Hey everyone!
So this was my first week back on the island and it i definitely different than Quebec. There are people on the streets! It was such a shock to be in the car and actually see people out walking around...definitely a change. I'm excited to work here. It's been an interesting adjustment...It took us almost 3 hours to find our apartment because we had no idea where we were, where we were going, and then the street that we lived on was broken up into 3 different streets (they're like that all over Montreal...it can be a bit frustrating at times), but we finally found it just in time to go to a DA with a family of 3 older unmarried people (2 sisters and their brother) and that was fun. They're really sweet. We then taught English class which should be fun as well. We spent Wednesday getting organized and then taught several new investigators and a recent convert on Thursday. The recent convert, Sendra, is wonderful She has a daughter that got baptized with her and then 6 other children that aren't yet investigating, but we're going over to do an FHE tonight and so we're hoping to meet them. We decided to talk about the Armor of God and then for the activity we're going to divide into 2 teams, each one having a box of random everyday things and they're going to dress somebody up in the armor of God and we'll have a "fashion show" after. It should be a lot of fun and hopefully they'll want to keep having the family home evenings with us...we'll see :)
This week actually hasn't been too eventful yet. We've done a lot of getting organized and adjusting and trying to make phone calls (which is a bit difficult since I don't understand everything they say and my companion speaks less French than I do), but it should be good. We're going to make a bunch more and this week is going to be AMAZING. I'm really excited to have the whole ward to ourselves so that we can work with everyone in the ward...they're all super nice too and way excited to have sisters. It should be fun :) I'll keep you all updated on how it goes.
Oh, and the crowning event of this week: while going through the random boxes we have in our house trying to find scissors (we didn't have any anywhere....but we did have a bag of flower petals! Who knows when we might need them?) I came across the BEST Halloween mask ever. It's the bottom half of a man's face with a cigar hanging out of a mouth with half the teeth missing and a huge nose and it looks like he hasn't shaved in awhile. I put it on and went to go find Sister Davis to try and startle her. She screamed when she saw me and then we both started laughing so hard we couldn't stop. So much fun...it's going to be a great transfer :) But anyways I hope all is going well with you guys and you all have a great week! Love you all tons!
Love, Sister Nicole Lindsey
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Monday, August 16, 2010
What a week...
Hey everyone!
So this week was a bit insane. It started out on Monday with the Ghost tours of Quebec, and that was SO much fun. It started at 8 pm and we walked around all of Old Quebec and the guide (who was a VERY good story teller) told us about different deaths and ghost-sightings and everything in Quebec. Definitely worth going to if any of you are up in the area :) Then on Wednesday we had Elder Boyd's last ever district study (he's going home tomorrow) and so we decided to do a little funeral of sorts for him, and it was SO fun! We went in the morning during language study and kidnapped him and then brought him to the Institute Center where we put him (blindfolded, of course) in a wheelchair and took him all around the center. In each of the areas we re-enacted parts of his mission: opening his mission call, at the MTC, first time contacting, first lesson, dying, and at the airport coming home. We had music to go with each of them and instead of words we would randomly break out into interpretive dance. It was so funny...I'll have to get the video and show it to you when I get home.
So that was really fun, and then on Thursday evening we went on our split with Victoriaville. We met up and went to St. Hubert's (a restaurant) first, and it was wonderful, and then it ended up being too late to drive to Victoriaville so Sister Leonard and Sister Hamula decided to stay in our apartment and then drive down first thing in the morning. During studies that day we (Sister Verdeja and I ) went to the institute center because the zone leaders had asked me the night before at the restaurant to play a song on the piano for the baptism they were having on Saturday and so I needed to practice it. So our split ended up only being about 3 hours long (just enough time to watch "The Testaments" with Lyse...she loved it!) and then we headed down to Victoriaville as well. We got back just in time for sports night and Sister Leonard and I had filled up some of the water balloons that Becca gave me for my birthday and we got the Bohmondas children (along with us) to throw them at the zone leaders just after sports night. It was so fun :)
Saturday morning was the baptism but I went only to play the song (it went pretty well...I messed up once but no one heard because the kids were singing too loud) and then after wards 3 of the students (Martine, Michel, and Jean-guy) took us out for lunch at Chez Cora's. It's one of my favorite breakfast restaurants, and it was so much fun! Also one of them, Michel, said the prayer and blessed me that I would be able to be safe and fulfill cheerfully the rest of my mission, and then Jean-guy had written a little note that he read at the restaurant that told me how much they had a appreciated me (we were all pretty sure that I was going to be transferred). It was so sweet! I'm really going to miss them.
