WEEK 80

SALUT LES ENFANTS. COMMENT ÇA VA? Je vais bien:) j'ai passé une très bonne semaine qui était rempli des miracles et les expériences spirituelles. Combien nous sommes béni en tant qu'aux enfants de notre père céleste! Cette semaine j'ai pu voir qu'il y a beaucoup d'entre vous qui prie pour mes ami de l'église et moi, et pour cela je suis très reconnaissant:) ça m'a touché cette semaine de voir comment le seigneur répond à nos prières. Ça m'a frappé cette semaine que mon anniversaire c'est le moi prochain! Et donc je voulais vous prévenir, je vais vous demander tous, au lieu de m'envoyer les colis pour mon anniversaire, je vais demander pour l'argent haha parce que j'ai que 5 mois qui reste en mission et je veux acheter les vêtements français pour attirer les filles;) lol mais oui! Donc ça c'est ce que je veux pour mon anniversaire cette année:) merci à tous!! Voilà ma semaine!  (HI CHILDREN. How is it going? I'm well :) I spent a very good week that was filled with miracles and spiritual experiences. How much we are blessed as the children of our Heavenly Father! This week I have seen that there are many of you that pray for my friends of the Church and me, and for this I am very grateful :) it touched me this week to see how the Lord answers our prayers. It struck me this week that my birthday is up next! And so I wanted to warn you, I'm going to ask you all, instead of send me packages for my birthday, I'll ask for money haha because I have 5 months remaining on a mission and I want to buy french clothing to wear for the girls;) lol but yes! So that is what I want for my birthday this year :) thank you all! This is my week!)

LUNDI SOIR

well there isn't too much to tell about what happened tonight. The Mazy's were sick today and yesterday so not only did they not come to church, but they didn't come to family home evening either. And because of that, Claudette was not able to come either:( Emmanuel has school every Monday and Wednesday night so he can't ever come, but Claudette came last week cause the Mazy's went and picked her up. So that was a bummer that neither of them were there:( but we had FHE still and it went well. Elder Nelson gave us a lesson on Christlike attributes and then we got a ride home with the Badoux's! When we got home we were planning for our day tomorrow and we called Emmanuel and Claudette to see how they were doing and spent a good 10 minutes talking with them and laughing. They're pretty much like family haha they spent the time asking how our families were doing and how our day was and when the next time we could come over was. #friends4ever

MARDI

today was a blast! So a few nights ago we got a call from our district leader informing us that they changed the way we were going to do district meeting. They told us that district meeting would now be held at every ville in the district at least once a transfer, and that after we had eaten that the rest of the district would spend the rest of the day in that ville and do some work! Which is awesome, just in case you are wondering haha cause can you imagine having one area with 8 missionaries??? Haha I was pretty happy about that! So this morning we woke up and got ready to head out to catch our train to Nivelles. When we got there me and Nelson had to go and buy bread for our side dish for the meal and do we went and did that and then got to the other guys apartment and we were assigned a new companion for the day and we went out and did some work until lunch time. I went with elder McDonald and again, like always, we had a blast. Hahah I just love that kid! The whole time we were laughing and having fun. I was telling him how weird it was that all my soeurs went home and he was telling me how weird it is that I go home in 5 months.....haha we had a blast though. We talked to a lot of people and I was honestly surprised how many people actually knew who we were! A lot of times people either think that we are the Jehovah's Witnesses or the Amish, but today every time people were like ya I know who you are, they were like, you're the Mormons! Haha so that was sweet. We then went in for our lesson for district meeting and elder McDonald told us that our district was leading the mission in numbers! EVERY companionship has 1 or more investigators with a baptismal date and so that was fun to know!! He gave us a lesson on baptism and why it is important to help our investigators plan and prepare for it now and it was really good. Then we ate and went out to work again. It was cold and rainy and because of that there was next to no one in the ville and so me and elder McDonald decided to go and do some afternoon porting. We went and knocked doors and during the whole afternoon we were talking about Reims cause he served in Reims, just after I left, for 6 months and we both LOVE it there. Apparently they had quite the fun apartment too....I guess all the elders were like best friends and they all had a blast all the time together and so I was a little sad that I missed that, but oh well. I STILL LOVE REIMS!! We then went and got kebabs for dinner and while we were ordering I got a call from the ZLs and they were telling us that they were very impressed with the numbers that we got last week, (like our lessons and all that stuff) and they wanted to tell us that they were proud of what we were doing. So that was cool! Then we went back to their apartment and we ate and then me and Nelson had to go and catch a train home for the night. We contacted our way back to the apartment and planned and then I called Emmanuel and Claudette to see how they were doing and we talked and there is a funny thing to tell, and a cool thing! Funny thing: Emmanuel asked if we had eaten fries today and I said I hadn't but elder Nelson did and that I got a kebab and Claudette goes, 'LIBBY. That is not good for your health.....' And Emmanuel responds, 'it's ok!....... We all are going to die.....' HAHAHAHAHA lol. Cool thing: last night while I was praying, I asked HF to help me know how to help Claudette find a new job and immediately the grocery store just in front of their house came to mind. So I asked Claudette if she'd ever thought about working there, to which she responded, 'That is a GREAT idea!!! I didn't even think about that! I'm going to go in tomorrow to see if they are hiring!' Hahah so we'll just have to see!! The Lord will answer prayers!!!

