la.la.liv

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.