Well Hello.
I Will get straight to the week. :)
Tuesday we went up to Le Havre for district Meeting. After District meeting we had a district activity, and went up to the city of Etretat. It is on the beach and has the prettiest cliffs in the world! its so awesome! Tuesday also marked my 6 month mark in the mission, and in honor of that, as is tradition, i burned a tie. :) It was cool. :)
Wed We Taught Marie-Jo the first lesson with a member (who continually talked, despite the briefing we had before basically telling him to stay quiet until asked to bear his testimony... that made it difficult, but we got it done...) and it went ok. the rest of the day we spent contacting, except for English class which went as usual.
Thursday We had an appt with Shi-Lin, but he texted us before hand and told us he was gonna bring a friend! awesome! She is chinese, too, but speaks good french. We taught them both the first lesson, and it was great to have Shi-Lin translate on things that werent completely clear. We then had Chinese class, then taught a less active man in the branch. Eventually, we took Marie-Jo to the same members house who helped us the day before, but rather than teaching her the next lesson we just read from the BOM. (we were afraid if we taught the Plan of Salvation with that member, Marie-Jo would be endowed by the end of the night, so we decided against that... :D )
Friday. We contacted in the morning, planned for next week in the afternoon, and had PPP in the evening. It was a good day...
Sat was the greatly anticipated day. I would find out whats happening next transfer! But first we had a meeting with our DMB which went well, lunch, Then Samedi sports in the mud! :) Then finally i was able to hear the news of getting transfered to be with Garrett, er, uh, Elder Maxfield, down in Chartres. :)
After that, we went to see a member family really quickly, then did some pass backs. Then we went home and celebrated the time change by going to bed a bit early.
Sunday, was supposed to be an awesome day. We invited Agathe to church again so i could say bye to her (nice way to get her back to church, huh?), plus Shi-Lins friend was going to come, and we were going to commit Marie-Jo to baptism. Well, Shi-Lin wasin paris, so neither of them were there, and Marie-Jo told a member she didnt want to investigate anymore. We called her and tried to talk to her, but she feels that shes already in Gods presence. Sad. I was so disappointed and bummed out. Even more than i was with Agathe. But there was a little sun shining thru the clouds... Agathe did come, and a man was walking by the Church, and decided to come in to Worship God when he saw Jesus Christ on the bldg. He only speaks English, is from South India, and had a plane home in the afternoon. We taught him the first lesson in English, and hes really excited. Im not sure if we have missionaries in india, but ill find out and refer him over there if we can. It was awesome because randomly this week Elder Poussard decided to start practicing his teaching in English. I dont think it was a coincidence that he ended up teaching a lesson in his 2nd language at the end of that week...
I bore my Testimony in Church and said good bye to everyone, and then in the afternoon we did some pass backs, and ate dinner with a member.
And that was the week. :)
It was disappointing to be dropped on the last day of the transfer, but i can still say that i have left the campground better than i found it despite that. My replacement here is Elder Horne, who was in my MTC district. Hes a great guy, and Rouen is being left in good hands. Im sad to leave, yet excited to get out. :)
Things have gone Great With Elder Poussard. Hes so funny and such a good missionary. Im gonna miss being with him. I went to the Dr to get legal. they wont let me stay here unless im healthy. so yes, just a normal visit. :)
I think Elder Maxfield and I will make an awesome team! Our Pday will still be Monday, but i know some cities in the mission do Email on Wed because the libraries are closed on monday, and many places, on top of that, are closed...The Church is true, and Im as excited as ever to be here. Im so excited for Conference next Week, too!
Until next week, and for the last time in Rouen, Au Revoir!
Elder Jergensen
Monday, March 30, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
Well. This week has gone quite ok. Tuesday I had 2 doctors appts in the morning. the first for XRays and the second for a check up. i passed. dont worry! and i was even able to identify little animal pictures to prover i can see. that may seem easy. but its not when you see a rabbit and the answer is lapin! cuz its french! :) (speaking of which.... mom asked how the language is coming. its better than it used to, but i still miss a lot in conversations. its good, but could be better! :) ) Tuesday continued with an exchange with the LeHavre elders after the doctors appt, and Elder Sumrak and I went contacting and not only did we find someone who was interested for us here in Le Havre, but as we went to set up a RDV with another lady, she said she actually lived in Le Havre, which was cool. After, we taught Agathe (investigator) then Shi-Lin ( Recent convert) and even had a Chinese class afterwards! :) Shi-lin was so happy to teach us chinese!
Wed we had Interviews with President which went well and had a training from the assistants on using our planning resources better. it was great. We had English class in the evening which went the same as usual.
Thursday There was a national transportation strike. Thats never good for missionary work! So we moved our planning up a day and did it on thurs and had a RDV with some members that night which went great.
Friday We had a district meeting which went awesome and then we had a RDV with Agathe. We retaught a principle which we felt she needed again, and then felt she was ready for a baptismal interview, so we scheduled one for the next day, sat. After the RDV, we had PingPongPancakes. that went awesome and we had a few more people than usual there, which was nice.
Sat we played some badmitton with a member in the morning, then hurried to the train staton to pick up the Zone leaders, who were here to interview Agathe for baptism. After an hour and a half, the interview ended and she had decided she wasnt ready yet and wanted to wait a little longer before her baptism, which is good, i guess, that she sees how important it is. After the interview, we played Samedi (samedi is saturday in french) sports with the ZLs and some members. That evening, we went to a members to do service and to eat and share a message. on our way, agathe called us and said she wanted some time, and would call us when she was ready to see us again! wow. thats a disappointment. it was on my mind all night, and i felt so sad that she was so close, and now doesnt want to see us for a little bit. :/ but thats missionary work and we have to move on. Yest though, we got the consolation prize. The lady we met contacting on tuesday came to church! it was so great. we showed her the Restoration video and she was crying so much, and after chuirch when i went to talk to her, she was bawling again. she assured me that it wasnt that she was sad or that she didnt like it, but it was actually the opposite! i smile and said, i know, its the holy ghost touching you. Its so great to see the gospel touch peoples lives! We will have two RDVs with her this week, and hopefully well be able to see her to baptism!
This is probably my last full week here in rouen. Transfers are in 9 days, and president says i should be out. Which is sorta sad in some ways. All the great members here, and Agathe, and now our new investigator Marie-Jo... i wont be able to see the next part of the path with them. But I also know that in my next city, there will be similar things, equal opportunities...
That pretty much sums things up here. Things are great. it sounds like things are good at home, too. The Church is true!
Until Next Week,
Elder J
Wed we had Interviews with President which went well and had a training from the assistants on using our planning resources better. it was great. We had English class in the evening which went the same as usual.
Thursday There was a national transportation strike. Thats never good for missionary work! So we moved our planning up a day and did it on thurs and had a RDV with some members that night which went great.
Friday We had a district meeting which went awesome and then we had a RDV with Agathe. We retaught a principle which we felt she needed again, and then felt she was ready for a baptismal interview, so we scheduled one for the next day, sat. After the RDV, we had PingPongPancakes. that went awesome and we had a few more people than usual there, which was nice.
Sat we played some badmitton with a member in the morning, then hurried to the train staton to pick up the Zone leaders, who were here to interview Agathe for baptism. After an hour and a half, the interview ended and she had decided she wasnt ready yet and wanted to wait a little longer before her baptism, which is good, i guess, that she sees how important it is. After the interview, we played Samedi (samedi is saturday in french) sports with the ZLs and some members. That evening, we went to a members to do service and to eat and share a message. on our way, agathe called us and said she wanted some time, and would call us when she was ready to see us again! wow. thats a disappointment. it was on my mind all night, and i felt so sad that she was so close, and now doesnt want to see us for a little bit. :/ but thats missionary work and we have to move on. Yest though, we got the consolation prize. The lady we met contacting on tuesday came to church! it was so great. we showed her the Restoration video and she was crying so much, and after chuirch when i went to talk to her, she was bawling again. she assured me that it wasnt that she was sad or that she didnt like it, but it was actually the opposite! i smile and said, i know, its the holy ghost touching you. Its so great to see the gospel touch peoples lives! We will have two RDVs with her this week, and hopefully well be able to see her to baptism!
This is probably my last full week here in rouen. Transfers are in 9 days, and president says i should be out. Which is sorta sad in some ways. All the great members here, and Agathe, and now our new investigator Marie-Jo... i wont be able to see the next part of the path with them. But I also know that in my next city, there will be similar things, equal opportunities...
That pretty much sums things up here. Things are great. it sounds like things are good at home, too. The Church is true!
Until Next Week,
Elder J
Monday, March 16, 2009
Well. Another week has yet again flown by like nothing! Its CRAZY!
First off, Happy Anniversary to the Parents... :)
next, it seems like every enrichment night is a RS birthday party.... ??? haha
And I liked Brads team name. I would have loved to hear Sanch and JP doing that commentary! haha
Ides of MArch- I always Celebrate that day! With Pi day the 14th, ides on the 15, ur anniversary on the 16th and St Ps day on the 17, its one of the only times in the year there is something to celebrate 4 days in a row!
Tacos- no i dont miss tacos! im more of a burrito fan, and we make burritos (completely from scratch) weekly. :) i get my share of mexican food! :)
(And won is spelled won, not one, dad... LuDeen is rolling over in her grave right now...)
Idk if i read right, but 94 pct of ur new patients are in Ur smaller office? interesting...
There are other missionaries from our side of town, too. like Eli and Dallin just to name a few who i think they would also know well.
And i think im gonna look into cooking classes from members! :) I think im a decent cook. the only problem is the recipes i have, you have to find a substitute item for half of the stuff!
I cant believe the Y has an 8 seed again. against A&m again, too.
And you have lost my iPod!? lame! :( whatever....
now for the week. Monday we went and ate with some members. We eat with them every week on mon. This week, theyll teach us the 1st lesson! :)
Tuesday We did alot of contacting, and taught Shi-Lin, as well as a crazy lady who didnt really give us a chance to teach, because everytime we started talking about something, she would argue with us and turn the lesson another direction. what can you do...
