94th P-Day (87th in France)

This week was a wild one...

Last Tuesday we went finding with no success. One young man even told us, "I don't mean to discourage you, but you're not going to find any young people who are interested in religion at all these days.." and the sad thing is that this guy was kind of speaking truth about our area in France. BUT, I know that there are still people out there that are waiting for us, so it's all good and I'm staying hopeful. We finished the night with service and dinner at the Branch President's house. 

The next day we had a lesson set with one of our investigators, Johnathan, the same guy who has major alcohol and drug problems. Well, because of his problems, our appointment was canceled. As we were walking to his apartment, we saw major traffic on the road, caused by him. He had gotten drunk the night before and ended up in a fight with some other people, which left him bruised and in pain. He tried calling for help, but no one helped him. When we got to see why the traffic was jammed, it was because he was sitting in the middle of the road, blocking cars in both directions from driving by. Saying that he wouldn't move until someone gave him a ride to the hospital. Instead of calling the police, one woman called the ambulance and was very kind. Then the whole situation was taken care of, but our appointment was sadly canceled. Look out for a picture of this in my album this week. Later we had apartment inspections in which we passed 100%. Love that. Then we had a Word of Wisdom lesson with Ana and Steve and it seemed as if it went well, as they both committed to trying to live it and stop their addictions. As this email progresses, however, you'll come to read that this was not the case and that the situation is actually more jaw-dropping than we originally thought. Afterwards we had dinner with Brother Bergera. After that we were stopped by a young woman, Celine. She was very anti-religion and told us that we had been brain-washed from our parents to do this. It was a very interesting contact and she didn't change at all (she was actually pretty rude), but we still decided to get a selfie with her for the memory. 

On Thursday we got Fish and Chips for lunch (so good) and then went to a Medieval town, Dinan, for some finding. No real success there and everyone was mostly a tourist, but I did get some good ice cream, so I'd say that I'm still happy we went. 

The next day we met a cool young guy, Guillaume, and we are hopeful that he will turn into an investigator. We also had an appointment with Emmanuel and Stella, in which they made us spicy African food again haha. I love them as friends, but it's still hard to get them interested in our church specifically. We'll find a way though!

On Saturday we went to Loudeac for a few things. We had a few appointments with people and then we got french fries at the local friterie there (my favorite part of course). Then we had an appointment with a new couple that self-referred themselves, because they want to change before the arrival of their baby. They didn't even know what our church was or anything, they were simply looking for disciples of Christ to help show them the way. The problem was that they lived out in the middle of nowhere. A small village with no public transport, grocery store, etc., at the very edge of our sector. We had no way to get to them without a member helping us out with a car, but even then the closest members live about 45 minutes away. Anyway, Peter and Janice Banks were nice enough to help us get out to that house for our lesson. The dad, Dominique, was heavily into drugs and didn't have a job. Neither does his wife. They also don't have a car, so they can't come to church on their own which is a huge burden for our Branch, but we'll do it if they are serious about coming to church. Anyway, after our lesson he showed us that they needed food. They literally had nothing in their fridge/whole house and his wife is even 8 months pregnant. So when we left, we arranged the English couple to come get them for church the next day and for other members to bring them food. We then ended the day by a lesson with Yvan at Brother Bergera's house. 

Sunday was chaotic. It was French Mother's Day and everything started off fine. So many members came through and brought tons of food for the young, starving couple, but the couple didn't wake up. I felt terrible for the Banks who drove all the way out there to get them, just for them to be sleeping. I also felt bad for all the people who brought food for us. Here's hoping that this was a one time event and that they become serious enough about church to be up on time for their ride. Ana and Steve were also there and they were having a visibly difficult time. Ana had previous asked for a blessing after church, so we organized it. As it turned out, however, Steve was talking to members about Ana and spreading lies. So Ana came up to us to tell us the truth. She had been abused and such by him and it was a very ugly relationship. He has paranoia and believes her to be his ex- mother in law and it's honestly a pretty serious situation. When asked if she still wanted the blessing, Ana went off in front of our members and Steve and it got heated. Brother Raveneau, our dear member, stuck with them through it all and mediated their fight. We stuck around with his family as we waited for a couple hours. I felt really bad for his wife, who had to wait at church on Mother's Day, while her husband worked out other people's drama. At the end, they invited us to their house to eat. We were lucky, too, because it was filet mignon! The meal was delicious and we had a great time with them. Playing Uno, Clue, etc., great time. Soon, however, Ana called Brother Raveneau. Apparently Steve dropped her off at their property in the middle of the forest, cut the electricity to their little cabin, slashed the car's tires, and stole lots of things before heading off with their camping car. She was literally stranded in the cold forest all alone with no way to survive. This caused us to jump into action and Brother and Sister Raveneau went with us to go help her about an hour drive away. When we got there, we got her gas for her cabin's generator amongst other things. We ended by finally giving her that blessing. It was a very touching moment. Now we are all very concerned for her and are keeping track on what she's doing. We pray that she can fix her life and get the help she needs. 

