Michael's baptism

Ecully Week #6

 Kjersti and Sister Hodder.  He last companion!

Out to eat with members.

Dear Family,

Great week in Ecully! It was a lot of fun, a lot of good happenings. I have a new companion. Her name is Soeur Hodder from Halifax, Canada, and I'm so excited to be with her. We already know each other pretty well, so I'm expecting great things. :)

Armand is doing great! His baptism was announced for the 11 Octobre. He is happy, nervous, anxious, excited :) He's doing well. We taught him a few times this week and he found a Gospel Principles book an has been cruising through. He is understanding a lot and changing. He is coming to church and reading and doing wonderfully. I'm proud of him. 

Roberto is still on track. We might have to move his date just because of scheduling problems, but it'll be good. He'll get there. We talked about prophets and praying. He has a hard time feeling the spirit, just because he likes doctrine and proof a lot. He knows that he needs the spirit though so that's why we are working on it :) In church he told me he always feels more positive and happy there and I was like yes!  It's the spirit :) So I hope he can continue to progress. 

Collins is really struggling and having a hard time. It's tough on his family because everything is just so unstable and he doesn't like that. He has such a strong testimony. He's already read into Alma, probably Helaman now. Blessing will get there too, she is just progressing a bit slower. 

Great news!! Michel got baptized! On Saturday :) And I got to go to his baptism. And I got to see Jamila. We had a spiritual experience together. She's been reading the book of Mormon and prays and is just progressing so well. I love them so much, I'm so glad I didn't go too far so I still get to see them. That's about it, that you would care about. We're trying to find more investigators, like always. The ones we have are pretty solid, so we just need to keep finding more. 

We passed Gerald to the elders, so now they are teaching him :) He came to church on Sunday so that was good. We'll see. And also we taught Baptiste on Sunday with Ivalani (his member girlfriend) and it went well. We had a little picnic and taught about faith. They are getting there. 

I love you all so much. I know this church is true. Christ lives. I love you! 

Love, Souer Roberts

Week #5 Ecully

Dear Family,

Another good week here in Ecully :) We had some great lessons and made some good progress with some amis, while others got dropped.

So Roberto is doing well! We have a fixed date for October 18. It's pretty sure. He is pretty excited. He is calling October "Le Mois Béni" which is the blessed month so he is happy :) He is doing well with the word of wisdom. He said every time he wants to smoke he thinks of his baptism.  He is doing really well. Asking questions and reading and praying. We have seen so much progress with him. The first time I met him he still didn't know if Christ was the Savior. And now he is coming to church and just doing well. I'm so proud of him :) 

Armand is doing well as well. He has been coming to Church and really wants to be baptized. He got to meet the bishop on Sunday and they talked about how baptism is an engagement for life, not just something you try out, which is exactly what he needed to hear. I think we are going to shoot for the 11 with him in October. He wants to be baptized so bad. It's so great. And he is making so many friends in the church! Integration is great in this ward, they are so good with the amis. 

We were both feeling sick earlier this week so one night while contacting I wasn't super excited because some mean lady said she was in a hurry but literally was walking like a snail. But we decided to keep going. Trying to be diligent and Soeur Floisand stops this girl. Inès. Young, from Paris, goes to the mosque, synagogue, and church. She asked us what we do and when I said we teach those who want to learn more. She asked if we could set up a time to meet! So cool :) so that will be tomorrow. It was just a little reminder to me that the Lord really does look over us and He loves us and will give us little tender mercies whenever He can and when we are being obedient :) 

I love the gospel so much. I am so grateful for the knowledge that I have in knowing that it is true. I know it is the Gospel of Jesus Christ that is going to bless us in our lives and nothing else will do as much for us. This Gospel is true. Jesus is the Christ and the Son of the Living God; And this is His church restored on the earth. I love you all!

Love, Soeur Roberts

Week #4 Ecully

Dear Family,

This week was really great :) We had some really great experiences and lessons that just witnessed to me how much the Lord really is aware of everyone of us. 

Gèrald is doing well. He is so precious. We taught him the Gospel of Jesus Christ and he said he would be baptized :) Not right now, but after he understands more. SO that is great :) He is so good at reading and keeping his engagements. He told us he tries to pray every night, and when I asked him how he felt when he did that he looked at us and smiled and said, "I feel good." We taught him the word of Wisdom Saturday and he was very willing to start living it. He told us he would come to church, he was maybe ready to do it. Unfortunately church came and he texted us and said, "I'm still not sure." So we will help him come to church. He is shy, but whether or not we're shy, church will bless us and help us grow and learn together. We are strengthened by one another. I really like Gèrald though. He will get there :) Even if it takes some time. 

