Bordeaux Week #9

Apartment front door.

Dear Family, 

This week went fast! I feel like I just emailed you yesterday! First things first. It is freezing here. Like 5° Celsius. So like 37°F. And our apartment is as big as my room at home and has no heating so you'd think the small space would heat up quicker when we open our mini oven to give us heat. The other day I put on my sweat pants under my skirt and leggings and socks and wore my big wool jacket during studies because it was so cold in our home! And I'm typing right now with mittens on. It's kind of great!  I can't imagine what it's like up more north..... 

So we had our lesson with M on Monday with a couple in our ward. We focused all on Prophets. Luckily, Muslims believe in Prophets after Jesus but they are just confused as to who it is. So we talked about Joseph Smith. Basically he took everything we said and agreed with it. Then he started explaining how a prophet needs to have evidence. BINGO. Good thing we have the Book of Mormon. So we testified that the Book of Mormon is evidence that there is a prophet today. He was pretty excited to get the Book of Mormon in Arabic so that was good. He is going to read it. Our member gave him a chapter to read. We couldn't meet with him again this week, but on Saturday we are and are going to focus on Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost and why they are necessary. It'll be a tough, heavy lesson for him, but with the Spirit and faith we can do it.  M is really great though. One of the most gracious people I have ever met. 

A is still incredible and doing great. On Tuesday we had this music night that some elders in the mission are doing for all the stakes and some wards. She came to that and really loved it. She loved "Savior Redeemer of My Soul". Everyone loves that song. But it was a great night. A young adult came up and talked to her and just testified. He's great and she loved it. Then we had a lesson with her on Friday before the YA activity with Ar the same YA. We talked about the plan of Salvation. The first part of it. She really liked what we said about Adam and how we are here THANKS to him. She said it makes sense that yes we have suffering because of the fall, but we also have happiness. Loved the idea of opposition in all things. We talked then about why we are here on earth and the Atonement. She expressed how she feels like God must be so "done" with her after always making mistakes. Remember when Elder Holland said that God has been working with imperfect people since forever? I told her that. She loved that. We testified that the atonement is here for us because we are imperfect, God knows that and He knew we were going to make a million mistakes. We needed someone to save us from our sins. And someone to understand our struggles. She had never known that the Atonement was for our pains and afflictions too and so that really touched her. She asked what would happen without the Atonement, to which I shared Alma 34. Perfect. Anyway, Ar was such a great addition to our testimonies and the spirit was so strong. She said that when she know it's true she will get baptized. OH! She told us about her fear to really make the first step, to have that faith because she is so afraid of "what if." Anyway. It was incredible. After she told us how this week she had been feeling bad and had been thinking a lot of the things we talked about and was just so grateful and we helped her so much and answered so many questions. I LOVE A. She leaves for Paris for the rest of her studies here in France on the 21 December. I'm so sad. She came to church too and liked that a lot. She is so great. 

Remember S? He is progressing too! Doing so good. His friend got baptized a few weeks ago and he has been really moving forward. He lives like one hour away, but he is always here on the weekends and that is why we teach him every Sunday. But I wish we could teach him more often! We had a lesson after church on the Doctrine of Christ, He read 2 Nephi 31 and really liked it, he understood it well and even read the gospel principles book to help him understand better. Soeur M was able to testify too. She is doing so good! French is hard for her but I am so proud of her. It was a good lesson. Anyway, we'll keep teaching him once a week until his baptism, I just wish we could do it quicker. WE NEED SALVATION NOW! But he's doing so good.

At church yesterday in Relief Society I was sitting by a sister and she was trying to open this medicine bottle and then finally got it open and then dabbed it on her hands and then rubbed her hands together and then took like a 10 second sniff of her hands and then shoved her hands into my face and said it is good for colds. I was so funny I wanted to burst out laughing right there. This member is so funny! She makes me laugh. Then when we were contacting this guy came up to us and said he was Muslim, offered us free cigarettes and alcohol, and while that was happening this other guy came up to us to ask for money, said he was Jewish, then said "mosque, synagogue, church. Ciao!" and then left. It was bizarre but funny! I love France and the people here.  Also I’m doing a lot better with reading maps :) We ate at this members home and it was such a great time! they are a wonderful couple and said they were so happy to have sister missionaries over :) Yay for us! Anyway, it was a great week. This next week will be even better. 

I love you all. The church is true and I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the World. God loves us. Remember to be grateful for everything you have.

Love, Soeur Roberts

Cooking onions hence the glasses. I love seeing her living conditions!
Jiffy PB on the shelf I sent her in the background!