Then Saturday night we had our transfer party and we actually had a really good time. We played midnight football (you turn off all the lights - or most of them in our case since we're missionaries and that's kind of sketchy to have them all off - and you play football on your knees.) It was so much fun! Except now I have HUGE rug burns and bruises on my knees...but it was definitely worth it. Then Elder Williams came (he was my zone leader my first 3 transfers here) and it was so great to see him! He's been in Maschouche the last 2 transfers so I haven't heard anything from him at all, so it was great to see him. Then FINALLY at 10:30 we got our phone call saying that our area is closing and that Sister Leonard was going Spanish in Monterey with Sister Tschumi (my last companion) and I was flushing in the elders who are in Hochelaga right now. It will be different, that's for sure. But it should be fun. And hopefully they'll reopen the area soon. It was a huge surprise for us that they were closing the area, but I know they prayed about it, and I have President's promise that they'll open it again soon. But yesterday at church was really hard...so many people were crying and I was crying the whole time. Then we spent the afternoon visiting investigators/members and giving them all the elders phone number. We stopped by Serge's house and they have a pet rabbit with incredibly soft fur so I petted it a lot, and then in the car on the way to dinner I started sneezing and could not stop. WE got to the Belanger's house and I still couldn't stop sneezing and then Sister Belanger pointed out the fact that my eye was swelling up. Luckily though it stopped and went back mostly to normal before we stopped by Patrick's house and took a picture with him, but then it started up again right after. So crazy. So I took some allergy medicine and I think it's better now :) But anyways, so that was our week. I've packed mostly and we're leaving tomorrow morning early for MOntreal. So crazy. But anyways, I hope you all have a wonderful week! Love you all!
Love, Nicole
So this week was a bit insane. It started out on Monday with the Ghost tours of Quebec, and that was SO much fun. It started at 8 pm and we walked around all of Old Quebec and the guide (who was a VERY good story teller) told us about different deaths and ghost-sightings and everything in Quebec. Definitely worth going to if any of you are up in the area :) Then on Wednesday we had Elder Boyd's last ever district study (he's going home tomorrow) and so we decided to do a little funeral of sorts for him, and it was SO fun! We went in the morning during language study and kidnapped him and then brought him to the Institute Center where we put him (blindfolded, of course) in a wheelchair and took him all around the center. In each of the areas we re-enacted parts of his mission: opening his mission call, at the MTC, first time contacting, first lesson, dying, and at the airport coming home. We had music to go with each of them and instead of words we would randomly break out into interpretive dance. It was so funny...I'll have to get the video and show it to you when I get home.
So that was really fun, and then on Thursday evening we went on our split with Victoriaville. We met up and went to St. Hubert's (a restaurant) first, and it was wonderful, and then it ended up being too late to drive to Victoriaville so Sister Leonard and Sister Hamula decided to stay in our apartment and then drive down first thing in the morning. During studies that day we (Sister Verdeja and I ) went to the institute center because the zone leaders had asked me the night before at the restaurant to play a song on the piano for the baptism they were having on Saturday and so I needed to practice it. So our split ended up only being about 3 hours long (just enough time to watch "The Testaments" with Lyse...she loved it!) and then we headed down to Victoriaville as well. We got back just in time for sports night and Sister Leonard and I had filled up some of the water balloons that Becca gave me for my birthday and we got the Bohmondas children (along with us) to throw them at the zone leaders just after sports night. It was so fun :)
Saturday morning was the baptism but I went only to play the song (it went pretty well...I messed up once but no one heard because the kids were singing too loud) and then after wards 3 of the students (Martine, Michel, and Jean-guy) took us out for lunch at Chez Cora's. It's one of my favorite breakfast restaurants, and it was so much fun! Also one of them, Michel, said the prayer and blessed me that I would be able to be safe and fulfill cheerfully the rest of my mission, and then Jean-guy had written a little note that he read at the restaurant that told me how much they had a appreciated me (we were all pretty sure that I was going to be transferred). It was so sweet! I'm really going to miss them.
