Sixty-five

Many miracles happen while during missionary work. This statement was proved many times this last week.

 I would love to recount all them to you, but that will not happen until I grown another pair of thumbs or voice recognition software becomes more accurate :)

So here are the highlights:

-Limoge exchange. I was with Elder Walton who is basically a mathématiques genius/hasn't gotten below a B since 4th grade/2300 on the SAT, which is like a 35 on the ACT. I had a good time talking with him and picking his files of information

-Day long service at the Banks #gardeningisthebest

-District Meeting, I will explain what happened further along

-Poiter's baptism (It happened here in Angouleme so we went :)

-Branch council and meal #Heaven

-Gave à talk on living our beliefs

District meeting which such an uplifting experience and it really reinforced everyone's testimonies. I would challenge everyone to read those scriptures on foreordination. They are quite insightful.

I know we are all suppose to be here with the people we are surrounded with. May we choose to follow the Gospel of Jesus Christ so that we can live the pattern of joy and peace we were created to fill constantly, because of Him.

Love ya,

Elder Duffy

Sixty-four

So here was a couple highlights of the week:

-Zone Training
-Playing soccer with a bunch of semi pro football players
-Arm wrestling one of the best rugby players in the world, who plays
for the Tonga national rugby team and he is absolutely HUGE!
-Giving three baptismal interviews for his kids
-Exchanges with the Elders of Brive and Perigeux

So I will provide more details of each listed event

Zone training was held in the Talence chapel in Bordeaux. It was a
good time and it was basically a twin presentation to last weeks
district meeting. It was a good time and it got everyone hyped to work
more with the members.

This last Saturday we had a Samedi Sportif so we played football with
Christ Kevin, Frere !enardain, Anothony (the son of Nathalie), Johanna
( an awesome less active from Tahiti), and like 8 of Christ Kevin's
semi pro friend players. IT WAS NUTS. I felt like I was in Fifi the
video game but it was reality!

After church, yesterday, Elder Sorrensen and I went up to Poiter to
give 3 baptismal interviews. Ofa, John, and Janny. The interviews were
great and all three of them are so ready! There father Sioni, (I don't
know if that's how you spell his name) is one of the best rugby
players in the world and plays for the Tonga national team and plays
for the rugby team I. Poiter and he is absolutely jacked. Literally
the size of his forearm is bigger then my thigh! Super fit. Elder
Sorrensen and I arm wrestled him and his arm effort was like a manual
car. He probably has 6 gears of force and to arm wrestle Elder
Sorrensen and I he was probably on gear 2. Him and his children are
all super cool and his 12 year old daughter plays rugby with the boy
teams in Poiter and I guess none of the guys can take her done. She
was one really strong 12 year old. What remarked me during their
interviews was not what they said during the interview but how they
prayed.

With the exchanges I was with Elder Trapani who is Sicilien and when
of the happiest people every a life. He got baptized 2 years ago and
his conversion story is so cool. As well being with him made me really
want to go to Italy :)

Second exchange I was with Elder Abney who is at Brive. He is an
amazing singer and will be going to New York University after his
mission and he is going to try to make it on Broadway. Basically our
whole exchange was me singing to hi and asking him for sing pointers
:) I need to breath deeply, rib cage support and something else :)
They are bother super nice Elders!

Last thing that I would like to add to this email was during Amis
class we taught Nathalie who is another one of the recent converts
here. She is so strong it's crazy! She raconted to us more details of
her baptism that we didn't know about. So she had a dream 3 days
before her baptism of her baptism and she was feeling super good but
she said the next 3 days after we're some of her hardest days she has
ever had in her life. She testified to us of opposition and that all
negative things come from Satan and all positive things come from God
and she is so right. She is such a great example to everyone in the
branch here.

Well thank you everyone and this week look past peoples (or your own)
imperfections and look for their (or your) divine nature that you
have.

Have a great week!

Elder Duffy

Sixty-three

This week was filled with a lot of fun! We had a exchange with the

zone leaders in Bordeaux and I had the chance to be with Elder Hall,

who is in my group, as well we had district meeting in Perigeux. The

main focus of district meeting was, in order for us to reach this 250

baptism goal this year, we need to work with part member families.

