How's life ? I hope that you're enjoying the summer weather. Perpignan is sunny and windy, in its usual fashion. How much I love this sector ❤
We've had a really good week. The fact that we can visit members and share our testimonies with them is such a blessing. And they strengthen us ! Even though we can't bise them, it's funny how weird that is to me. Like, I'm American, but my instinct now is STILL to faire la bise... have to laugh 😂
We had the INCREDIBLE privilege of setting up a rdv with the Paris temple Sœurs and three older women in our ward. They're all best friends, but while one is a stalwart member (Antonietta), the other two are pretty less active. They agreed to the rdv though, and they were all gathered together at Antonietta's house (because they're all over 60, so it would've been more complicated to meet in person), and it was the CUTEST rdv ! Seeing the model of the temple really seemed to resonate with them, and Antonietta testified so powerfully ! Her husband has passed on, but when she was helping explain the sealing, she said, "I was sealed to my husband years ago. And I'm still sealed !" What a beautiful and optimistic doctrine. 😊
Speaking of the temple, we visited one single sister this week that was just incredible ! Samia is preparing to put her papers in to serve as a temple missionary. She bombarded us with questions about papers and packing and dress code, and shared such a powerful testimony of the importance of the work that goes on in the temple. She's having to leave everything behind, and she's not nearly retirement age. She'll have to find a new job and new apartment when she gets back. There are no guarantees, and she has no family to help her. But she ended with, "but if I end up on the street afterwards, so be it. It's the Lord's will." We have such incredible members.
I love how well I know this ward. Some missionaries have commented, "wow, that's a long time to be in a sector..." but I love going to church and knowing almost every single face, and a little bit of their story. I love having watched the kids grow up a bit, and watched people come back to church, and testimonies grow and develop. This really is God's work !!
Today we decided to go on an adventure again for p day, because it's good for our sanity to see new places. We got a brochure telling us about places to travel last week, and it told us about an olive oil factory that has an exhibit section. It was SO cool ! Olive trees show up all through the scriptures, with a whole bunch of symbolism attached to them (which I studied yesterday, to make today more fun). It was incredible going through their exhibition all about the history of olive trees, what it takes to make them grow, and how to get oil out of them. And then we got to taste different olive oils ! There are apparently several different varieties of olive trees, and you can pick the olives at multiple stages of ripeness, and ferment them to change the flavor. We got one that's kinda spicy, just to have fun with it 😁
Anyways, I imagine that next week my thoughts will be much more out together about everything I learned (they're still processing right now), but one of my favorite things is that this is one of God's favorite trees. It shows up in multiple paraboles, and they were the silent witnesses to the Savior's suffering in Gethsemane. And like. Olive trees. These aren't sky scrapers, or elegant ... they're kinda gnarly. And they take SO. MUCH. WORK. But it made me think. God doesn't care what we look like. He cares what we are, and what we, through his guiding care, can become. He doesn't want a tree that grows fine all by itself. He wants one that needs Him, and relies on Him, and because it does, it produces something beautiful. And flipping delicious, whoa, consider me educated.
Anyways, I hope y'all are doing amazing, talk to you next week !
Sœur Cate
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