Meet Me Half Way - February 17, 2014

It's amazing how every week of the mission gets better... the weather picked up a little, but there was still quite a bit of rain! I bought rain boots last P-Day, so I was prepared, and felt very childlike as I purposefully stepped in puddles and giggled, ha ha. I also bought a bright pink umbrella!! I named her Barbie. Soeur Hoar got a blue umbrella... and we named him Ken. Perfect match if you ask me!

Monday we had a fun FHE with Audrey, our ami, her fiance Joe, and the Tahitian couple, the Temahukis. I found out that the Temahukis used to live in Chambéry... In fact, he was the first branch president there!! SO COOL! We reminisced and I was almost in tears as I thought about how much I still love every single member from Chambéry... Take good care of them Soeur Richardson! The Temahuki couple is FANTASTIC! They would be on a mission right now if her mom wasn't struggling health wise. So they are 100percent dedicated to this work! We are so grateful and we have been able to use them often in our work here :) They really love Stephan and are ecstatic that he will soon be apart of our branch! His baptism is this Saturday, in case you forgot! We are so pumped. We got permission to go to Bordeaux for the day so we could be there for his baptism too! We taught Stephan with the Temahukis this week. We retaught the restoration, because its never a bad idea. The spirit was penetrating as we retaught the promise in Moroni and invited him to read and pray with real intent. His testimony is a seedling, but he has great faith that as he continues to be obedient and do the little things, that his seedling will sprout into a solid, lifelong tree. Hes so cool. The Temahukis took us to McDonald's afterwards. McDonald's is called MacDo in France and it is pretty classy place to eat out. Tahitians are a hoot! Also, they know every other Tahitian in the world... I have a feeling the Temahukis are gonna become my second set of parents. They speak English, so it makes it fun as well. They made us order like 4 things each and then wouldn't let us leave the restaurant until we had eaten everything, ha ha.

I know things are going well, because we had more opposition this week... lots of tombezvous with amis and
potentials. Soeur Hoar was pretty sick all last week, so that slowed us down and kept us in more than we would have liked. I was going strong until yesterday night. I think I have strep... We'll see. Missionary work is no fun when you're sick. We sadly didn't get any new amis this week, but we feel as if we are just on the brink! We are switching to solely French for the last two weeks of the transfer so that we can find those families that are coming out of the cracks of Angouleme! Pray that we will find these families and be guided by the spirit to know how to touch their hearts.

We had a relief society party this week... knitting party!! That's right. I have been reunited with my favorite past time :) Its not odd to find Soeur Hoar and I knitting scarfs during the remaining meal time or after nightly planning. I feel like Grandma, and it feels so good!

I got to live every missionary's dream this week... I HAD AN EXCHANGE WITH MY MTC COMPANION SOEUR ROBERTS! It was the greatest day of my mission thus far :) It was perfect timing too, we met each other half way through our missions. That's right: I hit my 9 months this past week... I'm an old missionary now. Besides the point... we went on an adventure to Cognac France, a ville about 40 minutes outside of Angouleme. We enjoyed the beautiful day; the weather changed from pure blue skies, to rain, back to blue skies, to HAIL, and then back to blue skies yet again, ha ha. Fun memories. We talked to EVERYONE we saw and had some sweet conversations with some lovely French citizens. We sought out some inactives, and found two of them. Not much luck, but we met a couple and a single man that were very intrigued with our message and seem like some solid potentials. We even ported a pharmacy by accident and invited the employees to come unto Christ! We were running behind schedule, and as we were talking with a less active, we realized we had 10 minutes until our train... we broke into a sprint towards the gare. I began to panic as I realized that we were more than likely not going to make it. Soeur Roberts was ahead of me, and I filled with despair. Then a thought popped into my head: you,re not going to make it unless someone drives you... Stop the next car and ask for a ride. I didn't hesitate for one second. I turned around and waved frantically at the next car. A couple in a baby blue car pulled over. I am astounded that my French is still steady even while I'm in distress... but as I asked the couple to take us to the gare, they accepted and told us to get in. MIRACLE COUPLE! Soeur Roberts was a bit shocked... but followed my lead. They were a darling couple, and very curious as to why we were here in Cognac, and more generally in France. It was a short little car ride, but powerfully filled with our testimonies of the joy the gospel brings to our lives and to our families. We didn't have time to do much more than leave them with our card as we sprinted from the car to the train, but I know that we sparked their interest and were able to serve servants of the Lord that day. The Lord works in mysterious ways... ya never know, maybe one day the husband will stand at the pulpit in General Conference and talk about some crazy American sister missionary that hitch hiked to the gare, touched his heart, and fanned the flame of his faith. I'm sure we changed their lives! It was a great day finished by a fun lesson with Stephan.

