Our house in Genèva
It is crazy being in a different country. Sometimes I think I am still in France and I have to remind myself that I am in Switzerland. They are more similar than Suisse compared to the US, but Suisse is still pretty different than France.
The first thing I thought when I arrived at the train station that
first day is, WOW! Everyone is sooooo classy. I was actually pretty intimidated by the people, to be honest. They are so classy and wear such nice clothes. Fur and chic and cute heels and just wow. People even walk differently here. They walk like they know they are classy and very in style. I look like a hobo compared to people here hahahaha.
Our chapel in Genèva
Genève:
-we live in the basement of the old mission home with 2 other sister missionaries. They are the "spanish" set of missionaries. It is nice being able to be around other girls.
-There are 3 wards here in Genève. Genève Lac (French ward), and then the Spanish speaking ward and the English speaking ward.
Me, Soeur Del Mundo, Soeur Jimenez and Sour Ortiz
Our house is on the left.
-There are people from ALL over here. I contacted 2 people this week on the bus that spoke ONLY Spanish. So I sat there and tried to type words in google translate and then said, me gusta horchata. No haha jk
I didn't really say that but I should have. It is hard because the Spanish and English speakers here are generally more open to talking with us. But then we don't get to teach them. We pass them to the other missionaries. But it's fine. Because it's all the same work!
-Suisse is expensive. I mean EXPENSIVE. I bought a 4-inch by 4-inch salad at the grocery store and it was 10 francs. That is like 11 dollars. Oh man.
-The chocolate aisle is GINORMOUS. Sooooo many different kinds of chocolate. We buy a chocolate bar almost every day. Hahahah. #profitez. And Suisse chocolate really is THAT good. It melts so nicely in your mouth.
-The streets are so clean here I never see any garbage laying out
-Our sector here in Genève is not that big. So I don't really get to go out and see those big Suisse mountains and all that but Geneva itself is nice.
My new mission companion, Soeur Del Mundo from Toronto Canada. She plays field hokey, likes looking girly, is very non-drama and works hard. I love that she doesn't get stressed out. She and I both love chocolate and she loves dinosaurs. We were in the MTC together.
As far as the missionary work goes, we currently have one ami. Her name is "S." She is a young mom and has one baby girl who is about 2. The sisters have been teaching her for a month and she wants to get baptized SO BADLY. She is so grateful that a family here in Geneva introduced her to the gospel cause it has helped her so much.
So many women I have taught on this mission want to be baptized but haven't been able to because their spouse isn't okay with it. This has taught me that there is ALWAYS opposition when there is truth and goodness. I have faith that God knows the desires of each of these amazing women's hearts and that they will be able to be baptized one day.
To be honest, the work this week has been pretty rough. I feel like we are whitewashing this area. (Basically coming into the sector where not much is happening and starting over from scratch). We only have one investigator and a couple less actives we are working with. But I am so determined to change that. I know that if Soeur Delmundo and I follow the spirit and work our very hardest, Heavenly Father will guide us to find people who are ready to hear the gospel. I have been trying so hard to talk to everyone wherever I go about the gospel. We have actually found a few new potentials this week from those efforts.
I don't want to just drag my feet through missionary work and mope around saying, boohoo for me I don't have anyone to teach. As Elder Anderson said, "If you don't have any investigators, don't feel bad for yourself, go find new ones!"
Ruth Muller (My Grandparents, Max & Nancy know her!)
It has been really fun meeting people who know and adore my Grandpa Max and Grandma Nancy. The Pelucchi family ran up to me after Conference yesterday and screamed we love your grandparents!!!! It is just so crazy for me to walk around the chapel and think of my grandparents walking around the same halls a few years ago. People still remember and love you, Nancy & Max. That makes me so happy to be with people who know and love you guys like I do. They are SO LUCKY to have had you here.
The Pelucchis told me, "Everyone LOVED them. They were the best." I am so grateful to be a JONES.
Pelucchi family. This was after general conference. They all ran up to me and hugged me and said "We love the Jones' "The Mom almost started crying while talking about my Grandparents. They said everyone loved them"
I am so very grateful for general conference this weekend. I feel like my perspective was opened up and I was able to take a big breath of fresh air and say... ok, im doing okay. A question that I have had for a very long time was answered in Elder Hallstrom's talk about faith. I realized that it takes faith to have miracles happen. But is ALSO takes faith to trust in God's plan when things DON'T happen.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is real. The Book of Mormon is precious to me. I have been changed and refined through Jesus Christ because he atonement for me. There is nothing more precious to me than my testimony of my Savior Jesus Christ. He has been my loyal companion and friend every step of this mission and I love him with all my heart!
Love, Abby
I found my picture with all the other missionaries!!
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