Hello Everyone!

Of course I have to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, even if I am a day late. I hope that you all had a wonderful time and that you were able to really spend time together and be in this spirit of Christmas. This was a great week and we were able to see some great Christmas miracles in finding some new awesome investigators!

On Monday evening, I must include this because it was pretty awesome, we went to a little hole in the wall Mexican food restaurant where I ate a burrito and, hold your breath, a root beer!!! The Root Beer was 3 euros, ouch, but it was totally worth it, since I hadn't had one in about a year, when I was in Marseille. It was so good and the burrito wasn't quite like Mexican food in Arizona, but it was probably the best to be found here in France!

Tuesday was supposed to start out with a rende-vous but it ended up getting cancelled so we did some contacting and such until the afternoon when we went with the other missionaries and drove to a little village about 40 minutes away where a member from Marseille moved in. That ended up taking a good amount of time and then we went to see Frère Philibeaux and we had a good lesson with him. We then went and did some Street Meeting and then saw Irma and her daughters and had a quick little lesson with them.

Wednesday we had a lesson with Jinane in the morning and tried to help her understand the importance of Christ. We even had a member that was Muslam before but converted. She shared her testimony but the idea of seeing Jesus as the Christ and Redeemer is a huge block for her and she has a very hard time understanding or seeing why his role is important. After we quickly ate lunch, we went and did a "Brochure Flood", in trying to win a competition for the zone. We ended up giving out 75 brochures in one hour and getting several numbers and such. It was really cool and very fun to do, to kind of spice things up a bit. We then hurried to see Becca one last time before she left to go back to the US because she finished her semester here in France. We had a nice message about Noel and then we stayed for English Class. Unfortunately, all of the students have left so no one showed up. We did some contacting and then headed back home.

Thursday was our big Christmas Zone Conference and it was great. We were able to share the Christmas spirit and really enjoy the company of each other and get to be spiritually edified, it was really great. After, we headed to see Eva, a new investigator. We had a great lesson with her. She had so many awesome questions and was really interested by the message. Unfortunately she was leaving the next day for a week and a half on vacation but she has the Book of Mormon to read and she said that she would take the time during vacation to read and pray about it. We then hurried to our meeting with the Ward Mission Leader and then went and saw Irma. We weren't able to share much because there were some members in her apartment from the Ward fixing a broken window. It was great to see the real charity that is in the church.

Friday morning we had a whole bunch of rendez-vous at the institute building so we spent the morning and the beginning of the afternoon there. It started with a lesson with Jinane. She is doing well but seeming to get a little discouraged that she hasn't received any answer yet from God. We tried to explain how that works and that it comes little by little and that he has already shown little things but that maybe she isn't seeing that. We engaged her to read and pray every single day while she is on vacation for the next week and a half so I hope that she will see the impact in her life. Afterwards we had a lesson with a girl named Anna that actually thought we were the Jehovah's Witnesses. We cleared that confusion up and then presented our message. She was very open and willing to do her efforts to find out for herself see everything is true. We then ate a bit, we fixed lunch for the member that helped us with all of these lessons, and then we had a lesson with Wan Qing. It had been awhile since we had been able to see her but we had a good lesson with her about Christmas and the real meaning and importance. We then hurried to make some truffles really fast for the next day before meeting with the other missionary to go to The Kool family's house for dinner and to practice the songs that we were going to sing on Sunday for Sacrament Meeting.

Saturday we did our weekly planning and then passed by Irma to give her some Truffles and then went to meet some other members to sing christmas songs in the center of town. We did that for a few hours and then headed to a lesson that didn't work out but then met the other missionaries to go to the Gerard's house for dinner. We were with a bunch of the young adults that don't have their family here and so it was really nice. The food was delicious and there was SO much. We had snails and foie gras and mussels and lamb and salad and fruit and dessert. It was very much a traditional French meal and it was delicious!

Sunday we woke up and of course opened up our presents. We then went to church and Irma and her daughters were able to come as well. Church was great and the songs that we had to sing ended up turning out well. We then went to the Myulderman's house to eat lunch and afterwards I was stuffed. We then went to the Kool's house to skype our families and then we had dinner after that. Needless to say, I was ridiculously full after all of that!! It was a great day and it was great to be able to talk and "see" some of my family.

I hope that all of you have had a great Christmas and are looking forward 2012 and all the wonderful blessings that that will bring. I love you all and appreciate all of the love and support that I receive from you. Have a great week!

Elder Kirkpatrick

Hello Everyone,

I hope that you all have had a great week this week and continue to feel the wonderful spirit of Christmas. I love you all and want you to know how much I appreciate all of you, honestly. During this Christmas period, I realize how important and how grateful I am for the friends and family that I have and for the love and the support that I receive from all of you.

It has been another good week here in Aix and wow is the temperature really starting to cool down. Things are going well and the work is moving along little by little.
This week we were invited quite a bit to eat with the members and it started Monday evening. It was good and I ate my very first escargot (snail) since I have been in France! It was actually not that bad at all. Yes, it was quite ugly to look at and kind of gross in that aspect, but the taste was actually not that bad. I would probably eat it again if the opportunity presents itself.

On Tuesday we did lots of contacting and talking to people. We met a lot of really nice people and were able to set up some rendez-vous for later. In the evening we had a quick lesson with Erica and Jennifer, and then hurried to go to the other side of the city to have dinner with a family from the ward. The Dad isn't a member but the rest of the family are members. We had a nice lesson and had a nice evening with them.

Wednesday, we had another lesson with Jinane and talked about how she could receive an answer for herself that all of these things are true. It was a great lesson. She still has some questions and confusions but she is progressing. After her, in the afternoon, we went and saw Madame Casale because her husband died last week and she has a lot of physical problems as well, she needed some help around her house so we helped do some things and she had quite a list, so it ended up taking a long time. After, we met the other missionaries to go out to another family's house for dinner. We had a nice time with them and it is always great to see the spirit of Christmas amongst families.

In the morning on Thursday, we had a District Meeting and then we all ate together. We headed to see Frère Philibeaux after and had a nice lesson with him. We then did some contacting and such until our meeting with the Ward Mission Leader and then hurried to see Irma and her daughters because Irma got back from Honduras! She had an awesome time and was so excited to show us pictures of her family and all of the things that she did. It was really great.

Friday started out with a lesson with Jinane. She had a lot of questions about pretty much everything and so we focused on what was more important to know. All of the tiny little details or that Joseph Smith was a prophet, that the Book of Mormon is true, and we found out that a big difficulty that she was having was seeing Jesus Christ as Savior and not just as a prophet. So we spent a lot of time talking about that and how she can know for herself. We went home and ate and then went and passed a few people, and passed an old investigator and she happened to be there. We gave her a spiritual thought and she was very nice but had some very interesting ideas.... like her ability to heal people, the fact that she thinks spirits enter into her body and she doesn't know if what she desires is always her spirit that is desiring it or someone else.... anyway, the things a little weird. After her, we went across the city to go to the church building for a meeting with the young adult counsel and then we stayed for the ward activity. They actually had us, the missionaries, participate in playing a little game show type of thing. Everyone seemed to have a really great time.

