Hey everyone,
Wow, they clock is definitely ticking, my days are numbered.... I have become "Grandpa" as the members in my District call me.... Ha! I definitely have to make the best of the little bit of time left. I hope that you are all doing well and that you have been staying busy this summer, and not melting too much in the heat. We had a rather busy week this week but it was good.
We had a couple lessons on Monday with Christophe, a less active, and Madame Desclos, finally, before going to pick up Elder James who was coming from Switzerland, so he had a long voyage! Poor Guy.
Wednesday was a pretty busy day. We had the Johnstons come in the morning to come and inspect our apartment and then they so graciously took us to KFC afterwards... it was very nice of them. They truly spoil us! We then had a lesson with Caroline about the Law of Chastity. She is seriously one of the easiest people to teach. It took about 15 minutes and she understand and already followed it anyway, just like the Word of Wisdom! We then made some calls and such and then went and saw Clenilson. The Brazilian neighbor of Soeur Guth and had a pretty good lesson with him. Thank goodness for church DVDs in portugese! We then went and visited Soeur Ousdale and her kids and had a wonderful lesson with them! I truly love that family, I hope that they will be able to become active in the church again.... they are just so wonderful. We also got the news that Caroline was moving to Pau earlier than expected and that we weren't going to be able to finish teaching her, which was a bummer but we still planned on going for her baptism.
Thursday was a bit of a long day because almost everything that was planned didn't work out! We did some passing in the morning and in the afternoon we wanted to see Dominiqe but we couldn't get ahold of her, then we went to our lesson with Madame Itois and she wasn't there. So we did contacting and passbacks and etc until seeing Maria and Ramond, who are always there. ha! We then went to try and see Soeur Solé but she wasn't there but two of the kids were so we were able to have a really good discussion with them which was beneficial.
Friday we had a lesson set up that didn't work out, so we did some passbacks and then in the afternoon we had our missionary meeting. We then had Felix, the less active and we finally were able to see him again! We had a great lesson with him, I truly pray that things will start going a bit better for him. We then saw Dominique and had a pretty good lesson with her. She is really doing quite well and preparing well for her baptism. We then went in for the evening to do our weekly planning.
Saturday we had English class in the morning and then went and saw Clenilson in the afternoon and had a great lesson where his roommate participated for the first time and we found out that he is super believing but has had some struggles lately but we feel like there is so much potential with him!! We then did some contacting and stuff and then did some door to door in the evening and met this great older lady that let us in and was super nice, we had an awesome lesson with her. Who knows what will happen but she was really great.
Sunday was church and Caroline surprised us by being there. Apparently her electricity won't be turned on until Wednesday so she isn't going officially until Thursday so that way we can finish to teach her which we are excited about. And the baptisms for Dominique and Caroline were announced! Exciting!! We then had a big ward meal afterwards and it was great for the investigator to be well integrated with everyone. We then went and saw Frère Vierat and his kids and then in the evening we ate with an American Family that is here for a couple months for work, they are super nice! We even met their neighbors to eat with us! You have to love Americans doing missionary work! Ha! It was a great evening.
It was such a great week and this one promises to be one as well with two baptisms! We are so excited! I love you all and am so grateful for you! I love you and well see you soon! :)
Elder Kirkpatrick
Monday, June 25, 2012
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Hello Everyone,
I hope that you are all doing well. I know that this letter is a day late but we had a little change yesterday. I am still in Bayonne and so is my companion, but we actually have a third companion now! Crazy, right? It will be an interesting few weeks but it will be good. We had a very busy week this last week but it was a good one. Unfortunately, I forgot my old planner at the apartment so I don't remember exactly what happened but I will give you a quick run down.
