My dear ones,

I'm in Geneva! Yes, that's right, I have transferred, again! HAhaha, either the Lord can't decide where to put me, or He knows I need to be dynamic. Whatever the case may be I am SO happy to be here! I am with Soeur Bicchierri, who is from Venice, Italy! NEAT! She is techinically still 'blue' (new-this is her second transfer) so I am picking up where her mission mother left off, but I have a feeling she is going to teach me even more than I can teach her. I'M SO EXCITED! We are going to have some awesome miracles here, I can feel it. There are four wards here, and she and I are in La Paroisse de Genève Lac, and also the Geneva Ward, which is English! We will be going to the chapel soon to have Family Home Evening with all the Mongolians, there's apparently a lot here! We only have a few minutes, we got here from the gare (train station) and are sitting here with all my bags, ha. LET THE ADVENTURE CONTINUE!

 

It was a bittersweet thing to leave Renens, but I left on SUCH a wonderful high note. Church was perfect yesterday, it was like a feast of love and gratitude. Sr. Jaquet gave the lesson in Relief society, and she talked about the article in the Liahona magazine where it references Machu Picchu, and how it is one of the wonders of the world. She related this to us by asking us if we don't live enough in 'wonder' and marvel at all of the glorious blessings which surround our daily lives. It is true, the Great Creator has given us so much to be thankful for. I also know that the adversary acts in oposition to the natural childlike wonder we are born with. It is he that seeks to dull the senses, and nullify all things that are good; he wants us to become passive, and cease caring about anything and every thing, he wants us to live bland lives. But, the Lord wants us to experience more. He wants us to appreciate the little moments, and the big ones, and to give us the courage to feel, even though it may sometimes feel risky, or difficult. Godliness is happiness. Anyway, I loved her lesson, it reminded me to wonder, it also reminded me of Spencer's mission and how we went to that beautiful place as a family.

 

I have to go! Sorry!

 

I will CALL you on Sunday!!!! and then we can arrange to skype, maybe just turn it on anyway (Missionaries can call home twice a year-Christmas and Mother's Day so we are so excited!!--Laura :)

 

love you

(Sarah-she was in such a hurry she didn't sign her letter)

J'espère que vous tous avez passé une super semaine!

April 30, 2012

For me, it was a week of train rides. I love trains. It started out with our chocolate factory adventure, and then the next day we had Interviews with President Murdock in Yverdon, which is where our Zone leaders work. WE had a wonderful afternoon of learning and were thankful to have new ideas to apply in our work. IT was a little sad becuase that was the last time we will have interviews with President Murdock before he leaves! I love President and Sister Murdock, they remind me A LOT of you, mom and dad, and so I just feel so loved and at home when they are around. ITs the best. 

One of the things we learned in interviews was what we called the 'Pillars of Light' Contacting. We analyzed one of the most important manifestations in History, the first vision of the Prophet Joseph Smith, and one of the things we discussed was how this miraculous experience all started out with a question. We have been studying and discussing how to 'vraiment apporter la lumière du Christ a tout ceux qui nous entourent' or, truly bring the light of Christ to all that surround us, and one of the ways we have decided to try and accomplish this is by asking inspired questions. So, we practiced contacting people by starting out directly with a question. 'Hello, we'd like to ask you, what does the word peace mean to you? or, what is the importance of the family?' Instead of 'Hi, we're missionaries and we share a message...' we just start off right off the bat with a question. Its amazing! We have had so many more enlightening conversations! Anyway, we found a new ami that very afternoon doing this new contacting apporach, and I have really seen the way asking inspired questions changes everything. I love it! 

Well anyway, that's really the best part of the week. Here's another quick story. There is a woman in our ward who I hardly ever get to talk to, but every time I do she just looks you in the eye and gives you the biggetst bisou imaginable and tells you how great you are. Her name is Sr. Alvarez, and she is from Spain. Anyway, we were having a really hard day last Thursday, one of those days where nothing seems to work and you wonder if you are even making a difference for anyone. All I could think was how much I wanted to see Sr. Alaverez, I knew that at least she would be happy to see us. We had planned to stick a nice note in the mail box of one of the less active members from time to time when we were in her neighborhood, and so we kind of lethargically sat down to write a little note, and went to put it in her mailbox (we were trying to fill up time because we were waiting for our train to leave for our next rdv) anyway, we go to put the note in the box, and as we are walking back, who do we see but Soeur Alvarez going on a walk with her grandchildren! Miracle! I know that might seem like a small thing, but in that moment I was certain of God's love for me, and for each of us personally. 

