Hello! 

This week was a record breaking streak of people bailing on lessons and all of our rdv's falling through. On Saturday, as we waited at the gare and in the midst of a phone call that confirmed our seventh lesson in a row falling through, I started to feel sorry for myself. You know: it was hot, I was thirsty, why was nobody following through, it smells like alcohol, is there anyone in the world who even cares etc, etc. As we were sitting there, one of the elder's amis named Solomon saw us sitting there, and came and took a seat and started to talk. He taught us a few phrases in his native Italian, and we talked about the weather, and then Solomon began to tell us his story.  How he had to leave his comfortable home in Eritrea because of political unrest, how he drove across the Saharan desert and then took a boat to Italy, and then got kicked out of Italy, and then came to France where he slept on the ground or on a bench for months and months, and then how he finally got in to a homeless shelter when he moved to Nancy. So he is talking about all of these insane hard things and you know what he says?

 "It is a miracle and a blessing. I have a bed to sleep on, and friends who have been led to me so that I am not alone! Never once did God leave me. He has been with me the whole time. I see Him everywhere."

If that isn't enough to whip you back into shape and start counting your blessings, I don't know what is. After he left, it suddenly didn't seem too hot and the dropped appointments were not the end of the world. Never once does God leave us. Because there is nothing we could do or be or say that could change the fact that He loves us. I am so thankful for the examples of the people I meet. They are humbling and beautiful examples to me of how to live, and how to focus on the ground we have won, and not the ground we have lost. Like the woman with a puppy name Vanille who we met at the bus stop and wants to start meeting with us, or the lady we got to pray with in the middle of the street who hasn't prayed since she was young, or our Anna who continues to amaze me with her faith. The good far outweighs the hard. 

The Albanians are still as cute as ever, and every time we are with them you just can't help but be happy. Really, it is the most amazing thing. They just are happy, and in turn you can't help but be happy when you are with them. This week we had a picnic and then a lesson with them. They are going to school in September, and they don't speak French, so we have decided to start doing French classes with them once a week. Pretty sure Wednesdays and Thursdays will now be the highlight of my week. 

This week we went to Paris for Soeur Bradley's legality and coming into Paris on the train felt like coming home. I love that city. We stayed the night with Soeur Hoover and Soeur Pymm in their cute Paris apartment and it was such a blast. Soeur Pymm only has one week left on her mission! Whaaat.  I am thankful every day that she was my trainer. She is a best friend and it was so great to be able to see her one last time before she goes home. 

Sorry for the scatterbrained email. I love you beaucoup! I love Nancy too and it is a miracle and a blessing that I have a bed to sleep on, the best companion in the world, and you as my family and friends. Je vous aime, chacun de vous. 

Bonne Semaine!

Love,

Olivia 

photos! enfin!

The theme here seems to be us being overly excited about the drinks in our hands. Let me explain. We discovered a bubble tea drink store right around the corner from us and it is AMAZING. The girl that works there is our friend and she makes us coconut bubble tea without tea in it. And then the elders found Dr. Pepper for us (which is a rare commodity in France) and we were thrilled. And it has been so SO SOOOO hot that liquids have been saving us. 

1. us and our bubble tea

2. dr pepper yaaaaaaaay! 

3. our favorite Armenian friend, Narok. Look at those eyes! TROP MIGNON! 

4. so we were porting the other day and we turned a corner and this is what we found. My heart sang. 

5. so happy! 

6. tea time with the lovely Miss Bradley (p.s. we discovered a new movie that we both love — Strictly Ballroom!)

Buon giorno Principessa!

The sun is OUT and France has started shedding their clothing. The number of 

1. pantless 

2. shirtless or 

3. all of the above 

people that opened their doors to us this week was a little frightening. Soeur Bradley and I had to bite our tongues a few times, just focus on looking at their faces, and try not laugh too hard. 

