Time really is starting to fly here! I must say that the
first couple weeks seemed to move in slow motion at times, but I'm
starting to get into the swing of things, and I know every single person in my
town! Just kidding, I haven't gotten to that point yet, but I'm sure it won’t
be too long before I do!
The work and life here in Villeneuve D'Ascq is great, as
always. I may or may not have slightly split/chipped a part of my front tooth
on a rock-hard baguette, but have no fear … nothing stops the work! Haha,
really, it's hardly noticeable and I am going into the dentist soon to make
sure everything's fine. As long as it doesn't rot or fall out, making me be a “toothless
Joe” for the rest of my life, I should be fine, haha!
This past week was a little crazy and definitely had its ups
and downs, but even during this crazy roller coaster I seem to be on, I always
try to look up and remember why I'm out here. Whenever I think something's
hard, or I'm too tired, I remind myself that I'm not out here in the middle of
Europe to relax, eat some French cheese and lay out in the sun. I'm here
to WORK! I'm here to serve others and help them find happiness in their lives.
Just the same though, I must say, I have already had some of the best
experiences of my life out here!
The other day we were teaching one of our "ami's",
Mehdi, (he is 12 with a baptismal date on May 12th) a
lesson on the law of tithing, The commandment to tithe has biblical roots … God
has commanded that, as our lives are blessed by Him, that members of our church
pay back 10% of our income/increase – to help build His kingdom here on Earth.
As my companion was explaining why we pay our tithing, I looked down at the
carpet and saw their family's orange striped cat crawling onto Soeur Evan's
open purse. All of a sudden, I see its back arch and it started "meowing".
It just lurked around and stopped to randomly hover over this bag. I started
staring at it, trying to figure out what it was doing, when it just scurried off,
leaving a wet trail. That dang feline had just PEED in my companion’s purse!!!
Bahaha!! I didn't want to disrupt the lesson, so I did my best to control my
laughter, but then Mehdi noticed what had happened and pointed it out to my
companion. She was shocked and completely grossed out as she peered into her
purse that was now soiled with cat urine. His parents came into the room and were
so embarrassed and tried to clean it up and it just reeked! I was DYINGGGGGG ...
it has to be the funniest thing I have ever seen. I had to keep telling her
that this was a CLASSIC mission story, and that she should just laugh about
it. It was so funny; I wish I could tell that story happening to me! Nope,
I take that back.
In personal study the other day, I was reading in The Bible and
came across the verse in Luke 4:18 that says, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to
preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken hearted; to
preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of the sight to the blind,
to set at liberty them that are bruised."
It made me think of the many people I have met here in
Villeneuve D'Ascq and the trials they have had to pass through or are currently
struggling with. It made me think of the sweet Streikovich family and their
desire to follow Christ. The father currently doesn't have a job - but he has
faith like Job from the Bible! He told us that one night he was sick and he
stayed up all night praying. They are so poor - they are a gypsy family from
Romania and live in a shack, covered with drapes like a circus tent amongst
other trailers. The seven children in their family are always covered in dirt,
with dark hair and dark eyes … but their smiles shine brighter than the sun.
Sofia is 15 and I invited her to be baptized last week! She has a date set for
May 25th and she also told us that she wants to serve a mission like
us one day. I almost cried tears of joy when I heard that! All of the little
girls think I have "princess" hair, haha, probably because its long
and blonde, and very different than theirs. Sofia's story reminds me of a talk
from the General Young Women’s broadcast, "When You Save a Girl, You Save
a Generation”, because it’s so true! When we teach a lesson, children from all
over the gypsy run over in their bare feet to hear us teach of Christ. They sit
at our feet and listen intently as we teach them how they are children of God
and that our Heavenly Father knows each one of them by name. My eyes well up
with tears as they tell me they know what we are saying is true, and that they
will read their scriptures that night. After a good lesson, we usually go out
in front of their home and kick the muddy, deflated soccer ball around, playing
“monkey in the middle”. The young boys are so quick and have impeccable foot
skills! Playing soccer with a bunch of barefoot gypsy children and
laughing/loving every second of it … nothing could bring me more joy. Those are
the moments I will never forget.
The other night my pen pal, Camille, came with us to a
Family Home Evening at the Stake President’s house! In the LDS church, Family
Home Evening is a night each week that members of the church set aside to spend
quality time together. The time with Camille went SO well and we just talked
about the importance of families and how we need to center our lives on Christ.
She even said she would try and come to church on Sunday! I love Camille – it’s
so unreal that (a.) I was able to find her and (b.) that I have such an
incredible opportunity to share my beliefs and the gospel with her! She's like
another sister to me.
Yesterday, we had training and did some legal paperwork in
Paris. I got to see all of my mission buddies and friends from my district in
the MTC. It was such an epic reunion and it was so neat to share stories and
experiences with one another since we have been separated in different cities
all over France and Belgium the past four weeks!
I love this work. I know sometimes we have hard things that
come our way, but if we put our faith in Christ, we will not and cannot fall
(see Helaman 5:12). My younger sister, Emily, has been in my thoughts and
prayers this week as she recently received news of re-tearing the ACL in the
same knee she had torn only a year earlier. She had just gotten back into the
swing of playing competitive soccer. I was heartbroken at the news, because I
know from personal experience how hard it is. I know that she is strong and
that our elder brother, Jesus Christ, will be with her every step of the way. He
is the only one who truly understands exactly how we feel during every
difficult thing we go through. I love being able to share this truth, as well
as the peace and joy I find through my knowledge of the gospel. There are so
many out here who don't know about Christ or who are so unhappy in their lives
… they are just lost and hopeless. I know we can all find hope and strength
through centering our lives on Christ and turning to Him, and calling on Him
when we need Him most through prayer.
I love being a missionary and representative of Christ. I am
young, and do not have all the answers, but I know why I am here and I love it.
Have a wonderful week - you are all in my prayers and I love
hearing from you!
Soeur Madeline Vance