The mission is the hardest thing I have ever done, especially the last two transfers. But, I have learned so much, and continue to learn and grow each day. Here are just a few of the lessons 

No matter how much easier or better you think it is to be 'right' about something, it always feels better to be kind. Without charity, we are nothing.

Discouragement is a tool of the Adversary that robs you of the joy you are entitled to through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. No matter what your current situation, peace and joy are accessible. The Atonement of Christ becomes efficacious in our lives as we obey the principles and ordonances of the Gospel. Therefore, joy and righteousness are interconnected. 

The Lord loves us individually, and we help others feel His love by working together in community.

Voila, just a few of my thoughts. I love you. I love Switzerland. I love the sheep that are in the little pasture on the way to the church. I love picking wildflowers. I love the mountains. I love the Sunsets. I love that God created all of these things for us, His most miraculous creations. I love that He also instilled in us the ability to create, and I know that each and every day is an opportunity for us to create new and enriching experiences. I also know that He created a plan for us and our families, and that death is not the end of this life. My thoughts are with the Greenan family and also with Chad, and all others who are mourning the loss of a loved one. 

All my love! And a wonderful week to you!

Sr Waldron

PS another person who we contacted and I tuaght one time in Montpellier was baptized last weekend! BOO YA! His name is Hervé, and he is French! WOO!

PSS will you pray for our friend Yenny? thank you!!

BONJOUR à tous!

Monday April 23, 2012 9:23 AM

The Lord My Pasture Will Prepare

I love you all so much and I am so thankful for all the letters I have received!

Tada! It's preparation day. It seriously goes by too fast. I now have less than a year left on the mission (what?!) Crazy! We have had quite the adventure this Preparation day! WE decided that we wanted to go to the Callier chocolate factory, which is a bit less than two hours away by train(s). SO COOL! Actually, the coolest part was just seeing Switzerland....it’s seriously unbelievable beautiful here. As Spring continues to come, there are wildflowers all over the place, which I pick almost every day. :) The world is green and the mountain tops are still white as can be, and many of the fields are full of yellow flowers. As we got off the train the little town where the chocolaterie is, the air is potent with the smell of chocolate....yummmmm! In the tour, they tell you all about the history of chocolate, and specifically Swiss chocolate (you will all recognize the name Nestle...yep, from Switzerland) They let you taste the cocoa beans from all over the world (still not as legit as when Spencer took us to that member's house in Peru and we ate the cacao there, but that is what it reminded me of!) and all of the chocolate you want! Grandma Dayton asked me in a letter she sent if the scenery here looks anything like the Sound of Music...and that would be an affirmative! The hilllllsss are aliveeeee laaaaaa!!!

Next pday we might go to the cheese factory in Gruyère. I am getting more and more convinced that happy cows also come fromSwitzerland. 

So, this week, I came to the firm and steady conclusion that the key to happiness and peace in this life is living in conformity with the first principles and ordinances of the gospel, namely faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End. Something I have talked about countless times, but it is so profound to me. I loved the talk in General Conference about being active in the church, and active in the Gospel. I am convinced that in order to be active in the Gospel, we must be constantly nourished by the good word of Christ, and invoke the Father in prayer. We really did learn everything we need to know in Primary....but why is it still sometimes so hard to do? This week we helped a woman in our ward clean her small apartment where she lives with her husband and five children. This good member loves her family, and like so many of us wants to do what is right and help them however she can, but she is just so tired, and honestly doesn't always know what to do. The unity she said they once had in her family is dissipating, as well as the faith of some of her family members. Not to mention that she and her husband both work, and they hardly get to see each other. My heart was filled with compassion for this woman, who is trying her best just to make it through every day without crying. As we discussed a spiritual message at the end of our visit, it became obvious to me that I needed to invite her to begin again to read her scriptures with her family, and to kneel in prayer each and every day. From the way she reacted, it was obvious to me that it has been a long time since these simple family traditions have been observed in their household, aside from prayers at mealtime. I am convinced that if we as families and individuals will commit ourselves to a specified tradition of individual and personal prayer and scripture study, we will have more harmony in our homes, more peace in our daily activities, a greater portion of the Spirit, and we will have the Spirit to be our constant companion and protection against the destroyer. The Lord has truly given us all we need to navigate through this difficult life, all we need is to accept it.

