* I will go back and add the emails i've missed but for now please forgive me! HAHA Jades email this week is a GREAT one * Lucy x
HEY HEY HEY BONJOUR MA FAMILLE!!!!!
Here we go then...I guess another week just flew by!! And yes it was an epic one!!! I just love the mission so much. Each day brings new challenges and funny moments and embarassing ones here and there!! But there isn't a day that goes by where I am not happy. Because there is no reason not to be. Yes there are harder days than others, yes sometimes things don't go the way I planned, yes we get rejected. Daily. Yes I find more and more weaknesses everyday but yes you see so many miracles, and yes your eyes are opened to seeing the hand of the lord in your everyday life, yes you find ways to make people smile everyday, yes there is always something to be thankful for and yes there's always a reason to wear a smile and yes life is incredible...everyday why? Because Heavenly Father wants it to be!!!
We shared the talk from conference by president uchtdorf and how everyday can be magnificent. Why? Because Heavenly Father wants it to be that way! I loved it and it made me think about my mission and what a happy experience it has been so far. Like if I was to use a word to describe my experience so much the first one that comes to mind is happiness. So much of it! I'm SO grateful!!!
(OH JUST A QUICK UPDATE JADE IS NOW IN LYON, TRAINING :) )
So the ward has 177 members to be exact!!
let me tell you, my favourite people in this world about my epic week!!... HERE WE GOOO.....
SO TUESDAY was the big one. We had the mission leadership council. A.k.a mtc reunion!! Haha!! (I have photos to send you of all of us together!) IT WAS SOOO GREAT to see them all! AHHH I love the people I've met on my mission. They have impacted my life and I have friends for life right there!! LOVE IT!!
So one cool thing we did was a little video for the France Paris mission. As they are going through a whole lot right now, with everything that has happened. And president and sister brown wanted to make a video for them!!
So I will forward it on to you...hopefully you will be able to see it! Haha and it was cool because me, sister wilsher, sister McClellan and sister Kearney all gave a little message together and our elders from the mtc will see it!! So cool!!
President spoke about leaders. He got us to close our eyes and imagine that we were there when Christ was washing the feet of his disciples. The humility he had to have to do that. And then he got us to imagine us washing the feet of our sisters or elders. Haha yes I laughed...because I just imagined me washing sister touiras feet!! Haha...but it was a lovely little spiritual experience. Just how being humble is key to leading others. Even if it did make me laugh for a split second (I'm awful!) but you get the idea of it! It reminds me of something I loved from dads email last week, he mentioned a quote from conference which was based on leadership, I loved it, and wherever we are, whatever calling we may have, at church or position at work etc it can apply...
" There will be times in your life when you are called upon to lead. At other times, you will be expected to follow. But my message to you today is that regardless of your calling, you are always a leader, and you are always a follower."
- we are all leaders and we are all followers. Christ was the greatest leader why? Because he was the greatest follower.
I am really hoping the weather steps up its game this week. It's been ok! Kind of miserable!! But...I have committed myself to no tights. Haha. It's nearly may!!
Ok this is going to make you laugh... I think. So it's raining, ok no it's hammering it down on Wednesday night I think this was or Tuesday night. And sister brown had made cheesecake for the mission leadership council and there was some left over so she had left it is the kitchen. Well we live a ten minute walk from the chapel. So we got the cheesecake and walked it home, sister Beatty was holding the two plates of cheesecake and I was holding the umbrella OVER the cheesecakes to save them. Sooo....we got absolutely drenched but the cheesecakes made it home dry!! Haha
Oo before I forget to tell you. Last week I send a photo of my address here in ecully. But you can just send it the the Lyon mission address because I'm right here. And it wou,d just be easier and there's a larger chance it will always make it :)
So Wednesday!!! WE BECAME A TRIO!!! Dun dun dun...so her name is sister cochain and she is from Paris. She is waiting for her visa and she is here for 8 weeks! Her real mission is temple square!! So she needs to learn English!! Haha she is really funny and we are all loving being together!! Great team!!
President and sister brown took us out to lunch too!! Woooo! They are two of my favourite people I love them so much!! ....speaking of president...he told me he reads my blog..........!!!!! Hahahahaha! You should of seen my face. So ERM...hey president if your reading this!!
Thursday I presented zone training with the one and only elder SPOORS and elder berry!! It went very well! As a mission we have a goal that by the end of this transfer we are aiming for 91 baptisms as a mission!!! Even when president presented it, he said "I know, it's impossible...but it comes from the lord" so that's our goal and we are all working our butts off to get it!!
So says in which to reach this mission goal. Zone training was on the Book of Mormon and how to use it more in our work, because as we all know it is the key to conversion!! And then member work. Working with the members more closely! We need the members so much if we are going to reach this goal. We cannot do it without them!!
