Another Week Gone By

Two real Latinos and one fake one

I feel like I was doing emails yesterday. This week we get transfer calls! Already! What the heck? After this week, I will have been in Bergerac for six weeks already! My how time flies. Anywayyyy! 

As fast as this week was, it was kind of a hard one. But it was still good! 

SERVICE

We did lots and lots and lots of service this week. We went to the Red Cross and moved some furniture around and whatnot for them. Two young, American problem solvers are always a help at the Red Cross. They really love us there. Apparently the missionaries have been going there for a really long time. 

THE STUMP HAS BEEN REMOVED, I REPEAT, THE STUMP HAS BEEN REMOVED. Unfortunately, I was on an exchange when this was accomplished. But the Bontronts had their grandson come down and chop it for a couple of hours and then Elder Sanchez and Martinez went over to their house and lifted it out of its crater. 

We also helped an older member move into her new apartment! We had to do it really fast because we had a train to catch to go to a baptismal service in Bordeaux so in the morning we had to skip studies and run over to the church to meet the member and load up all the furniture that was in the church's garage and then ride over to the apartment and drop everything off, change and get driven to the Gare (train station). 

But yeah! Lots of service this week! It is always nice to help people out. 

NOS AMIS

So, we have been having a really hard time meeting with Juan Antonio lately (Portuguese ami) because he has a job now and is super tired when he gets home from working in the vineyards. He did come to church this Sunday though and we have a rendezvous fixed with him. We are a little worried that he is going to become an eternal ami because all of the members LOVE him and invite him over to their houses and whatnot but we can't seem to ever teach him. 

 I get frustrated that we can't see him and that he seems to understand what we are teaching but then does something that indicates that he either doesn't understand or doesn't want to follow what we teach him. But, we are doing everything we can to help him, and that is all that we can do. 

We also taught our amie Beatrice this week! She is doing wonderful. Every Sunday when we teach her she comes in with her husband and they pretty much teach us the lesson that we are "teaching them". She has a wonderful testimony and is excited to be baptized and come back to church. 

BAPTÊME

This week, we went to Lormont (Bordeaux) for a baptismal service of one of the kids in our Branch. It was really fun! Usually we go to Périgueux for baptismal services (which is a lot closer) but their chapel is being renovated at the moment. Alexis is one of the children of the Fueres Family (Ecuadorian family) and a ton of their family came to the baptism! Afterwards we went to this buffet, which was pretty good. Then the Bontronts drove us home in their car so that we didn't have to wait for the train to come. 

Baptism of Alexis

OPPOSITION IN ALL THINGS

This week has just been kinda hard for me personally. It is hard to stay patient with the pace of the work here. Every time I get frustrated I remember president specifically telling me "Don't become impatient with how fast things go." and then I feel kind of dumb that I forget so quickly. I want people to come to Christ NOW! Is that too much to ask? lol

As frustrating as it is at times, I just need to be content with the fact that we are doing everything that we can to help people. A lot of people in France (and the world) always ask, "IF there is a God, why are there so many bad things in the world?" It's a good question, why are there bad things? Well… 

"For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so... righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad."

2 Nephi 2:11 

God hasn't given us opposition---he has allowed that it exists so that we can appreciate the things that are good. If we didn't have bad weeks, there wouldn't be good weeks... and frankly, I've seen a lot more good weeks than bad ones. So really, I should be happy that we had a hard week, because that means that a good one is rolling around :) 

I'm so grateful for the opportunity that I have to serve a mission and to wear the name of Christ each day. It's a little hard sometimes but honestly, I couldn't be happier. 

I love you all! 

Avec Amour,

Elder Johnson

PS AND it is confirmed that the entire mission will be going to Nice to hear Elder Anderson speak to us! I'm so excited!