Later on that day, I was additionally humbled as we taught the 8 year old son of a woman from Equador, who would like to be baptized. She and her husband live in their car with their three children, who until today actually, had not had any schooling. Though these children may not know the same things that their peers of the same age do, they do know how to pray, and they know how to love. This dear woman bore her sweet testimony two Sunday ago, and it was an expression of gratitude and hope. Blessed are the humble.

Later that day still, we met with a man who is homeless. He left his home country and his family, and is alone here in Switzerland, searching every day for food to eat, a place to sleep, but more importantly peace in his heart. He wanted to know what we could tell him about Christianity, because he said he thought it might help him find peace. We gave him the Book of Mormon in his language. We saw him from a distance later on in the day get on the bus, and clasped firmly in his hand was the Book of Mormon, which he opened directly upon sitting down and read as if fully consumed in its pages. When we saw him by chance the next day on the bus, he told us 'I am so thankful for the book....it helps me consider things I have never considered before.' I asked him if he had prayed, which we had taught him how to do 'Oh yes, and I remembered how you said it didn't matter where I was or at what time I can always pray.' 

I know that God lives and that Jesus is the Christ. I know that this life is difficult, but that is why Jesus did what He did for us, for we are all dear to the heart of the Shepherd. Change is possible. I would like to close with few statements from General Conference that I believe are of the utmost importance and worth. The first is from President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency of the Church. The link to this talk is below where you can see the references to the scriptures he quotes.

http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/04/mountains-to-climb?lang=eng

Many of you are now passing through physical, mental, and emotional trials that could cause you to cry out as did one great and faithful servant of God I knew well. His nurse heard him exclaim from his bed of pain, “When I have tried all my life to be good, why has this happened to me?”

You know how the Lord answered that question for the Prophet Joseph Smith in his prison cell:

“And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.

“The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?

“Therefore, hold on thy way, and the priesthood shall remain with thee; for their bounds are set, they cannot pass. Thy days are known, and thy years shall not be numbered less; therefore, fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever.”²

There seems to me no better answer to the question of why trials come and what we are to do than the words of the Lord Himself, who passed through trials for us more terrible than we can imagine.

You remember His words when He counseled that we should, out of faith in Him, repent:

“Therefore I command you to repent—repent, lest I smite you by the rod of my mouth, and by my wrath, and by my anger, and your sufferings be sore—how sore you know not, how exquisite you know not, yea, how hard to bear you know not.

“For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent;

“But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I;

“Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink—

“Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men.”³

You and I have faith that the way to rise through and above trials is to believe that there is a “balm in Gilead”⁴ and that the Lord has promised, “I will not … forsake thee.”⁵  (President Eyring)

I know that through the Atonement of Christ, ALL mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel. The next talk is from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. I will just include the ending portion here and you can read the rest by following this link.

http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/04/the-laborers-in-the-vineyard?lang=eng

however late you think you are, however many chances you think you have missed, however many mistakes you feel you have made or talents you think you don’t have, or however far from home and family and God you feel you have traveled, I testify that you have not traveled beyond the reach of divine love. It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ’s Atonement shines.

Whether you are not yet of our faith or were with us once and have not remained, there is nothing in either case that you have done that cannot be undone. There is no problem which you cannot overcome. There is no dream that in the unfolding of time and eternity cannot yet be realized. Even if you feel you are the lost and last laborer of the eleventh hour, the Lord of the vineyard still stands beckoning. “Come boldly [to] the throne of grace,”³ and fall at the feet of the Holy One of Israel. Come and feast “without money and without price”⁴ at the table of the Lord.