Saturday, we played Soccer in the morning with members and investigators and then went in to do our studies. We ended up doing a lot of contacting that day. In the evening, we went and saw Irma again and had a nice lesson with her and her daughters.

Sunday, we went to church and all of the lessons were really good. After church, we had a lesson with a new investigator named Nelson that has met the missionaries a few different times in different countries. He is very nice and open and has lot of questions. We talked a lot about the Book of Mormon and of course engaged him to read and pray about it. He said that he would but he is leaving for Paris for two weeks so we won't be able to see him for awhile. After that, we ended up going to the church to make some cookies really fast for some members that we were going to eat with, but it didn't end up working out so we went home and did our weekly planning.

Voilà, that was our week. Things are going well even when it is just the little things. I hope you all have a wonderful week and of course that you have a Merry Christmas. Don't forget the importance of the Savior in each one of your lives, in whichever place he may hold for you, don't forget his importance and let this season be about a lot more than just the presents and the food, but a spirit of love and giving towards all. I love you all and Joyeux Noël!

Elder Ethan Kirkpatrick

Hello Everyone,

Well Christmas is definitely in the air, it is getting chilly, everyone is hurrying up to do their Christmas shopping and to decorate and everything. But it is also a wonderful opportunity that we have to be together as a family and remember the great gift that Christ gave for each and every one of us. We had another pretty good week here in Aix, and I spent a little bit of time in Avignon as well, which was nice too.

Tuesday we did some good contacting in the morning and then in the afternoon went to institute because Jinane was going to be there. It was a good lesson and she seemed to enjoy it. We then went to see Frère Phillibeaux and he told us that just somehow he knew that we would be coming that day. We had a great lesson with him and it is still so amazing to me to see this man who was inactive during thirty years of his life continue to cultivate his testimony and grow stronger and stronger, it is incredible. We then went and taught Kim, a recent convert who is super strong, and then we were supposed to eat with a family but it got cancelled so we did some pass backs for the evening.

Wednesday we had a lesson with Jinane in the morning and it was a little rough. We didn't exactly have the responses that she wanted and it was obvious that it wasn't the best lesson. Afterwards we were invited by a member to eat at Flunch, a restaurant, and it was very good and we had a nice time. Afterwards we did some porting and then we went and saw the Sinquin family for the last time before they move to Nice. We watched the Joseph Smith movie and it was really great. Unfortunately, we had to leave pretty quick because we met the other missionaries to go practice some songs we are singing for Christmas with a family in the ward and then we ate with them afterward. Lots of eating that day...

Thursday, we did some contacting and actually found someone to teach for that afternoon. We ate and then went and taught her and had a pretty good lesson but she was only going to be in Aix for a few more days before returning to Iran. So it couldn't be much more than a first lesson. We then did some contacting, had a rendez-vous fixed but he didn't show up and then we went and saw Jennifer and Erica and had a pretty good lesson with them as well.

Friday we saw Jinane and cleared up some concerns she had and talked about how much perserverance and diligence is necessary in receiving an answer. The lesson went a lot better, thankfully. We then ate lunch and then I headed to Avignon to be with Elder Bonnett. We had to finish his studies, because he has extra, since he is new, and then we just did some door to door in the evening. It was a good thing because we stumbled into a less active member and was able to fix a rendez-vous with her.

Saturday we went and did some Street Meeting and it was freezing! We met some great people though and I had some really good conversations with people. I realized how much I do enjoy talking and conversing with people. We then came back and ate and did some studies and then stopped by to see one of their investigators before heading back to Aix. In the evening we did a little bit of contacting and then saw Erica and Jennifer and had a good lesson with them. It progresses, very slowly but always a bit.

On Sunday, I had the pleasure of going up to Manosque with Elder Smith. The Branch up there was very nice and church was great. We then taught an eternel investigator and then headed back down. We ate and then we went to the church for the Christmas Devotional by the first presidency. It was a really good meeting focused on the birth of our Savior, it was really great. We then headed in to do our weekly planning that we had missed earlier in the week.

Voilà, that was our week this week. It was pretty busy, which was good. I hope that you all of a great week. I love you all and hope you make this time of year particularly special. Have a great week!

Elder Kirkpatrick

Hello!

Well, it has been another wonderful week here in Aix-en-Provence. We have been able to see some good things happen and it is really starting to feel like the Christmas season, which I love! I hope that all of you are doing well and have had a great week as well.

Last Monday, I didn't really include it in the email from last week but we saw Jinane and we taught the plan of salvation and it went really well. She continues to have amazing questions and it really is going well.

Well I am not really sure that I want to talk about every single day because honestly, not too much happened every single day and so I am just going to talk a little bit about the week in general. We are having a hard time getting new investigators. We can meet people and fix rendez-vous but the people don't always show up or this that and the other but we continue to push along and work towards those miracles. One of these miracles, actually, is Jinane. We saw her several times last week and everytime she comes full of questions and ready to learn and understand. She has such a hunger for what we teach, it is incredible. She came to church this Sunday and it was great. At first, she was a bit nervous because she doesn't like a lot of attention and her being an investigator, of course people are going to give her attention. Then in the Gospel Principles class, our ward mission leader would not stop teaching directly towards her and asking her questions and it really bothered her. After she said she just wanted to go home. I encouraged her to stay and that it would be ok during Sacrament Meeting. She stayed and the testimonies were really good and she even cried during one of the testimonies. I know that she could feel the spirit. Afterwards she was able to talk with members, we gave her a tour of the chapel, and then had a little lesson with her. She expressed some concerns of what her Mom would think if she joined the church and asked about opposition.

Kim, a recent convert was with us, and she bore such a strong testimony about that. In the end I asked her how she has felt since we have been seeing her and she said that it all makes her feel really good. Like a new start, like a brand new year is just ahead of her. That really made me grateful to have been able to help her feel like that. The first lesson we had with her she cried in expressing how she had a lot of doubts because she knew a young girl that died from cancer and that caused her to really question everything. She had really come a long way since then. After church, we walked with her to the bus station, because she lives a ways from Aix, she explained that she had dumped her boyfriend because he wasn't ok that she was seeing us and that if he wasn't ok with that then he wasn't who she thought he was. That really surprised me and showed me how important it must be to her to continue to meet with us. We actually had another lesson with her today and she asked for two Book of Mormons to give to her Grandma and her Aunt when she goes back to Liban for Christmas in a couple weeks, and she is going to be coming to institute tomorrow afternoon. It is so incredible. She has truly been prepared by the Lord and I am simply grateful that I have been able to help him accomplish his work.

Of course there were other good things that happened in the week but that was definitely the most impacting. I love you all, sincerely and I am so grateful for each one of you. This is such a wonderful time of year to reach out to others, to express our love, express our gratitude and simply enjoy the company of our family and our friends. I hope you all have a great week and enjoy your week. We can have good weeks, but we don't always enjoy them and I encourage all of you to enjoy your week. No matter how it goes, there is always something to enjoy. Au revoir!

