What a crazy week.
Im still exhausted from jet lag. But my french is good enough to get by, I didnt look like a fool
on Sunday
bearing my testimony, in fact I had lots of people ask me how my french
was so good. Apparently my french is really good for a Bleu (Greenie
but the french like to be different). I can hold most conversations
pretty well. And i can understand most of what I hear but a lot of
people speak way too fast for me to understand them and I still struggle
choosing words and conjugations and then putting them in the correct
order (basically the whole speaking part) but ive definitely improved.
One fun story. The First day I was in Lyon (and France),
with all of the bleus from my transfer an old woman came up to me and
asked me if I had a cigarrette. I said no, then started talking to her
casually at first then about who we were and I asked her if she was
interested in learning more and she gave me her phone number and
everything....all in French! It was just a fun first day experience.
Im serving in Nice. Monaco is in our area. This is
one of the largest tourist hotspots in the world. Also there is a very
large Muslim population and lots of TJs (Temoign Jehovah). Most of what
Ive seen of france is rather unimpressive. Both Lyon and Nice are
beautiful cities as in they were probably beautiful 25 years ago. Dont
get me wrong it is super cool being here, its fun to see everything and
look at old magnificent builidngs and eqt in small french patisseries
and stuff but if I were asked if I would raise my children
here....noope. There is indeed a very large socialist mentality here.
Nobody cares about working because the government will pay you more than
most jobs will. The city is dirty and the people seem content to live
with it like that... and the people are sad, you can aactually see it on
their faces. They need the Gospel! But most of them dont want to have a
thing to do with us.
My comp is Elder Uluave, he is from SLC and is 10 weeks from
being done. We live in a small one bedroom apt with two other
missionaries Elder Smith and Elder Call, both a year into their
missions. All three of them are great. Elder U and I have a baptism set
for the end of August with a Portuguese man named Alcedes. The ward is
great we have sooo much support. Ive never seen a ward with so much zeal
to share the gospel. It is so great being a missionary. I absolutely
love it. Even in the first four days it is the hardest thing Ive done
ever, this is hard. But I want to be here. I want to share the beautiful
message we hqve with everyone, because its true! and it would bring so
much happiness to their lives! I love you all. Thanks so much for the
prayers and support. Keep sending them.
