Macarons and Mayonnaise
Dear Madre, family, and friends,
Sœur Marriott
This has been another great week. This morning leaving our apartment I thought to myself, "It's great being a missionary!" You always have a purpose, someone to serve, and work to do. I love it!
To answer your question about how my French is holding up; it's a difficult thing to explain. If we're at a rendez vous or church I usually understand just about everything because I can follow the train of conversation. But I have to pay attention. Trying to understand people talk around me on the bus or whatever is more difficult because I can't go off of anything. But I catch words a lot. I'm far from fluent, but I'm managing. It's great being in the French and English wards because we go to both of them meetings.
Something I have been thinking about this week is changing through faith on Jesus Christ. It's awesome to see our investigators lives change as they keep their commitments. I hope that being here on the mission will change me too! I memorized Ether 12:27 in French this week. I know that the Lord will make our weaknesses strong if we come to him with faith. Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. We can only go back to our Heavenly Father relying on His Grace.
This week we got to have two rendez vous with R our engagé. She has a date for baptism set for March 10th. We taught her a lesson about tithing and fasting in the last lesson and she accepted everything without hesitation. She asked questions but then she accepted. Actually her first question about tithing was "how do I pay it?" She is so amazing! I'm so, so lucky to have her as my first investigator. So spoiled! I love her so much. Thank you for telling me the story about how the ward in Beaver fasted for rain or snow, Madre! It helped me to have that additional testimony of fasting just in time for our lesson. :)
We went to visit C again this week. She is so humble and sweet. She has had such a hard life. Her ex husband was awful to her. Right now she's in a hospital for help with her alcoholism and depression. We showed her the video Like a Broken Vessel because we thought it might help her with her problems but also because she went to school in psychology because she wanted to understand why people were the way they were. (Her parents also had some of her problems) During the video I could feel Heavenly Father's love for her. I know he loves her. I hope she could feel it too. She is a beautiful person.
On the way back from visiting C, I had an embarrassing experience. We were on the bus and the bus stopped at what I thought was our stop. So I stood up and I wasn't holding onto anything. But then the bus started again because it was really just a stoplight! And then I fell onto a man's lap! It was so mortifying! I've been very careful about holding onto something ever since. XD
Yesterday we went to a dinner to Frère and Souer G's house. They are the most wonderful people! They're from Germany and Austria, but they spoke perfect English and French too. He has been a bishop, stake president, and in the area seventy. He had so many stories about how the Lord had made things work out for him and other people in his life. But he and Sœur G talked about the gospel and incorporated into their lives so naturally! It seemed inseparable from their characters. The spirit of their home was so warm and homelike. I just loved them. I want to be just like them someday. They also served us the most delicious meal of my mission. Meeting these faithful, wonderful people has been the greatest blessing of my mission I think. Such amazing examples to me.
Today we went and bought macarons from Laduree which I guess is the best place to get them in the world. There's just one other Ladurée which is in Paris! They were delightful.
A couple more cultural things: people make little grunts to show affirmation here. It's hard to explain but I think it adds to the stereotype of French people being frank and blunt.
Mayonnaise from the store is way better here than in the US. I didn't really lovr mayo in America but it's good here! Also cheese. Cheese is so much more interesting here! I've been picking out a different kind to try each week. Last week I had tomme de montagne and brie. Delish! Also I tried raclette this week which is a classic Swiss meal.
I love you all!!
To answer your question about how my French is holding up; it's a difficult thing to explain. If we're at a rendez vous or church I usually understand just about everything because I can follow the train of conversation. But I have to pay attention. Trying to understand people talk around me on the bus or whatever is more difficult because I can't go off of anything. But I catch words a lot. I'm far from fluent, but I'm managing. It's great being in the French and English wards because we go to both of them meetings.
Something I have been thinking about this week is changing through faith on Jesus Christ. It's awesome to see our investigators lives change as they keep their commitments. I hope that being here on the mission will change me too! I memorized Ether 12:27 in French this week. I know that the Lord will make our weaknesses strong if we come to him with faith. Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. We can only go back to our Heavenly Father relying on His Grace.
This week we got to have two rendez vous with R our engagé. She has a date for baptism set for March 10th. We taught her a lesson about tithing and fasting in the last lesson and she accepted everything without hesitation. She asked questions but then she accepted. Actually her first question about tithing was "how do I pay it?" She is so amazing! I'm so, so lucky to have her as my first investigator. So spoiled! I love her so much. Thank you for telling me the story about how the ward in Beaver fasted for rain or snow, Madre! It helped me to have that additional testimony of fasting just in time for our lesson. :)
We went to visit C again this week. She is so humble and sweet. She has had such a hard life. Her ex husband was awful to her. Right now she's in a hospital for help with her alcoholism and depression. We showed her the video Like a Broken Vessel because we thought it might help her with her problems but also because she went to school in psychology because she wanted to understand why people were the way they were. (Her parents also had some of her problems) During the video I could feel Heavenly Father's love for her. I know he loves her. I hope she could feel it too. She is a beautiful person.
On the way back from visiting C, I had an embarrassing experience. We were on the bus and the bus stopped at what I thought was our stop. So I stood up and I wasn't holding onto anything. But then the bus started again because it was really just a stoplight! And then I fell onto a man's lap! It was so mortifying! I've been very careful about holding onto something ever since. XD
Yesterday we went to a dinner to Frère and Souer G's house. They are the most wonderful people! They're from Germany and Austria, but they spoke perfect English and French too. He has been a bishop, stake president, and in the area seventy. He had so many stories about how the Lord had made things work out for him and other people in his life. But he and Sœur G talked about the gospel and incorporated into their lives so naturally! It seemed inseparable from their characters. The spirit of their home was so warm and homelike. I just loved them. I want to be just like them someday. They also served us the most delicious meal of my mission. Meeting these faithful, wonderful people has been the greatest blessing of my mission I think. Such amazing examples to me.
Today we went and bought macarons from Laduree which I guess is the best place to get them in the world. There's just one other Ladurée which is in Paris! They were delightful.
A couple more cultural things: people make little grunts to show affirmation here. It's hard to explain but I think it adds to the stereotype of French people being frank and blunt. Mayonnaise from the store is way better here than in the US. I didn't really lovr mayo in America but it's good here! Also cheese. Cheese is so much more interesting here! I've been picking out a different kind to try each week. Last week I had tomme de montagne and brie. Delish! Also I tried raclette this week which is a classic Swiss meal.
I love you all!!
Sœur Marriott
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