Mission life!

Archery at the Chateau

Bourges excursion….

Hey!

This week was uber awesome, but super tiring! 

On Tuesday we decided to do a "finding day" in Orleans, we needed to find some new people! We contacted all day and taught a couple lessons, met some very interesting people lol.

Then Wednesday we had a bunch of rdv. And met with the DMP. I got an email from the mission stating I was officially departing Dec.10th...weird. 

Thursday we went to Bourges and had district meeting in their chapel. It was good and while we were in the meeting this guy walks in and the elder who is in Bourges went to go see what was up, then the district leader left, and we sat there for like 10 minutes, finally I popped my head out only to see them teaching the garbage man who came to give them a flyer lol. So then the zone leaders we're like, Ahhh... I said lets just continue with the meeting, so I got up and pretended to be the district leader and continued with the lesson making up random stuff that went with the topic they were all laughing so hard. Then like a minute later the district leader came back and was like what the heck is going on here? Haha. It's ok the zonies were there laughing too. But, because of that stunt the DL called me Sunday night and is making me do the formation Tuesday hahaha. Karma. So, I have to give a training on "what it means to me to be a successful missionary"... In French. I think we're the only foreign mission that has to have all of our meetings in the mission language because we have a French president. But it's good, it keeps us on our toes with the language. And word on the street is that the France Paris mission speaks on average better French than the Lyon mission lol. Anyways, then we went out and did contacting and we were walking down a street and there was this sign posted to a pole, so naturally I had to read it when there was a picture of a cat, well me reading this poster I guess was super rare in France because then everyone wanted to see what I was looking at hahaha, so we attracted people! We got to teach a lesson. Then after the contacting session we all met back up and ate at the BEST Chinese place! Dad it gives Shanghai a run for its money. Like it was Good. I think this is my favorite district ever! We are all super close friends, and not one of us is from Utah! Can you believe it! Soeur kemp is from so California, Merrill is from Idaho, dudfield from Australia, Williams from Oklahoma, omohundro from Kentucky. So it's pretty surprising! 

Then Friday was absolutely hilarious. We went to go see a less active who lives on a river boat an hour and a half away. That was a day to remember, and best part we are going back to help work on it. She has a little 12 week old puppy too! Reminds me of when Kona and Moki were little. Anyway, after the mission I have to tell you about her, she is awesome. 

Saturday we did the coolest thing too, the relief society wanted to do a bonding activity, which here I guess means going to a chateau, picnicking, and playing 1700's games lol. We went to chateau Meung sur Loire. It's pronounced like if you say "man" then drop the "n" and make a nasal sound at the end of the a, you've got it, just add a "sir" and "Lowar". Voila you can speak French. Haha the tour was so cool it's super hands on chateau and you can touch everything, and they have so much stuff, they show you how they lived in the olden days. It was probably one of my favorite chateaus I've ever been to. Almost everyone agreed it was better than chambourg, just because it's so interactive, and the people that work there are so cool. And we got to play archery haha. On top of it two of our less actives were there and one of our amies! 

Sunday we had 3 amies at church and finalized baptismal plans for Vanessa for the 26 of September. We're so excited! Also mini miracle for us, we had no money because our reimbursements from Paris trajet haven't come in yet, so we were super worried about groceries this week, and as we were standing talking to our amies after church a member came up to me with a huge bag full of groceries! What! Literally coolest thing of my life, I thanked him profusely for it, but he was like, sister, like no problem! I wish I could do more. Oh man I love the members here! They really take such good care of us. We went shopping today and had just enough money for the week! It was so cool. 

Learning opportunities this week. Comme d'habitude..

I have thought a lot about my entire mission all in perspective, as we are both approaching our 14th month on the mission. We have been reminiscing on our "blue" days (when you are being trained) and then when we trained, our other towns, and companions, the MTC, etc. and now both getting our departure questionnaire. It's been a roller coaster year that's for sure, but one I would never take back. There have been days where you feel you are tried beyond your capacity, and days when you are on top of the world and nothing could go wrong. Recently during our interviews I was waiting and only the blue in our district was standing there waiting with me elder Dudfield. I asked him for real how he was finding the mission? How he was doing with everything, and being trained. He said, "I've been preparing my entire life, and always knew I would serve a mission, but even with all of that, it's still been the hardest thing I have ever done. And the only way to know what it is like, or why it's so hard, is to serve a mission. But, I would do it again all over." Well said my friend. It's just been such a crazy year of ups and downs, but this is my most precious year, one I would do over again, because malgré nos épreuves, we find happiness in who we are, and the gospel principles that we found our lives in. One of my favorite quotes ever, "be willing at any moment to sacrifice what you are for what you can become"

Bonne semaine! 

Soeur Stevens 

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also...