Elder Kirkpatrick

Hello Everyone,

I hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I certainly did, I probably ate too much, but it was great, I will give you the details a little bit later in the email. We had a pretty good week and we have an awesome new investigator that is great. It has started to get pretty chilly here as I am sure it is doing a bit everywhere. It is nice but now I am going to have to start wearing my warm jacket and my gloves and scarf and such. I am sure everyone is starting to get into the Christmas season and remember what a wonderful time of year it is to help others in a spirit of giving. I absolutely love this time of year.

This week started out pretty good on Monday because we started teaching a new investigator named Jinane on Monday and she is awesome. We had a great first discussion with her and she is full of questions and she is very open.

Tuesday we did some street meeting in the morning and we met a couple of cool people and then even set up a rendez-vous with someone later in the day. After lunch we did some phone calls trying to get back into contact with people the missionaries have already contacted. Afterwards we headed to meet the guy for our lesson and forgot but he headed to where we were going to meet after I called him. We started to head out to a place where we could talk together and about 2 minutes after we start walking he just starts running in the opposite direction but Elder Coenen kept walking so I was kind of stuck in the middle. I yelled at Elder Coenen and by the time I got his attention, the guy was completely out of sight. I am not entirely sure why he left but he said something about appointment with a doctor. In any case, he is a little crazy and actually lives in the hospital. We then did a bit of contacting until going to see Jennifer and Erica. We wanted to regive them all of the lessons because they kind of had them with their mom but not really so we decided to start over basically. So we started with the restoration but didn’t get too far because they really like to talk. But it was still a good lesson.

Wednesday we were supposed to teach our investigator Mehkat but she ended up being super late and then was able to make it and then we had to go to the institute building anyway to meet Jinane, so it didn’t really work out. We started the lesson with Jinane and she had read all of the introductions all the way to the tenth chapter of 1^st Nephi in the Book of Mormon!!! It was so awesome. She had so many questions and so we basically spent the time responding to her questions. It was really awesome. We then ate lunch and did our studies that we missed from the morning and then we went out and did some contacting before seeing the Sinquin Family. We had a good lesson but unfortunately the member who was with us completely took over the lesson. It was so frustrating! We weren’t able to teach what we wanted, but it was ok and the member did bring up some pretty good points. We then, being late, hurried to English class to give a spiritual thought afterwards and then we headed home.

Thursday we did some pass backs in the morning and then ate and saw Frère Phillibeaux. We had a good lesson with him and it is great to see someone even after 30 years of inactivity in the church, because of his work obligations, talk about how he also has a testimony and how much it continues to grow. We then went and did some Street Meeting and then did some phone calls and then went out to see our Ward Mission Leader at his house for our meeting because he was having back problems. We then headed to the eat Thanksgiving at the Gerard’s home. And oh my was it delicious. It was a traditional Thanksgiving: Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, etc. Even down to the pumpkin pie with vanilla ice cream. It was all homemade and so delicious. It was so kind of them to do that. They really put in a lot of work to make some Missionaries feel like they are at home even being far from their family and their country.

Friday morning we saw Jinane again and was able to teach the whole restoration lesson and she had some great questions. She is really hungry to know as much as possible. We then did some contacting until going home to eat and do our weekly planning. After planning we went to do some Street Meeting and met a couple of really cool new students that we should be seeing this week. We headed down for a meeting with the young adults but it got cancelled. So we did some contacting up to meet the Myuldermans for a “thanksgiving” at a restaurant. They decided they wanted to take us out to eat so we had a thanksgiving with traditional French Cuisine. Mmm that was good too. I had an entrée of a little salad with two mini éclairs filled with chevre cheese, a type of goat cheese. Then for the main dish I had boar that had been cooked in a sauce of red wine and chocolate for 6 hours and then I had a dessert that was a crispy wafer with three thick layers of three different types of chocolate on a bed of street cream. It was all absolutely delicious!

Saturday was a rather long day and not too much happened honestly until the end when we had a rendez-vous with Jennifer and Erica. Unfortunately we were a little bummed because they weren’t going to be able to come to church.

Sunday my companion and Elder Smith, from the other companionship, went up to Manosque for church and so Elder Baret and I stayed in Aix. Church was good and we were able to teach one of their investigators and a recent convert after church before the other missionaries came back. We then did some contacting and went to share the Joseph Smith movie with Soeur Chipouka and her kids and it was really great. The spirit was really strong in seeing all of the events of the restoration. We then headed back in to finish off a pretty busy week.

I love you all and sincerely hope that you had a great week in remembering all of the blessings that you have during thanksgiving. We all have reason to give thanks. Have a great week and remember to keep the spirit of thanksgiving and Christmas alive during this wonderful time of year!

Elder Kirkpatrick

Hello,

Well, another transfer, or six weeks, has gone by and I am honestly stunned. I cannot believe how quickly these last six weeks have gone. I have no idea where they went! To add to it, Christmas is basically right around the corner, my last Christmas in France, crazy! I am sure this next transfer will fly by. I hope that you are all doing well and have had a great week as well, getting all prepared for Thanksgiving and everything. Good news, we are invited for "thanksgiving" with a family in the ward and then we are also invited for the night after for a second "thanksgiving." The members are very nice and caring towards our American holiday, and probably because they all like to eat too. Ha!

After emails last Monday, we had a good lesson with the Sinquins, we basically answered their questions and their difficulties that they were having with certain things. It was really good and they understood and the spirit was really there. Afterwards, we went and saw Irma to tell her goodbye before she left on Tuesday to go to Honduras for a month to visit her family who is there.

Tuesday was a pretty long day. In the morning we had a lesson but he didn't show up, so we had a little lesson with the member that was going to help us and then we ate and then did some contacting and then passed Frère Casale who was in the hospital still. We then did some pass-backs, door to door, lots of different things to try and find some new investigators.

Wednesday morning, we wanted to do some street meeting and so we went to go to where we do it often and the other missionaries were already there! We went to another spot, but there wasn't much going on, so we moved to another spot and in about 40 minutes we had three lessons fixed for later. It was awesome! We went in for lunch and then went out and did some contacting before seeing Frère Philibeaux, he had an appointment with his doctor so we gave a little lesson and he asked us to come back the next day. After him, we did some contacting and passing people until English class. Normally, we have at least 6 people but no one showed up! Just as we were about to leave 4 people showed up so we ended up having English Class anyway, thankfully.

Thursday we had a district meeting in the morning and then we all ate together and then we did a little bit of contacting before seeing Frère Philibeaux, and we had a good lesson with him. He talked about how much happier he is since he has come back to church and even all the people that he has been able to share the gospel with in the nursing home that he is at, it was pretty cool. We then did some pass backs before going to our meeting with our Ward Mission Leader and then we tried to pass by the daughters of Irma but they weren't there.

