The thing missionaries miss most…..

Well this week has happened really fast that's for sure. I got to spend my last few moments with Soeur Erickson then on Wednesday we left Orléans at about 9h30 to Paris. I got to see Soeur Simpson again, we really have grown pretty close, she wrote me a letter, she is still loving Paris but kinda feeling it getting to her. It's been 9 months of her mission there, and as much as it's hard for her to admit, she just might need a change. I got to see some more old friends, and see some of them die. Meaning leave the mission. I don't know if I mentioned Elder Gram, he's from Denmark, anyway we served in the same zone for like my entire mission, so we became friends and he just died, so that was weird. I feel bad his homecoming is his parents driving from Frankfurt where they live now to pick him up and drive home. Haha he's a sport about it though. Then a Soeur Hales died, I knew her pretty well we served around each other for a long time too, she was comps with Soeur Tupai right before I got there. I just always remembered her as a younger missionary and all of a sudden she's gone! Ah I'm starting to know a lot of the people leaving now and it's weird. I only have 3 transfers left in the mission, it's like people have already started to count me as dead! I guess Wednesday was more of a wake up call than anything haha. 

Then I said goodbye to Soeur Erickson, that was a bit of a tearjerker. But we took our new comps and went for it. 

So here is the catch of that day....

The tickets that I had printed out for the train home to Orléans we're going first to a station in Tours then switching trains to a station called les Aubrais which is on the opposite side of the vile and we live on the street of the other gare. So I thought it was pointless, I called the AP and we got a direct ticket back, so.... As we are waiting for everyone to come I realize that my comp wasn't here yet and our direct train left in 20 minutes, already missed it, so I talked to the zone leader, and he was like, oh I'm on the same train going to Tours, follow us and come on that one, so I was like ok easy. That train though left from Montparnasse (worst gare ever, it's huge and takes like 45 minutes to get through with a ton of stairs for luggage) so we finally get there and my comp was like, hey I haven't printed my ticket, so we go to print it and it doesn't work. We went to the ticket booth thing with the lady and talked to her about it, she was like to get to Orleans you can't take this gare, your ticket is messed up. You have to go to gare Austerlitz. Ahhhhhhh So we returned told the zonies and then the Paris Lilas ZL were there and took us from Montparnasse to Austerlitz. We finally got tickets and got on the train but didn't get home until 16h30. That was a bummer and our bodies were just broken from carrying our luggage all over for so long. BUT, point is we made it to Orléans. We are here, and we are doing well. 

Thursday: 

I think from all that hustle yesterday my comp is a little sick and we are both so sore hahahaha, obviously we need to workout more. We did a ton of area book work sorting out Amis and such, with the entire vile now ours we didn't know where to start, but we made some RDV for the coming week, had some miracles, and now we are teaching men, with members haha. We went contacting and found a nice girl, we saw some miracles I must say. Totally worth it. Then out of the blue as I'm just finishing my nightly prayer, the phone rings so I answer it and it's from our amie who really needed some comfort, so I prayed with her on the phone, and planned on seeing her the next day at 10h. 

Friday: 

So we went and saw our amie, she was doing better we talked about the article in the liahona Jesus Christ our prince of peace. She liked it and we set another RDV for the next day too. We came back and did tons of planning and area book because the elders book was so screwed up. Then we went to check the iPad and found out that Vanessa had tried to message us and wanted to meet all this week, so I messaged her back and hopefully Saturday night we can see her on skype! Also I tried the speculoos mc flurry at McDonald's haha, it was really good. Can we get speculoos in the states? 

Saturday: 

Well we had our first RDV with our male ami "Bienvenue" and we had a member with us melody, but he frudged us, so we just shared a quick message about temples with the member, she's really cool, she went to BYU Hawaii. Then we had a couple other RDV but we were frudged on all of them. C'est pas grave. Haha then we tried to finish our weekly planning. 

Sunday: 

My favorite day of the week! We had an amie at church so it was even better. And we have a couple service opportunities too. Also the elders before they left made us a mangez-vous with a Tahitian family in the ward for Monday. I just feel so refreshed after Sunday, like the weeks is somewhat manageable haha. Oh also we talked about temples too, which brings me to my other points. I've talked about this with every one of my companions, what is the hardest thing about this mission...

Hints: not the...

Language 

Culture

Food

Distance 

Trajet 

Country...

It's not having a temple in the mission. There are definitely moments on the mission when each missionary has sought for some type of personal peace, which most times can be found at the temple. I think it's one of the things we as missionaries in this mission need to go through. It gives me so much more respect for those people who don't have a temple anywhere near them, or travel days to get to one. I have such an appreciation for temples now, and honestly know that going back to the temple is definitely one of the first things I will do when I get back! 

So during my studies I have been reading, Daughters in my kingdom. I found this quote that I really like, speaking about women Lorenzo Snow said, 

“You have ever been found at the side of the Priesthood, ready to strengthen their hands and to do your part in helping to advance the interests of the kingdom of God; and as you have shared in these labors, so you will most certainly share in the triumph of the work and in the exaltation and glory which the Lord will give to His faithful children.” Just a fun quote I thought I would share 

I love you all hope your week was well,

Soeur Stevens