So, first of all, remember last week when I said we went with that German girl to the temple? Yeah, by temple I meant airport. Ha. I wish we went to the temple though!

I other news, its been a rather good week. Landry finally told us a bunch of his 'soucis' (french word that is better than 'concerns') and we are really rooting for him. The Elders are teaching him now and he has a new baptismal date for the beginning of next year. Go Landry! You can make it! 

Recently, I have been applying the principle of 'fasting with a purpose' as Elder Kearon suggested when he came to visit us...I have a testimony that through fasting and prayer we can come closer to our Savior and receive an increase of charity and love for His children. Try it, its great!

This week we had one of the happiest moments of my mission, streetboarding in the rain for two hours at La Place de la Victoire. Missionaries are weird, I know. (Streetboarding is where the missionaries set up a little area along a street with a board that they put information about the church or scriptures on and then start up conversations with people.)We played the missionary game again this week, this time with the young single adults. The same 'ami de l'eglise' (also, way better than 'investigator') came who was present when we played with the older singles and he gave like 40 names. I've never been much for numbers, people and ideas are much more interesting to me...but think of all of the wonderful souls that number represents! neat neat neat. We also played it with another family in the ward and aftwerwards we PAINTED cards for a little boy in Belgium who is sick at the hospital. (thanks for the note, Govie! I hope you and all the little squirrels are experiencing the joy of creating as well this holiday season :) love you) Tonight we are playing the game with a family who's less active son has been coming to church consistently ever since Elder Andersen came, which is making everyone super happy to see him enjoy more blessings of being obedient.

Carmelle is doing well. I really love her so much and am praying fervently that she can come to a knowledge of the Savior. Christelle, too. Found out Kevin's enitre family is coming from Gabon for the holidays, so we are trying to spiritually gear up for that, too. 

Carmelle came with us to two baptismal services for young single adult women in Lormont and Talence...it was a powerful experience to see these two wonderful daughters of God enter into a covenant with God, with full heart. That was a day I will not soon forget. A Christmas miracle, you should say. There were twelve additional people baptized in our mission last week, among them two families of four. Isn't that great?

Yesterday was the Primary Program. Those are always my favorite meetings. Our Bishop said it best, describing the children as having 'une pureté impressionante' (in english it means 'impressive purity' but in the sense that it makes a big impression on you...not necessarily that you are super impressed...perhaps that makes a marginal amont of sense...) 

I love you a lot, and want you to know that I know the Savior lives. What a special time of year. What a wonderful truth we celebrate. I pray that we may all have a Holy Christmas. That we may fill that special day with holy things, doing what the Savior would do. I hope that you all can feel of the infinite love of God in giving us His Son. I pray that we may all have Christmas miracles, and know that we will if we have eyes to see and ears to hear. I hope that we will 'let Him in' and make place for Him in our hearts and by so doing allow His love to fill the empty spaces with eternal light. 

May all of the sweetest blessings of God be with you.

Soeur Sarah Waldron

Here's a fun thing to study about that I stole from President Murdock. What is the most important phrase ever spoken? (hint...yes, it is in the scriptures. Four times to be exact.) have fun! 

here are some photos!

fun with porte a porte

 neat-o ferris wheel

Happy Christmas!

Its only December 10th, I know (Happy Bday Kyle! And Janene yesterday! And happy half birthday to Waldo and Jay Spenceronious) but I just can't help but start to send my merriest of greetings to you all.

 

It has been a happy week. A bit out of the ordinary! Last week Soeur Bayles and I went to this great antique store on Pday (wish you were there, grandma Judy!) and it was awesome. Among our favorite hidden treasures was the super old Book of Mormon, complete with testimony and picture of a Sister Missionary from way back when. We didn't buy it, but we did put our pass along card in it....hahaha. That is just a miracle waiting to happen!

 

On Tuesday we got to see Kevin's oldest sister and her new baby and two of her other three children. We brought her a picture of Jesus and a family proclamation and some Christmas chocolates. It was good to see her. That same day we taught Cheng about the temple and it was a really incredible teaching experience. It was incredible to witness how the Spirit had quickened his understanding of God and the Plan of Salvation. As we talked about baptisms for the dead and genealogy, he explained to us a bit about how the census works in China. He told us how in every family there is a large scroll filled with names, and every time someone has a baby, the official scroll-writer-person comes and writes the name on the scroll, and he is the only person allowed to write on it. Ancestry is so important to these people! Anyway, he was explaining how his family history can be traced back to some dynasty way far back that I am not adequately informed about to tell you...suffice it to say he could spend like a year straight at the temple and still be doing names from what I understand. And that is just one person! Imagine what it will be like when China opens up to missionary work again! They are so prepared to do the work of salvation. I know that the Lord inspired these people long ago to keep records of their family so that they could partake in the marvelous blessings of the Atonement by proxy work accomplished by their posterity. Just think of how the new reduced age of missionary service is preparing for this country to be opened! Its so exciting.

