Testimony

HELLO ONE AND ALL!
Today it is the fault of the silly french computer keyboards that my email is short.
We had a wonderful week. I feel super close to the Lord and I know He loves me and is helping me repent and improve and bring about miracles in mylife and in the lives of others.
Carmelle is getting baptized on the 9th. HALLELUJAH! She has been my ami since my 2nd transfer here so Septmber, and she is a miracle. She needs our prayers. I wish I could tell youallthe wonderous blessings we have had.
I know that God lives. I have a testimony that keeping His commandments is the only way to a life of peace. I know that the commandments are not super popular, and its hard to keep them because EVERYONE sins around us. Its incredible! Its kind of shocking. And when I consider that the Savior suffered for all of that, I am rendered incapable to comprehend the extend of His love and mercy. I know that we can be forgiven of sin. Its not super easy, but it feels super good. I know that the word of wisdom is important for our day. I know that the law of chastity is essential for the family to be protected and living it is a vital part of qualifying to enjoy loving relationships in the eternities. Its so important.
Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer.
Anyway, I love you and I love the gospel I am happy to be a missionary France is great and I am staying warm-ish :-]
BISOUS!
Soeur Waldron

Our Father in Heaven is a God of miracles. If I could, I would tell you all of the incredible tender mercies he has accorded us this week, but this little note will have to suffice.
My new companion's name is Soeur Kofoed. She is from Bountiful, UT, and loves to sing and to talk to people and to meed new people and make them smile and tell them about the Savior. I feel spoiled getting to spend ANOTHER transfer in one of the most coveted villes in the mission with such a wonderful companion. We have a lot of fun and  see lots of miracles, and she is helping me become a better person. LIFE IS GOOD!
We have witnessed so many miracles with Carmelle, it is so wonderful and so sacred to see it all unfold. We spend a lot of time with her, she even comes to RDV's with us from time to time. The members adore her and she is so happy she can hardly go five minutes without saying 'je suis trop contente!' (I am too happy) or telling us another reason why she is grateful or another blessing she has recognized from the hand of the Lord. Her life is a miracle and she recognizes the tiniest things as blessings from heaven. Its incredible to see the mighty change she is going through, and its because she reads the Book of Mormon, prays, comes to church, and acts in faith. She has been through so much to get to this point. Wow. I can't wait for her baptism, and I am sure it will happen really soon.
We had a new ami last week that was a referral from a WONDERFUL member. We were all a little sad to hear that he had gotten into anti-mormon material online, and his hopeful view of the restored gospel was dissuaded by the evil philosophies of men. It was a special moment this morning to counsel this good member and congratulate her for her goodness and to remind her that nothing can stop the work of the Lord and that the power of His Spirit is far greater than the intillect of men. I know that if our friend will choose to pray, and to seek God through the Holy Scriptures and worship, He will have the spiritual experiences he needs to keep the faith in a world of confusion.
What can I tell you in a few moment's time?
I love you. I love the gospel. I know that in our darkest moments, the light of the love of God can shine even brighter and fill our sould with goodness. I know that I am nothing without the Savior. I can't do anything good without Him. May we all keep our eyes ever fixed upon Him.
Love!Soeur Waldron

MIRACLES!

My beautiful family and friends,

 

First of all, thank you mom for the letters!!!!!! It has been such a treat to hear from you like every day pretty much! I AM SO THANKFUL!

 

I just want you to know how much I love you and how much I love the Lord and I love being a missionary. It is a wonderful blessing. It is also a wonderful blessing that I GET TO STAY IN BORDEAUX! I love this place. I am surrounded by some of my dearest friends and so much beauty. I love it here and am happy to stay a fifth transfer!

 

Here is a bit about my week.What a blessed week we had. Maybe the best since I have been in BDX! I am SOOOO happy to be staying. So happy. I feel like it is a super huge gift with a bow on top. This is going to be the best transfer of all time! Et en plus, my dear Soeur Bayles is going to get to work with another one of my favorite missionaries Sister Taylor, and I am so happy for them...even if I will miss her tons. (she went to toulouse and my new collegue is soeur kofoed)

2 of our 3 new amis from last week were found thanks to members! And they just sort of fell in our laps! One of them is the boyfriend of a young adult in the ward, and he's like 'yeah I think I'll be coming to church every week....' we thought that would be a great idea. The other one is an ancient ami from like two years ago, but another one of our stalwart young adult members really sparked him (mission lingo....don't worry about it....it means she was really nice and helped him feel the love of God.) and he came to church for the first time, felt the Spirit in Sacrament Meeting as the speakers taught us about the Sacrament, the Atonement, and baptism....we asked him if he wanted all that for himself, he said yes, and we set a baptismal date with him right after.