Then Saturday night we had our transfer party and we actually had a really good time. We played midnight football (you turn off all the lights - or most of them in our case since we're missionaries and that's kind of sketchy to have them all off - and you play football on your knees.) It was so much fun! Except now I have HUGE rug burns and bruises on my knees...but it was definitely worth it. Then Elder Williams came (he was my zone leader my first 3 transfers here) and it was so great to see him! He's been in Maschouche the last 2 transfers so I haven't heard anything from him at all, so it was great to see him. Then FINALLY at 10:30 we got our phone call saying that our area is closing and that Sister Leonard was going Spanish in Monterey with Sister Tschumi (my last companion) and I was flushing in the elders who are in Hochelaga right now. It will be different, that's for sure. But it should be fun. And hopefully they'll reopen the area soon. It was a huge surprise for us that they were closing the area, but I know they prayed about it, and I have President's promise that they'll open it again soon. But yesterday at church was really hard...so many people were crying and I was crying the whole time. Then we spent the afternoon visiting investigators/members and giving them all the elders phone number. We stopped by Serge's house and they have a pet rabbit with incredibly soft fur so I petted it a lot, and then in the car on the way to dinner I started sneezing and could not stop. WE got to the Belanger's house and I still couldn't stop sneezing and then Sister Belanger pointed out the fact that my eye was swelling up. Luckily though it stopped and went back mostly to normal before we stopped by Patrick's house and took a picture with him, but then it started up again right after. So crazy. So I took some allergy medicine and I think it's better now :) But anyways, so that was our week. I've packed mostly and we're leaving tomorrow morning early for MOntreal. So crazy. But anyways, I hope you all have a wonderful week! Love you all!
Love, Nicole
"...He lives, my everliving Head."
Hey everyone!
So this week wasn't quite as eventful as in weeks past, but it was still good. We tried to have another lesson with Stephan (our committed who came to church last Sunday), but unfortunately it didn't work out. It rained most of the week and something in his house exploded and his house flooded and he didn't have any running water for like 3 days, so it didn't work out. BUt we did stop by and give him some banana bread and he was SO excited to see us! He then called as we were driving home and asked us when the next single adult activity was and if they were still having church on sunday and if he was invited. We told him that of course he was and he said he would definitely be there with his daughter (obviously something happened though because he wasn't there...we tried calling him but he didn't answer, so we're going to stop by tomorrow evening), so that changed our week a little bit. But we did have some neat experiences! We taught Serge, another investigator, the Plan of Salvation, and it turned out well. He ended up being almost an hour late, so he had called his son and had his son come and talk with us for that hour, and he was really cool. He's an interior designer and he's redoing their house and we volunteered to help paint and he said he'd call us when he was all ready. So it'll be fun :) His dad then showed up and we taught him plan of salvation and he asked some good questions, said a lot of things, I didn't understand, and then we asked him to say the prayer at the end and He just started talking to a little slug that was crawling across the picture of the Spirit World (we had the lesson outside in his garden). It was kind of wierd....I think we need to go over prayer again, haha. But he told us he loves what we teach and he'll see us soon :)It'll be good.
