Neige.

Neige means snow, and we certainly got it! It literally snowed ALL day on Thursday. It was astounding! Thankfully we were mostly inside cleaning and cleaning and trying to get everything organized. Sr Bentley threw a snowball at me and good thing I already love her! When I found out I get to live with Sr Bentley again I was beyond thrilled :) She just got BACK to the mission... she went home because she was really sick and they found thyroid cancer. But she is all better and now sitting right next to me :) WITH her new sister that is from Ohio! What are the odds? 

Turns out Sr Bentley and I are the whitewashing specialists because literally that is all we have done our entire missions and not only that... but always into nasty elder apartments that we have to clean! I guess if that is my calling then I'll take it. 

We pretty much spent all this week wandering around the ville (walking because we can't buy full transport passes until the beginning of the month) and meeting members. I love them all so much... already! The city is nice :) Really old but I like that. I really do think I'll be happier once I don't have to carry a map everywhere! Plus creepy men always ask to help you when they see two girls in skirts holding a map. I prefer not to use them too much :) 

Thankfully we have already seen miracles. Members who have called us in moments of need and we could help them and contacting people that had been lost. Missionary work is a wonderful, wonderful thing and after 10 months (yes, I know) I have learned that it really is about love. ALL about love. Our love isn't perfect, but thankfully God's love is perfect and He can help us if we have the desire. 

I love you all :) Pray for us! 

Sr Loder

Bonjour de...

SAINT ETIENNE! 

Yeah, transfers got me again. I had hope that maybe I would get to stay another magical transfer in Limoges with my love, Sr Magleby but... it didn't happen. BUT I'm not one to complain about transfers because I like adventures. I think this might be a tough one! It started with 9 hours of trains and throwing my luggage on and off of them over and over. It's tiring to travel as a missionary. 

My new companion IS... Sr Cattin! She is on her third transfer and we are BOTH new here in St Etienne. Meaning that neither of us know the city or the buses or the members or pretty much anything. It's called a whitewash. I also did this in Nice AND Limoges so I'm not too worried. Mostly just tired. I hate not knowing my way around. I AM, however, really good with maps and things so it won't be a problem :) 

The work is doing well here. The biggest problem is the apartment. Sisters just moved in after who knows how long of elders and it is nasty. SO GROSS and pretty much nothing works. The fridge is bogus and there is weird stuff on the walls. Really the mission just needs to drop the apartment (they are working on getting rid of the low-quality apartments but sometimes you have to fight for it) but we'll see. We might just end up cleaning. A LOT. 

I'm happy though :) This last Saturday Sr Mag and I baptized! Limoges first baptism in about two years so the ward was really excited. Literally, it was the most wonderful and magical thing I have ever seen. Francine was so happy and content and her daughter even came (she was worried she wouldn't). The Spirit was so strong and everyone was so happy. Especially us. It was just beautiful. I'm sad to have left Limoges but I got to see Francine be baptized and start walking the path of the Gospel so I am just okay with that :) 

I miss Sr Mag. She and I were so close and really loved working together. Plus I love Limoges with ALL my heart so... transfers were a little difficult. I think I'll be happy here though. I love the mission. Plus this city has trams and I really like trams :) Haha, but really. There are people here who are looking for us so I'm excited to find them! 

Also, fun side note. This last week in Limoges I definitely cut 7 inches off my hair at a member's house. The elders were there too (for an FHE type thing) and one elder REALLY hates hair. And as sisters, our hair falls out a lot and somehow always gets on him. Haha, he hates it so much! Anyway, the member that cut my hair knew this and none of us saw but she grabbed a handful of my hair and put it in his coat pocket with his planner... we were all togther having a nice time when this elder goes to get his planner and literally screams HAHA we had no idea but the member just busts up laughing. It was seriously the funniest thing I have ever seen. I think the poor elder almost cried. So funny though. I love mission life. 

I love you all. Remember that God loves you too. 

:) Sr Loder

Nathalie

I have to start with a disclaimer... words cannot accurately describe this miracle but I will do my best. Sometimes in the scriptures they say that words are not sufficient to write what happened and I feel almost the same way.

It started with this week. Full of nothing to do but knock on doors and contact people. We were feeling a little bit down. A little bit crazy but we are diligent and despite everything falling through we kept working because that is all we had to do.

Until Friday when we get a call from a woman who talked to a member of our ward and he directed her to us. We set a rdv and we were happy because miracle phone calls are always a good thing! The next morning we were with all the leaders in the ward and our bishop told us this woman had mentioned she pretty much wanted to be baptized. So we were wondering, is she a golden contact or is she maybe crazy? We were excited anyway. Maybe this would be the miracle we needed.

