Grace is Sufficient : The week I chopped my hair off, and other stories

Aug 21
So, first off, my hair got stuck in one car door too many and it had to go. Not too short (don't worry, mom!) but its just about shoulder length. This is probably one of the best practical choices I've made on my mission, since I no longer have to brush it and it got crazy curly from the humidity, never been like this before, so I'm not dying in the heat and I can handle the poof instead of looking like the Lion King. 10/10 would cut it off again.

This week will be a short email (I know I say that every time, but for real this time) since we're on our way to Notre Dame and our p-day got cut in a few different directions with meetings and such, along with being moved over a day, but it's been a good week! Even crazier than before and I'm expecting changes, but still a good week.

Remember the clock lady from last week? We had another rendezvous with her and she's still awesome! Her little grandbaby was hanging out for the day, too, and it was the hardest thing not to pick her up when she asked for a hug! They both loved the plan of salvation and were just awesome.

Next week is going to be nuts, too, since it's transfers. I've been here in Versailles 5 and would love to stay a 6th, but only Soeur Oulès has managed to do that so far. We'll see what happens! I'll know by the next email where I'll be. In any case, I'll almost definitely still be at the Visitors Center so only half of my day and possibly a companion would change!

Oh! Online teaching got REALLY cool since a whole bunch of people we talked with, and then sent to missionaries who taught them in person, got baptised! Some of them were people we'd been keeping in touch with so we got to know them and see their progress, and it was the coolest thing ever since they brought themselves to the missionaries!

This is something I've seen a lot of, we REALLY need the members as missionaries, especially in areas like this, since most people who have actually been baptised or are serious about learning were a referral or brought themselves to us. We have a few from finding but referrals they have so much more support and confirmation thst they're doing something good.

Scriptures of the week: 2 Nephi 2:25, And song "Adam ondi ahman" since it's really pretty and stuck in my head.

I've got to go, we're trying to get to Notre Dame and we've got lessons tonight, but I love you all and I hope you have an awesome week!!!

Aug 27

Quote of the week, from a five year old in our ward. We were over at the home of a family in our ward, and it was really cool! They're Americans, and have a bunch of kids, so we got to be creative in English which isn't very common for us. One is getting baptised soon, and another is turning 12, so we went over the Gospel of Jesus Christ with an origami butterfly, and challenged them to bring someone to the Come and See event that's happening soon across French speaking Europe.

As missionaries, we can pray for and with the families we visit, and we've been taught a few times that we can call down blessings for the family, and specify that they will be blessed by our faith, and promise those blessings. It's something I never really thought of before Mark told me about it just before the mission and then our mission president and visitors center directors have been over it a few times!

Anyways, we did that with this family. It's surprisingly easy to forget how special it is, until...

Kid: "I feel like I just got out of the movies," with a big comfy smile and happy closed eyes.

His siblings: "...?"

His mom: "...do you mean you feel good, and happy?"

Kid: "ya, like when we just got out of the movies, I dunno! It just feels good."

His mom: "oooooooh okay. That's the spirit, buddy! You can feel the spirit when she prayed for us."

Those kids were SO CUTE and had a whole list of people to talk to. Another great quote was when we were talking about repentance, and used the analogy of a really nasty sliver. It often isn't comfy to start the repentance process, and can be down right painful, but it feels so much better afterwards. So...

Me: "How does it feel when you start to pull out a really bad sliver?"

Kid, with passion: "it STINKS."

Apparently living in an old French house made that particular analogy unusually relatable that day.... They all agreed that getting the sliver out, even if it means admitting to mom that you were messing around with the floors, is worth the "this stinks!" Of pulling out the sliver. Same with repentance, and even the five year old gets it.

Oh hey, I guess I should probably tell all y'all where I'm going for transfers!

DRUM ROLL.

After 5 transfers in Versailles, starting in January, I am at long last going to...

.....

....

...

STAY IN VERSAILLES!!! Whoooo best area in the mission!! My halfway mark is September 13th, so I will carry on the tradition set by Soeur Oulès of spending a full half the mission in one spot. I'm honestly psyched. Because I've been here so long, I get to see the ward progression and keep in regular contact with new converts! I know names, the primary kids recognise me from family home evening (that's our missionaries! What?? They're our missionaries too!! Whoaaa!!!) and we can build a better relationship with the ward even with hundreds of people there and leaving for vacations or work trips.

I just can't wait to see the bishops reaction when I show up again on Sunday. He just learned my name when he found out I like Montana and rodeos, and his kids figured out I knew the dogs on paw patrol.

The one sad thing... Soeur Sedrick is getting transferred out. She's going to be a Sister Training Leader in Nogent, which isn't in our Zone, but she's so amazing they needed her there. She's with Soeur Johnson who was in the MTC with me!!

My new companion will be Soeur Montalvo, another native French speaker from Canada. She's also fluent in Spanish, so this will be an adventure! She's the new temple sister training leader.

Today we went to sacre coeur for p-day and talked to a lot of beautiful people on the bus and train and invited them to the temple, and it was cool because we got to see a Catholic mass while we were there. I felt bad for them trying to focus while a bunch of tourists stared at them, it was a beautiful building and I love the stained glass and the stories they put into them. I'm glad for the peaceful feeling in the Temple, with nobody staring at us and taking pictures, and the visitors center on the outside.

Okay, that was super chaotic again but the favorite song of the week is probably "stained glass" or whatever it's called by Cherie Call, and the invitation is... learn a little more about someone else's perspective, so you can have compassion the next time they see yours. Mom went to a Buddhist temple this week with her new exchange student and now she can go to temple square and meet Thai sisters! It's awesome!

I love you all, have an amazing week and say your prayers.

-Soeur Alyssa Amott