Happy Real Thanksgiving!

Salut!

 

Over the last few weeks, Sœur Stahly and I have been convinced that Thanksgiving occured on the third Thursday of every Novemeber. We were telling EVERYBODY. The nice old lady on the bus, our sweet American-obsessed amie who was sure it was on the 28th, every member of our ward. Feasts were scheduled, paper turkeys were made. And then we found out it was this week. Oh the shame. Confessionals were made, dinners rescheduled, I can't believe how many times my pride has been smashed on my mission. It is hilarious. Happy Thanksgiving though!

 

We had some really cool lessons this week. We focussed a lot on listening. I think it is really amazing what you can discern and understand about someone just by listening. So often we are so focussed on being understood that we forget to understand. We went to teach Manon this week about the Premortal Life. She loved it. As we talked about it her face just got brighter and brighter. We asked her what this meant to her, to know that she lived with God before she said, "It means that He knows me. It means that He loves me. It means that He made a plan and we made a promise." I loved that. The idea of a promise is so beautiful. We have taught that lesson a few times this week and it is one of my favorites. When we asked our amie Luce the same question she said, "To me it means that all of us are really good at heart. And that maybe our goal in life is to find or refind that goodness and make it brighter." It is such an innate feeling. It just feels right that we existed before this life, and that God knows us.

 

A few months ago I started talking to a girl on the train from Maldavie. We hadn't been able to meet with her, due to a lack of communication skills (i.e. last time we tried to set up a rdv with her, she was at the Eiffel Tower waiting for us ... ) but yesterday she came to Versailles. We went to the Church and ate dinner together and then taught a lesson. Or attempted to. We hadn't realized how little French she spoke or understood (the Eiffel Tower incident should have been our first clue ... ), so Google translate came to the rescue. And it was the coolest thing ever. It was like watching someone be uncoded. We would just wait for her response to our questions as she tapped them in. She has the most beautiful testimony of Christ. Her mom died two years ago, and she was in a place of a lot of sadness. Then she said she prayed and found God and knew that Christ understood her pain. She grew up going to Church with her mom, but the rest of her family doesn't go anymore after she died and now she is the only one who is still praying and hoping. She is so cool. My favorite part about Google translate is that it takes a few seconds for it to analyze what is being said, so before you finish one word it tells you it means something else. My favorite? "Jesus Buckwheat" always appeared before it changed to "Jesus Christ." It's the little things :)

 

Today we are heading back to my old area to go visit Prisca! I can't wait. So good to see old friends.

 

I love you. Have the happiest Thanksgiving.

 

xoxo

 

Sœur Rhondeau

Me & Thithanh

Dear family,

 

Remember when we were in New Zealand and Naomi and Daniel got lice? And remember how it was my biggest fear and I was paranoid for weeks and weeks and would check my hair every night even though I was just fine? Well apparently that wasn't funny or scarring  enough, so the fates decided to give it another go. Cue the following statement that was said to me not once but TWICE this week from two different investigators:

 

"Sorry the house is such a mess, I am so tired — all my kids got lice this week and I have spent all my time trying to get rid of it."

 

Cue Sœur Stahly and I exchanging glances, and me quickly puling my long hair up. Then my head starts itching. And then I am at the pharmacy buying a special comb called the ASSY 2000. And then Sœur Stahly is combing through my hair while I read her stories from the Bible in French. I lived my life in fear for three days. The anti-climatic and very happy end to this story is that I am lice free. But I am apparently still very paranoid.

