We had a great last week of the transfer. The big miracle of
the week was once again Audrey. It
started off Monday when they invited us to
go to a castle with them! It ended up being closed, but we had a nice picnic by
the river in the sun :) We all shared our most embarrassing moments... I
recounted the time when I held Kevin Pett's hand for the first time at the
movie theater and he was holding another girls hand on the other side. They
thought it was hysterical!! Bad times make for good stories later, ya know? We
taught Audrey just about every day this past week. We wanted to talk about
missionary work one day, but half way into the lesson her fiance Joe shared a
mission experience where he learned to follow the will of the Lord... And then
we suddenly changed topics. Audrey in that moment realized that she wanted to
follow the Lord's will for her. She committed herself to pray to know which
date she needed to be baptized, and told us that she would give us the date the
following day. It's incredible what can happen when we follow the Spirit. Well
the following day came, and I happened to be in Limoge for an exchange. Soeur
Hoar and her temporary companion for the day saw Audrey when they had an FHE
with the Temahukis. She told us that she had prayed all night, and didn't sleep,
but she came up with nothing. Well, meanwhile in Limoges, my temporary
companion and I set a baptismal date with their awesome ami! We texted the
other sisters to tell them the good news. When the sisters read about the date,
they jumped up and down and cheered. Audrey asked what had happened, and Soeur
Hoar told her that she had just witnessed the joy of missionaries when an ami
sets a baptismal date... She was determined then, and told us she would TRULY
have a date for us the following day. So we came over pretty late the following
evening after being on a train for 3 hours. Audrey looked us in the eyes and
said she wanted to be baptized the following week...... -----DEAD LINE----- I
thought my heart had stopped. We were overjoyed and I couldn't help but display
my smile. We told her that she would either need to move out of Joe's home, or
get married... She didn't realize this, because the silly elders before us hadn't
told her this flaw in her flawless plan. We weren't able to set a date, because
she told us she isnt ready to get married, even if she loves Joe. My heart
broke as I looked over to Joe. I instantly testified of marriage. I told her
that I wasn't married, but I know that it is a commandment of God and ordained
and necessary for her salvation and happiness. We whipped away our tears which
began as joy and ended as sadness. We shared 1 John 4:7-20 during our next
lecon, focusing on Love casting out all fear. Audrey was touched and realized
again that any and all fears come from the father of all lies. They came to
church on Sunday and then we visited them Sunday night so they could say
goodbye to Soeur Hoar. We asked again about baptism, and Joe and Audrey told us
they were praying about the best time to get married. Things are looking up!
She is seeing progress in her life as she follows the lord's will for her. We
are so grateful for her, and I am so grateful to be able to stay another
transfer with her and see her through to baptism! Pray for her to have faith
and courage.
We were able to see Soeur Mazelyrat, the relief society
president. She is the sweetest, but she has recently been drowning with her new
born, 2 year old, and a branch full of inactive women. We have decided to
change our focus this transfer to building up the branch and visiting the
members as much as possible. The branch wont be ready to accept new members if
they cant support themselves! Pray for our little branch to strengthen in
faith. They need all the help they can get right now!! We had a fun time with the
Temahukis Sunday after church when they fed us another delightful meal.
Everyone was heartbroken to see Soeur Hoar go, which made me realize how much I
need to keep our work going and continue to support the members in all that
they do. Pray for me to have the capacity to do this work. AHHH!
So I had a pretty cool exchange in Limoges this week with
Soeur Magleby. She is a sweet sister from
Utah. She is a very diligent worker.
We had a great time meeting with some of their part member families. The
sisters there are regulars at a crepe stand, so we profited the moment and
enjoyed some sugary flat pancakes. We were able to talk with loads of people
before visiting their ami Cornel, who is from Romania. HE IS SO COOL! She told
me he was cool before, but he was seriously even cooler than that. He is a
mechanic for 18 wheelers. Hes super ripped. Hes about 22. And he accepts the
gospel like only an elu would. The member we taught with was an angel,
explaining things simply when he didn't understand, and testifying of her own
experiences when he seemed to question the invitation to baptism. He said he
had been praying about a date, but he was struggling. He came right out and
said "Well, couldn't you just pick a date for me? I prefer that!"
Soeur Magleby quickly offered the 22nd of March and he smiled and accepted. It
was such a refreshing exchange for me. The weather was as bipolar as ever, but
the sun was always in our hearts! I love exchanges... I wish we did them more
often.
We had district meeting where we discussed 1 John 4:7-20. At
first the scriptures made me question myself... If I have difficulties with my
companion, I'm not loving God... If I'm struggling with a member, I'm not loving
God... I was a little discouraged, but then it dawned on me. These things don't
mean that I don't love God. I love God. But my love for God should always lead
me to love others, to love my companion, and everyone I meet. My love for God
should be a constant reminder of what I need to be doing and feeling and
thinking. Allow your love for the Lord to push you to love others this week,
and grow a little more than you are now.
I love you all and I hope you have a beautiful week!!
Avec tout mon amour,
Soeur Beeny
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