Wed we had district meeting with the zone leaders there, and then had exchanges with them, too. My task for the meeting was to pick a BOM missionary and talk about his qualities. I chose ammon and it was the most fun task ever! after the meeting, Elder Bennett (a zone leader) and I went to a less active appt and watched the restoration video, which went pretty well, then hurried back to teach English class, which went as usual.
Thursday i had a really cool experience. Im gonna photo copy my journal or something and send it home, because its too long to write with all the detail id like to.
Ok- im gonna send that, but put a modified version here. Elder Bennett and i prayed on Wed night during our planning to know who we should look for in our contacting. Both of us thot a blonde girl, about our age, and he said he was seeing her with a stroller, too. I didnt, so we prayed again, and decided that wasnt necessary. We went out contacting thursday morning and for 45 mins did not pass anyone who fit our description. I felt like we should go back to the place i pictured her at the night before in my head. So on the way home, we took a little detour to go by there. and we saw a blonde girl with a stroller. She was a t a bus stop with lots of people, so not really contactable. So Elder Bennett "dropped" a pass along card right by her, and we left. As we were walking home, i was saying a prayer in my heart that shed find the card and call us, and out of no where, i said "hey, weve got to go back and talk to her. shes the one we were looking for." so we did, left her with a family proclamation, and walked away happy with her name number and adress. Awesome!(sad side note to the story- she didnt show up to the RDV we scheduled. But that doesnt matter... we did our part and followed inspiration. Were gonna go by her adress that she gave us to see if its real. but nevertheless, it was still a neat experience.)
later, after the zone leaders left, Elder P and i went hometeaching with a member to a less active, then taught Agathe in the afternoon, followed by a DMB meeting.
Friday we did contacting, weekly planning, taught Agathe again, and had PPP in the evening, which all went well. :)
On Saturday, We had samedi Sports, and other than that, we just had a ay full of contacting, because our priesthood had district (stake) priesthood meeting in Caen. so we couldnt have any RDVs with members or girls really.
Yest was a good day, too. We had church, where we taught Agathe. Right now, the baptism isnt so sure, but were hoping for the best and will do what we can. After church, we went and ate with a member, and then took the sacrament to a shut-in member, and in the evening, we went and did some contacting. :)
It doesnt sound like much, but i think this was the best week of my mission so far. our district mtg was really good, and the story from thursday was a real faith builder. We had tons of lessons taught this week, and things are on an upturn here. the work is hard, but it has to get done! The Church is true, and everytime some French person tries to convince me it isnt, my testimony only gets stronger. Its great being here! and i cant wait to hear from the General authorities in a few weeks!
Until next week!
Elder J :)
First off, Happy Anniversary to the Parents... :)
next, it seems like every enrichment night is a RS birthday party.... ??? haha
And I liked Brads team name. I would have loved to hear Sanch and JP doing that commentary! haha
Ides of MArch- I always Celebrate that day! With Pi day the 14th, ides on the 15, ur anniversary on the 16th and St Ps day on the 17, its one of the only times in the year there is something to celebrate 4 days in a row!
Tacos- no i dont miss tacos! im more of a burrito fan, and we make burritos (completely from scratch) weekly. :) i get my share of mexican food! :)
(And won is spelled won, not one, dad... LuDeen is rolling over in her grave right now...)
Idk if i read right, but 94 pct of ur new patients are in Ur smaller office? interesting...
There are other missionaries from our side of town, too. like Eli and Dallin just to name a few who i think they would also know well.
And i think im gonna look into cooking classes from members! :) I think im a decent cook. the only problem is the recipes i have, you have to find a substitute item for half of the stuff!
I cant believe the Y has an 8 seed again. against A&m again, too.
And you have lost my iPod!? lame! :( whatever....
now for the week. Monday we went and ate with some members. We eat with them every week on mon. This week, theyll teach us the 1st lesson! :)
Tuesday We did alot of contacting, and taught Shi-Lin, as well as a crazy lady who didnt really give us a chance to teach, because everytime we started talking about something, she would argue with us and turn the lesson another direction. what can you do...
Wed we had district meeting with the zone leaders there, and then had exchanges with them, too. My task for the meeting was to pick a BOM missionary and talk about his qualities. I chose ammon and it was the most fun task ever! after the meeting, Elder Bennett (a zone leader) and I went to a less active appt and watched the restoration video, which went pretty well, then hurried back to teach English class, which went as usual.
Thursday i had a really cool experience. Im gonna photo copy my journal or something and send it home, because its too long to write with all the detail id like to.
Ok- im gonna send that, but put a modified version here. Elder Bennett and i prayed on Wed night during our planning to know who we should look for in our contacting. Both of us thot a blonde girl, about our age, and he said he was seeing her with a stroller, too. I didnt, so we prayed again, and decided that wasnt necessary. We went out contacting thursday morning and for 45 mins did not pass anyone who fit our description. I felt like we should go back to the place i pictured her at the night before in my head. So on the way home, we took a little detour to go by there. and we saw a blonde girl with a stroller. She was a t a bus stop with lots of people, so not really contactable. So Elder Bennett "dropped" a pass along card right by her, and we left. As we were walking home, i was saying a prayer in my heart that shed find the card and call us, and out of no where, i said "hey, weve got to go back and talk to her. shes the one we were looking for." so we did, left her with a family proclamation, and walked away happy with her name number and adress. Awesome!(sad side note to the story- she didnt show up to the RDV we scheduled. But that doesnt matter... we did our part and followed inspiration. Were gonna go by her adress that she gave us to see if its real. but nevertheless, it was still a neat experience.)
later, after the zone leaders left, Elder P and i went hometeaching with a member to a less active, then taught Agathe in the afternoon, followed by a DMB meeting.
Friday we did contacting, weekly planning, taught Agathe again, and had PPP in the evening, which all went well. :)
On Saturday, We had samedi Sports, and other than that, we just had a ay full of contacting, because our priesthood had district (stake) priesthood meeting in Caen. so we couldnt have any RDVs with members or girls really.
Yest was a good day, too. We had church, where we taught Agathe. Right now, the baptism isnt so sure, but were hoping for the best and will do what we can. After church, we went and ate with a member, and then took the sacrament to a shut-in member, and in the evening, we went and did some contacting. :)
It doesnt sound like much, but i think this was the best week of my mission so far. our district mtg was really good, and the story from thursday was a real faith builder. We had tons of lessons taught this week, and things are on an upturn here. the work is hard, but it has to get done! The Church is true, and everytime some French person tries to convince me it isnt, my testimony only gets stronger. Its great being here! and i cant wait to hear from the General authorities in a few weeks!
Until next week!
Elder J :)
Monday, March 9, 2009
Well hello.
I cant believe how fast the weeks are flying by now! Wow. it honestly seems like it was just a day or two ago that i was here! and this coming week, we already have alot of RDV's scheduled, so it should fly by even faster! wow
So to answer some questions first: studys: For Personal study, right now I am in 2 nephi and read a chapter or 2 each day. and then I read out of Jesus the Christ, the last book in the approved missionary library, as i already Read the other 2 on my mission. Its a long and sophisticatedly written book, and hard to understand sometimes. but Im liking it so far. :) and then i also will read out of PMG. For Comp study, we talk about pers study, then will plan lessons for the day, and practice teaching, or read sections out of PMG. Mostly in Eng, btw...
Leaving Rouen? Ive all but been told Ill be leaving on April 1st (no-not an april fools joke... :p) And on one hand, i really will miss it here, but on the other, im excited to get out to another city, meet new people, and have a change.
No, the Time didnt change here yet... I actually dont know when it does!
And It was good to read the story about seminary this week. thanks. :) what ever happened with prop 8 this week?
and when am i going to get the fam calendar, katie?! :'/
Ok, now to the weekly report... :)
Mon Night we had dinner with a family in the branch, and it went quite well. There are 2 inactive kids in the fam who we are trying to work with...
Tuesday we had district meeting with Le Havre, which went quite well, as we talked about goals and being better missionaries, etc. afterwards, we had a RDV with a lady who called us last sunday and said she wanted to meet us. She showed up and asked where Elder Taetua was. She almost left when she realised he wasnt there, but i explained to her that he is gone, and weve replaced him. She stayed and we taught her the message of the restoration, and at the end, Elder P felt that he should commit her to baptism. She said shed want that, so we went home and worked out a calendar for her to be baptized in 3 weeks, my last weekend here! :) After her lesson, we did weekly planning (our first opened time since the friday before, when we are supposed to do it!) then went to a members house for dinner and a message. We talked with them about using PMG more, and effectivly. (by the way, what did the elders share with you the few times theyve been over recently? looking for ideas...)
Wed we went to a members apt and carried a washing machine up to the 4th floor, and took the old one down! then we did some contacting, followed by teaching Agathe for the 2nd time. we taught about the plan of salvation, set officially a baptismal date for the 28th, and also she bore a powerful testimony of the atonement during the lesson. after that, we did some more contacting, then went to Teach English class, which went well.
Thursday We taught Shi-Lin the Second lesson, which went well. i love teaching him, because it forces us to slow down as teachers to make sure he understands, which helps his growth alot, i believe. Later in the day, we went to a less active who we are working with and taught him about repentance and enduring to the end, because he seems to have a hard time with keeping commitments. Then we went that evening to a members house and presented PMG again, just with different chapters, then had dinner there too.
Friday we did contacting in the morning, weekly planning in the afternoon, then a new thing we are starting- PPP- in the evening. Ping pong pancakes. We play Ping pong, eat pancakes, and leave a message. the goal is to establish better branch unity with the members, as well as with the missionaries, and also to have friends come and see the missionaries as people. It went pretty well i think. We also have been praying as a Zone for one of our districts this week, who has been struggling lately. on Friday we found out that they each had extremly good weeks and our prayers are being answered. it was neat. This week the Zone is praying for our district as The Zone Leaders will be here this week. :)
Sat we made cookies in the morning, but after the 4th unsuccesful batch, we decided to abandon ship! haha Then in the afternoon we played sports, followed by going to the church for 2 potentially new Amis. well, they both didnt show up, which was disappointing, but what can you do. just keep chugging!
