Elder Tanner S. Libby: WEEK 44

well this week was pretty special!! it was really great and im super glad i got to spend it with the people that i did! i got to go on an exchange with a francophone (someone who only speaks french), i saw the Royer family yesterday for the day and got to talk to them, and we had a baptism and i guess thats kind of a big deal :) but it was a good week and had its ups and downs and stressful moments that make you want to cry but those come and go so we just learn to deal with it! if there is anything that i have learned these past couple of weeks it is "il ne faut pas accepter l'unacceptable" :) (we must not accept the unacceptable ")

MONDAY NIGHT

tonight was one of our last rdv's with jean parfait and it was really interesting to say the least! so we went over the baptismal interview questions with him and he had some really interesting questions to go along with them! he ended up telling us a lot that has gone down in Rwanda and all the genocides that he has seen and that stuff and he was telling us all the sufferings that him and his family have gone through...it was really interesting...but after all the questions, comments, and concerns we had finished the rdv and we went home for the night!

TUESDAY

well to start off i just want to say thank heavens for the ward members! they made our day and it was just awesome! we received a phone call from a really old couple in the ward, the really nice old lady who likes to sew and tailored my suits and they invited us over for lunch and asked if we needed any sewing done! luckily i had some wearing holes in the crotch of one of my pants (sorry if that is TMI) and we said yes! so we went out and did some contacting and nothing too special happened and then went over for lunch! we were there for a solid 2 hours i kid you not! they were just talking up a storm about all the tiniest little things and it was just killer cute! old people that just love to talk kill me! i love it. after being there for a long time they thanked us for coming and then took my pants to sew and then we were on our way! during the time that we were in their house we received 3 missed calls! one was from cristian, our recent convert to the ward, asking if it would be possible to meet up tonight! so we scheduled him in and because of that we needed to go and plan...so we planned and of course had to practice teach and then made our way to the rdv with him and it was really good. he told us some very personal things that are going on in his life right now and how hard it is for him and asked that we continue to keep praying for him. after that we went to the gare to print off some train tickets and then home for dinner

WEDNESDAY

today went by super fast and i felt like the worst person in the world cause i was in charge of a brand new baby bleu missionary and we did almost nothing! it wasn't my fault! it was the trains and it was just really bad and i felt horrible! but he seemed to like it and he was really nice! he is 26 years old from Madagascar and speaks only french! it was very interesting to be on an english fast that is for sure!! we woke up this morning and made our way out the door for district meeting. we got into paris and hurried and made it to the chapel and met everyone in the district and then the ZLs showed up and.....PULLED THEIR IPADS OUT RIGHT IN FRONT OF US. and of course they get them before everyone else! i was so jealous just sitting there watching them on them haha but we found out that we will be getting our ipads on July 2 at zone conference! so that is something to look forward to! after all was said and done and all the tartiflette was eaten and everyone was happy and fed, me and the baby bleu made our way out to do some contacting before we needed to head home for the night. we talked a lot and he was telling me all about how hard the mission was and how different and discouraging it was for him...i didn't know at all what to say than just remember why you decided to come out here. he is 26 years old remember. i told him to remember that heavenly father will bless him as long as he tries his hardest! we got on the train to get home and then made our way home and we walked in the door at 5.......so after we hurried and got the church for our rdv with jean parfait and it went well. we watched the restoration video and filled our his baptismal form! it went really fast and it was good. we then made our way home for dinner!

THURSDAY

well today started off with some studies and then right after me and the baby bleu made our way to the gare to catch our train into paris! it feels like its been forever since ive been there but on the train ride in we got a call from mustard man and he asked us if we were coming in for french course....but they told us they were going to be out of town! so we didnt plan on going and it was just interesting....we talked and they agreed to come back tomorrow. so we got to the gare in paris and met up with our normal collegues and me and my comp just sat in the gare and waited for our train! we were interrupted by....AN AMERICAN!! haha there was a guy that came up to us telling us that he was in france on business and for his brothers wedding and that he was from the seattle area and that he had served his mission in brazil 20 years ago! he offered to buy us lunch but our train was leaving in 20 minutes so we had to decline until next time! it was fun to see someone though and i accomplised a weekly goal;) meet an american! we came home and took lunch and then had to go to the gare to pick up the ZLs who came in to interview jean parfait for the baptism! so we went and got them and after a 45 minute long interview, he passed and all was a go for the baptism! it was so cool! we then went out porting and had dinner to finish up the night

