(December in the Seine Valley)
Leaving my family right at the beginning of the Christmas season was probably the most challenging part, since my two "Christmas Grandmas" had both passed on the year before, and I really miss them at Christmastime. My Grandpa Petersen got to join them this year and I was missing him too. I'm sure I'll miss him even more when I get back, but I'll get to see them all again someday and I'm sure they're close right now.
A big part of the reason I wanted to serve a mission is because I know families can be together forever, and that they should and can be a blessing and a strength in our lives. I love my family so much that I left them for a while to teach other familes how to stay together and be even better.
My family has always loved Music, and my Grandma Petersen was especially big on it. Every year we had this Christmas Program where we'd read from the scriptures, sing together, the same things every year, and then have a little talent show and live nativity before eating dinner together. One year my little brother was born a day later! (Happy Birthday, Elder Amott!) He just couldn't make Mom miss the Christmas program. I hope she's happy I finally learned the Alto part to all those songs because of the Musical Soirées at the Visitors' Center the last few weeks.
So, back on track with that first thought... When I was at the MTC, they talked a LOT about goals. We set goals, planned future goals, developed ways to make better goals and how to set goals for the rest of our lives. I made more goals than a star soccer player, I swear.
One song my Grandma really liked was one from this movie called 'Goodbye Mr. Chips." I couldn't stand the movie (given, I was five, so don't take my opinion as fact) but I loved the song. She printed out the music for us all to learn. When I was thinking about goal setting I wrote down those words in my study journal. They're the only notes I have from that devotional.
We can find the Mormon Tabernacle Choir version of that song,
and sometimes the movie version,
but we could never find another one and sometimes you want something more simple and less "World's Greatest Choir Singing An Unattainable Arrangement For Your One Voice In The Car" type of situation, you know? But we're not quite that musical, so ça va. I just sung myself, much to the dismay of several roommates.
I had the flu this week (Soeur Ilizarbe passed it on as an early gift) and I was tired and sneezy during all the Christmas parties and service and generally just feeling a little too scrooge-y for my own liking, but couldn't seem to kick it. I've been actually homesick for the first time in my mission and for things that I couldn't get again even if I did go home, like Great-Grandmas who don't mind if you can't hit quite the right notes or hum along to the Tabernacle Choir. Life is awesome, but the flu makes everything a little blah, right?
Then, an incredibly amazing family in my home ward sent my mom, who passed it on to me, a recording of their daughters singing the words to that song. I shared it with all the sisters who moved too slow to get away (I'll get the rest of them this week) and I think I've listened to it 50 times.
AAAnd Lyrics, because they're great:
"In the morning of my life I shall look to the sunrise.
At a moment in my life when the world is new.
And the blessing I shall ask is that God will grant me,
To be brave and strong and true,
And to fill the world with love my whole life through.
And to fill the world with love
And to fill the world with love
And to fill the world with love my whole life through
In the noontime of my life I shall look to the sunshine,
At a moment in my life when the sky is blue.
And the blessing I shall ask shall remain unchanging.
To be brave and strong and true,
And to fill the world with love my whole life through
In the evening of my life I shall look to the sunset,
At a moment in my life when the night is due.
And the question I shall ask only I can answer.
Was I brave and strong and true?
Did I fill the world with love my whole life through? "
So, that's my weekly. We did a lot of calling, a lot of decorating chapels, a lot of sneezing, drank a whole lot of orange juice, today we went to the temple, and one family did an especially inspired #LighttheWorld act that helped me kick out those flu blues and motivated us to work a lot harder, call people, and see more miracles.
Because we're encouraged to respect the privacy of the people we teach and work with I don't often share stories, experiences, or miracles that involve them, because I'm honestly just confused about how to tell a story effectively with 15 fill-in-the-blank mystery spaces, but I've got a few good ones for this week.
The first, we texted that member-who-will-return that we accidentally surprised a few weeks ago when we knocked on a random door, and he just sent us a text saying that we've helped him decide to actually be a returning member and to get to church. It was the cutest text!
A new person learning brought her baby to the Christmas party and I've never met him before, but as soon as he saw me he squeaked and ran up to give my knees a hug! It was so sweet! He is an absolute little ray of sunshine!
Our girl with a baptismal date has it paused for now but she still wants to read her Book of Mormon, come to church, keep learning from her family, and keep going until she can be baptized in a few years. She's awesome and we're so proud of her.
We're grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who wants to help us answer all of our questions, and for Jesus Christ, our Savior and best friend. I got to sing (a.k.a. I Have A Low Voice) "My Little Prayer" with Soeur Tulieva a few times this week and that was really cool. If you want to look it up, that says a lot of things better than I can right now.
Read your scriptures, say your prayers, it'd be cool if Mom could add "Petit Papa Noel" to the blog since apparently everyone here knows that, and expect the next email on Christmas. I love you all!!!
the tower and obelisk in the same photo
Soeur I bought me a patisserie for my year out
President had a great idea, sunshine lamps! We brought them to the office because we are there more than the apartments.
Sunshine lamp comp selfie in the office
My first Chinese food in France
Home ward: #6289
alyssa.amott@myldsmail.net
La Mission Francaise de Paris
Soeur Alyssa Grace Amott
131 Boulevard Carnot
78110 Le Vesinet, France
France has huge customs fees that will be billed to the missionaries if they receive a package listed at a value of more than $15. Please do not send anything by mail with a value of more than this. A package can be upward of $65 extra charged to the missionaries to pick it up from customs.
If you send items from Amazon.UK or Amazon.FR these fees do not apply. The mission home suggests if you would like to send something nice, that rather we can add money onto her personal account and you send a letter or email saying what to use it for.
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