Week #2 in Crozet, France

Hey hey hey hey HEY

You probably understand just about as much French as I do.  It's HARD.  They talk fast and sometimes it don't think they're saying words.  But I'm starting to catch on and figure out what's happening, but I have a hard time responding to their questions.  Sometimes I don't even realize that they asked me a question until Elder Beyer looks at me with that "they asked you a question" look.  CRUD.  But it's coming, and with work it will keep coming.

Yes, we live under an amazing family, cooks Italian food all the time, eat it all the time, and people do speak English all the time.  And also we have a car.  And also GET THIS GET THIS I went to Suisse about two times last week.  Yeah, I'm in the forbidden land.  We went to Genève for Zone Training, and then we helped the Senior missionnaires move into a new apartment, also in Suisse.  Which is what we did last P-day.  Helped them move, threw a bunch of stuff away in this sweet dumpster, smashing tables n such, and went on a mini hike just behind our house.  Awesome view, I took a pic, and I'll send it to you as soon as I figure out how this cords work.  I think they're the right ones, I just don't know exactly how they work...
Then, that evening, we had an appointment with the famille Ramos, half French half Mexican-American, so we had Tacos for dinner and flan for dessert and these delicious almond cookis or something.  They're the coolest.  So are the rest of the ward.

Sam looks so so so FLY in that tux.  Did he stay out after midnight again, that little rebel?  And like I said, I can't figure out these cords, I plug 'em in and nothing happens, so....And I just don't have loads of time at the computer to figure it out, maybe one of these days.

My companion is great, the other two elders in the apartment are great, the food is great.  THE FOOD.  Last vendredi we hit up a nice little pâtisserie and bought the most amazing pâte called a Tropezienne, and specialty of San Tropez (which is not anywhere close, by the way, it's a beach-tourist city, and I'm in the mountains)  BUT IT WAS SO GOOD I DIED.  So good.

We have some investigators, the famille Attobra and Anne-Charlotte, I'll explain them in a little bit.

My favorite time of the jour is personal study in the morning.  I love reading the scriptures.  I don't even at all want to read other books, watch other shows, I just want to read the scriptures.

My favorite part of the semaine is the jours when we have rendez-vous with members and investigators because those days we're not just knocking doors like it's nobody's business.

This p-day I think we're just planning on playing some b-ball and f-ball or something, parce que we are helping the office move again today.  We help everyone move all the time it's crazy.  I think we helped three people move this week, and today will be a fourth.  Everybody's moving all the time what's up.

So Mardi then, we hit up this far away ville called Collonges, where we planned on passing some less actives and some potential investigators.  We were going going going, knocking doors, getting "non, merci" all the time, and then we stopped and thought we might as well call some members to see if they're home.  No one answered save it was one person, a wrong number.  And we called him and he said "I told you, and I told your colleagues in the past and I've told your church that I don't want anything to do with your religion.  Good DAY."  So then we stood there a little stunned, and stopped calling members.  then we did some more walking (I'm pretty toned by now) and managed to run across the inactive lady we were looking for in the street.  We say her and she was all "Oh no, not the dang Temoigns!" (that's temoign jehovah, or for you Americans JWs) but she was totally joking and said she'd love to see us but she was hustling to get her kid form school, and we were actually juste about to leave Collonges and head back to Gex, so we'll be seeing her again.

Mercredi we had a sweet BBQ with the famille Aubin, the parents of our DMP.  but we thought it started at 15h00 when it actually started at 13h00 so....But we made it in time and it was delicious.  then that evening I had my first lesson with an investigator!  the famille Attobra, from Africa.  It's Edouard and Faustina that live with Faustina's sister Jeannine and then their daughters I think...But it was pretty good.  Except Edouard is really loud and likes to shout and I don't think he quite yet understands anything about the gospel, even though this famille has been taught for maybe 14 years now...but the wife and the sister and really spiritual and they understand it and Edouard slipped it in somewhere that Jeannine wanted to be baptized to that's SICK.  We'll keep working on that.