Yest we had church in the morning, which was good as usual. Then in the afternoon, we went to do passbacks. find old investigators. there was a problem with the bus line, so it ended up taking all afternoon just to go to 3 places! ahhh! and that was the week. the very fast week. crazy. So, we now have a baptismal date, which is quite good and exciting news. It is an essential step in the plan of God. Im excited for Agathe, as well as all the people we work with. things are great here, and i hope they are just as good back at home!
until next week, Elder Mitch Jergensen
I cant believe how fast the weeks are flying by now! Wow. it honestly seems like it was just a day or two ago that i was here! and this coming week, we already have alot of RDV's scheduled, so it should fly by even faster! wow
So to answer some questions first: studys: For Personal study, right now I am in 2 nephi and read a chapter or 2 each day. and then I read out of Jesus the Christ, the last book in the approved missionary library, as i already Read the other 2 on my mission. Its a long and sophisticatedly written book, and hard to understand sometimes. but Im liking it so far. :) and then i also will read out of PMG. For Comp study, we talk about pers study, then will plan lessons for the day, and practice teaching, or read sections out of PMG. Mostly in Eng, btw...
Leaving Rouen? Ive all but been told Ill be leaving on April 1st (no-not an april fools joke... :p) And on one hand, i really will miss it here, but on the other, im excited to get out to another city, meet new people, and have a change.
No, the Time didnt change here yet... I actually dont know when it does!
And It was good to read the story about seminary this week. thanks. :) what ever happened with prop 8 this week?
and when am i going to get the fam calendar, katie?! :'/
Ok, now to the weekly report... :)
Mon Night we had dinner with a family in the branch, and it went quite well. There are 2 inactive kids in the fam who we are trying to work with...
Tuesday we had district meeting with Le Havre, which went quite well, as we talked about goals and being better missionaries, etc. afterwards, we had a RDV with a lady who called us last sunday and said she wanted to meet us. She showed up and asked where Elder Taetua was. She almost left when she realised he wasnt there, but i explained to her that he is gone, and weve replaced him. She stayed and we taught her the message of the restoration, and at the end, Elder P felt that he should commit her to baptism. She said shed want that, so we went home and worked out a calendar for her to be baptized in 3 weeks, my last weekend here! :) After her lesson, we did weekly planning (our first opened time since the friday before, when we are supposed to do it!) then went to a members house for dinner and a message. We talked with them about using PMG more, and effectivly. (by the way, what did the elders share with you the few times theyve been over recently? looking for ideas...)
Wed we went to a members apt and carried a washing machine up to the 4th floor, and took the old one down! then we did some contacting, followed by teaching Agathe for the 2nd time. we taught about the plan of salvation, set officially a baptismal date for the 28th, and also she bore a powerful testimony of the atonement during the lesson. after that, we did some more contacting, then went to Teach English class, which went well.
Thursday We taught Shi-Lin the Second lesson, which went well. i love teaching him, because it forces us to slow down as teachers to make sure he understands, which helps his growth alot, i believe. Later in the day, we went to a less active who we are working with and taught him about repentance and enduring to the end, because he seems to have a hard time with keeping commitments. Then we went that evening to a members house and presented PMG again, just with different chapters, then had dinner there too.
Friday we did contacting in the morning, weekly planning in the afternoon, then a new thing we are starting- PPP- in the evening. Ping pong pancakes. We play Ping pong, eat pancakes, and leave a message. the goal is to establish better branch unity with the members, as well as with the missionaries, and also to have friends come and see the missionaries as people. It went pretty well i think. We also have been praying as a Zone for one of our districts this week, who has been struggling lately. on Friday we found out that they each had extremly good weeks and our prayers are being answered. it was neat. This week the Zone is praying for our district as The Zone Leaders will be here this week. :)
Sat we made cookies in the morning, but after the 4th unsuccesful batch, we decided to abandon ship! haha Then in the afternoon we played sports, followed by going to the church for 2 potentially new Amis. well, they both didnt show up, which was disappointing, but what can you do. just keep chugging!
Yest we had church in the morning, which was good as usual. Then in the afternoon, we went to do passbacks. find old investigators. there was a problem with the bus line, so it ended up taking all afternoon just to go to 3 places! ahhh! and that was the week. the very fast week. crazy. So, we now have a baptismal date, which is quite good and exciting news. It is an essential step in the plan of God. Im excited for Agathe, as well as all the people we work with. things are great here, and i hope they are just as good back at home!
until next week, Elder Mitch Jergensen
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Well Hello.
How are things going back in america? Things are good here!
We will start with the week!
monday after Emails we went to a members house who has inactive kids- not kids, like my age.... We had a little family home evening with them, as the branch pres has asked us to work with the specificly. afterwards, the son drove us home. but he didnt realize we have an apt, and just took us to the church! haha so we had to hurry home to get in on time!
Tuesday we had a RDV (oh- thats rendez-vous, and DMB is branch mission leader) with a less active, and one of our deacons came with us and spent a few hours doing missionary work after the RDV. it was good to have him along, altho he seemed to be a little embarassed around us 2 guys in suits talking about church stuff! haha We did alot of finding on tuesday!
wed we went contacting in the morn, then lunch, Then some porting up in the hills. We went back to the church afterwards and taught Shi-Lin the first lesson again. Elder P¨is French, and speaks really fast. Shi Lin and I were laughing cuz neither of us were keeping up with him! haha. but we taught the first lesson, and he seemed to remember everything pretty well! which is really good. Its been so long since we taught him that lesson, so that means hes been studying and stuff! yay we did some sports contacting in the afternoon, then eng class in the evening.
Thursday We had Zone Conference, which went really well. We talked alot about the Book of Mormon, and being better teachers, too. I thought it was a really good meeting. President really emphasized that we should be using the BOM, because no matter what scripture we find in the Bible, the BOM backs it up. and it is our special message, the BOM. It was good. We came back home afterwards with the Le Havre Elders and had exchanges. i was with the Elder who is fresh out of the MTC.
Thursday the two of us went porting and contacting which was just grand! it was good to do tho, because i felt like i would have been able to lead a lesson if we were let in. so it was good to see that. Then we went and played some sports with our youth which went really well! we played some american football, soccer, and basketball. That night we had a RDV with our DMB and talked about the missionary work here, and ideas we have had.
Sat we spent all day moving a member acrossed town, which was pretty good. his new place is on the 4th floor of a building without an elevator! haha fun!
And then yest we had church, but left early for a baptism in Elder P's last ville. that went pretty well, and it was neat for him to see his old branch. :)
other stuff: yes I have gotten all of your letters. it was sad to hear about Larry Miller, but good that the Jazz and Cougs are doing well. maybe they can win a game in the ncaa's this year! :) And its good to hear that all is well up to now for Tyler! Yes, i checked the gmail, and it works for me. :)
Thanks for getting me out of Jury uty, that was kind of you! :) and the shopping center in menifee was there b4 i left... Sounds like Stk Conf went great! We have general conf in olny a month! i am so excited! :)
Things are good here in Rouen! Look for the miracles in life, and life will be better! its easy to get down in hard times, but mind over matter works! See the blessings and be thankful, rather than seeing the challenges which have been given us to help us grow!
Thanks for all the love,
love, Elder Jergensen
How are things going back in america? Things are good here!
We will start with the week!
monday after Emails we went to a members house who has inactive kids- not kids, like my age.... We had a little family home evening with them, as the branch pres has asked us to work with the specificly. afterwards, the son drove us home. but he didnt realize we have an apt, and just took us to the church! haha so we had to hurry home to get in on time!
Tuesday we had a RDV (oh- thats rendez-vous, and DMB is branch mission leader) with a less active, and one of our deacons came with us and spent a few hours doing missionary work after the RDV. it was good to have him along, altho he seemed to be a little embarassed around us 2 guys in suits talking about church stuff! haha We did alot of finding on tuesday!
wed we went contacting in the morn, then lunch, Then some porting up in the hills. We went back to the church afterwards and taught Shi-Lin the first lesson again. Elder P¨is French, and speaks really fast. Shi Lin and I were laughing cuz neither of us were keeping up with him! haha. but we taught the first lesson, and he seemed to remember everything pretty well! which is really good. Its been so long since we taught him that lesson, so that means hes been studying and stuff! yay we did some sports contacting in the afternoon, then eng class in the evening.
Thursday We had Zone Conference, which went really well. We talked alot about the Book of Mormon, and being better teachers, too. I thought it was a really good meeting. President really emphasized that we should be using the BOM, because no matter what scripture we find in the Bible, the BOM backs it up. and it is our special message, the BOM. It was good. We came back home afterwards with the Le Havre Elders and had exchanges. i was with the Elder who is fresh out of the MTC.
Thursday the two of us went porting and contacting which was just grand! it was good to do tho, because i felt like i would have been able to lead a lesson if we were let in. so it was good to see that. Then we went and played some sports with our youth which went really well! we played some american football, soccer, and basketball. That night we had a RDV with our DMB and talked about the missionary work here, and ideas we have had.
Sat we spent all day moving a member acrossed town, which was pretty good. his new place is on the 4th floor of a building without an elevator! haha fun!
And then yest we had church, but left early for a baptism in Elder P's last ville. that went pretty well, and it was neat for him to see his old branch. :)
other stuff: yes I have gotten all of your letters. it was sad to hear about Larry Miller, but good that the Jazz and Cougs are doing well. maybe they can win a game in the ncaa's this year! :) And its good to hear that all is well up to now for Tyler! Yes, i checked the gmail, and it works for me. :)
Thanks for getting me out of Jury uty, that was kind of you! :) and the shopping center in menifee was there b4 i left... Sounds like Stk Conf went great! We have general conf in olny a month! i am so excited! :)
Things are good here in Rouen! Look for the miracles in life, and life will be better! its easy to get down in hard times, but mind over matter works! See the blessings and be thankful, rather than seeing the challenges which have been given us to help us grow!
