Bonjour from Bretagne

Bonjour famille!

I am here, I am safe, I am in Rennes! I will start from the beginning though, a very good place to start (have I told you that for some reason since the beginning of my mission I have the Sound of Music stuck in my head constantly? Because I do. I have no idea why.).

DAY ONE: I'm sure you could tell from the photos that the first day was a bit overwhelming. We got off the plane, the inspections man proposed to me, we met the mission President and then they handed us a Book of Mormon and put us on the Metro. Soeur Hill and I just kind of looked at each other and then I sat down by a nearly toothless African man (who was eating corn on the cob . . . I don't know how that works) and started talking about the Book of Mormon with him. He was so nice and nearly impossible to understand with his accent, and then we talked to a few other people including one guy who was initially not interested at all, but then grew super interested and he took the Book of Mormon and then said "Thank you for testifying of something good. It is rare to see young people doing things like this. Continue to share good news." I love how he said that—bonne nouvelles. it really is good news, and I am happy to share it. So we get off the metro and an Elder says something about how we are going to have to go get a [medical] examination in order to finish our Visa stuff. I laughed and thought it was like a "trick the new missionaries" type thing. HE WASN'T KIDDING. So there I was jet-lagged, sitting in an examination room with my shirt off. I literally started laughing out loud. Welcome to France, Soeur Rhondeau. 

Day TWO: After that we went to the mission home where we had interviews with the President. I love Sister and President Pozsnanski. They are just the kindest people and were so welcoming and encouraging. Then the next day we headed in to Paris and found out where we were going (RENNES!), who our companions were and voila we were on our way! I may be the luckiest new missionary in the world because my companion is fantastic and Rennes is great. I love her. She is fun and hardworking and we get along really well. We were supposed to drive our car to Rennes (scary) but Sister Pozsnanski decided she didn't want us to drive so we took the train and the Elders in Rennes had to go to Paris to get it for us. So we got to Rennes and the Elders here met us (Elder Barney from Utah and Elder Tauhiro from Tahiti) and took us to our new appartment. We moved in to the apartment of the senior couple who just left. It is so nice. Like really nice. A Swedish couple from the ward met us there and took us to get groceries, and they are the kindest people. Rennes is an interesting city. It is big, and the center is cute and old and then all around it are so many big appartment buildings. It is cold and generally cloudy, but the sun is out today! 

FIRST WEEK: So we have a bit of a unique situation here in Rennes. We are whitewashing, which means that we are both completely new here and are replacing a whole equipe of Elders. They haven't had sisters in Rennes for years, so we are sort of starting from square one. This is difficult and totally overwhelming, but also kind of fun because it is an adventure. We got the old area book and got out a map and layed on the ground and called people and mapped out and set up lessons. Our first lesson was with an older woman from Africa who isn't really into learning about our church but she LOVES to pray. I mean LOVES to pray. She would randomly just burst into prayer (did you know there was such a thing?) So that was a fun first teaching appointment. We then headed over to teach another family, but they cancelled so we ended up just doing door to door contacting for a few hours. We went to a batiment, went to the very top floor and made our way down. The second door we knocked (my very first time having to talk when they opened the door—it was nerve-wracking!) we met a young dad and his daughter from Portugal. We told him a little bit about our message and he wants to hear more, so we are going to go and teach him tomorrow. Out of the whole 20-story building he is the only one who invited us back, but the batiment provided us with many memories:

— that awkward moment when you say "Bonjour Monsieur....I mean Madame." And then you can't figure out if it WAS a Madame. Soeur Pymm and I just lost it after we closed the door in the hallway.

— When someone just hopped out of the shower so you explain the Restoration while they are in a towel. 

—The angry Catholic woman- Another angry catholic woman.

But all in all everyone was so nice! I am amazed! Not many people want to listen, but they are kind about it and say "Bonne Courage" as they shut the door. My favorite experience this week was teaching a woman named Alsace. Soeur Pymm started out her mission in Blois, and taught Alsace's sister in law. Alsace was there visiting one day and Soeur Pymm gave her a Book of Mormon and got her number. When we got to Rennes, Soeur Pymm remembered that she lived here and gave her a call. Not only does she live here, but she lives two blocks away! Miracle. We went over to her house on Friday night, and met her and her little four year old boy, Yannis. They are from Cameroon and have been in France for about eight months. She has two other little sons who are still in Cameroon with her family because they can't get their paperwork. So sad. They are the most beautiful family. She fed us dinner, and I played the classic Dad hide the ring in my hands game for about 40 minutes with Yannis. It is so funny how entertaining that can be to little kids. Then we taught a lesson and she said she has been reading the Book of Mormon and knows that there is something special about it. She said it makes sense that God would continue to reveal things today and guide us through a prophet. She said she is going to continue to read and pray about it, and she knows that if it is a good thing God will tell her. We invited her to church and she was excited to come. 

