Week 19 "New Companion"

Bonjour tout le monde, j'avais un bon semaine, vraiment c’était super bien-passe.  Enough with the French, let me let you all in on how the week went.  Because tuesday was Armistice (Vet's Day) and elder Johnson's last day in lille, the members and investigators had all the more reason to see us.  We had a lesson, lunch with a member family, cancelled lesson, another lesson, and dinner with a member couple, wow!  By the end of the night my stomach was stuffed full of specialty french food and carbonara pasta.  The night continued late with everyone in the apartment but me packing for the upcoming transfer.  We woke up early the next morning and I said goodbye to Elder Fults, Christensen, and Johnson, my trainer.  I will miss his focus on the work and love for the people we teach, but hey, time to move on!  I spent the day with Elder Traue (Pronounced Troy) from Idaho, walking back and forth from train station to apartment, and I didn't mind one bit since walking around lille is so beautiful.

Elder Sanchez and Me - Bridge picture over the Gare (Train Station)

   At 4:30 in the afternoon I got my third companion of the mission, elder Sanchez from Logan, Utah!  In fact, he was called to the France, Paris mission, Spanish speaking, which until I arrived in the field did not know existed as a mission call.  So far, he hasn't had too many opportunities to use his native language, but he is hoping that soon he will get moved to Belguim where more people speak spanish.  Elder sanchez is a fun-loving, healthy, and relaxed missionary, all of which are qualities I love!  Sometimes I'm thinking of ten things at a time and he just helps me and says, okay, think of one thing at a time here, slow it down (it reminds me of how my mom told me to start with my socks when I had to clean my dirty room.)  Elder sanchez has a love for working out and eating healthy food, and I'm glad to have a companion who I can do P90X with in the mornings, hah.

Hanging out with the French Chocolate store worker on P-day

   One of the benefits of having three new people in the apartment is, well the new people.  Elder Stucki (goes home in three months), Elder Taylor(just started), and Elder Sanchez(my companion) are all clean, organized, obedient missionaries with good personalities, and I am looking forward to getting to know them more! Another reason I like these missionaries is they like to buy a lot of food; I am hungry all the time out here.  

   We have had great success this week.  I have really been working on not fearing the work, but waking up every day with a resolution to go out and be happy for what we are doing.  Although I don't speak fluent french or have a vocabulary and grammar that will convince people to listen to us, I am a missionary called of God to be here in lille, and to speak with his tongue and with his spirit.  I think more than anything God wants us to trust in him and relax, knowing that everything will be alright if we stay with him.  The world is a crazy place and Satan wants us to feel unsure of ourselves, doubt ourselves, and feel confused.  If you feel this way, I know sometimes I do, you can do a couple of things to get back on track.  Pray, read your scriptures, and go to church, and also, just decide to be happy - right now! Man, the mission is teaching me so many things and I'm grateful for every day out here.  

What? Elder Sanchez found a bunch of American food!

   Our investigators (called amis de l'eglise = friends of the gospel in French)  D. and D.  are both progressing really well right now.  One is a soft-spoken fifty-year-old French man, and the other is a student in his 20's studying engineering.  For one of them, we have to teach very very slowly and use a lot of visuals, and for the other he asks a lot of thought-provoking questions that I think are really interesting, like 'doesn't John the Revelator still hold the keys of the priesthood?'.  Even though both people we're teaching are very different, the principles we teach them are always the same, such as God loves you, and you can pray to know for yourself if the Book of Mormon is true; both of those things are true.  

God loves Y O U (very individually)  and the Book of Mormon is true!  You just have to believe it and pray to know that it is true.  And then let that desire to believe and know work in you.  Just want to believe before you believe, and like Alma says, the tiniest particle of faith will start to grow in you, and through repenting daily, doing good, and keeping that desire to grow in faith, a new and awesome light will start to come.  I'm starting to feel it here on the mission. 

   Love you all, I had a fun P-day today shopping in Lille Center and eating KFC!  Ironic, right?

Keep up the good work wherever you are; find someone in need and help them, and choose to be happy, because God loves you!

Elder Jamison Jones