Thanks for all the love,
love, Elder Jergensen
Monday, February 23, 2009
well hello!
This was a pretty exciting week! Monday after Emailing home, Elder Barton and I went to A member familys home and had dinner with them and Shi-Lin and taught Shi-Lin a little lesson on prophets. It went well, and it is great to see how well the members integrate him, despite the language barriers!
tuesday We had a district meeting which went well. we Talked about things like testimony and working with members. We then went and cleaned a less active's backyard for service with the Other Elders. Elder Barton spent some time in the apt packing after we said bye, and that evening We did a bit of contacting and then had a little goodbye party with the institute for elder B. It was good. There was a nonmember there, and we got to talk about our missions and our purpose with her. Then we rushed home to get in on time and Had Elder Bartons last night in France with me!
Wed Elder B had a train at 730, and then i had the morning alone. i walked around town a little to celebrate that, spent some time cleaning and stuff. it was aight. Elder Poussard came in and unpacked, we talked about the Work here and stuff, then taught English class. Hes a pretty cool and funny guy! Hes french and that has already helped me alot with the language. we get along pretty well. :)
Thursday we worked alot in the Area book, did transfer cleaning, a few hours of contacting, and taugh 2 less active lessons, both went well. I really liked Elder Barton alot, but theres something about Elder Poussard and his teaching I really like. It helps alot that he is French, but i feel that with Him, the work will pick up alot here. Im excited!! He has alot of good ideas and is a great teacher, so i am excited to learn from him!
Friday we spent the Day in Paris. We saw some stuff- the louvre, the eiffel tower, arch de triomphe, and then headed over to versaille for mission conference. Elder Oaks was very complimentary of our mission. We took a picture with everyone, then all got to shake his hand before he talked (he asked where i was from, and said he really enjoyed hemet when he was there last year! :D). We heard from President and Sis Staheli, Elder and Sister Paya of the Area presidency, and Elde and sister Oaks. They all did great! Im in a hurry and forgot my notes, but he basically said that europe is tough, but just like we are all given different levels of challenge in life, so are missionaries. we need to put in our 100 percent effort, and if that yeilds zero baptisms or whatever, it will be a better served mission than the disobedient missionary who gets 50 baptisms, because we did the best we could. It was a great evening.
Sat We did some contacting and lots of planning! Transfer planning and weekly plannnig! and we did samedi sports for a little. it was good to run arround and play a little bit after all that planning!
Sunday Shi-Lin Recieved the priesthood! :) So exciting. he told me hes going to bless the sacrament in 2 weeks! We also got one of the guys we have been working with, Fr Massamba, to come to church. i was so excited to see him come in! We did some contacting, more Area book Work, and took the sacrament to and gave a blessing to a shut-in sister.
It was a good week. :) im excited to be here and know the church is true. It sounds like everything is going relatively well at home! thanks to all who write so often. talk to you next week.
love, Elder Jergensen :)
This was a pretty exciting week! Monday after Emailing home, Elder Barton and I went to A member familys home and had dinner with them and Shi-Lin and taught Shi-Lin a little lesson on prophets. It went well, and it is great to see how well the members integrate him, despite the language barriers!
tuesday We had a district meeting which went well. we Talked about things like testimony and working with members. We then went and cleaned a less active's backyard for service with the Other Elders. Elder Barton spent some time in the apt packing after we said bye, and that evening We did a bit of contacting and then had a little goodbye party with the institute for elder B. It was good. There was a nonmember there, and we got to talk about our missions and our purpose with her. Then we rushed home to get in on time and Had Elder Bartons last night in France with me!
Wed Elder B had a train at 730, and then i had the morning alone. i walked around town a little to celebrate that, spent some time cleaning and stuff. it was aight. Elder Poussard came in and unpacked, we talked about the Work here and stuff, then taught English class. Hes a pretty cool and funny guy! Hes french and that has already helped me alot with the language. we get along pretty well. :)
Thursday we worked alot in the Area book, did transfer cleaning, a few hours of contacting, and taugh 2 less active lessons, both went well. I really liked Elder Barton alot, but theres something about Elder Poussard and his teaching I really like. It helps alot that he is French, but i feel that with Him, the work will pick up alot here. Im excited!! He has alot of good ideas and is a great teacher, so i am excited to learn from him!
Friday we spent the Day in Paris. We saw some stuff- the louvre, the eiffel tower, arch de triomphe, and then headed over to versaille for mission conference. Elder Oaks was very complimentary of our mission. We took a picture with everyone, then all got to shake his hand before he talked (he asked where i was from, and said he really enjoyed hemet when he was there last year! :D). We heard from President and Sis Staheli, Elder and Sister Paya of the Area presidency, and Elde and sister Oaks. They all did great! Im in a hurry and forgot my notes, but he basically said that europe is tough, but just like we are all given different levels of challenge in life, so are missionaries. we need to put in our 100 percent effort, and if that yeilds zero baptisms or whatever, it will be a better served mission than the disobedient missionary who gets 50 baptisms, because we did the best we could. It was a great evening.
Sat We did some contacting and lots of planning! Transfer planning and weekly plannnig! and we did samedi sports for a little. it was good to run arround and play a little bit after all that planning!
Sunday Shi-Lin Recieved the priesthood! :) So exciting. he told me hes going to bless the sacrament in 2 weeks! We also got one of the guys we have been working with, Fr Massamba, to come to church. i was so excited to see him come in! We did some contacting, more Area book Work, and took the sacrament to and gave a blessing to a shut-in sister.
It was a good week. :) im excited to be here and know the church is true. It sounds like everything is going relatively well at home! thanks to all who write so often. talk to you next week.
love, Elder Jergensen :)
Monday, February 16, 2009
Well Hello.
This was another pretty good week in France! :)
Tuesday We had a RDV with Shi Lin and taught him the rest of the 5th Lesson. We will start reteaching the first 4 lessons here soon. im excited to see what he has retained through our first RDVs, between the language problems and time, and all of the information being completely new to him. We also did lots of contacting. it started hailing on us a little before we went in, too! it was amazing.
Wed, Parkers Birthday :), we had interviews with President and AP training in Caen. Things went good there- he told me I will be staying in Rouen one more transfer, officially gave me permission to use hotmail for pictures and a backup to this, and gave me some tips to not be so tired all the time, amoung other things. :) I was also really impressed at Sister Staheli. She talks to all 150 missionaries for 15-20 mins every 6 weeks and thats it. You would not expect her to remember a thing we talked about (especially since last interviews were 10 weeks ago...) but we picked right up where we left off, and she was asking specific questions about things we talked about before. I was so impressed and touched by that. Wed night we taught english class, and started an exchange with the Le Havre Elders.
Thursday I went to the Prefacture- the legality dept- to continue the process of being legal here. that took a little time, but my Visa expires next week, so im now good past that. :) Since we were on exchanges, we had two companionships contacting in Rouen, and between us all, we got alot done! 3 phone numbers in one day plus a few other good lessons taught! it was a good missionary work day.
Friday was also very good. we had three lessons. the first was with a less active who hasnt been to church in 30 years. We left him with a book of Mormon and i think he was really touched by it. it was from Elder Bartons Primary, and then Bro. Fernandes asked us to put our testimonies in it as well. after that, we taught and investigator lesson 3. we want to work with her daughter, because her kids seem to be the biggest challenge in getting her to church. the daughter wasnt there, but hopefully in the future. Later we taught another less active family, also. it went ok. I think that all three of these families would benefit the church so much, and benefit from the church even more than that!
Saturday was spent in the apt most of the day so Elder Barton could start packing. he goes home this thursday! crazy! But we had a meeting with our DMB and dinner with some members and left them with a message about the prophet. I also found out who my next Companion will be!
His name is ELder Poussard and He comes from Bordeaux France. So he is a native French speaker! I am so excited for this opportunity that ill have to work even more on my language! im so stoked! Hes a fun guy, too. Ive met him once or twice, as he was the trainer for one of my best buds in the MTC. i was so happy when i saw his name. itll be a great transfer!
Yest We had Church in the Morning. Elder Bartons last Sunday in France. So he said goodbye to most of the members, which was... i cant think of a good word. fill in the blank. haha We spent the afternoon making sure records were up to date and stuff so things would continue to run smoothly when Elder Barton left. Last night we went to a members house to say bye to them. Actually, the family who we ate with on Christmas. They are way neat and we had a good time there. We also had a Branch fast yest for missionary work here in Rouen (you cant skip out on that one when ur the full time missionary here! :p).
And that pretty much sums up the week.
I was impressed with Myrls missionnary work! and also jealous that i wasnt able to be at ur couples reunion! haha. Mom commented how we might not know how much of a scriptorian Merrill is, but I do. :) he was my number one participant when i taught priesthood in the singles ward last summer. it was a devistating week when Merrill and Bishop Gray werent there! 85 percent of the participation was gone!! haha
Congrats To Brad on being a Cougar! Thats exciting to hear! oh- i also got a letter from him and nathan both today... Ill write back soon. :)
The mission joke is that the first phrases a new missionary learns from hearing others speak are: "i dont have the time", "Im not interested", "you're a cult", "Im in a hurry" while pointing at their watch, and "oh, the jehovahs witnesses..." so to answer your question, no, we usually dont get much in before they tell us one of these things. Which is too bad, because this is the true church and we have a message that will change their lives. i know its true and why i am here!
til next week! Elder Jergensen- formerly known as Mitch
This was another pretty good week in France! :)
Tuesday We had a RDV with Shi Lin and taught him the rest of the 5th Lesson. We will start reteaching the first 4 lessons here soon. im excited to see what he has retained through our first RDVs, between the language problems and time, and all of the information being completely new to him. We also did lots of contacting. it started hailing on us a little before we went in, too! it was amazing.