Caring about one another is something very important. I saw the Raveneaus literally spend the day that was supposed to be all about "mothers and families" in the service of others.  It was very touching for me to see how selfless they were. That's the type of person I aspire to be. It's not easy, as I feel like all of us are selfish in some way, but it's something I would encourage us all to become. Life brings so much more happiness when we help others. It's what Jesus taught time and time again. We are all part of one big family, God's family. We need to always be there to help each other out. The mission may be hard, but I wouldn't trade these experiences for anything. I love the people here and I love being able to see all the good that they have to offer. 

I love you all, have a good week! 

Elder Connor Anderson

93rd P-Day (86th in France)

Last Monday I bought the "Grilled Peaches and Vanilla" Yankee Candle and I would highly recommend it to you all. 

The next day we met with one of our investigators, Johanathan and set him on a baptismal date. He is a hardcore drug addict, so it'll take some time, but we're excited. Later that night we had a lesson with Yvan and Brother Raveneau that went really well. On the way home, Brother Raveneau picked up a hitchhiker, whom he apparently has picked up a couple times before lol. That was an experience. That night I made a fun little recipe that I would suggest: baguette bread garnished in brie cheese and strawberries and caramel. Very decadent and tastes phenomenal! 

On Wednesday we had district council in Rennes. District councils are a little different now, as the new rule is that they have to be completely in French. This was quite the experience haha. Afterwards we had a lesson with Emmanuel and Stella in which they fed us African food and we had a heated discussion on the Book of Mormon. Before we were able to have ended it on a good note, Felix (a recently returned missionary in our branch) came to pick us up and take us to another rendez-vous at Anna and Steve's house. This lesson went well, but Steve is still having a hard time with his drug problems and such, to the point where it's blocking him from feeling the Spirit. 

The next day we went to Loudeac again for some finding/an in-active family visit. When we arrived we ate at the local Friterie again and it was so good. After that we did some finding until our appointment with the family. The family, the Sautrons, were nice, but definitely not interested in coming back and don't believe in the church at all anymore. Still, I think it was good that we saw them and talked to them. We ended the night with a dinner appointment at the Branch President's house. 

On Friday we had exchanges in Rennes. I was with Elder Hill, one of my Zone Leaders. All of our appointments fell through, so we ended up finding for most of the exchange. There wasn't anybody who was interested in our message, unfortunately, but one kid wanted to play fortnite with me, so I guess that's fun. 

We left Rennes early Saturday morning and came back to a rendez-vous with Johnathan, which went well again, but further clarified that he needs a lot of time and help to overcome his struggles. Then we met again with Emmanuel and Stella. This time they fed us African food again and it was so spicy that I couldn't handle it! What type of people enjoy this kind of stuff? Later that night we had another rendez-vous with Yvan and it went really well. He is ready for baptism, but still has to wait until August to be able to speak to his family about it and get their blessing. Here's to hoping that they allow him to be baptized. 

Sunday was long. Church was super slow and then we had a 2 hour ward council that seemed never-ending. My companion was even roasted at one point by the Branch President and it wasn't super fun. On the way home another member asked him if he was okay, and clarified what the Branch President was trying to say. In any case, we just decided to forget about it and continue on throughout the day. We ended the night off with Felix, visiting the three Amisoi children and Monique. It's such a blessing to have him here to help us with the work. 

For my thought this week, I wanted to encourage you all to reflect on your lives. The good, the bad, etc., and try to find the moments when God has really manifested Himself to you. I promise, you'll find more than you think. God is always there for us. He knows each and every one of us and what we are going through. Don't ever give up, no matter how hard a situation may seem. As we draw unto God and build our relationship with Him, we can get through anything. 