Stephan, who was supposed to get baptised ended up going to the hospital for a bit. It is nothing too serious but he needed to go so it will be good for him and then when he comes back we will see about fixing another date. Dominique changed her baptismal date for the 30th but she is getting rather excited for it and she continues to progress. Caroline is rock solid and incredible! She is getting baptised on the 30th and she is definitely ready! She finished the Book of Mormon and she told us that she knows that it is true!! She mentioned how she was sad to finish it already but how she just wants to keep reading it to continue to learn and progress, she is incredible. She is such an example of feasting on the words of Christ. The bad news is that she is moving to Pau right after her baptism because she found work, which is a good thing, but Bayonne will be losing such a strong and converted member. Wherever she is, she will be a strength for those around her.
We also found a new investigator named Madame Itoiz, who is pretty cool but we will see how ready she really is for the gospel but you never know. So that is kind of a quick run down on the week. Sorry, not too in depth but I hit the major points and the most interesting as well.
I hope that everyone is doing well. I love you all and am so grateful for you. I am rounding around that last bend and it is so absolutely surreal. Thank you for your support in these last two years and I will be seeing you all shortly. I still have about 5 and a half weeks left so as they say, "I'm not dead yet!" Ha! Have a great week and hope to hear from you soon!!
Elder Kirkpatrick
I hope that you are all doing well. I know that this letter is a day late but we had a little change yesterday. I am still in Bayonne and so is my companion, but we actually have a third companion now! Crazy, right? It will be an interesting few weeks but it will be good. We had a very busy week this last week but it was a good one. Unfortunately, I forgot my old planner at the apartment so I don't remember exactly what happened but I will give you a quick run down.
Stephan, who was supposed to get baptised ended up going to the hospital for a bit. It is nothing too serious but he needed to go so it will be good for him and then when he comes back we will see about fixing another date. Dominique changed her baptismal date for the 30th but she is getting rather excited for it and she continues to progress. Caroline is rock solid and incredible! She is getting baptised on the 30th and she is definitely ready! She finished the Book of Mormon and she told us that she knows that it is true!! She mentioned how she was sad to finish it already but how she just wants to keep reading it to continue to learn and progress, she is incredible. She is such an example of feasting on the words of Christ. The bad news is that she is moving to Pau right after her baptism because she found work, which is a good thing, but Bayonne will be losing such a strong and converted member. Wherever she is, she will be a strength for those around her.
We also found a new investigator named Madame Itoiz, who is pretty cool but we will see how ready she really is for the gospel but you never know. So that is kind of a quick run down on the week. Sorry, not too in depth but I hit the major points and the most interesting as well.
I hope that everyone is doing well. I love you all and am so grateful for you. I am rounding around that last bend and it is so absolutely surreal. Thank you for your support in these last two years and I will be seeing you all shortly. I still have about 5 and a half weeks left so as they say, "I'm not dead yet!" Ha! Have a great week and hope to hear from you soon!!
Elder Kirkpatrick
Monday, June 11, 2012
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| This picture was taken at Lourdes a very famous catholic church. Ethan says he has some Holy water from there but won't drink it as it has caused stomach issues with some people. Ethan said it was very cool. They went as a District so these are missionaries in his District. |
Once again, rain seems to just not want to leave for an extended period of time. It has started back up again. I have a feeling that it will be like this until the end. AT least it is better to have that than to be dying of heat like last year in Montauban... We had a crazy busy week and things are definitely progressing with our investigators. And our three people engaged for baptism!!
So last Monday we had an incredible lesson with Caroline, the girl that I said last week has a baptismal date. She is actually the sister of a recent convert from Pau that brought her to church about three weeks ago. We tried to set up a lesson with her then but she didn't want to and preferred to come to church the next week. We weren't sure that she would come but she was there and she loved it. We were able to set something up for the next day and she had already read at least one fourth of the Book of Mormon. She absolutely loves it and she has already had some wonderful spiritual experiences. It is incredible! So naturally she is so ready for the gospel and we fixed a baptismal date with her for the 30th of June.