Friday in the morning, we met with a new investigator, Mehkat, which we had contacted a few days before. We had a good lesson with her and then we went back to the apartment to do our weekly planning. After lunch, I headed out to do an exchange in Avignon with Elder Bonnett, the "greeny" or in french we actually say that they are blue. They had some lessons fixed that didn't work out so between that and all the studies that the new missionaries do now, they have added an extra hour of studies for all new missionaries everywhere in the world, we did have much time to do other things.

Saturday I was with Elder Bonnett until about 2, when I headed back to Aix. We ended up doing some contacting, passing by a member, and then had a really good lesson with Irma's daughters. They even said that they would come to church the next day, we were really excited about that.

Sunday, in the morning, Erica, one of Irma's daughters sent us a text saying the couldn't come because someone was passing by the house at 11 and they needed to be there to sign some paperwork but they promised they would be there the next Sunday, and then we fixed a rendez-vous for that evening. Church was good but none of our investigators were able to come. After church, we gave a blessing to Frère Casale and then headed back home to eat. We then passed by a member and had a lesson with them before heading over and seeing Erica, Jennifer and also a friend of Irma. We had a nice discussion and then headed home.

Voilà, that was our week. I want you all to know how much I love you and how much I am grateful for you. With Thanksgiving this week, don't forget to think of all the blessings and all the thanks that we need to be giving. We are truly blessed in this life and I hope that you all see it every single day, not just at thanksgiving. Love you! Au revoir!

Elder Kirkpatrick

Hello,

Wow, it has really started to cool down! My fingernails were blue this morning! Ha! But at least the sun has been shining, so that has been a very nice change from the week before. We had a fairly busy but good week this last week, and I hope that you all have had a good week as well.

On Tuesday, we started out the day doing some street meeting, which I am actually beginning to like a bit more now. We have been able to meet a lot of really nice and interesting people using the street board. After lunch, we went and did some pass backs until we saw Becca and we had a lesson with her. She shared her experiences of being able to share the gospel with some of her friends since she has been here and she has been able to have some great discussions. Afterwards, we did some contacting until we went and saw Irma and had a great lesson with her and her daughters, especially Ericka, who asks great questions and is really searching to understand.

Wednesday was a day full of eating with members because it was the birthday of Elder Claflin in the other companionship and so for lunch we went with a couple members, two being members I knew from when I was in Marseille, and we went and ate at a restaurant called Flunch. We had a nice time and it was great catching up with them. After lunch, we had a rendez-vous but he didn't show up and so we did some contacting and we did some pass backs and such until about six when the other missionaries picked us up to go to the home of the Kool family to have dinner. It was very nice and we had some great spiritual thoughts, because the husband of one of their daughters is not a member and so the other missionaries have been teaching him so we got to have a cool lesson with them.

Thursday was going to be quite a busy day with a lot of rendez-vous but not long into the day, we had a bunch who cancelled. In the morning, we did some contacting, and then after lunch, we did some more street meeting. We then saw Ma Fang and had a pretty good lesson with her. We then tried to see Gerard but he wasn't available so we fixed a rendez-vous for Saturday and so we did some contacting before we went to the church for interviews with President Murdock. They went well and afterwards, we all had an opportunity to give President a blessing for his health, which was a very neat experience. Definitely something unforgettable.

Friday morning we had a Zone Meeting and everybody else had their interviews with President. Afterwards, we went and taught Wan Qing and had an interesting lesson with her. She isn't really too open to her own efforts to know if the Book of Mormon is true and she kind of puts up a wall when we talk about that. We will see how it goes but it wasn't the best lesson. We then went out and did some street meeting again and again met some really great people. Afterwards, we saw Irma and finished talking about the Gospel of Jesus Christ with her and her daughter, it was really a great lesson.

Saturday, there was a baptism for an investigator of the other companionship and so we went, we were supposed to have possibly three investigators there, one was for sure. Unfortunately, none showed up. We then headed home, ate lunch and went to see Franck. Franck had completely forgotten about the lesson and was not home. We went back, doing some contacting and then did some more street meeting, once again being able to talk to some really great people. Hopefully with all of this, we will be able to get some new investigators this next week! We then went and saw Gerard and had a nice goodbye visit, since he is going back to Madagascar until March tomorrow. We again encouraged him to testify to his wife about why he wants to join the church and he agreed. We will see how it goes. We then went out and passed a couple people and did some contacting.

Sunday, we went to church, which was the Primary Program, so it was of course, enjoyable. We then headed in to eat and then went to a rendez-vous with a new investigator named Rodrigo. He is from Mexico and is here for his studies. We had a pretty good lesson with him and he had a ton of questions. Afterwards, we did our weekly planning and then had to go run an errand to the institute building before heading back to finish our planning.

Voilà, that was our week. It was pretty good. This next week we are really trying to focus on finding new people to teach and getting new investigators. We already have some lined up so it should be pretty good. I am looking forward to it. I hope that you are all doing well and know that I love you and am grateful for your support and prayers. Remember always to stay positive even when everything seems to be falling to pieces. Heavenly Father is always there for you and cares for you. I love you all, have a great week!

Elder Kirkpatrick

Hello,

Well this last week it has basically been raining cats and dogs everyday. Or as they say in French, it has been raining ropes. So we have been a bit wet but thankfully it should be clearing up this week and already today has been a lot clearer than it has in the past few days. Even with the rain, we had a pretty good week. I hope that you have all had a great week as well.

Unfortunately, last Monday started out a little sad because Gerard cancelled his baptismal date because his wife did not approve. Of course we are not going to encourage him to do anything contrary to what his wife wants him to do but we told him that when he gets back to Madagascar, next week, to talk with his wife and testify to her why he wants to get baptized. He agreed and said that he would. It was still a bit of a bummer, but it is ok. After that we did some contacting until meeting the other two missionaries in Aix to go with them and a member and her non-member husband to a haunted castle since it was Halloween, don't worry, we had permission. It was the first time I went to a haunted house in a REAL castle, it was incredible. It wasn't really scary, it was more geared towards families with kids and such but just the environment alone was very cool.

Tuesday we started the day by doing some Street Meeting, and we met some great people! It was awesome. We then headed in, and then went back out to pass some old investigators and some less active members. We basically did that and contacting until the evening when we met the other missionaries again and headed to eat dinner and with the Roll family in the ward. We had a nice time and then headed back home.

Wednesday we started the day by doing some more Street Meeting and we met some more people interested. We headed in to eat and then went back out to meet a member and then meet a new investigator that I had contacted the day before. Unfortunately, the member was late and so we were about ten minutes late from when we were supposed to meet the investigator, so either she didn't show up at all or she did but left because we were late. It was a bit of a bummer, but it worked out. We then went and passed several other people and then had a lesson with Gerard. We had a good lesson and then went to institute to get ready for English Class. We had a good English class and then headed in for the evening.

Thursday we had District Meeting in the morning and then we ate and we were going to do some more street meeting but it was raining so we went and passed a few people and we ended up passing an older man that I had contacted the day before. We had a good lesson with him. The poor guy has lost everything in his life and needs the gospel so much, it could help him so much in life. In the evening we went to a meeting with our ward mission leader and then went and saw Franck and talked about the ten commandments and how important it is to come to church.