MERCREDI

Well today was a decent day!! I love it when I see that I've been able to help people out and see the spirit work in people. It's just a great feeling, and if you haven't experienced it, I highly recommend that you find someone and let it happen. So today we had to get up and have our studies.....or at least some of them! Haha we had a rdv with this potential investigator that we met a few weeks ago who is a lawyer at the university here. He told us he works and the only time he would be able to see it would have to be at his work during the morning hours. So we went out and met with him. We got there and he invited us into his office and we started to talk. We asked him all about how he had met with the missionaries before and he had the Book of Mormon to prove it! Haha he said that he'd read a little bit but that he thought it was a bummer how there was no proof of the plaques still on earth. He was all, how do we know that this Joseph Smith didn't just make this story up?? Haha I was all that's where your faith comes in brotha. Anyway we asked him if we could come back and have some more rdvs and tell him more about our message, and he said that he wanted to read and that work is super stressful for the moment and that we could call him around the end of March........so we'll see what happens. We then came home and had somewhat of a comp study and figured out what we needed to do for the day and then we went off to lunch with Patrick. It was really fun today. Honestly eating with him is something that I honestly look forward to every week haha. It's such a blast and the pasta really is the best pasta in the world!!! Anyway, after lunch with him we had to go home cause we needed to call the ward missionaries and ask if they could come to a rdv with our recent convert and they needed her address so we went home and found that and then we went and contacted until our rdv with her. We got to her house and the ward missionaries showed up and then we walked up to her apartment and got to her place and walked in and guess who was there??? Chung......haha he had come to sit and drink some drinks from her and ya.....so we were like ummm ok. So there were 5 of us in her apartment to teach her....so we tried to talk about our life on earth and the atonement, but we couldn't get past our life on earth cause she kept talking hahah so after about an hour and a half, we left her to get home for dinner. We came home and ate and then I got a feeling we needed to go to this one area to port. So we went and hopped on a bus and got out to this one area and started knocking doors! During the time we were porting, we got: 2 lessons taught, 4 passbacks, and 2 new investigators! The 2 new investigators are a married, middle-aged couple who were super nice!!!! They let us in and were asking questions about Joseph smith and it was super cool!! As we were explaining prophets, the wife was like like, 'that makes sense. God needs a prophet on the earth. That is totally true.' And I was like WOOOO!!! Then they asked us about church and how it worked and so we explained it all and when I explained about priesthood and relief society and how in the family men and women have different roles, again, the wife goes, 'I LOVE that! I totally agree and I want to come and see that. I can't this Sunday, but I am coming to see that.' Haha! We are going to see them next Wednesday:) the lord prepares souls!!