On Tuesday we headed up to Bordeaux for a Zone Conference and it was so good!! We learned so much but it was also very sad because it was the very last Zone Conference with President and Sister Murdock and probably the last time that we will see them. They will be leaving in a few weeks. We are going to miss them terribly. I really have come to love them so much. That lasted the entire day and then we headed to Bayonne and ran over to the church for the last little bit of the family home evening before heading home.
Wednesday we had quite a day planned out and full of lessons. In the morning we visited the Koné family and then we ate lunch with the Millers, which was very kind of them. In the afternoon we were supposed to have two lessons with less actives but they ended up falling through at the last minute, so we ported and found some people for a few days later. In the evening we had a lesson with Stephan and Soeur Guth and it went pretty well, not exactly as we planned but it was alright. He is still progressing little by little.
Thursday we did some contacting and passing in the morning and then ate and made some calls. We then went and saw Dominique in the afternoon and had a good lesson with her about how important baptismal covenants are to keep and that it is truly only the beginng, she understood well and is making a lot more head way than before. We then headed out to Biarritz to see Maria and Ramond and had a good lesson with them. She wants to be baptized but they aren't married so it makes things difficult. I am not sure if I told you but Ramond is 91 and so it is almost like some people are waiting for him to kick the bucket so that she can be baptized.... it is kind of sad but the truth. We then headed to eat dinner with the Solé family and had a nice evening with them. They aren't active anymore and it is sad to see how that has changed their lives even though they can't fully see it. One day they will, I am sure.
Friday we had a lesson in the morning that didn't work out so we went scoping for some places to do door to door later at a better moment during the day and then we went to eat and then had our missionary meeting. We then had a lesson with a student named Quentin and we had a good lesson but he just was curious but not wanting to really do anything. He isn't believing and happy with that, so there isn't too much more to do there for the moment. We then had a lesson get cancelled and did a little door to door and then decided to go in to do our weekly planning since we wouldn't really have time to do it later, so we finished the evening with that.
Saturday was a busy day but a tiring one. In the morning we went and saw Caroline at the church and had an awesome lesson with her! We then ate and then headed out to a lesson with a new guy that is Brazilian named Clenilson. It was a pretty good lesson and there was definitely a language barrier but we hope that he at least kind of understood. We then did some pass backs and then saw Dominique. At this time, we were getting rather tired but had a decent lesson with her even still. We then headed out to go see the Vierat family and had a lesson with them before heading home for the evening.
Sunday was a special Stake Conference but it was the Broadcast from Salt Lake and it was really good. The talks were awesome. We had three investigators there and they seemed to really enjoy it. We then headed home and ate and then went out and passed some people and then headed to Biarritz to see Maria. We then went to visit the Ousdale family and had a really good lesson with them. Soeur Ousdale gave an incredible testimony that she has about the Book of Momorn. I was really touched by it. We then headed home.
Voilà, that was our week. It was rather busy and this week seems like it will always be rather busy. I hope that you are all doing well. I love you and wish you all the best. I am so grateful for this opportunity that I have to serve in France and share the gospel. These are experiences that I will never forget. Thank you for all of your love and support and that you have given me but that you will always continue to give me with the short amount of time that I have left. Have a great week and talk to you soon!!
Elder Kirkpatrick
Monday, June 4, 2012
Hey!
Wow, what a week!! This has been such a great week with so many good things that have happened. It has seemed to pick up a bit. I hope that all of you have been doing well as well and that you have had a great week.
On Monday, I must admit, my companion and I were tired and worn out and a little bit down but the Lord blessed us with what we needed and we found 4 potential investigators that are all pretty awesome. So that was definitely a small miracle.
On Tuesday we did some contacting in the morning and then we did some calls and pass backs and so forth in the afternoon. In the evening we saw the Ousdale Family and had a nice lesson with them. We are truly trying to do our best to help them because they are such a great family. We then went to our Family Home Evening at the church that Elder Willett did. He did a good job and Dominique was able to come and a few members were there as well.
