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| on the train going to paris for the conference |
Dear family,
This week was really wonderful. There was a conference in Paris, we went to Nancy for legality, and the sun is shining today. I also lost our phone on the train but I don't even want to talk about it. So the conference was beautiful. Elder Kearon came to speak to us and he was so refreshingly real and his British accent was lovely. Just so many beautiful phrases and witty remarks. What I really loved was his overarching message: We are here to help God's children come home. And He wants them home because he loves them. Thus, what missionary work is is a labor of love, and we should never forget that. Cheers cheers and Amen.
So I had to finish my legality in Nancy and Soeur Lefrandt and I felt like we were going on a roadtrip. We had peanut M&Ms, we had our weekend bags, we had so much fun. Sad news is that I walked in to the office and they said "You can only pick up your visas on Wednesday." Would have been nice to know BEFORE we took the train across the country, but ça va. We had a million adventures, I got to see my Albanians for the last time before I come home, and Lefrandt and I had a grand time.
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| in Nancy for my legality BEST EVER! Didn't get my carte de sejour but did get to eat peanut m&ms and road trip with my bff lefrandt! |
Did I ever tell you about the sushi restaurant by our house? Well there is a sushi restaurant that has Miso soup and cabbage salad for a euro and it has become one of our favorite spots. Soeur Lefrandt and I have also been thinking a lot about finding new people to teach, and we were praying specifically for someone we could teach. And Soeur Lefrandt was like "I just think they are going to be Asian. I just feel it." So we went to celebrate Chinese New Year at the sushi place (I know I know, sushi is Japanese) and by the end of the night we were best friends with the girl that works there who is adorable and from China. She gave us free cakes and then said "Do you guys want to go to the swimming pool with me tomorrow?" I had to stop myself from saying YESSSSSHHH! and instead said "Well we can't go swimming, but can we make American food together this week?" Keep it cool Rhondeau, keep it cool. We have a new friend and she is adorable. And God leads us in mysterious ways.
We came back from Paris and Nancy and the week was nearly over, but we continued to see so many happy things. Paula is a miracle. At church she pulled me aside and told me she had a big concern. Of course, my heart drops and I am thinking of all of the possibilities and she says "I have been studying tithing and the thing is I can't pay it. I don't have an income. But I want to pay it SO BADLY and so I was wondering if I could clean the church instead? Is there anything I can do to make up for it? I wish I could pay because I kinow that some of it goes towards helping you missionaries, and I want more missionaries to go out and one day I want Maria to go." She is a powerhouse and the sweetest example to me. She has already scouted out a church by her mom's house in Brazil and has sent her the address and asked us to send the missionaries to her.
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| with Sarah. She said the most epic prayer for me and Lefrandt this week, holding hands and all. And she prayed that we would find good husbands for about five minutes. With faith like Sarah's, our future is set :) |
I just love all of these people and I think the most beautiful and favorite part of my mission is feeling how much God loves them. Not one of them less than another. And like Elder Kearon said, God just wants them to come home happy and fulfilled. And he wants you to come home happy and fulfilled. Soeur Lefrandt and I have been talking lately about how hard things don't have to be bad things, and easy things aren't always good things. Missions are hard and life is hard, but it is all strengthening us to become. And as we become we search for joy, a joy that is lasting. I love this quote that has been a favorite of mine throughout my mission:
"His gift to those who testify of Him is not freedom from hard work or sorrow or stretching but the surety that every ounce of effort in His name is an investment in joy."
So every time we go through something hard or stretching, it is an investment in joy. The more we are expanded and stretched, the more room for growth and real joy. So those are my scatterbrained sushi-nancy-joy-paris-joy-
I feel like my mission has been a quest for joy, and life is a quest for joy and everyone we talk to is on their own quest for joy. I love that we are all in it together and that God has provided a way for us to find it. Je vous aime. Always always. Have a great week!
xoxo
Soeur Rhondeau
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