God is Good

I didn't realize how much I talked about ice cream in my letters home until my mom mentioned it in an email hahaha. But I know (or hope) I'm keeping it under control because I didn't eat so much ice cream this week, and yet somehow it was still the best week so far.

You can really see happiness in people.  It shows in their faces and posture and spirit.  Watching the light of Christ grow in others as they learn to accept Him and use Him in their lives is the greatest joy I've ever experienced.  We've seen so many miracles this week, and we've been so blessed as we've walked and biked around for miles and miles.  Our ward is so good to us, but more importantly, God is good to us.  

One of our investigators has a baptism date for September 19th, we're so excited for her!  She's been in Haiti for the last three weeks, but she got back on Wednesday and came to church this week.  Bishop showed her the baptismal font and we talked about how her baptism will be and I cried.

One of our other investigators (the same one I talked about last week) committed to a baptismal date of December 13th and said that she is finally sure she's received a response to her prayers and she is firm in her desire to be baptized.  She texted us the night she felt God's answer and I cried.

We've been trying to meet with this man who was a brand new investigator of the last sisters ever since we got here and every time we went to his house, he wasn't home.  And then this week, God decided the timing was right and we went to try one more time and not only was he home, but he is the most spiritually prepared person I have ever met.  People like him are such an inspiration to me.  After about a thirty minute visit, he committed to be baptized.  We're hoping to set a date with him on Friday.  Stoked.  

The gospel makes people's lives better.  It really does.

I used to think I was pretty good at directions and maps and orienting myself but I've somehow gotten really bad at it.  I feel like mom every time I step out of someone'e house and have no idea which way to turn to get back to the car.  #unexpectedmissionarysideeffect

Two different people this week asked me halfway through our conversations if I was from France and they were really embarrassed that I wasn't because they saw that as a total insult, but I am so flattered!!  

It's been an awesome week, we have been so blessed.  I'm addicted to missionary work.  It's the best thing to be addicted to.  I am so happy!

I love you :)
Souvenez-vous qui vous etes ♥
Bisous,
Soeur Lonas

Writing in English is getting harder!

I still speak English fairly often, but never to anyone who doesn't also speak French so even when I do speak "English" it's more of a French-English hybrid.  I keep having to remind myself that I can't just switch back and forth in emails or I will lose all the English-speaking friends I DO have.

This was a great week :)  so many things to tell...

The ice cream problem (namely, me liking it too much) is very real.  Last week after emailing, we went to a magical place.  But it requires some back story.  So, I have been hearing about this place called Chocolat Favoris since I was in the MTC.  It's basically where you get an ice cream cone and they dip it in chocolate but it's so much more than that.  Ice cream flavors are vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, or maple (classic Canada) and chocolate flavors are endless and when the cone is dipped, the chocolate is suuuper thick and glorious.  So we've been hearing about this place (including from President, it's his favorite thing in the world), but we heard that it's only in Montreal so when we were there for zone training and stuff a couple of weeks ago we looked for it a bit but didn't see it and we don't have internet so we couldn't look it up and so we just returned to Terrebonne and decided we could ask someone for an address in a transfer or something.  But then, Sister Schmuhl and I were eating at a member's house and Sister Munoz (nicest woman) started telling us about this amazing ice cream place she went to in Terrebonne with a couple other sisters in the Relief Society because she wanted us to try it on PDay and she couldn't remember the name but just kept saying "Chocolat.....chocolat.....je me souviens pas!!" and Sister Schmuhl and I just looked at each other and Sister Schmuhl said "Chocolat...favoris?" And Sister Munoz was like "OUI C'EST CA" And this was just the most exciting thing.  So we had her give us the address and didn't tell the Mascouche sisters anything except that we had a surprise for them and last week after emailing we blindfolded them and took them there and it was amazing and there are pictures I'll send.  The ice cream cone was bigger than our faces.  It was a truly magical experience.