I especially make an appeal for husbands and fathers, priesthood bearers or prospective priesthood bearers, to, as Lehi said, “Awake! and arise from the dust … and be men.”⁵ Not always but often it is the men who choose not to answer the call to “come join the ranks.”⁶ Women and children frequently seem more willing. Brethren, step up. Do it for your sake. Do it for the sake of those who love you and are praying that you will respond. Do it for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ, who paid an unfathomable price for the future He wants you to have.

My beloved brothers and sisters, to those of you who have been blessed by the gospel for many years because you were fortunate enough to find it early, to those of you who have come to the gospel by stages and phases later, and to those of you—members and not yet members—who may still be hanging back, to each of you, one and all, I testify of the renewing power of God’s love and the miracle of His grace. His concern is for the faith at which you finally arrive, not the hour of the day in which you got there.

So if you have made covenants, keep them. If you haven’t made them, make them. If you have made them and broken them, repent and repair them. It is never too late so long as the Master of the vineyard says there is time. Please listen to the prompting of the Holy Spirit telling you right now, this very moment, that you should accept the atoning gift of the Lord Jesus Christ and enjoy the fellowship of His labor. Don’t delay. It’s getting late. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.  (Elder Holland)

All of my love, prayers, and gratitude,

Soeur Waldron

BONJOUR!!!

First off all, let us all be full of joy for Moussole, our ami in Montpellier who was baptized as a member of L'église de Jésus-Christ des Saints des Derniers Jours this weekend. Beautiful. Wow. I just got the news when I opened my emails, and I could not be more happy for him, for he has made a special promise with God, made possible through the Atoning Sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, whose resurrection we remembered with an added amount of awe and reverence this weekend. Isn't that great?!

Joyeuses Pâques! Have you had a wonderful Easter? I hope so. Let’s talk about this week.

This week, we had a new focus on goals. As missionaries, we use numbers to represent some of our goals, but these numbers are only there to help us focus on the PEOPLE they represent, each a beloved spirit child of God the Father. As Soeur Paoli and I spent the week focusing more on our indicateur clés (key indicators...from Preach My Gospel) I found that it was so much easier to focus on my amis and their needs, and it felt like we were so much more effective. It was a great! Last Tuesday was a bit of a blustery day, and we found ourselves sitting on a park bench in downtown Renens as the wind blew the flower petals from the trees every which way. It was a magical moment. That is also where we met a new friend named Abdoulie. His economical situation is worse than probably anyone I've ever met, and he told us he'd like to know how to become Christian, because then maybe he could find peace. It was a humbling encounter that we had with him. He could use our prayers. We ate at the Goyez family's home this weekend, seriously, so delicious every time. She made a salad, and then a risotto au crème...so good. We also cleaned the church with her this week! I liked cleaning the church. I am thankful for the faithful tithe payers that help us construct these sacred edifaces. 

We have another new ami named Yvette. I love her! She is from Africa well, and she has a brother in Quebec who is a member of the Church. We found her a few weeks ago on our way to district meeting. We asked her how her faith in Jesus Christ helps her in her life, and she had nice things to say. IT wasn't until we got to her house for the RDV(rendez-vous) this week that she told us that actually, that day, she had lost the faith. That morning, she decided that she was not going to pray anymore because life was too hard. And then, she met us, two young girls who just want to help people come closer to Christ, and then, she started praying again. Isn't that neat? I love the way the Lord orchestrates this work. These things do not happen by chance! She is looking for a job, an apartment, and is in the middle of a divorce. She could use our prayers. We had another rendez-vous with Florica this week, and I just love her! She's having a hard time with the Book of Mormon, and we fervently testified to her how it has changed our lives. I seriously feel so blessed to have met her. Also! Best thing ever...we went to Segundo and Janeth's, and he came in for the RDV! (yes!) The soccer/obedience lesson was perfect, and I know the Lord blessed us for seeking His Spirit in planning the lesson. At the end, Segundo said (without us even asking) 'ok, I will try and follow the rules with my wife.' YES!!! Haha, that was literally my reaction. He's still gota long way to go, but I know they are going to succeed. I know it! I love them! We had several rattez-vous on Saturday...it was pouring rain and we were out contacting. Ha. The best. As is normally the case, when someone rattez's, there is a miracle. This time it was Holly. She is from Utah, and has been living here as a student. She's been inactive ever since she was 18, and basically, she and I just kind of had a heart to heart. I felt blessed that because of the experiences I have had in my life, God used me to bless this young woman in a special way....isn't it amazing how interconnected and beautifully woven our lives are? Isn't it evident that we are truly all brothers and sisters? Isn't it wonderful that God will do everything He can to help His children come back and enjoy the blessings He has for us? Isn't it wonderful He has given us the opportunity to choose that if we want it? 