This week was good. A few ups and downs, but the work is progressing so well in this little ville. Our friend Anna is seriously incredible. This week we taught both the Restoration and the Plan of Salvation. After our lessons she cuts us up amazing amounts of fruit and we sit and talk about life. She told us all about the Armenian quarter in Jerusalem that she lived in for six years, and about living in a city that holds so much history. On Friday she came to translate a lesson for us and she was basically a sister missionary. Defending and testifying of the Book of Mormon. And we have only known her for a little over a week! She came to church with us again on Sunday and the ward loves her and we love her. She is so full of love and thanksgiving all the time. 

Last week the elders met this woman in centre ville who came up to them and told them that she wants to meet with the missionaries. So they sent us her number and we planned to meet her in Centre Ville. Soeur Bradley and I go to our appointed meeting spot and we felt like we were waiting for a blind date or something. We were laughing so hard guessing who it could possibly be. "Oh my gosh it is totally her look she is coming towards us it is definitely — !! Oh wait. Not her." This went on for forty minutes. She eventually showed up and with her son Foued (p.s. we totally thought his name was Fred and he just had a speech impediment and was saying "Fwed." That's a whole other story though) and we sat on the cathedral steps (ironic?) and had a lesson with them. At the end of the lesson she pulled me and Soeur Bradley into her arms, kissed our cheeks and said "Vous etes comme mes filles! Je vous aime!" She is our new fun, whacky and totally full of faith grandma who considers us to be her daughters. So great. 

This week we had an Armenian dinner with the Sevoyans and it was AMAZING. The lesson was a little crazy, with their kids dancing on tables and whatnot, but the food was so good. Mme Sevoyan is so kind. She is one of the purest examples of kindness and selflessness that I have ever seen. 

One of my favorite moments of the week was a miracle that we saw at church. the elders had been telling us about this large group of Albanians that joined the church in Albania and then moved to France, but they haven't been able to find the church in France, etc. So they are sort of like these lost tribes of people in France that the missionaries are always trying to find. The other day the elders were at the gare and this group of kids came running up to them and told them that they were members of the church and if there was a church in Nancy. The elders gave them the card, but then had no way of contacting them because they didn't have an address. They have been praying that they would find them somehow, and then yesterday they walked into church! They are the biggest breath of fresh air I have seen in a while. They don't speak French, but speak a little English and they are ADORABLE. There is a girl that is 18, and then 4 other boys who are younger. Soeur Bradley leaned over to me during the lesson and said "Okay, they are TOTALLY the Albanian version of One Direction or some other boy band." It's the truth. These cute little Albanian boys, some are members, some aren't, and they were just full of so much light. They laughed and smiled and joked, which was a nice change from the sometimes too serious French mentality. And then they would have these beautiful comments full of simple faith. I left the lesson thinking, "I want to be more like them." They have a large family who aren't all members, and this week we set up a time to meet them in a park and teach them. I just love how many people from all over the world bring something so unique and needed to the gospel. They were so fun, and I can't wait to be able to start teaching them and their families. 

Another favorite moment of the week: I forgot to mention the fact that there is basically a wizard store under our apartment. Wands, cloaks, fairies, swords, gems etc etc. I KNOW. Not even kidding. Soeur Bradley and I have been saying that we need to go in soon, so the other day during lunch we went and it. was. epic. We walked in and there was Celtic music playing and we may or may not have done a little Irish jig. They have handcrafted wands. And a replica of King Arthur's round table, with all of the little replica knights that is 450 EUROS. We died. So hilarious. But also legitimately awesome. How in the world do we live over a magic store? Quelle chance. 

Well, I love you a lot. This week was harder, not necessarily because of the work, just because I was feeling a little down and overwhelmed. Sometimes life just gets a little hard, and you feel a little or a lot  tired. But I know that there is always hope and happiness and good things ahead, and that when we trust in God and keep on moving forward, tout sera bien enfin. Voila quoi. 

Je t'aime!

xo

Soeur Rhondeau 

Bonjour!

