“The same God that placed that star in precise orbit millennia before it appeared over Bethlehem in celebration of the birth of the Babe has given at least equal attention to the placement of each of is in precise human orbits so that we may, if we will, illuminate the landscape of our individual lives, so that our light may not only lead others but warm them as well.” -Elder Neal A. Maxwell
Coucou mes amis!
The last week at the MTC was so much fun. See that Neal A. Maxwell quote at the top of this email? That’s what it felt like: being in a precise human orbit with all the people I needed at this time. It was so perfect that I felt like I was in a cheesy Christian summer camp movie. There was a lot to learn at the MTC—I filled up 160 pages of my study journals with notes— but the most important thing I learned was how true that Elder Maxwell quote is. God really has a great plan for each of us set in motion!
On Thursday, my life became a cheesy going on a trip to Paris movie. It mostly felt like that because our checked bags got lost (no worries, I had enough in my carry on and I’m getting my checked bags on Thursday.) Other than that, the travel day was smooth and enjoyable. There were 25 missionaries on the flight to Paris: 7 stayed in Paris, 14 went down to Southern France, and 4 went to Africa. We all knew eachother, so it was so much fun to be together on the flight.
Paris was magical. We met the Mission Presidents, the missionaries who came from the England MTC, some of the missionaries who are in the city, and all of the Sisters and Elders who are going to be our trainers. We did some training, then we got paired up with our new companions and headed to our new areas…
And now my life is a small town Christmas movie! My new area is called Vannes, which is on the western coast of France (see map in the photos). What’s so cool about being here is that a sister from my ward back at home was here for 7 months! I’m very thankful for that connection because it has made a lot of people here really like me right away. I sometimes have trouble ending conversations because they love her so much they just want to talk about her.
My trainer is also super cool! Her name is Sœur Kuosmanen and she’s from Finland. My Grandpas served in France and Finland, so it feels like I’ve got a bit of both of them here with me.
Being out here has definitely been such an adjustment. It’s not just jet lag; I’m going from constantly being surrounded by my District and a thousand misisonaries to just being with me and Sœur Kuosmanen. The nearest member—the nearest person we know—is a 20 minute drive away. The city girl in me is definitely wanting to be surrounded by a lot more people and activity, but I’m still enjoying about the long drives where you see nothing but trees.
Except on Sunday, our car broke down. We were close enough to the church that members could pick us up, but we weren’t able to do anything else until the car got fixed. We tried to call a roadside assistance service twice, but our French was so broken that he got mad and hung up on us both times. Man, this guy is getting paid to listen to people and he can’t put up with us! I’ve got some work to do.
The adjustment has made Saturday evening and Sunday pretty tricky, but today was a lot better. Sœur Kuosmanen and I walked around downtown Vannes and there were a lot of people and adorable buildings there (and of course, a small castle and gothic cathedral, just casually sitting in the middle of town!) Yeah, I can get used to this place pretty quickly.
I also read and re-read a lot of the emails from you guys. Everyone on this email list, you’re amazing! You’ve all been such a blessing to me and I hope you know that you’re a great blessing to a lot of people. If you’re reading this, that Elder Maxwell quote applies to you! I hope you’re all having a great Christmas season.
Joyeux Noël !
Sœur Peterson
