Mufasa and Muscles - August 18, 2014

And there it is people. 18 Months. Unfortunately in these weekly emails that I have written you, there is no way to communicate the sheer magnitude of miracles that I have been blessed to witness. But one of the greatest of them all perhaps is the one that happened within my own heart.

To anyone reading this email who is considering serving a mission full time, all I can say is: GO. Nothing has deepened my love for my Heavenly Father more than these 18 months here. I love Him and I know He loves us all.

To tell you all the happenings of this week would be absolutely impossible. It has been nonstop. Go go go go go go go. No breaks. Straight through. We had so much to do administrative-wise, but that was on top of our normal missionary load. Our amis...and then also, the members all wanted to see us to say goodbye to me. (Which was so sweet!!...but VERY busy). BUT in good news, it looks like everything is coming together and everyone and everything are getting taken care of.

So here's the spark notes version:

Françoise and Patrick: They are doing so well and she is still progressing amazingly towards baptism. We have finished teaching all the commandments necessary for baptism and every time, she so willing accepts it all. She just wants to know ALL the commandments asap so that she can make sure not to make any mistakes in ignorance. So sweet. She also had us over this last week to make dinner for us as a goodbye. And guess what she made: ALL SEAFOOD. We had shrimp...then oyster (which we sucked out of their shells) and then SCALLOPS! We were pretty stuffed by the end...especially since it was a full french meal...which means cheese...bread...salad...dessert etc etc etc. She is so sweet and I just know that she will make such an amazing member. She is so loving and so humble. She will be a great addition to the RS and to the ward in general. They will all be blessed by her loving kindness like I have been.

Julie: She is doing so well!! She said her first prayer in front of us this last week and it was so beautiful. It is always so special to hear someone pray out loud for the first time. It's so....pure. There is no other way to describe it. It isn't rehearsed. There are no often-repeated lines. It's just straight from the heart. She is so loving and wonderful. She ALMOST came to church. GAH!! I was so disappointed. She was planning for it. She even got a friend to come with her and then at the last minute she got scared. BUT!! I know that she will come :) some day. But I was still so disappointed. She was just one of 2 of amis who didn't come this last week. But she was the one that I was praying the hardest would come. Next time.

GAH!! Too much to share. Running out of time. Ok I'll have to skip to church. GAH so dommage!! There were so many cool miracles this week. Ok tant pis.

Church was amazing!! How many times can I say that I LOVE Bretagne. I absolutely love everything about it. These people are so wonderful. They made my last Sunday so unforgettable. They went to such great lengths. I was getting so many little presents and cute notes from all the members. They took such good care of me. (except when they chose to sing God be with you 'til we meet again. tear-jerker) They really are like family to me.

I actually gave a talk and did a musical number and it went pretty well. I got to translate for the primary but while I was in there the Elders were with our Amis in Gospel Principles. After church the Elders came up to us and told us "the coolest thing happened in Gospel Principles. Remind us to tell you". Not thinking they were talking about our amis, we forgot. Well that night, the Elders called and said "SOEURS!! WE HAVE TO TELL YOU!" They went on to tell a story that I will now tell to you.

Before I start the story though, I want to remind you of a family that we teach. The parents are Karene and Sylvain. They are from Guyane and they want to get baptized...but they're not married...and they're not really planning on getting married for a while. Kind of hard to get baptized then.

Anyway, Frere Letendre is gone on vacation so Frere Bouaka (who you met via Skype on Mother's Day) taught in his place. He is the 2nd counselor in the branch presidency and I just LOVE their family. He comes in and welcomes everyone and then asks someone to offer the prayer. After the prayer is said, he sits for a second while everyone is waiting for him to start. He then says, "Before I start the lesson, there is something I feel I must tell you." (Now imagine all this being said with the voice of Mufasa from the Lion King).

"Karene, Sylvain. I want you to know that I pray for you every day. This whole branch prays for you. We want good things to come to you. We want you to be blessed by our Heavenly Father. I know you want to be baptized. Both of you. I know that is the deepest desires of your hearts. I feel within myself that you really want this. The only thing stopping you is getting married. I know it's not clear to you now but trust me. After you are married and baptized you will be blessed beyond anything you can imagine. The Lord is waiting to bless you. So go. Get it done. Get married. We love you. We want these blessings for you. So again. Go. Get it done."

He repeated this (plus or minus some phrasing) 3 times. The Elders told us that the spirit was so strong and that the Batistas could feel his love for them but at the same time that he was right and that they needed to repent. SO COOL! members are such rock stars. Seriously. This work would just not be possible without them. Well yes. Quand meme. It would be possible. It just wouldn't work as well as it does!!!! We are really praying that they will have the courage to really go through with this and then they can be baptized!!