And isn't it wonderful that all of this is made possible to us thanks to the Atoning Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. Mom, you know the song Savior Redeemer of my Soul that is the play you went to over the weekend? Could you see if the sheet music exists? Also, I really want a copy of the Love of God. Also, any sheet music that I can sing. Perhaps Come Thou Fount. (English is fine, no worries...if you find stuff in French however, tant mieux!) This week, we met a Muslim man from Heritri who is seriously troubled with the question, 'Why did Jesus come to earth?' He wants to know so badly. It's actually quite inspiring. I know that the answers to his questions are found in the words of the Holy Prophets, and that we can gain a testimony of their truthfulness by reading, praying, and seeking a confirmation from the Holy Spirit. And I mean really seeking, not just sitting idly and waiting. I know that 2 Nephi chapter 9 in the Book of Mormon is a great place to start, and we are looking forward to discussing that with him, and learning continually ourselves.

I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He came to earth in the flesh, and He gave a perfect and infinite Atonement on our behalf. I know that I need His grace every day of my life, and that I have so much more to do to become like Him. I hope that you may all choose to receive His love in your hearts this week. I know that one day we will all be resurrected, that in our bodies we shall see God. The hope of the resurrection is immensely powerful, and I think of this message as I consider our dear friends who are suffering from illness, or the loss of a loved one. Brother Mac, Sister Engstrom, Grandma Judy, and so many others...I am thinking of you. I love you. Mommy, daddy, and Spencer, I love you too. I have a special thought for the four of us that I will either be sending in the mail, or in an email next week. Until then, may the good Lord bless and Keep you. May we be believing. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7)

All of my love and appreciation,

Soeur Sarah Waldron

April 2nd

I am doing emails a little later than usual today! It has been a good preparation day. In fact this whole week has been wonderful, truly a week of miracles!

For starters...we found Florica!!! Quelle Bénédiction! So basically, wonderful experiences seem to always happen while we are on our way chez la famille Goyez for dinner. they invite us over a lot, and she cooks delicious and nutritious food! She is from Spain and he is from Equador, so we always have really interesting things to eat. Lots of paprika. last week we had fish! I love fish! It reminded me of home. ANYWAYS. So we get on the bus to go to their house, and at the stop just after ours a short lady, maybe around fifty years old or so, gets on the bus. I caught eyes with her for about a half second, and then quickly I realized it was Florica! We both smiled and jumped out of our seats to say bonjour and bissous. My heart was so full of gratitude! I explained to her how her phone number hadn't worked, and how we weren't able to find where she lives. Come to find out, we had been porting the wrong side of the building, and she is often not home at nights because of work...so it was seriously miraculous that we found her on the bus! We met up with her again on Thursday, and had such an amazing rendez-vous. Come to find out she was also deeply touched by our encounter on the sidewalk, and she was just as excited to see us again as we were to see her. She told us all about her life, the struggles she's been through and the things she's over come. As she recounted these stories, she did so with a glow in her eye, without one drop of malice towards anyone or anything, but full of gratitude for the Savior and His grace that has helped her overcome. Wow. Think of the hardest trial you have ever faced, then times it by at least three, and then ask yourself if you could smile and be forgiving. This is Florica. After getting to know each other better, we didn't have much time to talk, but we gave her a Book of Mormon and the pamphlet about the Plan of Salvation and she thanked us immensely, saying 'this is just what I needed, more of the word of God.' When we visited her the next day, she was already in 1 Nephi 5. And mommy, I remember one time when Spencer was on his mission, he said that he knew your prayers had blessed him. I am not sure why, but that was the thought I had when we found Florica, I thought, 'maybe my mom is praying for me right now' :) Thank you, and thank everyone for your prayers. They are heard by our Father in Heaven, and they are answered in small, yet significant miracles here every day. 

