Mikayla on a Mission: Week 19: The week number just keeps growing and its really weird

I can't believe its week 19....thats absolutely insane and at week 26 I hit my six month mark which is absolutely unbelievably insane.... So strange but anyways onto the happenings of this week:)

In a nut shell, I moved to Poitiers, don't understand the buses or anything here for that matter, Had tons of rendezvous, saw tons of parcs, taught two Jehovah Witnesses, and got stuck on a bus!

Poitiers has a small branch of roughly 30 members and it is crazy how strong they all are. They are all basically converts and some for only a year or two and they are amazing:) They are so supportive of missionary work and sharing the gospel and the happiness they have in their lives it is absolutely insane! Its great though I love it so much:) I would love to spend at least the rest of the summer here!

We live in the middle of the city so we live next to all the shops and boulangeries, the big Catholic churches, and media libraries! It's so fun to be near all the hustle and bustle and to see so many people!! Its not like Ecully at all. But they are both good for different reasons:) But here we have the whole city and the surrounding like hour or two outside of it to ourselves to work and to proselyte.

I don't know if I will ever get to know the area or the buses, the systems are different here and its all so confusing but one day I will get it!

One exciting thing this week is I finished the Book of Mormon again! And I only had two conversations in English - both on the phone. With my companion really only speaking French - we are in French 24/7 and that is confusing my brain - but by the end of this transfer I better be fluent! That's my goal, we'll see.

This week we were porting and we knocked on a door and this older man came and answered and we gave our little spiel and he immediately said; "I know who you are, I am a Jehovah Witness" and then leaned against the door, crossed his arms and looked at us -- it was one of the scariest moments ever because they love to argue and we didn't know what was going to happen or how to leave without being rude. But then his wife came to the door and invited us in to talk a little bit and gave us a drink and then from then on we ended up having a lesson with them and it was so cool!

We discussed our beliefs and he asked us questions and it was amazing and his wife was so kind, she said we were cute and invited us in to give us some courage because she knows porting can be really hard and it was cold and rainy outside and it was so wonderful, still terrifying but super duper cool:)

We have had tons of rendezvous and I love it, we are meeting all these investigators and members and recent converts and less actives and it is so fun to work here:)

The funniest thing that happened this week was we were on a bus and it started to go around this turn and then it just stopped! And so we look up and there was a car parked in the area the bus needed to turn and so we got stuck because the ebus couldn't just hit the car, so that created this huge backup of cars behind the bus and after about three minutes, all of them started honking at once and all of us on
the bus were laughing because what was honking going to do, and some of the cars started honking different rhythms and it was just super funny but all the honking caught the attention of the guy whose car it was -- so he came out running across the street, unfortunately for him through all the traffic he had caused, to move his car out of our way.

It was funny because someone on the bus was like "is there a wedding?!" Because we weren't by a church and here in France sometimes for weddings all the cars follow the bride and groom and honk there horns in celebration and it just was super comical, the bus driver was even laughing and saying sorry but he was stuck. It was something that is kind of like yup, that sums up our day but it was funny and fun:)

I miss you all. I love France, but it's not home. It's very different, but not bad, just different:)

Have a good week!

Love,
Sister Beatty