Seventy-three

Hey Everyone!

I have to keep this email short but Elder Roemer is going to Perpignan
and Elder Caramelli is coming from Montpellier. He is Tahitian so it
will be fun to speak French with him. I have talked with him a couple
times and he is a really a nice guy!

Love ya all and as well this Saturday there will be two baptisms!
Josie and Teboho! It is going to be to awesome!

Love ya,

Elder Duffy

Seventy-two

So this week has been quiet calm and delightful. The weather here in Geneva is stuck around 0 degrees Celsius, and the clouds are quite low. The weather has been like this ever since I have arrived, so sometimes I find myself in the twilight zone/dreaming of the beach :) But nevertheless it is a great time in Geneva and it is really a beautiful city…Now on to the miracles!

First one, Elder Roemer lost his IPad yesterday and we spent 45 minutes looking for it and didn't find it. But today we went to the lost and found of Geneva public transport and there it was! Legitly, a miracle. 

Second miracle, we are working with two new part-member families this week! The members here in Geneva are amazing examples to me of being member missionaires.

Third miracle, we ate at a lot of member houses this week…That’s always a bonus :) (All I can say is Thailand food is where it is at.)

I love you all and once again thank you for your prayers and support. I love the mission so much and it is by far the best thing that has happened to me! It is difficult sometimes but that is half of the fun!

I would like to bear my testimony that each one of us is special. You are special. The world is a difficult place sometimes but when we get to know Heavenly Father more through prayer, study, pondering, and meditation, that understanding of the nature of God can change everything.

Have a great week :)

Elder Duffy

Seventy-one

Seventy

Bonjour,

I hope everyone had a merry Christmas and ate a lot of really good
food :) As well to my family, it was an awesome experience to talk to
you yesterday and I will see y'all again soon.

So this last week was full of dinner appointments, caroling at a
hospital, and overall it was just a really easy going week.

Since I talked to you guys yesterday I will keep this short, but I
love you guys so much and thank you for everything you do.

Love,

Elder Duffy

Sixty-nine

The true reason for Christmas

This week many things happened but I would like to focus this email on Jesus The Christ and how and why He is important in my life. Thus "title" of this weekly email, The true reason for Christmas.

To you, in David’s town this day,

Is born of David’s line

The Savior who is Christ the Lord,

And this shall be the sign:

The heav’nly Babe you there shall find

To human view displayed,

All meanly wrapped in swathing bands,

And in a manger laid.”

Thus spake the seraph, and forthwith

Appeared a shining throng

Of angels praising God, who thus

Addressed their joyful song:

All glory be to God on high

And on the earth be peace.

Goodwill henceforth from heav’n to men

Begin and never cease.”

Over 2000 years ago, at the meridian of time, a Savior was born. Our eldest Brother, most developed brother came to show us the way and unchain the effects of spiritual and physical death.

 He not only "bruised the serpents head" but ultimately crushed it. 

His life was one of example. He was a man of meekness, charity, devotion, similitude, and suffering. He was a man who searched for the one. 

He is real, He is living. 

He has a perfected body and flesh and bones and He is the master. This earth and many others were created by Him. He has no limits in power, glory, intelligence, patience, and grave. He beckons to us to live his teachings. Follow his principles because He is the way. Why not come into Him. Why no put his yoke upon us for it is easy and light. Not because there will be no challenges, not because there will never be heart breaks, misunderstandings, and regrets with no apparent solutions, but because He will be with us every step of the way.

I have a story that I would like to share of Him being with me every step of the way.

13 months ago when I was serving in Montpellier France I was going through a challenging time. I was still learning French and honestly I just felt tired of doing missionary work and I wanted to  quit and take off a week. There was one night I was praying for quite a while and tears of frustration and fatigue had come. In my prayer I basically said I can't do it anymore and I don't know if I could carry on. During my prayer I said I need to know that I will be alright and a spiritual confirmation of that. After saying that a thought and image came into my mind. I imagined a hand on my shoulder and a man kneeling next to me and He was praying for me. I didn't see anything with me physical eyes but I felt His presence.This experience is something I hold very dear. He has carried me throughout my mission and I the time has passed to fast! I know This Is His work and His church. He is very personal and He will take away all our grief, sicknesses, worries, diseases, and ever other fallen thing in this world. Because He has already taken them.

Merry Christmas and here is my wish for you.

How silently, how silently

The wondrous gift is giv’n!

So God imparts to human hearts

The blessings of his heav’n.

No ear may hear his coming;

But in this world of sin,

Where meek souls will receive him, still

The dear Christ enters in.

May His love enter into our hearts and our homes is my prayer.

Sixty-eight

First off here is so much that I want to say but I don't have enough

time because it would take all day, but here are the bullet

points :)

-Geneva is nuts! Literally every nationality is represented! It is

really awesome to go contacting :)

-Going to church felt like a USA ward because the  members here are very punctual. To put it short (for everyone who knows my Dad), that is like how a lot of members are, in a good way :) A lot of members here are very educated, precise, and it is really fun to be here as a missionary because they get work done :) 

-Ward council was legendary this Sunday and extremely professional and

efficient.

-I have never been in a place where there is too much work to handle, and

here in Geneva I have felt that. There is so much going on and new

faces, a medium to big size city, and new everything. The first couple

days were hectic but it's better now :)

-Elder Roemer my new companion is such a bro and he is from Alamo,

Nevada. He is so chill and he literally never has stress, it's nuts! He is a very caring Elder and hard worker.

-There are 5 missionary companionships in Geneva so you see each other a lot more.

-Over 100 members that come each Sunday

-3 wards come to church here. Each Ward is a different language,

English, French, and Spanish

-There are two members of the seventh in our ward so that is fun.

Sunday school class is pretty epic :)

-There was a baptism this week for Romana. She is from Ethiopia and

she really has a sweet spirit. Her baptism was really a great

experience for her and the ward was really supportive.

There is so many more things but know everything is going great and

Geneva is super awesome! So many people are willing to talk with us

and the members are awesome! It's weird though because a lot of them

are from Utah so not going to lie it's really strange but we ate a

thanksgiving dinner at the Flakes home and I literally wanted to cry

in happiness when I saw the food :)

Lastly, Special shoot out to my sister Jenessa and her fiancé Greg.

They are getting married this week :)

Elder Duffy

P.S. I ended up not opening my Christmas presents yet. I thought of the marshmallow kid in the Uchdorf video :)

Sixty-seven

Hello everyone!

I have to keep this letter short because I am traveling all day today. I am going Geneva and I will be assigned to the English Ward. My équipe is the only one in the mission that is English speaking so it will be interesting. I will be District leader and training again! It's so exciting but very sad to go and to leave. Saying goodbye to everyone in Angouleme was very difficult especially Christ Kevine and Nathalie but I am really excited to go back to Suisse, especially Geneva. It was amazing to see how the Gospel changed their lives and I am very thankful for them for changing mine. I will be eternally grateful. As well it is interesting because the longest Americans can stay in Suisee is 3 months, so I know I will only be here for that time. As well there will 4 baptisms this week so please pray they will go well :)

Love y'all and I will give more details next week.

Love,

Elder Duffy