85th P-Day (78th in France)

Another sick week! And I mean that literally, I was actually super sick this whole week. Sufficeth to say that this wasn't the best week for me. 

Last P-Day was spent deep-cleaning the apartment for our apartment inspection and was finished by taking a train to Rennes for exchanges. This was the day when I first got sick. As you can tell, it was a lot of fun!

The next day was terrible and my terrible cold kept me from doing much. 

Wednesday was a very busy day back in Saint-Brieuc, making it super difficult for me, as I was still tired and sick. Our first item of business was our apartment inspection. The Senior Couple passed us with 100% and then bought us some lunch to eat. They're so kind. The day ended with a dinner appointment at the Swedish couple's, The Sala's, house. They're so sweet and the wife immediately hooked me up with all of the remedies you could imagine. Needless to say that I felt much better that night. 

The next day was baptism prep day for Tresor. We got him all ready to go and was a nice little re-assurance that even in hard weeks, God still blesses us. 

Friday morning we met with a cool guy named Yvan! He was an old investigator and then he was dropped because he wasn't interested. Now he is and he even wants to be baptized! He's a university student and so cool. We're hopeful and optimistic looking forward with him. We also met with Emmanuel and Stella (and the rest of their family). This was a sad meeting, as they basically told us that they're not interested in our church anymore and they want to go to a church that has more African culture. It was a real bummer, because we thought that they enjoyed last Sunday a lot, but I guess not enough to go again. So we ended up dropping them. Sad day when you drop a family that you've been working with for a few months. Oh well, it happens! At least Yvan is awesome!

Saturday was Tresor's baptism. The whole day was planned around this. My companion and I started filling the font at 12:30, and by the time it was the baptism (5:30), the water had only gotten to the level of Tresor's knees, and it was freezing because the heater wasn't working. Talk about a bad situation! Our bishop had to play it carefully and dunked him without hitting his head on the floor. Other than that, it went well. Yvan came and really enjoyed it, as well as another investigator, Evan. Tresor was on cloud 9 and he was really happy. It was a great way to end a terrible week. Couldn't have asked for more. 

On Sunday I gave a talk in church. My sickness was just as bad as ever, but luckily the branch could understand my talk and I'm hoping that the Holy Ghost was able to teach them as well. After church, The Sala's invited us and Tresor over for lunch. It was a great time and the fellowshipping in this branch is truly remarkable. Everyone here is awesome. 

Today we got the news for the next transfer. I get to stay here! I'm so happy about that. I love this area and wouldn't want to go anywhere else. Now I'm taking it easy and trying to get better. Wish me luck. 

My talk this week in sacrament was about how the gospel of Jesus Christ blesses and fortifies the family. This is so true and I know it, because I've experienced it in my own life. Thanks to Jesus Christ, we can live with our families forever and death is not the end. I'm so grateful for Him and the fact that He died for us. The family really is what God's Plan is all about and I'm so grateful that it is. 

Have a great week, everyone! Love you all! 

Elder Connor Anderson

Tresor's Baptism day

Transfers-- Staying in St Brieuc!

Rennes Zone Conference

2 new amis

Connor's Talk- Sacrament Meeting- March 24, 2019

L'évangile de Jésus Christ est le plus important chose dans la vie. Il nous donne l'espérance, la paix, etc. Mais le plus grand chose qu'il nous a donné, est l'opportunité à vivre avec notre  famille pour toujour. L'évangile de Jésus Christ est vraiment centré sur la famille. Il rapproche et unit les familles. Ça je sais. Mais comment? Parce que je l'ai vécu dans ma propre vie.

Dans "La famille: Déclaration au monde" nous lisons que-
La famille est ordonnée de Dieu. Le mariage entre l’homme et la femme est essentiel à son plan éternel. 