So General Conference! I am pretty sure all of the apostles and the Prophet wrote their talks specifically for me. Doesn't it feel that way when we are learning by the Spirit? But seriously, President Monson quoted my two all time most imporant, meaningful scriptures...what are the chances?One of these I believe is Hebrews 12:1-2 in the New Testament I learned so much about what I need to do and change in my life, I like that feeling. I watched it here at the Lausanne Stake center. We watched the two morning sessions live, the saturday afternoon session was broadcast sunday morning, and i still havent seen Sunday afternoon nor the young women's broadcast. I still have much to look forward to, including hearing our friend Elder Wilson! That is neat! Conference was nothing short of a miracle here. Soeur Paoli, my companion, contacted a girl named Andréa while we were street boarding the other day (that's where we bring out a big board with information on it and pictures and what not and invite people to talk more with us) and she ended up coming with her friend Alain. They are both from Benin, Africa. Its not often that people come to conference without any knowledge of the church, but these people really didn't know anything, and so I just encouraged them to pray in their heart that the Holy Ghost would manifest unto them if what they heard was tue. I know for a fact that Alain did that and that he recieved a witness that it was true, and that the Prophets spoke of Christ. Awesome! Sunday afternoon was also a miracle, we met someone on the bus on the way to Lausanne, and she dropped everything she was doing to come with us because she said she just loves Jesus Christ and wanted to spend all the time she could learning of him. NEAT! We had several other people come with us, including Florica, and as we guided them to the chapel Sr. Paoli and I felt like little shepherds with our fold, going to hear the word of God together. It was the best. 

Well, I feel really blessed. I feel really humbled. And I feel compelled to offer my thanks. I am thankful for the consecrated hours spent by church leaders, school teachers, extended family members, friends, whose dedicated service has blessed by life. For the lesson plans you revised, for the food you've provided, for the tears you've dried, for the laughter we've shared. I'm thinking of many of you, who are having birthdays, graduating from school, having a baby, taking care of loved ones, or going through other phases of life. I think of you, and I hope you are experiencing blessings of the Lord in your lives. I love you.

I am thankful for the consecrated hours of a devoted mother, who sang me lullabies as a child, who cheers me on to this day, who makes me feel special and needed, and appreciates beautiful things. Thank you for the sleepless nights helping me with art projects, and for the heartfelt prayers you give on my behalf. I love you, mom.  I am thankful for the consecrated hours of a loving father, who taught me how to ride a bike and built me and Spencer a treehouse, just because he wanted to, and how you helped our neighbor have an opportunity to serve us in the process. I am thankful for the LFD's lessons from dad and for the righteous way you act as a Priesthood holder, for girls camp hikes, for morning jogs. I am grateful that you baptized me. I love you, dad. I am thankful for the consecrated hours of my brother, Jay Spencer Waldron, that he spent in front of a computer screen in Tarapoto, Peru, answering the emails of his heartbroken sister. I am thankful for the hours you spent there walking dusty streets and proclaiming glad tidings of truth, many of which had been kept in a book written by their ancenstors. I am thankful for your example of thoroughness and dedication, and how it is evindenced in your notes in the TALL Spanish book I'm now studying. I am thankful for your advice, for all of the laughter we have shared, and for a giving heart. I love you, Spencer.

I am thankful most of all, and most humbly, for the concecrated hours spent by a loving Savior, in a lonely garden called Gethsemane. I am thankful that He chose to suffer His will to the Father so that we may repent and be free. May we all do this each day. I am thankful that He rose on the third day, and look forward to reverently remembering the power of His resurrection, and the hope of our own, as we celebrate Easter. I love my Savior. He truly is the author and finisher of our faith.