Last night as we finished up the week, each step I took was a concerted effort. We were TIRED at the end of this week! And while there was a lot of walking and knocking we saw lots of beautiful miracles. The biggest miracle was at the end of this week. Her name is Anna. 

We had exchanges with the Sister Training Leaders this week, and Soeur Bradley was with Soeur Pulupuna. They met Anna while they were porting, and she let them in to teach her. They talked about how much God loves her, and she just started crying and telling them how she doesn't know why, but she has always had a certain feeling and sensitivity when people talk about God. She invited us back the next day. Here is the crazy part though: Lately we have been saying lots of prayers that we could find a way to communicate with our Armenian families. A translator perhaps? Well, guess what? Anna is from Armenia. She speaks French AND English fluently, and is just about the sweetest person we have ever met. When we went to teach her the Restoration, she listened so carefully and had such good questions. And then her adorable Armenian mother came back and prepared us a FEAST of fruit. Every fruit you can imagine. And we sat and talked about Anna's six years living in Jerusalem, and how she has liked France.  Her mom told Anna to tell us to come over whenever we would like and that we are always welcome. Anna came to church yesterday and stayed the whole time. Even after a talk in Sacrament meeting that was less than ideal for an investigator's first time at church, she liked it and we are going over tomorrow to talk about the Book of Mormon. She is an amazing answer to prayer and a wonderful friend. And we are going to make sushi together soon which is pretty great too. 

While on exchanges I was porting with Soeur Tollefson and we ported into a woman who let us in to pray with her. She told us halfway through the lesson that she was actually baptized into our church and that she hasn't been in over 20 years. She was happy to see us and her eyes welled up with tears as we talked about God's love and then asked her if there was anything we could do to help her. She told us about some sad things in her life. Just the day before we had taught a less-active member and shared the scripture in D&C 6, where God is talking to Oliver Cowdery. We changed Oliver's name to be her own, and talked about how God knows us personally, by name. He knows our desires and He knows our heart. The scripture says:

"Behold, thou art Oliver and I have spoken unto thee because of thy desires; therefore treasure up these words in thy heart. Be faithful and diligent in keeping the commandments of God, and I will encircle thee in the arms of my love." 

After we read this scripture, she just cried and talked about how much she needed to feel that love. I thought of this after we ported into the other less-active woman. How out of all of the thousands of buildings in Nancy, we chose hers, and how God knows her by name and wanted her to know that she was not forgotten and that she is loved. 

Our little Armenian families are doing really well — we hit a bit of a communication barrier with the one family that doesn't speak French, but ça va aller. They are so humble. This week when we taught them, after they had explained how hard it has been and how they can't find work, they invited us to eat dinner with them. That just says everything about how generous and good they are. We also met this awesome Muslim family who gave us a puzzle and told us all about Ramadan. They were super excited to meet Mormons because they had seen an X Files episode and there were Mormons in it apparently. From what she was describing, pretty sure they were Amish, not Mormon ... c'est la vie. 

I love you all! 

Love 

Olivia 

and then French language study suddenly became Armenian language study

Happy Fourth of July! We sang the Star Spangled Banner during comp study, wore red, white and blue (just in the apartment. We didn't want to freak people out too much about our American cult.) and made fajitas to celebrate America. Slash Mexico. Because Mexican food is the best and we miss it.  This week was just beautiful. It was one of those weeks where I kept on wondering how I got so lucky to be here. 