Also, we have to bring our car to the body shop tomorrow because it has this dent in the front (not our fault, it's been there since before we got here) so we're not going to have a car for the week.  We're still trying to figure out exactly how we're going to do that because we really do have a pretty big proselyting area and we frequently have to make good 30-45 minute drives to meet with people but it's going to be good!  We're excited.  We tested out the bikes the other day and that was very entertaining, there's a picture of that on one of our cameras I'll try and send, too.  Too good, too good.

Our stake did this huge blood drive on Friday and we volunteered at it, which meant we got to talk to sooooo many nonmembers and we got some numbers and addresses that we're way excited to contact this week.  

The day after the blood drive, our ward and the Mascouche ward did a joint barbecue for their big annual activity thing -- it was a REALLY big deal.  We also got some good contacts from that, one in particular that we're meeting with tonight and we're way stoked about :)  Also, Sister Schmuhl and I got roped into competing in this huge croquet tournament and neither of us had ever played before but EVERYONE participated and was talking about how they had legitimately been practicing for this thing with their families for weeks and then Sister Schmuhl and I totally won and the ward respects us more now which is just the funniest thing.
Here we are at the BBQ. We decided to all match (and share clothes) so that is just great. So fun.

AND we got a couple of new elders in our district this week because Elder Fierro (who was serving in our ward and as District Leader) and Elder Simoes died (mission-speak for "went home").  The new elder in our ward is named Elder Mecham, he's from Palm Springs area and he's been serving in English his whole mission so he's struggling with the language but it's been nice that we've had a chance so speak up a little more in Correlation and Ward Council just because we're more needed, now, language-wise.  And it's nice realizing how well we really have gotten to know the ward members over the last transfer :)  I love this ward so much.

Our most solid investigator had a bit of a hiccup this week where her mom decided she is no longer down for her being baptized so her date is being moved from September 20th until December, because she turns 18 December 3rd.  So that's a little bit of a bummer, but we were so thrilled for her that she still has the desire to be baptized and that she is diligently preparing for that.  We decided this morning during studies that when we meet with her this week we are going to invite her to finish the Book of Mormon before her 18th birthday -- and that we are going to do it too, in French.  That way we will be as equipped as possibly to discuss it with her.  We're so excited!  And we really really love her, she is an amazing girl.

I feel like every week I either have time to tell y'all about what I'm doing or about what I'm thinking, never both.  Bummer.  But I'm glad to update you all on my activities!  It was a really good week!  It's hard talking about people we actually meet with because I don't want to use names, they're way too tech savvy.  But we meet with great people :)

I love you all so much!!

Souvenez-vous qui vous etes ♥

Bisous,

Soeur Lonas

Not of WHAT we are capable, but BY WHOM we are capable

One transfer down!  So this makes six weeks in Canada -- crazy town.  It's been an awesome week :) First, before I forget, I got a letter from Dad at my apartment and it got here way fast (about 5 days), so send letters to my apartment and packages to the mission office. 

Yeah, good week :)  I'm still recovering from fun adventures last week, haha, but it was really only the first three days after the hike that I was really struggling.  Now I'm doing awesome!  And sorry I didn't write much last week; my fingers really were pretty stiff from multiple mosquito bites and it was mildly painful.  But, no longer a problem, I can grace you all with extensive rantings seeing as I am no longer handicapped (haha...get it...."hand"........).  That same night we had a lesson with one of our investigators and she is now preparing to be baptized September 20th :) We are so so happy for her and so humbled to see the Lord's hand working miracles in her life.  She's one of the sweetest girls I've ever met, 17 years old. We have good times with her and her best friend who is a member.

I gave a training this week in district meeting on humility, which was, of course a much more profound learning experience for me than for anyone listening to my training.  My main epiphany from studying for, and then giving it, was that the difference between pride and humility has nothing to do with of what we believe ourselves to be capable, it's about by whom we are capable.  We read 1 Ne 15:7-11, Proverbs 28:26, and D&A 12:7-8.  It was humbling for me  the way I had studied humility all week in preparation and yet there were so many comments and insights given in the meeting that were completely eye-opening for me and inspired further studying the next morning.  We hear so often that people don't want to pray because they don't feel worthy -- which sounds like humility.  Ding dong, you're wrong. (Not how we generally put it to the people we teach).  When we are humble, we recognize that we need God's help and ask for it at every opportunity.  When we are humble, we understand who we are, and who God is, and our relationship to Him.

