8 February 2017 – STLs to the rescue!!

Cher freres, soeurs, et amis de l'Eglise, BONJOUR!

That's how people start their testimonies and church talks here :)

We got a call yesterday evening while we were sitting in traffic in the rain from the soeurs of Dumbea sur Mer saying that their car died and they needed a jump. The zone leaders are too far away and luckily we have jumper cables in our car, so we got there as soon as we could and we jumped their car! A bunch of sister missionaries can jump a car, so who needs the zone leaders? haha :) We were very proud of ourselves, especially because we did it without our dadies being there. (Shout out to Dad for teaching me some car skills!) Jumpin' cars in the pouring rain is checked off my bucket list. We got a picture but this computer doesn't have more than one usb port so can't sent it. Next time!

We also had an exchange with the soeurs of Paita/Dumbea aka Nogouta. Soeur Brown, our newest sister, came with me. She's great and adjusting well, but a little homesick. She's from California and was in band in high school, so we talked about marching shows, haha. She loves reading and likes to draw. We had a great day together--gave away some Books of Mormon, tried to contact in the rain (no one was outside...), and made some cookies and took them to an inactive sister. She's already a great missionary and isn't afraid to talk to people, even though she doesn't speak the language. It's weird to think about the beginning of my mission and see how much I've grown and how much I've learned from all the experiences that I've had here. 

This week was a rough week--lots of cancelled lessons and people not being home. We were feeling pretty discouraged because the work isn't advancing, but we decided to fast for our area and to help us stay motivated. During the fast and especially during church that day, I just felt the Spirit a lot and was reminded that Heavenly Father is always there to comfort us and that He cares and answers our prayers. Since then, the work has been better and I've just felt happy and motivated even though it's been pouring rain the past two days. God hears and answers our prayers and He loves each one of us, His children! 

This week has lots of potential with lessons fixed deja and we have zone conference on Monday and Tuesday and I'm excited to learn from President and the other leaders. We're going to watch the Worldwide Missionary Broadcast and talk about that and all the changes that have been made. 

I hope you have a great week and that you're all safe and healthy and happy! :)

Je vous aime! 

Soeur Matheson