Land of the Roses
Bonjour mes proche! (my loved ones!)
Let's talk about roses for a second. The way someone accepts a rose defines the way they accept life. Thorns or blossoms. Ugly bush or beautiful flowers. Bee attraction or smell of spring. It's all in the perspective.
Welcome to Toulouse the Land of the Roses.
Toulouse is perfectly titled. It is everything one expects from a big city. Homeless. Being greeted with a fresh breath of nicotine after getting of the metro. Crowds of people. Traffic. Polution. Crime. Car accidents. Sirens in your ears as you sleep. Drunks. Expensive Food. Litter. AND a japanese garden. a river. big beautiful trees along every street. old cathedrals. falling leaves as big as your head. sweet old men who give their seats to old ladies on the bus. Carnivals. Youth. Believing good christian people. Everything I could ever want. And more miracles and open people than I could ever have imagined.
My second city has provided a rose to my mission. Super crazy. No time to breath, eat, sleep, think. But full of work, people to talk to, service to give, hearts to touch.
Rose #1. Last week we moved from a 3 bedroom apartement named by the missionnaries "the hotel" becuase it is so big to a very very very small one room apartment that we call "Gertruide" or "Gerdy" for short becuase she is cranky, tempermental, and smells funny most of the time. It's so small that there is only room for one set of bunk beds. My 3 companion sleeps on the floor! Let's talk about sacrifice. But President has assured us that Gerdy is only temporary. And ya know what, who cares. It gives me an opportunity to live in a very small space with two girls that I don't know but that I am with 24 hours a day. And honestly I can say with my whole heart that I love it. I love that the Lord is giving my an opportunity to practice patience and self sacrifice. There is no way I could servive if I was living the law of "ME." It just wouldn't work. And I love it. Becuase it is a lesson that I so badly need to learn.
Rose #2. A trio. Normaly missionaries are 2. Three is sort of an odd occorance. Some missionaries dread the hated trio. The fear is always being the odd man out. I can in to a compionship that has already served together, already knows the city, already has inside jokes, already knows the members of the church, already knows how each other likes their sandwiches and where they put their shoes. I was thrown into a "already" situation. At first I saw no way that I could make an impact. What was the Lord thinking putting me with these two confident, great missionarries. What do they need from me? But BAMM it wasn't like anything I expected. These two girls opened their heart to me and let me in to their inside jokes, gave me the best desk, let me sleep on the bunk bed instead of on the floor. The Lord blessed me with caring, sacrificing, giving, capable missionarries that have taught me so much about not being the expected. There is something about the Light of Christ that changes how peoploe interact with each other. With our our united desire to share the gospel we would probablly be in a crappy situation. but the less we focus on us, the better us is.
Rose #3. French. Dun Dun Dun. I'm not gonna lie. I'm still not so great at this french thing. But know what? there are tuns of African people here that speak english and have so much faith in God and desire to find truth that they don't care that I can't speak french. They are open and loving and friendly. And there are so many bilingual people here with patience and kindhearts. Heres a story. The sunday school teacher speaks english and gives the missionaries french homework every week. Then she corrects us and makes us practice with her. What a blessing. French home work. there is also an american family in my ward that is working on learning french as much as i am. so in church we sit together and support each other as we don't undrestand what the crap is oging on. But bit by bit it's coming. 10 pages a day in the book of mormon doesn't hurt anything either. Plus my companions refuse to speak english with me. It's helpful.
Rose #4. more miracles than I can posibly explain in my limitied capicity to define the blessings of the Lord. People have been sent people directly in my path. At least 7 people in the past week have walked up to me and asked if I was a missionnary and if I could explain what I believe. Here is a good one. Ok i'm internally debating which one to tell you becuase there are so many running through my mind. Our Family Home Evening group that started as 2 people had 12 last night. I taught a lesson in French with out even thinking about it. We fasted and prayed with a newly converted Tahitian girl that she could get into a university and therefor stay in the country and continue to grow in her faith only to have our prayers answered beyond anything we could have imagined. 6 or 7 returned missionarries (all girls) that are so excited to work with us and help us. Being on a bus that got into a car wreck late at night and having to walk home and really feeling the protection of the Lord.
Honestly there is to much in my heart to leave on this blog. Know that I am happy and Loved and growing in the Lord everyday. I miss you and think of you and keep you in my prayers.
Love-shai
PS Hi my new neice Abi! I can't wait to see your picture!