Jeudi we had Zone training in the morning, with all the Europeans.  Europeans and us.  Our whole zone is in Suisse, so training was in Suisse and that was SWEET.  And also there are a couple of guys from Utah there in Suisse because somehow they have Spanish or French passports because they have duel residency or someth.  But that was cool, and then we had a lesson with Anne-Charlotte.  She lives with her husband who is an active member of the church, and she comes all the time, but she doesn't have a testimony of the spirit.  Because she's focusing too much on the specifics and the deep stuff that she's not trying hard enough to see if the simple stuff is true.  Dear Anne, IT IS.

Vendredi we made cookies to give to the famille Ramos because they're sweet.  And we went looking for potential investigators and found a lady that said we could return.  (this is in Thoiry, by the way)  And this is also the day we bought that pâtisserie.  It was the highlight of the day.

Samedi the Dirigeants de Zone came to do splits with us.  But also we had to help a less active famille move really really far away in Bellegarde.  That was pretty cool, lots of heavy lifting, getting big, the works.  And then also they somehow found out I play guitar and the dad has a really nice guitar he let me play.  REally nice.  So I played a song I wrote here on the mission.  WAIT WAIT WAIT WHAT.  Wrote on the mission?  Yeah, something I forgot to mention is that Frère Polucchi has a guitar and he gave it to me to play in the evenings when we have free time so I wrote a song.  Yeah.  Anyway, after that, we went on splits with the zone leaders, and we got the Tahitian, elder Taua, and he's really really cool.

Dimanche we had church, and then lunch at the famille Thiam's house.  Delish.  Some super weird tuna salad put inside a peach....Really really tasty but it threw me off because it looked like brown sugar but smelled like tuna and also I realized that they don't sell brown sugar in France.  Then that evening we had dinner at chez Yezli, and super cool famille, but the dad is not a member.  that'll have to change.  Cool story of this day:

We were searching for this guy named Jonothan in some bâtiment in Gex, and we found his building, but could not find his name.  so we called a lady named Broccoli to see if we could come in, and she let us in and said not to come to her door (but I think we accidently did...) but anyway we guessed a floor and VOILA, there was Jonothan.  And he's interested.  then we got selfish and knocked all the other doors, and found on the last floor this lady that was like "no please, go away" so we went to the next door.  then her husband came out and said "you know you're not supposed to be here.  You're not allowed" "you're sure?" "yes, now leave" "okay we're leaving" "no, leave" and then he started shoving Elder Beyer, and pushed us into the elevator, got in with us, pressed the bottom floor button, walked us out, opened the door for us, we shook his hand (being the smart alecks we are) said thanks, and he said, in broken English "Several years.  Never want to see you again" but the jokes on him because we have an investigator in his building now.  Ha.

The Lord's hand is in everything, you just have to look for it.  When we were in Collonges, looking for the inactive lady, we somehow found her just as we were leaving.  Had we taken any more time doing something else or taken any other turn, we wouldn't have found her.  But we did what we thought felt right and we found her.  That was cool.  little miracles like that show just how often the Lord blesses our lives.  That's my spritual though for this week,

Stay sweet my familly,

Love,

Elder Liechty

Week #1 in Crozet, France

MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.

I'm so in France right now.

It's amazing.  Get this get this get this.  Remember how I always kind of dreamed that I would serve in Switzerland?  Well get this.  I'm in Gex.  Well, that's my area, I'm living in Crozet.  But anway, Guess where Gex is.  Guess.  That's right, it's about zero minutes from the border of Suisse.  I could literally walk into  Suisse from one of the villes Ferney-Voltaire.  Funny thing, the other équipe (companionship) that lives in the apartment with us accidentally walked right into Suisse while we were contacting.  That was pretty hilarious.