Have a wonderful week!

With love and gratitude, Soeur Sarah

Salut!

This has been a wonderful week here in Renens, Switzerland! Sr. Paoli and I have overcome a lot together, and this week was seriously one of our best, especially the last few days. We recieved transfer calls on Friday, and this is the first transfer since I've been here that nothing has changed! I imagine I will stay here for a while, which I don't mind at all, Renens is great! 

So, this week. We worked a bit in a nearby city called Morges, which is about five minutes away by train. I really love it there, its close to the lake and very homey. Fun fact as well is that Audrey Hepburn is buried not far from there! Anyway, its always fun to work a bit in the surrounding cities. We have been trying to find our friend Florica, the lady from Romania who we met contacting, but her phone number she gave us didn't work and we aren't sure which door is hers in her apartment building, but we hope to find her again soon and continue to share the gospel of Christ with her. We taught more lessons this week than any other week in the transfer, and we have two new people we are teaching. The first one is Bezhad. He is from Iran, and doesn't really have a religious background at all personally, but we have had a couple of interesting conversations and we will see where that goes. The other is named Zacharias, and he is awesome! I contacted him with one of the young women in our ward and the young women's leader while we were doing a missionary activity with them, and we had our first lesson with him this week and he is seriously so awesome. He is from Angola (same country our ami Mussole in Montpellier is from, portuguese speaking country in Africa) and he is very believing and very kind. I can't wait to teach him again! And his girlfriend was there last time two, so potentially two people to teach! Yayyy! 

This week I officially passed the six month mark! So crazy how fast time goes by. We honestly didn't really do any thing special to celebrate, but I was feeling the missionary spirit all day because I was really excited to teach our ami, Segundo. His wife, Janeth, was baptized a little over a year ago I think, and him and their two sons haven't been baptized yet. I love this family. I remember seeing Segundo at church my first week here, and ever since I came I just really feel like one of the reasons I am here is to help this family all accept the marvelous blessings of the gospel in their lives together. I can't remember if I told you about it, but Segundo and I made a little deal together. One of the things he has a hard time with is giving up drinking alcohol, not because he's addicted, just because he likes it. So, i told him that I would give up chocolate for one month if he would not drink for one month, so we could kind of work on this together. So, basically, I think about him every day because there is chocolate everywhere. I have studied and concecrated a lot of thought and energy for this family, and I was really excited to teach them last week. But, when we got to their house, Segundo didn't want to come and listen to the lesson because he was watching soccer. But, we had a lesson with Janeth and their kids anyway, and you know, when I went home that night, I was still just so happy, because I knew I had given my all that day. Sometimes disappointing things happen, and people make choices that you don't understand, but the Lord rewards us with the comfort of His Spirit when we do our best. Besides, we have an awesome lesson plan for a our next rendez-vous that we are working on, and I am not giving up on this family! 

Ok other things. We had district meeting this week, and I was in charge of giving a fifteen minute lesson on 'how to have fun while finding.' I love finding! Seriously, contacting and porte-a-porte can either be miseriable or incredible experiences, and pretty much 99% of this has to do with the missionaries attitude, not whether the people are nice or accept what you have to say. IT was a fun lesson to give, and Bryan Bennett will be happy to know that I used the IDEO brainstorming idea, and we all tried to think of innovative solutions to have better finding experiences. Creativity!

WE also have another new person we are teaching, Daniel, from Nigeria! Its like I'm in Dijon again! He is really nice, and loves the Lord. I love Africans! This week, I also taught Sunday school, our lesson was about the Atonement of Jesus Christ, lesson 12 in Gospel Principles. i remember teaching this lesson at BYU-Idaho four years ago, during a time in my life where I was passing through some difficult challenges, and I remember coming to realize the healing power of the Atonement for myself personally. I love this lesson, and know that the Atonement of Christ is the enabling force that leads this work today. 