Blessing and Collins are still on their way. Before one of our lessons, Collins was late, so we got some time with Blessing. She progresses just a little bit slower. She hasn't started the Book of Mormon yet, so we read the first chapter together and it went really well. She even opened up more than usual and told us that God witnessed to her in a dream that He was real and loved her, like how Lehi had the vision in 1 Nephi 1. It was really great and the spirit was strong. It has been such a blessing to see them grow in faith and trust in the Lord. They are so willing. Collins is storming through the Book of Mormon, already in Mosiah. So we love them. We taught them about temples and eternal marriage, and we know it is something they want to work towards after baptism.

Anyway, that is about it for this week :) Oh! Elder Ballard came to Geneva and spoke to the missionaries there, so we watched it for Zone Conference. He told us to study Chapter 3 in Preach my Gospel. So that is my invitation to you for today :) Study PMG Ch 3. It is the entire gospel. And on Sunday Pres Roney surprised called me up during his talk to give a minute lesson on the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the ward. That was a little scary.  I know this gospel is true. I know it is true and will bless our lives forever. If we follow the gospel we will have eternal life and happiness. I love you all :) 

Love, Soeur Roberts

Week #3 Ecully

This week was another super busy week! I loved it.

Roberto is progressing well. Sometimes he still has doubts about Christ's role as His Savior because he has Muslim and Christian background so a bit mixed but it's been really great to see his faith grow. He is such an intelligent person and is so diligent in his studies. I'm always so impressed with him. We had a couple lessons this week that went well. He told us he is having a hard time quitting smoking. he only smokes a couple a day, no more than that, but it is hard, because it's an addiction for him, even if it's not a packet a day :) But he's been doing better. We finally have a pretty solid date that he chose himself so that is our goal. :) He really is a great kid. He'll get there :) 

We had a really great lesson with Baptiste too. He said his prayer wasn't super but it wasn't bad either. (He prays once a week :) ) so at the end we invited him to pray twice and he said to me after the closing the prayer that he felt the Holy Spirit again. He really is very sensitive to the spirit, he just needs to have more motivation to do something about it. To have a desire to act with those promptings. He told us that if he got the answer that this was the right church he thinks he'd be "croyant, non pratiquant" so believing, non practicing. I testified to him that he will want to change and want to act when he knows it's true. He isn't yet convinced but I know that when he tastes of the blessings of the gospel he'll keep wanting them and you can't have them if you are sitting doing nothing about it. I really like Baptiste. He just always has a smile and wants to understand. We taught the 10 commandments and he is a little worried because his "God" right now is music. I know he has all the capacity to understand and to apply, he just needs to see and understand how that will bless him more than staring at a wall. :) 

Blessing and Collins are doing wonderfully. Well more so Collins. He is super progressing. He had a spiritual experience with the Book of Mormon. He was reading and read something about Heavenly Hosts being all around and he looked up in the sky and saw clouds moving and felt the spirit testify to him that this book was true. That's all he did. Something as simple as looking up. He came into our lesson and told us he is willing to give up everything to follow the Lord and his true church. We had a lesson this morning too about the word of wisdom and I have never met someone so willing to follow it. He didn't ask questions. He already quit smoking a few days ago because he felt like it was something he should do. He comes to church and he doesn't speak french hardly at all. But he knows this is the right church. Blessing likes to follow Collins. She accepts everything too, but she isn't as passionate I guess is the right word. She'll get there :) And Collins has been sleeping on the road in France because he has no place to live or stay and this morning we found out that a member took him home yesterday from church and is now letting Collins stay with him. Such a blessing for him. He is really changing. 

Gerald met with us again too! Not his friend Frederick though. He is probably scared of us. But Gerald is doing really well. He is very open and willing to accept and try things out. He read a good portion of the Book of Mormon and is working on praying right now. He is not yet ready to come to church. He is a bit shy but that is our next step :) He is really searching. He is very sincere and genuine. Armand is doing fine too. He slept through his alarm Sunday. Classic. He still is working towards baptism so we are there to help him :) He fed us a huge lunch on Saturday. It was so good. He's doing good on the word of wisdom too. 

That's about it. Life is going well in Ecully :) A lot of people are being prepared for the Gospel. And I know it's not just France. People all over the world are being prepared, but we will never know if we don't open our mouths and spark up something about the gospel. I know that this Gospel is true and that the time is now :) The Lord is hastening His work and it's the time to get things going. I love you all so much and I know this is the true Church of Jesus Christ. He lives. 

Love, 

Soeur Roberts