Wed, Parkers Birthday :), we had interviews with President and AP training in Caen. Things went good there- he told me I will be staying in Rouen one more transfer, officially gave me permission to use hotmail for pictures and a backup to this, and gave me some tips to not be so tired all the time, amoung other things. :) I was also really impressed at Sister Staheli. She talks to all 150 missionaries for 15-20 mins every 6 weeks and thats it. You would not expect her to remember a thing we talked about (especially since last interviews were 10 weeks ago...) but we picked right up where we left off, and she was asking specific questions about things we talked about before. I was so impressed and touched by that. Wed night we taught english class, and started an exchange with the Le Havre Elders.
Thursday I went to the Prefacture- the legality dept- to continue the process of being legal here. that took a little time, but my Visa expires next week, so im now good past that. :) Since we were on exchanges, we had two companionships contacting in Rouen, and between us all, we got alot done! 3 phone numbers in one day plus a few other good lessons taught! it was a good missionary work day.
Friday was also very good. we had three lessons. the first was with a less active who hasnt been to church in 30 years. We left him with a book of Mormon and i think he was really touched by it. it was from Elder Bartons Primary, and then Bro. Fernandes asked us to put our testimonies in it as well. after that, we taught and investigator lesson 3. we want to work with her daughter, because her kids seem to be the biggest challenge in getting her to church. the daughter wasnt there, but hopefully in the future. Later we taught another less active family, also. it went ok. I think that all three of these families would benefit the church so much, and benefit from the church even more than that!
Saturday was spent in the apt most of the day so Elder Barton could start packing. he goes home this thursday! crazy! But we had a meeting with our DMB and dinner with some members and left them with a message about the prophet. I also found out who my next Companion will be!
His name is ELder Poussard and He comes from Bordeaux France. So he is a native French speaker! I am so excited for this opportunity that ill have to work even more on my language! im so stoked! Hes a fun guy, too. Ive met him once or twice, as he was the trainer for one of my best buds in the MTC. i was so happy when i saw his name. itll be a great transfer!
Yest We had Church in the Morning. Elder Bartons last Sunday in France. So he said goodbye to most of the members, which was... i cant think of a good word. fill in the blank. haha We spent the afternoon making sure records were up to date and stuff so things would continue to run smoothly when Elder Barton left. Last night we went to a members house to say bye to them. Actually, the family who we ate with on Christmas. They are way neat and we had a good time there. We also had a Branch fast yest for missionary work here in Rouen (you cant skip out on that one when ur the full time missionary here! :p).
And that pretty much sums up the week.
I was impressed with Myrls missionnary work! and also jealous that i wasnt able to be at ur couples reunion! haha. Mom commented how we might not know how much of a scriptorian Merrill is, but I do. :) he was my number one participant when i taught priesthood in the singles ward last summer. it was a devistating week when Merrill and Bishop Gray werent there! 85 percent of the participation was gone!! haha
Congrats To Brad on being a Cougar! Thats exciting to hear! oh- i also got a letter from him and nathan both today... Ill write back soon. :)
The mission joke is that the first phrases a new missionary learns from hearing others speak are: "i dont have the time", "Im not interested", "you're a cult", "Im in a hurry" while pointing at their watch, and "oh, the jehovahs witnesses..." so to answer your question, no, we usually dont get much in before they tell us one of these things. Which is too bad, because this is the true church and we have a message that will change their lives. i know its true and why i am here!
til next week! Elder Jergensen- formerly known as Mitch
Monday, February 9, 2009
Well Hello again.First of all, something really important. the email I sent with pix 2 weeks ago... i need everyone to delete the picture in the font. A bunch of us made a listake in taking pictures which is (now obviously) forbidden. we figured it was ok, as long as it wasnt during the ordinance and stuff. But since it was during the meeting, its not allowed. any pictures between the prayers are interdit (forbidden- for all you who dont speak french... :p). Whoops. so please, in the name of the Church, im asking that you delete that picture in the font. Thanks.
Things: i did get ur emails last week-maybe just in hotmail. i forget- and did get the package. it got here fine, just you forgot to put Lss Missionnaires, which made our building manager not happy. haha
Cheering.... um... Mitch is the best cheerleader HHS has ever seen. period. but he specialized in Volleyball, not polo, just for the record. He was a player on boys polo, and ran the clock and stat books for girls, so couldnt ever cheer at polo! haha but its ok.
food- We eat burgers alot, bread, pasta. Normal food for the most part. I havent eaten at a members house in a long time.
language- its coming, slowly but surely. its tough for me cuz theres so much i want to say, but dont know the words. :( but its ok. ittl come. ca va venir...
and weather is cold, and sometimes rainy. like today. but not too bad.
And im pretty sure my nose was broken last summer when me and andrew crashed on the slip n slide. cuz i noticed recently how weird its bent... haha
Now for this week. Tuesday We Started with a RDV with a less active meber, who we have been teaching recently. That went well, and even though hes not able to come to church, i feel he is progressing a little. Hes reading out of the book of Mormon again, and he asks really good questions. It is so great when we read a scripture and he pulls out a pen and writes the reference down to go and read later. We also went with a member to hometeach another less active, after which we hurried to the church to teach Shi-Lin. He never showed up, and eventually sent us a text message saying he wouldnt make it. so we rescheduled for the next day, and finished the day doing some finding.
Wed we had District meeting in Le Havre with the Zone Leaders. Afterwards, we came back to Rouen with The zone leaders for exchanges. Elder barton went to teach Shi-Lin while i went with the other zone leader and did some finding. (Shi Lin never showed up...) After that, we went to do service for a less active, followed by English Class.
Thursday we taught Shi Lin finally. When we met him at the church, he was so sad. He wrote us a note apologizing for missing the RDV on wed because he had double scheduled over class. he thought that it would offend us and that he had lost our friendship because of it. It was sad to see him like that, but after we explained it was ok, and we all have conflicts in life, things went well. We were so blessed that day. We actually had scheduled the visit for sat, and had a less active lesson on thursday. Only a few mins after the less active canceled on us did Shi-Lin text us to say hed be at the church at the same time the cancelled appt was. How distraught wouldve he been if we told him we couldnt make it then!? Even cancelled appts can be blessings! We also saw a member who recently went through a divorce, and he is quite lonely. it was a good visit, and we left him with a message of having hope.
Friday We had a DMB meeting in the morning. Our DMB told us that he was happy at how busy we were and that he hopes Elder Bartons replacement (in 9 days) will be just as motivated. We had 3 other appts on friday, all of which fell thru. that was tough. im trying to see the blessings in these appts falling thru! :P So we ended up doing alot of porting and street contacting. (some teenagers said we looked like harry potter- with our cloak like coats, ties and sweaters. haha. if only we had wands, too! :p)
Sat we went up to the university to contact. the only problem was it was saturday! haha there was absolutely no one out. so we ended up searching for less actives in the branch, confirming adresses and stuff. that took a while. then we planned for next week, and did a little contacting before coming back in for the night.
Sunday we had church, and went to take sacrament to some shut-ins. We filled the afternoon with studying, contacting and porting. (elder Hollands talk from oct 2007 is SO GOOD!! and Elder ballards, too in the same session.) and that was the week.
We are spending alot of time searching for new investigators. And things arent working out so well with that. but i think we are doing a good job with some less actives in the branch. Even though it doesnt help with numbers, its just as important, as enduring to the end is crucial to our salvation. I know the church is true, and im glad that im out here, even through the difficult days. Ive said since like the 3rd week of the MTC that the days are long and the weeks fly by, which is so true still.
Til next week, Elder J
Things: i did get ur emails last week-maybe just in hotmail. i forget- and did get the package. it got here fine, just you forgot to put Lss Missionnaires, which made our building manager not happy. haha
Cheering.... um... Mitch is the best cheerleader HHS has ever seen. period. but he specialized in Volleyball, not polo, just for the record. He was a player on boys polo, and ran the clock and stat books for girls, so couldnt ever cheer at polo! haha but its ok.
food- We eat burgers alot, bread, pasta. Normal food for the most part. I havent eaten at a members house in a long time.
language- its coming, slowly but surely. its tough for me cuz theres so much i want to say, but dont know the words. :( but its ok. ittl come. ca va venir...
and weather is cold, and sometimes rainy. like today. but not too bad.
And im pretty sure my nose was broken last summer when me and andrew crashed on the slip n slide. cuz i noticed recently how weird its bent... haha
Now for this week. Tuesday We Started with a RDV with a less active meber, who we have been teaching recently. That went well, and even though hes not able to come to church, i feel he is progressing a little. Hes reading out of the book of Mormon again, and he asks really good questions. It is so great when we read a scripture and he pulls out a pen and writes the reference down to go and read later. We also went with a member to hometeach another less active, after which we hurried to the church to teach Shi-Lin. He never showed up, and eventually sent us a text message saying he wouldnt make it. so we rescheduled for the next day, and finished the day doing some finding.
Wed we had District meeting in Le Havre with the Zone Leaders. Afterwards, we came back to Rouen with The zone leaders for exchanges. Elder barton went to teach Shi-Lin while i went with the other zone leader and did some finding. (Shi Lin never showed up...) After that, we went to do service for a less active, followed by English Class.
Thursday we taught Shi Lin finally. When we met him at the church, he was so sad. He wrote us a note apologizing for missing the RDV on wed because he had double scheduled over class. he thought that it would offend us and that he had lost our friendship because of it. It was sad to see him like that, but after we explained it was ok, and we all have conflicts in life, things went well. We were so blessed that day. We actually had scheduled the visit for sat, and had a less active lesson on thursday. Only a few mins after the less active canceled on us did Shi-Lin text us to say hed be at the church at the same time the cancelled appt was. How distraught wouldve he been if we told him we couldnt make it then!? Even cancelled appts can be blessings! We also saw a member who recently went through a divorce, and he is quite lonely. it was a good visit, and we left him with a message of having hope.
Friday We had a DMB meeting in the morning. Our DMB told us that he was happy at how busy we were and that he hopes Elder Bartons replacement (in 9 days) will be just as motivated. We had 3 other appts on friday, all of which fell thru. that was tough. im trying to see the blessings in these appts falling thru! :P So we ended up doing alot of porting and street contacting. (some teenagers said we looked like harry potter- with our cloak like coats, ties and sweaters. haha. if only we had wands, too! :p)
Sat we went up to the university to contact. the only problem was it was saturday! haha there was absolutely no one out. so we ended up searching for less actives in the branch, confirming adresses and stuff. that took a while. then we planned for next week, and did a little contacting before coming back in for the night.