 

And that sums up our week nicely. Random and funny, but sometimes a little ridiculous. The highlight of my week was last Pday when we went to Paris to meet up with one of Sœur Stahly's old investigators from Cholet. Her name is Thithanh, and I had already heard so many stories about her that I thought there was no way she could actually live up to the stories. She did. In fact she exceeded everything I had heard. She has lived one of the saddest craziest lives in the world. Sœur Stahly contacted her on her birthday. She let them come right up to her house. She said it was the first time in her life that she felt loved. She has been homeless, she has been a drug addict, she has been a parachuter in the army (so cool!) and she has been abandoned. When we were at lunch I asked her how she found God. She said she was in the hospital one day ready to just give it all up, when she prayed and God told her that life was worth living because He loved her. And I am so happy He did, because she changed my life. There is literally not an OUNCE of judgement in her and she is like a little kid. Just happy to know you and easy to laugh and so kind. We walked around Paris and laughed so hard at all of her crazy crazy life stories. Like when she was a kid she was in a roller derby in Paris that would do all these crazy race courses on Trocadéro. Or how she decided to be a parachuter (sp?) because she had always wanted to be a bird. Or how when she prayed to God to ask her what she should do about her family, the response was "Love them anyways." And so she does.  I love spending time with all of these unsung heroes of the world. They are teaching me so much about what it means to be Christlike. They are teaching me what it means to love. There should be movies or books about them.

Stahly & Thithanh chatting.

Chantale et Chloe. Wonderful recent converts who made us delicious African food last night. They are the best.

 

That night we had a family night with the Taveres family. We talked about eternal families, and how what we have on earth is not just here, but it is a relationship that is eternal. No one they have lost is really lost, and what they have can be for forever. I love that every time we ask someone on the street what makes them happy, or what the meaning of life is, the answer every single time is family. And I am so thankful to know that because of the Restoration we are eternally bound together. Such a beautiful thing. I loved something that Frere Taveres said about the reason we have families. He said, "La famille est l'école de l'amour." Yes yes yes. They came to Church again yesterday and it is such a joy to be with them.

 

We also had exchanges in Paris this week, and Elder Osguthorpe and Elder Ridd visited our mission and it was WONDERFUL and there is never enough time to tell you about my week. One day not too far in the future we'll chat about it around the table. I love you and miss you. Beaucoup beaucoup beaucoup. Wishing you all a happy, lice-free week.

 

Love

 

Olivia

Pretty Paris turning into winter.

 

1 The theme of our District this transfer is Harry Potter. We were sorted into houses and everything. The gospel parallels are great. And we WILL win the house cup. Wands whittled by Elder Wilson.

 

2 The whole group.

 

3 Us and Silan after our RDV. She let us ride her bike and I haven't been that happy in a long time.

 

Voila! Bonne semaine tout le monde!

Mes chères,

 

You know those periods of time in your life when you sort of feel like you are in a rut? Like you want to have the desire to be and become and learn and grow, but you just can't quite seem to muster up the strength to do it? You are just tired. I have to admit that the week before this one, that is how I felt. Just kind of worn out. And it worried me a little bit. I don't want to just sit and watch time pass. So I was thinking and praying about this, when I found a lovely little quote:

 

Those who bring sunshine to the lives of other cannot keep it from themselves.— J M Barrie.

 

I like that. That you cannot possibly share light with others, without keeping it from yourself. And it's true! I really felt the difference this week in looking for even the smallest ways to share sunshine (sounds like a cheesy phrase, but whatevs. I also really dislike the song "Scatter Sunshine" and now it sounds like I am skipping down the streets of France singing it. But I digress ... ) with people around me. And it is fun.

 

Remember that woman we contacted who then took us to her house to show us where she lived? We have been teaching her, and I just really really like her. She is very calm and deliberate in how she learns about the gospel. And just answered the question to be baptized with "Well if it is true, then what would be stopping me?" That is a pretty courageous way to live. The women that I have met on my mission are just the coolest. I wish everyone knew them.

 

We went to visit Manon this week with our friend Silan from the ward. We all sat on the hospital bed while we taught and laughed at how hilarious this situation looked. And then Manon cried about life and Silan was so sweet in comforting her, and I just felt happy again.

 

The family Taverez who came to Church last week came again and they are a rockstar family. A member accidentally mistook me for one of their daughters and then they offered to adopt me and I almost said yes because I love them that much. They are a breath of fresh air. Fun and sincere and it is so cool to see the people that God has prepared. This ward is lucky to have them.

