Famille,
It was so lovely seeing all of your faces on Christmas. It already feels likes years ago, but it gave me the reassurance that you are all still there and will still be there when I get back. We have recovered from the foie gras and cavier, and are feeling a little bit like the poor french Christmas goose that they stuff till it dies. But we are alive and well and living off of salads for the rest of our livesssss. Je rigole. It was great. And the members here are fantastic. Just pray that I don't have to eat another slab of foie gras. One member kept on saying "Pourquoi est-ce que vous mangez come un petit oisseau?! Mange!"
This week was great. We had exchanges and I went to Quimper (Mom, can you believe it?! It is all coming full circle . . . ) with Soeur Bracken. Soeur Bracken was in my ward at BYU, and we both got our calls around the same time. Sometimes in the middle of knocking on doors, or walking down the 'Chocolat'esque streets, we would look at each other and say, "A few months ago we were sitting in mission prep in church together in Provo, and now we are in FRANCE being real missionaries!" Isn't time the funniest thing? It just keeps on moving and eventually something that was just an idea in your mind comes into full fruition. And suddenly you aren't just imagining a future event, you are living it. Such a strange, and oddly comforting thing. Time just keeps on moving foreard. I loved Quimper. It was really different from Rennes--much smaller, much quieter and a lot more old people. I forget sometimes that Rennes is such a universtiy city, with a lot of energy. Quimper was so so quiet. It was really hard to find people who were interested there, but we went porting and met some great characters. We ported into a man named Yves who was probably in his 80s, he was the kindest man and said he wasn't interested. Soeur Bracken asked if we could at least leave him with a prayer, and he was surprised but said yes. We said a prayer for him, asking Heavenly Father to watch over him and protect him and comfort him. When I opened my eyes after the prayer there were tears running down his face, and he just held his head in his hands and sobbed. He then told us that his wife had died recently and how alone and far away from her he has felt, until that moment when we prayed. He was embarassed, and started closing the door, but then we were able to testify of the Plan of Salvation, and how he will see his wife again. He smiled, continued to sob, and closed the door and asked us to come back another time. It was so heartbreaking. But it was also hopeful, being able to share this message with someone who is in such need of comfort. I love that hope is ultimately what the gospel gives to people.
After sleeping over in Quimper and spending the day there, coming back into Rennes on the train felt like coming home, and it was so good to be back! Soeur Pymm and I have started teaching a family from the Congo who are just incredible. Yesterday when we were teaching them he told us that he has already read the Book of Mormon and he knows that it is the word of God. Sitting and talking with him is so enlightening and he is so insightful. He talked about how life becomes better when you embrace God's love. Not because life gets easier, but because you have the hope and trust and faith to overcome things. And then he said, "You just wake up in the morning, put your feet on the ground and say I am going to work the best I can today. I am going to apply the things I know to be good. I am going to work. When you work on what is right, God blesses you." I just love the simplicity in which he sees life. And their lives haven't been easy, but they have amazing faith. It reminded me of a quote from Elder Holland that I found that said:
"The formula of faith is to hold on, work on, see it through, and let the distress of the earlier hours--real or imagined-- fall away in the abundance of the final reward."
So voila. Hold on, work on, and see it through. We have a day filled with New Years celebration. We are going to "THE bash of the year" with DJ Hustler tonight. Just kidding, those posters are everywhere though and we laugh everytime we see it. We are actually going to an adorable little family's house to ring in the new year. Not quite DJ Hustler, but definitely more entertaining. ALSO, this week was Soeur Pymm's birthday and I managed to shove 22 CANDLES in an orange for her birthday. We were so sick of sweets that we couldn't do cake. And then we blew up those bubble ballons and did wish paper wishes. Pictures to come next week. Also, we have been tracking down this Asian family named the Ho's who are inactive. Last night we finally found their appartment building and we sonner her and she answers and says "No one is here you can't come up." When we told her well, YOU are there, can we at least bring you something? She replied "cough cough cough I am so sick cough cough" She needs to work on her acting skills. It was hilarious. Soeur Pymm and I laughed the whole way home. Why people fear two little American girls so much is beyond me. Well, I must be off.
I love you all!
beaucoup beaucoup d'amour,
Liv
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