Then the best experience was on Saturday. First we got to talk to one of the women in our English class about the church and she wants to come to the next Relief Society activity. Then we watched Saints and Soldiers with a member who's going to Afghanistan in 2 weeks for 9 months...it was a really good movie. Intense. Then the best part was the Dinner appointment with the Rodhain family. They are so wonderful! They got baptized 4 years ago, they're from France, and he's now in the Stake Presidency. They're such a great family :) So in the morning we were trying to think of what message to leave them and couldn't think of a good one and figured since they usually have a lot of questions from the Bible that we would just answer those and then say a prayer and leave. But we got there and they said they didn't have any questions for us and were anxious to hear our lesson. So Sister Leonard opened her scriptures at random and fell on the story of David and Goliath which is a thought we've left many times (we read the story, have everyone identify their goliaths in their heads and then we give them each a little paper stone and have them write what they can do to combat the Goliath) and I had just cleaned out my backpack that morning and found that I had 4 paper stones left in there, which was perfect. So we started that and then it reminded me of a scripture that I LOVE that I had just read again during my language study that morning in 2 Nephi 4 which is Nephi talking about how he is surrounded by difficulties, etc., but he knows in whom he's placed his confidence and how God can defeat our enemies. I love it; I read it so often. So I read it to them and they absolutely loved it. Then I shared another scripture and Sister Leonard shared a story and we all shared what we had written on our stones and Sister Rodhain almost started crying and said that she had prayed that morning that we would be inspired to give a message that would help her and that was exactly what she needed to hear, and she thanked us for being the angels who brought that message from God to her. It was so neat :) I loved it. I really love that part of missionary work; being able to share the Gospel with those and knowing that God can work miracles through me and use me to help His other children here, and that's the same for everyone. We can all be instruments in God's hands if we so choose to follow the promptings of the Spirit and prepare ourselves each morning for the things that might come throughout the day through reading our scriptures and saying our prayers. I know those are the seminary answers, but I've learned that it's really by those small and simple things that we do each day that God can accomplish HIs grand designs. I love it, and I love this GOspel. I love the knowledge that we have thanks to the Book of Mormon, the other scriptures, and modern day prophets. I'm so grateful for modern day revelation and the chance I have now to share that knowledge with all those around me. It really is an incredible experience, and I'm so grateful for it :)
I hope you all have a wonderful week and I'll let you know next week what's happening with transfers (transfer calls are this Saturday night and most people are anticipating that I'll be transferred...who knows though. We'll see what happens!). I hope you all have a wonderful week! Love you!
Love, Sister Nicole Lindsey
So this week wasn't quite as eventful as in weeks past, but it was still good. We tried to have another lesson with Stephan (our committed who came to church last Sunday), but unfortunately it didn't work out. It rained most of the week and something in his house exploded and his house flooded and he didn't have any running water for like 3 days, so it didn't work out. BUt we did stop by and give him some banana bread and he was SO excited to see us! He then called as we were driving home and asked us when the next single adult activity was and if they were still having church on sunday and if he was invited. We told him that of course he was and he said he would definitely be there with his daughter (obviously something happened though because he wasn't there...we tried calling him but he didn't answer, so we're going to stop by tomorrow evening), so that changed our week a little bit. But we did have some neat experiences! We taught Serge, another investigator, the Plan of Salvation, and it turned out well. He ended up being almost an hour late, so he had called his son and had his son come and talk with us for that hour, and he was really cool. He's an interior designer and he's redoing their house and we volunteered to help paint and he said he'd call us when he was all ready. So it'll be fun :) His dad then showed up and we taught him plan of salvation and he asked some good questions, said a lot of things, I didn't understand, and then we asked him to say the prayer at the end and He just started talking to a little slug that was crawling across the picture of the Spirit World (we had the lesson outside in his garden). It was kind of wierd....I think we need to go over prayer again, haha. But he told us he loves what we teach and he'll see us soon :)It'll be good.