I love you all! Have an awesome week! 

Elder Connor Anderson

92nd P-Day (85th in France)

Last Monday we went to Mont Saint Michel, as I had mentioned in my previous e-mail. I would highly recommend everyone to go there if you are thinking about coming to France. It's so cool and there are a lot of things to do. If those pics weren't included in my last week's album, I'm sure my mom will put them in this week, so keep an eye out for them. After that we went to an American Cemetery. That was very interesting as well. It was a good day. 

The next day involved a lot of finding and then dinner at a member's house. Her name is Yolaine and she's amazing-- she's the woman that used to bring us homemade groceries every Monday. It was a great time spent with her, her husband, and one of their daughters. I love this branch!

On Wednesday we finally made the Valentine's cupcake mix my mom sent me back in February to give to investigators and members. Bless Betty Crocker for using lots of preservatives, therefore allowing her cake mix to be left unused for months without going bad. We then gave them to Hilda and then afterwards Emmanuel and Stella. After that we knocked on the doors of the apartment complex that Alexander (the Russian) stayed at when he was here, because he had sent us the door codes to get in haha. Surprisingly so, the lady who owned the room Alexander stayed in, Emma, was the meanest of them all. Anyway, we came out of there with a few potentials and we're now hoping that something comes from them. 

The next day we met with Anna and Steve at the church for a lesson. We gave them some cupcakes and they gave us some fish that they had recently caught in the ocean. After we exchanged gifts, we taught them about the Addiction Recovery process and showed them a video from it. They are both having troubles giving up smoking and Anna has a huge desire to stop it. Steve on the other hand is addicted to a lot of things and Anna is trying to enlist our help to "save" him. It was a good lesson, but Steve is in denial about a lot of things, so we're currently trying to figure out the best way to go about things. 

On Friday we did service at the Banks and were served a vegan meal afterwards, as per usual. I love them! Later, a member, Jean-Cristophe, picked us up with his car to help us deliver the remainder of the cupcakes. It was a good day!

The next day we woke up early to help the Branch President move. He's moving to Saint-Brieuc which is a HUGE blessing for us. Once ready, we stopped by Emmanuel's house to pick him up, as he agreed to come help. Little did we know that he'd need 45 minutes to get ready lol. Our ride was outside the whole time and was going to leave us behind if we didn't hurry up. Anyway, the wait was worth it, as Emmanuel helped out a ton! He's an investigator and only speaks English, but the Branch made him feel super comfortable and he had a fun time. Afterwards we saw the Branch President's new house. It's so cool. Right by the port of the ocean, where all of the boats are docked. It's a house that's a few hundred years old, but very cool. Apparently it's going to take them nearly a year to renovate it, so we're all very excited to see how it will turn out. After that we had a few rendez-vous. Our last rendez-vous was with a new investigator, Daniel, and his friend, Noel. They're both about 50 years old and very interesting. Apparently they only live "at night" and sleep during the day. So the earliest they can do a rendez-vous is 8 PM, and that's exactly what we did. They were strange, but very nice. Daniel wrote us each a personal card and gave us each a box of biscuits. We discussed many things and it was very well passed. Somehow with this guy we got into very deep doctrine on his first lesson, but hey, if it works it works. 

Sunday was Branch Conference and I translated the whole two-hour meeting for the English speakers without any breaks. Talk about a headache. But the talks were good and it was a good time. Afterwards we visited a very old in-active woman in the Branch, Sister Champion, and she showed us a letter she got in the mail from Alexander (the Russian guy). He had mailed her printed out pics from his trip here and a little note. It was very special to her and she was very happy talking about it. Later we got to call our moms for Mother's Day. I sure do love mine! 

For my spiritual thought today, I would just like to leave you all with a message of gratitude. We have all been blessed with so much (i.e., families, jobs, etc.) and I think sometimes it's hard to realize all of the blessings we have. I know each of us have been blessed through our mothers and I'd encourage all of you to reach out to your moms wherever they are and tell them how much you appreciate them. With Mother's Day having been yesterday, it really got me to think about just how important mothers are. It's thanks to them that we are all here on this Earth today and it's through their support that we have made it this far. To my mom, I'm grateful for you and I love you. 

I hope you all have a wonderful week. 

Elder Connor Anderson