WEEK 30

well there it goes! my first ville...my bleu ville....i am getting out of here! haha sad but true. and i am so excited! my new ville is REIMS! you say it like France but without the F!!! so i am so excited!!! change is always good and i can't wait for the new adventures that are coming my way! also i wanted to throw in a congratulations to courtney (my sis.) and spencer! i don't think august 21 is a bad day for a wedding at all! that's the start of my second year! haha congrats guys! ok here goes week 30!

MONDAY NIGHT

well my comp had a doctors appt and so we went to that. he has something wrong with his leg and so we are trying to figure out what's going on. so that took a good while trying to get all the x-ray's done and stuff. then we went to the church to have our rdv with a new investigator! it was good. we taught the middle part of the plan of salvation and he was really interested! we then went porting and came home for the night and ended it with kebabs! haha always a good end to the night.

TUESDAY

it hit me today that my year mark for getting my mission call is coming up on march 26...that is so weird! today was started off by me and one of the other elders taking a little exchange! yesterday i had him combine a few sd cards for me so that i could send one home to the family in a package and when i was looking at them later in the night, i didn't have 2 months worth of pictures! so i was really worried but when we got to the computer, they were being read on the computer...so i don't know what happened but as long as the computer and my usb read them, all is well! then we got back with our comps and had to make some calls and then we had a rdv with the less-active that we've been meeting with for the past few weeks. it went well but he pretty much told us that he has no need or interest in the church as of right now...so we'll have to see where that goes...then the phone rang and my comp got a call from his trainer in the mission who was ending his mission this week, so they were on the phone for a while! and during that time we walked to his doctors appt to have the lady look at his xrays and she said that the problem is his feet! so he has to get some medicated in soles...sound like someone else?? haha! then we went porting and came in for dinner. i made a couple video journals for the package home and i'm sending it off tomorrow! and we got some mail today from debbie! she's so cool! and from the coburn family! thanks for the love!!!

WEDNESDAY

today was really cool. can i just say that i love the royer family with all of my heart?? they have a son who is in our ward and we were invited over tonight to go one last time before i left metz and i just love them so much! when he was dropping us off he said "look, proof that missionaries can have a fun night without having to open the book of mormon!" haha he kills me! i love them! but it was super weird to think that today was my last wednesday in metz....weird!! we had district meeting today and it was really good. we learned about the importance of making and keeping commitments! the we went to kebabs for lunch, i dropped off my package and we got a new referral and so we went to go find her and it took 45 minutes to get out there and she wasn't even home....so we took the 45 minute bus ride back! then we went over to another family's house and it was super good. i love that family!

THURSDAY

today was really good! we finally got all of our dinner appt's figured out for the last few days..haha! so that's really fun. we started off contacting all over and trying to find the pharmacy for my comp to go to to get some drugs for his leg...so that was fun! once we got them we made our way home for lunch cause we had dmp today in thionville! so we got there and it was good. we got to talk a lot about things that needed to be discussed and then they invited us over sunday night for dinner one last time before i leave! so we were really excited for that as well. so many good familys here in the metz ward! then we got home and contacted and ported and nothing too exciting happened! but it was really good. a good way to end the night.

FRIDAY

today i was really grateful for another of our investigators! she invited me and "Ben" over...she never calls me elder libby....it's always "tanner"! haha she made us a really yummy dinner and we talked and got to meet her boyfriend and it was really good! she's so special to me and i love her with all my heart! we had my very last weekly planning in metz today and i couldn't be happier! haha we all know how much i don't like weekly planning! but ya then we decided that we would go see if that referral that lives 45 minutes away was home...so we did and she wasn't again! we did happen to hear some michael jackson thriller on the bus and let's just say that i was in a little bit of heaven! let's just be glad the music video didn't come on too! haha.