One last quote before I leave. I can tell you, from experience, that this quote is so true.

"As we extend our hearts and hands towards others in Christlike love, something wonderful happens to us. Our own spirits become healed, more refined, and stronger." -President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

I love you. I pray for you.

à très bientôt
Sœur Bitter

Françoise & I plus oysters! Good-bye meal.

Julie and I. Best friends!

 My favorite 2 English girls. They are basically our best friends here.

Healing the Broken Hearted - August 11, 2014

I can't believe another week has gone by. I think that was one of the fastest weeks in my mission. CRAZY I feel like I was just on emails yesterday. But here we are again.

This week was really awesome--I feel like I say that every week...but it's true!!

Françoise and Patrick are doing really well. She's still on her homemade ice cream kick so we're being pretty spoiled chez-eux. So this last week we taught her tithing and fast offering and we went over the Priesthood again. They are both just so awesome!! For her, she's already taken upon herself the decision to be baptized and now she just wants to learn all the commandments so that she can be completely obedient. In fact, a couple of weeks ago, we were teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ and when we were talking about Repentance, she turned to us and asked "but what are all the commandments. I know don't kill, don't steal...but I really just need to know and so i won't mess up". And honestly that is how she sees EVERYTHING. Tithing? Done. The fast? Done. Sabbath Day? Not a problem. For her, she has received her answer and now it's just to her to move forward and do all these things.

At one point, during the lesson on the Priesthood, Patrick turned to Sr Mason and told her "you know...I've never been baptized". Before she could respond, he joined in again in the conversation that Françoise and I were having. But it has been really cool because these last few weeks, we have really seen a change in Patrick's countenance and we can really see that these things are starting to come together for him to.

The Gentry's haven't been able to come to the lessons this week because Sr Gentry's mom was in town from England so they have been spending the week with them exploring the Morbihan. But we have been calling them to give them updates on how the lessons are going because they are so tightly woven into this process too. Sr Gentry told me on the phone this week "you know something? For a while, David (her husband) and I have been wondering 'why is Françoise's baptism all the way out in September?? Why isn't it sooner? She's so ready!!'" And honestly, we had thought the same thing! then she continued by saying "and then we realized that the Lord wants Patrick to be ready for baptism that day too!! And he's getting there!!". So exciting. And so sweet. I love the members.

Julie is doing so amazingly. She's still really divided and all this is so new to her. Even in the lessons it's really easy to tell that she will have a quickening of the spirit and she will understand and really feel of the power of this message and then she'll have doubts. She even says herself that all her ideas contradict themselves in her mind. She just still doesn't know where the truth is and she wants to know SO BADLY. We're really trying to help her know how to receive answers to prayers because she is reading so much and really wants this. So we know that the answer will come. We just need to show her HOW it will come.

We went on exchanges this week and there was just a really cool experience that I wanted to share. So we were out porting and we came up to this apartment building and a cute TINY French woman walked up right behind us and opened the door and said a nice little "bonjour" and then went up the stairs. Well we went to the very top and started porting. We get to the 5th door and I had the thought to start the conversation with the next person with the plan of salvation. So we knock on the door and who is it? But our friend who opened the door for us! I then introduce myself and then tell her that I was actually there in France because "I know that there is a life after our life here on earth and that families can live together forever." I then asked her "and for you? What does a life after this life mean to you?"

With tears already streaming down her face she then proceeded to tell us that her granddaughter passed away this last December, followed by the death of her daughter this last March. She talked about the deep hallowing emptiness she felt and the anger that often filled it. She then explained that she was very believing and that she knows that Heavenly Father is there but that she was just angry at Him for the time. We had a wonderful opportunity to enter her home and bear testimony of the power of the Atonement and the life to come.

When we asked if we could come another time she told us "of course. Because today, you brought Christ into my home. I'm not yet healed but today, you helped me heal just that much more". I left feeling so profoundly touched and with a deeper conviction that the experiences and testimony we have are not only a gift to us but a helping hand that lifts the down trodden and broken hearted.

After we returned home that day to Vannes, we got a text from the Soeurs in Nantes telling us that Sylvie (the woman above) had just called to thank Sr Bingham and I for helping her feel so much better. Miracles.

I would like to share more but honestly...my brain hurts from staring at this computer screen. haha Pray for me this last week. I have a TON of stuff to do. Including, writing a talk and writing sheet music for this Sunday and teaching Sr Mason how to drive and in general getting everything ready for next week. I found a pretty sweet deal that I can send 2 kg of books home through the mail for just 5 euros. So I might do that to save on weight in my plane bags.