Friday,we had the normal weekly planning in the morning and in the afternoon we passed a few people and then we saw a less active member who has been making a lot of efforts to come back and then we went and saw Gerard again and had a quick little lesson with him. We were supposed to have a lesson with Wan Quin but she cancelled and so we did some contacting until institute.

On Saturday we were super excited because we had a full day planned with lots of lessons and everything. We did service in the morning and then in the afternoon we went to try and see our new investigator with a member but unfortunately, he was not there. We then went and taught Kim, a recent convert, and then we met a member, Thierry, to go see Franck. We taught the law of Chastity which was a bit of a problem for him. We talked about it and he said, after plenty of explanation, that he understood and that it made sense why it was important. He said that he would keep it, at least for now. We then headed to the other side of town to meet a new investigator that we were really excited about. It ended up being very peculiar. The guy that we met on the street gave us a name, address, and telephone number, when we arrived, all of these things corresponded, except the person. In the end, he said that it was probably one of his friends that did that as a joke. The guy knows the church very well, has family and friends that are members but he himself is not interested, a bit of a bummer. We were going to head out to see Irma when we got a call to meet the other missionaries to go to a members house for dinner. So we went with them out to a members house, where there were some other members, and we had a nice lesson and a meal.

On Sunday, it was raining some more and unfortunately it kept some investigators from coming to church. Church was very good even still and then we stayed for the baptism of the other missionaries. It was an 85 year old lady, it was really great. She actually had to be baptized three times because the first two she didn't get completely submerged, the poor lady. In the end it worked out and was really good. After that, we went with one of the Chinese members to pass two chinese girls that Elder Coenen had met last transfer, they ended up not being interested. We then went and visited our eternal investigator, at the hospital, and then went and visited Irma. At the end of the day we headed back home around nine pretty tired from the week and the rain.

We had a week that was a bit difficult, but it still was good. We still had some good success even if we didn't see the results right away. I hope that you are all doing well and know that I love you all and appreciate all of your support. Have a great week this week and count your many blessings!

Elder Kirkpatrick

Hello Everyone,

Happy Halloween! I hope that everyone is doing well and enjoying Halloween, it isn't as big of a thing here, so enjoy it in the US! I also hope everyone is enjoying the fall weather and just this time of year in general. We had a pretty good week here in Aix-en-Provence, especially with the beautiful

On Tuesday we went and did some door to door and met an awesome girl from Poland and she told us to come back so that we could teach her and her boyfriend later that week. In the afternoon we did some contacting and then went and visited Frère Casale, the investigator since 40 years, he is in the hospital so we went and saw him. We then went and passed a less active member named Natalie. It ended up being a perfect time for her as well because she really needed a blessing. It is true that the Lord really does watch over his children. After that we hurried to meet a new investigator, a brother of a member, but he cancelled at the last minute so we went and stopped by and saw Irma and her two daughters.

Wednesday we were supposed to see Franck in the morning but he ended up standing us up unfortunately, so we went contacting and then headed in for lunch and to finish studies. In the afternoon we went and put up the street board and contacted a whole bunch of people out on the street. We were able to meet some nice people and fix some rendez-vous for later. We then went and saw Gerard and had a great lesson with him about the ten commandments. I doubted at first how much he really understood but he is making good progress. We then went to the institute building for English class. There were quite a few people, and only one who is a member of the church, which made it even better.

Thursday we had a District Meeting in the morning, which was really great. In the afternoon we ended up seeing Frère Casel again to drop something off from his wife and then we did some contacting and such until our lesson with Franck. We had a really great lesson with him and he understood really really well. He is making great progress little by little. He really has the desire, which is awesome to see. Unfortunately he works almost every Sunday, which makes it a little difficult.

Friday, in the morning we had a lesson with Ma Fang, a recent convert. She has been having a lot of struggles to know whether God is truly there or not so we talked a lot about the role of God and Christ and our personal relationships with them. I think it really helped her because the spirit was strong and it was very clear. After our lesson, we went back home and did our weekly planning and had lunch. In the afternoon we saw Wan Quin and she really opened up during the lesson about why she sees us and that she isn't ready for baptism but that she is continuing to learn and search. We then headed to the church where we were meeting Erika and Jennifer, the daughters of Irma, because there was a Halloween party for the young adults. They had a great time and we able to meet other young adults.

Saturday, we once again had a lesson fixed with Franck for the morning but he wasn't home (we actually found out later that he was sleeping). We then headed back in, while doing some contacting and then finished up our morning studies. In the afternoon, we had a rendez-vous with the Polish girl and her boyfriend but they were not there unfortunately and so we headed back into town and ended up seeing Gerard and had a good lesson with him and then went and saw Franck and had a decent lesson with him, not the best.

Sunday was a good day, of course with church. Gerard was there and all of us missionaries had to sing in sacrament meeting with a Soeur. It ended up turning out pretty good. After church, we ate lunch and then we went back to the church to wait for a new investigator, he didn't end up coming but we stayed for the baptism of the Bishop, so we could meet some of his nonmember friends, who were very nice, the Bishop was going to set up a time when we could all meet together. After that, we went to go and pass someone and then we taught Irma and her daughters. Erika had a lot of really good questions. It was really good and a nice way to end the week.

All in all it has been a pretty good week. I know there isn't too much detail this week but there wasn't too much big and exciting that happened. I hope that you are all doing well. I love you all and wish you a great week.

Elder Kirkpatrick

OCT 24

Sorry to keep you all hanging....I moved...again and had no internet for a bit, but we are up and running and here is the letter from Monday Oct 24 that I owe you!

Hello Everyone,

I hope that it has been another wonderful week for you. Fall is definitely here and the weather is cooling down, personally I am already starting to freeze. Hopefully you are all enjoying the weather wherever you are. It is a beautiful time of year. This last week was pretty busy and it went by quite quickly.

The week started out pretty busy because on Tuesday, I had to go out to Avignon to do an exchange with the District Leader, who is actually Elder Nicholes, one of my old companions from Montauban. I was really excited to be able to work with him again for the day, we really got along well when we were together in Montauban. I got to Avignon around 11 so we headed to get a bus pass and then went in and dropped off my stuff and then ate lunch and did a little bit of studies before heading out. We went and did some contacting and then had a lesson with an older couple. They were pretty funny. The old lady kept telling us lots of stories and I was next to her and she kept grabbing my leg and my hand and stuff and at the end she sang a song for us. Haha it wasn't the most spiritual lesson but it was rather humorous. We headed back into town a bit and then took a bus in another direction to do some door to door contacting. We met a lot of people that were very nice but no one was interested. We headed back into town and met and Irish man, that the Elders had fixed a lesson with, and his three friends, one from Canada, Germany and I think England. It was quite a diverse group that was there for studies in Avignon. They had a lot of really good questions and they weren't interested to learn more or to change their way of life in anyway but they were very impressed by what we believe and they way we live. They said that that was not at all what they were expecting. It was really a cool and neat experience. It really shows that if people take the time to get to know us they will find out that we are normal people just like them but that we have a strong faith in God and Jesus Christ.

