Bonjour mes chères! Oh la la la la la la it was a good, crazy week. We started it off on Monday night, after our P-day in Paris, teaching a lesson to a stud-wearing, cigarette smoking gangster and his girlfriend while we were porting. They saw us porting and he asked us who we were and we told them and we asked if we could talk to them a little about the Gospel. He said "How much is it?" to which we responded emphatically that it was free, to which he responded, "You want a cigarette?" and then we went to their little smoke break corner in the quartier and taught them the Plan of Salvation. (And I guess I should clarify that we didn't accept the cigarette . . . ) He was so sweet and inquisitive and I don't know that we will ever see them again but it was one of those lessons I know I will never forget. The tangible spirit of hope and love that was there was really cool. There is something about introducing the idea of God and purpose to people for the first time that really brings the most beautiful spirit. So we started our week off with a bang, and it just got better from there. Here is the deal with missionary work: you work all day long, and you see amazing miracles. But in-between those miracles are fun little occurrances that just make you laugh:
— Over the past few weeks we have started to notice that there is a strange amount of q-tips in the most random of places here. On the sidewalks, on doormats, in the train. You name it, there will probably q-tips there. So we have started a little game. Certain colors of q-tips have more points, if you see double q-tips you get tripple the amount of points etc. Just one of those fun little things that makes walking all day fun. And we may or may not get really strange looks when one of us points at a q-tip and yells and claps our hands in joy . . .
— Remember how I had that New Years goal to become BFFs with a boulangere? Well we have this corner boulangerie by our house, and the girl that works there is so sweet. The other night I stopped in to ask her if she knew of any pharmacies that were open. She said that she didn't think so, but we could try up the street. So off we go, and we teach a lesson and there are NO pharmacies open. So we are walking home, and she happens to be walking up the same street and asks if we found the pharmacy, to which we told her non. Donc, she proceeds to take us to her apartment above the boulangerie and give me the medicine I needed and we chatted. New Years Resolution? Check. We love her, she is une ange.
— Souer Bitter and I accidentally bought skirts the exact same color and then accidentally wore them the same day. As we were walking up the street this car pulls over and this guy starts hitting on us and says:
"What team are you on?"
"Huh?"
"You are wearing the same color! I want to be a part of your team. What gang are you a part of?"
"We are missionaries for Jesus Christ."
Yep. We're on Jesus's Team. He left shortly after.
— Trying to explain the game "Mother May I" to five adorable little Chinese/French children and it TOTALLY failing. A makeshift game was created shortly therafter.
— One day this week we met a girl who was about 10 years old and she asked us directions to the gare, and we were VERY far away from it, and gave her directions, but we were worried for her safety, so we proceeded to follow closely behind her to make sure that she made it there. She kept on looking behind her and then walking faster and faster, until we realized that she was probably scared out of her mind that these two people were following her. Oops.
— Eating REAL Mexican food with the American family in our ward, and serving our own plates and talking talking talking. It felt so good.
— Going porting and having a woman open the door while she is (very indiscreetly) breastfeeding her two year old right in front of you.
Just a few fun anecdotes to make you feel like you are here experiencing this with me :)
This Sunday was so great. We had two surprise amis show up at church. One of them is Monsieur Dumas (Remember Marie? Her husband.) and then a man named Romain who came with a friend. They loved it and we were able to set up a rdv tonight with Romain. He is from Guadeloupe and is so sweet and humble. He is in his thirties but reminds me of a little kid: so teachable, and so hungry for knowledge. When we asked him if he was free for a rdv today he was so excited and said that Church made him feel loved. I love that. Then we taught a man name Henri who we ported into. He is Evangelical, but said that he really wants to learn about our church. We taught him about the Restoration, and he LOVED James 1:5. He took notes and wants to come to church next week.
Lately I have been thinking a lot about how free the gospel makes you. There are so many people bound—by addiction, by loneliness, by sadness, by sin. It is easy to feel like you can never be completely whole, or that no one understands. I love that the gospel is about being free from those things that bind us, and allow us to move forward with faith in good things to come. We taught a less active woman who stopped coming to church because her husband passed away and it is too painful for her. She told us she is lonely. As we sat and talked to her, I felt so much of God's love for her, and for God's desire for her to be free from her loneliness and sadness. There is always someone who understands us perfectly, and when we are lonely we can turn to Him. How beautiful.
I love this beautiful gospel and I love you.
Love
Olivia
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