Week 36 "Bon Voyage Elder Smith"

Hello!

I'm happy to be emailing on a laptop today, sometimes I'm on an Ipad and the letters run especially short when we do that, but anyways, happy to be here at the computer on a monday, sending news from the land of Liberté, Egalité et Fraternité! 

Found this sweet bike in my cellar...I'm now training for the Tour de France!

Allllrighty, this week was filled with side activities, most of them involved Elder Smith preparing to come back home;  we registered him for college, weighed and organized his luggage, and got rid of lots of junk.  During the times when Elder Smith was signing up for his classes, or preparing different stuff to get ready to go home I got caught up on the challenge to finish the Book of Mormon by the end of the time Elder Smith and I are together.  Got 50 pages left, gonna be done by tomorrow! Soo, well let's see.  I might get kicked off this computer soon and change to the Ipad  but for now I'll keep going...Despite the busy preparation for Elder Smith to go home, we were still able to teach some lessons, and visit some members of the ward! 

Another shot of our spooky cellar

Alright, I'm having trouble remembering everything that happened during the middle of the week...I will share one of the best experiences of the week, though. Before I say that, the weather is getting A lot nicer!  Ok now for the good thing...

Baking homemade bread...French style

   We had just finished looking at the Repertoire...the paper that tells us where we got for mutations (transfers). I looked at it and I was kind of disappointed because I was hoping that I would be training a new missionary, or be a district leader; both options were possible, and I ended up staying just about the same, with a companion who is somewhere halfway thru the mission...although I have heard he is really cool.  So I was talking this over with elder smith, and I hate to say it, but I was feeling a little pouty, ha.  And then elder Smith got after me, saying, 'Alright, let that get you, go through your mission comparing yourself to other missionaries, and feeling like you're a good missionary only when you're a district leader, zone leader, or an AP, go ahead and let that ruin your mission.'  

A sneak peek behind the scenes of mission living

We got through the conversation, and we arrived at one of our investigators houses.  He had been through surgery and requested a blessing.  When we got there he was really happy to see us, and also pretty excited to show us his scars.  So at that point he showed us, and I had this little epiphany.  I was dissapointed because I didn't get a leadership calling, and here I am, getting to help this man who has gone through a lot, and give him a blessing.  I felt pretty embarassed at myself for caring about something that really doesn't matter.  What really matters out here are the people.  I just think of the smile that guy had when we showed up to his house, and that seriously, bringing happiness to people is so much more important than any title ever will be. So, That was the big lesson I learned this week.  

Ceremonial transfer countdown...my comp, Elder Smith is going home after 16 transfers!

Have a good week!  I'm going to miss being able to talk about airplanes so in depth and pulling from elder Smith's deep knowledge of missionary work.  He's going on to a fun future, and I'm excited for him.  I'll miss his potato dishes, the onion soup he makes, his killer organizational abilities, and his calmness in living missionary life, he's a great guy, I'm glad I served with him.  I hope I can be as organized as he is, and yep, life is hard and good!

Love you all!  I'm getting a greater testimony that the book of mormon is true, it's great!

Elder Jamison Jones