Un Sauveur est né

So i just realized... Today is December 7th... I fly home on January
7th... That's super weird, I only have a month left....

Anyway this week was a week of music!

So sandy and I have been practicing I'm a child of God every week when
we visit her and since soeur fouti -makaya plays the flute also, we
practiced together.

Also the relief society president wanted to give the sisters a
"present" her last lesson of the year. So she's singing I feel my
Saviors love and soeur Fouti-makaya and I are accompanying her on the
flute.

Then next week we have zone conference, there are going to be a lot of
musical numbers, and we're playing a flute duet of away in a manger.
And then on top of that elder congerton in Nancy (who was in my Mtc
district) asked me to sing silent night as a duet.

So pretty much every lunch and dinner break is practicing! I even had
to transpose the harmony part of the third verse of i am a child of
God into the key that's in the hymn book. I didn't realize how much
music I had forgotten, it's bad... And on top of that, I couldn't
ask my companion for help cause she's French and they read music a
different way. Oh la la! I tried and it was like every word she said
was a language I didn't understand.

Besides that aurore is doing well, and so is serge. He's doing a lot
better! We had our dmb meeting on Wednesday and at the end of the
meeting he called serge and invited him to join us. Well serge talked
for like the first 40 minutes and Frere Benoit just helped resolve all
his conflicts! And then we all shared our testimony and then we all
shared our favorite scripture. We ended with a kneeling prayer. We saw
him later on in the week and he seemed a lot better! I also loved
this rdv because I was so touched by every ones testimony and I got
a lot of answers to questions I had lately!

However serge expressed a few days ago that he's still been smoking
each day.... But on Friday when we asked more detail he said that he
hadn't smoked since Wednesday. But when he does smoke it's from stress
late at night... So it's only once a day, if that. But still, I'm
really hoping he can quit like right now. Because I'm sure that's not
helping him feel good, but at least he came to church!

Yesterday during testimony meeting everyone bore their testimony on
Christ it was beautiful! I didn't end up sharing my testimony, but I
was so inspired by everything that was said. Since the beginning of my
mission every time the sacrament is being passed, I read the hymn I
stand all amazed (Merveilleux l'amour). The words are so beautiful. It
always makes me thankful for all the savior did for me! I am so
grateful that he was born, that he died, and that he lives again.

I've been thinking a lot lately about my mission and as I thought
about the hard times I had I felt a little bitter that I had to endure
those things but then at the same time I looked at a picture of the
savior and I realized, it's okay because I did this mission for him
and he helped me through it.

I love my savior, I know he lives, I know that he has given us his
true and everlasting gospel on the earth today. I invite you all to
watch the Christmas video of this year "A Savior is born" at
Mormon.org/Christmas or noel.mormon.org


I love you all! Have a great week!
Gros bisous!
Soeur Farmer

1. The gare in Metz!


2. Christmas lights in Toul


3. Sneak peak of our Christmas card!


4. Toul cathedral à midi la fête de St Nicolas

5 weeks left

This week was a great week! Monday and Tuesday we were running around
saying goodbye to everyone!

Wednesday we went to Paris! We caught our train at 6:17am, got to
Paris around 8:45 and had to say goodbye at the gare! I almost cried!

So I went to st. Merri (the Paris chapel) and we had a small formation
on training... Then the bleues came in... It went way faster than what
I remember it being when I was blue, but then again there were 31 of
us new missionaries and this time was only 10 missionaries. Well, my
new bleue is Soeur Fouti-Makaya, yeah it took me a while. And guess
what, she's French! She's from Toulouse in the south and is waiting
for her visa to go to temple square... So like I'm growing round two
training a visa waiter, but I like it better because it's just us two
and not a trio. Anyway, it was a long day, didn't get back to Toul
till 6:30.

Soeur Fouti-makaya is super nice and sweet and she's getting
missionary work down! Sometimes I forget she's brand new but she'll
give me the "i don't know what to do" look and then I remember this is
her first time ever teaching the plan of salvation or something else.
But anyway, she's fun to be with, she's always telling funny stories!
Also Soeur fouti-makaya plays the flute! So we actually are going to
performing at zone conference...

Thursday thanksgiving!!! Well we celebrated it well... We bought a
small roasted chicken and had it with the stovetop stuffing that mom
sent in a package and also apple cider! It was super good!!!!!!

Sunday we started the day pretty rough... We were singing in the choir
and Soeur Fouti-Makaya fainted! So that caused a commotion. She's
fine, though now the whole branch will know her as the Soeur who
fainted at church... So yeah, but the rest of church was good!

Eric and aurore didn't come to church, we passed by that night and
they said that they had stayed up late the night before and didn't
hear the alarm... Aurore woke up around 3:30pm...

Serge didn't come either. He didn't answer either until night time...
He didn't come to church because he didn't feel worthy, he said that
he had bad thoughts... And he has a problem with tithing now, he had a
watched a movie against the church and he said that the other things
it mentioned didn't matter, but he was against tithing all of a
sudden! He said he didn't like how people are forcing him to keep the
commandments. I told him that no one is forcing him, but they are
God's commandments and he's asked us to keep them. I also told him he
should talk to the branch president if he didn't feel worthy to come
to church... It's so sad he even said he kinda regretted his baptism
because he doesn't want to be forced to keep the commandments. But he
said that he knows that the church is true so he doesn't fully regret
his baptism, because he knows it's true, he told me that. He knows
everything about it is true, he just has a problem with tithing... I
think the movie presented it that we were rich and used tithing for
ourselves... Idk, I didn't really understand that part. But I really
hope it resolves and that he talks to the branch president.

