pictures from transfer day

The trainers waiting to meet their new companions (who haven't come in the room yet).

6/24

So the big news... I'm white wash training in Metz.  That means that I'm going to be in a new city with a new missionary. I'm going to have to find my way around town and get to know the ward, also teach him French and mission stuff. I'm really scared, but oh well.

The address is-
11, Square du Pontiffroy
57000 Metz
France

 

That's cool to hear that girls camp was good. I hope that encampment is good! I cant wait to be a leader for all of that kinda stuff! 

That's cool about Dean moving back. Does he still play soccer? Can he shoot from inside of the 6? hahahaha

This week we did a lot of searching. It was a little more desperate than finding. We had to like call at people through windows and stuff.  We have no problem talking to people, but as soon as peeps hear "church" or "Jesus" they run away. I really hope that my "son" (the new missionary who will be his next companion) will be able to adjust to missionary days.

We didn't go to any video training thing, but I hear that we are going to be able to go on facebook soon. I'm pretty sure if I was to go on FB I would just creep on people.

 

I'm kinda sad to be leaving St Omer but I think the reason I came here was more for learning than for missionary work here. I have learned so many things here, but I am ready to move on. I'm really excited. 

I don't think skateboards are that cool. They hurt your shins and break arms. 

That's pretty cool about the hmong party thing. I remember when we would go to those with dad and he would go sit at the man table and we would go sit in a corner on the hmong stools.  They dont do anything like that here in France.  (We told him in our letter that some of our favorite Hmong missionaries were going home, so the Hmong people threw them a big going away party last night.)

6/17

 hey everyone! so this week got toe up. haha but it was pretty good. so as you already know, we want to Brussels for a 3 zone conference. On the way back, we didn't have any tickets for the train. and my mission credit card doesn't work in Belgium, so we had to call over missionaries who lived in Belgium to buy us tickets. All the trains were sold out until 7:30, so we bought a random ghetto intercity train that doesn't go as fast as the other train but it left at 5:10. but that train was a half hour late. and because of that we missed the connecting train. and then we had to wait for the next train in that station which was like 40 minutes later. and then we finally got back to Lille. but the city of Lille was on strike, so there where no more trains til the next morning. So we bought tickets for a train at 7:35AM and spent the night with the elders in Lille. and then in the morning we went to the train station and that train didn't even exist. The only train going to St Omer was at 12:40. So we waited until then. Then when it was time we went to go get on the train, but actually it got changed into a bus that was DRIVING to St Omer. So we packed on the bus with a million angry people and drove home. Then when we were walking home from where the bus dropped us off it started pouring rain. We only had 3 rdvs (appointments) planned for this week and we missed them all, but I am really glad that I am starting to see things in an eternal prospective instead of just a go go go attitude.

We met a lot of peeps this week who were sad or angry and the only reason why is that they don't know that God loves them. They don't know that they are children of God. I never realized what big of a deal is the song I am a Child of God. It makes me so sad. I finally understand why Nephi wets his pillow at night because of his brothers. I wish I would have known how important this knowledge is while I was growing up. but I'm so glad I know it now. If that is the one thing that I've learned on my mission as of right now, than it was worth it. but it totally isn't the only thing.

People can write me at either my address or the mission home. I think as of right now it would be a safer bet to write to the mission home because idk if I'll get transferred next week or not. prob yes. We'll know on Monday.

So dad should not worry about talking smack about the government on the internet because we have the right to say what we want. and i don't think they would hunt down a random dude from Chico who is writing an email to his son. Its not very likely.

 

I would totally want to go fishing. I want to go Tuna fishing or shark fishing. That's one of the things that I didn't know I would miss until I don't have the option of doing it.

And yeah I'm pretty sure I want to go to SVU. Mom told me that they are gonna have teaching stuff there and if they don't I could just do generals there and then transfer to somewhere cheap.

