The Sword of Laban

This week was super cool! We had Zone Conference and interviews with President Sorensen, bunch of huge rain storms, and we rearranged the apartment so we have a room completely devoted to drinking herbal tea and chilling. The key to successful days as a missionary are in direct correlation with your ability to start your days on a high note and wind down. This room accomplishes all of those things.

A couple of the funniest things happened this week. During Elder Fund's interview I was talking with Sœur Andreasen and Costa.  They are so funny. Sœur Andreasen writes these really cool gospel topic essays on questions she has. So one of the questions that we discussed and shared thoughts on was the sword of laban. Because that sucker is everywhere in the book of mormon and then pops up in Doctrine and Covenants too. We have now speculated that it essentially the sword of griffindor in the church. Don't act like that wouldn't be the most lit thing on the planet.

We ran into a couple from New Zealand on our way home from Zone conference. it was pretty much the most stereotypical meeting with people from New Zealand. They asked us a train question and I start speaking english at them without a french accent and they ask us what we are doing here. We tell them we are missionaries for the church of Jesus Christ of Lat... he cuts us off "latter day saints. I know your church" in the deep intimidating new zealander accent. Then he changes into this happy jolly Santa Claus voice "we have had some great ALL BLACKS serve missions for the church." Then he gets off the train. I don't think I have ever met someone from New Zealand without them mentioning the all blacks or just rugby in general.

One thing that I loved from zone conference was a thought from Elder Holland's recent talk in the MTC.  When talking about the resurrection he asked us to remember who Mary mistook him for. The Gardener. He then said that this name absolutely applies. He is our gardener. 

He nourishes us with water, gives us the proper soil conditions, ensures that we will receive the necessary amount of sunlight, and picks the weeds of sin from our garden. 

This helps me understand a bit more about the atonement. Its hard to determine the amount of work that we have to do and what's covered by the savior. It all depends on what we plant in our garden. If we plant tomatoes, carrots, lettuce, and all other good things. The gardener will pick the weeds. However when we plant weeds or prevent him from coming and picking the weeds it becomes our responsibility to pick the weeds.  Daily repentance daily weeding.  

The last news is that we got to go to belgium and replenish our belgian sauce and chocolate supply. It was needed. Feeling blessed. 

Frère Bélanger
La Mission Française de Paris