Fast forward to Sunday. We woke up and went to visit a little family that the other Elders had taught. They are from Guyene in South America and are just about the kindest most adorable family ever. Just imagine a huge buff black man who loves to garden (his wife said, "He looks at his plants before he looks at me when he gets home from work!") and a woman who looks like a model and then two Gerber baby models and you have their family. We just stopped by and quickly got to know them, and then left to meet Alsace for church. She wasn't there to meet us and we were so sad. We got to church and guess what? Turns out it was daylight savings and we didn't know because our phone was broken for the day. CLASSIC. Church was great and the ward in Rennes is fantastic. So many lovely characters. I wish I had all the time in the world to tell you about them. Like how we helped cook the other night and were being yelled instructions from the Cambodian French woman—COUPEZ! LAVEZ! Or how we are in ward choir and I somehow I am going to be playing my violin in Stake Conference this month. Or how one of the Young Adults bought us Dr. Pepper to make us feel more at home in France. People are lovely. I am sorry this email is all over the place. So many experiences and thoughts. I am really liking it here. It is overwhelming and freezing cold (MERCI MOM FOR THE SCARVES!!!) and French is so fast. But I love my companion and I love this city and these people already. I must be off, but I love you so much and can't wait to tell you more histoires next week.

Je t'aime!

Olivia

elle est là!

Soeur Rhondeau with President and Sister Poznanski

at the mission home.

Requisite map photo.

An awkward handshake for an old family friend. Elder Daines, Salt Lake City South Mission.

Souer Rhondeau & dear friend Sister Isenhour, who is serving in the Russia Moscow Mission.

and an angel Olivia, as always.

last words from the MTC!

Dear Famdamly,

 

Another week has come and gone at the MTC. This time-warp thing here is starting to freak me out just a little bit. I feel like I have been here for years, but at the same time I can't believe how soon I will be leaving. 

Travel plans are in hand. I am leaving this Monday at 4:50 pm, with a direct flight to Paris! Do you know what this means? I get to eat airplane food! Oh yeah and I GET TO TALK TO YOU!!! I AM WRITING IN ALL CAPS BECAUSE I LOVE YOU. We are leaving the MTC around 1:30, so I am guessing I will be calling you around 3. Will everyone be home? Will you send me E's cell number? Send me the details, I don't want to miss anyone.

 

My time at the MTC has been great and hard and happy and hard all over again. I can't say I am sad to leave this place, but I am sad to be leaving my district. I have learned so much good here, and have found even more good in all the people I have been able to meet. They are great. This past week was really good. Here are some highlights:

 

— My dear Claire got here on Wednesday. I was sitting on a bench outside after dinner, hoping to see her and then I saw her across the way and we made quite a spectacle sprinting across the MTC to each other, crying as we went. But ca va, the MTC needs more excitement anyways. It was so so lovely to see her. She lives on the floor below me, so every night we get to talk. Such a beautiful thing to be reunited with the people you love most.

 

— The district played a joke on Wallace and Louis and told them that Chouette's visa didn't go through and that he was being transfered. The joke went on a little too long, and they cracked after they held a meeting for him and told him he was in their prayers.

 

— Elder Bednar came and spoke at the devotional last week and it was so fantastic. He talked about how faith leads to action, and action leads to power. Faith becomes a power when we act on it.

 

— The water went out in our residence a few days ago, and so throughout the night there has been a giant drill outside our window working on it . . . took me back to the days at the Manor house this spring when we would wake up to our house literally shaking  because of the construction. Needless to say, I feel like the walking dead these past few days.

 

— We looked up Family History this week and I found a fun French line way back including a lot of towns that are in my area.  Also included: a Tomasco Francesco, Prince of Savoye Carnigan and Marie Soissons de Bourbon, Princess of Conde. I don't even know what that means, but it sounds fun. Also, I would love to do some family history on Dad's side, any info you have would be fab.

 

— Class is still good, French is still good, the district is still dominating at four square, food is all starting to taste the same, etc. etc. We have been looking up some fun phrases in French. One that we keep on quoting at totally random times: On peux pas vivre d'amour et d'eau fraiche. Meaning, one cannot live off of love and fresh water alone. We think it is great and funny and man I love French.

