WEEK 34

and it just so happens to be my birthday week!!!!!! thank you to everyone for all the emails...i'm so sorry that i'm not responding to all of you individually but i just don't have time!!!! you mean the world to me! friends from school, ward members, bishop, teachers, family...did i miss anyone??? i love you all and you made my day! thanks again. i would like to tell you all that today as we were on our way to grocery shopping we saw a CAMEL on the side of the road. yes a camel! #firstcamelspottinginfrance! haha why he was there, we don't know! and as a birthday present from my president, they've gotten us ipads and we are getting them in two weeks from today! so thats really exciting! this birthday is going to be great!

MONDAY NIGHT

well tonight we had a rdv with a guy who was SUPER prepared and SUPER ready but he was just getting ready to move....and he was moving to the area where an elder from my old area is now serving! i got to call him and chat for a little bit and make sure that he had the number and information for the guy and then it was time for dinner and so me and my comp decided to go and get some BURGER KING cause they just happen to have that in Reims! it was delish!

TUESDAY

today was a long day! haha we really didn't do a ton of stuff today and it was really boring! we started out with a rdv at the church with a guy that we found while weekly planning and he told us he couldn't meet anymore cause he was in paris....#thanksforthecall... so we then got a call from the mission office telling us that we didn't send in the monthly car report so we went and got the car and then spent the next long periods of time taking pictures and checking levels and all that jazz and it took forever! then we started on my comps second year legality and it made me realize how soon that is coming for me! holy cow....then we had a dinner appt with the mustard guy in our ward...remember him??? hahah! it was good fun and we were talking a lot about the paris temple and i am so excited for that temple!

WEDNESDAY

well today was literally a fun day! it was one of the most exhilarating days i've had! it involved running away from a member cause we were using the wrong computer to finish up conference to literally climbing up a mountain to get to a mcdonalds! haha it was a fun day! we decided to go and finish up conference at the church, but no one can do that on an empty stomach so we went and grabbed some kebabs and headed to the church! we ate and watched conference and had literally a half hour left when we heard the little old ladies upstairs coming in to do family history and we were on the family history computer! so we ran and tried to get away but she saw us and gave us an earfull....i'm a bad missionary i know...then me and my comp went contacting and got a call from the other elders telling us that our 3:00 appt was at the church and it was 1:55! so we ran back to the church and taught him a small lesson and it was good and he said that he had blocked out his schedule so that he could come to church this sunday! he is another Rwandian man so keep your fingers crossed! then we made our way home contacting and ate some dinner and then went out porting for the first time in forever! (totally just had FROZEN going in my head) it was really good and when we were getting ready to leave we decided that we wanted mcdonalds and saw a sign saying there was one just 1 minute away...until we realized that meant probably by car...we had ran across the road and were climbing up dirt and grass hills! haha it was quite the experience! but it was fun and all for the memories!

THURSDAY

today started off with a fun BUZZ at the door and when i answered it....BEHOLD THE MAIL MAN, BRINGING ME GOOD TIDINGS FROM DEBBIE, my new sweet friend from SLC! it was so fun! i got it and opened it and there are a couple fun birthday presents that i am waiting to open until my birthday! i'm super excited and super blessed to know her! she is the coolest french momma, that doesn't live in france, that anyone could ask for! i love her! then we went to the french course that a member gives us every week and it was good. i still get really confused trying to take a french class in french...its harder than it sounds, but every little bit counts! then me and BEEF (his last name is branchflower ... he's another elder in my apartment. we call him beef cause his name is too long and the two syllables in his name start with BF) hahahah we had an exchange today! it was way fun. we walked all over and got some phone numbers and just got to know each other. it was a good break. even if you get along with your companion, you need the breaks that come from exchanges! haha! then we had a rdv with a recent convert at the church and decided that we were going to watch the restoration video and it was really good. it was cool to watch him bear testimony! then we got home for dinner and for the 4th time today, because we've decided that it is our new favorite movie, we watched Legacy! it was good fun! i think i've watched it about 10 times this week!

FRIDAY

i'll tell you what. days in paris always go by in the blink of an eye! i cannot believe how fast the time flies when i am with a ton of my friends! it is so hard to say hi and goodbye so fast:( but distance is what makes the heart grow fonder! we got to paris for zone conference today and had a really good couple lessons on contacting and finding people and how we need to become united more as companionships and get the holy ghost to be the #thirdmemberinourcompanionships it was really good! we had some really good testimonies from the AP's and from president and his wife. we got into paris and i ran into the one and only soeur hogan! we talked and found out that our birthdays are right by each other! so that was fun! then we got to the church and talked with everyone! it was a multi-zone conference so it was super fun to be able to talk to everyone! all my friends were there and we had quite the time! i asked president and soeur for a picture together for my birthday present so that was super fun! then i had a little heart to heart with soeur and realized just how much i love her! we talked and she told me that when she served her mission she actually served in Reims and got a baptism here! she told me that i was on train to become like her.....#futureAP? JK i would never wish that death on anyone! but it was really good and she told me she was going to call me on my bday! so that will be fun! and while talking to her she asked me when my train was to go back and we realized that we missed the train.....haha! so we had to go and exchange our tickets for another train! and i got my package from mom today so that was fun to have my bday presents! then we got home and took dinner and opened up my package!!!! it was a good day!

SATURDAY

today pretty much consisted of nothing but weekly planning! we had one rdv with a less-active who's brother called asking us to go and give her a blessing but besides that we literally were planning all day and it was really long! but i guess good none the less. we did studies and then went out for an hour to do some contacting! it was good. we found another baguette dispensor! it was fun. then we came in and planned until we needed to get to rdv. when we got there we walked in and they welcomed us and sat us down and talked to us about everything and then she asked for a blessing of comfort cause she was having some health problems and she was really worried about her son and she picked me to give the blessing.....first blessing in france and i don't even know if i helped....it was very interesting to say the least! then we went home and we finished up planning and we had a question for some of the soeurs that are in liege belgium so we had to call and lo and behold the soeur who is there is one that i came to know so well in the mtc!!!! it was just a blast being able to talk to her for a little bit!

SUNDAY

well i was dying today cause like during lunch we were watching the district and i saw the one and only SARAHBETH STOTT!!!! she's on the district! i was freaking out! i watched her part like a good 5 times! it made me feel a little close to home for a while! it was good fun! it was literally the highlight of my day. so it was fast sunday here in france and my stomach was growling all day but it was good none the less! we had our Rwandian ami come to church and that was really good! then we went home and ate food and then we went to the church because we had a rdv with this one guy but then he bailed on us so we went and contacted and then were invited to a members house to go and talk and see how their family was doing. it was good. we talked for a good two hours and then had to head in for the night!

well thanks again for all the bday wishes!!!!! i loved the email surprises! i'm so thankful for all you guys in my life! thanks for all you do for me!!!! talk to you soon! que dieu vous bénisse! (God bless you!)

elder libby