Email:

Sorry this week isn't super detailed, it went by really fast and I was very busy. We started by having a super fun soirée famille with the young adults and played games, and they wanted us to do it in English, anyway we had a super fun time, and our amie who is a young adult came and she had a blast. So we now have them scheduled for every Monday! Then Tuesday was zone conference and we went to Paris. It was a really good conference, but we were a little late with trains so that's why I was in the back in the photos I'm sure you've already looked at from Facebook lol. I had the best interview ever with Soeur babin, I LOVE HER, she really is like another mom to the missionaries. We just talked about my testimony, and the change that happens to us. Then I talked with President and mostly just about going home, he told me what to start doing, and I'll send another email with more detail, I think you have to call SLC. Missionary department travel. Anyway, after a long day of us being one of the last for interviews, we finally made it to the gare, and voila our train left, so we all had to take the train to Orleans, and then it's like a fork that splits to Bourges and Blois, but when we got to Orleans the train only kept going to Bourges, so we took the Blois elders and walked across town to the big gare, where they found the next train didn't leave for a good 1.5 hours. None of us had had dinner or water since lunch in conference and it was 9 at night, so we told them if they chilled in our parking lot we would give them some water. So we all kinda sat there in our parking lot waiting for their train lol they didn't get home until 11. Yikes! But he was the DL, so I don't think that was a worry. Then Wednesday and Thursday we went to NOGENT for exchanges. It was super cool to see the ville again, and I got to see the bishop, and some members I worked with that we're like, "Soeur Stevens! We thought you would be home by now! How long has it been?" Hahaha thanks guys, I love them. Oh and a member I knew from Rennes got his mission call to Indiana Indianapolis mission, and was visa waiting in NOGENT so I got to see him too! Then on the RER ride we were sitting next to this guy who was Asian and speaking some other language, I was like eh, maybe mandarin? Nope. It was Cambodian lol (sorry Andrew). But I asked him, something about RER and he saw my plaque so he started asking questions, he speaks English more than French, and I asked him if he knew the Elder missionaries. From what he said it sounded like he had known them, but he said no he'd never met them, just seen them every week since he'd moved to France. He said, "I see them all the time always laughing and smiling, but it's not just that, they have a genuine happiness, I can't find that here in France." It was awesome! So we gave him our number and I hope it goes well! He was super curious about us though, all from just seeing the missionaries always with a smile on their face. He taught me a lesson that day, sometimes missionary work really is just a smile to a stranger. Then Friday we saw more miracles, a guy stopped us while he was on his bike and asked if he could take our lessons and learn more about us.. Ok.🏼🏼 im feeling on top of the world haha. Saturday came and went just as fast, and Sunday we got to meet some non practicing members thanks to an elderly couple, and a missed appointment lol. Lots of stuff happened, and once again full of miracles, and learning opportunities. I still find there are so many life lessons I need to learn, and so many ways to learn them here. I just feel like sometimes 18 months there is no way I can learn everything I need, but hopefully I'm getting something. 

One big lesson this week: 

"Oublie toi, et va travailler" forget yourself and go to work. I realized at the beginning of the week, I was kinda thinking about home, and reading through emails of all the fun things my friends were doing back home, and I think a little piece of my heart was there, because that was where I had placed my treasure. 

3 nephi 13:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

At first I thought maybe it's just going to bit a bit of a rough week, but after a couple days, I realized there was something different. It was me who was making myself suffer. It was because I was focusing more on myself, than I was on others. One thing Soeur Erickson taught me was, you can be the best missionary on the planet and find x number of investigators in a week, and have x number of lessons, but the real questions is "how much time out of everyday, when it's just you, do you think about your amies, and your members?" That is the real test, and I don't think anyone is a perfect missionary, but I do believe what we choose to spend our time on says a lot about our character, and if we begin to choose to think of others instead of ourselves, it can lead to a whole lot happier life. I had started to think more about home, than the blessings I had in front of me. When we put our treasure(time) on others, there will our hearts(happiness) be also. Anyway, that is my rant, thinking about others leads to actions to help others, which leads to changing lives, "The only limit you have is the one you set yourself, we'll never know our full potential unless we push our selves to find it"  -Travis Rice

Love you tons,

Soeur Stevens 

Random Pics Ashley sent

Le Château de Chambord

Characteristics and Goals God has for you...

So at district meeting this week we did an activity to help us
remember why we are here and what our potential is, but the potential
God sees in us. He asked us two questions, the first,
What are the characteristics God wants you to be or to have? And the second,
What are the goals God has for you? Then we went into different rooms
and read our blessings and wrote down what we thought were our
answers, it was a really fun activity, I think you should try it!


Characteristics God wants you to be or to have:
-shining example to others
-light to those who know me
-keen mind
-understanding heart
-have the art of healing and helping
-intellectual and intuitive ability to see into minds and hearts
-strength and ability to sit in judgement of others
-sensitivity
-awareness
-compassion
-love
-righteous judgement
-move through this life with grace
-ability to good without calling attention to yourself
-peacemaker and arbiter

Goals God has for you:
-my testimony to become a consuming fire within me
-dedicate my life to the service of the gospel
-complete my task which I was sent here to do
-succeed at anything I set my mind and heart to
-called upon to preside in the Kingdom of God
-invited to council with others
-give strength to those who need it
-mend the broken hearts
-proclaim gospel of Jesus Christ and bring home to Zion those who
would embrace it
-invoking powers of priesthood in my future home.
-create a sanctuary of peace and security in the tumultuous times to come.
-look upon generations from covenants I make in temple
-come forward in the first resurrection
-embrace Heavenly Father and hear,"well done my good and faithful servant"
-lay upon the alter a life worthy of all acceptation, and all emulation.
-future is bright with hope, there is nothing within reason you cannot
accomplish.