Hey everyone,
So this past week has been another good one. For the past few weeks we have all been trying to find some young adults to come to the JA activies. They have intsitute and family home evening on thursdays and fridays and up to this point all the young people we had found were either "busy" or actually busy. A couple of weeks ago we met this awesome young guy named Charles who lives in the same building as us. We were all in the elevator together and he had some pizzas. We asked him if they were for us and he laughed, then we asked him if he wanted to learn more about Jesus and he said yes. We got his number but then every time that we called it was off. Well we had sent him a text this week inviting him to institute and he called back and said that his phone had been broken and he just barely got it fixed and that is why we couldn't reach him before. Any way he told us he would be glad to come to institute with us. That night the other elders had finally got some other JAs to come as well. When it started out it was honestly kind of dry and they were talking about the life of one of the prophets and we were kind of worried that they would be bored or confused, but then they started asking questions and the other members who were there were all giving really good answers. The best responses came from a less active young guy who was there and our recent convert. I was so glad i couldnt help but smile when they were bearing testimony. Any way they liked it and our amis wanted to know more. I'm really excited to start teaching Charles this week because he is golden.
This past sunday there was a marathon in Marseille so the bus that we take to church wasn't running all morning to clear the streets for all the people. This meant that we had to walk to church. This also happened to be the day that it rained nonstop for hours. As a result of the roads around the church being closed and the miserable weather, when we got to the church, the missionaries were the only ones there. We thought that it was going to stay that way but finally like 2 minutes before church started people slowly started trickeling in. It ended up being a really good meeting even though it started a little late and there weren't as many people.
This is the last week of the transfer so i find out friday if i'm staying in Marseille for another transfer or if i leave. I'll be happy whatever the result is. My guess is that i will be staying but i really have no clue either way. It's always impossible to guess what President Roney will do next. I am also looking forward to general conference. It's possibly more exciting than Christmas when you're a missionary. Especially when you spend Christmas in the MTC. I can't wait to here all of the talks.
Any way, I hope that you all are doing well and that you have a good Easter. Think alot about the Atonement this week and you will be filled with gratitude for the great gift that our Savior gave to us. Love ya,
Elder Swenson
Monday, March 25, 2013
Monday, March 18, 2013
March 18, 2013
Hey everyone,
Another bonne semaine here in Marseille. This week we did alot of service for people. We spent Wednesday in La Ciotat digging a trench and burrying pipe to help out a members son in law who is building a house there. For lunch we had sausages cooked on the "barbeque". It was an old wheel barrel with coals and a little metal grate on top. It was awesome. The next day we pulled up carpet and scraped off padding at the house of a members friend. Maybe it will be good for us to take the Ammon approach to missionary work. We did service and got to know the people a little better and talked a little about our church. It was good. We also went on this hike to a big cross on top of a mountain in Aubagne with another member and his friend. This week we got to meet members friends in a bunch of different ways and it was a good change of pace for us.
It has been super windy here for the past week. It's colder and I feel like we are out finding people in a hurricane. I am looking forward to spring time. We have been trying to visit members and get to know them better this past week. Sunday night we were trying to find this address to a less active members house. We looked all over and finally decided that it must've been written down wrong because as far as we could tell it didn't exist. We were getting cold and frustrated so we asked this young guy at the bus stop. He wasn't sure but told us to try looking over there. We tried and failed. When we got back to the bus stop to head back home, the same kid was there. We ended up talking to him and found out that he was a really awesome guy. After talking to him while we traveled on the bus and metro we found out that he was super busy but was christian and was interested in knowing a little more. We gave him a book of mormon and he told us he was going to read it each night before bed. It just goes to show that the Lord always knows better than us. We had planned to go visit this family but the real plan was for us to find this young man. I know that it is like this in all aspects of our lives. God knows us and has specific plans for all of us. It might not always line up with what we plan or expect but He will guide us in the right direction. He knows us each specifically and knows exactly what we need. If we trust in Him and listen for the guidence of the spirit we will be led to something better than what we ourselves can find. I love you all and hope all is going well.
