite. mais aussi nous avons le Seigneur, et a travers le Seigneur tout est possible.

T

Busy busy bee

First off, thanks for the music! I love it, and I am slowly converting my companion to liking MoTab.

This week was super super busy. We had to go to Strasburg for a bit, and then we had sister exchanges. It was hilarious. So I finally got to meet my grandma Soeur Pulupuna, she's Tongan, and it was the funniest night ever. I come from a long line of Polynesians, and I am not considered white in the mission field anymore. It feels good not to be white anymore. :) So I hope you enjoyed some of the pictures that I sent you.

We ate a full out African meal, and all I can say is that I am becoming more grateful the Lord sent me to France than Africa.

We had a ward baptism on Saturday, for Charlotte. It was really fun, the whole ward came out for it. We brought cookies, because people here really really like American cookies. Seriously, you buy a cookie in the bakery and it tastes nothing like an American cookie, they like can't fingure out how to make it. I think the problem is they don't use liquid vanilla here. Weird French people.

We taught a lot of people this week, which was good. We were just running around, I had zero language study this week...which might have been a bad thing...but oh well. The lessons for the most part went well, I only got angry in one lesson, it was a little ridiculous. But most were good. we are teaching some old amis names Isa and Luke, they ones we taught with the family on skype. So we went and ate with them and then watched the Restoration video. And afterward Luke said they've seen it before, but every time he watches it he feels something in his heart. And he asked if we have a longer version. It was really cute, because me and Soeur Mataalii cry everytime with it, and with the Testaments.

It was actually really funny, last Monday we had a fete de femme! It was cute. We had it with a non-active member named Rebecca, her father is the 1st counseler in the bishopric. She is 36 and became inactive because she started dating someone who wasn't a member, and one thing led to another...and then she felt bad teaching the young women and left church. It's a really common thing out here for young single adults to fall away for that, because they can't find anyone who is a member to marry. So we had a party with here, and we watched the Testaments, as it applied because she is like Jacob, a prodical son. It was really good, she cried in the middle. She's pretty funny. And she says she doesn't really believe the gospel anymore but we had her share her favorite scripture, and she cried when she shared it. We asked why it was her favorite, and she said its because it is in her patriarcal blessing.. pft..this lady believes still. Sometimes I feel like being a missionary is really like being the ultimate visiting teacher.

So that's all the stories I can think of right now. This next week will be busy too, we have to go to Paris for a few days for my legality. So excited (sarcastically said).

LOVE YOU GUYS!! Hope everyone is having a good week!!

Hard work

Har

After weeks of hard labor, putting in tons of time and effort, a whole lot of leg work our goal has been accomplished. We found the best ice cream place in Mulhouse. Whew. Don't worry you guys, I found it. :)

This week was a fun interesting week. I am finally seeing how differently people treat Elders and Sisters, its interesting.

We taught some ami's and the wife, Isa is from Madagascar, where her whole family is members. So we walked in and guess what? They were skyping, and they skyped and watched our WHOLE lesson, even when we were eating afterwards. It was kind of awkward, but kind of funny. I felt like we were on the Big Bang Theory.

And everybody we have been having rendez-vous with has rescheduled sometime this next week a meal with us, like even our ami's. It's prettying awesome. One day we're being fed all day. Pretty excited for that day. One of them is a non-active called Rebecca. She's in her 30's and became less active because she couldn't find anyone mormon to date and starting dating a nonmember and one thing led to another and yeah....but she's way sweet. She thinks were hilarious. And we're having a movie night with her tonight! I jokingly at the last rendez-vous was like we can watch a movie, and then starting throwing out ideas and I was like we can make it a movie night! A party movie night! And bring cookies! And she jumped in on the excitement and asked if we could do it next monday. We bring American cookies and she makes the meal. So that will be fun.

Also the next time you guys get on my facebook will you accept friend requests that i have? Especially from Pearl Stauffer, she's an awesome ami. Only 17, but i'm determined to baptise her, she's adorable.

We're getting to know more and more of the ward members here, they are all super awesome. We had a repas with the Halm family a few nights ago. And they have all girls, so it was kind of just like being home. Their oldest daughter is handicapped, and they are just such an awesome family. The youngest Charlotte is getting baptised this Saturday. And it was way fun, and on the way home they were playing Celine Dion (her french CD of course), and I asked if they knew the song 'I believe in you' with Il Divo, and they skipped a few tracks and it was on the CD! So the mom turned it up and me and Clautilde (whose 11) were totally jamming out, singing way loud in the car on the way home, and Charlotte was in the back with us just sat their shaking her head the whole time. It was awesome.

That's about it, I mailed you guys some pictures today. Not a ton, but a few. I hope you enjoy. Miss you guys!!! LOVE YOU!!