I'm trying to think of funny stories from this week for y'all.  It's hard because Sister Schmuhl and I are together 24/7 and we laugh all day long but it's at stuff that probably isn't even funny.  It reminds me of when Chase and I are like "Aw man, if only other people knew how funny we are!!" but then if anyone is actually with us, they have absolutely no idea why we're laughing.  But I am so grateful to have a trainer who is funny, and thinks I'm funny, and we think the same weird things other people do are funny :)  We have fun.

Oh here's something, a few days ago all four of us (us and the Mascouche sisters) were at the church for something (don't remember what) and we were starving but couldn't leave for a while so all of a sudden the four tubs of ice cream in the church fridge got much more tempting.  They'd been in there for like three weeks.  We decided that at three weeks, church food becomes fair game and then we ate one of these giant tubs of ice cream all in one sitting, and another one is currently in our home freezer half empty.

Which brings me to an #unexpectedmissionarysideeffect
I mentioned last week that I have very little self control now when it comes to food.  Another effect that is unfortunately paired with that one, is that I feel the effects of what I eat MUCH more now.  Both immediate and long-term effects.  I have extensive theories for both temporal and spiritual reasons for this, but I don't have a lot of time right now, so suffice it to say I miss the days when I really didn't give a second thought to what I was eating.  But I also think I enjoy my food more, now! Didn't think that was possible.

The gospel is so true, I love being here and my ward is seriously amazing.  They are so nice to us, and Sister Schmuhl and I were just saying yesterday that if one of us got really sick and we needed something, there are so many people in the ward we would feel more than comfortable asking for help, which is a great feeling.

God loves me so much, and He loves you just as much.  It's absolutely incredible.  Jesus is there for all of us, whether or not we're willing to accept His help.  We need Him. 

Sorry I spend so much time talking about food, it's probably more of a problem today because we haven't had lunch yet, but I love you all so much!! Please keep me in your prayers, along with the people I teach and the Terrebonne ward.

Souvenez-vous qui vous etes ♥

Soeur Lonas

Death Hike 2015

Ok, so I'm really sorry I didn't say my PDay was going to be different this week, but now you know!  It was because we were going to all go down to Montreal as a district and the train doesn't run on Mondays so we requested to have our PDay changed.  That was approved, and then we realized it was going to be super expensive for us all to take the train down there and then we would have had to buy food and stuff so we decided to do an activity just here in Terrebonne.
And that is how it came to pass that I am sitting in the church emailing right now with dead bugs in my hair, completely muddy, and 30+ mosquito bites (that is not an exaggeration).

Dad would have loved this hike we just did.  We got lost, we fell in the mud, some people lost shoes, everyone lost pride.  It was good.  I just reached into my pocket and found a small frog.  This is not a joke.  Really, Dad prepared me very well for my mission.  

Tender mercy of the week:  Shake It Off was playing in Walmart when we went grocery shopping :)  best day ever.

Potential missionaries: please read D&C 4 and know that it is directed at you.

I'm starting a new series called #unexpectedmissionarysideeffects

1) I no longer have any self control at all when it comes to food.  Sister Schmuhl and I really have to keep each other in check.  I'm blaming it on stress.

2) I wake up at 4am every day and can't get back to sleep.  

Some of my bites are on my fingers and they're making it kind of hard to type so this'll be a shorter email.

The gospel is amazing.  Watching people discover Jesus Christ is my new favorite activity.  The gospel changes lives. I just really love being a missionary.  I love Terrebonne.  We were warned that we wouldn't see any success in this area, and we chose to just ignore that and move forward -- I am so grateful we did.  We're already seeing so much potential for this area.  I'm so excited for our ward.

I love you all!!