Let's talk about roses for a second. The way someone accepts a rose defines the way they accept life. Thorns or blossoms. Ugly bush or beautiful flowers. Bee attraction or smell of spring. It's all in the perspective.
Welcome to Toulouse the Land of the Roses.
Toulouse is perfectly titled. It is everything one expects from a big city. Homeless. Being greeted with a fresh breath of nicotine after getting of the metro. Crowds of people. Traffic. Polution. Crime. Car accidents. Sirens in your ears as you sleep. Drunks. Expensive Food. Litter. AND a japanese garden. a river. big beautiful trees along every street. old cathedrals. falling leaves as big as your head. sweet old men who give their seats to old ladies on the bus. Carnivals. Youth. Believing good christian people. Everything I could ever want. And more miracles and open people than I could ever have imagined.
My second city has provided a rose to my mission. Super crazy. No time to breath, eat, sleep, think. But full of work, people to talk to, service to give, hearts to touch.
Rose #1. Last week we moved from a 3 bedroom apartement named by the missionnaries "the hotel" becuase it is so big to a very very very small one room apartment that we call "Gertruide" or "Gerdy" for short becuase she is cranky, tempermental, and smells funny most of the time. It's so small that there is only room for one set of bunk beds. My 3 companion sleeps on the floor! Let's talk about sacrifice. But President has assured us that Gerdy is only temporary. And ya know what, who cares. It gives me an opportunity to live in a very small space with two girls that I don't know but that I am with 24 hours a day. And honestly I can say with my whole heart that I love it. I love that the Lord is giving my an opportunity to practice patience and self sacrifice. There is no way I could servive if I was living the law of "ME." It just wouldn't work. And I love it. Becuase it is a lesson that I so badly need to learn.
Rose #2. A trio. Normaly missionaries are 2. Three is sort of an odd occorance. Some missionaries dread the hated trio. The fear is always being the odd man out. I can in to a compionship that has already served together, already knows the city, already has inside jokes, already knows the members of the church, already knows how each other likes their sandwiches and where they put their shoes. I was thrown into a "already" situation. At first I saw no way that I could make an impact. What was the Lord thinking putting me with these two confident, great missionarries. What do they need from me? But BAMM it wasn't like anything I expected. These two girls opened their heart to me and let me in to their inside jokes, gave me the best desk, let me sleep on the bunk bed instead of on the floor. The Lord blessed me with caring, sacrificing, giving, capable missionarries that have taught me so much about not being the expected. There is something about the Light of Christ that changes how peoploe interact with each other. With our our united desire to share the gospel we would probablly be in a crappy situation. but the less we focus on us, the better us is.
Rose #3. French. Dun Dun Dun. I'm not gonna lie. I'm still not so great at this french thing. But know what? there are tuns of African people here that speak english and have so much faith in God and desire to find truth that they don't care that I can't speak french. They are open and loving and friendly. And there are so many bilingual people here with patience and kindhearts. Heres a story. The sunday school teacher speaks english and gives the missionaries french homework every week. Then she corrects us and makes us practice with her. What a blessing. French home work. there is also an american family in my ward that is working on learning french as much as i am. so in church we sit together and support each other as we don't undrestand what the crap is oging on. But bit by bit it's coming. 10 pages a day in the book of mormon doesn't hurt anything either. Plus my companions refuse to speak english with me. It's helpful.
Rose #4. more miracles than I can posibly explain in my limitied capicity to define the blessings of the Lord. People have been sent people directly in my path. At least 7 people in the past week have walked up to me and asked if I was a missionnary and if I could explain what I believe. Here is a good one. Ok i'm internally debating which one to tell you becuase there are so many running through my mind. Our Family Home Evening group that started as 2 people had 12 last night. I taught a lesson in French with out even thinking about it. We fasted and prayed with a newly converted Tahitian girl that she could get into a university and therefor stay in the country and continue to grow in her faith only to have our prayers answered beyond anything we could have imagined. 6 or 7 returned missionarries (all girls) that are so excited to work with us and help us. Being on a bus that got into a car wreck late at night and having to walk home and really feeling the protection of the Lord.
Honestly there is to much in my heart to leave on this blog. Know that I am happy and Loved and growing in the Lord everyday. I miss you and think of you and keep you in my prayers.
Love-shai
PS Hi my new neice Abi! I can't wait to see your picture!
posted by Unknown @ 5:35 AM
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