"et aussi benis l'amerique, amen"

Sorry for not writing this past week. Last week we helped the St. Quentin Sœurs with a member who was moving to toulouse.The past two weeks have been pretty good. Nothing really crazy has happened. We had another Baptismal interview in Arras. The Siliezar family that I found and taught in Namur was baptized this past week. That was really great news. I am so happy for them. We have a baptism here in Amiens for Eulalie this saturday. 

So i am going to go in podcast form with a big story then a speed run of 3 highlights. And a wrap up short story

So on va commencer *let's get this started.*

the big story.

One thing our district has been trying to focus on is improving our teaching of the Word of Wisdom (word of wizzum for those sons of provo fans ). For the other things that we teach as missionaries it is easy to improvise and share experiences to help explain the principle. However with the word of wisdom: our spiritual health code if you would like to call it that. It is pretty clear and needs to be pretty blunt. So we want to be a little bit more bold and courageous and just go tell people how it is. One thing we do in our weekly district trainings is role play with our companions and other missionaries to help practice and prepare. So Elder Fund prepared a secret list of word of wisdom issues. The typical "smokes, drinks tea, drinks alcohol, drinks coffee."  So the rules were that the person playing as the missionary didn't know from the start. They have to teach and explain the word of wisdom and then ask questions to help determine the problem

So I got paired up with Sœur Ritter. And she was teaching me. My w.o.w. issue is that I have smoked for 47 years. Pretty mundane business. I cathat I have this issue just flat out. She has to teach and then ask questions to help determine my problem. Smoking isn't super hard. Then the problems rotate. And Elder fund hands Sœur Ritter his paper. 

So I get started. And am teaching and she stops me at the part of the Word of Wisdom with illegal drugs and asks a question about like prescription drugs. So I go off on this medical teaching tangent about how if you abuse any sort of medicine it's really bad. Even if that is Ibuprofen. And Sœur Ritter is just looking at me like. "You are an idiot..." so then I remember that we were making jokes about what to do if you teach a heroin addicts.

If you guessed that Sœur Ritter is a heroin addict. You are correct. By the time I realized that time was up so I just spit out a like. I know that the gospel can help you. And then we both started dying of laughter. Now its an inside joke.

So like three highlights from these past 2 weeks  

•this week we had zone conference and Elder Whitton from dunkirk and I decided that the inverse of "Cool Beans" is "Warm Rice"

•we slept over in lille and so when trying to decide where the 6 of us were going to sleep Elder fund and I decided to sleep on the balcony. Then Elder Bunker decided to join us. Long story short. All 6 of us ended up sleeping on a variety of 3 mattresses and Pads from ikea poang chairs.

•while preping our lesson in a park before going to the Routiers. We saw a lady walking her two dogs (nougat and nutella) *note* not on leashes. However. There was one of her pets on a leash. Her possum. The smaller of the two dogs (nougat) and the possum were picking fights with each other. And it honestly was pretty even until nougat realized he wasn't leashed and the possum was and then he bit the possums leash used it as a trebuchet and tossed him across the park.

Bénis Amerique

We spent the forth of July with The Routier's. Fabrice gave us his take on american cuisine. Frozen pizza and then microwave chinese food. It was awesome. But the most amazing part was his prayer. It was just a normal prayer the he said something like this 

"Et aussi bénis amerique, amen" 

"And also bless america. Amen"

It was so funny. I don't know why. Probably just the way it translated in my head. But i was dying.

Well i will end my epistle here. 

As I tell the district, remember who you are and what you stand for, remember who I am, follow the prophet, have some fun, live your best life. Till the next time.

ab
the proper, the elder, really whatever