Week 27 "Happy Valentines Day!"

This week has been really happy.

We had Zone Conference here in Montpellier yesterday. OH WONDERFUL.
Sooo exciting to see the Browns and be with other missionaries. President Brown is now doing personal interviews once a transfer. So I was able to sit down with him this weekend. He gave me great advice to just keep being myself and follow Soeur browns example. I told him my concerns about being worried I would lose my personality on my mission and he said, "Soeur Jones. I don't think you could ever stop being Soeur Jones even if you tried." That gave me comfort and now I am not going to think too hard... I am just going to GO and keep being myself! Woot woot!!

We made President and Soeur Brown Mexican Food Sunday night. We are with the family who the Browns know well.

In conference we focused on the temple. I LOVE THE TEMPLE. During Conference I was able to think of why the temple was important to me and my family. And that made my desire to share it with others so much stronger. President had us look at this photo of a sealing room in the temple. The beautiful crystal chandelier hanging with the simple alter in the middle of the room. And then he had us imagine us knelling across the alter with our sweetheart. Being sealed for time and all eternity. Heaven and earth coming together. And then he had us imagine being separated from our sweetheart. Because the day WILL come when we will be separated and it will not likely be a time when we are
expecting it. And how grateful I felt in that moment that I will be sealed to my sweetheart for eternity. That I will be sealed to my family forever.

The temple is so special and I am grateful I get the special
opportunity to announce to people that the very first French temple is about to open. And that they can go and SEE the temple and go inside for the open house. What a blessing that we can be sealed with our families forever. I absolutely love telling people that. Right after conference, we got on a bus, and I talked to a woman next to me. She told me how she has one daughter about my age and loves her so much. I
told her she is lucky to have a daughter because my Mom is my best friend and we are really close. I then pulled out a photo of the Paris temple and shared with her the knowledge that she could be with her family forever. That she can be sealed in the house of the Lord with her family. I could see it in her eyes and feel it in my heart of the hope that this woman felt. Before I knew it our bus stopped and we both got off and went our separate ways. I gave her our card. Maybe
she will call, maybe not. But I know I gave her something to hope for.

Bézier baptized 4 people this weekend !! They had it at our chapel.

This week my companion and I have both been working hard and getting along a lot better. It still takes just a constant effort on both our parts. Sometimes it means me biting my tongue and just taking a deep breath and choosing not to react to something that I disagree with. Or that bugs me. But I pray and ask Heavenly Father to help me. And I know he is filling me with the pure love of Christ. I am happy. I feel like I am being present more. It is so hard to be present sometimes.

But something that has helped me is writing down what I am grateful for. That makes me realize ALL that I have right now. And all that the Lord has blessed me with. This earth is such an incredible gift. I love looking around at all of Gods incredible creations. Right now, the blossoms are just starting to peak out. I love spring. I love the rain. God created this earth in all its variety and ALL its diversity. Which means he created us in all our diversity too. With all our quirks, strengths, and different personalities.

Visit to cute Soeur Zamori. She serves us Madeleines and apple juice every time.

Funny:
-so people never usually come up to us and talk to us. The one exception is if they need a cigarette or a light for their cigarette. Literally all the time people do that. I was waiting at a tram stop and this girl turns to me and says, "excusez-moi?" And I said,"oui?" Like she was going to ask me about being a missionary. And she went on to ask me if I had a cigarette for her. Oh sighhhhh.
-an Ami (a cute Muslim woman named Sanna who comes to English class) is doing our nails and waxing our eyebrows for Valentine's Day today. So cute, huh??

I love being a missionary. Even with all the stressful, hard moments. I love being being a missionary!

Happy lovers day. I LOVE YOU.

Love, Abby

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