Greetings and salut!!!!
I got a request to talk about something about the mission in general,
so here goes. I'm all for requests cause I used to think I'd never
forget what it was like to be normal but oh look I have and I love
knowing what people are curious about.
Fact number one. Yes missionaries do forget how to be normal. I can
already see that I will be really weird when I get home. When I have
conversations in English I feel funny and forget how to keep a
conversation going naturally hahah. Ok, not every time, but definitely
still a thing. And pretty much every time it's a conversation that's
not related to the gospel I'm just at a loss. I don't know how to talk
about other things. If I'm not testifying or sharing a scripture or
singing a hymn or talking about Christ every few sentences in a
conversation it feels unnatural. So there you go. Missionary weirdness
and wonderfulness all in one.
People keep wondering where I live. We live in a tiny little house.
Actually I think it's a bigger one for the mission. It's on a little
side road and we have a yard and a portaille (a gate across
the...driveway...to keep out unwanted visitors). Across the street
they're constructing 10 apartment buildings and so there are always
construction workers overseeing our coming and going and waving etc.
Hahaha yes. We have mice who come out at night and eat our soap. And
ants that find anything and everything with sugar. We've had a couple
cockroaches, but not really which is a BLESSING. And I can't think of
anything else interesting to share. That felt boring just writing it,
so apologies.
Other general facts. Sometimes I feel like a celebrity or something
because everyone knows who we are and what car we drive. We are
constantly getting honked at by someone who knows us hahah but we can
never find out who it is in time. Paita has very few white people, so
just the fact that we are two young white girls out and about all the
time gets us noticed. And then add the fact that we walk around
neighborhoods handing out books and talking about Christ and talking
to everyone who lets us also gets us noticed.
Oh! We can't knock doors. Knocking doors here is rude. And everyone
has a gate across their driveway anyway. So when we do porte a porte,
we just yell "BONJOUUUUUR!!!" or "BONSOIIIRRRR!!!" in a loud but
friendly way and hope someone comes out. Hahaha it's hilarious and
ridiculous and necessary and normal. But when they DO come out, it's
the best ever!
Pondered a lot this week about less active members of the church.
There are SO MANY. So many people who just need a visit. Who need someone to tell them they're
missed and loved and prayed for. Someone to remind them what the
Gospel really is. How good the Spirit feels. Of the miracle of the
Atonement. There are just so many. I'm realizing how much a difference
a visit can make. And how important visiting teaching and home
teachers are. There are lost sheep all around us, and someone needs to
step up and be the shepherd or at least HELP the Shepherd. We find
more and more every week that we had no idea lived here. I'm just so
grateful the Lord leads us to them.
I love you all. I pray for you all. I think of you all.
Be a light to someone. There can never be enough light.
Soeur Evans
I got a request to talk about something about the mission in general,
so here goes. I'm all for requests cause I used to think I'd never
forget what it was like to be normal but oh look I have and I love
knowing what people are curious about.
Fact number one. Yes missionaries do forget how to be normal. I can
already see that I will be really weird when I get home. When I have
conversations in English I feel funny and forget how to keep a
conversation going naturally hahah. Ok, not every time, but definitely
still a thing. And pretty much every time it's a conversation that's
not related to the gospel I'm just at a loss. I don't know how to talk
about other things. If I'm not testifying or sharing a scripture or
singing a hymn or talking about Christ every few sentences in a
conversation it feels unnatural. So there you go. Missionary weirdness
and wonderfulness all in one.
People keep wondering where I live. We live in a tiny little house.
Actually I think it's a bigger one for the mission. It's on a little
side road and we have a yard and a portaille (a gate across
the...driveway...to keep out unwanted visitors). Across the street
they're constructing 10 apartment buildings and so there are always
construction workers overseeing our coming and going and waving etc.
Hahaha yes. We have mice who come out at night and eat our soap. And
ants that find anything and everything with sugar. We've had a couple
cockroaches, but not really which is a BLESSING. And I can't think of
anything else interesting to share. That felt boring just writing it,
so apologies.
Other general facts. Sometimes I feel like a celebrity or something
because everyone knows who we are and what car we drive. We are
constantly getting honked at by someone who knows us hahah but we can
never find out who it is in time. Paita has very few white people, so
just the fact that we are two young white girls out and about all the
time gets us noticed. And then add the fact that we walk around
neighborhoods handing out books and talking about Christ and talking
to everyone who lets us also gets us noticed.
Oh! We can't knock doors. Knocking doors here is rude. And everyone
has a gate across their driveway anyway. So when we do porte a porte,
we just yell "BONJOUUUUUR!!!" or "BONSOIIIRRRR!!!" in a loud but
friendly way and hope someone comes out. Hahaha it's hilarious and
ridiculous and necessary and normal. But when they DO come out, it's
the best ever!
Pondered a lot this week about less active members of the church.
There are SO MANY. So many people who just need a visit. Who need someone to tell them they're
missed and loved and prayed for. Someone to remind them what the
Gospel really is. How good the Spirit feels. Of the miracle of the
Atonement. There are just so many. I'm realizing how much a difference
a visit can make. And how important visiting teaching and home
teachers are. There are lost sheep all around us, and someone needs to
step up and be the shepherd or at least HELP the Shepherd. We find
more and more every week that we had no idea lived here. I'm just so
grateful the Lord leads us to them.
I love you all. I pray for you all. I think of you all.
Be a light to someone. There can never be enough light.
Soeur Evans
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