SATURDAY

repertoire came out and we found out where i was going!!!! so funny inside story....when i first got my call(about a year ago from now!! crazy!!) i got on insta and fb trying to find some people who were going to the same mission and who was there now and what not...anyway, i found this one kid named elder wickern and thought he looked super nice and cool and for some reason i just remember thinking how cool it would be if he were my trainer or if i was comps with him sometime. but i looked on the repertoire today and guess what???? ELDER WICKERN IS MY NEW COMP!!!!!! hopefully he doesn't think i'm a creep or anything....we'll just have to see! i am super excited to go to Reims! i hear they have a car too, so i get to drive in france!!!! #dreamcometrue!!!! i am so excited! after all the excitement was over it was time to get back to reality and find the referral and just like normal she wasn't there....so that was a bummer...then my comp needed to go and look at something on the computer and so that's what we did next...we went and found that out and then went porting and then a spiritual thought at another member house one last time, who I just love!!! then we went and got kebabs one last time...it was kind of a sad day but all is well! i'll live!

SUNDAY

first off...today is mine and mom's huge car wreck 10 year anniversary...i'm sure if i ask nicely she can include a pic for all of you to see....10 years and still going strong! and there were only minor setbacks because of it...crazy! but today was literally one of the best sunday's in the mission. i loved it! i got to talk to lots of people in the ward and i am really going to miss them! but it is going to be really good! during sacrament meeting i saw a member of the bishopric look at me and smile a bunch and at the end of the meeting the bishop stood up and asked me to go and bear my testimony! so that was funny. he was smiling the entire time! then after the meeting his daughter came up to me and told me that he only laughs because he loves me! so i'm really going to miss him. i got a few fun treats and letters from the members and a lot of them told me the only thing they'll miss is my smile...so compliment or insult i don't know....:) but it was really good. we were invited over to another family's house for lunch and it was really fun! they were singing southern gospel songs the whole time and talking in their native Surinamian language most of the time but soeur made me this really spicy salsa stuff and let me take the whole bottle home! so i was really happy! then we went to the church to take some last pics and stuff. we needed to get to the gare to catch our train to dinner! so we went and did that and talked and laughed with that family for the night! i love them! when i was leaving, the dad gave me and hug and grabbed the back of my head and lifted up a leg! haha he is the most awkward dude i just love him with all my heart! he is so great!!!! i'm going to miss them!

i am super excited for this week! thanks again for all the love, prayers and mail! i will let you all know my new address next week! but for now, i'll talk to you in reims!!!! love you!!!!!

elder libby

isaiah 53:5

 

Ahhh. This just arrived in my inbox from one of the members that Tanner just L.O.V.E.D. and hated to leave ... delivered by an angel moments before I hit "send," and so I thought I'd share:

 

Hello Karin,
"One day you wake up and realize you're given the opportunity to change someone's life for the better. You get an idea, don't think twice and run with it."

I have this quote on my computer. I read it everyday. But when I read it today, I  don't know why but I thought of you. I just thought that I should share some of my thoughts with you. I don't pretend that I "will change your life for the better"  with this email, but I just thought I should write you.

We had the elders over tonight. It was Elder Libby's last night here in Metz and my family and I really wanted to have him over before he leaves. We had a very good time tonight, together. We laught a LOT! Elder Libby shared a little spiritual thought, and he got us all in tears. Even my dad!!! Believe me, I don't see my dad crying very often.

I just want to say thank you for raising such a good person. He has been a wonderful friend and missionnary for me the past few months. Life hasn't be easy on me latey, but he was there for me. You know, when you go through trials alone, having a friend around just saying "Hi" with a huge smile, or craking a few silly jokes makes everything different. 

I have seen your posts this week about the car accident you had a few years ago, and it got me thinking that I am grateful nothing happened to you so I have the chance to know you and Elder Libby. Even if I haven't met you (yet!), your example, for what I know about you, brings me a lot. You are an incredible mom. I have seen a few things you have done for Elder Libby's mission, and they are terifics! He is very lucky to have you as his mom; and he knows it!

You have a wonderful son. He is doing an amazing job as a missionary, and as a person, here is Metz, and he will do the same in Reims. You can be really proud of him. My main thought tonight is just that I am grateful that he left his family for 2 years, to be with mine for a few months.
We will pray for him but he knows he can ALWAYS call us when he needs (he has our phone number :) ). 
I guess it is the most awkward email I have ever written, but sometimes when the Spirit tells you to do something, you don't "think twice and you do it".

Just know you can always write me if you want, even if Elder Libby is not in Metz anymore. I will be happy to keep in touch on anything you want :)

Have a wonderful day,

Pauline :)