Sunday we had church, and went to take sacrament to some shut-ins. We filled the afternoon with studying, contacting and porting. (elder Hollands talk from oct 2007 is SO GOOD!! and Elder ballards, too in the same session.) and that was the week.
We are spending alot of time searching for new investigators. And things arent working out so well with that. but i think we are doing a good job with some less actives in the branch. Even though it doesnt help with numbers, its just as important, as enduring to the end is crucial to our salvation. I know the church is true, and im glad that im out here, even through the difficult days. Ive said since like the 3rd week of the MTC that the days are long and the weeks fly by, which is so true still.
Til next week, Elder J
Monday, January 26, 2009
Well, another week in Rouen...
Tuesday consisted of a district meeting here in Rouen which went quite well. :) then elder sumrak (another elder in the district) and I headed off to Le Havre for exchanges there, while our companions stayed here. we got there and had english class to teach there, followed by a meeting that didnt happen. haha so we did a lil contacting and went back to their apt. (not appt... haha) I started learning a rubik's cube that nite, too. :) i was disappointed that i went to Le havre though, because we had an appt with Shi-Lin that afternoon, which i missed. lame.
The next morning, we got up and did our studies. a little after finishing, Elder Barton and Wakatsuki came to Le Havre, we had a district meal, then we headed back to rouen. We taught a man (the boyfriend of an inactive...) the first lesson and he seemed to be alright with all that we were saying and things. I had so much hope for him! then we showed him a plan de salut pamphlet at the end and said that we wanted to teach him Gods plan for us next time. he said we were welcome to, just as long as we knew he wouldnt agree w it. awww... lame. then we went and taught english class which went well. :)
thursday... we had an empty day for the most part. LOTS OF CONTACTING! yay. such a blast.
friday is swear the river was gonna overflow! haha it is usually a good 20 30 feet under the side wall of the river and it was 4 feet from the top in the morning! i was so disappointed when it hadnt gone over by the time we had to go out, and when we came back home later in the day, it was lower than before. lame. haha But we left to contact and teach a man who we thought was an old investigator. it turns out that he is inactive and has been for 30 years! but he is really nice and open with us. we have a return visit planned to help him refind his testimony! he seems so cool! im excited for him. Our DMB (branch miss leader), Tarolin, is out of town right now, so we had to go to branch priesthood counsil this week. I felt we got alot accomplished, as opposed to the week before. (the week before was the same people as this week, but plus primary, YW, and RS pres's... what are these 2 dif meetings called??)
sat we went out in the morning contacting and some guy got mad about something or another and took our names down. im not exactly sure what he plans on doing with our names... call the cops on us for being legal i guess! haha we didnt do anything wrong or close to being wrong. but anyways, that afternoon we played soccer with some members for our "samedi (/saturday) sports". Well, i tweaked my hamstring or something cuz i dont play soccer! haha. and cuz it was my first real athletics since the mtc, too. when i was walking back home, my left foot, rather than lifting front to back, was lifting right to left! and it hurt to try and flex my toes up on that foot. I called up the mission doctor and he told me some stretches to do and stuff, and im walking relatively normal again. haha. its still a bit tight though. It also made it so we had to stay in for the evening. :/ oh, and sat was also my 4 month mark... :)
Yesterday we had church. Shi-Lin is down in Paris right now for the chinese new year with some friends. so he wasnt there. But He went to church down in Paris! nice! (i am so disappointed in French!! they dont have a good word for nice in this context! lame. the closest is "Bravo!"- yes- it is spelled with the exclamation point in the dictionary... haha) and they have chinese elders there, too, so it was prob good for him. :) the only other interesting thing that happened was our phone stopped working and we were waiting for a member to call us. Well, that evening we got 5 messages from him looking for us! i felt so bad. sometimes technology can work against us. :/
Today we taught another less active in the morning (cutting into our prep day!... thats a devoted missionary there!!! jk...) and then went to the joan of arc museum in the afternoon. this is the city where she was murdered, btw. idk if i have said that before. but its a fact. :)
some other stuff: I told you a while ago i had an old insurance card. i lied. its actually the new card.
I enjoyed reading nathans version of the weekly letter. haha especially when he brought up the tuxes at the wedding! so funny.
It sounds like Kate and Chuck are doing well in arkansas... (haha... arkansas! :p jk) and your trip there was good.
Everyone here in France wants to talk about Obama! they are in love with him! hes on all the newsstands and stuff. i think he will do a good job though...
ok, well, just thought id throw in another story for you to look up. its the power of laughter in the sept 07 ensign. its a good story, and i think it goes well with the Families FHE theme. ok. sounds good. i will close for this week. the church is true. :)
peace.
Elder Jergensen
Tuesday consisted of a district meeting here in Rouen which went quite well. :) then elder sumrak (another elder in the district) and I headed off to Le Havre for exchanges there, while our companions stayed here. we got there and had english class to teach there, followed by a meeting that didnt happen. haha so we did a lil contacting and went back to their apt. (not appt... haha) I started learning a rubik's cube that nite, too. :) i was disappointed that i went to Le havre though, because we had an appt with Shi-Lin that afternoon, which i missed. lame.
The next morning, we got up and did our studies. a little after finishing, Elder Barton and Wakatsuki came to Le Havre, we had a district meal, then we headed back to rouen. We taught a man (the boyfriend of an inactive...) the first lesson and he seemed to be alright with all that we were saying and things. I had so much hope for him! then we showed him a plan de salut pamphlet at the end and said that we wanted to teach him Gods plan for us next time. he said we were welcome to, just as long as we knew he wouldnt agree w it. awww... lame. then we went and taught english class which went well. :)
thursday... we had an empty day for the most part. LOTS OF CONTACTING! yay. such a blast.
friday is swear the river was gonna overflow! haha it is usually a good 20 30 feet under the side wall of the river and it was 4 feet from the top in the morning! i was so disappointed when it hadnt gone over by the time we had to go out, and when we came back home later in the day, it was lower than before. lame. haha But we left to contact and teach a man who we thought was an old investigator. it turns out that he is inactive and has been for 30 years! but he is really nice and open with us. we have a return visit planned to help him refind his testimony! he seems so cool! im excited for him. Our DMB (branch miss leader), Tarolin, is out of town right now, so we had to go to branch priesthood counsil this week. I felt we got alot accomplished, as opposed to the week before. (the week before was the same people as this week, but plus primary, YW, and RS pres's... what are these 2 dif meetings called??)
sat we went out in the morning contacting and some guy got mad about something or another and took our names down. im not exactly sure what he plans on doing with our names... call the cops on us for being legal i guess! haha we didnt do anything wrong or close to being wrong. but anyways, that afternoon we played soccer with some members for our "samedi (/saturday) sports". Well, i tweaked my hamstring or something cuz i dont play soccer! haha. and cuz it was my first real athletics since the mtc, too. when i was walking back home, my left foot, rather than lifting front to back, was lifting right to left! and it hurt to try and flex my toes up on that foot. I called up the mission doctor and he told me some stretches to do and stuff, and im walking relatively normal again. haha. its still a bit tight though. It also made it so we had to stay in for the evening. :/ oh, and sat was also my 4 month mark... :)
Yesterday we had church. Shi-Lin is down in Paris right now for the chinese new year with some friends. so he wasnt there. But He went to church down in Paris! nice! (i am so disappointed in French!! they dont have a good word for nice in this context! lame. the closest is "Bravo!"- yes- it is spelled with the exclamation point in the dictionary... haha) and they have chinese elders there, too, so it was prob good for him. :) the only other interesting thing that happened was our phone stopped working and we were waiting for a member to call us. Well, that evening we got 5 messages from him looking for us! i felt so bad. sometimes technology can work against us. :/
Today we taught another less active in the morning (cutting into our prep day!... thats a devoted missionary there!!! jk...) and then went to the joan of arc museum in the afternoon. this is the city where she was murdered, btw. idk if i have said that before. but its a fact. :)
some other stuff: I told you a while ago i had an old insurance card. i lied. its actually the new card.
I enjoyed reading nathans version of the weekly letter. haha especially when he brought up the tuxes at the wedding! so funny.
It sounds like Kate and Chuck are doing well in arkansas... (haha... arkansas! :p jk) and your trip there was good.
Everyone here in France wants to talk about Obama! they are in love with him! hes on all the newsstands and stuff. i think he will do a good job though...
ok, well, just thought id throw in another story for you to look up. its the power of laughter in the sept 07 ensign. its a good story, and i think it goes well with the Families FHE theme. ok. sounds good. i will close for this week. the church is true. :)
peace.
Elder Jergensen
Monday, January 19, 2009
Bonjour Family!
Well- Things are great here in France! What an awesome week!!!
Ill start from cool event number one. We had a successful baptism this past week! yay. I'll send the program in another Email cuz attachments are killer on myldsmail.net But yeah, He had his interview on friday with a chinese speaking elder from paris, and he passed! yay. so on saturday we had the baptism. it was interesting having a french program with a chinese speaker getting baptized! the first speaker asked him a question, and he didnt realize it was a question. that was a little funny. but he was baptized by Elder Collins, who actually was the person to find him, (i replaced him when i got here...) After the baptism, he bore his testimony in french which was the neatest thing ever. He is such a humble guy. The Branch has done such a good job at welcoming him and fellowshipping too! he was invited randomly yest with us by a member to come have lunch and teach a lesson. i love our branch, and im afraid that when i leave Rouen, the next branch wont be as awesome! oh yeah, he was also confirmed in church by elder Barton yest.
the next cool thing that happened this week was Zone conference down in paris. Sister staheli told us a parable about chocolate cake and red clothes. it was such a good story that i suggest finding a reading... i actually thought about dads seminary class when she read it and how they could use it. it is by sharon larsen and in her sisters book. I walk by faith by Ardeth Kapp. but i didnt catch the name of the parable. Ill do what i can to get it from her, but look for it yourself online if you have time, mom. :)
after Sis Staheli, the assistants talked and used a bit of shakespeare from Henry V. they used a speech henry delivered just before going to battle against the french, being outnumbered 5 to 1, yet they still won the battle.