At the beginning of the week I was having a "I cannot talk to one more random person on the street and have them reject me" kind of day. But we had 20 minutes left until nine and so we just continued to go. We decided to go contacting in Parc Pepiniere. As we were walking in I saw a man pushing someone in a wheelchair and I felt like I should talk to him. We aren't supposed to contact men though, so I kept on walking and contacted a woman pushing a stroller. She didn't understand what I was saying because she didn't speak French, so she called over the man pushing the wheelchair. He spoke a little bit of French, but not a lot. When I asked what language they spoke he said "Armenian." I don't know what is going on, but apparently we have been sent here to teach Armenians. We asked them if they would be interested in a message about Christ, and he thought we said 'address,' so he pulls out a sheet of paper and gives us his address. Even better! So we took down their information and told them we would come visit them. The next night we found their appartment and taught them. I have never in my life seen people who radiate light as much as they do. The dad and the mom just exude goodness. The Dad's (Zorab) mom and little brother who have epilepsy live with them too. They have been in France for five months and speak hardly any French. What is so beautiful though, is that we can communicate. At the end of the lesson they taught us some Armenian and we practiced and they laughed at us. The next morning we headed to the church to find what we could in Armenian. Bless the soul who translated all of the pamphlets, The Living Christ and Preach My Gospel into Armenian. We printed it out, and also a small guide to learning the Armenian alphabet and continued on our way. 

The next day we were able to take the Armenian pamphlets to the other Armenian family, too. We taught just the mom and it was so great. We found out so much about her — that they were living in a homeless shelter for years, that she has seen God perform miracles in her life, that she adores reading Shakespeare and an Armenian author named Narok — we just really got to know her, and it was so cool to share God's plan with her. A plan that answers the questions that she said she has had "toujours."

Last night we went to teach Armenian family #2, and we knew we needed to go over the Restoration again, but Soeur Bradley and I both felt that we should teach the Plan de Salut. We got there and they seemed a little under the weather, and we started teaching the Plan de Salut. A little ways into the lesson Zorab pointed at his wife, Knarik, and said "Maman, Papa. Mourir. Aujourdhui." Her mom and dad had passed away that very day. We were able to testify of God's plan, that she will see them again. It was one of the most special moments I have experienced on my mission. Then we ate popsicles together and they laughed at our second attempt to speak their language. The amazing thing is how much we really are able to communicate, even when we can't speak the language. We will point to parts of the French pamphlet and then Zorab will read it in Armenian for the rest of the family, and they will discuss it and nod and then look at us when they are ready to keep going. I love the Spirit that is in those lessons — it is real and it feels like light and somehow we are able to enjoy being together and learn about the gospel. They are an incredible family. 

Another great miracle this week was when we went to visit our new amie Juliet. She is the girlfriend of one of the Elders' amis, and is from Nigeria. The Elder's ami is really cool and has an amazing story about living on the streets of France, finding the church, and now is sharing it with all of his pals. She lives in a homeless shelter, and when we got there we taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She told us about her hardships and trials, and how she has lived far too long in the world, and now she is ready to put God first in her life. She said that whenever she has put God first, her life becomes better. We set a baptismal date with her and are going to go visit her again tonight. 

Also, fun moment of the week. We were walking back from our rdv with the Armenian family, and they live right by the parc so we got to walk through Place Stanislas, and there was an outdoor concert where the symphony was playing and there was an opera singer. We couldn't helped but say the creed — Love, joy, beauty! That's what the gospel is, and I love being able to share it with these beautiful souls in France. 

I love you!

Olivia 

Bonjour mes Chères!

 

The day has come: I got on a train to the east and I saw the countryside and open fields of green for the first time in months, and I am officially in my new area of Nancy. I will start from day one, when our new adventure began. I met my new companion Soeur Bradley in Paris, and we lugged our luggage (ha) across the cobblestone to the gare with some help from the Elders (the wheel on my valise got SHREDDED by the cobblestone) and we hopped on a train to Nancy. Soeur Bradley and I started talking and getting to know each other and I asked her what her favorite movie was and she said "Have you ever seen 'A Room With a View?' Just in case that doesn't say enough, let me just tell you this: Soeur Bradely and I are soul friends. This girl is AMAZING. About 20 times a day we say "No way, me too!" She is the most wonderful person who just exudes goodness and love. She lives purposefully and passionately in everything, which I have already seen work miracles in missionary work. I could not be opening this ville without her!