Within five minutes of the rdv we realize that not only is this a miracle... but maybe the most incredible thing I will ever experience. Nathalie is a single mother with her son, who is five. She told us she finally recognized that God was trying to guide her somewhere and she knows she had found the way. She has several friends who are Mormon and had some information from several years ago but had unfortunately lost it.

She found a number for our chapel on the church website and called it. She explained that the number she called apparently was a number that didn't work anymore... but somehow it went through and our member happened to be there to answer. Natalie can see the miracle that she is already. We had planned to teach an introductory lesson that basically explains what our purpose is as missionaries but as she told us her life story we realized that she needed more than that.

All her life she has been looking for something. She left her husband because he didn't let her or her son believe in God. But she did believe and she would not let anyone stop her from that. Despite her whole family not wanting her to pursue any religion she tried and everywhere she went she said that something was missing. She had prayed at the most difficult moment of her life and she said suddenly everything was lifted from her. She described to us this feeling she had after that prayer and the only other time she had felt that was with our church.

We taught her the Restoration. Why she had felt something was missing (because yes, something WAS missing) but that everything was restored and we have everything. The authority to do all the same things that Christ did and she knew, before we finished, that it was true. Natalie has been prepared her whole life to find us and there were were, worthy and available to show her what she has been looking for.

She agreed to be baptized February 8 although she is ready now. We knelt with her in prayer and her son (the cutest boy in the entire world and who loves Jesus with all his heart) asked what we were doing. She held him and looked at us with a smile and said, these sisters are here to help us find, finally, the right path.

Nathalie of course loved church. Every lesson and every testimony. Her son is the perfect Primary child and after the meetings we asked her what she though and she said...

Finally, I got my response.

I'm humbled to be part of this miracle. It could have come no other way. We wouldn't have found her or contacted her, but she found us. Heavenly Father has been leading her to us for her whole life and I cannot even believe I get to play a part in her story... and let me tell you, transfer calls are this Friday and I've never been more scared that I might leave.

This church is true. We have everything restored to us and now we can testify and help people find what they have been looking for. I love being a missionary.

We have a baptism this Friday. The first one in two years for Limoges... with another to follow in just a few weeks. Limoges is the place to be :)

I love you all!

Sr Loder

Quoi.

I promised an e-mail of miracles this week and I am pleased to say... I won't disappoint :)

First, our week was FULL of knocking on doors. Or ringing doorbells. The funny thing is that pretty much everyone in France has gates and stuff around their house, so we usually ring the doorbell outside the gate (so they can't yell at us for being on their property) and almost always an old lady opens a window on the second floor from 50 feet away and asks what we want. We shout that we are missionaries and of course she doesn't hear because she is 80 years old... and yeah. We are just tired of yelling at people. We have both pretty much lost our voices!

Okay, now I'll tell you about some miracles.

As we are porting, we receive a call from an unknown number (always an adventure) and it is a man named Pierre, who we do not remember. He said we talked to him once when he was busy, but he has our card and he asks if we are Mormon. I answer affirmatively and he says he is new to Limoges but had a neighbor in Paris that is a Mormon and he wants to learn more. We set a rdv and taught him and he ROCKS. Really excited to read the Book of Mormon and he has lots of questions. I DID remember him once I saw him, and he was a quick contact that said he wasn't interested but took our card anyway. It really does work :) He's quirky and fun so I'm excited to keep teaching him.

We proceed knocking on doors and within half an hour we find a family and TWO other people that are interested. What the heck! That NEVER happens! This family is unfortunately really hard to reach (maybe it will be easier after vacation) but they are awesome. Plus a family just moved into Limoges from Carcassonne so we get to teach them too yay! I love families!

This Sunday, a woman I have been working with since I got to Limoges, finally got cleared for baptism but has been putting off setting a date (even though she has been ready for months) and talked to us and the bishop on Sunday about setting a date mid-February. We were SUPER excited and she asked if the 15th was a Saturday, I looked at my planner and realized that is after the transfer... which kind of put everyone in a panic because I will more than likely get the boot. She was like, WE MUST DO IT SOONER and decided on January 18, right before the transfer end and this week we will be putting together her baptismal program :) I love her so much. She is scared to make this big decision, but I know as soon as she gets there she will never regret it.

I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY.

Miracles are everywhere. The only reason miracles will cease is because of our unbelief and lack of faith. I love the work :)

Have a miraculous week!

Sr Loder