President then had 3 different talks that afternoon (he kept pologizing for being on the program so much! i dont think anyone was complaining to hear from him though!)
the first one was on planning, and used the story of the bro of jared and the stones. and talked about how specific he was in his requests in ether 3:4.
the second one, he talked about the first vision and how Joseph had been prepared his whole life for the restoration. One thing he said, but i had never really thought about before in this way, is that Joseph did not go into the grove, or come out planning on starting a new church, or knowing of the plates. He just went to his "secret place" to find out his standing before the lord, and to get his sins forgiven.
The last talk was on testimony and was money also. I forgot my notes- so thats as specific as i can get on that one right now! haha
I love Zone conferences!!
alright, now for the rest of the week:
tuesday we made the baptismal program, i gave myself a haircut, and did some good ole contacting and taught seminary, since our teacher is gone for a few weeks. that was just grand.
Wed we spent the morning contacting, the afternoon contacting, and the evening teaching english class. We went to do a pass back at a house wewent to last week. The guy was interested last week, but now he doesnt even believe in God. Ok...? haha silly french.
Thursday was the already mentioned zone conference, friday morning we went contacting with a member. i really liked it, outside of the 2 times he got a little defensive and started arguing. we had to tell him to calm down a lil. haha after that, we had the already mentioned interview for Shi-lins baptism. We had two different appts cancel in the evening, so we went to branch council as a back up plan. Wow. that is a boring meeting. ESPECIALLY in a language i barely understand! haha.
sat was the baptism.
Sunday we had church, then taught Marie (the 11 year old recent convert) for the last time. since they invited Shi-Lin over, it was also our first time teaching him as a member of the Church! YAY! Last night we went contacting and stopped a guy who attends a society of people who discuss religious things. About 20-25 potential investigators in my eyes! Im so excited and hope things work out, although we plan on telling president and letting him research the society a little before we do it. We will see what happens.
And then today, we went looking for a bulletin board at a home store, and came home with the most amazing rug ever!!! for only 9 euros! nice! and on the bus on the way back, this is what happened, in elder bartons words:
Earlier today, while we were on the bus, some random punk stole Elder Jergensen's nametag and walked off. I walked after him and kept telling him to give it back, but he wouldn't answer. I tried to pull it out of his hand, but his friend got in between us and tried to separate us. The first guy then just snapped the nametag, dropped it in the street, and they both just walked off. The first guy pulled out a cross necklace and showed it to me and said, "don't betray my God". I'm not going to lie, when the second guy was pushing us apart, I was really, really tempted to fight them, and I don't think I would have had much trouble with either of them, but I listened to the voice of reason which said it wasn't worth it. But I'm still pretty mad about it. But no french punks are in the hospital, and I'm not in any legal trouble for getting in a fight, so I guess it's all right.
Well, i was chucking alot in the letters to me this week (FHE, the office bathroom, moms braces, cancun, camping, golddigging :p, KATIE LIVING IN ARK!!, beandrop, the egosque "trick".... haha). and was also a little nervous or however youd say it reading about the accident and the plane in NYC. what a cool story! i always laugh when i look at the emergency exit plans on a plane for a perfectly safe water landing. its good to see that it actually can happen that way, and that it works.
I didnt realize JR is already leaving! tell him good luck for me and to really use the MTC wisely... cuz i regret every second i wasted in there now!! haha
alright, that seems to be it! ill send that program and a few pics! til next week!
- Elder Jergensen
Pictures from the email:
the 4 elders who taught Shi-Lin
Shi-Lin and Me
Elder Barton, Shi-Lin And Me
all the Elders at the Baptism with Shi-Lin, plus a member, peaking over my shoulder... WHY!?
Well- Things are great here in France! What an awesome week!!!
Ill start from cool event number one. We had a successful baptism this past week! yay. I'll send the program in another Email cuz attachments are killer on myldsmail.net But yeah, He had his interview on friday with a chinese speaking elder from paris, and he passed! yay. so on saturday we had the baptism. it was interesting having a french program with a chinese speaker getting baptized! the first speaker asked him a question, and he didnt realize it was a question. that was a little funny. but he was baptized by Elder Collins, who actually was the person to find him, (i replaced him when i got here...) After the baptism, he bore his testimony in french which was the neatest thing ever. He is such a humble guy. The Branch has done such a good job at welcoming him and fellowshipping too! he was invited randomly yest with us by a member to come have lunch and teach a lesson. i love our branch, and im afraid that when i leave Rouen, the next branch wont be as awesome! oh yeah, he was also confirmed in church by elder Barton yest.
the next cool thing that happened this week was Zone conference down in paris. Sister staheli told us a parable about chocolate cake and red clothes. it was such a good story that i suggest finding a reading... i actually thought about dads seminary class when she read it and how they could use it. it is by sharon larsen and in her sisters book. I walk by faith by Ardeth Kapp. but i didnt catch the name of the parable. Ill do what i can to get it from her, but look for it yourself online if you have time, mom. :)
after Sis Staheli, the assistants talked and used a bit of shakespeare from Henry V. they used a speech henry delivered just before going to battle against the french, being outnumbered 5 to 1, yet they still won the battle.
President then had 3 different talks that afternoon (he kept pologizing for being on the program so much! i dont think anyone was complaining to hear from him though!)
the first one was on planning, and used the story of the bro of jared and the stones. and talked about how specific he was in his requests in ether 3:4.
the second one, he talked about the first vision and how Joseph had been prepared his whole life for the restoration. One thing he said, but i had never really thought about before in this way, is that Joseph did not go into the grove, or come out planning on starting a new church, or knowing of the plates. He just went to his "secret place" to find out his standing before the lord, and to get his sins forgiven.
The last talk was on testimony and was money also. I forgot my notes- so thats as specific as i can get on that one right now! haha
I love Zone conferences!!
alright, now for the rest of the week:
tuesday we made the baptismal program, i gave myself a haircut, and did some good ole contacting and taught seminary, since our teacher is gone for a few weeks. that was just grand.
Wed we spent the morning contacting, the afternoon contacting, and the evening teaching english class. We went to do a pass back at a house wewent to last week. The guy was interested last week, but now he doesnt even believe in God. Ok...? haha silly french.
Thursday was the already mentioned zone conference, friday morning we went contacting with a member. i really liked it, outside of the 2 times he got a little defensive and started arguing. we had to tell him to calm down a lil. haha after that, we had the already mentioned interview for Shi-lins baptism. We had two different appts cancel in the evening, so we went to branch council as a back up plan. Wow. that is a boring meeting. ESPECIALLY in a language i barely understand! haha.
sat was the baptism.
Sunday we had church, then taught Marie (the 11 year old recent convert) for the last time. since they invited Shi-Lin over, it was also our first time teaching him as a member of the Church! YAY! Last night we went contacting and stopped a guy who attends a society of people who discuss religious things. About 20-25 potential investigators in my eyes! Im so excited and hope things work out, although we plan on telling president and letting him research the society a little before we do it. We will see what happens.
And then today, we went looking for a bulletin board at a home store, and came home with the most amazing rug ever!!! for only 9 euros! nice! and on the bus on the way back, this is what happened, in elder bartons words:
Earlier today, while we were on the bus, some random punk stole Elder Jergensen's nametag and walked off. I walked after him and kept telling him to give it back, but he wouldn't answer. I tried to pull it out of his hand, but his friend got in between us and tried to separate us. The first guy then just snapped the nametag, dropped it in the street, and they both just walked off. The first guy pulled out a cross necklace and showed it to me and said, "don't betray my God". I'm not going to lie, when the second guy was pushing us apart, I was really, really tempted to fight them, and I don't think I would have had much trouble with either of them, but I listened to the voice of reason which said it wasn't worth it. But I'm still pretty mad about it. But no french punks are in the hospital, and I'm not in any legal trouble for getting in a fight, so I guess it's all right.
Well, i was chucking alot in the letters to me this week (FHE, the office bathroom, moms braces, cancun, camping, golddigging :p, KATIE LIVING IN ARK!!, beandrop, the egosque "trick".... haha). and was also a little nervous or however youd say it reading about the accident and the plane in NYC. what a cool story! i always laugh when i look at the emergency exit plans on a plane for a perfectly safe water landing. its good to see that it actually can happen that way, and that it works.
I didnt realize JR is already leaving! tell him good luck for me and to really use the MTC wisely... cuz i regret every second i wasted in there now!! haha
alright, that seems to be it! ill send that program and a few pics! til next week!
- Elder Jergensen
Pictures from the email:
the 4 elders who taught Shi-Lin
Shi-Lin and Me
Elder Barton, Shi-Lin And Me
all the Elders at the Baptism with Shi-Lin, plus a member, peaking over my shoulder... WHY!?
Elder Collins and Shi-Lin in the font
Monday, January 12, 2009
Well, another week rushes past!! Wow. I hate the joke that time is always playing on us in making time so relative!!
tuesday Morning we treated as Preparation day, because the way exchanges worked out, we had to use or normal prep day to do that. In the afternoon, we taught our friend Shi-Lin. Shi-Lin had been out of town for the holidays a lot recently, so we were about to have to push his baptismal date back. But he didn’t want that, so we scheduled three more appts that week!! He is so dynamite!
