Week Nine

Hello Everyone!

Montpelier is awesome. There are pigeons everywhere and many diverse

smells. If you get my drift;) my companion is Frere L he has

been out for just over a year now. He is the district leader. He is

from Heber, Utah and is super good at soccer. 

We live with the zone leaders Elder Perry and Elder Shaw. Everyone is great, and chill at the same time.

This week was crazy because we housed the APs and the missionaries

from Nimes. We had a bonne nettoyer today.

It is so sweet just to talk with people on trams and stuff and help people. It's so true the scriptures when it says, “when you lose you life serving others is when you will find it”. I invite everyone both old and young to prepare now to

go on a mission because there are so many people out in the world to

help and so much to see. 

Every time I study each day my mind is blown how amazing the gospel is and how amazing everyone and everything is. I have come to know how minuscule I really am. Being a missionary is not about being perfect with everyone but it is trying your best everyday.

Spiritual story for this week. So we have an investigator named E.  He was

going to be baptized the 20th but it has been pushed back to October

10. He has had some problems with the commandments. This last lesson

we had with him was all about he commandments and why they are so

important. During the lesson he just went off and bore his testimony

on the commandments and the Spirit was there making everyone feel

peace. 

We have a lot of potential friends that so close to being baptized. My companion and I decided that we are just going to invite them to be baptized and see

what happens. Because they all have a testimony. I think that just

need a commitment to get them to that next step. So please feel free

to pray for them especially E.

The ward is here in Montpelier. There are just over 100 people that come

every week so it's pretty good sized. There aren't a lot of less

actives so that is really cool.The members are all really nice and

want to do missionary work. So you just need to bring Amis and they

will take it from there.

I would just like to share my testimony that I know the gospel is the

truth. I call it the truth because this isn't just religion it's how

things are. We have a loving Father in Heaven that loves and wants to

bless us. He sent us here to grow and gain experience and to get

better. He knew we would fall short of getting back to Heaven, so he

gave us a Savior. It is so simple. I invite everyone that is not a

member that is reading this to learn as much about the Gospel of Jesus

Christ as you can because I promise it will bless your life and give

more peace then you have felt before. I invite you to call the

missionaries. They aren't perfect teachers (believe me) but they will

try the best to help you. As missionaries we are not here to

persuade but here to invite and help you on your own personal journey

to find meaning and happiness. 

Week Eight

Hello everyone,

Missionary work is awesome. This week we have been doing a lot. Sorry about last week and just sending one email. I was still a bit frazzled.

France is so FANTASTIC!!!!! It is tres different then America but it is super cool. I feel like I take the beauty for granted a lot but when I think about it and look around it is so beautiful. 

Montpelier is a student town. Students are open to talk to. Last Sunday I fasted that I would be able to talk with people and it worked!!!!!! It is still a challenge but I am getting better talking to people on trams and stuff like that. I am definitely not perfect but step by step I am becoming more fluent.

So this week I had a transfer in Nimes.  There was a colosseum in the middle of the town. There was a lot of roman influence. The mission is really weird and awesome. Like everyday is like the same thing but everyday is so different.

The scripture that has touched me the most on my mission is in Enos. When I think of life in general it is such a privilege. I have come to realize more and more that I am nothing but with Jesus and Heavenly Father I can become everything.

So funny story for the week. I was on a train going to a member’s house to have a lesson with a Amis de l'eglise  and dinner. I saw a lady and her dog. I really wanted to pet the dog, so I went over and said puis je petter votre chien. I thought that was right for, “can I pet your dog” but it is not. You will have to look it up. I didn't even know it was wrong but then some people started laughing pretty hard so I knew something was wrong. :)

Well love everyone and have an amazing week!

Elder Duffy

Week Seven

Hello family!

Sorry to everyone but I can only write one letter this week because I am using a french typing board and it is really different:) Well I am France.  Specifically, I am in Montpelier. It is super awesome here. President and Sœur Brown are very kind. My companion’s name is Elder Lythgoe. I live in an apartment with the zone leaders and my companion and moi. I am super blessed to be surrounded with such great missionaries.  

We take the public transit, and it is crazy. So we are teaching a lot ici. Probably  2 or 3 lessons a day so that is super cool. We also have a baptism on the 20th. His name is Eriva. He is a student right now and he is from Albania. The members here are also super fantastic and really outgoing and support us really well.  The sisters had a baptism last Saturday…his name is Frands. I helped with it because Frands uses a Wheel chair and there was three of us that had to help with it;:) Super cool. 

Sorry about how the email sounds, its just really weird taking this long to type.

I had my first baguette today and it was delicious. Highly recommend them.

Something that I have been struggling with is talking with everyone. Its super dur pour moi but I am working on it. I'm not going to lie I understand like un peu of what people are talking about. But it is coming slowly but surely. I will have stories to tell when we Skype:) Well know I am doing well and and taken care of and I love all of you and sorry for not writing to each one of you.

Avec d’amour,

Elder Duffy

Week Six

Dear Parents,

We are happy to let you know your son arrived safely in Lyon.  He was met at the airport by President and Sister Brown.  After arriving at the Mission he had lunch, had his picture taken, took care of paperwork, and had an individual interview with President Brown.  Tonight he will have dinner with President and Sister Brown as well as the other missionaries that arrived today.  He will stay at the Missionary Hotel in Lyon tonight.  Tomorrow some will go to legality and then he will meet his new companion who will be his Trainer. Then he will have training with President Brown and the Assistants to the President.  After the short training he will leave with his companion to go to his first area.  We will send you his address and companion's name tomorrow.

Please see today's photo in the attachments.

Thank you for sending us such a fine young man.

Sister Sweeney