Then the best experience was on Saturday. First we got to talk to one of the women in our English class about the church and she wants to come to the next Relief Society activity. Then we watched Saints and Soldiers with a member who's going to Afghanistan in 2 weeks for 9 months...it was a really good movie. Intense. Then the best part was the Dinner appointment with the Rodhain family. They are so wonderful! They got baptized 4 years ago, they're from France, and he's now in the Stake Presidency. They're such a great family :) So in the morning we were trying to think of what message to leave them and couldn't think of a good one and figured since they usually have a lot of questions from the Bible that we would just answer those and then say a prayer and leave. But we got there and they said they didn't have any questions for us and were anxious to hear our lesson. So Sister Leonard opened her scriptures at random and fell on the story of David and Goliath which is a thought we've left many times (we read the story, have everyone identify their goliaths in their heads and then we give them each a little paper stone and have them write what they can do to combat the Goliath) and I had just cleaned out my backpack that morning and found that I had 4 paper stones left in there, which was perfect. So we started that and then it reminded me of a scripture that I LOVE that I had just read again during my language study that morning in 2 Nephi 4 which is Nephi talking about how he is surrounded by difficulties, etc., but he knows in whom he's placed his confidence and how God can defeat our enemies. I love it; I read it so often. So I read it to them and they absolutely loved it. Then I shared another scripture and Sister Leonard shared a story and we all shared what we had written on our stones and Sister Rodhain almost started crying and said that she had prayed that morning that we would be inspired to give a message that would help her and that was exactly what she needed to hear, and she thanked us for being the angels who brought that message from God to her. It was so neat :) I loved it. I really love that part of missionary work; being able to share the Gospel with those and knowing that God can work miracles through me and use me to help His other children here, and that's the same for everyone. We can all be instruments in God's hands if we so choose to follow the promptings of the Spirit and prepare ourselves each morning for the things that might come throughout the day through reading our scriptures and saying our prayers. I know those are the seminary answers, but I've learned that it's really by those small and simple things that we do each day that God can accomplish HIs grand designs. I love it, and I love this GOspel. I love the knowledge that we have thanks to the Book of Mormon, the other scriptures, and modern day prophets. I'm so grateful for modern day revelation and the chance I have now to share that knowledge with all those around me. It really is an incredible experience, and I'm so grateful for it :)
I hope you all have a wonderful week and I'll let you know next week what's happening with transfers (transfer calls are this Saturday night and most people are anticipating that I'll be transferred...who knows though. We'll see what happens!). I hope you all have a wonderful week! Love you!
Love, Sister Nicole Lindsey
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
"...He lives, He lives who once was dead..."
Hey everyone!
This week was WONDERFUL...we had such a great time! Monday was p-day and our zone activity so the whole zone was here to play soccer and just spend the day together. We decided to eat breakfast together and so we made oatmeal, but Elder Wilson was in charge and I guess he forgot to measure something because it turned out SO salty...no one could eat it. Luckily I'd brought along a box of cereal so everyone ended up eating that before heading out for our activities :) After the soccer game we watched the movie Samuel the Lamanite (do we have that one at our house Mom?) and it was SO funny...everyone was laughing. I loved it.
Then on tuesday we started zone conference and it was great. They did it really different...instead of just having one training by President, another by Sister Cannon, another by the Assistants, and another by the Zone Leaders, they mixed it all up and everyone talked multiple times and it turned into more of a discussion. It was really good. They introduced something they called "KALDT to serve" and the KALDT stands for Knowing the audience, Asking inspired questions (that's the hardest part...I always get into a routine of asking regular getting to know you questions that I don't always ask questions that make the people think), Listen, Discern, and then Teach. It was good. And the Anderson's were there!!!! :) It was SOO exciting to see them...they're the senior missionary couple from Concordia and I used to see them almost every day and then I haven't seen them in almost 7 months...but they came up to help SIster Cannon with the dinner at the end of the conference and so I got to talk to Sister Andersen a bit...I just love them. It was one of the highlights of the week :)