JEUDI

today went by so fast. We had so many rdvs and it went by so dang fast. But that is how you have a good day and I'm always grateful for busy days. So this morning we got up and we went running haha........then we got home and we started our studies and for the first time this whole week, we got a whole session of NORMAL studies!! Haha that honestly is the best, you all have no idea. We got all of our studies out of the way and then we went contacting. We went on this one road and contacted like everyone and got a couple numbers and even got to pray with one lady on the side of the street!! So that is always a good day. We contacted this one girl who was on her way to the pool cause she was a swimmer and I was like hey I was a swimmer for 10 years before my mission and she was all well come with me and we can go do some laps in the pool!! I was like.....haha I wish......words can't explain how much that pool misses me and how badly I just want to jump in somewhere and start to swim again!!!! AHHH THE TEMPTATION IS SO REAL. Anyway, we got home and ate lunch and then went to our rdv that we had with our new investigator from last week, Virginie! Her and her boyfriend were both there today and so it was cool to teach them both. We just re-taught the restoration and it went well. We also answered all their questions and then they told us that next week she is starting an internship and he is going to be looking for a job so we couldn't fix an exact rdv for a next week, but we'll see when we see them again if that turn out to be anything. After that, we went and contacted and then had another rdv with this investigator that we found a long time ago and had always forgotten to fix a rdv...but we finally got one!!! So we got to his apartment and taught the restoration all the way up to Joseph Smith and asked him what he thought and he told us that he was convinced that that was true! He said that everything we were saying to him rang clear and that he had no questions!! Then....we asked if he'd be baptized if he came to know the truth and he didn't say yes or no....he said that for the past few years he'd been thinking of baptism and so he'd been thinking about it and then left us off like that. So we'll see next week when we go back!! Then we contacted until dinner and came in and ate and then went to Emmanuel and Claudette's for the night. They had heard something about some missionaries writing their testimonies in the investigators Books of Mormon and so they asked us to do that and Claudette told us that she was keeping that in her 'Heritage' which I think means like personal affairs and she said she's gonna keep it forever and pass it down to her children when she dies. It was honestly kind of touching haha. We then taught them tithing and explained why it was important and why we do it and they both accepted and said that they were excited to be able to get the blessings like members when they pay tithing. It was a good rdv! It touches me how they are so willing to change. Claudette always tells us, I know it's true, so I'll follow it. It's amazing! Miracle of the day!!: thanks to YOUR prayers and the help of our Heavenly Father, another prayer has been answered and a new opportunity has arrived!!!! This whole time, we have been praying for Claudette to find a new job, cause Emmanuel isn't yet legal in Belgium, so he can't work. He found, from a friend, an agency that took refugees and put them through a training for a few weeks, and then guaranteed a job, if they qualified for the training! So he went and looked into it and starting March 7, he starts training and gets a guaranteed job in this program after a couple weeks of training!!!!!!!!!!! That's not even the best part. Because of this, Claudette can quit her job, they can BOTH come to church on Sunday's, AND his training pays him, covers travel cost, AND will support a nursery so that Claudette can go and get a job when she needs to!!!!!!!!!!!! God is too good!!!!!!!!! Thank you all for the prayers on their behalf. I can't tell you how great it is to see the lord preparing their way to enter into his church here on earth!!