This place is beautiful.  I'm gonna send some quick pictures of the mountains I can see. (HE DIDN"T).  Don't take my word for it, but I'm pretty sure they're the Suisse Alps.  And also, from the DMP's house (Ward Mission Leader), we can see Genève, Suisse.  Speaking of the DMP, he's 23 years old (I believe), fresh off his mission, and super excited for helping us.  And the ward is amazing.  Yeah yeah A WARD.  From what I've heard, this is the largest ward in the Lyon mission.  And everyone is really amazing, and they all want us over for dinner, and half of them are American or speak English.  I'm spoiled.  I mean, it's a little unfortunate, because I'm not exactly being forced to learn French right now, so it's not coming as fast as maybe it could.  And also, this place is so amazing, that how will all the others compare?  But I know that I will love all my areas and all the people I serve, so I'm not afraid.  And the members should be able to help teach me French because they had to learn it, too.

Tell Sam this and pronounce it to all the world:

SHAME ON YOU, LITTLE BOY.  You think it's alright to stay out on dates after midnight just because your super cool older brother did it a couple times?  Well at leat I waited till like my fifth or sixth date or something, not my FIRST (or second, maybe?  How many have you gone on?)  Sam Sam Sam.  Woo the ladies, but get them home before midnight, cuz the fathers will hate you less for stealing their daughters.

So I arrived here in France Tuesday après-midi, in Lyon, and we met the APs, and the foreigners from the other MTCs.  I was roomed with a Frenchie, Elder Letterme, and he's real French.  Then we went about eating French food, meeting the President and his wife, and talking to French people.

Day two we did legality n stuff, then practiced contacting out in a big plaza in Lyon.  I was singing French hymns and people would walk by and stop and listen, and then some missionaries would break from the choir and snipe the Frenchie and talk gospel to them.  

It was pretty cool, but I had no Idea what everyone was saying.  So I didn't do a whole lot of contacting that day.

The next day we got paired up with our trainers.  I got Elder Beyer from Kaysville, UT.  He's really cool.  He's known as the plus beau de la mission (the most handsome in the mission), and I'm not gonna lie, he's a handsome man.  We took a train to a bus and the bus to a stop where Frère Polucchi picked us up.  We live in the basement of the famille Polucchi, and it's a sweet apartment.  We live with another équipe in the basement.  And the Polucchis make the most amazing food for us sometimes.  Lasagna, pizza, all things Italian.  They're an awesome famille.

The day after, we went contacting and porting (port à port (door to door)) in Gex, with little success.  We got some numbers, and we managed to stop by some amis (investigators) houses and talk to them for a little.  I didn't understand most of what was going on.

Oh yeah, someting I forgot to share, is that all four of us are whitewashing Gex.  Two trainers, two bleus, the first elders here since like a year or something.  So we all have no idea what we're doing really and what works best.  But luckily both my collègue and the other trainer both speak French, so we're getting around.

The next day we did some service for Frère Polucchi.  So no, I didn't miss out on yardwork, I got plenty of it.  He's trying to level his yard, so we did some good dirt moving and plant moving, and the works.  After that we went contacting in Ferney-Voltaire, when the other équipe accidentally walked into Suisse.  We stopped by our first members that nuit, a really jeune famille, and they're really nice, too.

Sunday was Sunday, and we got to go to church and meet all the members.  They're amazing.  The YSA are really cool and normal, so that's nice.  And then after la réunion de Saint-Cène, literally everyone asked us over for meals some day that week.  And one lady gave us some noodles, salad, and a whole chicken to eat for lunch.  They're really amazing.  Then afterwards we visited the DMP famille, the Aubins, and went over some missionary things.  And then with Frère Aubin, Guillome, we visited some less actives in Thoiry, where he lives.  Then did some nice contacting and passed some members.

In Thoiry that night, they where having their annual crazy huge no reason specifc party and it was really loud and really French.  So there weren't a whole lot of people on the street or at home since they were all at the party.

