Week 21: Life is flying by in Bordeaux

So this week in a nutshell -- we had district meeting, an exchange, zone pday, and it was French mothers day! Not in that order.... Haha sorry

So we started off this week with an exchange and I came to Bordeaux with Sister Wilsher from England and it was so fun:) We didn't have any rendezvous but we did contacting and talked with lots of people and ran into less actives and amis on the buses which was super cool:) One less active was from Tahiti and saw me on the bus and we started talking and she asked if I was from Tahiti, and said that she was a member but hadn't been to church since she got to France and we got her information and it was amazing!:) The exchange was so fun, and it's fun to switch things up:)

District meeting was Frida and that was amazing as always:) I love being with everyone else it's so amazing and fun! It's great because in Poitiers we are a little isolated which is good too, because sometimes it's fun just to get back to our own sector to work -- but not seeing everyone is a change from Écully but district meeting was great.

We talked about how to find people and working with members and less actives:)

Which brings me to my talk, which was French mothers day -- but my topic was on the missionary purpose but it's all good because I still got to talk about my momma -- since she's a convert and it involved a lot of missionary work, through members and missionaries and yeah:) It was great to be able to tie that in on mother's day;) 

We got roses:) We also wrote cards for all the moms in the branch with quotes from Elder Russell M. Nelson's talk "A plea to my sisters" and they all loved it:)

Also this week we got dropped by our progressing investigator which really sucked but hopefully we will be able to help her still and find some new amis:)

Today was zone Pday in Bordeaux and we did a photo scavenger Hunt and  came in third -- which is not too shabby haha we only had an hour and half and it was lots of running and walking but so fun and saw all of
Bordeaux in like that one hour xD I love our zone:)

I love you all I hope you all are having a fabulous memorial day!

Love, sister Beatty:)

Packing for Exchanges.

Soeur Beatty and Soeur Wilsher in Bordeaux

Train Ride

At the hospital in Bordeaux

Canele - a specialty dessert in Bordeaux

District Meeting

They came in 3rd.

French Mother's Day.

Week 20: Halfway done with my third transfer!

Well this week flew by but it was a lot of sitting, on my part. I rolled my ankle for a third time on Thursday and couldn't walk that day -- so I just sat and rested and prayed it would stop hurting so we could get back to work. 

Then the next we had an amazing zone training but that took all day, and then Saturday we had a very
big miscommunication and got stuck at our apartment almost all afternoon.

So this week went like normal up until I fell. We started a piano class for some members, recent convert,
and amis, and it was so fun! Its fun to get so many people involved who want to learn and get people into the church and share a message with them at the end! It's funny -- but everyone here wants to learn the
piano. It is great -- but the sole catch is its in French. 

So, being who I am and thinking about music, I thought it was the same everywhere because in English we use Italian words so it should be the same for French, right? No. That's a big no. They don't use the alphabet, they
use do-re-mi, but even then it's not our do-re-mi, it's the French do-re-mi which just has to be different. 

And all the names for everything is different, because the French created their own music words. But then randomly some words are the same like clef. (But that's the only word that I have found that is still the same!) Luckily it's not too hard to remember, but to be able to just point at a key on the piano and call it re or sol (because they add an L in french) or something like that, I just can't do, but they are all understanding haha:)

We also started an English class and had a whole family of less actives come which was amazing! They have seven kids and love the church and slowly on their way to being reactivated!;) They are really only inactive because for a long time there parents both worked on Sundays because they had too, now they don't but they fell out of the
habit of coming but the children want to so its only a matter of time:) It is great! 

I also made cookies because you can't have an English class without a dessert;) It is a great incentive! And this
week we should have even more people coming! :) Another ami and a few more members! I'm excited:)

Thursday just sucked, so I don't need to really talk about that....I am going to a doctor tomorrow to check out my ankle and foot and see if there's anything that I can do to make it better because I know it's just getting worse and worse with each time I have fallen.... But it'll all be okay:) 

I just hope I don't keep this rate up or by the end of my mission I will have fallen like 9 more times because I have
fallen once every transfer so far and rolled my ankle :( And these last two times, both times, people came running and gotten out of there cars to see if I am okay (I just fall so "graciously" it lets them know how much help I need...) and it's really sweet -- but in the moment I lose all French and can't talk to them and tell them what it is and that I'm okay but yeah... Ahaha.... 