 

Also, one of my favorite moments this week was when we were in St Germain to meet an amie there. I LOVE our African amies. With all my heart. And I love the instructions that are sometimes given to us on how to get to their house.

 

"Just go to the hospital and then the apartment is by there."

 

 "Do you have an address you could give us? We only have a map."

 

 "No just ask someone where the police station is and you will find it."

 

 "Wait I thought you said the hospital?"

 

 "Well it is a few streets away from there."

 

"Ummm ... "

 

So we walked around in the pouring rain for an hour and we never found it. May be one day we will meet Sophia.

 

Each one of these moments just made me feel happier again and regain the desire to keep on keepin' on. And it is the little things we do that and that other people do that make our days brighter.

 

Je vous aime!

 

Sœur Rhondeau

Hello mes chères!

 

Due to lack of energy and health, this week I am going to keep it short and simple. Sooo, top ten moments of the week, accompanied with pictures.

 

Countdown:

 

10. Teaching Florence and her little girls the first lesson while she did weaves in their hair. Little African girls are heroes and they have the hardest heads in the world. We played charades after as well. So fun.

 

9. Passing by an old ami named Ulrich that we found a while ago but hadn't gone back, only to find that he had STILL been reading the Book of Mormon since the first time we passed by. And he told all his friends that he was meeting with Mormons. They told him to stop, but he said no. We read a chapter of the Book of Mormon and had a really lovely discussion while he cleaned off his Nikes on the terrace.

 

8. Halloweeeeeen! Which they actually don't understand in France. The few attempts that we saw were adorable and admirable. We dressed up as each other. Skirts shirts coats tags and all. It was fun to be Sœur Stahly for a day.

 

7. Sœur Stahly's birthday! We celebrated at the family Grenier's house, where they made us a delicious lunch and Sœur Grenier chopped off all of Sœur Stahly's hair.

 

6. Almost getting mugged by gypsies in Paris. Saved by a man walking down the street.

 

5. RDV with our amie Sœur Gomila. She is so so wonderful, I don't know if I have mentioned her before. She is so bubbly and happy and we have lots of fun with her. She is preparing for baptism, and it is so fun to be along for the ride.

 

4. Meeting a cute little family while waiting in line to do my legality. I offered one of the little boys a tic tac, and then his five siblings suddenly appeared too with hands outstretched  "Puis-je avoir un tic tac? S'il te plait? Un seul? Ou peut etre quatre?" Another favorite conversation:

"Where are you from?"

"America"

"No you aren't you are lying. Why are you speaking French then?"

"We aren't lying! I promise, we are American but we are living here."

"No you are not you are lying."

"I promise! Listen, we are going to speak English."

"... hmm I still think you are lying."

Well. We did all we could to prove ourselves. Didn't work.

 

3. Going back to Nancy for legality! It was so interesting and strange and wonderful to be back. I started legality there, and you have to finish it where you start. I showed Sœur Stahly around and we met up with Sœur Bradley, and I really do love that ville. There was a carnival going on AND there were pumpkins all over Place Stan.

 

2. Seeing my favortire all time people Marjana and Donald in Nancy! It was like being reunited with long lost family members. I love them.

 

1. A family called us Saturday night to tell us they were coming to Church. They have some friends in the states who are members, and they have read just about everything you can read, and their girls are already starting personal progress. They came to Church and we ADORE them. They have two daughters, and they are just the sweetest parents in the world. They stayed for a baptism after, and I played my violin and Stahly gave a talk and it was just a lovely day.

 

Donc. Sorry for the fragmented details of the last week. Not feelin so swell, so this will have to do. I'll leave you with a beautiful quote that Soeur Stahly shared with me:

 

"Gratitude is a quality I have found in every happy person I know." —Elder Wirthlin

 

Have a happy and gratitude-filled week. 'Tis the season.

 

Love you!!

 

Sœur Rhondeau

pics — I forgot to tell you that we went to the top of the Eiffel Tower! So magical. And we made the caramel apple cake recipe that E sent for Stahly's bday — SO GOOD!