Sorry this letter is a little cluttered and maybe somewhat confusing and also not so detailed, but I'm still getting used to this French keyboard (the letters are all mixed up) and I'm running out of time.

Love you all so much, love this gospel, and I hope I get better at French so I can talk to these people,

Love,

Elder Liechty

Elder Beyer and Elder Liechty's address

Just a brief update from the mission office:

Elder Liechty will be serving with Elder Beyer in the Gex district in Crozet.  

Max's address is:

18 Impasse des Quatres Saisons 
F-01170 Crozet
France

I'm not 100% certain that's the correct format, so I've asked and hope to hear back tomorrow.

Max in France!

They missed their connection in London, but made it to France today.  We won't get a letter from him until Monday, but the Mission President's wife sent this picture!

MTC - Week #5

Mommio,

It goes "bonjour, comment allez-vous?"  But I got the gist of it :) And the norms we say "comment ça va?" and reply "ça va bien" or just "ça va."  But the southern Frenchies pronounce "bien" as "bee-yan(g)" (a soft "g").  And by southern Frenchies I mean the country folk of southern France.  And when they ask how you're going they say "bien ou bien?" (pronounced bee-yang eh bee-yang) which is saying "good or good?" assuming that we're good, you know.  Stuff.

I LEAVE FOR FRANCE ON MONDEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.  Monday.  I leave in one week.  One week and I'm outta the country for two years.  Speaking French.  Here's a quick break down of my travel itinerary:

Leave the MTC at 5:30 am to get the the Salt Lake airport.  My flight leaves at 10 h 45 and arrives in Chicago around 14 h 40.  Then I leave Chicago at 17 h 15 at arrive in LONDON at 6 h 50 the next day.  Then from London at 8 h 30 and arrive in the place to be, Lyon, at 11 h 05. (Like how I made the times all French n stuff?  Just goes to show how much I'm learning.)

This is so REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL.

TO THE CHRISTENSENS:

Thank you so so much for the probiotics you sent.  I won't describe in exactness how they've been helping me....but they're really helping.  And if what you say about the yogurt in France being très bien, then I am only more excited.  Thanks for all the packages, and the notes, and Jacen.  Thanks for Jacen, he's a good man

Zach and Caity went to Comic con?!?  NEEEERRRDS.  My family is a bunch of nerds.  But of course I'd love to come in a couple years, be a nerd with my nerds.

And oh yeah do I get fish at the MTC.  Not that often, but it's here.  Fish n chips mostly.  And every time we have it, Elder Eady says "That's not real chips!  I'll show you English chips!"  But he can't show us English chips, because we're in America.

Speaking of America, we saw a flock of deer after the temple today.  Elder Eady was stunned.  Not like I wasn't, cuz it was cool n all, but Elder Eady was all "Wot!?  Wot!  Ha ha WOT?!" So English.

Also speaking of America, I'm only here for another week.  I don't know about the whole calling from the airport situation, but I imagine I could call from either Salt Lake or Chicago, cuz we have a nice load of time sitting around the terminal.  Yeah, I really just have no idea about that.  If you receive a surprise call, it's me!

But this is my last email until France, so....that's pretty cool

This week was pretty good, pretty good.  The rain floods happened, yes.  It was very wet and I LOVED it.  Because it wasn't hot the whole day, it was nice and cool.  It happened a couple times this week.  I love the rain.  And I hear it rains loads in France.  It rains chats et chiens.  I miss Monty.  Will you send him in the next package please?

Every time our teacher talks about how much he loved his mission, it just makes me more and more excited to get out of hear.  Sure, I could do with a little more knowledge of the French language, but I feel like I can get my point across and understand most of what the Frenchies say.  We'll see when I get there, because that's when I'll find out, I guess.

I loved the quote about teaching by the Spirit you sent me.  It's so true.  Both of our MTC teachers have told us stories when they taught a Russian guy, and Spanish guy, or a Portugesian guy, each of them with limited French knowledge, but they were some of the most powerful teaching lessons they had.  And that always makes me worry less about the language.