Wednesday, we did studies in the morning and then passed a recent convert and then did some contacting before heading to the train station. By the time I got back to Aix it was about one so we ate and then went out and did some contacting and such, passed some different investigators until English Class in the evening? We did English class and there were quite a few people that showed up, it was really good.

Thursday we did some contacting in the morning and then went to meet with The Sinquin Family. They are a really nice couple that 2 of the daughters of the wife, are members of the church and she has known the church for a very long time. They are very nice and had some great questions. They know the doctrine very well but don't feel like they have ever had a confirmation that they need to join the church. They hesitate about how their children may react and that it might hurt the already damaged relationships. It is quite complicated. We had a great lesson with them and they really honestly have testimonies that it is true, especially Mrs. Sinquin. Afterwards, they invited us to eat lunch with them, so we stayed and then huried back to the apartment really fast before meeting a member to go see a less active with us. Unfortunately, the less active was not there and so we ended up going to do our language study instead. After that, we headed to see Becca, the American member that is here for studies, and we had a good lesson with her as well. We headed to try and see Gerard but he wasn't home so we went and saw Kim, a recent convert, and we had a nice lesson with her. She is so strong in the gospel, she basically taught us! She is great, and even wants to serve a mission. We then headed in for the evening.

Friday was a pretty big day because Elder Caussé, of the first quorum of the 70, came and visited us. We had a great conference and he really boosted and encouraged us to get more lessons and engage more people to baptize, to help them come unto Christ. We all were pretty pumped up after the meeting. After the meeting, it was a bit of a scramble trying to get missionaries to the train station and everything to get back home. After all of that we headed to the institute building to see Wang Quin and talk with her a bit before institute started. Institute was great and Wang Quin really enjoyed it.

Saturday, in the morning, we went to play soccer and then came back in to shower and do some studies. Afterwards, we went to see the Casels' because he was admitted into the hospital, so we went over to help clean up the house a bit. We then went to go see our investigator Franck and we had a great lesson with him. We engaged him for baptism and he said yes! He was super excited about it too. I think he finally realized why everything he has been taught is important. We then went to see Gerard and he is make great progress as well. Since we taught him about reading and praying everyday, he has been doing it everyday and he said that he noticed a difference. He has more energy and strength during the day. He even talked about tithing and how he could pay it. He really made a ton of progress. We talked about the word of wisdom and he said that he would follow that as well. It really was a great lesson. We then went and saw Irma, another recent convert and we talked about the Plan of Salvation and she remembered everything very well. She is from South America so she speaks French/Spanish so I don't always understand absolutely everything that she says because sometimes it is in Spanish but I get the general idea.

Sunday we had church, which was really good and Gerard stayed for the sacrament this week. We then actually all ate together at church for a ward picnic and then we headed back home and dropped off some stuff and then we went out and passed some people. We headed back in to do our weekly planning that we weren't able to do earlier in the week. We then went out to go see Fernando, a member, and we talked about the importance of the Book of Mormon, and then we headed back home for the night.

We had another good week here in Aix with some great progress with our investigators as they are slowly progressing to understand the importance of God and Christ in their lives; I love you all and hope that you are all doing well. Have a great week and enjoy all the blessings that you have!

Elder Kirkpatrick

Hello Everyone,

Well it has officially been my first week in Aix-en-Provence and in the last couple of days, the weather has really started to cool down! That does make it pretty nice, summer was pretty warm here so the change is well welcomed. It has been a little different getting adjusted to the new city, and new companion, and just getting into the swing of things in a new place. I am happy to be here and excited to see the things that we will be able to accomplish here.

Tuesday we took care of the things we couldn't on Monday, like grocery shopping and emails, etc. and that took the morning and some of the afternoon and then we went and did some contacting before a lesson with Gerard. Gerard has a baptismal date, he is an older man that is French but lives in Madagascar but is here for some medical treatments. We had a good lesson with him, talking about the Plan of Salvation, I wasn't completely sure about his comprehension level because he has a difficult time really retaining things. It was a good lesson none the less. We then tried to pass a recent convert but she wasn't home so we did some contacting before heading home.

Wednesday morning, we did some contacting and passing a couple people. We came in to eat and then went and had a lesson with a girl named Becca that is here to do her studies for a couple months, she is American, fairly recently baptized and doesn't speak too much French. We had a good lesson and then headed to go and take a bus to pass a brother of a member from Montauban. Frère Dieutre right before I left gave me the address of his brother so that I could try and go pass him... well his brother was not at all interested. Ha, I didn't even get the chance to tell him that I know his brother, I kind of had to yell it at him as he was closing the window. Afterwards we went to meet with a new investigator that lives in the same area. He was a young kid of 18 who was curious because he had heard about us from South Park. We had a pretty good lesson with him and answered his questions. He told us how much he truly respected what we do but at this point in his life he is happy with his life and doesn't really have any interest in changing anything and knowing more. It was still a great lesson and the kid said, I will never ever be able to say anything bad about you guys or any other member of the church because I truly respect the way that you live and values that you have. It was really cool. We then came back into town and did some contacting before heading to the institute building for English class. It was a good class and we had about 8 to 10 people who showed up. We then went home for the evening.

Thursday we contacted to the church and then made a list of less active members to pass later and made some calls with some investigators trying to fix some rendez-vous. We then headed in for lunch and started the afternoon on a less active hunt. We passed about four or five but only one was home. We then went and did contacting until seeing Gerard again. We talked about following the prophet and the law of tithing. He understood pretty well and he said that he would obey the commandments. We then hurried to give a blessing to a man that he and his wife have known the missionaries for about 40 years! They both have a lot of medical problems and don't leave the house often. We gave him a blessing and had a nice talk about the importance of faith when receiving blessings. We then hurried to get to church for our meeting with the Ward Mission Leader to talk about missionary work in the ward. After our meeting, we went to see a member that left Aix a while ago but came back again for his studies. He is a bit alone here, because he is from Angola in Africa and his wife and three kids are still there. So we talked a bit and just got to know each other, it was really nice. It is so important that the church is really for strengthening each other.

Friday we had weekly planning in the morning and then after lunch, we did some street meeting, and that dropped the kit back at the apartment to head to the institute building. We had a lesson with a Chinese less active, Ma Fang and talked about sacrifice. We talked about how coming to church was a sacrifice but that we are truly blessed because of it. It was a good lesson and she said that she would be at church on Sunday. Right after we met with Wang Quin, a chinese investigator, and talked about tithing and fasting. We really focused on the importance of fasting to receive answers because at one point she was going to get baptized but it didn't happen. She agreed to fast with us on Sunday and come to church so that she could receive an answer whether baptism was the right thing for her or not. She left and then said she was going to come back for institute later that evening. We stayed and did our language study that we didn't do earlier and then we had a meeting with the institute council, I guess you could call it, and then we stayed for institute and Wang Quin came. I think she really enjoyed it and then she stayed a bit after too but we had to head back home.

