la.la.liv

Bonjour tout le monde!

 

This week was, as the French say, trop bizarre. But bizarre also makes things a little more interesting and adventurous. Lessons in hospital rooms, every single one of our amis canceling lessons, wading through cold baptismal fonts, playing a violin in a parking lot, becoming friends with the Spanish guitar player on the metro etc. See? Bizarre, but fun.

 

On Wednesday we got a call from the Paris sisters that they had met a woman a while ago who wanted to meet with us, but she was recently admitted to a hospital in our area. So Sœur Stahly and I headed to Le Vésinet hospital, which turns out looks more like an estate you would see on Downton Abbey. We searched for her room and had to make our way up multiple different staircases, but eventually we found it. It is a hall specifically for young single immigrant moms who are pregnant and cannot take care of themselves alone, and need some extra care. Her name is Manon and she is from the Congo. She is soft-spoken and kind, and just calm. She sat on her hospital bed and listened as we talked about The Plan of Salvation, and then we listened as she told us her story. She still has two young children living in the Congo, but she can't get their paperwork, so she is here just waiting and waiting and working. She said she feels alone and sometimes she asks herself why she ever even left Congo. She said, "We come here searching for a better life, and then we wonder why we ever left our home." The whole time her eyes were just welled up with tears, and then she started talking about Jesus. She believes that with him all is possible and that she will be happy again. Her roommate was curled up in the bed next to her just listening to the lesson. She will be there for 7 MORE MONTHS. Your heart just aches with them.

 

A response we get often when we talk about God and hope to people is, "I can't believe there is a God when there is so much bad in the world. There is too much suffering, too much evil. I mean, I look at people in Africa suffering ..." And then I want to say this: those are the people we teach, who are full of more hope and love and faith and goodness than anything or anyone I have ever experienced auparavant (before). It is not their suffering that takes them further from God, but closer. Their example is what has brought me closer to God and to feeling His love. So believing in God isn't about having an easy life or a naive life. It is about living a hopeful life.

 

After we visited Manon we stopped by to say hello to my Host Mom from study abroad, who lived really close to the hospital. She was thrilled to see me, and I was so thrilled to see her. She pulled up right as we walked to the door and she said "C'était le Saint Esprit qui vous a guidé chez moi aujourdhui!"  We sang a hymn with her, and drank tea in the house that hasn't changed one bit since I lived there. It was such a fun little moment to see how nothing had changed, but so many things had changed. It was also great to actually be able to speak to her this time around! She was SO excited to hear news of Claire as well :)

 

There were two baptisms at the Versailles ward this week, both of which were for other wards in the stake, and both of which Sœur Stahly and I were in charge of getting ready for. So we get there early and turn on the water to the font, and I go and practice my violin in the chapel. 15 minutes before the first baptism we go to turn off the water only to find out that it is only about knee deep, and the water is freezing cold.So Sœur Stahly takes one for the team, and goes into the font to try to fix the drain. A few pots of boiling water and a miracle later, the little boy was getting ready to walk down the stairs into the water. I leaned over to Stahly to ask her if she had warned them that the water wasn't hot. And her eyes got reeealy big. Oops. She replied "Well, at least his face will be memorable when he gets in the water?" It sure was. The second baptism of the day was for a girl who found the Church through reading Rockstar Diaries (a blog written by a mormon). She is an adorable French girl, and was so so happy. Cool huh? Lots of ways to be a missionary. I played the violin for her baptism and it went really well. Theeen we had the ward talent show and the missionaries did an absolutely disastrous rendition medley of "I Hope They Call Me on a Mission." As one of the Elders said, "I got stage fright! I panicked! I didn't know what to do with my hands!" I think we all did. It. was. hilarious.

 

So there you have it. A few small stories from our week bizarre. Someday I will tell you the rest of them when I have more time. I hope you are all doing well and are happy and healthy. I love you avec tout mon cœur.

 

Love,

 

Olivia

 

p.s. I just received news from Sister Chaston that Elder Chaston had a heart attack this week and is in the hospital in Nancy.  Keep them in your prayers please!