 

This week I have had a lot of thoughts bouncing around in my head. I guess the conept of actually moving to another country for a while hadn't actually sunk in. This week it sunk in. And I cannot wait. I know that a lot of hard things are ahead, but I also know a lot of good things are ahead. Sometimes I struggle with the concept of approaching people and ultimately asking them to change their lives. This week I found a fantastic article though (it was actually about Islam and Mohammad and our church, look it up on lds.org.) and there were all these quotes about how we add upon other truths. I love this gospel because it provides me with purpose and then encourages me to find goodness and truth in all things. There was a quote by Joseph Smith where he said, 

"One of the grand fundamental principles of mormonism, is to receive truth, let it come from whence it may... gather all good and true principles in the world and treasure them." 

So off I go into the world, to share the best principles of living that I know, and to gather as many other good principles I find in people and places and ideas.  I believe in this with my whole heart, and I love you all with my whole heart. Next time I write to you it will be from France or Belgium or Luxembourg. Oh la la la la. C'est fou.

 

Love always, from Paris to the Moon,

 

Olivia

road tripping.

Salut ma famille,

Hello! I hope you are all doing well. I have been racking my brain of things to tell you from this week, but as I was trying to think of ways to describe this past week at the MTC, the most accurate way to describe it is through this analogy our district thought of this week: It's like we have been on a road trip together for seven weeks. And it is really fun, but then it starts getting really cramped in the car, and you are claustrophobic and the person in charge of the radio is driving you crazy because they keep on picking country music. And you are living off of gas station food, which is kinda part of the experience at first but then you just reach a point where you don't want any more tapatio Doritos, you know? I just want some quinoa and vegetables! And then the people in the car get super slap-happy and things that aren't funny seem hilarious. It is time for a change of scenery, I think. Which is good because guess what? We leave in 13 days! I can't wait. The other day I was waiting for my toast and an Elder heard me speaking in French and it turns out he is from Paris. He was so nice and our whole district swarmed him and he told us everything he knows about our mission. The Elders were thrilled to hear our Pres lets them wear cardigans and skinny ties. Ha. It is little moments like that that keep me motivated to get through 13 days, just speaking in French and realizing that there is a world outside of the MTC. I think. No, it really isn't bad and I am not living off of Doritos. Just a long time to be in the same place. My heart goes out to all twelve-weekers. And it is so beautiful in Provo right now! I can't believe how perfect fall is. The colors are crazy. We went on a nice run around the MTC today and it was belle.

Conference weekend was lovely. Thanks to you Mom we had a nice Conference morning breakfast with the Einsteins bagels on Saturday. We all just met outside in our pj's in the back of the MTC and it felt a little bit like breakfast on a Conference day with the family. My district really has become my suragate family here, which I am so thankful for. We all met in one big room for Conference, and it was really neat to be there when President Monson announced the age change for missionaries. As soon as he said it people just started cheering and clapping. And then I started crying thinking that if Naomi goes I will only be home for a little while before she leaves. But WOW! I think it is such a beautiful thing. I have already heard so many Elders talk about their friends who are 19 who have already started their papers. I am coming to see that a mission is such a valuable experience, and it makes me so happy to think of how many more girls will get the chance to experience it because of the change. It is a chance to learn about the most important things in life, while sharing them with others as well. I loved the talks a lot, especially Elder Holland's and Elder Uchtdorf's. He said something along the lines of, "We are not headed in the right direction if we are not connecting to those we love everyday." I have found that my happiest and most successful days here—and just in life in general—are when I connect with someone. That is what I love, and I hope to make that my goal on my mission. I can sometimes get caught up in all that I don't know here. But when I think about the individuals I am going to teach, I know that what matters is that I connect and care. I can't wait to find out who they are.

Well, I am sorry this is the shortest and most uninteresting email yet. Next week I will try to write earlier when I have more energy. I love you!

Miss you all. I am excited about the next few weeks. I'll just be a hop skip and a jump away from E in London. In moments when I am nervous, wondering where I will be and how in the world I am going to talk religion with Europeans, I keep my favorite hymn line in my head—"I do not ask to see the distant scene/one step enough for me."

Bisous,

Liv

une autre semaine au MTC.

Chere famille,

 

Yesterday we pulled out a map of France with our mission boundaries drawn in, and we all sat on the floor looking at the names of cities and towns and regions. They are all just words now, but in three weeks we will be in one of those spots on the map. We have talked about how it will be the disbanding of the Fellowship and we will be off to be brave and do what we went to do. I can't believe it. We have been here for such a while that it seemed like we were never going to leave. The MTC really is a time warp. But it's real! And we are going! I know it is still three weeks away, but it is going to fly. Things have already started speeding up so much, I can't believe it is P-day again. This last week was really good. With the realization that we will be leaving in three weeks came the realization that we will be speaking real French, which means really really fast French. We decided we needed to step up our game. So yesterday we spoke just in French for the whole day. It was so fun and I am in awe at the people in my district. They have learned so much French in the past few weeks and are speaking it WELL. C'est une miracle! There are three French Elders in our zone who are going to Tahiti, and our Elders take every chance they get to talk to them. It is kind of hilarious/endearing/maybe sometimes Soeur Hill and I are embarrassed for them. But hey, they are learning real French and the Frenchies have a little fan club. I have only seen them try to avoid our Elders once or twice.