Elder Higham and I taught a lesson yesterday for District meeting about Enduring to the End.  As soon as we were assigned that topic, I knew exactly what to teach about.  The talks "Mountains to Climb" by Henry B. Eyring and "The Best is Yet to Be" by Jeffrey R. Holland (thanks Zacchio) came instantly to mind.  Elder Higham was worried about the lesson because to him, none of us have endured to the end yet.  After reading these talks with him, his eyes were opened and he and I both realized that right now we are enduring to the end.  We've been enduring to the end since baptism and receiving the Holy Ghost.  He bore such a powerful testimony during our lesson, and we explained the crud out of enduring to the end so well.  Not to brag, but this was probably the best district lesson we've had.  Whatever.  We made a 24 year old ex-military Singaporian man cry.  Like three times.

But here's what I learned about enduring to the end.  It's the most challenging and long lasting part of our purpose, coming unto Christ.  (Repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.)  The thing about it, is that enduring to the end includes all of our purpose, over and over and over and over again.  We have to keep repenting, and we renew our baptismal covenants every Sunday with the sacrament, and we strive to have the Holy Ghost as our constant companion.

But sometimes it gets hard.  To do it over and over and over again and feel like you're not getting anywhere.  You feel like it's only getting worse.  But here is what Elder Eyring said:

"The Savior has promised angels on our left and our right to bear us up.  And He always keeps His word."

Always keeps His word.  That part gets me everytime.  Because it's so true.  Because no matter where we are now or where we are headed, if we keep the faith, we will always end up on higher ground.  Always.

Love you all, and thanks for the prayers, I can really feel them.  Honestly.

Love,

Elder Liechty

Week #4 - MTC

Yeah so I'll send the pants as soon as I can, and if nothing can be done, don't worry 'bout it, and just keep 'em there because they'd be just extra weight.  If nothing can be done about the pants, I might just send the jacket home, too, so I don't have to worry about that, either.  What a shame because it's a nice suit, the pants just don't fit.  Which is also weird, because the other pants which are supposed to be sized the same fit just fine.  Hmmmmmm.

I love receiving your quick mid-week notes, and the packages mmmmmhhmmmmmhhhhhhmmmmm!  And if the Christensens are reading this, thank you so so so so so so so so much for the packages.  So much.  My whole district is just so jealous that other families besides my own love me enough to send me packages.  But yes, I share the love.  But thank you so much, again, because everything is so delicious, and also I have dinner at 4:00, and I need something to eat between then and bedtime, and these packages are really holding me over.  thanks so much!

Quick shout out to all my friends who haven't written me once (you know who you are)

Shout out to all the people who've written me once and haven't written back (EMILY JORGENSON)

And the last shout out to the three friends who still write me, Kylie, Mary Jane, and Wesley.  You're my real friends.  Oh, and of course Mommy and Daddy and the Christensens

Did Caity get my birthday card?  It's hilarious, homemade, and from the heart.  If not, HAPPY BIRTHDAY YESTERDAY CAITLYN!  You're so old it hilarious.  You're like 200 years old.  Ancient.

I get to email for a total of an hour each p-day (HA.  Hear that Zach?  I get twice as long as you because the mission presidents love me more than they loved you!  Eat it), and I can spread that hour out as long as I want.  I normally get on around noon, right after lunch, and write the good old letters for about 30-45 mins, and then get on for the rest of the time while my laundry is getting did and I can put pictures up n stuff.  That's how that works.