This time too with my French companion I just couldn't communicate. It was not good, but eventually the French came back enough. It's funny because some people will say the French don't care but moments like that really show how much they worry about others and are willing to help:)

Zone training was wonderful. We went to Bordeaux for the day and played games and shared the reasons we came on missions, and why we stayed and just got to hear each other bear testimony and it was absolutely wonderful! The spirit was so strong and there were lots of tears, not just among us four sisters either. It was an amazing moment where as a zone we got to come together and be unified. 

The focus this transfer is on getting better together, individually. And so we are all going to get a little better and if we each get a little better than as a whole we are going to be way better:) It was great because they didn't make any big goals for us, and they didn't want to, but they wanted us all to fast and figure out what we need to do to
improve individually and focus on that. We will be accountable for what we say we are going to improve and its great:) I love this zone so much, everyone in it is so great:) And we seriously have some of the best in the mission here! Totally biased but I cant help it;p

Saturday we called a member in our ward who was a plumber and asked if he could help us with some issues our apartment has been having. He came right over and went right to work trying to fix this old washing machine in our apartment and was here for forever. It was crazy and we just were all over the place with miscommunication. We just wondered if he could use the old machine for parts but he tried to fix it, which was very kind but yeah it was a little crazy, luckily we didn't have any appointments.

Church was so fun. We had a British family move into the area for the next few months, so we now get to start a French class up! And that is super exciting:) And we also had almost double the amount of people at church, even with the gross rainy weather! Normally when it rains because so many members walk or take buses, church is empty but not here, it was wonderful! We had over 40 members there and it was so fun:) I also translated for the first time which was really weird -- but I have to, I am one of the very very few who know English and French
here.

My French is coming along, and only speaking French with my companion is helping a lot but it is hard and language barriers are so frustrating because you know what you want to say but not how to say
it and then its all like ahhhhhh brain. Work. But its getting easier each day:)

Love and miss you all, have a great week!
Sister Beatty

Mikayla has become quite the chef in France. I love that she takes food photos.

So many notebooks and books.

Sister Takotua

Parc in Poitiers

The 3rd time she rolled her ankle - since she hasn't had time to let it heal, it's just gotten worse.

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

Transferred to Poitiers.

Got it all packed and moved.

The view from her apartment.

Tons of beautiful parks there.

Mikayla and Soeur Takotua fro mTahiti

The new apartment

There are media centers all over Poitiers which make for good rendezvous spots.

City center.

No chocolate chips in France - you have to make your own.

Soeur Takotua

Week 18: Paris or Lyon

So I got transferred to Poitiers!!! That's the biggest news of this wonderful week:) Poitiers used to be part of the Paris mission but is now in our mission and is super north for our southern france mission
and I am so excited to be here for the Summer:)

It is absolutely gorgeous and it is basically just the opposite of Ecully. It is far from anything else, goregous, big, hilly, and we are the only missionaries for a good hour or two around our city! It's also a branch but recently has gone from a branch of 20 to a branch of 40 over the past half year and I am so excited to get to work here!

My last week in Ecully was not completely spent in Ecully haha, we had district meeting on Wednesday and after that we went to St Etienne for the rest of Wednesday and basically all of Thursday!

It was so fun and I met this amazing less active lady who is kind of just like mom, She was converted around 18 and has been a member ever since, she only recently went less active and is getting reactivated right now:) But she had the same personality as mom, which was funny:) Exchanges are always miraculous, so it didn't surprise me too much.

Friday we got our transfer calls and that was super duper exciting! I found out about Poitiers and my companion who is Soeur Takotua from Tahiti and she is already one of the best! We really only speak French together so I think after this transfer I could pass the stupid French ap test with flying colors.

She is sweet and super humble and just an amazing missionary! I'm also in the Bordeux Stake now so everything is really different!

Saying goodbye to everyone in Ecully was so sad, everyone was there because of ward conference, We, with the elders, got seven amis to church, and like three less actives which was absolutely wonderful and I got to say goodbye to them all which was sad but its not the last time I will see them and I was even there long enough to be offered housing and meals when I come back!;) Its crazy how much France will be a part of my life and how many friends I've made and people I want and need to stay in touch with.