Afterwards me and Elder Spoors taught the zone the animal game! Haha it was hilarious!!
My Tongan sister!! (The crazy one in the video!! Haha ...we have literally become sisters. I love her so much! If I need someone to make me laugh I go to her...she kind of reminds me of a mixture between Lauren's craziness and Chloe's sense of humor! Haha) anyway she hasnt been very well this past week! So we have been taking care of her. Trios to the doctors and to patisseries! Haha! But embarassing moment coming up...we were in the doctors building and we turn the corner and there is a huge mirror so to make her laugh I do a model walk towards the mirror and there is a lift right by it, I didn't know the doors were open and a man was standing there waiting for the doors to close. Well he saw my model walk and starting laughing and then the doors closed. Haha!! Got to love it...it made her laugh though so mission accomplished! Ha!
So MIRACLE!!! We were contacting on a beautiiiiful sunny day! and we contacted this couple sitting on a bench and they were really interested! and the guy used to be an ami!!! He knew the elders and had taken lessons before etc! And the girl had visited the salt lake temple and was interested too. Before we hadn't had much luck with anyone we contacted so I know we were guided to these two! I'm excited!!
It's true we do not have a lot of Amis here in ecully. None at all really...well three to be exact! But it's not a problem! Finding is a huge part of missionary work. Our main way we want to find new investigators is going through the members! So I'm excited to find the people Heavenly Father had been preparing for us to teach!!!
Me and Sam presented ourselves in testimony meeting yesterday!! It was great! I LOVE THIS WARD!! I'm really excited to get to know everybody and serve them!! I can't wait!!
This coming week is going to be a busy one!! We have a lot of rdvs fixed already and we have district meeting, an exchange with the st etienne sisters, and we are doing a big open house event at the institute building in Lyon. On the Book of Mormon!! It's going to be... Epic!!!
Ok FUNNIEST thing that happened this week!! Haha...
So we were contacting by presidents home and we were like "hey let's leave a note for him and soeur brown! They'll love it!" So we wrote a note and it said "WE LOVE YOU. Thank you for everything you do. Love the ecully sisters" and then my companion drew a little weird animal thing and a heart in it! Haha! And then we stuck in in the car that was parked there.
Well that evening I receive a text from the assistants ...." Thank you so much for the note. It made our day!"...
WHATTT!! Haha we stuck it on the assistants car!!! Hahahahaha!!!
So awkward!! BUT I came up with a plan. We are going to make them cookies...well my companion will make cookies...and we will thank them for everything they do. But tell them the note was for president and sister brown! Haha!! Too funny!!
Ok here we go...study time!!!!
- 1 nephi 10:6 " wherefore all mankind were in a lost and fallen state and EVER WOULD BE save they should rely on this redeemer..."
How beautiful is that! We are all fallen. And we all NEED him, our savior Jesus Christ to get out of the fallen state we were or are in!! Love it and love him!!!
"I would like to speak of one particular attitude and practice we need to adopt if we are to meet our Heavenly Father’s high expectations. It is this: willingly to accept and even seek correction....For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth” (Hebrews 12:6). Though it is often difficult to endure, truly we ought to rejoice that God considers us worth the time and trouble to correct."
willing to accept correction may be one of the hardest things to do. But it is for our good. We have to be humble and willing to submit all things. God truly considers us worthwhile to correct us because we are his children. He wants us all to return back into his presence, and we are not perfect so we need his correction.
"The scriptures tell us that “if any man love God, the same is known of him.” What a wonderful promise--to be known of Him. It makes the spirit soar to think that the Creator of heaven and earth could know us and love us with a pure, eternal love."
- guys we are loved perfectly and eternally by the creator. What comfort that brings!
I just want to express my ENORMOUS gratitude I have for each one of you. You make my life beautiful!! You are all incredible. And the days are getting closer to when I get to see your faces and laugh with you all again! Haha this is cheesy...but you never fail to make me laugh and smile by your emails every week! You don't know how much you are all helping me here! Your serving here with me!! The time passes so quickly. It's hit me how much I need to give it my all these last few months, I've loved every day of my mission. And I don't want that to stop, I love serving as a representative of my savior Jesus Christ. It is the best decision I have ever made. I encourage everyone who has the chance to pray to know if it is what they should do! You won't regret it that for sure!!
I just LOVE you all so so much!!
Go have a happy week!! And ERM...don't forget to tell me all about it!!
LOVE YOUR ONE AND ONLY...
SISTER FAGG XXXXXXXXOXOXOXXXXXXX
... Also we get to Skype on the 8th of May!!