and help her make a ton of cookies all together for the mission-wide
Christmas conference but there were lots more cookies than we realized
soo we didn't have time to send off emails. But here you go!
This week was packed with lots of fun things. During leadership
council president introduced the new temple pathway brochure for us in
French! It's beautiful and has the Paris temple on the front. This is
a new tool that we will be able to use to help people put the temple
in their sights and prepare to go. It has the steps outlines that each
person needs to reach to be worthy to enter, including filling out an
ordinance chart for deceased ancestors so their temple work can be
done. As a mission we will start taking pics with our amis/less
actives/recent converts and their newly completed ordinance record.
President Leporé, the stake president here in Lyon, is planning on
collecting all these photos and making a big mural with it. He will
then take it to the Paris temple dedication next year and present it
to the general authority assigned to dedicate it, to let him know,
"We're ready!" Ahh! When they told us this I got the biggest
goosebumps. France is ready! The saints here and their ancestors, as
well as the ancestors of so many people who have yet to find the
gospel, have been waiting for years and years to have a temple chez
eux to finally have their work done. This work is so much bigger than
we are!
Another project we'll be doing this month that president has given us
is called "Mille Membres en décembre." Because of our current safety
restrictions, work has become really hard. The evenings, some of our
most valuable proselytizing time, are lost because we have to be
inside our apartment unless we're with members teaching lessons. So
now we are completely dependent on members to drive us places and to
teach with us! President wants us to set a goal to teach with a
thousand different members mission-wide during this month. This way,
we will overcome the adversary's attempts to thwart the Lord's work
and it will actually hasten it. Just as Joseph smith was delivered
from the destruction and darkness that immediately preceded the First
Vision, we too can see the light of the Lord prevailing through these
dark times in France. God's light is ALWAYS stronger than darkness.
Truth ALWAYS overcomes wrong.
Nelly has really been struggling this week. Pretty much she's quitting
and doesn't trust anyone. We thought it was over for real, and we left
a note in her mailbox. The next day we were in the neighborhood and so
we passed by her house. She reluctantly let us in and we let her talk
things out. Obviously baptism is out of the question right now, and
she needs to get professional help to help her heal from the past. But
it's not over! She wants to stay in contact with us still and accepted
to have a blessing from the elders. Still has a testimony priesthood!
Other than that, we will be taking it very slow with her from now on.
It breaks my heart to see her fall from the huge progression she'd
been making, but she's still the biggest miracle story of my mission.
I know one day she will be strong enough to accept the gospel in its
fullness and receive a fullness of joy.
Another ami Marsha is finally starting to progress. We've talked about
temples, families, and fasting with her and she loves it and agrees
with it all. The Family: A Proclamation to the World is true! She's
still heavily involved in helping people here and in her homeland of
Peru, and each rdv is exciting as she tells us her adventures of
saving the world, working with the chocolatiers in Paris, and
explaining the chocolate making industry. Julianna: next fall her best
friend who's one of the most famous chocolatiers in France is doing 2
free classes in Lima to show people his way of making chocolate.
Marsha will be translating. I told her you'd still be there and she
says your English skills would be a great help ;).
Everyone watch the church's new Christmas video, "A Savior is Born!"
The first time I watched it I was expecting the same heart swelling
and tears welling that I always get when I watch "He is the Gift."
This one is different. The more and more I watch it though, the more
powerful it gets! Maybe it doesn't have the wonder of the festivities
of Christmas, but it definitely has the wonder of standing as a
witness of Christ. That is what Christmas is all about. A Savior was
born for us. Why? During my mission I've been able to find plenty of
reasons why I especially need him. I invite you to ask yourself the
same question.
Christmas skype: what is a good time for you guys to do it? We are 6
hours ahead here. I'll be at a members home at 12 and probably all
afternoon at least, still don't know about the evening. Allison and I
won't be at the same members home so unfortunately we won't be able to
skype together. Let me know when it works for you.
Je vous aime!
Sœur Melissa Hurd
Fun with two of my favorite companions, who are now companions with each other!
Ecully zone! Santa came!
Christmas cookies!
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