la.la.liv

Family,

I can't believe all of the snow you are getting over there! Zut alors! We don't have any snow here, but it definitely feels cold enough to have snow. Remember the type of cold when we were in Zurich that one winter? It feels a little something like that. It just seeps inside of your bones, you know? But I don't know why I'm talking about weather at a time like this. On to more important things! Another week has gone by in Rennes and it feels a little bit like a whole year. We are constantly amazed that we have only been here 3 weeks, as it feels like I almost can't remember NOT being here. We are starting to feel more confortable with the city and know the metro and bus so much better now, that it makes our missionary work a lot easier. 

The sad news of this week is that our investagator that we met last week who was 16 can't meet with us anymore because her parents think we are a cult. Which is sad. It is almost hilarious how many people think we are a cult. Yesterday someone asked me "Do you live in a normal city? Can you go to school?" For a world that is so open minded, people don't seem to think very open mindedly about Mormons. The good news is that we met another girl from the Congo who is fantastic and she came to church with us and is so happy about the gospel. She has been through a lot in her life, and she is in such desperate need to feel belonging. I loved seeing her at church with everyone and how happy she was to have people around her getting to know her. We met another family on the bus and got off to talk to them. They are French and have six (Six! in France!) kids and were very curious and friendly although they are both atheist. We went over to teach them yesterday and it turns out he is the most believing atheist I have ever met. Although he kept on saying he was atheist, he continually basically quoted the Book of Mormon without knowing it. He is only interested in being a part of a church where Christ really is the focus. I loved what he said at one point when he said, "Christ must be fundamentally important, because he defined sacrifice. Before him and after him, we haven't seen anything quite like it." I'm really excited to keep on teaching them and help him realize that he actually isn't atheist. After we gave him a Book of Mormon he jumped up off his couch and said "If you are giving me a book of inspiration, I must give you one as well." So he gave us French poetry books. A French-Italian who reads French poetry, has six kids, thinks he is an atheist and has posters of 2Pac on his wall. Awesome. 

We have been doing a lot of porting this week, and it is probably the hardest thing for me to do as a missionary, so I have tried to just make it fun. We started going to a small town called Bruz right outside of Rennes. The other night we went out to a smaller town to deliver a Book of Mormon someone had requested online. We pull up to the address, and it is this heavily gated building in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. We try to get in. No luck. Then this guy was going in, so we followed him and we enter the building and it is sterile and like a hotel and so bizarre. All I could think of was Rich and Martha and our days of watching LOST because you guys, it was literally like The Others commune. I kept on expecting Ben Linus to walk around the corner. And then we try to leave and we can't get out because you need a key and so we are just stuck there. Eventually I had the bright idea to hop the giant fence, because I couldn't find another way. So I climb my way up it and get over and then slip and am literally dangling from the fence from my scarf. It was hilarious. When we finally got over the fence we just ran to the car and laughed till we cried. So bizarre. Another highlight of that night was being proposed to by this old African man on the metro. I told him I was already engaged and had someone in the US (this is usually good because then they leave you alone) and he said "That doesn't matter, you can be the wife of my spirituality." Weird. Also great was when we were porting and it was pitch black and no one was answering the door and all the sudden the window swings open and a shirtless man is hanging out of it. "Oui?"   

This week is going to be great because President Anderson is coming and we all get to go to Paris to hear him. It will be so fun to see everyone and to hear from him. I love you beyond words. I miss you always, and am so thankful for each of you. 

Love,

Olivia