Well folks, I've officially started my last transfer... That is super
bizarre, I don't know how to feel... I feel like I still have more
transfers.. It so weird!

Have a great week! I love you an miss you so much!!!! I loved seeing
photos of Julia's wedding! Please send me more details about it seeing
as I practically only got photos... And not even the family photo!

1. Soeur Fouti-Makaya and I


2. A picture of the church

3. Last photo in the train


4. Thanksgiving


5. Found a cat that reminded me of Kima!

Bleue number two

This week was amazing! So much to write about!

So Thursday we get a call from our branch president saying that Eric
(Aurore's husband) texted him saying serge didn't want to be baptized
anymore! So we called serge right away and he asked if we could come
over to Eric and Aurore's right away. So we did, luckily our
mangez-vous with a less active member had fallen through, otherwise we
wouldn't have had the time at all that day to see him. So we went and
saw him. He wasn't doing well at all, he didn't look happy, he just
looked stressed. So we let him talk... He had already been having a
lot of financial problems but the past week had come down hard. They
cut his phone, so that's why he couldn't call us... And a bunch of
other stuff. However on top of that his family was very against him.
They told him that the church was just being nice right now so that
they could manipulate him once he was a member. They put a lot of
doubt in his mind. So after he finished talking, we asked a few more
questions, but ultimately we tried to help him with his doubts. We
answered his doubts, and it was good, but you could still tell, he
wasn't doing well. He just felt so much opposition, soeur Clements
told the story of Joseph smith when he went to pray. And just before
God and Jesus appeared to him, he was overcome with darkness and it
was so strong that he wanted to give up. And it was in the moment that
he was going to give up that they appeared. So we encouraged him to
not give up. But STILL he didn't look like he was okay. He said he
just wanted to push back his baptism by a few weeks. So finally I
felt like we needed to pray. I explained that we had prayed about his
baptismal date and felt like it needed to be the 21 November and even
when he said he had smoked the day of the interview, soeur Clements
and I and the elder that interviewed him felt like he'd be ready
anyway, and needed to be baptized on the 21st. So after explaining
that, I asked if we could all pray together for a confirmation of his
baptismal date. So I ended up praying, I don't really remember what I
said I just remember praying so hard for serge, for his problems, his
family, and specifically his baptism. And it wasn't until after I
finished the prayer that I felt the Holy Ghost super strong. I felt
the love of god for serge so much and I felt a firm confirmation for
his date. When I looked at serge, he looked comforted and finally like
he felt better. We invited him to pray on his own that night for a
confirmation and that we'd see him the next day and he could decide
the next day if he would baptized.

So the next morning we called him and he said that he would be
baptized on Saturday!!! We saw him that night. And he also had an
interview with the branch president and it all went well!

Okay, back to Tuesday... So we have district meeting an my zone leader
told me I was going to train, I laughed and said no... Cause I
already trained... But he said that one of the assistants had told him
when they were on exchanges. I still didn't know what to believe. Now
back to Saturday...

Saturday was a long day.... So it was repertoire day. So we have
studies... We start language study and we were waiting for the call.
At 10:15 soeur Clements said we were safe, I knew we weren't. 10:30-
still nothing but I started to think I was safe because there aren't
to many bleus coming in... 10:31 I hear the ringtone and look down and
see the caller id: assistants 1... Well elder Lattin (my former zl in
Antony) answers the phone and does his usual "hello this is elder
Lattin!" He asks how I'm doing and then said he was calling "just for
fun..." And then whipped out the whole "we have fasted and prayed feel
like you need to train." So there you have it... I'm training my last
transfer.... And my bleue has to drive the car... Oh dear. Also she's
going to send me home.... Oh the poor bleue.

So then we visited some people, checked repertoire (soeur Clements is
going to st. Ouen! Which is Paris area... But she'll be safe), came
home and made sweet potatoes for a thanksgiving night with Nancy ward.
Then we went to the church to clean it with members, and then it was
time for serges baptism! He got baptized! Wooooohooooooo!!! It was
awesome. And right after his baptism it started snowing! First time
this year! But it didn't stick because it had rained non stop the two
days before. So we headed to Nancy and had an awesome thanksgiving! We
ate and ate and ate a lot!

Sunday serge was confirmed! And at the end of sacrament meeting he
bore his testimony! It was the most beautiful testimony I've ever
heard!

So there you have it. It was a big week! And this next weeks gonna be
big too... Can't wait to email you next week who my new companion is!

Also just before I send this, I hope everyone goes well for the
wedding! I'm so sad I'm going to miss it but I hope you all have fun
and I'll see you in 6 weeks and 3 days!!!!!!!! I love you all so
much! Bonne semaine!

Gros bisous
Sœur Farmer

1. Serge's baptism!

2. Thanksgiving in Nancy


3. The district


4. Just for laughs... Training!


5. Elder Faura did a Tahitian haka for our last district meeting, so scary!