Stake Conference/Scheduled baptisms

Hey. This week's French; "Oui, je sais que je ne suis rien; pour ce qui est do ma force, je suis faible; c'est pourquoi je ne me vanterai pas de moi-meme, mais je me vanterai de mon Dieu, car, avec sa force, je peux tout faire; oui, voici, nous avons accompli, dans ce pays, beaucoup de grands miracles pour lesquels nous louerons son nom a jamais." (last weeks French was: "Et oh quelle joie, et quelle lumière merveilleuse je vis! Oui, mon ame était remplie d'une joie aussi extreme que l'avait été ma souffrance." Translation: And oh what joy and what marvelous light I saw! Yes, my soul was filled with joy as extreme as was my pain)

Monday we went into Paris for a while and just took pictures just to take pictures, pretty much just of the Eiffel Tower. So we just kind of loitered about there for the afternoon. We've been going to institute in Paris Tuesday and Thursday nights lately because we have Cedric to take. So that's pretty cool to see all the young adults from the area and stuff. It's been good to have Cedric who goes to basically anything he can.

Yesterday was Stake Conference, which was kind of weird. It was pretty far away from here, we had to go into Paris then take an RER pretty far south. Anyways it was just in some business conference type center place and didn't feel like a church meeting. We were on bleacher seats and there was a stage in front with spotlights and stuff, like places like that. The stage had the choir people sitting in back and then there was a stand/microphone and by that a long table with a white tablecloth where all the speakers and people were sitting. It was lightly decorated with flowery things and they each have a bottled water, like some business conference or something. It was weird.

But Cedric came and really liked it, which was good. He has been thinking about it and has decided he would probably rather push forward his baptism while me and Elder Evans are still here. He's been thinking maybe December 19, which will be like week 2 of next transfer. I hope I'm still here. He's doing great, he reads everything, comes to everything and loves pretty much everything. Also Jeff, the other équipe's ami, is being baptized this Sunday, which is awesome.

Happy Birthday Elder Lyman

Hey all. French for the week; "S'il vous arrive d'avoir le sentiment de ne pas pouvoir prier, c'est précisement le moment ou vous devez le faire, en exercant votre foi." And last weeks (Et oh quelle joie, et quelle lumière merveilleuse je vis! Oui, mon ame était remplie d'une joie aussi extreme que l'avait été ma souffrance) was Alma 36:20. So anyways, thanks everybody for your happy birthday e-mails and everything. And I did recieve the package, thanks very much. I was not thinking of the fact that my birthday was coming up at all, I had totally forgotten, not because I'm good and focused but probably just because birthdays aren't the same anymore. I think I would really have completely forgotten but the other elders I live with remembered better than me. This morning there were some sheets of paper hanging up in the closet and I had no idea what they were cuz I didn't have my contacts or glasses, but I looked closer and they spelled out "Happy Birthday". And one of the other elders made pancakes, I guess for my birthday, so I'm well taken care of.

Things are still going pretty good right now. Cedric is doing great and still planning on February. He is solid and always reliable and we see him a couple times a week at least. He goes to everything that he can; institute, FHE, church etc. He's doing great. And the other equipe's ami, who I had taught a little and we were going to commit my first transfer here etc., anyway he told them yesterday that he wanted to fix his date for sooner and is now scheduled for November 28. So that was really cool. Other than that we have stuff but need to be able to find times when we and our amis/less-actives are available at the same time. But things are going good. . Love and miss everybody.

No Hot Water & Paris P-day

Hey all. Ok so if e-mails are saying they won't send to me that's because my mailbox is just about full. I really don't know what to do, I'm a pack-rat (don't know if you knew that) and don't want to delete e-mails.

Quickly to try to answer questions, I haven't been to any of the places that Kay asked about.

I have done a whole ton of stuff, just the normal stuff. I don'tremember how long ago it was so I don't remember if I mentioned it or not but recently we went to Chateau de Versailles for a district activity, which was cool.

It snows here sometimes, like last winter, but I guess not every winter, so it could.

Right now it is getting cold and our hot water is out. It wasn't working too great so we called a guy and he came and checked it out and said he'd be back to fix it when he could but something he did while just looking at it made it not work at all. So since friday we have had only freezing cold water, so we can't do dishes, shower, do laundry etc. There should be somebody coming this Friday, but I am convinced we will be long dead by then. It's ridiculous.

The reason I didn't e-mail till today is because yesterday was again Paris P-Day. So we played football and it was good as usual, I am super sore as always but extra because it was wet and slippery and slipping around made things be pulled in weird ways and my muscles just hurt. We didn't do anything else in Paris except shower at the Chinese elders apartment (where there is hot water) and eat because we had a rendez-vous after.

But it was actually a great rendez-vous, one of the best I've ever had. It was with the guy that I think I mentioned who was from a wrong number and he is golden. I don't want to even jinx things, but he is incredible. I feel a little overwhelmed that such an investigator is in my hands. He quit drinking coffee a few days ago without us asking just because he said he couldn't know unless he tried. And he was very addicted. And he was planning on becoming a Catholic priest but says now he thinks he believes this and said it's hard to just suddenly feel like he's maybe been in the wrong place his whole life. He is a miracle so far and things look great with him. We'll see him Sunday at church, then for a rendez-vous and then he's coming to the YSA FHE with us. So so far things are looking great with him.

Other than that there is a lot of good stuff as well. We seem to be doing a decent amount of good right now. Hopefully things will keep up.