Contacting and Porting is great but from what I have seen, working

with members is by far the best.

The most striking observation that I made this week was the importance

of relationships. Throughout my mission I have made eternal friends

and amazing relationships. But it was until this week that I found

that the  interpersonal ties that we create to be actually the most

important part of this earthly experience. I find it quite interesting

that the realization/endeavor for a happy family is the goal of

everything in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am so grateful for my

family, who has always shown me what it means to put family first. I

am so proud of my brother and sister who are both almost married and

making their relationships with their spouses the center of their

loves. I am so grateful for great mission leaders who put their

mission family in the center of their lives and in doing so have

changed mine. (By the way, the 3 missionaries that I started my

mission with Elders Shaw, Perry, and Lythgoe all got engaged within 2

months of getting back ;) A true disciple of Christ thinks of others

first and when we forget he "I" is when we find true happiness.

As well I would like to share to finding miracles that happened this

last week. The first miracle was we had pass to potential's and one

less active and this one neighborhood and we were heading back to the

bus stop heading back home. We saw this house on our left with

cartoons on the exterior metal things. Elder Sorenson and I looked at

each other and we said we need to knock on this door. We we knocked at

the door and a university girl student looked at us and said she'll be

out real quick. 10 seconds later she came out with a jacket and her

mother came out as well. We picked up a lively conversation and they

explained to us that they were both atheist but they accepted a

comeback rendezvous. It was nothing we said that made them make this

rdv but I believe it was they saw something in us. Second miracle of

the week was we stopped a man and told him we were doing a

questionnaire about the family and he accepted to

help. We asked the first question. "What do you do to fortify the

relationships you have with your family" He looked at us puzzlingly

and asked us to repeat the question so we did. After he said it was

interesting we had asked him this question because he had just

finished spending time with his family and he hadn't talked with them

for months. He said he had just finished praying to God for this

moment he had passed with his family and then after this was just

another testament to him of God's love for him. We told him us meeting

him wasn't an coincidence and he knows it wasn't. He has already

talked with Mormon missionaries but he really wants to talk more now.

We got his number and will be scheduling a visit for this night.

I know God is guiding us to the people that he wants us to

specifically talk with. I know God loves each one of us and that we

need to radiate and let others know by our actions and word for our

love for them.

Love ya,

Elder Duffy

Envoyé de mon iPad

Sixty-two

Here we are another week :)

As I have been reflecting on this last week and deciding what I should

write, to create a written portrait of the events that occurred, I

wish I had brought my GoPro. I could just send a very very long video

so you could see everything. But since that is probably against

mission rules, I think I will laissé tomber that idea :)

First off I must say in my unbiased opinion, the France Lyon mission

is located in one of the most magnificent regions of this world. Elder

Sorensen and I took the train from Angouleme to Lyon and back and I

found it difficult to stop looking out window. The diverse landscapes,

the marble blue ocean, and the shaded sky (just to name a few things) 

renders this Mediterranean environment irresistible delicious for the eyes and the soul.  

Truly France is spectacular.

So we had a conference and it was a good time. Not anything out

of the ordinary but just a solid presentation. As a mission we have

been focusing more on working and teaching with members. As well our

mission is going digital with our area books, so that will be fun.

We have four progressing Amis at the moment and really the missionary

efforts by all the members is outstanding.

This Sunday all the Stake leaders came to church and that was really an

enjoyment. We taught Amis class with a member of the stake presidency

and it was awesome!

So for the rushed half of this email but time flies!

Love y'all

Elder Duffy

Envoyé de mon iPad

Sixty-one

This week was LEGENDARY!

There are so many things that happened I will have to go day from day.

Monday-Wednesday were solid days. We are working more with members

because we have found that is the best way to do missionary work.