 

We had a girl in our ward from Germany go back home this week and we took her to the temple. She is sixteen and we got to help her share the gospel with her friend here and she gave her a Book of Mormon in German. She expressed some of her concerns about not being able to answer questions that her friends at school asked her about Latter-day Saint principles. For example, she wondered how to respond to someone who had asked her why we pay tithing. She tried to explain it but they didn't get it. We tried to help her by assisting her in understanding her own testimony of tithing and how it is directly connected with the restoration. We told her that because she knows the Book of Mormon is true and Joseph Smith was a prophet, she understands that God has restored many laws that were part of His church in ancient times, such as tithing. Often times our friends or others ask us questions about our doctrines, expecting an understanding of sacred things to come by simply explaining it. We live in a fast paced world and are accustomed to attaining information at speeds not known to other generations, and the thing we must remember when answering questions of others is that if they want to really understand what we do on a deeper level, they cannot stop their search superfically, on the surface. Janina's friend's question was not actually 'why would you want to give 10 percent of what you earn to your church?' (a response that can be given in just a few phrases) but actually 'Does God really speak to man today? Has He called a prophet in our day? etc. (a response that can only be attained through personal revelation, which comes with time, and naturally follows consistent patterns of study, prayer, and church attendance.) I was thankful that she asked us that question, it helped me understand this principle a bit more clearly. On the way home from the airport we testified to a woman whose mother passed away three days earlier that her mother is not lost, and that (thanks to the restoration) we know God's plan for us and for our families.

 

We had a surprise trip to Lyon for the following three days. It was the conference formerly known as 'Bleu's Conference' but now we call it 'bring back conference' where all of the new missionaries and their trainers come and we talk about what we've learned and its a really edifying experience. This is my third time going, I went for myself and with Sr. Bicchierri as well, and it was a wonderful time full of tender mercies, and really fun sleepovers with my old friends :) My group is the next group of Sisters that will be returning home, and so I have lots of friends in the mission now, being one of the oldest. It is truly a great sisterhood. I wish I had time to tell you all about the conference and the weekend, it was just such a blessing. We even got to spend a night in MONTPELLIER! I about died I was so happy. When we got to the apartment it was 7:00 at night, and I just wanted to sieze every moment. Sr. Taylor and I (another trainer) left our tired and hungry companions to go and work for the hour and forty-five minutes we could. We talked to everyone, and even worked in taking a picture with my favorite olive tree, and going to the San Francisco bagel store and buying a bunch of american food we didn't need (cherry pop tarts and crunchy jiff peanut butter to be exact....all for the small price of 12 euro. Totally worth it. Merry Christmas to me! :) ) We testified with power and authority, not because we are really cool aweseome missionaries, but because the Holy Ghost was with us. I love Soeur Taylor. I love Montpellier. I loved walking those streets and reminsicing on the wonderful things the Lord has blessed us with.

 

I HAVE SO MUCH I COULD SAY! A very wise member here named Didier Hoiraeu gave us his insights on the Spirit the other day, saying how so often we forget that it is a living being. I think that we often, unintentionally, de-personify the Holy Spirit and think of it as just this force or this thing that sometimes makes us feel good inside and that is really vague and hard to feel. The Holy Ghost is the third member of the Godhead and is a spirit personage. We should try to develop our relationship with the spirit with this in mind. I know that this Christmas season, as we turn ourselves away from materialism and stress, and focus on moderation and love, we will develop a closer relationship with the Comforter. Let us give our lives as a gift to the Savior. Start this week by forgiving someone who doesn't deserve it. You will be free again.

 

I love you.

 

Soeur Waldron

Oh come, all ye faithful

Well, it is officially the Christmas season and what a blessed thing that is!

I am so glad I am here in France. I am so excited to strengthen my relationship with my Savior this Christmas season as I try to learn of Him and be more like Him.

We had an incredibly busy and fun week. Last Pday was spent at the chapel doing one of my familiar favorite things to do....painting scenery for the ward Christmas party!!! I can't even tell you how happy that made me to PAINT! I still remember how! c'est INCROYABLE! It was a fun way to serve the ward, and we are really happy that BOTH Sr. Bayles and I will get to stay and enjoy the Christmas season here in Bordeaux. Unless I get transferred somewhere I have already served, this will be the longest I have stayed in a single place for my whole mission. The people here are so dear to me.

We had another exciting episode in our apartment...this time we were fending off the nasty foe we like to call mold. That stuff can really stink up a tiny apartment! But, nothing a little bleach can't handle. Oh the adventures.

We played the missionary game again this week, this time it was with the older single adults for their family home evening. WE had hesitiated to play because there was a non member there...but he gave us more names than anyone else. ha. He is really cool, his name is nicholas and he wants so much to follow the Savior....he is another one who just showed up all by himself to the church and he is really searching. I know that the Lord will answer his prayers. He will be taught by the Talence Soeurs, but I got to teach him a 'how to begin teaching' lesson 0 kind of a thing on a split, and it was a very sacred experience. What a blessing.

We have been worried about Landry, he seemed to have a question and he finally asked us last night and it turns out he just is really still not sure why he would need to be baptized again. We had a nice conversation on the phone and I assured him that the most important thing he can do is pray to know that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that this is really the Church of Jesus Christ restored, and that baptism is something important and wonderful and that its important that we are ready and conscient of what we are doing. I know that the Lord will answer his prayers, too.

Leading up to Christmas time, I am studying the Christlike attributes, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and praying fervently to know Him better, and to be more like Him. I know He lives and loves us.

I love you so, I really do. Miracles are happening in this land! We had 12 baptisms in the mission last week! The membership in Europe is going to double, and its because God and His angels are working with us.

Have a wonderful week!

Soeur Waldron

PS can you please pray for Julien? He is trying to decide about going on a mission. love you