Elder Swenson
Another bonne semaine here in Marseille. This week we did alot of service for people. We spent Wednesday in La Ciotat digging a trench and burrying pipe to help out a members son in law who is building a house there. For lunch we had sausages cooked on the "barbeque". It was an old wheel barrel with coals and a little metal grate on top. It was awesome. The next day we pulled up carpet and scraped off padding at the house of a members friend. Maybe it will be good for us to take the Ammon approach to missionary work. We did service and got to know the people a little better and talked a little about our church. It was good. We also went on this hike to a big cross on top of a mountain in Aubagne with another member and his friend. This week we got to meet members friends in a bunch of different ways and it was a good change of pace for us.
It has been super windy here for the past week. It's colder and I feel like we are out finding people in a hurricane. I am looking forward to spring time. We have been trying to visit members and get to know them better this past week. Sunday night we were trying to find this address to a less active members house. We looked all over and finally decided that it must've been written down wrong because as far as we could tell it didn't exist. We were getting cold and frustrated so we asked this young guy at the bus stop. He wasn't sure but told us to try looking over there. We tried and failed. When we got back to the bus stop to head back home, the same kid was there. We ended up talking to him and found out that he was a really awesome guy. After talking to him while we traveled on the bus and metro we found out that he was super busy but was christian and was interested in knowing a little more. We gave him a book of mormon and he told us he was going to read it each night before bed. It just goes to show that the Lord always knows better than us. We had planned to go visit this family but the real plan was for us to find this young man. I know that it is like this in all aspects of our lives. God knows us and has specific plans for all of us. It might not always line up with what we plan or expect but He will guide us in the right direction. He knows us each specifically and knows exactly what we need. If we trust in Him and listen for the guidence of the spirit we will be led to something better than what we ourselves can find. I love you all and hope all is going well.
Elder Swenson
Monday, March 11, 2013
March 11, 2013
Hey everyone,
I hope all of you are doing well. This past week i spent more time then usual on trains. We had zone conference up in Aix and then we had stake conference in Nice. Both were really good and i loved being able to see a whole bunch of the missionaries from the other villes. There was a big emphases on prayer at the 2. The mission has been having us try to pray alot more and also with members. Every morning at 8 the mission prays for all the the baptisimal engagees by specific names and needs and now on sunday evenings even the members are praying with us for specific things. I've gained a big testimony on the power of prayer and the effect it has on us. At zone conference, sister Roney talked about how the missionaries are probably the most prayed for people in the world. This was really eye opening and gave me the strength and confidence to keep working and doing all that i can to help out in this great work. When ever times get rough it's such a comforting thought to know that you have people praying for you. I want you to know that i pray for all of you and think about you every day.
So this week has been a little slower for us as far as the work goes, but i know that if we keep working hard good things will come. In studies this morning i was reading in Alma 58. This is during all of the wars and battles between the people. I really love Helamans attitude in this chapter. He is writing a letter to Moroni and talking about their struggles and how the cheif judge isn't sending them any help but how he isn't worried because of his faith in the Lord. He talks about how through prayer the people have recieved comfort and peace of mind and talks about how even though the people are going through all of these struggles they keep moving forward with faith and dilligence looking toward God throughout their trials. Through out the scriptures and church history we see many examples of this. Even though people are righteous and doing the Lords will they still suffer all kinds of pains and trials. We always have struggles in our lives even when we are doing things right, but if we keep on pushing forward and keep our faith in Christ we will eventually have our burdens lightened and we will have hope and comfort throughout hard times. That is what I love about the gospel. It gives us strength in hard times. It gives us the hope and the joy that is much needed in this world of pains and worries. There is a talk (and even a mormon message) by Elder Holland that i love called better things to come. He talks about how we all go through hard times but through the gospel we can have hope. I love the quote from it that says some blessings come soon, some come late, and some dont come till heaven, but for those who embrase the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come. I know that because we have a loving Father in Heaven we will always be blessed and comforted, and even though things may look rough for the moment, they will get better if we do what we know is right. God is always there to comfort us if we just remember Him.