Wednesday in the morning we went and visited Soeur Koné as usual and then went in to eat. We then had to make a dessert for District Meeting the next day and then we headed out to Biarritz. We visited Maria and Ramond and they are doing well. Still the same for the most part. We then decided to pass and visit the Solé Family because it had been so long since we had been able to see them so we decided we should just stop in because setting stuff up doesn't always seem to work out. Ha! They happened to be there! We had a really good lesson with them and they kindly invited us over to eat with them for the next week.... YAY! Ha By the time we got out of their house it was time to head back into Bayonne on the bus.
Thursday we had our District Meeting in the morning in Pau and the Zone Leaders came so that I could do my exchange with them. So after the meeting we headed back to Bayonne but unfortunately the first way to get back was on a bus so we didn't get home until 4:30! Oh, while we were preparing lunch after District Meeting, I received a phone call from our investigator Stephane saying that he made his decision and that he wants to be baptized! That was definitely good news. We set up a lesson for right after we got back to Bayonne to go over the logistics. So we went to directly to the church to see him after we got back. We have a good lesson with him and fixed a baptismal date for the 16 of June. He has had most of the lessons and has been to church a ton so it won't take too long to get him prepared. He felt good about that and so we are working towards that date. We then went and had a lesson with Dominique and the Miller Family. We had a good lesson and she is making progress. We gave her a chapter to read in the Book of Mormon to discuss for the next time. We then went home for the evening.
Friday morning we got up very early to head up to Bordeaux to finish the exchange and to head back to Bayonne. The train takes two hours each way so we spent a lot of time travelling. It was the entire morning in fact. We then went directly to our missionary meeting and then we headed out to a lesson with Patrice, which was pretty good, even though his friend wasn't able to come this time. We then tried to pass someone and by the time we got home to eat our "lunch" it was 5! After that we went and did some door to door in an area that we had found and we met a nice young guy that is really nice. He doesn't really believe in God but he was interested in discussing another time so we were able to set up a lesson with him for the next week. We then headed back into town and did a little bit of contacting on the way back home.
Saturday was a fairly busy day. In the morning we had English class and then in the afternoon we did our weekly planning that we weren't able to do the day before. And then we had a lesson with Dominique and there was totally a miracle that happened!! She understood so well the entire chapter that we gave her. It was like all of a sudden everything made sense for her. It was great! It was so great that we felt like it was the moment to engage her for baptism and even again a miracle, she accepted and really wants to! Her date is for the 23rd of June, the week after Stephane. It was great and she said that she would definitely be at church the next day. We then went and had a lesson with a new investigator named Ben from Germany. We had a really good lesson with him, he definitely has different beliefs but we will see where it goes.
Sunday was another great day. We had 10 non members at church. The Lithuanion sister brought 6 friends, Dominique was there, Blaise was there and then the sister of the recent convert from Pau was there again but with her mom this time!! It was incredible! We were in a frenzy after church trying to set stuff up with people to be able to see them. After church, we didn't get home until rather late, we ate and rested a little and then headed out to pass by some members to wish them a happy Mother's Day since it was Mother's Day in France yesterday. We then headed back and decided to stop by the Ousdale Families house before going in since they weren't at church. We had a nice impromptu lesson with them to end of the week well.
It was such a crazy week and this week promises to be a great one as well! It started off awesome, we had our first lesson with the sister of the recent convert from Pau, her name is Caroline, and she agreed to baptism! She is super Golden.
I hope that you are all doing well and know that I love you! I hope that you all have a great week!! I hope to hear from you soon!
Elder Kirkpatrick
Wow, what a week!! This has been such a great week with so many good things that have happened. It has seemed to pick up a bit. I hope that all of you have been doing well as well and that you have had a great week.
On Monday, I must admit, my companion and I were tired and worn out and a little bit down but the Lord blessed us with what we needed and we found 4 potential investigators that are all pretty awesome. So that was definitely a small miracle.
