Hello à Tous!
What an EXCELLENT week! The Lord blessed us with opportunities with love and service!
On Tuesday, we continued our theme from last week of helping someone move again! We helped a woman move a pile of wood from her old house to her new one. It was a lot of work, but enjoyable. A member of the branch assisted us, and we were able to have a good discussion while driving between the two houses. We spoke about a lot of things. However, it seem as if the main topic of conversation here now in France, is just how horrible this world is, how everything in going down the toilet and how life sucks. Luckily that is not the message that we present! We were able to turn that conversation into something very positive. We were able to add something that seemed to be missing in the lives of these people; that is HOPE. It is not the “HOPE” Obama promised, 🙂 but hope in a brighter tomorrow. It is the love of our neighbors. We can each be such a great example for those around us. Then they can see in us that all is not only bad. There is righteousness and that good is stronger than bad, and good will also always triumph!
That evening we went and saw the Recent convert Jean-Luc, he had wanted to prepare us a meal for quite a while now, and we finally had the opportunity the other night, it was great! We ate Rabbit!!! and I even got to taste the liver (not my favorite part) 🙂 :). I have fallen in love with goose liver, but rabbit liver just doesn’t do it for me! We enjoyed that meal together with his daughter who is about 15 and not a member (yet), and then we watched “Meet The Mormons” with them. The film touched him, and it hit him that he has become part of a huge family of people who share these values.
The next day something extraordinary happened, when we got up in the Morning we would have never thought our day would play out like this I’ll tell you in a second, but it was in the afternoon, so I’ll talk about the Morning first!
We took a bus out to a city named Digne-Les-Bains where we were going to visit a member family who was in need of a spiritual boost. We get on the bus and head an hour and 20 minutes north towards the Alps. When we arrived and made it to their home, we were able to share an INCREDIBLE lesson! The husband joined the church after meeting his wife. He has been working so hard to progress in his knowledge so that he can get ready to go to the temple! His wife has been struggling with some things recently, so we were trying to help her see the fact that she can be ready for the temple soon as well. Then they can all be sealed for Eternity as a family with their little son! It went so well, and they were able to set some goals to prepare for their temple sealing!
Ok, here is that exciting news!!!!!!
Are you ready?
We leave their house and walk towards the bus station. We have about 45 minutes before the bus boards, so we decide to have a little walk through the city. I notice that there is a small street market, and I love going through those to talk to the merchants. We go through, and I talk to this woman who sells different Herbal teas, and I buy some Herbal Chai (she gives me a lot more than I paid for) and then as we continue walking down through the market we see a HUGE crowd. There is a Lavender Festival. Huge crowd = Not safe for us. We turn and we see a smaller crowd around a super long table, on the table was – here it is – THE WORLDS LONGEST FOUGASSE AUX ANCHORS! 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 It is Bread with anchovy paste on top (it’s not very tasty.) However, It was the Guinness record-breaking one! We were excited and ate a small piece. 🙂 That was a good day! 🙂 🙂 🙂
The Next day we went to Aix to have an exchange with the Zone Leaders, it went very well, I was with Elder Kelsey who is a good friend of mine, was his District Leader back when he was Bleu!
We had a great time and had some great conversations! Then in the evening the Elders From Gap came, and we got pizza with the sisters because the next day we were going to have our Zone Conference!
In the Zone Conference, we spoke mostly about putting on the Armor of God and making a title of Loyalty to our God. At this time, here in France, the only thing that can keep us safe is keeping all our covenants; remaining pure and clean, keeping ourselves close to our Heavenly Father, being worthy of his spirit and ready to follow his direction at any time!
My title of Loyalty is this:
L’Eternel est mon berger, je ne manquerai de rien. Ils me feront la guerre mais IL va me délivrer. Ses bras étendus me rassure, il m’aide à changer. Quand il me demandera m’aimes-tu? Je dirai, oui seigneur tu sais que je t’aime, je t’ai montré, voici mes œuvres.
Which means:
The Lord is my shepherd, and I shall lack nothing. They may fight against me, but HE will deliver me. His arms outstretched reassure me. He helps me to change. When He shall ask me, Do you love me? I will say, Yes Lord you know I love you, I have shown you, Behold my works.
That is the new creed that I will strive to live. I can always look towards this and know I am loyal to my God and that I am his son and am loved.
At the end of this Conference, I gave my Final departing testimony. With just shy of two weeks left of my mission, this might be my last post on this Blog.
My mission has changed me, I have become more capable of loving others and more loving towards all those who surround me. I have learned something important, God lives. He is here, in every smile that we share, in every service that we do out of love, in the laughter of a friend. The Lord lives, and we can be happy.
I share that with you all in the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Here is a poem that I wrote:
In His Labor
The hills and the mountains testify of him,
I try living a life to magnify him.
I feel as if whatever I do cannot be enough,
He promised me blessings and he is not one to bluff.
As I live this life in the labor of love I know the Lord helps from above.
His angels keep me upright all day
He helps me back if I lose my way.
I feel his love when I work as his hands,
Although, I have given up my favorite bands.
I have learned his work is sure and sweet.
One day my master I will meet.
That glorious day will come, when he stretches forth his hand saying “son,
I take thee up, you have done well
Even in the moments when you fell.
I accept thee up on this day
For eternity thou shalt stay.”
Elder Peterson,
La mission Française de Lyon.
P.S See you all very soon!
Elder Aaron Peterson 