VENDREDI

Today was a day full of planning.....hahah so that was fun I guess....weekly planning is not always something that I look forward to. If you haven't been able to tell from the past year and a half haha! At district meeting this last week, we were told that president Babin wanted us to go through our area books and update everything and put ALL old information into one area book and make an area book for 2016. So we were to have 2 area books. So me and Nelson decided that today was the day that we did it. So not only did we weekly plan, but we got our area books started.......but anyway we got up this morning and we did some studies and then we bounced out to go and try to do some work for the day, cause we knew that besides our rdv with Emmanuel and Claudette we would be inside the apartment all day haha. I was determined to find someone!!! Sadly we only got a couple of phone numbers, but you can bet your bottom dollar that I am going to call them!!! On the way inside, elder Nelson decided that he wanted to run to the little convenience store behind the apartment and get a baguette for lunch. So we went and did that, and as we were checking out, you will never guess what I saw..... Haha I found a French version of AIRPLANE!!! Haha so OBVIOUSLY I couldn't not buy it. And plus it was only 5€ so...It's currently sitting right next to my bed. Lol don't worry I won't watch it til I get home! So we then came in and ate some lunch and then got to weekly planning. We had a really good session and got all planned for for this next week that we needed to and we are going to have a great week. We then went in and started to attack that MONSTER of an area book! I kid you not. Cleaning out that thing was close to death haha! We had to sort through EVERY paper, looking to see if there was an address or number, seeing if it needed to go in the new or old area book, sorting through old investigators and new, and recent converts and less actives, trying to find baptismal records..........AH. It was fun. I would totally go back and do it again. And lucky us! We didn't even get to finish cause we had to go down and meet up with the Mazy's for our rdv with Emmanuel and Claudette. Tonight we taught the word of wisdom and we were really worried about this one cause we know that they drink tea and coffee and so we were worried, but thankfully the Mazy's were there and were able to testify along with us of how much it helps and why it's a good law! They told us they'd start to live it:) after the rdv they mentioned going to get frites and I was all oohh! We'll come with you guys! And they were all ok! We'll buy since you guys have bought the past couple times! Haha so we went and got frites:) it was a fun night. As we were walking in the door elder Nelson goes, 'this is getting to be a problem. It's getting to be that I don't even have to pay for frites anymore. They just come!!!' Haha I died I thought it was hilarious.

SAMEDI

Today went by like a blur!!! Haha it was really good though. I guess. Haha now that I think about it, we just had one lesson, but that's ok haha #everbodyhasthosedays #namethesong haha well anyway we woke up this morning and got our studies done and then we went and did some contacting. So during studies today we heard a BANG. And we turned around to look and see and it just so happened to be that my bag had died. He lived a good life. My bag was a saint. But he's in a better place now. We felt a little sad and mad at first so we made a crime scene out of it and left it for the rest of the week. Gotta have fun sometimes eh??;) We had to go and renew our bus passes for the month of March, which is super weird. Can you believe that I've already been here in Namur for 2 months?? That is so crazy! So ya we went and did that and then we went and contacted home and came in to take lunch. After lunch we had fixed a rdv with Emmanuel and Claudette and the Mazy's and today was the fun lesson;) haha we used the BIG BOY words today, cause we were teaching the law of chastity, and I told Nelson that he could use them if he wanted;) (for those of you who don't know, the big boy words are things like pornography and masturbation and stuff like that, cause we need to explain to them that those things are against the law of chastity and the first time explaining it is REALLY awkward saying those words. Now I just think it's fun;) lol) so anyway elder Nelson told me he wanted to try it;) HAH ITS SO FUNNY. I know I'm like 2 years old. Anyway we had a really good rdv with them and taught them the law of chastity and talked about priesthood as well. It went really well. A couple days ago, we had told them about the movie meet the Mormons on YouTube and so today they told us that they had watched it and that they loved it and Emmanuel was talking about Gale Halverson and how that was his favorite story and how he thought it was really cool how he threw the chocolate out the airplane and then he goes, 'then he got the idea to put the chocolate in parachutes! THAT is an idea from god if there ever was one!' I died. So anyway after all that, we taught the law of chastity and we got talking about the importance of the priesthood and Emmanuel and Claudette are just getting so excited for Emmanuel to have the priesthood. Haha Claudette is so excited to be able to ask for blessings. It was a great rdv! We then came home and we went and tried to get all the area book cleaned out but it didn't really happen.....we were so close, but yet so far! That thing is a beast. So after we'd been doing that for an hour or so we went and had dinner and then went out to go and port up a neighborhood. It was alright tonight. Haha there was this one lady who yelled at me through her door telling me that I was a crazy for being out so late....it was 8:05 hahaha we then came home for the night.

