Week 11 "It's a Good Life"

   

Fun fact, once I get on this computer, I change the settings every time from a french to english keyboard, because I can type much faster.  Maybe someday, I'll default to the french ways but for now, I'm still going the American way with the computers.  

   As I'm still pretty new out here there are a lot of small concerns I face every day that accumulate into the stress which is a mission.  The newness of everything stresses me out.  I look around and all the signs, stores, and nutrition facts on the food cartons are in french.  That, combined with the fact I'm in a new place, Lille, and I never know where I am.  Haha, there are no mountains, my natural compass, only buildings, parks, metro stops, people, and patisseries.  The metro throws me off every time; you descend into the ground only to find yourself ten minutes later in a completely new location. Additionally, everyone speaks french, so I'm doing my best to get something out of what people are saying, and most of the time, it involves me nodding head and agreeing with whatever is said.  The last part of newness, or one of the less enjoyable, is being the youngest.  At home, school, and in friend groups I've always been the one who knows what is going on, and who has an Idea of how to do things the right way.  Right now I'm what everyone in the Paris Mission calls a "Bleu" which means I'm new.  Madeline, I think I have a better Idea of what you feel like being the youngest sibling.  It's hard being told what to do by everyone else all day!

a cool sunset from Lille

   Despite the little hardships of the newness of my mission, I'm learning every day how to be better, and I'm also seeing a lot of miracles out here.  Last wednesday when we did exchanges with the zone leaders. Elder Olsen worked through the "Adjusting to Missionary Life" packet, and I realized some of the ways in which I'm accumulating stress I don't need out here.  One of the things I can do better, I've realized, is to think about what needs to be done right now, not what should have been done, or what needs to be done.  Another time in the week, I got the opportunity to talk to Elder Johnson, my companion about the stresses of being a new missionary and let him know what I was experiencing.  He listened to me and we resolved some of the small issues that come from the missionary learning curve.  I think the best way to resolve any issues we have with others is to communicate.  Elder Johnson is such an incredible example and a great trainer.  This week my cousin Willy in California had a cool opportunity to help out some surfing buddies with an issue they were having, by just asking, what's the problem, and going from there.  Figuring out what the problem is makes the problem a lot easier to fix. 

   In other news of this week, we went to a chinese restaurant with a member, after a lesson.  Two of our investigators, a mother and her son, are really close to baptism.  I continue to get mail from the USA, so thank you all for still remembering me! 

Love you all, and can't wait to write next week!

This is the ward building we go to every week