April showers.

GOSH it has literally rained all week! It makes it really difficult to talk to people on the streets so we have been knocking on doors again. It is just hard because you don't get to knock on doors until you get let into the building... so it was a really wet and cold week for us! We had a lot of fun though and also some miracles so I hope you enjoy reading about them :) 

Monday we had a fun Easter activity at a member's home and we painted eggs and did an egg hunt :) I was partners with a recent convert from down south (by Marseille) and she is incredible. She said she had met with Jehovah's Witnesses for 12 years but when she and her husband split up the shunned her and told her it happened because she wasn't righteous enough. Her brother (a Mormon) invited her to meet with the elders and they gave her a blessing in which every question she had ever asked the JWs (and they had not answered)... was answered. God loves us so much, doesn't he? 

So my French legality is expiring very soon so I received a massive packet from the office and had to go to the préfecture to make an appointment but we waited for TWO hours the first day but had to go to a rdv before I got in and then the next day... another two hours. For them to tell me that I had to come back June 19 for the actual appointment and that is approximately one month after my visa expires. So pray that I don't get kicked out of the country, thanks! 

This week has been super cool for missionary work. We taught A LOT of people on the street. I don't know but something about sitting on a bench with a stranger and teaching them about the Restoration really makes me feel like a missionary. It's really cool. We found a lot of people who want to learn more.... our questionnaire is magical and it gets people talking and we can find out exactly what part of the Gospel will bless them. It's incredible! We taught a lot this week and did not have much time to contact but when we did we only would get 2 or 3 people because every survey turned into a lesson and then a return appointment. I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY. 

That's all there is to it. Life is good (although it just started raining again) and we have an ami with a baptismal date that is progressing like a champion. And more to follow. I love them all so much :) Saturday night we only had a little time to go out and talk to people but it was pouring rain so we got off a metro stop and picked a building. Someone accidentally let us in (yesssss) and so we went to the top floor and knocked on the first door. A nice young man answered and agreed to take our survey and we talked to him about half an hour about our beliefs and what we do as missionaries. He was super interested and we fixed a rdv for the next weekend but he surprised us by coming to church the next day OHH YES. I love that too much. He loved church a lot and just called a few minutes ago to move our rdv from Saturday to tomorrow :) 

Bonne semaine! 

Sr Loder

Pâques

Hello. Imagine that with an English accent haha my new companion is from England. Even better, from the same ward as my trainer Sr Hoar who just finished her mission last week! So that has been fun. She is wonderful and funny and we get along great. I'm not worried one bit. Good thing I am already used to English phrases and such or else I would probably be really confused. But the use of trousers and rubbish don't phase me one bit. 

This week we focused on finding people and teaching in the street. A lot of times we miss the opportunity to start teaching and testifying during those really solid street contacts and even an opportunity to pray with them! So we have focused on teaching in the street and it worked wonders. It was a really successful week and I'm looking forward to LOTS more to come! 

I don't have anything extraordinary to tell you this week. Just the normal labors of missionary work and the happiness and the hard times that come with it. However I have taken the week to really study the life of Christ and realize how close are are to Him as we go about doing His work: teaching and preacing and even accepting the rejection. It isn't an easy work and I never expected it to be. You do reach the point where you feel so sad for these people that tell you that you are spreading lies when really the driving purpose is happiness and love. 

We have everything because of Him. I can see that so clearly here as a missionary and it is something I never saw before. A mission is beyond worth for the lives of the people we teach but also for us. I imagine a lot of you already saw this site but it is really cool and the video is WICKED good. Take a look. You won't regret it :) 

http://easter.mormon.org/?cid=HPTU041514694

Je vous aime tous. Bonne semaine :) 

Sr Loder

Mutations.

Funny story of the day. A homeless man stole my juice in the gare. Right in front of me and my companions. And drank it in front of me. Welcome to France. Hahaha. The lady next to me was offended but I laughed. I didn't know what else to do. 

... anyway. We had a week full of contacting and trying to get members to teach with us. Our ward is having some BIG problems and the stake is working with the missionaries to get them fixed. Our job was to get the sisters to teach with us (because they weren't) and so we stood up on Sunday and said, we have these rdvs... who is coming with us? And after a lot of awkward time some people stepped up. Soon they will see the blessings of helping us :) It's a work in progress. 

Transfer calls! Sr Carvalho is going back to Geneva and I will be receiving Sr Bridgwater from England! I have never met her but I know she has blonde hair. I'll meet her in a few hours and let you know next week :) Staying in Toulouse whoo! Good deal. There are a TON of missionaries changing in Toulouse so it has been crazy. The Toulouse gare is a massive center that missionaries come through from all over the country for train transfers so we spend time there and see everyone and help them get their bags to and from trains. It's really fun :) 

We taught some lessons to our friend with a baptismal date. He has some work to be done but he is awesome. We taught him and his athiest friend (who isn't at all interested in us but comes sometimes anyway) who refuses to have faith. We read a chapter in the Book of Mormon about faith being like a seed that you have to plant and take care of in order to see the fruit and our investigator is reading and is telling her to listen because she needs more faith. Haha he is defintiely getting baptized :) I love him a lot. The work is so good! 

The weather was beautiful. I have an awesome farmer's tan and my shoe tan line is coming back quickly! What a life. I love you all. Pray for missionary experiences. You'll get them! :) 

Sr Loder

This time last year.

... I was on a mission. Yep. I hit one year and well, it happened really fast. I remember SO vividly walking into the MTC and being there that day and wondering, "I wonder what I'll be doing this time next year?" As I was walking along a bridge in the pouring down rain after knocking doors all day I realized... yep. I should have known this is what I would have been doing! What a life. 

The great news is that our ami Didier now has a baptismal date and is progressing magically :) He came to conference and loved it so I'm happy. He is the coolest. We also have our wonderful family who is coming slowly but surely and lots of other people we are working on. What a cool time to be on a mission and teaching, even! Ha. This family has a lot of promise. As we visited them the second time the 15 year old daughter told us she tried praying before we came and read some of the Book of Mormon. The two 11 year olds emphatically answered OUI when we asked them if they believed in God. It's a dream here in Toulouse. 

Of course Conference was wonderful and I feel that the leaders are going back to the basics. KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS and LOVE PEOPLE. If we can get those things down then everything else falls into place... and that is true but we are stubborn and don't do these things all the time even though we are trying to be good. I know I and everyone else can "try a little harder to be a little better" as my favorite teacher at BYU always told us. So I'll be doing that. 

TRANSFER CALLS this week. We'll see what happens. I've felt like I never fit in with the trend. So while everyone else is sticking around longer than usual, that means I'll probably get transferred again. Who knows. Maybe I'll stay in Toulouse forever. Guess you'll find out next week! 

:) Sr Loder

And below is my "what I was doing this time next year" picture :)