I love this gospel, I love this work, and I love all of you. Keep moving forward, have faith, and remember that you always have someone who loves and cares about you.
Elder Swenson
I hope all of you are doing well. This past week i spent more time then usual on trains. We had zone conference up in Aix and then we had stake conference in Nice. Both were really good and i loved being able to see a whole bunch of the missionaries from the other villes. There was a big emphases on prayer at the 2. The mission has been having us try to pray alot more and also with members. Every morning at 8 the mission prays for all the the baptisimal engagees by specific names and needs and now on sunday evenings even the members are praying with us for specific things. I've gained a big testimony on the power of prayer and the effect it has on us. At zone conference, sister Roney talked about how the missionaries are probably the most prayed for people in the world. This was really eye opening and gave me the strength and confidence to keep working and doing all that i can to help out in this great work. When ever times get rough it's such a comforting thought to know that you have people praying for you. I want you to know that i pray for all of you and think about you every day.
So this week has been a little slower for us as far as the work goes, but i know that if we keep working hard good things will come. In studies this morning i was reading in Alma 58. This is during all of the wars and battles between the people. I really love Helamans attitude in this chapter. He is writing a letter to Moroni and talking about their struggles and how the cheif judge isn't sending them any help but how he isn't worried because of his faith in the Lord. He talks about how through prayer the people have recieved comfort and peace of mind and talks about how even though the people are going through all of these struggles they keep moving forward with faith and dilligence looking toward God throughout their trials. Through out the scriptures and church history we see many examples of this. Even though people are righteous and doing the Lords will they still suffer all kinds of pains and trials. We always have struggles in our lives even when we are doing things right, but if we keep on pushing forward and keep our faith in Christ we will eventually have our burdens lightened and we will have hope and comfort throughout hard times. That is what I love about the gospel. It gives us strength in hard times. It gives us the hope and the joy that is much needed in this world of pains and worries. There is a talk (and even a mormon message) by Elder Holland that i love called better things to come. He talks about how we all go through hard times but through the gospel we can have hope. I love the quote from it that says some blessings come soon, some come late, and some dont come till heaven, but for those who embrase the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come. I know that because we have a loving Father in Heaven we will always be blessed and comforted, and even though things may look rough for the moment, they will get better if we do what we know is right. God is always there to comfort us if we just remember Him.
I love this gospel, I love this work, and I love all of you. Keep moving forward, have faith, and remember that you always have someone who loves and cares about you.
Elder Swenson
Monday, March 4, 2013
I lack the creativity to come up with interesting titles
Hey everyone,
Another great week. A week filled with awesome rendez-vous, hitch hiking, failed attempts at making cookies, and baptism. We had great rendez-vous with new and old amis. We met this awesome new ami named Caroline. She works aton so she is always super tired but she still makes time to see us. She has strong faith and i can always feel such a strong spirit during our lessons. I know that she can feel that to. I'm excited to keep teaching her.
So last monday when we went on a hike with Alain we had to take a long bus ride to get there. The hike was great but afterwards we came to the bus stop and found out that the buses had decided to go on strike and weren't running for the rest of the day. We were about to call a member to come pick us up but the next thing i know Alain flags down this car and they said that they would give us a ride. They were super nice and we thanked them aton and gave them a pass along card.
We decided that we would make cookies for some people this past week. We had a recipe but it made like 5 dozen so we decided to cut it in half. Our measurements were anything but accurate so we had a couple of failed batches. But we were persistent and finally figured things out and came up with a good batch. If at first you don't succeed, try and try again.
