Week 26 (7/29/19): The calm after the storm

Hello everybody!!!
So this week was significantly more chill, which was kinda nice after last week, which was awesome, but insane.
We did an exchange with a senior couple- the wife went with us, and the husband went with the elders, and we did everything with her! Contacting, visiting people, and teaching lessons. And then she bought us fancy lunch!!! Lasagna is amazing.
Sorry this is so short, but I know there are still miracles here, and we're seeing God help us along! I hope y'all have a great week, talk to you next week!!!
Love y'all!
Soeur Cate

Week 25 (7/22/19): Bike races, Baptisms, and Carcassonne!

Hello everybody!!!
We had the best exchange ever on the 18th, we were in Toulouse for the tour de France! And we literally popped out of the metro like, 5 minutes before they drove by, so that was cool! The speed they were traveling was honestly insane, I have no idea how they do that, but it sure was exciting!!!
On the same exchange, Soeur Ditetova and I were blessed with a really cool miracle. We were going to pass someone, but they weren't there, and our other rendez-vous had canceled. So we had nothing. We started contacting, when I said, "let's go to a park." She didn't question it, just saying that the park nearest to us was probably empty, but the one near the apartment probably had just the right amount of people for contacting. We got there, and I felt lost. This time it was soeur Ditetova's turn to catch the prompting- she said, "I want to talk to that lady over there." By the time we worked our way over there, she was leaving, but we contacted her anyways. She only spoke Spanish, but the Spanish I've heard Soeur Flora practice occasionally came out of my mouth, and we were actually able to communicate, which was really cool. Gift of tongues moment!!! She wasn't really interested, so we said goodbye, then soeur Ditetova turned around and said, "let's talk to this man," that we'd run past to get to the lady. We had the coolest contact ever, we talked for over half an hour about the book of mormon and the bible and the gathering of Israel. He really listened, and really wanted to know, he was definitely prepared. He a very open, intelligent man, so I believe his promise that he'd read the book of mormon. And we got his number and everything, so hopefully they'll start teaching him!!! Such a thrill.
We also obviously had the 3 baptisms, which was especially awesome because a nonmember came to see it. She actually came in right at the end, but we were able to show her the baptismal font and explain what happened, and the confirmations that would happen tomorrow. She asked me what someone had to do to get baptized in our church, which was really exciting to answer. She started getting integrated immediately, and came to church yesterday! And Soeur Flora and Elder Hayes taught her about the book of mormon, and she's agreed to read it, and then have a lesson with us Thursday. So we're super excited to start teaching her!
Then today, on p day, we took a train to Carcassonne, and saw the coolest castle ever! It's actually like, an entire fortified city, so that was extremely awesome. I definitely recommend visiting it to anyone who happens to go nearby. Definitely worth the time (though maybe choose to do it on a day that's not 36 degrees plus humidity... oops).
So yeah. It was a really good week! I hope all of yours are equally awesome!
Love,
Soeur Cate

Carcassonne

Soeur Ditetova

Tour de France in Toulouse

Carcassonne

Week 24 (7/15/19): Chocolate is beautiful

Hey everyone!
We are currently surrounded by chocolate. Life could be a lot worse. I should clarify that it's 20 pounds, as in the British currency. Not the unit of measurement for weight. Just to calm your fears for my health.
We visited a medieval village this morning with a couple of members, which was super fun. As a mega nerd and a history buff, it was kinda the best thing ever. It was also on the side of a mountain, far away from other civilization, which was fun after spending so much time in big cities. The village has been around for over a thousand years. As someone coming from the United states, that was mindblowing. And the views were gorgeous, oh my gosh!!! Basically, I 10/10 recommend going and visiting random historical sites if you go to Europe because they're so cool, and you get great pictures (or your photographer companion does).
This week we had a really cool experience where we met someone we'd talked to in the past on the road. She actually was having a hard time, and we ended up sitting down and talking for an hour and a half. We then were able to invite her to come to a meal our ward has together once a month after church, and she was able to relax and make some friends. She said she really liked the spirit there, and her kid was super chill there, and she noticed the change. Yay for the spirit!!! I know God lined it up so that we could meet with her and help her. The longer I'm on my mission, the more I know that God has a plan for each of us, and that His plan is the best plan.
Basically, life is good, the work continues, and I'm excited for the baptism of the elders' amis scheduled this week!
Love y'all!!!
Soeur Cate

Week 23 (7/8/19): Shredding papers and riding trains

Hello everyone!
This week we had multi zone conference, which was super fun! I really liked seeing a bunch of the missionaries I served with in the past, and being new ones! I'm always inspired by the examples of other missionaries, and the stories of miracles we see in the field.
So we did it. We went through the entire area book and called everyone!!! And there were actually multiple people that we're hoping to start meeting with, so that's good! It's also good because we were supposed to get rid of all the papers, so now it's all online. Yay!
Also, my district leader is British and he's leaving soon. He has some extra money, so he's legit ordering us 20 pounds of chocolate apiece. Truly we are blessed.
Anyways, the work moves forward! We're teaching and working to find people, and yeah. It's a billion degrees, and humidity makes life more exciting, but I'm so grateful for the spirit we feel and the blessings we see.
I hope you all have a great week!
Soeur Cate

Picture- me and my "older sister" in the mission- we had the same trainer!

Week 22 (7/1/19): Heat waves and area book

Salut!
Hey everyone! You might have heard, but this week had record temperatures in France! Yay! So that made everything more exciting (especially because our apartments don't have AC), and I also got a BAD cold. But it honestly was just kind of funny at that point, and we found ways to be productive indoors (going through area book), so it wasn't a big deal.
Then we also had a great time today on p day, and we went to a beach town to see a castle and hike. It was beautiful!!! I tried violette ice cream, it was amazing!
We had such an incredible lesson this week. One of our amis had a really hard week last week, and spiritually she was really struggling. We'd fixed a rendez-vous with her, but we didn't really know how we were going to help her. But for some bizarre reason, we weren't too worried about not having a plan. So we invited her in and just listened and empathized for a few minutes. Then we started teaching. Soeur Flora and I have only known each other for nine days, but we taught like we'd been teaching together for years. I'd share a thought, then start searching for a scripture. And she would carry the conversation exactly where it needed to go, then we'd read a passage of scripture together, discuss, and address more questions. And Soeur Flora testified so... simply. Genuinely. It was exactly what our amie needed. Both of us were receiving revelation for what to say to address our amis' needs, and it was so incredible to see us working as one on a lesson we hadn't been able to plan. The spirit was so present, and the atmosphere was so peaceful, even though our amis' week hadn't been. Her countenance had completely changed by the end of the rendez-vous, and she's really seeing the connection between feeling happy and well centered and coming to church. She left feeling way better. Remember, this entire time, I was pretty sick with a bad cold. I could barely think straight. But that's one of the best lessons I've ever had. God directs this work. And if something needs to happen, He'll make it happen, no matter how sick or inexperienced His missionaries are. He just needs us to be willing.
Love y'all!
Soeur Cate