 

We got into Nancy and were welcomed by the senior couple who are here. They are just about the cutest couple in the world, and took us to our new apartment. It is beautiful and is right in centre ville. Then some ward members showed up to welcome us with a French meal. It was so crazy, we were standing there and this kid walks in and he look so familiar and then I realize that it was an Elder from the MTC who I became good friends with! He had to go home for heath reasons, so he is back in Nancy. It was so great to already have a friend and a familiar face. After talking to the ward members for a while we got settled in and started to plan for work in the new ville.

 

It was overwhelming at first wondering where/how to start. So we just went outside and started talking to people. I have never started from nothing before, so it has been an adventure. But people have been so helpful and kind, and we have an awesome equipe of Elders in the ville that help us out a lot. The past few days were spent doing a lot of contacting and porting and me wondering how in the world to get the work going here. Then on Saturday night we found a batiment and decided to port it. About three floors down from the top we knocked on a door and a lady answers and says "Les Soeurs! Come in." We were so confused, but turns out they were a recent convert family. They were wonderful and we shared a message with them, and then continued to port. We knocked on one door where a 13 year old girl and her little brother answered. We told her we were there to teach her about how God loves her and has a plan for her. She told us that her dad wouldn't want us to come in, but then asked us if we could teach her at the door. So we taught a simple version of the Plan of Salvation, and prayed with her. She is so sweet, and we gave her a pamphlet and her adorable lil' brother Maurice was begging for one too. We didn't have another one and he asked "Can you please come back and bring me one?" So cute.

 

After their door we knocked all the way down to the second floor, where we met a family who invited us in to teach them. They didn't speak French very well, and we shared a simple lesson with them and then I asked them where they were from. They are from ARMENIA! I told them that my bestest friend was serving a mission there, which they loved. My heart felt so big during that lesson. I felt like I got to share and understand a piece of what Claire gets to experience in Armenia. They were the most humble, full of love people. The husband told us that he has a very strong faith in Christ, but that he can't accept religion because there are too many religions that have deviated too far from Christ's original church. They then told us how they believe that Christ and God and the Holy Ghost are three separate beings. So while they were happy to meet us, they were not interested in a religion that taught otherwise. The miracle being this: everything they said was exactly what this gospel is about. After the lesson their daughter sang a song for us, and then they invited us back to teach them tonight. They are the miracle of our first few days here. It helped me so much to know that even when I was feeling overwhelmed and lost, we went to the one batiment where there were members who would welcome us and give us the boost to keep going. And then right after that, we met a family. God is watching out for us even when we don't know it.

 

Interesting differences from Nancy to Melun:

— There are a LOT of French people. I kept on looking around the first few days wondering why it felt so different. Then I realized. I miss my Africans!

— It is a really young population, because there are a lot of universities, so there is a high student population

— The population has a lot of Eastern European/Middle Easterns

 

Soeur Bradley and I have so much fun together. Missionary work aside, Nancy is an awesome ville. It is definitely the most 'French' ville I have served in, and is so beautiful. We live right up the street from Place Stansislas and Parc Pepiniere, and each morning we go running through the parc (which apparently has monkeys in it somewhere! We are so excited) and the transportation system is simple, with trams and buses.

 

We have talked a lot about the goal of our transfer, and what we want to accomplish here together. We found a quote in the Liahona from President Monson that says:

 

"Today, have I increased in faith, in virtue, in knowledge, in love?"

 

We put the quote above our mirror, and have decided to make that our mantra to always remember. And on the flipside, asking ourselves the question "Have I helped others increase in faith, virtue, knowledge and love today?" I know that in striving to follow Christ and in sharing his love with others, we really can help others increase in good things. And we don't have to do big things. It is the small things that we do that help us and others become better.  

 

Well, I love you all oh so much. Can't wait to come to this city with you some day. You will love it.

 

Bisous

 

Olivia