Remember how I said it would take a MIRACLE for Carmelle to keep her date for the 26th? Well, guess what happened....

The spark started to ignite just a little before Christmas when we made a deal with her that if she read 3 nephi 11 every day for a week we would give her a Book of Mormon in English to help her practice her language skills. She did it, and ended by having a 'click' and realizing how amazing it is that the Nephites learned the same doctrine that was taught in the Bible and realized how that couldn't not be true. She went for holiday and it took a little while to get the fire burning again after, but now its going stronger than ever. As we read with her from the Book of Mormon in our RDV's, the Spirit comes in and teaches her incredible truths. She started to recognize answers to her prayers, and gets all giddy and happy talking about how it makes her feel to believe in God, and how she knows He understands her. She came with us to several RDV's as kind of a third companion over the course of a couple of days, we even did morning studies with her at the church and that day not only did she share her testimony of God the Father in the name of Jesus Christ with a less active, she invited her to come to church with us on Sunday. She is so incredible, and I know that as we continue to fast and pray and work she will be ready to make covenants with God. This is so fun! Our other ami (also a referral from a member) who wasn't progressing before and then started coming to church as a direct result of the missionary game that the Elder's played with the family, said a prayer in church on Sunday and we had one of our best rdv's with him yet last week. :)

PLEASE PRAY FOR CARMELLE AND SIMON AND THOMAS AND MARC AND KEVIN's FAMILY THIS WEEK! And my new comp :)

Yesterday the ward clerk came up to us saying that we beat last year's Sacrament Meeting attendance record already! The Lord is really hastening His work and I am just super happy to be here.

Have the best week ever!

Love you! Be happy it is super fun. If you don't feel it, rely on the Atonement and all of your guilt can truly go away. :)

Soeur Waldron

Trust in the Lord

My dear family, 

Today I spent a lot of time just reading emails. I needed that, and I thank you all for your love and kindness. I thank you all for the cards and the candies and the emails and all the little things you sent me that made my Christmas cheery and bright. I feel very blessed indeed.

We had a very lovely Christmas. All of the members made a fuss over us and we were spoiled silly. We celebrated at least four and a half times between dinners and zone conference and all of that jazz. It was wonderful. President gave us all aprons that say 'France Lyon Mission' and we signed them, super fun. We had Christmas eve at a Tahitian family's home....I don't know if you've every been hosted by someone from the South Pacific....suffice it to say that we didn't have an appetite for like three days later since we ate our body weight in seafood. I discovered lots of rubbery crustaceans that I didn't know existed and so that was an adventure. I also had my first oyster! Not that bad. Yes we had foie gras, fish eggs, raw salmon, and escargot. The full Christmas experience (lets not forget the buche de noel!) It was fun and the next day we were again treated like princesses by loving members. We had many opportunities to speak about the Savior and testify of Him in word in deed. When we went to Toulouse for the conference, we went in a group of like 30 to a town square and watched a Christmas glow come into the eyes of passers by as they remembered, even if for but a moment, their Savior. It was grand.

When I was serving in Geneva, there was a man who we taught by the name of David. Maybe you remember him. He was living on the street, and was not enjoying the blessings of repentance which he desperately wanted. He didn't speak or read English (or French) very well, but he feasted upon the Book of Mormon and the Spirit of God enlightened His understanding. One day we came to a lesson, and he was excited to tell us what he had learned from his reading. He stumbled somehow upon Alma 23, in which a wicked and war-hungry people experience a mighty change of heart and bury all of their weapons of war to never raise a sword again. David liked the part when, after burying their weapons, they take upon themselves a new name, and by so doing are no longer defined by the name of their wicked past. He expressed the same desire. Before his baptism, we stopped calling him by 'David' which was what he was known by on the street, and he went by his middle name instead, 'Sampson.' Like these people of old, he buried his weapons and took upon himself a new name. What's more, when he was baptized, he witnessed that he was willing to take upon himself the name of the Savior, Jesus Christ.

