Down But Not Out - April 15, 2013

BONJOUR MY FAVORITE AMERICANS!!!

So I have no idea where to start for this week so we'll start with the most important things. THIS WEEK WAS AWESOME!! Oh also, I was told, on many accounts, that I utilize the word 'love' or some deviation too much. Therefore, I will expand my vocabulary in cette email.

So Soeur Rhondeau and I actually got really sick this week. I know I'm laughing and the funny thing is even we were laughing at how pathetic we were during our bout with the flu. It was Thursday or so and I woke up so ill. The week earlier, I had been holding back Soeur Rhondeau's hair during conference. Then we thought it was food poisoning...now...we think we got sick from one of our amis (investigators). Anyway, we had an appointment with Petula that morning (the sister who is getting baptized) and so I thought "DON'T JUST LAY THERE SOEUR BITTER! GET YOUR LAZY REAR OUT OF BED. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE SALVATION OF OTHERS!" Well finally Soeur Rhondeau told me that she thought it was best if we stayed in. She was right. About 30 minutes later we both became really good friends with our bathroom. It got to the point that I decided to sleep on our tile floor. Because 1) it was closer in proximity to the bathroom than my bed and 2) because it was really cold and it felt good for my fever. BUT despite us getting sick and being down and out, we had an AMAZING WEEK! We saw a lot of miracles and we met some wonderful new people.

Feeling Under the Weather but Still Going Strong

First, I know this doesn't sound like a miracle but it is! So we stopped by Joel's house yesterday. He asked us to stop by in the late afternoon on Sunday. So we head over there and his daughter answers the door and says "OH THE MISSIONARIES! My dad told us you were coming but he just left! He was really excited for you to come but he should be back later! Will you please come back?" Be cool Sr. Rhondeau. Be cool. "Ya...you know what, that might fit in our schedules. We'll try to make that happen". As we round the corner we're clicking our heels. We go back later and his mother answers the door and says "Oh my sweet missionaries. I'm so sorry. He's still not here but he told us all about you!" (we found him porting. so I didn't know there was much to say) She then said "Me and my whole family are so excited to learn about the Gospel. Will you please come back??" JE PENSE OUI!! That was definitely the best way, anyone could hope to end a week. Anyway, so we have an appointment with them later this week.

We taught Denise for the first time yesterday as well. She had TONS of questions about the Plan of Salvation. Like A TON. "If we were with God before, why would he send us here? And who is Jesus Christ? He's different than God? What is his role?" It was awesome because the investigators who ask lots of questions are definitely the ones who learn the fastest. I am really excited to teach her and she has the CUTEST (either) son or brother. During the lesson, he slipped down from her lap and went and picked a flower from Garden. He slowly crept over to where I was and slid it across the table to me and then ran back to his mom. WAAA FRENCH KIDS ARE SO CUTE! Also...they're adorable because they can speak French. Every time I think "whoa how can they speak French so well?!" Anyway so after I turned to him and I said "C'est pour moi??" which he nodded really shyly and hid behind his mom again. He was precious. I wore it in my hair for the rest of the day.

Also, yesterday I had my first meal!!...with a family. A wonderful family in our ward invited us over for dinner. They have 4 kids and they are so funny and full of energy. Both of the parents served missions so they love talking to us about how it is going and they understand if an appointment runs over (which it did). Anyway, so we brought an object lesson relating to the iron rod! Well Soeur Rhondeau's mom sent her 2 big packages of the peel twizzlers. We decided that we would use one for the object lesson. We would hide the candy and blindfold one of the kids and see if they could find it. Then we would provide an iron rod that led straight to the Candy. THE KIDS LOVED IT! Apparently French kids love American candy. They kept asking "Is it American?? Is it American?!" Yup. Kids love us. Anyway, they are the most wonderful family and the husband used to own a bakery and so dessert was FANTASTIC!! Apparently the Soeurs get spoiled in the French mission. The Elders a little bit but President Poznanski said that the members just love the sisters. SUPERB!

Updates on France as a place, the weather has been all over the place. Yesterday (Sunday) it was GORGEOUS! It was about 67ish degrees and just sunny all day. We loved being outside. Well a couple days before that it hailed and then a couple days before that, we had lightning storms. Always an adventure! Anyway, the weather has always helped us in contacting or porting in some way. The other day, Soeur Rhondeau forgot her umbrella, and since I have a brilliant mother who found me a very portable umbrella, I always have mine with me. So we were walking around Avon sharing an umbrella...we looked adorable of course. Every time we talked to someone, if they weren't interested they would say something like "you are very nice, and very cute...but no" Probably my favorite phrase of the week.

Oh I almost forgot! I don't know if you do this in Orem, but I guess all the missionaries share their testimony their first week in the ward. I was secretly hoping they would forget. Well they didn't. EVERYONE was so nice to me after and kept complimenting me on my French and how the MTC is doing a much better job about preparing the missionaries for the language. That made me happy. :) Again, everyone is so nice.

Oh, also, you don't have to worry about our safety as Soeurs. We have a 190 lb black man who is our personal body guard a lot of the time...aka the ward mission leader. He is the NICEST man. He is a convert the church and he has lots of the love for the Missionaries. And I feel he feels this need to protect the Soeurs...especially since neither of us is taller than 5.5 or over 115. Anyway, his conversion story is awesome but what is even more cool to me is that he has given up his ENTIRE past life. He'll say things like "Ya...I heard this talk about media and music and I decided that my music wasn't inviting the spirit. So I wiped my entire iPod and started new". That's just the kind of person he is.

Anyway, we're in Paris again and I'm just itching to go see things so I must go! I send my love and my good wishes!!

Dad-- Yesterday, when it was super sunny I thought, "I bet my dad knows exactly how warm it is today. I bet he has added me to his phone." Sure enough, your next letter says you've been weather stalking me :) Love it. Also, the garden looks good! What did you guys plant this year?

Mom-- I love your thoughts on Elder Kueker's talk! That sounds like it was such a good talk. It reminds me how people say over and over. We are not looking for a final destination. In this life we are not wanting to attain a house on 3421 celestial lane, celestial kingdom. Instead it is about BECOMING and HAVING a celestial life, a celestial marriage etc. I love that idea of becoming.

Jon-- Good luck these next couple weeks! You are in my prayers beaucoup! DON'T FORGET YOUR AWESOMENESS!! I'm excited to hear more about how everything turns out. Also when do you graduate?

Attention HFAC friends: Is Meg in the MTC? What's her mailbox etc? Also what are the details on Rachel's wedding?? Also Mayu, if you're reading this, I have been thinking about you beaucoup! Just how awesome you are and what an influence you have had on me. I was thinking about love and agape and the Shack the other day and I am so grateful for you and opening my mind to these new ideas. I love you so much. I'll write you a letter soon.

Au Revoir!!

Avec tout mon amour,

Soeur Kari Ann Bitter

OH PS!! I almost forgot! Soeur Carter (my comp in the MTC) Said her grandpa served in Norway and he is about the same age as Grandpa Weber. MAYBE THEY KNEW EACH OTHER!

Last one I promise. So I was sitting on the plane to come here and I relalized that I was in the MTC for 40 days and 40 nights. Perfect. I labored in the wilderness of the MTC for 40 days and 40 nights.