E-mail 9-17-12

Family,

Thanks for the awesome email. Yall rock! This week was yet again a real treat. I say that every week but I have tooo, cuz its true! The people here are the best. My ward is the best. The food is the best. Learning French is stinkin hard, but its the best. And of course serving a mission is the best. Everything about my life right now is pretty much the best haha except for the fact that I have to wake up at 6 thirty every morning (not sure I will ever like that).

Questions- Patrick is the man. He works for the brand Kraft. Just like the one in America I think. He is the best. I will tell him that you say thank you. And yes the pictures you saw were at a Chinese Restaurant from a couple of weeks ago. It was really good.  It reminded me a lot of American food. And they had an ice cream bar #Weakness #HeavenOnEarth.  And he only travels to the US once a year I believe. I think he usually just visits Utah. I would tell him to come say hi to you when he visits the US of A but last time I checked no one in the family spoke French haha. Language barriers are the WORST. Trust me.

This week was super bizarre.  On Thursday we taught a sweet old man named F. He has fruged (didn’t show up to the lesson) us about 5 times but finally he decided to see us! The second he let us in his house I wished he would have fruged us again hahah just kidding. But for reals the house reeeeekd. In his house he had 35 Chinchillas (rabbit looking demon things), 25 huge trap door spiders, and é huge fish tanks full of a million different things. All of these things are in his living room and kitchen! Who does that? haha. He lives in the garage and has a little kitchen set up in his garage so that all of his animals can live in the house. That’s some serious love. Probably a little to much love, n'est pas? But other than all that nonsense the lesson went surprisingly well. We taught him the Plan du Salut (salvation) and gave him a Book of Mormon. We were able to answer a lot of his questions and he said he would read the Book of Mormon. Hopefully he does!

Another bizarre rendez-vous was with a man named G. They live in a mansion. When we knocked on the door his wife let us in and went to find her husband. We literally sat in the mansion for 15 minutes before anybody came down to talk to us haha #Awkward. Finally the man came down the stairs and introduced himself.  We went out back on his porch and talked about the gospel of Jesus Christ. The lesson was awesome.  During the lesson we taught him about the atonement and the power of repentance.

Well I think that’s about all I got. The French is coming along better and better each week. The "French" light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter and brighter. It’s without a doubt the hardest thing I have ever had to do but with the help of the Lord anything is possible. Oh yeah, we set a baptismal date this week for R! I am excited for her.  Life here is the best! Stay Awesome. #churchIsTrue

XOXO Avec Amour,

Elder A.

E-mail 9-10-12

Fam,

Thanks for the emails Mom and Dad. You’re the best. This week was awesome! Sundays here are always really fun. I love the anticipation of seeing who will show up to church each week. This week we had three investigators come. We should’ve had six but ca va. It is so awesome watching people learn about the gospel and partaking of the sacrament when they still don’t even know if anything they are doing is completely true! The people here have got some faith! I have a good feeling about this next transfer. If all goes well I see a lot of success for us in the future but more importantly I see a lot of success in the future of the investigators. Hopefully they begin to see the big picture soon and the importance of baptism! I remember very clearly before my mission everyone telling me that I will probably not have any baptisms but that’s okay as long as I gain a testimony and become better myself. Not true! With that attitude no work will get done here in Europe. So many missionaries here still believe that and to me it is kind of sad. Our goal as missionaries is to help others come unto Christ by baptism! Before I left on my mission I would be lying if I said I didn’t agree with everyone and accepted the fact that I might not have any baptisms. I am so grateful for awesome AP's and for other missionaries who have helped me to have an attitude of baptism. A good attitude really does affect the outcome. 

Oh yeah and for the first time on my mission I had the opportunity to bless the sacrament this week! It was a train wreck. It took me three times before I did it correct! haha. I am such a loser. You’d think that if you had a card right in front of your face you could read it but I guess its not that easy when its in French haha. That’s definitely something I will need to practice this next week during language study. The language has been coming along very well this last week. Without a doubt the hardest thing for me is pronunciation. I sound way to AMERICAN. I have so many words in my head from all the flash cards I study but each time I go to spit them out the people have no clue what I am trying to say haha. It makes perfectly good sense in my BIG head but these little Belgians don’t seem to get it. With time and the Lords help I hope this can be fixed! These last couple of days me and my companion have taught some awesome lessons. Lots of the time he has to teach most of the lesson but this week we were pretty even! One lesson I talked for 3 minutes without stopping! Doesn’t sound like much but it IS. I almost didn’t even have to think and the words were just flowing out! With the help of the spirit anything really is possible, even Elder Adams speaking le Français!