Souvenez-vous qui vous etes :)

Soeur Lonas

Hope -- continued

Ok, so as you all know if you've been reading my blog, hope has been on my mind a lot recently.  And after that email I sent about it before (two weeks ago?) I asked my trainer whether or not it is a commandment to have hope and she didn't know but it sparked some really wonderful conversations.  So hope has been a general theme of my journal entries and our spiritual thoughts with members, and I've done some studying to find out whether or not it is a commandment--nothing really intense, which is probably why I hadn't found a very direct answer.  Then my mom sent me this email last week and it was just the coolest because I hadn't even told her that it was a question I'd specifically had but she sent me this quote:

"Hope is a gift of the Spirit.  It is a hope that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the power of His Resurrection, we shall be raised unto life eternal and this because of our faith in the Savior. This kind of hope is both a principle of promise as well as a commandment, and, as with all commandments, we have the responsibility to make it an active part of our lives and overcome the temptation to lose hope. Hope in our Heavenly Father’s merciful plan of happiness leads to peace,  mercy, rejoicing,  and gladness. The hope of salvation is like a protective helmet; it is the foundation of our faith and an anchor to our souls."   --- Dieter F. Uchtdorf, 2008

And that was just one of the coolest things I have ever read.  I'm guessing my mom didn't feel like she was sending me that out of any huge spiritual prompting, but I know it was by the spirit that she did choose to send me that particular quote.  It answered my pretty specific question exactly.  The gospel is the coolest.   Having hope is a commandment from God.  God loves us so much.

On the note of commandments, it is a commandment to be perfect.  We know that this is impossible because we are imperfect beings--which is why we are given the gifts we are given, that we may be made perfect through repentance by the power of the Holy Ghost and through our Savior Jesus Christ.  We can absolutely be perfect, if we allow him to help us get better every day.  It is not unrealistic to strive for perfection, because it's all about trying to be better every day.  It is not good enough to be "good enough".  You are an example to many more people than you could possibly know; be a good one.

Oh and by the way, this was an amazing week in every way.  We've had some car trouble, Sister Schmuhl got sick, I've had an issue with my eyes and have been wearing my glasses for five days (don't worry, mom, it's just about better), and we walked 8 miles one day to get to a dinner appointment, but we were BUSY this week teaching less active members and investigators and we saw so many miracles.  The gift of tongues is real.  It is impossible to learn a language this fast without some serious help from God.

And I'm SO happy to be serving my mission somewhere where bisous are a thing! That's the thing where everyone greets each other by kissing both cheeks -- we only do it with the women because we're missionaries and all but man, it's so fun.  It makes me feel so European and happy and cultural.  It's awesome.  I love Quebec.

Quick fun fact about my ward:  they haven't had a baptism in two years, and the last couple of converts they have had either moved or went inactive.  Don't worry, there are about to be big changes.  But that's where we're at right now.  Please pray for the ward missionary leadership.

To the YW in my home ward:
Being a young woman is really hard.  I don't think I realized it was hard until I was about 17 but all of it was hard.  I didn't know it was hard because I was too relaxed about my own life, specifically in my relationship with God and with Jesus Christ.  It is not enough to sit back as a spectator in your own life.  Act, do not wait to be acted upon.  Protect your virtue and your testimony with everything you have.  God will help you if you let Him.  Pray for His help every day.  Strengthen yourself before you need the strength, because I promise you that you will need it.  I love you, as do your leaders and your parents, and, most of all, your Father in Heaven.

Being a missionary is just my favorite thing!  I've never been so happy. 
I love you all,
Souvenez-vous qui vous êtes,
♥ Soeur Lonas

We will present ourselves at 8:00!

Okay, so this week was way better.  First, funny story.  The other day, Sister Schmuhl and I were trying to set up an appointment with this family, so we call them and the dad answers and he just has this THICK Quoi accent, so we ask if we can come over,  and he said a ton of stuff really fast, so we're trying super hard to understand but I really wasn't getting much of anything at all and then he suddenly stops talking and we weren't sure if he'd ended with a question or what, and Schmuhl and I were just looking at each other with wide eyes for like 10 seconds and then she goes "OKAY BYE" and he goes "Oui d'accord, bye bye"  and we hung up and we were quiet for like two minutes and then she goes "Well.  I got 'presenter'" and I said "And I got 'a huit heures'" and then we were quiet again and she goes "Ok. We will present ourselves at 8 o'clock!" hahaha and we totally did and we still don't know if they were expecting us at that time or not!! So many funny times.  It was great.