Saturday we went to play soccer with some young adults and with some investigators but unfortunately, only three people came and so we just kind of messed around a little bit and then headed back to the apartment. We showered and then went out to contact a bit, came back inside and then did our studies. We went back out, did some contacting and then met Gerard at the church. We were going to watch the Restoration movie but he had a bunch of questions and problems about tithing, we talked about, stressed the importance of having faith, the blessings we will receive. At the end he kind of said that he would follow the commandment but a bit of an I guess, maybe, so I am sure that the discussion will not be over with. We then went back home really quick to eat really fast and then went to do some service for the Casels, the couple that have known the missionaries forever. Because they both have severe medical problems, they accumulate a lot of things, they also really like to save little bits of nothing. So we helped them clean up a bit and organize for awhile before heading back in.

Sunday we left to go meet Wang Quin to go to church together but she didn't come and didn't answer her phone. So we headed to church and Gerard was already there. We had some great lessons and Ma Fang even came too. Unfortunately Gerard noticed a missed call right before sacrament so he left the room to listen to it and then just left without telling us. It was kind of weird. After church we went and taught Frank, another investigator, the word of wisdom and then headed home to take what would be our meal time, but since we were fasting, it was nap time. We then headed out, passed a couple people, stopped by institute to grab a movie and then went to see Irma and her daughters. Irma was recently baptized the beginning of last transfer. She is a super nice lady from Colombia, I think, and so we watched the Joseph movie with her and her daughters. It was really nice and we all felt the spirit of how grateful we are of the sacrifices that all of the early pioneers went through so that we could have the blessings of the gospel today.

Well, that was my first week in Aix. I hope that you are all doing well and having a great week. Always remember to be grateful in life, even if it is for the little things! I love you all. Have a great week.

Elder Kirkpatrick

Hello Everyone,

Well, I know that this is coming in a bit late, sorry. I wasn't able to do emails yesterday because I was in trains all day. I have officially left Montauban and I have gone back to an area quite familiar to me. I am now in Aix-en-Provence. Being in Marseille and Toulon before I spent a lot of time in Aix for zone meetings and a bunch of exchanges but now I am actually here. It is a beautiful area with tons of students and people and it is a beautiful city. I am very happy to be here! Anyway, I kind of spilled the beans of my "big news" right at the beginning, oh well. My final week in Montauban was a good one, we had some new investigators, we were able to see some good progression and I am so grateful to be able to hear the testimony of Auguste and how much it has grown.On Monday of last week, actually before we did our emails and all of that, we had a lesson with a girl Auralee and her friend Michelle, who are both very practicing evangilical but open to learn more. We had a pretty good lesson with them. Auralee was definitely the one that was the most interested but in the end even her friend took a Book of Mormon and said that she would read it after we really testified of the importance and how much it has helped us in our lives. Unfortunately they weren't available again until the next week, so we fixed another rendez-vous for the next week and then we headed out to do our groceries and emails, and all of that preparation day stuff.

Tuesday was a bit of a long day. In the morning we did some contacting and met a really nice pregnant girl and fixed a rendez-vous with her for the next week. After lunch, we tried to go and see Frère Truscello but he wasn't home, but we actually ran into him on the street not too long after and we were able to fix a rendez-vous for the next day. We also tried to see Mirabelle but that didn't work out so we did some more pass backs and such. Until the evening when we went and taught Soeur Korpal and her kids. We used an example with play dough and they seemed to enjoy it. It was a nice little lesson and they understood well.

Wednesday was fairly busy, especailly in the afternoon and evening. In the morning we did some more contacting and passing people. In the afternoon we were supposed to have a rendez-vous with a lady but she cancelled it. We went and passed some people and fixed some rendez-vous with them for later. We then had a rendez-vous with Stephanie. We tried to start the third lesson but she was a little bit all over the place talking about work and her troubles with her boyfriend. We helped her understand that by really having a relationship with God, the other problems can work out and can be more manageable. As always, we talked about prayer and that if she wants a relationship with God, she needs to put forth her efforts. We then headed out to see Frère Truscello and he had a few struggles with things. So we discussed that and he just didn't want to listen. The poor guy doesn't have a strong enough testimony because he hasn't personally looked for one so he is easily pushed around by dumb little things. We encouraged him to really search for his own testimony. We then passed Soeur Hoxy and had a nice quick lesson with her, and she said that she would be at church on Sunday. We then hurried to go and see Simon, who lives on the other side of the city. We had a good lesson with him, and he was able to take some time and watch conference, thankfully.

We had District Meeting in Toulouse and so we headed out there and it was great. We really were so strengthened together as missionaries. Elder Fitch and I hurried back to Montauban so that we could get to the Red Cross, I wanted to go at least one last time to say bye to everyone, just in case I was leaving. After the Red Cross, we changed, did some contacting and passing people and then Frère Dieutre came and picked us up to go to their house for dinner. We had a very nice time with them and we were able to talk about the spritiual experiences that we had at conference the weekend before.

Friday morning at 7:30 we received a phone call from President that I was moving to Aix-en-Provence and that Elder Fitch was receiving a new companion in Montauban, I was a bit surprised to be going back to the same general area where I have served my whole mission but I was also super happy and excited. We did weekly planning in the morning, ate, and then went to help Lise do some more painting at her restaurant. After painting and such, she made us a pizza, so we hurried home and ate it and then we hurried to a meeting with the Branch Council. We even had paint all over our hands and I even had some on my face, we didn't have anytime to try and get it off, they all thought something had happened to us. Ha. It was then late so we headed back in.

Saturday we did some contacting and then went with the Corvisier Family to eat with the Haas', since it would be my last time, she invited me. It was very nice and we had a great time. It is nice to talk to members and see their testimonies in the choices that they make everyday. We headed back to town and went and saw Patrick and talked about General Conference, since he wasn't able to go and then I told him goodbye, of course. We then went and saw Stephanie and talked about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, mainly faith and repentance. She prayed at the end of the lesson again and she said that she would be at church the next day. We then hurried to go and see Soeur Korpal with Soeur Hoxy and we had a nice lesson with them and a bit of a "goodbye". Afterward, we headed home for the evening.

On Sunday it was a little bit sad to leave and tell everybody goodbye but Stephanie came and we had another person come that we contacted awhile ago, and he just showed up, so it was definitely a miracle. During our class for the investigators, we were talking about baptism, and the importance and Auguste bore such a strong testimony to Stephanie. He talked about how much his baptism has changed his life and that he has made a lot of choices and done a lot of things in his life but his decision to be baptized has been the most important decision he has ever made. To hear him say that was probably the most incredible end to my time in Montauban, to hear his testimony so strong about the church. It is like if I am not able to accomplish anything else on my mission, it will be sad and difficult, but that makes up for everything. Every hour of walking, talking, being rejected, days of having nothing to do, his testimony made it all worth it. It was indescribable. After church, Auguste and I said bye and he gave me his hat so that I have something to remember him by. It was very nice of him, but he had already given me so much already with his testimony. I will really miss him. After church we ate with a couple families who were eating after church together, so that was nice and then I hurried home to pack, because I had a lot to do. That evening, Frère Dieutre came and picked us up again and we went to their house for the last time for dinner. We had a wonderful time and then they took us home and we said goodbye.

