Week 21: New Transfer, Same City

Well here I am! Still in Poitiers haha I think the people here are getting tired of me...just kidding, who could get tired of me?! Haha actually, as I'm sitting here in this cyber café, 2 different guys have come to sit next to me, neither of them members of the church, but both know me haha. We see them around town all the time and so we're all buddies. We've asked them multiple times to meet with us or to just come to church, but we're still working on it. People definitely recognize my face here, because we're out on the streets all the time! I dont live on the street, but I sure spend all my time there!

So, my first companion is gone. He has gone to Belfort, France, which is quite a ways away haha. Before he left we got a chance to go and visit a lot of our investigators and some members, so that was really good. The people we visited told us how much they appreciated us and how much they liked us. I didnt realize how much good we have been doing! It really meant a lot to me. I'll try to keep acting in a way that people will appreciate me! haha

Oh, before he left, we spent some time looking around Poitiers on his last P day here, so here are some pictures!

CATHEDRAL PICTURES DONT NEED captions haha

Me and Elder Argyle in front of Hotel de Ville

I have a new companion now, and he's a lot different than my first companion. Everyone is different though haha I've definitely learned that over the years! So, there are going to be some changes and adjustments, but things will work out great!

This week started out like springtime! It was awesome! Then this weekend it got very cold. Lakes froze over. And it snowed. COME ON! I want some warmer weather! I guess I'll get that eventually...I should be careful what I wish for I guess haha

Well, this week I'm turning the big 2-2! Crazy right? haha it's pretty exciting I guess haha just another year of my life that I can use to better myself and help the people around me!

So this week, a scripture that really stuck out to me was Alma 26:27. It says "Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us, and said:...bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success." Isn't that an awesome promise?! I've been applying that promise in my life for sure, and keeping my head up no matter what! All of you can do the same thing too, no matter how hard the difficulties. The Lord is always there and knows what we're going through. Rely on Him, and He will strenghten you!

I hope everyone has an awesome week! Make it the best week so far this year!

à la prochaine!

Elder Daniel Anderson

Week 20: Mongo Week

This week was a big one! It was full of all kinds of events and holidays! So I'll start from the top haha

Tuesday was Mardi Gras! They had some pretty big tile celebrating over here! They had some Canaval action and that night the whole city was party central haha there was a big concert in the town square and people having a jolly good time everwhere. So we tried to stay out of it as much as possible haha

Wednesday was a special day. It was a day set aside as a day for "Spiritual Finding" for the missionaries in both of the France missions (Paris and Lyon). So we made no teaching appointments that day, and just spent our time finding. And we stopped every 30 minutes during the day to pray for guidance and help in finding Heavenly Father's children who were ready to hear the Gospel! It was an awesome experience! We met a lot of people, set a lot of RDV's, and even saw some people that we had lost contact with, so now we're back in contact with them! I also made it a goal to only speak French that day, no matter what! I failed...but only slightly! I spoke English because someone we contacted was speaking English haha so it doesnt count! THat day really showed me even more, and strengthened my testimony, that if we put our faith and trust in the Lord, we will be blessed and we will be able to see the blessings in our lives if we look for them!

Thursday was Valentine's Day, as everyone knows haha and life as a missionary doesnt change much on Valentines Day. Yeah, maybe it was a little sad, but I had plenty of chocolate to keep my spirits up haha. Oh, and dont you worry, no one here asked me to be their Valentine, so no problems there! That night we had a very good lesson with the Assana family (a family from Chad that we've been teaching) so that was a good end to the day!

Friday night we visited a less active member out of the blue, and we ended up teaching two of her friends who were visiting, and they wanted to learn more, so we got them in contact with the missionaries where they live! It was awesome!

Saturday was the day the Transfer email gets sent out! And so it was a big day! But turns out the email system was messed up so no one could check the email haha so everyone was freaking out! We ended up getting called on the phone, and so I'm gonna be staying in Poitiers! I'm really excited about it! I really like our amis and I finally really understand Poitiers haha so leaving would have been hard. My companion is leaving though, so I'll be getting a new comapnion, so that will be exciting! This last week I noticed that everyone sure listened to me when I said be careful sending stuff to me in Poitiers around this time, but now you can send everything you've got to the same address as it's always been! I actually got a super awesome letter today, so that made me super happy :)

Sunday, my comapnion said all of his goodbyes, and then everyone started talking to me about all the things that needed help with, the people they wanted me to visit and everything. Now there is a lot more responsibility on me! Things are going to be tougher, but like Ether 2:24 says, things are gonna be rough, but "I will bring you up again out of the depths".  When things are tough, sometimes we get boosts, like an awesome letter in the mail with a surprise in it, getting to play the guitar a little bit, or an ami's 10 year old kid answering the door and talking to us for 5 minutes, all while fully decked out in a clown costume haha

I hope you're all doing awesome!

Elder Daniel Anderson

Me decked out and ready for the cold!

These are the Devil's Stairs.  That is their name.  We dominated them.

It was a beautiful day!

Me looking like a goob G with my home teaching companion, Frere Mayassi!