Haha I don't know why I updated you all on that administrative tidbit but have a great week and I will tell you more next week!!!!

Love you
Soeur Bitter

THANK YOU THANK YOU TO: Howard and Julie for the super nice card you sent me and CONGRATS on the new grand baby!!! And thank you so much to Jim & Carolyn for your card and birthday surprise :) That was so nice!! I've already been using the stickers like crazy. I'll Make sure to take a picture of whatever I use the birthday money for and then I'll send it to you :)

We went to this SUPER cool small town next to us called Auray

 Who could forget the spontaneous Breton choir with accordian included!

 

Prophecy Fulfilled - August 4, 2014

HELLO HELLO!!!!

Not going to lie, this week was HARD. August is the month of vacations so it's hard to find people right now BUT we still saw some pretty amazing miracles and the people that we're teaching are mostly sticking around during vacation month (thank goodness!) and they're progressing really well.

Let's start with the people that you know the best---Françoise & Patrick. So at the beginning of last week, we go to their house and after getting settled and the Gentry's say hello to them both, Françoise turns to me and says "I have a something for you". "Oh?" She then pulls out from behind her back a Bretagne Cookbook! It has TONS of classic french and more specifically Breton recipes but the most important thing was what was in front--a little note that she had written. I was SO incredibly touched!! ALMOST to the point of tears. But I held strong. She then told me that it will remind me of her and also it will make me practice my French when I get home. (and yes, I have already used one of the recipes :)).

I didn't read the note in the front in the RDV but decided that I would read it afterwards when we were back at the apartment. So we get home and I decide to open it up. It says a lot of nice things but there was a line that really struck me. She said something like "I thank Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ for you and Joseph Smith in helping me prepare for my baptism".

It struck me that she thanked Heavenly Father for the prophet Joseph Smith in preparing her for baptism. I suddenly felt incredibly humbled as I realized even more of the influence that Joseph Smith has had on generations after him. The sacrifice Joseph Smith made to bring about the Restoration of the Priesthood and of Christ's church has brought the blessings of the Gospel (including baptism) to numberless nations and people. And now with Christ's church restored on the earth, what great privilege and responsibility we share in bringing this message to the world.

All in all they are both doing so well. Patrick is so proud of his wife. He has been really believing for a while but religion was not something that Françoise really engaged herself in before. Now he can see how much she LOVES this Gospel and he wants to do anything to accelerate her progress. I kind of see it as his two best friends are now becoming great friends too. What a wonderful thing.

In our last lesson (yesterday) we were talking about the Sabbath Day when all of the sudden Patrick said "ya know something that Françoise said this week. She said 'God is leading me through my life' and that's not something I have ever heard her say before all this". They then looked at each other with so much love and then she said "it's true.". (Such a beautiful testimony of the Gospel uniting families in love). She then began to recount a few experiences she has had this last week that has really shown her the hand of the Lord in her life. So basically they are amazing and we love them SO much. And every time we go over they give us treats (like homemade icream) and worry over us. They're the best. :)

Julie is doing really well too. I don't have a ton of time to talk about our lesson with her but she is incredible and she is just eating up the Book of Mormon and the New Testament right now. It's amazing to see someone so THIRSTY for knowledge. She's actually in Paris until tomorrow so we'll see her again soon.

Last week we went to Zone Conference and Soeur Babin shared a well known video but with an interesting new point that I now wanted to share with you. First off, here is the video:

Elder Christofferson quoting Hugh B Brown: http://www.mormonchannel.org/mormon-channel-daily/213?v=1839005837001

She then drew our attention to quote that I inserted below:

“Look, little currant bush, I am the gardener here, and I know what I want you to be.I didn’t intend you to be a fruit tree or a shade tree. I want you to be a currant bush,and some day, little currant bush, when you are laden with fruit, you are going to say, ‘Thank you, Mr. Gardener, for loving me enough to cut me down, for caring enough about me to hurt me. Thank you, Mr. Gardner.’”

Heavenly Father knows what he wants each of us to become and none of that entails becoming like our neighbor. Becoming the best of ourselves is not becoming someone else. It is becoming the best version of ourselves. Yes it is good to have role models and people that we look up to. He would never ask a currant bush to be a fruit tree, all He is asking us to do is to yield to His corrections and become the very best "us".

May we all submit more humbly to the loving correction of our Heavenly Father so that we too can become the son or daughter of God that He sees in us.

All my love,
Soeur Bitter

Stumbled upon a really cool outdoor WWII reenactment.

 

 

 

 

 

It is the anniversary of the liberation of Vannes!! super cool. 70 years!

It was super humbling to see the living quarters. Reminded me of Grandpa's Bill and Bitter