Liberté-Egalité-Fraternité-Free Agency!

6.30.14

French fact: They love their baguettes. Carry them under their armpits on their bikes. Go to the store daily for a fresh one. Yesterday, we saw a priest carrying a baguette into the chapelle for the sacrament. Mort de rire. 

Also, you can park anywhere with your hazards on. Also there are always people doing construction on the sidewalks. One way streets. Tiny streets. Brightly colored houses. Big gardens.

Last p day we had some stellar gelatto. I love it because you can get some crazy flavors here. Mainly I just get chocolate and coconut together. Unless I'm with Soeur Carter and she dares me to do something intriguing and dangerous. Then flavors like lavender comes up, or it ends up having seven scoops on the same cone. Don't go crazy. I guess a theme of this week could be ice cream. It is hot enough here to literally cook things on the black top. Haven't tried, but I have faith. 

missionary tan lines

With all sister missionaries, you get this weirdly placed tan- partial arm, neck, face, and half of your calf down. Then it looks like someone put a white person's foot on your brown leg. Watch tans are also intense. Soeur Baquedano asked me if I went to the beach all day. Nope. 

Anyhow, it's been hot. So people feed us ice cream. Soeur Aceva was the winner with mint and chocolate. Soeur Aceva also literally has a guinea pig petting zoo in her apartment. She's got ten of those little critters because they just keep reproducing and they can't give them away fast enough. 

And we also made rootbeer floats for Soeur Cherry's birthday. So good. On our exchange, we went to their RCM and had chocolate cherry cake and then Soeur Jones made cheesecake. Cake could also be a theme. Someone randomly gave us half a cake at church. It's been a healthy week apparently. 

birthday cake

En route to Soeur Lerbscher's house, we got totally rejected by this guy just as a cop car was driving by. They slowed to a stop, and backed up to where we were standing. Soeur Cherry was freaking out. They were cool though. We chatted about our beliefs-one was a Catholic and the other played American football, so we got along well. Because I am both a religious zealot and an athletic zealot. Left them with the word of God via BOM and our phone number so they can call us up for some real football. 

Then we helped Soeur Lerbscher move out of her prison apartment and into her new one. She wants to put new doorknobs in, but didn't figure that out until after she'd painted over the old ones multiple times. 

Our ami Malo is doing alright. He's 20 and annoying. Also kind of dating the member we were teaching with, so we'll have to find a new one. All he thinks about is women, which is irksome. I have to be really stern and bossy with him. He's getting there slowly but surely. Sonia is doing well. Loved the law of chastity, eternal marriage, and the ten commandments. She's just scared to talk to her husband about coming to church, so we're going to handle that. And also her mom is in the hospital with a hole in her head the size of an oil shaft. Yikes. Valerie is getting there. She just needs to read the BOM and realize that she can come back to church. 

party time!

District Meeting was a good goal setting session. We are doing a Monster 9. Meaning essentially that each day we have really high goals to push us to work harder. For example, give out ten BOMs. I love it though. Soeur Hirschi and I gave out 12 proclamations to the Family and met a funny guy named Hubert. He was having a birthday party picnic for his daughter. He's also moving. He needs our help in so many ways. 

Soeur Luthi and I are doing the 30 day arm workout again and did forty pushups that morning. We also make anyone that comes over participate. So Soeur Hirschi and I told him how strong we were and told him we'd expect an invitation for the demanagement. Also the party. 

I spent an hour calling a bunch of members to try to set up rdvs while we don't have exchanges. And I succeeded. Also, I love the Vendassis and I met a friend of his this week so we're going to party with them. So excited for that.

package received

Church was so good yesterday too. Frere Kevin Dong Kee Tran-Cong taught about our responsibility as parents/missionaries not only to teach our children/amis, but to ensure understanding and application of principles. Then Frere Hoareau spoke about how perfection is being clean from sin, but not weaknesses. We still won't be the best flutist or writer or cooker or whatever. Also, sinning actually creates vulnerabilities for Satan to exploit. 

Richard G. Scott gives a good talk on that called Personal Applications of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, or something along those lines. 

Soeur Koyle issued the challenge for me to hug my companion once a day until we aren't comps anymore. Accepted. I'm a sucker for a challenge. Transfer calls are tomorrow because Saturday is President's daughter's wedding! 

Love.