Famille!
Today the sun is shining for the first time in a few weeks, and I feel like that perfectly explains our week: the sun finally came out, and we got past our month of what felt like rough patch after rough patch after rough patch. It was a great week, still full of a lot of hard things, but the good things definitely outweighed them. Firstly, we have a shower. That is definitely the first thing that went on our list of miracles we have hanging up in the house. But the most important miracles were these:
I cut Soeur Johnson's hair and I didn't ruin it! Miracle! It was my first time cutting hair and I chopped a few inches and gave her bangs and it was actually kind of therapeutic to cut hair, which sounds totally creepy. Mais bon, c'est vrai. As I was cutting it I just kept imagining Mom cringing and closing her eyes.
We went to teach some of the families we had ported into the week previous, and it went so well. One of the families is from Haiti, and they weren't super thrilled to have us over, until they asked "Wait, are you Mormons?" We confirmed that yes, we were indeed the Mormons. I was expecting to be run out of the house at their realization of who we were, but the mom exclaimed, "Yay! My daughter lives in Canada and she was just baptized and we have been really wanting to know all about your religion." Coincidence that we ported into them, out of all the thousands of people in our area? I think not. We taught them and they were very insightful and had a lot of really great questions. We are going back this week to teach them, and they were so excited that we have the Book of Mormon in Creole, and that I can say a few measly phrases of Creole. I love the joy it brings people when I muster up a "Sak ap fet?" I have Elder Louis to thank for that with our Creole phrases in the MTC.
We were thinking a lot about Alexi this week and wondering where in the world he was, and one night we decided to try to stop by his apartment one last time. We knocked on the door and he answered. IL EST TOUJOURS VIVANT! His face lit up when he saw us and he told us he was on the brink of going to a pay phone to try to call us, because he didn't have any credit on his phone and we hadn't called him. Ummm turns out we forgot that he had given us a new number and that he had changed his. Not kidding. Oops. He told us about how he had to leave last minute to the North of France, and that he has been looking for work like crazy, but has been hoping we would call. He is still reading the Book of Mormon and tonight we are having a family night with him and a young couple in our ward. We walked out of the apartment building and jumped up and down and hugged and called the District Leader to tell him that Alexi has not actually been deported and that he still wants to get baptized. Our District Leader said, "Wow you guys sound even more excited than when you called to tell me that your shower got fixed." Yes. It was that exciting.
Yesterday we went porting and it was really fun, it reminded me of why I love being a missionary. We chatted with people, met a few great families who we are going to go teach, and just had fun. As we were porting there was this elderly guy working in his courtyard in the garden and we said bonjour and started to talk to him. He is from Spain, and was speaking the craziest Espagnol Francais (Franspagnol?) I have ever heard. He talked all about how we talk about God, but we don't live Christlike lives and then told us all about the plants in his garden. As we were leaving he pointed at me and said "You are going to find a beautiful fiance who is going to find good work and you will live beautifully!" So, according to the old Spaniard in Savigny, my future is set.
The sad news of the week is that Eugene called us to say he doesn't want to study with us anymore. His family told him a bunch of crazy stuff about us and it looks like he got scared off. I will miss our tea and cake Saturdays chez Eugene, but I am happy that I had the chance to meet him. The other sad news is that the Patriarch in our ward passed away this week. We went to his funeral this morning and it was really neat. He was a superstar kind of guy. In the Marines, first person to join the church in his family. A woman came up to me after the funeral and told me that he was the kind of guy who "When he looked at you, he saw you for who you really were." I loved that. I want to be that kind of person who sees people for who they are and sees all the good inside of them. I am so thankful for all of these amazing people I meet who make me want to be better and learn from them and take pieces of what I learn from them in order to become more myself.
Last night we went over to the Lopez (a family in our ward) house and made empanadas around the table and talked. They are from Venezuela and a couple who is from Ecuador came over too. It sounds strange, but France has taught me to really love South American culture. I love it! They are so lively and open and full of love. The empanadas were amazing and I have a new life goal: learn Spanish. Such a beautiful language.
This week is going to be busy—tomorrow I am going to Belgium with my MTC group (yay!) to do legality and then the next day we have exchanges with Caen. Things are going well here in Melun. I am learning more and more that what this is all about is helping people realize that they are loved by God, and that there is a purpose for this life. Thanks for your prayers. I really felt them this week. I love you!
Love,
Olivia
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