Well, there's a littlle taste of my week. There were many other beautiful moments....like our conversation with two old friends on a park bench, who had just regained contact with each other after thirty years. It just felt right to talk to them about the resoration of the gospel with the background of the banjo music, under the shade of the big park trees. Then there's all the magnolia trees that are starting to bloom, and the little purple and yellow flowers in the grass. So many beautiful things. 

The most beautiful thing of all is that Christ lives, and He loves us. He has re-established His church on the earth, and I know that it is led today by a Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson. I can't wait for General Conference! Let us all prepare our hearts, and with faith, bring the questions of our souls to General Conference, and allow ourselves to recieve answers from the Holy Ghost, as carried by the words of the Latter-day Prophets. Yay!!!! Ok, I love you so. Have a blessed and a beautiful semaine!

Soeur Waldron

Note from Laura: Dear Friends and Family, You can view or listen to the General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on television at BYUTV or via the internet atwww.lds.org/general-conference or www.gc.lds.org. There are two sessions Saturday Mar. 31 and two on Sun. April 1, 9-11AM and 1-3PM (PST). The sessions will be available to view even after conference is over. I, like Sarah, am so excited to listen to conference and to hear the testimonies of Jesus Christ and how I can come closer to Him. I always learn things that help me become a better person and that help my family. I know that there is a prophet on the earth today just as there were prophets in Biblical times and that Jesus Christ directs His church through the prophet. You can learn more about what Sarah is teaching and why she is serving by tuning in. Love, Laura

BONJOUR! From a rainy day in Switzerland.

I can't believe it is already the last preparation day of the transfer! They go by faster and faster every time. I equally can't believe that on Wednesday I will have been out on the mission for six months. I can imagine mommy and her little scissors on that day cutting off another inch on the missionary wall, hehe. 

Let's see, what interesting things do I have to tell you this week? Well, we are teaching some new people! Unfortunately, there are some others that we are no longer teaching, but that is kind of how it goes on the mission. We try our best to do what the Lord would have us do, and even though things don't always work out the way we'd like, He helps us learn from our experiences and become more effective missionaries, more understanding teachers, and more loving people. I love having new people to teach! I love being a part of so many people lives from so many different backgrounds, even if it is only for a small moment, and feel immensely blessed to have this priviledge.The Soeurs sister missionaries in Lausanne contacted a French lady on the bus a couple of weeks ago and started teaching her, but it turns out she is in our sector (area) and so we are transitioning to start teaching her. She is wonderful! She is a woman who has lived through a lot of difficulties, and she really just wants to repent and come closer to the Savior. We are teaching her later today. We are still teaching our ami Matthias who we found porting, and this week we are teaching him about the plan of Salvation. woo! I am excited about a couple of other people we found porting and contacting with whom we are going to have rendez-vous this week as well. Speaking of contacting lets tell a story from last week. 

So, we were having a long day. I wasn't feeling well, and we were really tired. We had an awkward amount of time between our next rendez-vous, and weren't sure if we should stop by the apartment for a moment and gather our thoughts or if we should just muscle through. Well, I'm not sure exactly what pushed me to do it, but I decided that before going home I would contact the woman walking towards us. We stopped her and explained that we were missionaries, here to share a message about Jesus Christ. We asked her if she believed in God, and with zeal she responed yes, she did. As we asked her to expound upon her thoughts about Jesus Christ, she recounted to us her story of her life in Romania, and how she had lived through trials so difficult that she was convinced that God did not exist. Miraculously, in a great time of need, she discovered the miracle of the Savior Jesus Christ in her life. I don't remember all of the details of her story, but I do remember how deeply impressed I was by her fervent conviction of the Christ, and how it helped two tired missionaries to remember why we are here, and that it is true - the Atonement of Christ changes lives. 

I took an extra moment to think about the Savior while I was at church on Sunday as we talked about His life in Gospel Principles class. The more I learn about Him and His life, the more I want to change to become like Him. I am so thankful for the challenges I face each day which refine me, humble me, and help me to become more like Him whose Gospel I have come to proclaim.

Well mes amours, that is all for today. Have a wonderful week! I love you. Thank you for your prayers and your love, and for everything you do and are.

LOVE!

Soeur Waldron