DIMANCHE

Well today was ward conference and it was really well! We almost missed the bus this morning when we were headed out to church, but we ran! Haha we looked at the phone in the apt at 8:25 and the bus passes outside at 8:30 so we ran! Lol we got to church and Emmanuel and Claudette showed up early and we went and got our seats and then conference started. It was a great conference and we had a really good talk given by our stake president. It was great! It's been 6 years since we got a new bishop and so we all kind of thought that we were going to get a new bishop today, but that didn't happen. So church went really well and we had some good lessons throughout the day. In the investigators class we learned about obedience to the commandments and then in priesthood we went and had a lesson on the temple and it was really good as well. After church we were talking to members and got a few of them to invite of over this week! So that rocks haha. I really do like the members here. It has been so much fun to be here! So anyway after that we went and got a ride home with E&C and then came in and took lunch. We weren't really that hungry, so instead of eating we watched a bunch of the 12 steps to change videos that I had downloaded on my iPad during church. It was fun haha then after we got changed and then headed out to go contacting until we had fixed this rdv with this potential investigator at the gare and so we went and waited there for about a half hour and tried to call him a couple of times but he never answered and so when we'd waited for such a long time, and nothing, we just left and I guess we'll wait to see if he calls back another time. We left and hopped on a bus and went out to a neighborhood to go porting in this one neighborhood where we have a less active that we'd met once before and so we went and knocked on his door and he didn't answer and so we just went and knocked on some doors! We weren't really having any success and then on the last door we knocked on this last door we had this one guy answer.....IN HIS WHITEY TIGHTIES! Hahaha I was all this is going to be great, and then he let us in to pray! Hahaha and then, him and his wife invited us back next Saturday! Hahaha so that is going to be really fun. We came home and I made a few calls tonight cause I wanted to:) I called Sylviane, Jean Parfait, and Soeur Foutrein from Dunkerque. It was fun to be able to hear from them all. They are all doing well! Jean Parfait's papers were all accepted and he's getting through a big internship where he's going to be a firefighter/ambulance dude! He's so funny. As soon as I was like its elder Libby, he goes, LIBBY!!! YOU LEFT ME FOR A WHILE! What's up?! Lol I died. He's a great guy and was SO happy when I told him of E&C haha!

Bien! C'est comme ça. Une semaine est déjà passée! Il est un peu difficile à croire! Ceci est déjà la troisième semaine du transfert ... comment cela est possible! Eh bien merci encore pour toutes vos prières et votre soutien. Le temps passe! Continuer à garder la foi :) souvenez vous que notre Père céleste vous aime. J'ai entendu une citation qui me plaisait aussi. La région où j'ai commencé ma mission, Metz est dans une région appelée la région Lorraine. Les gens là-bas sont connus pour être froid et difficile à se faire des amis, mais j'ai entendu une citation qui dit: Vous n'êtes jamais seul dans la vie si un Lorrain vous aime. Haha sachez donc que ce Lorrain vous aime!:) passez une bonne semaine! :) (Ok! It is like that. A week has already passed! It is a little hard to believe! This is already the third week of the transfer... how this is possible! Well thanks again for all your prayers and your support. Time passes! Continue to keep the faith :) remember that our heavenly father loves you. I heard a quote that I liked also. The region where I began my mission, Metz is in a region called the Lorraine region. The people there are known to be cold and difficult to make friends, but I heard a quote that says: you're never alone in life if a Lorrain loves you. Haha so be aware that this Lorrain loves you! :) have a good week! :)

Elder Libby