I got two packages this week!! WOO! Thank you to the Sharon Springs Young Women... You're the most
beautiful group of girls ever! And my dad sent me balloons... OH WOW! I thought I would have forgotten how to make balloons by now, but it came back like riding a bike, ha ha. My companions eyes about popped out of her head as I made two kissing doves in a heart for Valentines day. Precious moment for me! BALLOONS FOR LIFE!

Soeur Hoar and I weren't able to see Sandra this week, but we did get to soften Kathleen's heart as we read a story of Christs life. We had a breakthrough lesson with Audrey this week... I feel as if our friendships with our amis will help them trust us more and be more open to our message. Pray for our amis, and pray that we will find new amis as well! We went porting one night this week and randomly found a less active and his family! It was a sweet little miracle... Pray for them and that we will be able to teach them.

As I studied the life of Christ this week, I studied Luke 15:3-7 the story of the lost sheep. As we celebrated Valentines day this week, we focused on the love of the Savior and how we could help others feel this love as well. As I studied this parable, I thought of the love that Christ has for each and every one of us. I cant imagine it in its fullness, but I know it is there for each of us because I can feel it personally for me, and I can feel the love He has for our amis. I know that we are all numbered in the eyes of the Lord. Whether you're the 100th sheep that has gone astray, or the 112,582,962nd sheep gone astray, He loves you, and is seeking you diligently. He will rejoice when He finds you, and He will change you. Allow Him to change you and rejoice with you.

Have a great week :)
I love you all dearly!

Avec tout mon amour,

Soeur Beeny

Singing in the Rain - February 10, 2014

We were able to see a bit more of Angouleme last Pday! We went to the Angouleme museum!! Haha, the pictures are worth a thousand words (GO LONGHORNS!) Maybe a little bit of a lame museum, but a museum to say the least! French museums are always fun and filled with nonsense. I decided my two favorite parts of Angouleme this week: first of all, because Angouleme is famous for the BD festival, which was two weeks ago, there are large murals around the city! The town hall pays professional graffiti artists to paint huge murals on large buildings to make the city more amical. It is pretty sweet. I will try to take more pictures to give you proof. My second favorite part of Angouleme is our hobo. This is no ordinary hobo... he is the hobo-ist hobo I have ever seen in my life... He looks like he just walked off of a HollyWood set. SO LEGIT! We see him ever so often and gasp in awe of his hobo-ness. I will try to get a picture of him... I'll need to be sneaky. Pray for my agility.

After our beautiful Zone Conference, Soeur Hoar and I were ready to hit the hills of Angouleme! President gave me some great advice. I asked him how to overcome the discouragement that sometimes falls upon the shoulders of missionaries. I have seen some wonderful miracles, but I haven't seen baptisms in a few months, leaving me a bit hopeless. President told me that during his mission, he was always the "UP" guy. He was always smiling, always making others laugh. He told himself that if he could just get everyone to smile, even if they said no to the gospel, that he had shared the love of God, and pushed them one step closer to accepting our message. As he was happy, even in moments when it was unbelievably difficult, he found more success, more hope, and more of the spirit in his work. I have always tried to be a happy person, and especially a happy missionary, but this gave me the extra push to try just as hard; to smile and be happy! So I Roney Patterned happiness (The Roney Pattern is our format for developing Christlike Attributes in our mission. You choose an attribute, study it daily, script yourself with affirmations during the day, envision yourself being more of this attribute, and pray with all your might that the Lord will bless you with this attribute.). Well can I just tell you that OPPOSITION EXISTS?! Haha, of course the week I decide to become more happy, it would rain everyday. We would have 8 tombez-vous (people not showing up for/canceling our RDVs), including the three families we met last weekend, and we would meet the meanest people in Angouleme, haha. I really did have to learn to Sing in the Rain. And what a beautiful, and miracle filled week it was! 

There was one day that we decided to pass a member we had never visited before. She wasn't home sadly, but we left her some Snickerdoodles (Snickerdoodles is my favorite word to ask French people to pronounce. SO CUTE!). Soeur Hoar, being inspired as she is, felt as if we needed to port the building. We got a few doors slammed in our face, and then one woman opened the door. She was older and looked a little confused. She immediately said no to our offer of sharing the gospel, but I decided to make her happy anyway! I noticed that she was wearing a slightly ridiculous sweater with a giant dolphin on it. It was so ridiculous, that I liked it and I would even probably wear it myself. I complimented her, and she became ecstatic as I shared my experience of petting dolphins when I was little. She swung the door open and invited us in to see her dolphin collection... Unreal. Pictures, and blankets, and wall decor, and lots and LOTS of ceramic dolphins covered every surface of her apartment. We talked to her for a few minutes, made her feel loved, and offered her the gospel again. She again turned us down, but more softly this time, haha. We left thinking we had shown this woman the love she needed. We thought our job was done in the building, but then we knocked on one last door. It was a man, and he immediately told us he was Muslim. His wife and son came to the door and I complimented their beautiful family. Then they let us in!! The Agaoua family is from Algeria. They are darling! They are not practicing Muslims, and they were actually quite interested to hear our message. We taught them for a little while and then set our next RDV. We went back yesterday, and Frere Agaoua had read a ton of the LdeM! Soeur Agaoua's brother came over during our lecon, and was totally excited to meet us! He is nonpracticing, and actually attends different Christian churches because they make him feel warm and happy inside. We set another RDV with him for later this week... SO COOL! Frere Agaoua will be in Paris for a few weeks, so that is a bummer, but Camel, his brother in law seems like he could go somewhere pretty quick. It was a beautiful miracle for us! Pray for them to all read the LdeM and to pray and feel the truth of the gospel for themselves.