I FORGOT TO CONGRATULATE YOU ON YOUR NEW JOB.  Congratulations!  Felicitation!  Bien!  Je suis tres heureux pour vous!  What do you do exactly at your job?  Do you teach or do you operate on people?  Or do you feed people healthy stuff or do you just tell them to eat healthy stuff?  Because you're telling me to eat veggies and salads, and I feel like that might just be a mom thing, but it also might be because you're a nutrition of sorts now, or something.  My family is all growing up.  Sam has a job, mom has a job, Zach has a car, dad's a rocket scientist starting tomorrow, Caity's a grandma.  And I'm a MISSIONARY.

To Sam:  Sometimes, bud, you gotta man up to get the things you want.  You might as well punch the kid who asked Brooke to the dance in the face.  It's just something you have to do.  That's how I got through highschool and that's why people respected me.  cuz I wasn't afraid to just punch some punks in the face.  Buuuuuuuuuut if that's not what you're into, I'm sure this Shelby girl will be just a fine dancer.

WAIT.  Sam's going on a date?  He's like as old as Caitlyn by now then, huh?  150, 160 maybe?  wowweee.

Jace Face said he got your packages and he looooooooooooves the rolls.  We're making the whole MTC jealous because it's like we have two sets of parents.  It's awesome.

I would LOVE to get spiritual and uplifting messages each week, there's no such thing as too much of that.

As for devotionals, we only go to the Marriott Center for Tuesday night devotionals, the Sunday night ones are just in the gym and they pull out the bleachers.  Missionaries have to go into the overflows because there's a million of us.

P-Days:  Wake up at 6:00, get ready, eat breakfast at 6:30, go to the temple, get back, study, eat lunch, change into p-day clothes, email, laundry, write letters, fold laundry, back to residence and maybe shine shoes or just sit around or something, maybe play some FLOOR-square on the mini four-square court we made in the hallway with tape (the ball is a rubber band ball), back into missionary attire, eat dinner, back to class at 4:45.  That's P-day.  Not really a break, but it's still fun.

EXCEPT FOR TODAY.  Oh yeah.  Today.  Mmmmmmmmhmmmm.  The temple was closed because it is Labor Day, so we weren't scheduled for that today.  Don't get me wrong, I love going to the temple, but today was just oh yes.  We woke up at 6:25 instead, changed straight into P-day clothes, got breakfast, came back to the residence, and did absolutely nothing.  I finished reading "Our Search For Happiness" by M. Russell Ballard, and then took a nap.  We all took naps.  And then I woke up and finally showered and changed into missionary clothes and studied and ate lunch.  Then back out of missionary clothes and here I am, writing this letter.  So relaxing, and I feel so lazy, and it's such a change of pace, but it's just aight.  Just aight.

Oh man.  The church is so true.  And this is how I know:

Because I prayed.  I prayed to know the truth of these simple things, such as Joseph Smith, the Restoration, the Book of Mormon, just all the basics of our church.  And I gained such a testimony, it's not even funny.  Sure, I like to get into conversations with my district members about some deeper doctrine that no one really understands and won't understand until we live with Heavenly Father again, but what it boils down to, and the times I really feel the Spirit, is when I'm reminded of the simple truths of this church.  that's why I loved reading "Our Search For Happiness."  It just lays it out, everything we know that's true, in simple language.  And then I watched the Joseph Smith movie and OH MAN I don't know if there was a second during that movie when I didn't feel the Spirit reminding me the truths of these things.  We walked out of that film and I turned to the guys I was sitting with and said "every time I watch that movie, I'm reminded of just how true this church is.  So true."  I love this church, the gospel, the Holy Ghost, Heavenly Father, and Jesus Christ, and everything he has done for me and for everyone.

Aside from this spiritual enlightenment, we've been teaching a couple investigators, Jonothan (Jon-oh-ton) and Laeticia (Lay-tee-see-uh).  They're both our teachers, but also investigators.  It's really fun, even though it's fake, because teaching is fun.  It's always scary to start, but when you get into it, it's just fun and the Spirit is so strong and I love it.

Keep the packages and letters coming, and like I said, I'd love to have a good spiritual thought with each of them, like you asked about.

Love,

Elder Liechty