My time in Montauban, was not easy but in retrospect, I am grateful for the experiences that I had there. There were definitely moments of trials and hardships but many blessings and miracles. My last weekend in Montauban was a good one and I am ready to put my faith and confidence in the Lord to see what he has in store for me here in Aix-en-Provence.

I love you all, take care, never lose your faith and hope.

Elder Kirkpatrick

ETHAN'S NEW ADDRESS IS LISTED TO THE RIGHT, MAKE SURE YOU TAKE NOTE SO HE GETS HIS MAIL!

Hello Everyone,

Well it has been another pretty good week here in Montauban. We did lots of service and of course the end of the week was great with General Conference when we all got to hear from the Prophet and Apostles. I hope, for those of you who did watch it, that you enjoyed it and that you truly felt the truth in what it is that these inspired people taught us. If you haven't been able to watch it yet, I hope you will take the time to do it and to ponder on what they say. I was truly uplifted and inspired by what I was personally taught. Ha, well that was the end of the week, I guess I am going a little backwards.

On Tuesday, we ended up doing some studies and then we had an appointment with a real estate agent to look at an apartment. It was an older apartment, but it was in pretty good shape and it is huge. It has two bed rooms, a living room, a separate kitchen and a big bathroom! It even had this big porch running all along the front with doors from both bedrooms and living room leading out to it. It definitely had a lot of character. It was nice but we decided we would at least keep looking a bit also to see what else there might be. We had a little bit before meeting one of our investigators so we stopped by another agency and saw two more places, but we didn't quite like them as well. We then headed to see Lyse at her pizza shop. She is trying to redo all the painting and such and so we told her we would give her a hand. We started painting the outside and then had some lunch with her, she made us pizza of course, and then we went and finished up outside. We came back home and changed our clothes and then went out and did some contacting. We went and saw Soeur Galtier and then stopped by to see Soeur Hoxy. Soeur Hoxy said that she would go to General Conference that weekend and so we told her that we would help her get a ride to Toulouse. We then headed back into town and did some contacting until we made it back home.

Wednesday morning, we were supposed to go and meet up with Lyse to help her again but she stood us up so we went back in and finished our morning studies ad went out and did some contacting, came back for lunch and then went out for some lessons. We had a lesson fixed with Miriam but it didn't work out so we stopped by to see Françoise and we had a little thought with her. One day she will be more ready for the gospel but at this moment with her work and everything, she is a pretty busy lady. We then headed back into town and had a pretty good lesson with Stephanie. We talked about the last part of the Plan of Salvation, what happens after this life. We ended up having a good talk about baptism and why it was important for her. Unfortunately we had to end it so that she could get to work but she said she would come to General Conference that weekend. We then tried to go back and see Miriam but she told us she didn't have time and so we refixed the lesson. We headed back to the church and met Elder Wahlquist and Elder Pilling from Toulouse, to do an exchange with them. I went with Elder Pilling and drove into Toulouse. It was Elder Turley's birthday, who is serving in Toulouse, so we had a little dinner and cake back at the apartment that night.

Thursday morning we headed out to go teach one of their investigators name Faith, we had a pretty good lesson helping to clarify her questions about The Book of Mormon and then headed back to the apartment and ate lunch. We then did some contacting on the way to another lesson, we met a couple of really cool people (one of them actually came to conference that weekend, which was awesome). We taught their investigator's Sebastien and Marie and had a really good lesson with them about the importance of Jesus Christ. Afterwards, we contacted back to the apartment and then took the car to Montauban. We re-exchanged and I dropped my stuff off and Frère Dieutre came and picked us up to take us to their house for dinner that night. We had a nice time and had a great talk about how we need to spiritually prepare ourselves for conference.

Friday morning, I went and picked up my legality, YAY I am legal for another year in France! Ha We then headed to help Lyse again, doing some more painting, she made us lunch again and then we headed into the apartment and did our weekly planning in the afternoon and then went and taught Stephanie again. We watched a film about Christ and his ministry and really bore strong testimony of the importance of Jesus Christ for each one of us. She understood but she is having a little bit of a hard time really applying it all into her life. We helped her see how much her life has already been improving since she has been seeing us and coming to church and she agreed. She said she would put more efforts in reading and praying. We stopped by Soeur Galtier's house for a little bit, we chatted and then she gave us a bunch of canned vegetables that she has too much of.... so we brought them back and piled them on top of the other 30 cans of Green Beans that we have. It is very nice of her but we just don't really use them.... We headed back out and passed a couple people and met some very nice people, even if they aren't quite ready for the gospel yet.

Saturday morning we went contacting like normal, since there are a bunch of open air markets, the most people are out. We then headed in to eat and then just before going back out we had a call from Elder Wahlquist asking if we were going to Toulouse for Conference that night. We didn't know if we were able to but we found out that we could now, the rules were a little different with our old mission president, so we decided to go. We moved up a rendez-vous to the afternoon and then got ready to go. We had a lesson with Soeur LaRiviere and her son and well kind of her husband, he was sleeping. It was a pretty good lesson and they were doing better than the last time. After the lesson, we hurried and grabbed our things and rushed to the train station. Unfortunately the next train wasn't for an hour and a half but at 6, which was when the session of conference was going to start. So we called the Elders in Toulouse and they graciously came and picked us up. Those spoiled missionaries with a car! So we just barely made it to Conference on time and oh my we were so grateful to be there. It was such a great session and the talks were so good. I was so grateful for the spirit that was there and the talks that were given. We were all also very happy that President Monson mentioned that a temple in Paris was in the works. They are in the middle of working it out with the French Government. Afterward, we headed back to the apartment with the Toulouse Elders and stayed there for the evening.

Sunday we headed to the church building fairly early, the Priesthood session was being retransmitted at eleven. Auguste and Stephanie showed up just in town. Auguste went with us to watch the Priesthood Session and Stephanie went with Soeur Haas to watch a retransmission of the Relief Society Conference. We all got back together at the end and ate together, we had prepared some food for them and then we watched the next session, which also was great! Stephanie really enjoyed it and has really been thinking about baptism. She isn't quite there yet but I don't think it is too far off. Auguste and her left after that session to head back to Montauban and we stayed for the last session at 6. Of course, it was another incredible session and then Jeremie from the Branch of Montauban took us back home. Conference truly was a great way to end the week. It also brought back great memories because my first weekend in france was General Conference and I could not believe that it had already been a year since that point. I am so grateful for the blessings and the things that I have learned in the last year. It truly has been a time of growth and guidance under the Spirit of the Lord. I have seen so many miracles and I know that the Lord has been watching over me.

I hope that you all have enjoyed your week and that you will have a great week next week as well. Enjoy life!

Elder Kirkpatrick