Sunday 30 January 2011

on ne voit bien qu'avec le coeur. l'esstentiel est invisible pour les yeux

January 24, 2011
Dear family,

This week had some pretty good highlights, so that is what I will partager [share].

Visitor center
This week we were lucky enough to have two times at the visitor center.. So we went on Tuesday night and we were in there when this guy and girl came in, 20's, and the guy said, "Are you the Mormons?" In France, Mormon means that we are polygamist and Amish, so I always say "well what does that word mean to you?" I realized that he was wearing a crew neck shirt under a polo [French people don't do that] and so in English I said "you're a member!" He said yes, that the girl he was with was not and that they were headed to institute. So they went to institute and about 10 minutes later the girl came back down and asked if she could talk to me during institute.
Her name in Marine and she is from Nancy, France. Her brother joined the church about a year ago and she has been thinking about meeting with the missionaries because of the change she has seen in him. I encouraged her to do so and she asked if she was allowed since they were elders. I said of course she was allowed. We keep talking and she told me that she felt this sort of guilt about looking into another religion when her's has done nothing to make her want to look for another religion. I shared some thoughts that I remembered from President Uchtdorf's conference talk "Faith of our Fathers" about how ultimately we are in a faith because it is right and brings us happiness and not because it is a tradition. We talked some more and it was SOOOOOOOOOOOOO awesome. We exchanged addresses and will be keeping in touch. She left the visitor center and told me that she was going to start seeing the elders :)

Wednesday, We were there for four hours, the first two hours we are on the streets contacting. I found some common ground with a visitor about the Twilight books [you would not believe how many people associate Arizona with Twilight]. We went back into the main part and this homeless man looking like Dumbledore walks in, wearing a women’s full length fur coat and one of those Russian hats, and walks up to the Christ statue and starts talking to it. Then he comes to us and says that the voice told him "first right, second left" and that led him to the visitor center. He walked around saying "magnifique" and then he left. Interesting day in the visitor center.

We saw Yue this week. Lately she hasn't been coming to church and so we talked about the importance of praying and reading daily and coming to church every week. It went well and she agreed that she needed to start coming to church again. When talking about reading, I said "even if you read just a column a day that is good." she looked at me like I was ridiculous and said "you really think I could stop after a column? Have you ever stopped after a column?" I just kind of chuckled to myself and thought about how sometimes as missionaries we try to make the important things for people so easy, when really there are so many blessings that wait for them if they do it.

When I was in Paris-Lilas, we taught a woman named Nicole. Anyway, we passed her to the sisters of Evry because technically she lives in here. I thought I would never see her again. When I got to Evry I asked Soeur McClaine if we were teaching her, they had not seen her for a while. About a week ago Nicole called to say hi to Soeur McClaine. I told her that Soeur McClaine had been transferred. I didn't think that she remembered who I was since we met so long ago. However, she very well remembered who I was and said that she wanted to start meeting with the sister missionaries. She was trying to read the Book of Mormon on her own and it wasn't speaking to her. I told her that I would love to meet with her and we fixed a rendezvous’ for Thursday. Everyone, pray for me and pray for this rendezvous’.

The quote in the subject is from "Le Petit Prince." I have been reading that lately [don't worry it is approved] for French study and it is very good.] The quote above says "The essential is invisible to the eyes. We only see well with the heart." think about it and read "The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry :)

transfer email this Saturday. CRAZY!!!!!!!!! It’s my last one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love you!
camille

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