FRIDAY

well today was definitely interesting haha i was thinking all about friends from home cause of the fact that today was a year mark from when one of my very best friends from home left on his mission! i cried a lot that day and i was just thinking of all the things that i did that day! it was fun to go back and think that we only have a year left til we see each other again! today started off with some french course and today she brought us some pains au chocolat! it was fun! then we came home for lunch and on the way home we got a call from the same old couple that had us over the other day! he said he had some computer problems and that he needed some help so we told him we'd go over later in the day! we came home and did some weekly planning and got all the things planned for that we needed for the baptism! then we went over to his house and he sat us down at the computer and said that he was supposed to be giving a talk in church this week and needed help finding what to say...so long story short...i wrote his talk for him to give this sunday! lol!!! it was pretty funny. we just wrote his talk hahahah he then took us to the kitchen and sat us down to eat some ice cream and just when we thought we were done, he turned around and pulled out some more ice cream bars from the freezer!! it was so funny. we came home and got ready to go to our meeting with the ward mission leader and priesthood of the ward. we talked a lot about jean parfait and the practice sunday meeting that we are having out in chateau thierry cause they want to open up a branch! it was a good meeting and it went well.

SATURDAY

today was pretty interesting!!! but it was really good too! having a baptism is really good sometimes! haha we started off with some contacting and my comp was CONVINCED that it was not going to take 3 hours to fill up the baptismal font...little did we know that it was going to take a little longer than that! (stay tuned) we were out contacting and when we had planned on going in for lunch he stayed out and walked a different way and oh la la hahaha we finally got in for lunch and over to the church at 2:20 when we had planned to be there at 1... so i ran downstairs and sweeped out the font and then turned on the water and it started to fill!! we went and did all the stupid things we needed to...print off the program find some mormon messages and all that and then i went in about 2 hours later and it was almost full and i put my hand in the font......IT WAS ICE COLD. so i ran to elder ericson and told him and he goes that sucks and then goes back to the computer...so i ran upstairs and started to boil some water in pots and then dumping them in the font for 45 minutes thinking that maybe it would change the temp a little bit! and after all that....it did nothing! ahhhh!!! i was freaking out but then everyone started showing up and i didnt really have a choice but to change into my clothes! so i did and then jean parfait came and we got changed and started! when we walked into the font, his eyes got wide and i just had to smile cause i knew exactly what was going on...ahhh! then i baptized him and he just was shaking and then we went into change! we came out and our ward mission leader gave him the chance to bear his testimony and it was so good! jean parfait was definitely prepared by the Lord! after the baptism we chatted and then he was interviewed to receive the aaronic priesthood tomorrow! after everyone had left, we made our way home and went and got some victory kebabs for dinner!

SUNDAY

well today was just really good! we got to church and started to get a little worried cause jean parfait wasnt showing up so i called him and he said he was on his way. after that pierre walked in and i started talking to him and during that time jean parfait walked in and him and elder ericson disappeared and i was still talking to pierre! when all of the sudden out of the blue!!! the royer family walked into the building!!!!!! it was so good to see them!!!! we talked and laughed and there were no tears at first!! then sunday school started and we all went in and turns out that the royers are actually really good family friends with my ward mission leader here! so frere royer and jackie started talking a lot and it was good fun! then we had sacrament meeting and Jackie, the ward mission leader, got to give jean parfait the gift of the holy ghost! he gave such a strong and beautiful blessing! he was just smiling from ear to ear! and right after we had a ward meal cause there was this family in the ward who is leaving as well as meghan and so it was fun to be able to sit and talk with the royers for a while! after the meal the bishop wanted to give jean parfait the aaronic priesthood and so we left the room to do that. after that jean parfait had to leave and so we hugged it out and then he left. i went and had a couple minutes of what you call a heart to heart with frere royer and Jackie and then they offered to give me a blessing! it was a very good blessing and something that i was in very much need of! i was so happy to see them today! after all of that we went home and parted ways and forgot to take pictures!!!! dangit!!! we finished off our night with some porting and got told by 2 people that if we didnt leave they would call the cops on us! lol it was a great night!

well theres my week! hope all is going well at home! you're constantly in my prayers and i hope it's the same for you! thanks for all the love, support, and mail! keep them coming;) loves!!!!!

elder libby