March 10, 2014

Bonjour.

I loved staying in my area, especially since Soeur Carter has been serving on the other side of the river in Lyon, so she's pretty familiar with the area. Made the transition go so smoothly. We had a good week. 

To start with, this whole "Sister training Leader" gig, is showing me all the work that goes on behind the scenes in the mission. Kind of cool. We had a loooong to do list, and are still making our way through it, because the days seem to fly by. 

Guys, I LOVE being with an older missionary. This is the first time since my first transfer that I have a companion who is older than me in the mission. I love training, but it's a different, awesome experience, when I can look at my companion, and know that she will have an idea of what to say and how to say it. We both lead the lessons, we both talk to memebers, we both contact. 

Okay, okay, so this week, other than all the random,w eird jobs we had to do like reorganize out apartment and getting maps and calling sisters, etc, we also did a lot of normal missionary work. It was a bit bizarre the first few days being with Soeur Carter, since it seemed like we were on exchanges. I had to shake off the idea that she was leading me around, and remember that this is my sector. But I showed her around, and she showed me the ropes of being a STL. 

A really cool thing this week, was that so many people that we met and talked to *asked us* if they could meet with us. We found new amis, who have lots of promise, just as we were going to and from other rendez-vous. Like this woman, named Eliette, who is 82 but looks in her 60s, and kept bowing to us and telling us how happy she was to have met us. At the end of our first rdv with her, she asked "Why aren't more people Mormon?"....yes...exactly...you see why we're here. 

We met with lots of members, to try to show the ward that Soeur Carter and I are in fact companions, even though for the rest of the transfers, we'll be with lots of other sisters. It included meeting the Relief Society president, who LOVES us now, and totally trusts us, since we're helping her with the sisters in the ward. More than half of our giant ward is sisters, so she needs a lot of help. But Ecully will be splitting soon #toomanyofus #templesoonplease?

These member visits included a semi-less active trying to teach us how gaurdian angels are the fourth members of the Godhead...#apostasie Probably the funniest experience of my life, when she kept testing us on the words to "As Sister's in Zion"...

We had mangez-vous with families who need lots of loves and prayers, and visited THE CUTEST and probably THE OLDEST couple. We had planned a language study at a members, and she forgot, but told us to go to her parents who live right across the street, so we popped in. Little old "Papa Torres" came hobbling out, yelling "LES SOEURS MISSIONNAIRES!!!!", because he's deaf (shout out to my favorite Papa). They were so excited, and Soeur Torres kept playing with our hair, and calling us "mes filles" (my daughters). We helped a member set up for her wedding, and got lost in a random bit of beautiful countryside on the way to a members. We made cookies for young women who didn't know what they where, and on Sunday, we randomly got invited right after church to go on a nature walk with a family with 2 twin 3 year olds, and had dinner at their house after.

All of these member experiences are important, because yesterday was mission-wide "E" Day (endearment day), where we do all we can to endear members. We worite notes, made cookies, smiled a lot, and sang in sacrament meeting. It was great, and it worked like a charm. We are booked, with exchanges and member visits. Soeur Carter was in awe of how simple it was, since the members asked us to come, instead of the awkward other way around.

There were 2 baptisms in our ward yesterday, and Zamir obviously came, and told us after:

He's going to ask his parents....

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH3627è_éç'è_éç&(é&!!§/%%A"'éçè_çè(àçàè_ç-#|^^@@]^|`\[`[`\!!!!!

This is major progress. Keep him in your prayers.

I love being a missionary. I love working in Lyon, and I love working with Soeur Carter. Even though it's new work, this now calling has helped...I don't know, ignite (?) a new desore to work hard. Whatever it is, I love it, and I'm just going with it. 

I found this clip on lds.org. THIS IS WHERE I SERVE MY MISSION. Watching it fills up my heart, and makes me even happier to be serving here. I love this work.

Je vous aime,

Soeur Luthi