Another week has come and gone here in Saint-Brieuc. Let's jump right into the run-down.
Last Monday we did a district P-Day in a really beautiful, historic, and coastal village here in France, called, "Saint Malo." I honestly think it would have been fun, but our train was delayed and we got there with only a couple more hours of our P-Day left. And on top of that, it took forever to get there and was expensive. My feet also ended up bleeding pretty badly. Sufficeth to say that last P-Day was a let down; Two thumbs down. Look for the few pictures we took of this lovely experience in my album!
The next day we had a dinner appointment with the Raveneau family in our branch. They're so nice and the dad is hilarious. He works at the morgue as a make-up artist/body preserver for the dead. Is it weird to think that a man with this job is one of the happiest/life loving people ever? I think yes. Anyway, the dinner was awesome, as was the company. I love this branch.
On Wednesday we had a district council here in Saint Brieuc. Afterwards, we all went over to a member, Monique's, house for lunch. Monique is so sweet and is always waiting for us to have other Elders over so that we can go visit and eat with her, without breaking any rules. She made us her specialty, "Toad in the Hole," and it was a great time! Then we went on exchanges with the Zone Leaders. It wasn't enjoyable or eventful, so there's not anything to write about there.
We started the next day with service at a British member's house, Peter Banks. We chopped tons of wood for his wood-burning fireplaces. It was a lot of work, but his wife and him are both really nice. We even got to use a two-man saw that was used back in the early 1900s on the British railways. That takes some serious energy, let me tell ya. Then we had lunch. Peter's wife is vegan (and has recently been converting every woman in the branch to become vegan as well), so we ate a 100% vegan lunch. It was actually pretty good. Vegan burgers and vegan chocolate cake. They're a lovely couple. That night, my companion and I treated ourselves to a nice seafood meal, to help us celebrate this transfer coming to a close. We went to a place called, "Bistrot du Port," here and it was so good! Look for pics of this too.
Friday was a day filled with finding in the rain-- what an experience haha. We ended the night with a dinner appointment at our Branch President's house. It was such a great night and him and his wife are both awesome. Like I said, I love this branch!
On Saturday we made "mystery" cookies, using any ingredients we had on hand and without any recipe, to give to other people in the area. What a risk to take when it's for others and not ourselves. And as you could probably guess, they turned out pretty bad. Oh well. We still decided to give them away haha. While doing this, we were in the neighborhood of one of our members, so he saw us and invited us over to his house after we were done. Then he had me prepare/cook a pizza for all of us, using the ingredients in his fridge. This, unlike the cookies, turned out amazingly well. It was a hit. Such a nice member. Afterward, we were FINALLY able to get the signature of a woman whose kids come to church, allowing us to be able to legally teach them. It's been 3 months that the Branch has been trying to get ahold of this mother, so her being there that night was definitely a miracle. We got the signature out of her and in doing so, received the green light on teaching (and eventually baptizing) her 3 children.
The next day was good. Church went well and for 2nd hour we taught the 3 children with the Bishop the Restoration lesson. Then we ate with a member family at the chapel for lunch and it was super good. Then we had a lesson with our English-speaking, African investigators, Emmanuel and Stella. After that we had a brief spiritual thought with an in-active member, Peace. The rest of the night we were stressing about transfer changes, in which we would be finding out the next morning.
The next morning (today) came with some new changes. My companion is leaving and I am staying in Saint Brieuc for another transfer. My new companion will be Elder Paxman from Saint George, Utah. I was the one who took him out finding on his first day in the mission, so I know him a little. He's really nice and I'm excited for the future. I'm going to miss Elder Thomas greatly, but he had been here for 9 months already, so we were expecting him to go.
Through all of the stress, one thing that I heavily relied on was prayer. I testify that if we are struggling or worried, God will help us. Yes, we have to do our part as well (help won't just come from simple prayers and no action), but God will do all He can, when we do all that we can. I truly believe that through my hope and faith that transfer changes would go well, I was blessed with a good outcome. I know that transfer changes don't seem like much importance to any of you, but as a missionary they really are a big deal... Whatever happens defines how our lives are for at least another transfer (or 6 weeks). I encourage you all to put your faith unto God in your everyday lives and then act on promptings/do your part. Take action in your life to receive blessings and thank God everyday for them.
I love you all! I hope you are all doing well! Till next week!
Elder Connor Anderson
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