Comme vous pouvez le constater, les familles sont très importantes pour Dieu.
Le concept de famille est pas nouveau. Avant même que ce monde soit créé, nous vivions dans une unité familiale. Dieu était notre Père et nous étions tous les frères et soeurs. Le Plan de Dieu était créé, parce que Dieu nous aime. Son plan pour nous tous de venir ici sûr terre est, en bref, pour notre bien-être. Il nous a envoyés ici pour apprendre et grandir, comme le ferait tout père aimant. Il savait que nos vies sur la terre ne seraient pas faciles, car les défis sont nécessaires pour nous aider à grandir, mais il a encore choisi de nous envoyer à la terre dans les familles pour nous soutenir. Parce que Dieu nous aime, il aussi a envoyé son fils, Jésus Christ, sûr la terre pour qu'il soit possible de retourner vivre un jour avec lui. 

L'église de Jésus Christ des Saints des Derniers Jours nous enseigne que grâce à Jésus-Christ et son expiation nous pouvons tous vivre avec nos familles pour l'éternité. Cette connaissance me donne beaucoup de paix dans ma vie. L'été dernier, ma nièce est décédée. C'était une moment très difficile pour toute ma famille, notamment ma soeur et beau frère. J'étais en mission à ce moment-là, alors je ne pouvais pas être à la maison pour réconforter ma famille. Même si cela avait été le cas, cela n'aurait pas fait de différence. La seule chose qui puisse vraiment réconforter les gens dans les moments difficiles, c'est Jésus-Christ et son évangile. Parce que ma famille savait que les familles peuvent être ensemble pour toujours, cette situation n'a fait que renforcer leur foi. Il y aura toujours des difficultés dans la vie, mais à travers Jésus Christ nous pouvons trouver joie et espoir à tout moment.

Grâce à lui, tout est possible.

Google translation:

The gospel of Jesus Christ is the most important thing in life. It gives us hope, peace, etc. But the biggest thing he has given us is the opportunity to live with our family forever. The gospel of Jesus Christ is truly family-centered. It brings together and unites families. That I know. But how? Because I have experienced in my own life. 

In "The Family: A Proclamation to the World," we read that- 
The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. 

As you can see, families are very important to God. 
The concept of family is not new. Even before the world was created, we were living in a family unit. God is our Father and we were all brothers and sisters. God's Plan was created because God loves us. His plan for us to come here sure land is, in short, for our welfare. He sent us here to learn and grow, as would any loving father. He knew that our life on earth would not be easy, because the challenges are needed to help us grow, but he still chose to send us to earth in families to support us. Because God loves us, he also sent his son, Jesus Christ, secure land for it to be possible to return to live with him one day. 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that because of Jesus Christ and His Atonement we can all live with our families for eternity. This knowledge gives me a lot of peace in my life. Last summer, my niece died. It was a very difficult time for my family, especially my sister and brother in law. I was on a mission in that time, so I could not be at home to comfort my family. Even if that had been the case, it would not have made any difference. The only thing that can really comfort people in difficult times, it is Jesus Christ and his gospel. Because my family knew that families can be together forever, this has only strengthened their faith. There will always be difficulties in life, but through Jesus Christ we can find joy and hope at any time. 

Because of Him, everything is possible. 

84th P-Day (77th in France)

Hey everyone. This week was interesting. Let's jump right on in.

Last Monday we had a district P-Day, here in Saint Brieuc. We hiked a mountain by the shore to find some old castle ruins. It was a pretty cool thing and probably not super legal, but there were no signs telling us otherwise. Ended up walking 15 miles and feeling great!

Tuesday was great! We were able to teach Tresor and give him a practice baptismal interview, and then we went to Emmanuel and Stella's house and taught them with Tresor. It was great teaching with an (almost) new convert, as it helped build his testimony as well. They were all able to connect on things as well, as they all come from Africa, so it was a great idea and the night was awesome!

The next day was "Tresor" day. He was interviewed by the Zone Leaders for baptism and we worked on his baptismal program. He almost didn't pass-- which would've made us postpone the baptism, but luckily he called one of our Mission President's counselors that night and clarified some things. He PASSED. 

The next day we met with a new referral at the church for a chapel tour. He was quiet and didn't say much, but we're hopeful that it will go somewhere. 

Friday we had a great lesson with an old investigator, a Catholic woman. She was so nice and it went really well. That night, we had dinner at the Raveneau's house with the three children of Cathy. We did a Family Home Evening sort of event and it was really nice. 