Also, I've been out for two months today!  So that's insane.  That means I only have 16 months left to convert all the Canadians and do everything I can to prepare the Terrebonne ward for the coming of Christ.  Ugh.  So much to do, so little time!

I love morning studies.  So much.  The scriptures are just my favorite.  Please read them.  They will, in a very real way, answer all the questions you have about anything.  Also, spoiler alert: you learned all the answers in Primary.  It is necessary that we relearn lessons over and over again and we are always learning new things and knowledge and learning are absolutely divinely instituted.  Needing to relearn is a gift from God.

I don't even know what else to say.  I love teaching, I love contacting.  This week has been so much better and I don't even know why, we didn't have any more "success" than last week.  Actually, I do know why, it's because I'm learning more and more how to rely on the spirit and trust God and counsel with my companion and pray more sincerely and seek guidance in the scriptures and allow the Spirit to work on me: all good things.

I love you all!
Souvenez-vous qui vous êtes. Toujours, toujours, toujours.
Also, dearelder is still a good thing.

Hope

It was a hard week.  I learned so much about humility and about hope.

For about a year now, I've worn a ring on my finger that says "hope" in really small letters and I never take it off and I love it (it was from Abby, thanks, homegirl).  On Saturday I looked at it and it was truly like I was seeing it for the first time.  The word "hope" means something entirely different when you`re in a situation that makes having hope a challenge.  Now I continue to wear it every day, but with real purpose.  I wear it because I need the reminder to have hope.  

I really debated whether or not to write about the fact that it was a hard week, especially when I was feeling so down, but now that I do feel so much more light and hope, I feel good sharing about it.  At first, it was kind of fun getting doors slammed in my face and getting yelled at because it`s like "Hey, I'm a real missionary!" but let me tell ya, it gets old real quick.  Even when we could get appointments this week, we would show up and no one would be home, or, worse, they would get quiet as we walked up to the door and pretend not to be home.  By the way, this is including members in the ward.  It was really hard.  We prayed a lot.

Things really turned around when Sister Schmuhl (Yes, I spelled her name wrong last week.  Oops.) and I started praying more specifically.  Every time we go anywhere, we say a prayer before we get out of the car (standard practice) but a couple of days ago, we had a dinner appointment with a less active ward member that we were really excited about and it was pouring rain so we ran out of the car and into the apartment building and buzzed her number.  No answer.  We called her.  No answer.  We called her again.  No answer.  Then we decided to stop calling cause we didn`t want to seem super weird when she realized she had 100 missed calls from us, but we didn`t know what else to do.  We had confirmed our appointment with her only thirty minutes earlier and we were still being faced with the same feeling of rejection we had felt all week long.  Then Sister Schmuhl realized we hadn`t prayed before getting out the car because we had been too distracted by the rain.  We stood there, dripping wet, in between the two doors leading outside and into the building and prayed specifically that she would call us back.  And she did, as soon as we closed our prayer.  It was a miracle.  God answers our prayers.  The church is true.  It was an awesome dinner appointment.

Since that experience Saturday night, things have really started looking up.  Please don`t forget to talk to God every day.

In funnier news, they really do eat everything here with maple syrup.  It`s hilarious, but if you laugh they look at you weird.  My favorite is under-ripe watermelon with maple syrup.  And the Canadians that always told me their soda was better and I thought they were being obnoxious--they were totes right.  

This girl told me this week that I reminded her of a Disney princess and before I could pull a Juliette Wardle and say "WHICH ONE?!?!" she said "Just like, all the blonde ones" so that was a highlight of this week.  

Also, sometimes I'm amazed with myself at how well I can communicate in French here and then I'm chastised for my pride and can`t understand anything at all for a while haha, but it's so good, I'm learning so much.  It's all a process, and it gradually gets easier :)

Toujours, souvenez-vous qui vous êtes.

I love you all bunches and bunches!

Kirk out.