Life is flying by and I can't believe school is almost over! Skyping was so extremely weird but I loved it and was super sad when I had to say goodbye... Christmas seems far away but since life is flying I guess it'll come before I know it and then when it is Christmas time I will probably be like "I can't believe I get to skype again, it feels like Mother's Day was yesterday!

Have an amazing week! Love you all,

Sister Beatty

Mikayla and Soeur Descoubes 

Mother's Day at the Zinns

Mother's Day

Week 17: 2nd Transfer is Almost Done

This week was crazy fast but we did so much! We had a miracle exchange, I got a package(!), Bo Bun Box, had Mongolian food, walked in the rain, met all the creepers in Ecully haha and had a stake activity with presidents pday to kick off the last week of the transfer! :)

Wednesday we had an exchange with Val de Soane again and this time it was me, a second transfer bleu with two first transfer bleus so that was super duper fun and exciting! :) We had so many miracles and it was really cool. 

We met some of our neighbors and was able to have a lesson with one of them, she is 90 and you could've knocked me over with a feather when she said how old she was, she is so fit and all there I thought she was maybe 70 maybeee!! But it was so fun:) 

We did calls and we were able to have so many conversations on the phone, we fixed a few rendezvous and it was just so wonderfully great:)

I got a package filled with candy, cards and a notebook and it was amazing!:) (Thank you Carrie! Hopefully you read this -- wasn't sure how I could say thank you properly x) )

Bo Bun Box is the name of a Vietnamese restaurant here in Ecully and it was crazy that it exists and that we found it because Ecully is TINY and it was hidden down an alley, but it is quickly becoming a missionary restaurant and it is so good and cute:)

We Had a rendezvous with a less active and she is Mongolian food and I had amazing amazing rice and spicy mongolian food and it was so delishish! No idea how to spell sorry...  But we had spicy chicken and then not spicy chicken because she knows not all missionaries like spice and then a spicy egg dish which was great! she was so cute and sweet :)

This week it just rained and rained and rained so I was constantly in my rain coat and rain boots because you can't trust the weather! It rained for three days straight and  I love the rain but it makes things hard as a missionary....haha and in all black and gray and my companions in all black and gray with our black and white umbrellas we looked like nuns -- which was funny haha but more people smiled at us I think because we looked like that, Ecully has a giant catholic church in the middle of it, thought it was funny :) But yeah haha still kind
of like the rain;p

We ended up meeting ,not actually in person, all the old creepers from the area book when we were doing potential calls, luckily Elder Berry knew the names and we didnt actually meet any of them but yeah

haha, were going to make a list of all the people to not call who are creepy and stick it on the front of the book so some poor sisters don't fix rendezvous with these scary people;p but there's some everywhere and when we want to share with everyone we are bound to find some haha but it's all good :)

The stake activity was fun, the theme was "American" so they all 'made' American desserts and had an American meal of chili dogs - which was funny watching the cute French women attempting to eat with their hands
and then using a fork and knife x) 

It wasn't too bad, and there were a few real American things there thanks to the Americans here and that
was great:) They even had cheddar cheese!!!! I didn't know they sold that here!!!! But that was fun :)

And then last but not least today was presidents pday where we had sloppy joes and got to play games with all the missionaries in Lyon at president's house and just got to spend time to rest and chill with him and our mission mom! It was so fun and went by so fast but it was great, if I do stay another transfer I will be so happy to do that
again :) 

Me and Elder Jensen and Elder Spoors played pétanque against Elder Mendzel, Elder Kelsey, and Elder Thompson and we won! Haha I kind of helped but it was all because Elder Spoors is European and he played all the time in Marseilles. But that was still really fun :) 

We also gave Elder Berry a going away present from all of us, it was a French flag that we all signed and then we sang Love One Another when we gave it to him, it was great, we got a video and I need to find out who has it, but we made him cry, he is so sad to leave but he is great:) It will be weird with him gone because I have only served
really with him for both my transfers and now he is leaving, but it's like that from every transfer from here on out.... Both my trainers leave in two transfers and ah.... Everyone is so old..... In the mission and they all go home :/ its weird but yeah... Just need to get used to it I guess...

One more week and then I get to skype home and I find out if I leave or stay and where I might be going! :) Love and miss you all, have an awesome week!

Love,
Sister Beatty

President's P Day