We had our last conference with President Roney and his family and it
was so great! He talked about the fruits of the Gospel and how
overcoming trials and hard things in life are what life is all about.
Our circumstances don't matter at all, just what we do with them and
how we choose to change from them. Beautiful testimonies were shared
and the spirit was felt. I think the greatest thing we all felt was
the enormous amount of love the Roneys have for us and the great
influence they have been on each of our lives. Even though I've only
known them for a few months, I feel as if they're a part of my family.
We exchanged contact info and gave our last hugs (yes, even
President!) and said our goodbyes. President joked, eyes brimming with
tears as they were walking away, "the Atonement doesn't cover
goodbyes, we just have to cry through them." It was a tender moment!
We know we will be in contact though, and we're excited for our new
president to arrive.
On the way to the conference we waited in the train station at
Marseille for a time. We were all nicely coiffed and dressed because
it was our last chance to take pictures with President. So naturally
that was the day that a pigeon decided to poop on me. It was
wonderful. I felt things fall on me and my first thought was I really
hope that was water. Then I looked around me and there was green stuff
everywhere. It was vile. And it was on me. So we found the bathroom
and cleaned off my blazer and then I washed my hair in the Marseille
train station bathroom! Classyyy. Hahaha not the best thing to happen
to me but it was pretty funny.
Other interesting things this week: I was finally treated really
meanly by a scary woman while we went porting. She started screaming
at us and chased us off of her porch haha. Then a few days later a
woman started hexing us as we were walking down the street. We passed
her and she was chanting stuff at us and then we kept going and she
kept going too and started getting louder and louder and yelling after
us. Hahah my companion was running away so fast! It was scary.
We have one amie here in Cannes and I finally met her! She's super
cute and her name is Carla and she is GOLDEN. Except still doesn't
want to get baptized haha. But she's read the Book of Mormon four
times already and knows everything is true and has no doubts about it
at all! She's amazing and has so much faith. If we could only help her
by taking that next step of faith towards baptism.
I have to tell you about this member of the ward who we call Mama
Gentil. She is 85 years old but is basically the mother of the ward
and keeps the ward going. She has three sons in the ward and all of
their families, but she is everyone's grandma. She takes care of
everyone, especially the missionaries! She's he cutest little old lady
but very demanding. We went over there this week after our lunch and
she preceded to put a large plate of food in front of us and looked
into our eyes and commanded us to eat all of it. We were terrified!
And so we had to eat it all and we were already so full! Haha she is
crazy but the best. I don't think she believes in agency but we'll
forgive her for it. She never stops serving.
We went with her to go see another sister in the ward who just got put
in a home and is almost completely blind. It was the cutest thing to
see Mama Gentil, an elderly woman who barely had the energy to walk
down the street to visit her friend, endlessly serving this sister and
holding her hand and bringing her melon and cherries and talking with
her and encouraging her and then the reminisced together about the
ward and moments they had together. It was so tender. It was actually
one of the sweetest "fruit of the gospel" experiences, as president
was talking about, I've had on the mission. It's little moments like
that that life is all about!
Today we are in Nice for district pday and we went to Eze, a little
village with an amazing view of the Côte d'Azur. It was seriously so
beautiful! I took a few pictures with the iPad but mostly with my
camera. So I'll have to send them later when we have computer access,
since right now we're just at MacDo. I also have lots of pictures
from conference but alas, later.
This week take the time to visit someone elderly! Whether it's your
relative or someone who is lonely in a nursing or retirement home,
visit them and talk with them. By small and simple visits marvelous
moment are shared.
Happy 80th birthday, Grandma Gale! And happy birthday to Julianna on
Thursday! Love you both and hope you have great days :)
Je vous aime! Bonne semaine!
Soeur Melissa Hurd
Cutest young teens in our ward that like to try to speak English with us
Eze!
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