Last but not least, Alain got baptized and confirmed this week! It feels so great to see the steps he is making and to see how it is changing his life for the better. So the water in the font was really cold for the baptism. We tried boiling some water and adding that in but it didn't really have much effect. So when he was baptized it pretty much took the breath out of him because of the sudden cold, but he was still super happy. It was probably a huge contrast to the warmth that he felt sunday morning when he was confirmed and baptized by fire. He looked so happy and filled with the spirit the rest of the day. I really felt such a strong spirit too. I love the feeling every time I help out in blessings or other priesthood ordinances. You can actually feel Christ working through you. It really hit me that when we are serving others and helping out in His work, He is with us. He is always there to guide us and comfort us. We have a loving Father in Heaven who is always there to listen to our prayers and send us His spirit, and a perfect older brother who was willing to give all He could in order to provide us with the means of finding happiness in our lives. And they are always there rooting for us, and helping us every step of the way. I feel that guidance every day. Whether it's a feeling that i need to speed up and soon after catching a bus i would have otherwise missed, or a prompting to turn around and talk to someone on the street that i had just overlooked who turns out to be an awesome person who is interested in learning more about the gospel, or feeling like i should share something in a rendez vous that touches someones heart to the point of tears. God isn't someone who just sits up in heaven and watches what happens, He is constantly working to bring happiness to His children. He loves each of us and will help us if we just accept it and listen to the spirit.
I love France, I love being a missionary, I love this gospel, and I love all you.
Elder Swenson
Another great week. A week filled with awesome rendez-vous, hitch hiking, failed attempts at making cookies, and baptism. We had great rendez-vous with new and old amis. We met this awesome new ami named Caroline. She works aton so she is always super tired but she still makes time to see us. She has strong faith and i can always feel such a strong spirit during our lessons. I know that she can feel that to. I'm excited to keep teaching her.
So last monday when we went on a hike with Alain we had to take a long bus ride to get there. The hike was great but afterwards we came to the bus stop and found out that the buses had decided to go on strike and weren't running for the rest of the day. We were about to call a member to come pick us up but the next thing i know Alain flags down this car and they said that they would give us a ride. They were super nice and we thanked them aton and gave them a pass along card.
We decided that we would make cookies for some people this past week. We had a recipe but it made like 5 dozen so we decided to cut it in half. Our measurements were anything but accurate so we had a couple of failed batches. But we were persistent and finally figured things out and came up with a good batch. If at first you don't succeed, try and try again.
Last but not least, Alain got baptized and confirmed this week! It feels so great to see the steps he is making and to see how it is changing his life for the better. So the water in the font was really cold for the baptism. We tried boiling some water and adding that in but it didn't really have much effect. So when he was baptized it pretty much took the breath out of him because of the sudden cold, but he was still super happy. It was probably a huge contrast to the warmth that he felt sunday morning when he was confirmed and baptized by fire. He looked so happy and filled with the spirit the rest of the day. I really felt such a strong spirit too. I love the feeling every time I help out in blessings or other priesthood ordinances. You can actually feel Christ working through you. It really hit me that when we are serving others and helping out in His work, He is with us. He is always there to guide us and comfort us. We have a loving Father in Heaven who is always there to listen to our prayers and send us His spirit, and a perfect older brother who was willing to give all He could in order to provide us with the means of finding happiness in our lives. And they are always there rooting for us, and helping us every step of the way. I feel that guidance every day. Whether it's a feeling that i need to speed up and soon after catching a bus i would have otherwise missed, or a prompting to turn around and talk to someone on the street that i had just overlooked who turns out to be an awesome person who is interested in learning more about the gospel, or feeling like i should share something in a rendez vous that touches someones heart to the point of tears. God isn't someone who just sits up in heaven and watches what happens, He is constantly working to bring happiness to His children. He loves each of us and will help us if we just accept it and listen to the spirit.
I love France, I love being a missionary, I love this gospel, and I love all you.
Elder Swenson
More Pictures!
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| Me and Elder Workman |
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| Cleaning the green mold stuff from the baptismal font. |
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| Us at the baptism |
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