Sampson's story is a miracle. It happened because he chose to follow the example of Jesus Christ, repent of his sins, and follow all of the commandments. This new year, may we all take a quiet moment and reflect upon the weapons of war that we shall bury with 2012. Starting tomorrow, our every day lives will never again take the name of '2012' but we will start anew, with a new year bearing a new name. May we prayerfully consider the covenants that we have made with the Savior and seek His help in keeping them, in making them, and in becoming them.

All of my love and prayers,

Soeur Waldron

Fear not, for behold, I bring you glad tidings of great joy!

The Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price are Holy Scriptures which contain the word of God. On four special occasions in Holy Writ, God the Father is quoted directly, and on each of these special occasions He testifies of His beloved Son. On three of these four occasions, Heavenly Father's testimony of Jesus is followed with the simple instruction 'Hear (ye) Him!' (Matthew 3:17, Matthew 17:5, 3 Nephi 11:7, and Joseph Smith History 1:17)

We learn from the scriptures that God's work and glory is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. (Moses 1:39) I like the way that our friend Delphine explained it in our RDV last night when we asked her 'What is God's goal?' to which she said, 'that we join Him again.' 

Reason and spiritual conviction lead me to believe that when The Almighty God speaks to us, everything He says must directly assist in helping Him accomplish His goal, or, our Eternal Happiness. So, the simple wonderful truth is that Christ is the Son of God, and by 'hearing Him' or learning of His teachings and applying them in our lives, we become heirs of the kingdom of God. (Romans 8:16-17)

Today is a special day. It is a day when we remember the Divine Son of God and His holy birth. I hope that this Christmas, we will all follow the advice of our dear prophet and 'Come to Bethlehem in Spirit' and offer to the Savior the gift of obedience. Perhaps for some of us, the resolve to follow the Savior has diminished with time or age or failure. This could even lead some to wonder if their goals are still the same as God's (eternal life with Him) or if they will just settle for something less, because its easier, and less of a risk. Well, even when we find our desires are no longer in line with the Lord's, the Savior's Atonement is great enough to cover that. Through Him we can become new creatures....our desires, our thoughts, and our very selves become more and more like Him as we learn His ways and follow them. Preach My Gospel chapter 3, 6, and 3 Nephi chapters 11-27, and 2 Nephi 32 will provide you with knowledge about the Savior and what He taught. If you read it, pray about it, and strive to become that message, you will feel the Atonement work in your life and you will feel the great joy of conversion and want to follow the Savior.

Oh come let us adore Him.

Christmas is a time for family, and I would love to sit together and reminisce with you all. I thank you for your goodness and your love. Here's a few memories. 

I remember many Christmas's listening to the voices of people I love reading from Luke 2, and staring in wonder and hand made nativity sets, painted carefully by the hands of my great grandmother. I remember Swedish Pancakes and that suspicious but delicious cornpuff concoction at Grandma Judy's. I remember Spencer and I sleeping in Uncle Bradley's room and anxiously awaiting morning...I always thought that the wind coming through the fireplace was ghosts...it was probably the Marly brothers in a Muppet Christmas Carol. I was always pleased to find that Santa's footprints were on the fireplace, and amazed that he found me all the way out in casper! I remember Christmas at Grandpa and Grandma Waldron's. She always had a lovely tree, and I remember one year listening to my new aaron carter CDin the basement over and over on my new CD walkman. I loved that basement! I remember Christmas on 1098 north Bedford road, and how Spencer woke me up with excitement. We exchanged presents in his room...I made him a super nintendo pout of cardboard boxes because I knew he really wanted a nintendo and wanted to make sure he did. He gave me a little yellow dinosaur, 'cera' from the Land before time, she was my favorite character. I remember recieving my beautiful kitten Cuddles Figaro Waldron. We all have good memories with the cat. I am praying for her, thanks to all that have taken care of her...even though she didn't always express her gratitude in a very 'cuddly' fashion. 

I love you all so much! 

Soeur Sarah Waldron