Transfer 11?..."Ba-Di-Donk!" Transfer calls came! Soeur George and I will be staying together here in Versailles! Which is pretty crazy because it is the first time I have stayed with the same companion for more than one transfer since the very beginning of my mission...4 areas, 10 companions, 11 transfers! Let's goooo! Emelie and the Bendios- a Skype Backup Plan:
The Bendio's (an adorable mission office couple) came to teach with us after having a very rough day. It was the first opportunity they have had to teach with the missionaries since they arrived in France, so they were very excited. They told us that our call to teach with us was the best thing that had happened to them all day. Well...after being stood up by our investigators, we quickly put our heads together to come up with a back up plan to save the day before everyone's spirits sunk too low. However, it was too late to do contacting or passby's. After a few prayers, we got a little spontaneous and tried calling one of our investigators by skype to see if she was available for a lesson. Lucky for us, she was!! We ended up having a lovely Skype lesson that night with Emelie and the Bendio's. The Simple Skirt: A woman got on the train and my companion complimented her outfit. Her response?... "Yeah... well, I can tell you're a sister because your skirt is just... simple." Then she got up, and left. Hahahaha. I don't know why I got such a good laugh out of that, but I laughed for the rest of the train ride! Those darn H&M pencil skirts are making us look like nuns, Hahahaha. The Book Club: Sometimes, contacting is hard... especially when you have been doing it for 6-8 hours straight. You begin to run out of things to say to people! We split up on the train for one last contact of the night... and I wanted to try something new. Instead of looking for the people who were "ready to chat" (i.e. no earphones, no instagram/facebook, no friends to chat with, no books, etc.) I was going to seek out the most distracted group on the train, and join them! It didn't take long before I spotted my prey. There, sitting in a circle, were three grown women engulfed in their romance novels. I took a seat in the middle of them, and graciously whipped out mine (Le Livre De Mormon). As I began studying it's pages, the surrounding eyes began to pry themselves from their own novels, to inspect the strange nature of the book by which I was so captivated. One of the woman boldly struck up a conversation with me. We talked for the next 30 minutes before I had to get off the train. Although she wasn't interested or believing in God, as I stood up to leave, she smiled at me and said, "You know...It is because of that book, that you are so intelligent." Even though she wasn't ready at that moment, I have a strong feeling she is going to come around :). The burping man: Have you ever tried to focus in a contact while an old man is burping in your ear the ENTIRE bus ride home? Praying to find a bathroom... finding the celestial kingdom. Over the past 15 months, I have found myself praying for some pretty strange things. Though, I believe one of my strangest invocations was made this week and went something along the lines of... "Father, I know free public bathrooms don't exist in France... but I am broke and moments away from wetting my skirt...please provide." Within moments, my companion and I found ourselves being led into a FREE and spotless public bathroom, with shiny toilettes, hand dryers, drinking fountains (never seen in France), classical music, free lotion AND shoe polishers... it truly was a celestial bathroom. Miracles happen...and public bathrooms exist... EVEN IN FRANCE!! The French Philosopher Man. Sometimes spiritual promptings come when you least expect them. Like when you're on an empty bus in the middle of nowhere and the spirit tells you to get off. So we got off the bus, only to find that we had just gotten off of the very last bus that would pass anywhere near that area for the rest of the night...Hahahaha. Then of course it started raining--you know, just for dramatic effect ;). After a few minutes of standing in the cold rain and laughing at the irony of the entire situation, a French Philosopher man named Stephan came running to catch the bus (which he missed). After making a few upset phone calls to the bus stations, he accepted the fact that he was going to have to walk to the nearest station, which was about an hours walk from where we were. As he turned to leave he looked at us and said, "Are you going to accompany me? Time will pass faster in conversation." So we followed him all they way to the station and talked about the church the ENTIRE way!!! :D I have never been so happy to be so cold and wet hahaha. It gets even better... once we got to the station, we took the same train for another 45 minutes together...then he took our card...THEN he texted us to fix another rendezvous!! (Almost never happens). Then, the best part of all... we ran into him again the next day! IN PARIS!!! What are the odds!?! We were (and still are) extremely excited. More Trajet (transportation) Contacting. We met a woman named Iris and we began talking about the Bible on the train. After having talked with her for a while, we exchanged numbers and she got off the train. Immediately after she left, the man who had been sitting across from us, asked permission to slide into her seat and continue the conversation he had just overheard. Nadine was born into a Muslim family but has never been practicing. Instead, he has spent many years trying to understand the Bible and attend Catholic Mass. He asked if we were here to help people understand the Bible. We told him of course. Then we presented him a Book of Mormon and talked about how it and the Bible support each other. He very gladly accepted it, gave us his number, and fixed a rendezvous with us for the coming week. A Day in the MTC. Soeur George and I were invited to help with a "future" missionary training day in Paris. We spent the entire day practice teaching and interacting with all the youth who are preparing to serve missions. It was a blast being able to see and talk to so many of the youth from the Angers Ward (my first area). Although strange because they all suddenly have a whole lot more personality now that I actually understand French, hahaha. My Muslim Doppelgänger. This woman and her husband were sitting across from me in the train and they were staring at me as if I were a ghost. They talked about me in Arabic for about 5 minutes while staring me straight in the eyes before I finally got uncomfortable enough to say laughing.."Quoiiiiiii?!" (What). They began laughing as soon as they realized how uncomfortable I was. Then they started reciting a part of the Koran to me that talks about doppelgängers. Apparently my doppelgänger is a Muslim woman who lives in Morocco. They seriously couldn't believe their eyes when they saw me!! They didn't stop talking about how weird it was the entire time I was on the train, about 45 minutes hahaha. I must REALLY look like her! Lol. Well, the rest of this week's stories just might have to wait until next week, this email is getting pretty lengthy. Gros bisous à tous! Je vous embrasse, Sœur T. Wyson
1 Comment
Beverely Telford
1/21/2017 02:29:53 pm
I loved this email as usual but this one made me laugh all through it. Thank you!!
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Tracie WysonI feel very honored to have had the opportunity to serve as a full-time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the France, Paris Mission. Archives
April 2017
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