We met our other investigator that night, too. He is the man who is going to Ivory Coast for 2 months, starting this past week. So we went to talk to him and had a good discussion on what the Book of Mormon is. We rechallenged him to read the Book of Mormon, and also to search out the missionaries in Africa. He accepted, and we got his information down there to send to the mission. Hopefully they continue teaching him and things go well! I really like Joseph, and he is just a good guy! He’ll get back from Africa before I leave Rouen (hopefully… I don’t actually know how long I’m here, but were assuming I should be here 2 more transfers) so I should see him again! : )
Wednesday marked the official start of my second transfer, making me no longer the youngest group missionaries in Paris! Such an accomplishment!! Haha We did our deep cleaning, which is a couple hours at the beginning of each transfer to make the apartment look super good. Elder barton and I had decided to change the room around to make it more functionable with some of our deep cleaning time! Such a Mitch thing to do, I know!! But it looks a lot better and the best improvements were bookshelves put on our dsks and bunkbeds!! So much space, too!! We did some contacting and taught English class that night. The first time in 3 weeks, due to the holidays. The conversation actually led to teaching one of the students the Joseph Smith story. My companion was in the other corner of the room teaching his group, so it was me teaching alone. It was hard, but I got the message acrossed! Im so glad that the French govt a litlle while ago told the mission we need to teach with church materials! They felt we were using English class as a finding tool, but not telling the students we were and it was deceitful. Well, we were using it as a finding tool. They were right!! And they just made bringing the gospel to those students easier for us! Thank you!
(oh, the church is officially a business in France. We are not a religion, but trying to be, so that’s why the govt is involved, as they are auditing all aspects of the church to make sure we qualify…)
Thursday We did a lot of contacting. A couple hours of that, and also taught a less active lesson. Nothing too exciting, but necessary.
Friday we did transfer and weekly planning in the morning. Set goals for the coming 6 weeks and week and stuff. Then we had an appointment with Shi-Lin. We had scheduled the baptism for a time that didn’t work for the branch president, so had to change it. When we told Shi-Lin, he was a little hesitant and we asked if there was a conflict. There obviously was, but he didn’t tell us and left it at “this is more important”. WOW!!! I love Him. He is such the man!! We had three member (one less act fam, one recently reactivated member, and a recent convert) appts that evening, but for one reason or another, none of them worked out!! Haha It was a let down, but we went out and contacted instead. At the end, we found the best deal for a Kebab Elder Barton has seen in 2 years here, so we stopped there before going home. Kebabs are SO DELICIOUS!!! Haha
Sat we taugh Shi Lin our last Commandments lesson and it went well, outside of him misinterpreting a sentence: “if you obey Gods commandments, you don’t have need to disobey the law of the land” or something like that which was written awkwardly. Haha, he interpreted disobey as obey! Haha he was so confused, but we eventually figured it out. We went and did some porting that afternoon, and will go back soon to talk to one guy that said he was interested. Then we had a branch party where we also met with our Branch mission leader and set up a potential baptism program for Shi-lin.
Sun We had church and confirmed speakers and stuff for the baptism, taught Shi Lin (who had to walk and hour to church because there weren’t any buses coming that morning! WHAT A MAN!!) and prepped him for his interview this Tuesday. The Baptism is sat the 17th at 5 pm. Im so excited!! And the elder I replaced here is coming back to baptize him! Itll be a great day. We had 2 member appts on Sunday, and the 2nd one was awesome. First off, on the way we climbed on a bus and Shi-lin was there!! So we talked to him for a while on the bus! He was going to a friends for dinner. Then at the appt- this is just one of those stellar families- we had FHE and it reminded me so much of home! They had a little chart and everything like us! Even the side comments. : p Their little girl just got baptized 2weeks ago, and she gave a lesson! She is so cute and reminds me so much of Lindsey!
It was good to read about Ian coming Home! Like I said about time before, it doesnt seem like hes already been gone for 2 years!!
As to sports: just one question, who is QB in Arizona, Warner or Leinart? I hope its not the old man… I think he makes even Favre look young!! Haha
Utah, it sounds did great and deserves a great ranking. Im surprised others didn’t vote for them. Like Bronco, for example… But I think they are asked as coaches to vote for the nat champ game winner… I’m not sure.
I finally know what trip you have been referring to going on!! You haven’t said what trip it was til this letter.
I had sent Mikey Scott a letter before I reported and was sorta sad I didn’t ever get anything back!! That’s great to hear about him, and ill def write him. Thanks!
The girls should have burned hank… haha
My daily schedule consists of one hour pers study, one hour comp, and half hour language. One hour lunch, then we come in at 8 for dinner, planning and getting ready for bed at 1030. we are supposed to get in one hour at least of contacting a day. Other than that, we don’t have any rules regarding use of time really… other than using it wisely obviously. There Is a phone chain each night to report all missionaries in- call your District leader, who calls the zone leaders, who calls the assistants, who report to president. And presidents interviews and zone conference each are once a transfer. And that’s our contact with president, unless we have things we need to talk to him about( such as baptism interviews… :p).
Things are good here in Rouen! We cant wait for our Baptism! The Church is true and im excited to be here! Til next week!
-Elder J
tuesday Morning we treated as Preparation day, because the way exchanges worked out, we had to use or normal prep day to do that. In the afternoon, we taught our friend Shi-Lin. Shi-Lin had been out of town for the holidays a lot recently, so we were about to have to push his baptismal date back. But he didn’t want that, so we scheduled three more appts that week!! He is so dynamite!
We met our other investigator that night, too. He is the man who is going to Ivory Coast for 2 months, starting this past week. So we went to talk to him and had a good discussion on what the Book of Mormon is. We rechallenged him to read the Book of Mormon, and also to search out the missionaries in Africa. He accepted, and we got his information down there to send to the mission. Hopefully they continue teaching him and things go well! I really like Joseph, and he is just a good guy! He’ll get back from Africa before I leave Rouen (hopefully… I don’t actually know how long I’m here, but were assuming I should be here 2 more transfers) so I should see him again! : )
Wednesday marked the official start of my second transfer, making me no longer the youngest group missionaries in Paris! Such an accomplishment!! Haha We did our deep cleaning, which is a couple hours at the beginning of each transfer to make the apartment look super good. Elder barton and I had decided to change the room around to make it more functionable with some of our deep cleaning time! Such a Mitch thing to do, I know!! But it looks a lot better and the best improvements were bookshelves put on our dsks and bunkbeds!! So much space, too!! We did some contacting and taught English class that night. The first time in 3 weeks, due to the holidays. The conversation actually led to teaching one of the students the Joseph Smith story. My companion was in the other corner of the room teaching his group, so it was me teaching alone. It was hard, but I got the message acrossed! Im so glad that the French govt a litlle while ago told the mission we need to teach with church materials! They felt we were using English class as a finding tool, but not telling the students we were and it was deceitful. Well, we were using it as a finding tool. They were right!! And they just made bringing the gospel to those students easier for us! Thank you!
(oh, the church is officially a business in France. We are not a religion, but trying to be, so that’s why the govt is involved, as they are auditing all aspects of the church to make sure we qualify…)
Thursday We did a lot of contacting. A couple hours of that, and also taught a less active lesson. Nothing too exciting, but necessary.
Friday we did transfer and weekly planning in the morning. Set goals for the coming 6 weeks and week and stuff. Then we had an appointment with Shi-Lin. We had scheduled the baptism for a time that didn’t work for the branch president, so had to change it. When we told Shi-Lin, he was a little hesitant and we asked if there was a conflict. There obviously was, but he didn’t tell us and left it at “this is more important”. WOW!!! I love Him. He is such the man!! We had three member (one less act fam, one recently reactivated member, and a recent convert) appts that evening, but for one reason or another, none of them worked out!! Haha It was a let down, but we went out and contacted instead. At the end, we found the best deal for a Kebab Elder Barton has seen in 2 years here, so we stopped there before going home. Kebabs are SO DELICIOUS!!! Haha
Sat we taugh Shi Lin our last Commandments lesson and it went well, outside of him misinterpreting a sentence: “if you obey Gods commandments, you don’t have need to disobey the law of the land” or something like that which was written awkwardly. Haha, he interpreted disobey as obey! Haha he was so confused, but we eventually figured it out. We went and did some porting that afternoon, and will go back soon to talk to one guy that said he was interested. Then we had a branch party where we also met with our Branch mission leader and set up a potential baptism program for Shi-lin.
Sun We had church and confirmed speakers and stuff for the baptism, taught Shi Lin (who had to walk and hour to church because there weren’t any buses coming that morning! WHAT A MAN!!) and prepped him for his interview this Tuesday. The Baptism is sat the 17th at 5 pm. Im so excited!! And the elder I replaced here is coming back to baptize him! Itll be a great day. We had 2 member appts on Sunday, and the 2nd one was awesome. First off, on the way we climbed on a bus and Shi-lin was there!! So we talked to him for a while on the bus! He was going to a friends for dinner. Then at the appt- this is just one of those stellar families- we had FHE and it reminded me so much of home! They had a little chart and everything like us! Even the side comments. : p Their little girl just got baptized 2weeks ago, and she gave a lesson! She is so cute and reminds me so much of Lindsey!
It was good to read about Ian coming Home! Like I said about time before, it doesnt seem like hes already been gone for 2 years!!
As to sports: just one question, who is QB in Arizona, Warner or Leinart? I hope its not the old man… I think he makes even Favre look young!! Haha
Utah, it sounds did great and deserves a great ranking. Im surprised others didn’t vote for them. Like Bronco, for example… But I think they are asked as coaches to vote for the nat champ game winner… I’m not sure.
I finally know what trip you have been referring to going on!! You haven’t said what trip it was til this letter.
I had sent Mikey Scott a letter before I reported and was sorta sad I didn’t ever get anything back!! That’s great to hear about him, and ill def write him. Thanks!
The girls should have burned hank… haha
My daily schedule consists of one hour pers study, one hour comp, and half hour language. One hour lunch, then we come in at 8 for dinner, planning and getting ready for bed at 1030. we are supposed to get in one hour at least of contacting a day. Other than that, we don’t have any rules regarding use of time really… other than using it wisely obviously. There Is a phone chain each night to report all missionaries in- call your District leader, who calls the zone leaders, who calls the assistants, who report to president. And presidents interviews and zone conference each are once a transfer. And that’s our contact with president, unless we have things we need to talk to him about( such as baptism interviews… :p).
Things are good here in Rouen! We cant wait for our Baptism! The Church is true and im excited to be here! Til next week!
-Elder J
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