6 Months Ahh!!

I LOVE CANNES. Seriously it just always smells like flowers here and it's so pleasant!  I will admit the weather is very humid and sticky and hot but it is still just so nice to be here.  I cannot complain.  Everywhere you look it's just white buildings and beautiful architecture and I love it.  The ward here is awesome!  I already had the pleasure of meeting several members throughout the week, and then Sunday I met so many more.  Everyone was kind and welcoming.

I LOVE SISTER HOLMES.  We've just had a blast together so far.  She reminds me a lot of our cousin Erin so naturally she's just the most pleasant companion!  We get along super well!  She does MirandaSings impressions all the time and it's hilarious and just like Juna's right next to me doing the same thing haha.  I am scared she'll leave next transfer because she's already been here for three!  We are always laughing and having fun!

Yes, in a few days I will have reached my six month mark.  I remember when Allison reached hers when we were together and I was thinking, wow, she's so far and such a great missionary and speaks amazing French!  Aaaand now I'm there and still feel like a bleu.  Scary how fast the time goes!  On the plus side, some people told me I sounded like a French person when I speak so I'm getting there hopefully.  

This week we have our final zone conference with President Roney :(  I'll admit, it is very, very sad to think of our mission without the Roneys.  Even though I've only served with them for 6 months, they've made a huge impact on my life and I admire them in so many ways!  I can see the impact that President has made on our mission the past three years and I know it's forever changed for the better.  Although it will be sad to part with them, we'll be in touch throughout the years.  I'm excited for President and Sister Brown as well!  I know they're the inspired leaders to be here at this time and I'm excited to get to know them and learn from them.  Later this transfer we'll have a zone conference with the new president and we'll be doing interviews!  Cool.

This week I've been studying a lot about finding people because in Cannes it's hard to find people that want to hear about the Gospel.  And guess what?  It always comes back to families.  I know I've put the plug in for family history several times already in my letters home, especially because we have Project Elijah that we're working on as a mission, but I'm doing it again.  Families are SO IMPORTANT.  I was reading Allison's talk she gave on Mother's Day in Nice and it was so great and so true.  Mothers (and Fathers) are to bring up their children in light and truth and if they don't then a child's life is changed forever.  They will forever wander in darkness, searching for truths, searching for true happiness, trying to find it here and there and maybe for a time they will think they have found it.  We know that greatest happiness comes from families and that working towards success in families is the most important thing we can do in this life.  Everyone...call someone in your family right now and tell them how much you appreciate what you've learned from them.  

I think next Sunday is Father's Day in France....I'm not sure if it's the same in America or if it was yesterday, but either way, I LOVE YOU DAD.  I frequently think about the advice you've given me before and during my mission and all the lessons you've taught me my whole life.  You always know what to say.

I read a talk this morning about patience and there's a story of a young son whose dad owned a motorcycle shop.  One day they got a new shipment of several shiny new motorcycles.  They lined them up one by one in a row.  One day the boy did what all boys do and got on one of the motorcycles.  He even started up the engine, then decided he probably shouldn't so he got off.  When he got down, he knocked over the motorcycle and then watched as it knocked over the one next to it, and then each one went down like a string of dominoes.  The father heard the commotion and came out and saw what happened.  He slowly smiled and said, "Well son, we better fix up one and sell it so we can pay for the rest."  Ah!!  What a perfect father!  What incredible patience!  I would have blown up!  I think about my own dad and I know that after a long, exasperated sigh, he would say the same thing.  I'm so lucky to have a patient earthly father and perfectly patient Heavenly Father.  

Je vous aime!!

Soeur Melissa Hurd

Scenes from the ward talent show!!

Frere Benedetti dancing with our amie Huguette! So cute! :) :)

Cannes you guess where I'm at?

Bonjour! 

Yes, bad pun was necessary. I'm in Cannes! And it is just as
glamorous as you can imagine. Seriously I just feel like I'm on
vacation. Yesterday we were traveling all day so today we are having
P-day. Sorry for the email delay. I got my call and was so excited to
go because I knew Allison would be my stl! Wrong. I was so bummed when
I heard that they took out the sister equipe in Nice. We would have
been able to go on exchanges together and see each other often for
district meeting and zone conferences. But it's ok, I know she is
needed elsewhere!

My new companion is Sister Holmes from Kaysville, UT. She's the cutest
little girl and so so delightful! She's always happy and has a little
crazy side to her and I feel like Allison probably did when she was
put with sœur sopi. I'm so excited to work with her! We are pretty
much the same person and we already had have had so much fun together.
She came in one transfer before Allison so she's the oldest companion
I've had yet. I'm so excited!