On Saturday we met with some old investigators from Syria. A husband and wife. They are refugees here because of their Christian beliefs. They were so nice and fed us some Syrian treats. They could barely speak French and we can't speak Arabic, so there was a bit of a language barrier there. Either way, the Spirit was felt and they agreed to come to church again. Here's hoping we can find and skype in an Arab speaking missionary to help us teach them. For lunch we ate Turkish food at the Saturday market. The rest of the day was spent at the Plante's house (members in our branch), doing an "MTC experience" day with the young men. We exercised, cooked food for dinner, learned how to sew buttons, did practice teaching, and language study. It was actually a lot of fun. 

Sunday was miraculous. We had 9 investigators at church! The most there's been for a long while. Emmanuel came with his sister, Blessing, Tresor came, the three kids came, a man named Andre came, and the Syrian couple came. It was a great time. Afterwards, we feasted together. I love this branch and I love these investigators. We ended the night with a lesson at Cathy's house with her children. She has never accepted us or even had been nice to us. It was truly a miracle she was willing to hear from us. We talked about baptism and it seems like she's warming up to the idea. Here's hoping!

I have a firm testimony that with prayer and hard work, miracles really can happen. This week had some rough spots, but we persevered and God blessed us with a lot at the end of it all. Don't give up! Keep going and keep God in your hearts, no matter what you are going through. Life is hard and nothing comes easy. But I know that God will bless us if we just keep trying. God is good to me even when I don't feel like I deserve it. I'm so grateful for our Heavenly Father! 

Love you all. Til next week!

Elder Connor Anderson

 FHE with Cathy's children

YM Missionary activity

Dolls made by Monique

83rd P-Day (76th in France)

This week was spent almost entirely on a train. 

On Tuesday we went to Rennes for District Council. Afterwards I got a limited edition "grilled cheese" at the nearby KFC. My album this week will include both the promotional photo for the grilled cheese and what I was actually served. It was 10 Euros and definitely not worth it. I should file a complaint and get free food because of it. Cash me ousside, KFC. We ate lasagna at the American family's house for dinner and it was much better. To say I'm disappointed in KFC would be an understatement. The fact that French KFC is terrible was my take-a-way from Tuesday. 

The next day I gave candy out to people in town, free of charge. Didn't find any new people through it, but it definitely made a lot of people smile, so I guess there was still success there. We ended the day with a dinner appointment at the church with some members and our investigator with a baptismal date, Tresor. It was a wonderful evening and some serious fellowshipping is happening!

Thursday was Zone Conference, so we again took an early morning train to Rennes. It went well and it was good to catch up with some old friends. We ended the night with a dinner appointment with our Branch President and his family. Oh how I love them, such cool people. 

We found ourselves once again back in Rennes the next day for interviews with President Sorensen. I was able to get some incredible Poutine afterwards for lunch and that was probably the highlight of my day. 

Saturday we planned Tresor's baptismal program with him and then went to Monique's house to give her a blessing. Both of these people are so awesome. We then, once again, took a train to Rennes for me to give a baptismal interview to a baptismal candidate up there. He passed and it was a good evening. We again, got some good food as well, which is always my favorite thing. We also saw some university students in an apartment window in downtown Rennes, hanging a stick with a string onto the busy street below. The other side of the string had a candy on it and they wanted to see how people reacted. When someone tried to grab the candy, they'd pull it up and make it a game. It was so funny to watch and reminded me, that when appropriate, French people still like to have fun. Look for pics of this in my album too. 

Sunday was a good day. It's always good to be with this branch. I love them. 

To leave you with a spiritual thought, I've been reading a lot about the parables that Jesus taught when he was on the Earth. I encourage you to read them, no matter your religious background. So much of what he taught really applies to us personally and us as a society. I know that abiding by the teachings of Jesus will really make us and our communities stronger. I've seen a change in the lives of the people here when they follow Jesus and when they don't, and I know that happiness comes from doing so. 

I love you all! Thanks for all the encouragement!

Elder Connor Anderson

 District P-Day visit to some ruins