Thursday it was an almost nine hour trip to go to Brive for the

baptismal interview of Soeur Cojan. We went to Angouleme to Libourne

by train! Libourne to Perigeux by train. Perigeux to Brive by Bus and

then back again except we took a train between Brive and Perigeux the

second time through. The baptismal interview went great! Soeur Cojan

was really prepared, as well her husband is a acupuncturist so I had

a good time talking to him about acupuncture. He told me there are 5

different reals/ways to do acupuncture and each having to do with

fire, earth etc, he told me he practiced the 6 type. I forgot the name

of it but it was an interesting conversation and an even more awesome

baptismal interview. 

The Brive chapel was dedicated less then 2 weeks ago so the actual

church was brand new and really beautiful.

Friday was planning for the week and for the baptism.

Saturday was the big day. The baptism was at 15h and it was the most

spiritually strong baptism I have ever been to. Her children came and

we had some less actives come as well. Frere Humblot gave a talk on

baptism and I gave a talk on the Holy Ghost. Nobody that was there

could play the piano so we sang with a clarinet played by President

Savreaux. After we ate 5 different desserts so that made the event

that much sweeter ;) Nathalie was super prepared and she felt the

Spirit very strongly during her baptism. I think everyone that came

did. It was like an actual heavy, comforting feeling every felt. I

know I did. Truly the power of God is manifest through his ordinances.

(As well we bought her flowers so that doesn't hurt at all either :)

Sunday was awesome because at church we had our Amis come that

basically are looking for a church to join. Fridolin was contacted 3 years ago. For the baptism of Nathalie we texted all the contacts in our phone to come (which is like a couple hundred  :) Fridolin was one of these contacts and he had walked 45 minutes to come. He missed the baptism but he became friends with Christ Kevine and he came to church. Christ Kevine brought one of his friends as well. During Amis class we taught these 2 investigators with our two recent converts (Nathalie and Christ Kevine).  It was so powerful they both basically taught the lesson and they both shared strong testimonies. During this whole ordeal I felt so lucky to be surrounded by such awesome people.

That was my week! Elder Sorrensen and I are staying together for this

next transfer so I will be here in Angouleme for 6 months! It's super

awesome and some really good things are happening here and it's a

blessing to be a witness of it!

Have a great week!

Elder Duffy

Sixty

I tried on french suits, but did not buy one.

Another week has passed by? Crazy!

So I have noticed that my emails have started becoming too much of a

thought journal, so this week I will recount what I did :)

So in the last couple weeks I have been blessed to give 6 baptismal

interviews and each interview has been quite unique. Everyone has had

a different story, but at the same time they were all quite similar.

Each person had differing strengths of testimonies, 

but they all had the underlying base of hope, faith, and charity. 

All 6 of them have been been baptized and we have another baptismal 

interview this Thursday in Brive.

Nathalie is getting baptized this Saturday and the Zone

Leaders are coming up this Wednesday to give her the baptismal

interview.

This week another highlight was we had a lesson with Florent at the

church and after he invited us to a HUGE ping pong club just a 5

minute walk from the church and I played one of the best ping pong

players in France! He smoked me good! 

Honestly he wasn't even trying but it was really fun to play against him.

As well we had Zone Conference last Tuesday in Bordeux with the

Bordeaux and Toulouse Zones. It was really enriching and a good time

to see President And Soeur Brown.

That was my week :) I would invite everyone to read Moroni 7: 40-48. I

felt the Spirit a lot when I read it today.

40 And again, my beloved brethren, I would speak unto you concerning

hope. How is it that ye can attain unto faith, save ye shall have

hope?

41 And what is it that ye shall hope for? Behold I say unto you that

ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of

his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of

your faith in him according to the promise.

42 Wherefore, if a man have faith he must needs have hope; for without

faith there cannot be any hope.

43 And again, behold I say unto you that he cannot have faith and

hope, save he shall be meek, and lowly of heart.

44 If so, his faith and hope is vain, for none is acceptable before

God, save the meek and lowly in heart; and if a man be meek and lowly

in heart, and confesses by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is

the Christ, he must needs have charity; for if he have not charity he

is nothing; wherefore he must needs have charity.

45 And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is

not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh

no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth,

beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth

all things.

46 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are

nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity,

which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail--

47 But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever;

and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well

with him.

48 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the

energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath

bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ;

that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall

be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this

hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.

Have a great week!

Elder Duffy