Cannes is so beautiful!! We went to centre ville today to walk around
and it's just like you would imagine it. Beautiful buildings, ritzy
hotels, tourists (the good and the bad), film festival everything,
sun, beach, ahhhh I'm in love! I guess this is how Allison has felt
the whole last transfer. I'm bummed I just missed the film festival,
but at least one Hurd sister got to go. Also I was told I didn't
really miss much. I'm just happy to be here at all! Definitely one of
the places I always hoped to serve in.

I was of course very sad to leave Perpignan but I felt it coming. I
feel like it was time. Luckily I was able to say goodbye to everyone I
needed to, and we finished off the week accomplishing a lot of the
goals we had set and with the best numbers I've had my whole mission.
Cool. Best of all though, the last Sunday there was perfect! A few
less actives that I have been teaching for the last four months came
to church for the first time since I've been there! I was SO HAPPYYY.
Along with that! HUGUETTE CAME TO CHURCH! We had been trying to get
her to come back when I was in my first transfer with Allison and she
just never could. She came almost at the end of course but she came
nonetheless. I was ecstatic. It was also the fast Sunday so I had the
chance to bear my testimony during the meeting and then say goodbye to
all the members during the meal afterwards. Ah I love them so much!
Trop attachée. At the train station the next day we had some of our
favorite people come say goodbye to us. Frère boltor came in disguise
to surprise me like he did with Allison hahaha. He's hilarious. I have
cute picture of them waving goodbye to us from the platform and frère
boltor pretending to wipe away tears haha.

It was definitely sad to say goodbye to sisters Christensen and
bolanos. It's just been such a blast with the three of us!  We were
hoping to stay together but we pretty much knew it wasn't going to
happen. We have a lot of good memories together. Sister bolanos
actually left to go to Porte des Alpes in Lyon, so she'll be seeing
Allison a lot. We were surprised because we were sure she would stay
since she speaks Spanish. Sister Christensen is staying and getting a
sister who came in with Allison. I'm excited she'll get to stay with
the ward longer! They love her.

I have a ton of pictures of Perpignan goodbyes but unfortunately I
forgot my camera cord for the computer. I'll have to do it next week.
Also Perpignan was SO HOT. SO HOT this past week we were there and we
were all dying. It was mid to upper 90s. Unfortunately I didn't get my
wish to go to the alps but like.....I'm in Cannes, France. Tough life,
right? 😊

I've heard the ward here is amazing so I'm excited to meet everyone.
Although they do have pretty big shoes to fill. One day other Sœur
Hurd and I are going to come back together and visit our loves in
Perpignan.

Sister Holmes admitted that the work in Cannes is harder than any
other place she's served in the mission and that we only have one amie
right now. But it's ok! We're determined to find more people who are
ready to hear the gospel. This morning I was studying in Preach my
Gospel and the scriptures about finding people who are prepared. In
D&C 33:6 the Lord tells us that in the last dispensation he will
gather his elect from the four quarters of the earth, and that it will
be accomplished though us as missionaries and members! There are elect
people all over the world right now that don't have the gospel because
they don't yet know where to find it. They will recognize us (members
and missionaries) as servants of the Lord when we do all we can to
bear testimony and share the message of the restored Gospel. My motto
for this transfer will be "gathering the elect" and I invite you all
to work on the same goal with me for the next six weeks. Prayerfully
seek to find those people around you whose spirits are searching for
the truth. I'll be following up soon Juna, Christopher, Stephen, and
Lacey 😏

Je vous aime!

Sœur Melissa Hurd

Fin de la troisième mutation....

Bonjour famille!

This week was so good. Last Saturday was our soirée de talent that the
ward put on. IT WAS AMAZING OMG hahahaha maybe the best day of my
mission. It was such a blast. Also maybe the hardest day of my mission
because there was an impromptu dance party at the end and missionaries
can't dance....

But anyways, various people in the ward sang and did little skits,
some alone and some with their families. We sang Amazing Grace with
the elders and it was interesting, and then I played Nearer my God to
Thee on the violin while Sister Christensen accompanied me. At the end
they were just playing a bunch of music and kids were on the stage
dancing and so other people started to, and then Frère Benedetti, who
is a member of the stake presidency might I add, actually got up on a
chair and started jumping up and down with his hands in the air trying
to get everyone else excited and dancing! It was hilarious and I just
had to tell myself we were in the cultural hall and not a chapel (all
the same in France). But then he came and grabbed Huguette's hand and
they went up there and were dancing together and it was sooo cute! She
was totally sparked. Cute little old lady dancing her heart out. I'll
send videos and photos.