I hope all is well back home! Life here is the best. Being a missionary is the best. Oh yeah, and a happy bday to my bro! #SuchAStud. #22AndStillNotMarried? #HurryUp.

Avec amour,

Elder Adamz

  

 

E-mail 9-3-12

Family,

To answer your question letters and packages are free to receive here. But that doesn’t mean you need to send them. Those things are expensive! Save the money and take dad on a hawt date or something. I’m sure he would love that, nes pas? Sounds like things are going well back home. That’s awesome. Y’all deserve the best! That’s pretty sweet that its already football season. Not that it matters or that I even care but I hope the R aiders bring the swag this year. #LoveThem. Sounds like your first week of school went good. Your so lucky that you get to teach Booner Ray (Ryan).  Kids a stud.  Do me a favor and never call him Ryan in class because that’s disrespectful to the south. haha #butSeriously.  Oh and to answer your other questions. I will probably be with my companion for one more transfer. This coming Saturday is transfers! That came fast. There is always a chance of getting transferred but most likely not this time. My companion is a decent cook. He makes some prettty leggit rice and veggies. I can’t complain. We usually just switch off cooking each day. The food is definitely different from the US.  We don’t really eat anything that we eat back home except for chicken and fries. Everything else is way different. For example the milk here is super good but super different.  Milk here doesn’t really expire. It lasts up to four months. Not really sure how they do it? haha. United States should pick up on that ehh. Oh and a lot of the pants I left with don’t really fit anymore. They straight up shrunk. I know you probably think its because I’m getting fat but it isn’t true. Those are just rumors. So far I have lost 9 pounds. Not bad ehh. I am gonna need to buy a couple more pairs of pants here in the next couple weeks. Or I could just go without pants. Whatever happens happens. Ca va.  (I think I answered all of your questions)

This last week has been sooooo good to me. Zone conference was leggit. It was fun meeting a lot of new people. I am the only new missionary in the district so of course they made me introduce myself. That’s always fun. My zone leaders are awesome and really got me pumped up for the work. Sounds weird saying "pumped up" when I’m talking about missionary work but its soo true. Before a basketball game I would usually get pumped up by listening to some dumb rap song (or Taylor Swift) but for missionary work its a little different. Mo Tab and the Book of Mormon (and zone leaders) are what get me pumped up and ready for the game of missionary work. Gotta love it. The Madulla famille is really progressing. They all committed to baptism but they haven’t picked a date yet. They still need to get married so we will have to see how long the whole process takes. Luigi (the dad) is my favorite. He loves going to church. He has already bought a white shirt and tie. Doesn’t sound like much but it really is. They have very little money so it was a sacrifice for sure.  We offered to get him clothes but he wanted to do it on his own. We are going to begin teaching their eleven old daughter on Wednesday because they want her to get baptized as well. I can’t wait!

Ever since I can remember I have been preparing to serve a mission. Staying worthy for a mission is something I have always wanted to do. It wasn’t easy in high school and sometimes I even wondered why I was doing it. But now I KNOW why! I will never forget how happy I was when Ii walked out of the Madullas house last Wednesday. I have been preparing my entire life to serve a mission because of them and whoever else the Lord leads me to for the next two years. Everything is really starting to make sense. Now I know why my parents didn’t want me out late, dating dumb girls (father), or all of the other stupid things that kids do that seem so right at the time but in reality are not worth it. This last week I have really began to understand the importance of being worthy of the spirit and teaching with it. It’s the spirit that is going to lead me and my companion to people who are searching for the gospel and its the spirit alone that teaches and converts people into the gospel. I have been taught this a million times in the MTC and before my mission but it’s finally all become a reality for me. Church has gotten a lot more true this week (but lets be honest, it always was haha). I have also came to realize that this life can be hard at times but that’s okay because that is how the Lord intended it to be! Without trials we wouldn’t learn and progress in this life. I can’t remember who said it but in the MTC if we want to be successful in this life we must "strive, struggle, and desire." He couldn’t have said it any better. #Doctrine.   I’ll just finish with my favorite quote from President John Taylor. "If you do not magnify your callings, God will hold you responsible for those whom you might have saved had you done your duty. There are feet to steady, hands to grasp, minds to encourage, hearts to inspire, and souls to SAVE."   TRUUUUUU THAT.   Love y’all!

Elder Adams

#ChurchIsTrue

#DontForgetIt

#BonSemaine