 

When I arrived here in Angouleme, Soeur Hoar told me they had met a wonderful family, the Rivoisy

family, and they were golden... Well I had yet to meet this family, and I was beginning to think they didn't actually exist! Well we called them up and set a RDV. We met with Soeur Rivoisy, but her husband was out, and her children were sleeping. She is incredible. The family is from Madagascar. She has such unwavering faith. We taught her the Restoration. She was astonished at the idea of a modern day prophet, but understood the necessity. She asked questions about the priesthood and if we

believed in healing by the laying on of hands... we were able to easily answer her questions. Every time we taught her more, her face filled with peace and understanding. Then she asked the question that every missionary lives to hear: But how can I know for myself if its true?... We testified of the LdeM and told her that her loving Heavenly Father would answer her prayers of faith. As we left, she was more determined than any ami I have ever seen to read the LdeM. We planned an FHE with her and her kids and the one family we have in our branch. We are so excited to see them progress even more!

Stephan: I cant believe I haven't told you all about him! Stephan is about 22. His best friend is a recent convert in Bordeaux. Stephan was introduced to the missionaries there (Soeur Roberts, my MTC companion!). He has been taking the discussions and even has a baptismal date for the 22nd of February! The sisters there taught him his first three lessons, but he actually lives here in Angouleme, so we have been teaching him the past three weeks since I arrived... The situation is a bit odd, because he should technically be our ami because he lives here and he is going to be  apart of our branch, but it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. HE IS WAY COOL! He plays volleyball, so of course I related with him. He has incredible faith and loves and embraces everything we teach him. He came to church yesterday, (his first time to assist in Angouleme, usually he drives an hour and a half to Bordeaux) and was really touched. Soeur Hoar and I did a special musical number of Come Thou Fount... He was almost in tears he felt the spirit so strongly. He is a very prepared young man. Pray for him to continue to progress, and to read and understand the LdeM. I'm gonna have a baptism with him pretty soon! See, happiness works :)

We taught a great Fire Side this week to the branch where we ate crepes. We taught Faith versus

Logic. The gist of what I talked about last week. It was such a fun and spiritually uplifting experience with the branch. We invited all of the members to invite one friend to church the 2nd of March... We told them that it would be a miracle Sunday! They all accepted with vigor :) I love our little branch. They have such fire. We have a Tahitian couple, the Tamahukis, in the branch who just moved back last week, and they are BURNING to share the gospel with their friends here.

We did lots of other stuff during the week: we visited a couple of less actives that are so lovely. We are still working hard with them. We found another new ami, Jean and his son Thomas who has down syndrome. They are the sweetest men alive. I have never met more Christlike people in France. Thomas kissed me the first time we met, haha, he is so cute!! and I shouldn't have let it happen, but it was cute... Pray for them to be open to the restoration. A member brought a friend to church this week. Her name is Elodie. She is a beautiful young woman in the military. We taught her yesterday, and we will be seeing her tonight. Pray for her to be touched by our message. We finally saw Sandra and Kathleen. They are excited to be home and to come to church and meet the members. Pray for them to be touched by the spirit at church. Also, we will be seeing Audrey tonight. Pray for her to feel the spirit and have a desire to continue to progress, get married, and get baptized.

Turn to Luke 8:27-35 and 39 with me. We read the story of Legion, the man who was possessed by devils, chained up in caves, and tormented his entire life. As the Savior approached him, the devils pronounced him the Son of God. Christ, in His mercy, cast the devils from him, healing this man from his demented tormentors. He becomes a disciple of Christ, sitting at His feet, hearing His words, and worshiping

Him. When the people see this, they are afraid. Could you imagine this? This man was changed in every essence of the word change. As I read this story, I thought of the ways that I want to change. I thought of the little things I could do better. Sometimes I loose faith, thinking I will never overcome my pride, or become perfectly hopeful. Then I think of this man, who was destitute. He was lost, thought to never be found whole again, and the Savior, our Redeemer, healed him. If Legion can be changed through the Lord, I know that I can be too. Remember that this week. The Lord has all power, we must simply turn to Him and give ourselves over to His will. I love my Savior and I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve Him.

Have a beautiful week :) Be happy!!

Avec tout mon amour,

Soeur Beeny