IT WAS SO HARD NOT TO DANCE. Everyone kept saying "you're young, go
dance!" And we're like actually no we can't....I even asked our
district leader if it was absolutely in the white handbook because I
just had to make sure. I will admit that at one point our other amie
that was there, Andalouse, grabbed my hand and made me go dance with
her at the front but I promise all I did was lift my hand and start
jumping up and down a few times.

Unfortunately playing the violin landed me three other gigs to play
for people yesterday and again in the coming week.  That's what
happens when you pray for service opportunities! The Lord always
provides.

This week I've studied a lot about the Book of Mormon and how
essential it is to our conversation not once but for life. It's so
important! In conjunction with that and our recent meetings about
using technology to further the work of God, I've been thinking about
how important our responsibility is as members of the church to use
the Book of Mormon to share the gospel. Ezra Taft Benson gave a talk
in 1988 and says,

"The Book of Mormon is the instrument that God designed to “sweep the
earth as with a flood, to gather out [His] elect.” (Moses 7:62.) This
sacred volume of scripture needs to become more central in our
preaching, our teaching, and our missionary work.

… In this age of the electronic media and the mass distribution of the
printed word, God will hold us accountable if we do not now move the
Book of Mormon in a monumental way. We have the Book of Mormon, we
have the members, we have the missionaries, we have the resources, and
the world has the need. The time is now!"

If this was true in 1988 it's certainly true now! Kinda makes me
wonder what I've been doing with these divinely inspired tools of
technology. We're being held accountable for this! I encourage
everyone to sincerely ask themselves the question, "How have I been
using my Facebook, Twitter, blog, Instagram, to flood the world with
the Book of Mormon?"

Ahhh the next transfer is in a week! We'll be getting our transfer
calls this Friday and I just have a feeling that I'll be leaving
Perpignan. I'm so not ready! I love this ward SO MUCH and I can't
imagine going anywhere else and starting over. But that's the life of
a missionary, right? I'd imagine that they wouldn't keep the trio
together very long. We'll see.

Now playing at MacDo: Drake. Must replace it with a hymn.

Joyeux anniversaire, Christopher!! Et joyeux anniversaire aussi à ma
meilleure amie, Sarah Adkins, le troisième juin!

Je vous aime beaucoup!

Bonjour!

Bonjour!

I'm writing this from the iPad I got yesterday. So nice. That's also
why I'm writing a day late, because yesterday we had a last minute
zone training in Montpellier so we took our p-day today.

Today we went to the beach!!  I've realized I definitely haven't taken
advantage of the fact that I live like twenty minutes from the beach
and I have a sickening feeling I'll be leaving Perpignan next transfer
so we went this morning. It was absolutely gorgeous. No we didn't swim
and yes I was still wearing a skirt so no worries. We got there early
in the morning and did our studies (gospel learning app is the best)
and then we just lounged for a little bit. It was pretty windy but
luckily we were classy and brought bed sheets to lay down on, which I
quickly decided to use as a blanket instead.

This week we didn't exactly drop huguette but we dropped her baptismal
date. 😔 She's just not progressing at all and can't think about
anything else other than how her family is not helping her find an
apartment. It's really sad because she's so cute and just wants to be
baptized so badly. One day she will be more ready. On the plus side,
we had a really good lesson with one of our amies Rosmery who is
actually really close to having a baptismal date! Allison started
teaching her before I even came so she's been an amie for a long time.
She's had three baptismal invites already and each time she says she's
not ready. This time she was actually excited about the idea of it and
is going to tell her husband that she actually wants to do it. Such a
big step!  I hope we can make farther progress with her this week.

Other than that, the work here has been really slow but mostly because
we've been inside for a lot of this week. Soeur Bolanos has been sick
lately and just never seems to get better, so we let her sleep all day
for a few days this week in hopes that she will heal. Still not sure
but we'll see haha. On the plus side I've been able to tons of studies
this week! Remember how I was just raving about them in my last
letter?  I guess I got my wish of being able to do them all the time.
Love it. I've also been able to do a lot of organizing and checking
things off a list that I just never seem to have time to do. Yay! A
nice refresher. This week we are determined to work extra hard in our
proselyting efforts to make up for work we could have done.

Hey everyone check out the general conference issue of the Liahona!
The Perpignan ward is in it!  Soeur Castagno has a connection with
someone who works for the Liahona so he said if she took a picture of
people going to general conference in France and sent it to him by the
next day then he would print it. Unfortunately I decided to take the
picture rather than be in it, but now I can say I photograph for
church magazines soooo....😏 but seriously everyone will be so excited
to see it. Everyone we love is in it, including Huguette our amie! She
hasn't seen it yet but she will be super sparked when she does, maybe
enough to come to church again and be baptized.