We cant buy fireworks. missionaries + fireworks = nope. but i would love to. Its so weird that last 4th of July I was in the MTC. That was a year ago.  I cant believe it.

6/10

Hey everyone! Yeah it gets super super cold here so sometimes you'll need a scarf or else your neck will freeze off. I think that they look super lame tho. The coat I was wearing in the most recent pictures is one that Elder Horton gave me. He didnt want to take it home and its the only one I have with a hood.

 I clean the bathroom. I wash dishes. I know how to do laundry. I still am not very good at ironing. Teach Bradley and Andrew that. I definitely think it helps to live away from home before going on the mission. There are a lot of 18 year old missionaries who dont know how to live, their mom just did it for them. Bradley and Andrew should also learn how to fix toilets incase they come to France... they malfunction like 25% of the time. And also cook. They should memorize their own recipes of their favorite stuff, and also how to cut their own hair, and other people's hair.

So this week was pretty fun. We didn't find anyone who became a new ami but we did find a lot of people who wanted the gospel. We met some cool people and were able to bear testimony. One thing that I have learned is how all we can really do as missionaries is help people, but its just up to them to help themselves and a lot of people do not help themselves.

Yesterday there was a big bike race in ST Omer and there was an award ceremony in Centreville. There were HUGE speakers playing LOUD techno music that echoed all across the city.

We are going to Brussels on Wednesday for zone conference. How many missionaries just leave the country once in a while?

So yeah everythings going great. Haha funny story-- the other night there was this guy playing guitar and singing out the window on like the 4th floor and we walked under him and he started singing about us. It was super funny. He was singing about 2 Americans who wear ties trying to change the world. yup.

So I've been thinking a lot about college and I cant really figure out anything right now. I might just try to go back at SVU at the beginning and I dont really know about soccer, but I dont really know still. Would need to like reapply I think or we could talk to Joe Bouchelle, but I'm pretty at ease with going back there.

Thanks so much and I hope everything is great and just so you know I haven't gotten a letter since 2 Thursdays ago. I think that's a new record.

6/3

Hey, so what's up? This week was pretty good at the beginning  I had a super sore throat and head cold so a called the mission doctor and we got some medicine. It made me super crazy,  but it healed up pretty fast.  We found two new amis so that's super good. Things are starting to grow. I got stung by a bee on the pinky. I went to take a picture next to big bushes that were shaped like swans. and I got dominated. It made me think of dad's bees. Overall it was a pretty fast week.  I went on an exchange to Valenciennes. That was pretty cool.

We teach lessons when we can. Last week we taught 2. Usually we porte and contact pretty much all day. We offer to do service when we see that people are in the yard or doing stuff, but so far no one has accepted our help.

We eat pretty well.  I make salads a lot. We go to the store and buy a bunch of super cheap lettuce and I find stuff to throw in it.

That's cool that grandpa is getting new chairs, didn't he just get a new couch? and yeah grad night was super fun. I wish I could graduate every night!

So St. Omer has a city park that is like super pretty and peaceful. There are pretty flowers and basketball courts and stuff. There's also a zoo with goats and deer and pheasants and peacocks. That part smells really bad! but its really peaceful and chill. Sometimes we talk to peeps in there. We are going to start doing that a lot more because its kinda starting to get nice. (Its really cloudy and chilly up north).

That's a bummer about dads chicken. Is he going to get a hatchery surprise?

My comp and I speak english and some french. He hasn't been out for very long and the french is getting there. We try because the best way to learn is to just speak, but its also hard to not talk about the gospel in french, because that's all they teach you in the MTC.

On p-days we clean, shop, write emails. We went to the park and played soccer a couple times, but once it was a holiday and there were kids and we pwned them. But I'm not very good at soccer anymore.

So the other day I was thinking about Josh. How's he doing? I don't hear from anyone from SVU anymore. Makes me sad.

But yeah I'm having a great time. I hope everything is well there.