Week 19: Time For Service

So, this last week was pretty excellenté! (That's not French haha) The transfer is coming to an end, and so this Saturday I'll see whether I stay or go! And same for my companion haha. I'm thinking I'm gonna stay, but since he only has 2 transfers left, I think he's gonna partir and finish his mission somewhere else. But who knows! Anything could happen!

So this last week we were invited over to a members house for lunch, and it was a lot of fun! We'd been over there a bunch of times and we know the family really well. They have a son who is mentally disabled, and so I finally brought up that I had volunteered at Camp Journey and how much I loved it! I showed her pictures on my camera (and then she wanted to see all the pictures on my camera, so we had fun with that haha she wanted to know all about certain people in the pictures haha) and she was so surprised and so excited about how great the system is for children like her son. It's not like that here in France, but she's trying to make it better! It made me miss Texas to talk about it so much, but that's okay!

The other day we went to an investigators (or "amis") house for an appointment (rendez-vous, or RDV) and it turned out he had to cancel, so on our way back down the street, we ran in to one of our other amis, Madame Bru! She was walking to the pharmacy with her walker and stopped to wave us over with a huge smile on her face haha she's super nice! It really brightened our day too! When you're always surrounded by people who kind of look at you funny, it's always nice to see a smiling familiar face! I've never been someone who does this, but if any of you see or run into any missionaries during the day, wave and say hi to them! Trust me, it can lift their spirits a lot!

The other day around noon, we were contacting in centreville (downtown) and we contacted a man who told us that he was going to spend time with his friend who is paraplegic, but he spent a little time talking to us, and said he would be cool with talking another time. Then that night, while knocking doors in a completely different part of town, a man in a wheelchair answered the door (they were also blasting Nirvana in the apartment and we could hear it from outside haha) and we started talking to him, and then his friend, the man we had talked to earlier that day, came out from the living room and was super surprised! To us it seemed like a miracle or a signe, but to them it seemed kind of creepy hahaha but they still kind of thought it was a cool coincidence!

On Saturday we helped a member family move to another part of town, and it took all day. We pretty much got it all done though! They were super thankful for our help, having 2 young guys there to help made it go quite a bit faster haha. They lived out in the country before, and they moved to a different part of the country with more wooded areas. I really like the area! It reminded me of being home and close to things like that. I live in the city nowadays! A small city, but still downtown. So it's nice to be out and about!

Waddup! Camp Journey Represent! Camp Journey goes global!

A little more "hilly" than Texas, but still the country! "I had a bbq stain on my white t-shirt" :)

 Just some random old church out in the middle of no where haha

This is the house the family was moving to, it was pretty cool!

So, that was my week! We're going to try and find a ton of amis this week (like every week haha) but we have a few big plans, so stay tuned for next week, because I'll let you know how it goes! I hope everyone is doing awesome, keeping their heads up, smiling, and being the best they can be!

à la prochaine!

Elder Daniel Anderson

Week 18: Interviews

It seems like I travel every week haha I'm always getting on trains that wiz past the French countryside just so I can get to meetings that last a few hours. I'm definitely not complaining! I think it's awesome. haha

This week we had zone conference in Angers, and we also had interviews with Président Poznanski and Soeur Poznanski. It was really great! I learned a ton at zone conference about how to teach better and just be a better missionary in general, and then I had my interviews. They were all completely in French, and it was no problemo! I can understand stuff pretty well, the speaking part is a little difficult, but it'll come. And that's what they told me too haha. Soeur Poznanski also told us about how to teach with more conviction and power by having enthusiasm, bearing testimony, and sharing personal experiences. It just makes sense! Those are the things that people always love about General Conference! And that is how we can invite the Spirit into our conversations and lesson. So if you're ever talking to some friends and the Gospel comes up, try those things out! Be enthusiastic, let them know that you lvoe the Gospel! And bear testimony that you know it is true by the experiences that you've had! That's my challenge for you this week haha :)

In other knews this week, after playing soccer this last Saturday morning, we were at a members house and they fed us! And they treated my and I got the tail end of a fish haha and they really meant it as a treat! It was pretty good haha and they also gave us some rabbit and escargot to take home and eat that night, so I'm still getting to eat new things!

The label on this at the grocery store is simply "Animal Meat" haha all the other types of meat were labeled, but this one is mystery meat!

If you've ever received a letter or package from me, this is where you got it from!

This is the Post Office here in Poitiers haha pretty fancy!

Oh, and I also found out that my branch president here is a pompier (firefighter)! Pretty sweet haha

So, I have a few scriptures to share, and y'all can look them up and study them haha

DC 121:9

Psalm 55:22

Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." How true is that?!

No matter how hard things get, we can always fall back on the love and guidance and comfort that the Savior can bring. He can strengthen us through any trial, and I know that is true.

So, I have a friend. And we have a study journal. It's awesome and I love it! But I've held on to it for a while and I feel bad about it! But they told me when they sent it to me to study Alma 22. One of the things I found, that I thought of that was a gem when I found it, was in Alma 22:14, It explains all that Christ's Atonement does for us, even after this life, and it says:

"He breaketh the bands of death, that the grave shall have no victory, and that the sting of death should be swallowed up in the hopes of glory."

Heavenly Father truly loves us and has a plan for us. I know it's true, and I know that we can all have faith and confidence in that. Always remember that :)

Elder Daniel Anderson