Then Tuesday night after the conference we went on splits and Sister Hamula (sister missionary in Victoriaville), Sister Cannon (president's wife), and I went to visit Lyse and then a less-active, Donat Cantin, and it went SO well. Sister Cannon LOVED Lyse and the lesson was really good. She told about her conversion story and how grateful she is for the church but how much she wishes that she could be a missionary, and Sister Cannon testified about the importance of geneology and how she's being a missionary just through doing that. It was really neat. Then we went to see Donat and miracle of all miracles: I UNDERSTOOD EVERYTHING HE SAID!!!! That has NEVER happened before! He has the MOST difficult accent...but I was there and Sister cannon was praying for me and I understood it all and we talked with him and he promised he'd be at church (he wasn't...not sure why) and that lesson went well. In the mean time, Sister Leonard was with Sister Verdeja and they went and visited Serge (the guy we had the first lesson with last week who has 2 college-age sons) and he had to leave so they only talked with him about 10 minutes but he said he had asked a specific question about a worldly problem he had, and he had opened the Book of Mormon and found a direct answer! And he said there was a feeling with the book and he knows it's good. We set up an appointment to come back on Thursday, but he wasn't there so we thinkn he thought it was for next Thursday...we'll see. Then they also visited another guy, Stephan, who we met the last week of last transfer and then he went on vacation for 3 weeks with his daughter. He was busy that night but we set up another lesson for Friday. Then after that they stopped at McDonald's real quick and met several Guatemalan men who promised to call us. So it was definitely a miracle split :)
Then Wednesday we finished our zone conference and it was a second really great day. Thursday we went to our lesson with Serge but he wasn't there, so instead we took our member to pass by a less active. He wasn't there, but his nonmember wife was and she was SO sweet. We talked to her for about 10 minutes and she told us to please call and set up another time because she'd like to see us, and the member, again. It was neat. Then on Friday we had the BEST lesson with Stephan....we taught a first lesson and in the middle he just stopped and said "You know that you are amazing don't you? You two...you are incredible. Thank you so much." We finished the lesson, committed him to be baptized (right now the date is for September 18...we tried for the 11th, but he didn't like that day because of the 9/11 terroist attacks, so we changed it, but we're going to try to move it up) and then we asked him to come to church and he said he would be there. And he was!
So then on Saturday we taught English class and for some reason the topic went to meditation and one of the women was talking about a meditation center in downtown Quebec and said how peaceful it was there. Then she said "it's a lot like here. When you walk in this building, you can feel something different. You can feel the peace and the calm and the happiness. There's something here, but it's more spiritual. There you can feel the peace as well, but it's a little different." It was neat to know that she could feel the Spirit in the church building. :) Then we went and did service for Lyse, and that was fun, then we followed that up with some contacting.
Then yesterday was another miracle day!!! :) STEPHAN was at church! And he LOVED it!! He said he's bringing his daughter with him next week :) And he participated in the classes and everyone welcomed him there. It was so neat. And the best surprise: GABRIELLE was at church as well!! :) She came up to visit her mom for the weekend, and of course had to come to church :) I just love her...she really is so wonderful. She bore her testimony about the happiness that came as a result of the gospel in her life and it was so neat to hear....I just love her and I love that I was able to have the chance to teach her a little bit and to see someone truly accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the happiness that comes with that. That definitely is the best part about serving a mission...you can see the change that comes into the lives of others and you can see the happiness that comes as they draw closer to Christ and see just a little bit the love that Christ has for them and the joy that He and our Father in Heaven must feel. I love it :)
So it was a wonderful week, and we're looking forward to another great one this week! Oh, and I almost forgot: the Guatemalans called us back last night and we taught them and we're going to try to teach them again this week. Only problem: they only speak Spanish. Luckily my companion is fluent, but I think I might have to start learning Spanish as well... :) Anyways, I hope you all have a wonderful week! I love you tons!
Love, Sister Nicole Lindsey
This week was WONDERFUL...we had such a great time! Monday was p-day and our zone activity so the whole zone was here to play soccer and just spend the day together. We decided to eat breakfast together and so we made oatmeal, but Elder Wilson was in charge and I guess he forgot to measure something because it turned out SO salty...no one could eat it. Luckily I'd brought along a box of cereal so everyone ended up eating that before heading out for our activities :) After the soccer game we watched the movie Samuel the Lamanite (do we have that one at our house Mom?) and it was SO funny...everyone was laughing. I loved it.