 

We go to the TRC on Thursdays, and last Thursday we taught a man who speaks 10 languages. 10! And he has the coolest stories. He and his wife met in Paris, met the missionaries, had never even opened a Bible or prayed, and then he said, "I read the Book of Mormon and I prayed and I felt it in my soul and my life has never been the same since that moment and I've never looked back." And they got married in the Bern temple like you! And then they traveled everywhere. Such a cool guy. It was so funny though, whenever we said things like "So how did you end up in Provo?" he would say "Non! Nous sommes en France!" Wanted to fully live the experience I suppose. And then as we were leaving he said, "Come back tonight and my wife will cook you a delicious meal." Ha. We wish. Don't get our hopes up.

 

So our Elders kept on talking about how skilled one of the French elders was at playing foursquare, and I always scoffed at the way people talked about foursquare at the MTC. But they wouldn't stop talking about it, so we headed up to the foursquare courts by the temple and the French elder (who we lovingly call 'The Baker'. He just LOOKS like he owns a bakery in France. As one of our Elders said, 'I just can't look at him without imagining a chef hat on his head, and baguettes in his arms.' You would understand if you saw him.) and we played foursquare. It was hilarious. Who knew it could get so crazy and competitive. I took some video that I will have to show you, comentary and all ("Aaaand Price is back in after a four-year break. He blames it on his 'hammy' but we all know there were some personal issues going on. Let's see if he can prove himself in these Olympic games.')

 

On Saturday we had an adventure. Soeur Hill has had an ear ache for the past little while and it got worse and worse. So we went to the front desk and before we knew it we were at the Health Center down the street and then the next thing you know we are at Rite Aid. RITE AID! It was so weird to be in Provo, at places where I have lived and shopped. And just to reinforce the rest home MTC analogy, we were shuttled there in a van. To get prescriptions. And we had to ask the lady at the cashier to call the MTC to pick us up. My pride has flown out the window. But when we got back to the MTC we had missed lunch, so they took is into the inner sanctum of the cafeteria, which we were embarassingly excited for. It was another world, I have never seen an entire room full of eggs in my life. We were so excited thinking they would say 'Open the fridge, have what you want!' But all that was left were two cold hamburgers. Not into that. So we ate cereal in the empty cafeteria. An anti-climatic end. BUT the adventure may continue today, because she has to go see a specialist somewhere, so back to the shuttle we go!

 

Mom asked me what Sundays are like here. Franchement, they are very long. Esp. Fast Sundays. But I really enjoy them! We have our Sacrament Meeting at 8, then Relief Society, then study time, then meetings sometimes, then our temple walk, and then district meeting, and then a fireside. My branch President's name is President Zimbelman, and they are all great. I haven't been called out of the audience yet to give a talk, but I did say a prayer. I think I may be safe though, becuase we only have a few Sundays with General Conference and all.

 

We have been doing a lot of practice contacting activities lately outside and I actually really like it. There are moments were it freaks me out, especially this thought--just imagine this: A silent metro with people going to work, and I walk up to them and talk to them about religion. At first, and often still, it worries me. But one of my teachers has been so great at explaining what we are doing. She just said that you are you and you know who you are and you believe in something beautiful and you want other people to be able to have it. With that in mind, I feel much more comfortable. And yes, it is something that seems a little abnormal, but I like people and talking to people about what is meaningful to them, so I cannot WAIT to do it in France. Our teacher has also been telling us about her experiences in France and every time my heart just starts beating faster and I realize I will be there. When I get overwhelmed by it, I love to read this scripture:

For your Father, who is in heaven, knoweth that you have need of all these things.Therefore, let the morrow take thought for the things of itself.Neither take thought before hand what ye shall say; but treasure up in your minds continually the words of life, and it shall be given you in the very hour that portion that shall be meted unto every man.D&C 84:83-85

 

I love the idea of treasuring up the words of life. As we live and study and experience, we treasure up in our hearts and minds what we have learned. And then we get to share them with others. I love hearing about what other people treasure up themselves. I can't wait to meet people and find out what they love and believe.

 

I must be off, I reserved a violin and I am going to go play for a while. Elder Barr is an amazing pianist so we are going to try to find something to play.

 

Tell me how you are. I think about you always.

 

I love you oh so much.

 

Love

 

soeur liv rhondeau