Grace is Sufficient : Why on earth would you keep a log?

(stained glass at the temple Visitor Center)

We were reading "adjusting to missionary life" as a companionship. Soeur Oules has fantastic English, but every once in a while a word just doesn't compute, because English is mean. Turns out we have a LOT more words in our frequently used vocabulary than most other languages, and we love random adjectives and anything can be a verb if you try hard enough. Good times.

Anyway... it suggested keeping a log for a week if you were experiencing physical symptoms of stress. Soeur Oules paused mid sentence and then asked why on EARTH somebody would think keeping a log for a week would reduce stress. Took me a second to click with the mental image of somebody keeping a random huge hunk of wood in their apartment to reduce stress. She had a fair point. How would keeping a log reduce physical symptoms of stress? To quote her, "Oh no, my arms are so tired and sore, why could this be happening, could not be this LOG I'm carrying around all the day?"

I got to use star trek references to sort it out, it was great.

We have new investigators and an awesome young guy we've taught twice at the VC with his Elders committed to be baptized! He got to sit in the waiting room and pray And he said he saw water and God's hand reaching down and inviting him to come to him. He's got the coolest story and testimony, I can't share it because of privacy but we're psyched for him. And we're teaching a few people ourselves here plus a few on line! Facebook is a HUGE blessing for missionaries, we have some calls we can only do on Facebook for investigators in Canada or the US who aren't ready to meet in person yet.

Little kids are hilarious here because they are so solemn when they get to shake your hand at church. It is their big grown up responsibility. They also say please and thank you and try very hard to hold the door, though they might need a hand with that sometimes. It's incredible seeing the difference between raising kids with the Gospel and not, more stories for later but the families are so cute at church, French and American and Tahitian and everybody.

Oh, church! We have three young missionary companionships, two sets of Elders and us, and a few senior couples all in our ward because of the Visitor Center and office. It's great because the ward is over 300 active members and the members are so active in missionary work with us! We work with the ward mission leader every week to set up a plan. We can't work without members, just like we can't endure to the end in the best way possible without each other. Members help us teach amis, they help us find, they make people feel loved and included in the ward.

Challenge #1 of the week, find somebody in the neighborhood and serve them somehow. Bake cookies, invite them to family home evening, have their kids over to play so they can go on a date, give somebody a hug, any of that Christ Like Love stuff we're super socially awkward about. Find a way to help somebody remember they're loved and included.

We've been gifted the joy of the heaviest snowfall Versailles has enjoyed in at least five years and a few people have said 20. They are NOT equipped for snow. At all. Busses and trains stop running, cars stop driving, no snow removal, it's a good time. Grateful for the MTC helping me remember how to walk on the ice, and even more grateful for the rain and sun that washed most of it away last night in time for p day. Kids and dogs looked like they were having the time of their lives, though, so that made it good.

Challenge #2! Post a song or LDS media video on your Facebook or another social media page with a short message of how the thing talked about brings some joy or peace to your life, or provides answers. I'm loving the "Mormon beliefs" videos on gospel library and Mormon.org!

Please link Join the Dance. It's been stuck in my head for two days.

And I recommend scripture Moses 1:6: "And I have a work for thee, Moses, my son; and thou art in the similitude of mine Only Begotten; and mine Only Begotten is and shall be the Savior, for he is full of grace and truth; but there is no God beside me, and all things are present with me, for I know them all."

It's on the wall at the MTC, too. What does our Heavenly Father have planned for us that we don't know yet, and how do we get there?

I'm still trying to figure out how to work petting dogs into my finding approach, So if anybody has any ideas I'm down. I met a very nice dog the other day with a name I couldn't pronounce, but he got us a good conversation.

Challenge #3, pet a dog for me. Or a cat. Llama? Maybe not a fish, but that's your choice.

I've got to go so we can visit sacre coeur, but I love you all and I'll talk to you soon! Somebody remind Max and Amari and crew I have a blog? And family? And ward?

Also, microfiber towels are the BEST. Literally saving some of my clothes. And anti theft shoulder bags. And good shoes and insoles, and two wheel suitcases, because cobblestones. Humidity is mean, shoe polish is a fact of life here. Like mascara...

One last random tangent: On the chat people keep asking the same questions and it's sad and a little frustrating to think that so many people don't have what we know, and they want to understand. They might seem angry at first but when they realize we're responding with love and sincerely believe what we're telling them, a lot of them change or at least calm down. The questions are good, too! They may seem a little rude at first, but they have a good point. It's like the mock trial stuff I used to do. Think of why they might be asking the question and it's a lot easier to answer. The guy asking super weird questions about the temple and stuff turned out to be a devoted Christian who was genuinely worried we were offending God with secret combinations, but as soon as I explained that we hold them sacred, not just secret, like how we don't curse with the Lord's name or get to casual about important topics, he calmed down and wanted to understand more. He got that.

There are still some chats we need to end, or people coming on just to be vulgar or angry and we can't engage that, but we can listen and follow promptings to know if there is something we can do.

People want to know they're loved, listened to, and remembered. It is a human need, we've known it forever and proved by science, like touch or sunshine being good for your mind. The message of the Gospel is that our God, our Heavenly Father, loves us, and that Christ loves us, and because they love us and want us to learn and come back, we have everything else we have. From laws and commandments to sunshine and flowers. Like President Nelson said in the press conference, we can always respond with love.

Good luck, I love you all, say yours prayers and read your scriptures! Bisous!

Soeur Amott

Mailing Address

Les Missionaries Versaille Centre

Soeur Alyssa Grace Amott

1, rue Pierre Clostermann

Le Chesnay, 78150