Then on tuesday we started zone conference and it was great. They did it really different...instead of just having one training by President, another by Sister Cannon, another by the Assistants, and another by the Zone Leaders, they mixed it all up and everyone talked multiple times and it turned into more of a discussion. It was really good. They introduced something they called "KALDT to serve" and the KALDT stands for Knowing the audience, Asking inspired questions (that's the hardest part...I always get into a routine of asking regular getting to know you questions that I don't always ask questions that make the people think), Listen, Discern, and then Teach. It was good. And the Anderson's were there!!!! :) It was SOO exciting to see them...they're the senior missionary couple from Concordia and I used to see them almost every day and then I haven't seen them in almost 7 months...but they came up to help SIster Cannon with the dinner at the end of the conference and so I got to talk to Sister Andersen a bit...I just love them. It was one of the highlights of the week :)
Then Tuesday night after the conference we went on splits and Sister Hamula (sister missionary in Victoriaville), Sister Cannon (president's wife), and I went to visit Lyse and then a less-active, Donat Cantin, and it went SO well. Sister Cannon LOVED Lyse and the lesson was really good. She told about her conversion story and how grateful she is for the church but how much she wishes that she could be a missionary, and Sister Cannon testified about the importance of geneology and how she's being a missionary just through doing that. It was really neat. Then we went to see Donat and miracle of all miracles: I UNDERSTOOD EVERYTHING HE SAID!!!! That has NEVER happened before! He has the MOST difficult accent...but I was there and Sister cannon was praying for me and I understood it all and we talked with him and he promised he'd be at church (he wasn't...not sure why) and that lesson went well. In the mean time, Sister Leonard was with Sister Verdeja and they went and visited Serge (the guy we had the first lesson with last week who has 2 college-age sons) and he had to leave so they only talked with him about 10 minutes but he said he had asked a specific question about a worldly problem he had, and he had opened the Book of Mormon and found a direct answer! And he said there was a feeling with the book and he knows it's good. We set up an appointment to come back on Thursday, but he wasn't there so we thinkn he thought it was for next Thursday...we'll see. Then they also visited another guy, Stephan, who we met the last week of last transfer and then he went on vacation for 3 weeks with his daughter. He was busy that night but we set up another lesson for Friday. Then after that they stopped at McDonald's real quick and met several Guatemalan men who promised to call us. So it was definitely a miracle split :)
Then Wednesday we finished our zone conference and it was a second really great day. Thursday we went to our lesson with Serge but he wasn't there, so instead we took our member to pass by a less active. He wasn't there, but his nonmember wife was and she was SO sweet. We talked to her for about 10 minutes and she told us to please call and set up another time because she'd like to see us, and the member, again. It was neat. Then on Friday we had the BEST lesson with Stephan....we taught a first lesson and in the middle he just stopped and said "You know that you are amazing don't you? You two...you are incredible. Thank you so much." We finished the lesson, committed him to be baptized (right now the date is for September 18...we tried for the 11th, but he didn't like that day because of the 9/11 terroist attacks, so we changed it, but we're going to try to move it up) and then we asked him to come to church and he said he would be there. And he was!
So then on Saturday we taught English class and for some reason the topic went to meditation and one of the women was talking about a meditation center in downtown Quebec and said how peaceful it was there. Then she said "it's a lot like here. When you walk in this building, you can feel something different. You can feel the peace and the calm and the happiness. There's something here, but it's more spiritual. There you can feel the peace as well, but it's a little different." It was neat to know that she could feel the Spirit in the church building. :) Then we went and did service for Lyse, and that was fun, then we followed that up with some contacting.
Then yesterday was another miracle day!!! :) STEPHAN was at church! And he LOVED it!! He said he's bringing his daughter with him next week :) And he participated in the classes and everyone welcomed him there. It was so neat. And the best surprise: GABRIELLE was at church as well!! :) She came up to visit her mom for the weekend, and of course had to come to church :) I just love her...she really is so wonderful. She bore her testimony about the happiness that came as a result of the gospel in her life and it was so neat to hear....I just love her and I love that I was able to have the chance to teach her a little bit and to see someone truly accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the happiness that comes with that. That definitely is the best part about serving a mission...you can see the change that comes into the lives of others and you can see the happiness that comes as they draw closer to Christ and see just a little bit the love that Christ has for them and the joy that He and our Father in Heaven must feel. I love it :)
So it was a wonderful week, and we're looking forward to another great one this week! Oh, and I almost forgot: the Guatemalans called us back last night and we taught them and we're going to try to teach them again this week. Only problem: they only speak Spanish. Luckily my companion is fluent, but I think I might have to start learning Spanish as well... :) Anyways, I hope you all have a wonderful week! I love you tons!
Love, Sister Nicole Lindsey
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