Allison and I are so in sync! This week I have also been trying to
purify my life--thoughts, words, and deeds. And it's hard! One of my
goals this week was to focus all my attention on Perpignan and the
stewardship I have over it as a messenger of Jesus Christ. I find
there are times when someone will say something that reminds me of a
movie, book, or song or even just a random story that has nothing to
do with my mission and has the potential to distract me from my work.
Nope. Get rid. I've been thinking of ways to keep my thoughts always
focused on the people here and their needs. Pray that I will be
effective in it.

Je vous aime!

Sour Melissa Hurd

Here is the first selfie taken with the new iPad.

Exchanges, exchanges...

Bonjour Famille!

This week was awesome.  We had an exchange here in Perpignan with sisters from Montauban again, and then went up to Toulouse for a few days to do some back-to-back exchanges there.  I love learning from other sisters!  It's fun to get to spend time with them and learn their little tricks--basically just steal all their good ideas and use them to help you become a better missionary.  Some of these sisters I've known for a bit so it just feels like we're all hanging out with friends and doing missionary work at the same time.  Love it!  We took some pictures in a pretty part of Toulouse and it's just little moments like that that I remember "I'm in France and it's the best!!"

One of the days in Toulouse we went to teach a part-member family, and the mother who is not a member taught us how to make Flan au Noix Coco which is flan with coconut and it was SO GOOOOOD.  And not very hard to make!  We also learned how to make two different kinds of caramel and I did one all by myself :)  It was delicious.  Definitely copied the recipe and will keep that one for life.  I've started to acquire a few French recipes that I can't wait to try on my own later.  One of those being crêpes--I made them the real French way!  None of these easy-peasy crêpe-maker stuff we have at home.  It was hard.  There's a picture and they're not gorgeous but could be worse.  I think I finally got the hang of it on the 5th one. 

Something I've also started to do on my mission is start a "future book."  A lot of other missionaries have been doing it and I joined.  Basically it's just a book of ideas you get of how you want your future to be--home and family life, church, career, spouse, all those things.  You just get so much inspiration on your mission for how you're going to do certain things--how you're going to teach your kids the gospel everyday, what traditions you want to keep and create, what your plan is for continually progressing in education, etc--that you have to take advantage of it and write it all down.  You won't remember it later unless you do.  Mine so far is pretty limited but when I get an idea here or there I jot it down. 

Since this is President's last transfer the assistants have asked us all to do a little something as a gift.  We're supposed to go to the coolest place in our sector and take a picture with our companions, print it out, and write a little note on the back.  We'll send them all in to the office and they'll make a book of everything for President and Sister Roney before they leave.  I remember President told me in my first interview that when he served in Perpignan, he rode his bike to the border of Spain and stuck his foot over the border.  Soo we may or may not be riding over to the border today and taking our picture there for fun.  Maybe not the coolest or most beautiful place in our sector but he'll get a kick out of it. 

This week for our cooking class Sebastien taught us how to make duck with a balsamic sauce and it was pretty good!  Have a few pictures.  Two non-members were there and it was fun.  I love our ward :)

Can I just take a moment and freak out about how much I love being able to study every morning for three hours?  I LOVE STUDIES.  It's always been one of my favorite things about being a missionary.  I've always loved reading, so maybe that plays a little part in it.  Seriously though, never before have I understood "line upon line, precept upon precept" as much as I do now.  It's amazing how you can read the same books over and over again and build upon your knowledge each time.  In the MTC I felt that I would get sick of Preach my Gospel so fast but instead it's becoming the opposite.  I love it more and more, like the Book of Mormon, every time I read it.  One of the recent converts in our ward, Lucie, even testifies about how great it is.  She studies it daily and tells me often "C'est vrai.  On a besoin de la parole chaque jour.  Sinon on va oublier."  We need to study the scriptures and gospel everyday or we will never progress.  It's that simple.  Ahh I just love learning so much.  And conference talks are like my drug.  Hmm maybe not the best choice of words here?  Haha but seriously I've had to ask the STLs to borrow general conference Ensigns from years ago because I finished all the ones in our apartment.  Everyone reread a conference talk from a few years ago!  Imagine it in the voice of whoever gave it.  It's better.  I can't wait to get iPads so I'll be able to more frequently find talks from living prophets and apostles for studies.

Speaking of which, I'm pretty sure we're getting iPads this Friday at our second zone training.  Yay!  I'm so excited.  It will definitely be weird and a huge change (we're using Facebook....what???), but I know it's something inspired that will help us hasten our work. 

Everyone that reads this this week needs to buy Preach My Gospel if you don't already have one.  It's for all members.  Also siblings: make a future book.  Do it now.

Je vous aime beaucoup!

Soeur Melissa Hurd