On Tuesday we did some contacting in the morning and then we did some calls and pass backs and so forth in the afternoon. In the evening we saw the Ousdale Family and had a nice lesson with them. We are truly trying to do our best to help them because they are such a great family. We then went to our Family Home Evening at the church that Elder Willett did. He did a good job and Dominique was able to come and a few members were there as well.
Wednesday in the morning we went and visited Soeur Koné as usual and then went in to eat. We then had to make a dessert for District Meeting the next day and then we headed out to Biarritz. We visited Maria and Ramond and they are doing well. Still the same for the most part. We then decided to pass and visit the Solé Family because it had been so long since we had been able to see them so we decided we should just stop in because setting stuff up doesn't always seem to work out. Ha! They happened to be there! We had a really good lesson with them and they kindly invited us over to eat with them for the next week.... YAY! Ha By the time we got out of their house it was time to head back into Bayonne on the bus.
Thursday we had our District Meeting in the morning in Pau and the Zone Leaders came so that I could do my exchange with them. So after the meeting we headed back to Bayonne but unfortunately the first way to get back was on a bus so we didn't get home until 4:30! Oh, while we were preparing lunch after District Meeting, I received a phone call from our investigator Stephane saying that he made his decision and that he wants to be baptized! That was definitely good news. We set up a lesson for right after we got back to Bayonne to go over the logistics. So we went to directly to the church to see him after we got back. We have a good lesson with him and fixed a baptismal date for the 16 of June. He has had most of the lessons and has been to church a ton so it won't take too long to get him prepared. He felt good about that and so we are working towards that date. We then went and had a lesson with Dominique and the Miller Family. We had a good lesson and she is making progress. We gave her a chapter to read in the Book of Mormon to discuss for the next time. We then went home for the evening.
Friday morning we got up very early to head up to Bordeaux to finish the exchange and to head back to Bayonne. The train takes two hours each way so we spent a lot of time travelling. It was the entire morning in fact. We then went directly to our missionary meeting and then we headed out to a lesson with Patrice, which was pretty good, even though his friend wasn't able to come this time. We then tried to pass someone and by the time we got home to eat our "lunch" it was 5! After that we went and did some door to door in an area that we had found and we met a nice young guy that is really nice. He doesn't really believe in God but he was interested in discussing another time so we were able to set up a lesson with him for the next week. We then headed back into town and did a little bit of contacting on the way back home.
Saturday was a fairly busy day. In the morning we had English class and then in the afternoon we did our weekly planning that we weren't able to do the day before. And then we had a lesson with Dominique and there was totally a miracle that happened!! She understood so well the entire chapter that we gave her. It was like all of a sudden everything made sense for her. It was great! It was so great that we felt like it was the moment to engage her for baptism and even again a miracle, she accepted and really wants to! Her date is for the 23rd of June, the week after Stephane. It was great and she said that she would definitely be at church the next day. We then went and had a lesson with a new investigator named Ben from Germany. We had a really good lesson with him, he definitely has different beliefs but we will see where it goes.
Sunday was another great day. We had 10 non members at church. The Lithuanion sister brought 6 friends, Dominique was there, Blaise was there and then the sister of the recent convert from Pau was there again but with her mom this time!! It was incredible! We were in a frenzy after church trying to set stuff up with people to be able to see them. After church, we didn't get home until rather late, we ate and rested a little and then headed out to pass by some members to wish them a happy Mother's Day since it was Mother's Day in France yesterday. We then headed back and decided to stop by the Ousdale Families house before going in since they weren't at church. We had a nice impromptu lesson with them to end of the week well.
It was such a crazy week and this week promises to be a great one as well! It started off awesome, we had our first lesson with the sister of the recent convert from Pau, her name is Caroline, and she agreed to baptism! She is super Golden.
I hope that you are all doing well and know that I love you! I hope that you all have a great week!! I hope to hear from you soon!
Elder Kirkpatrick
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