Week #50 - Muret

Max and Elder Mattinson

Cute kids in Toulouse

Whoa hoa hoa. 

Sam's into that whole V-neck club now, is he?  Hmmmmmm someone's starting to get fashionable :)

And it's Jake Dame that lives at the top of Suncrest.  Jacen with a C lives in JAPAN but also his house is in Alpine.  At the top of another hill.

My companion is officially Elder Mattinson, from Washington.  A city that is right next to Idaho, and sitting on a river.  He's a real fisherman, and he's hilarious.  This is his sixth transfer on his mission, he started not far from Toulouse in Albi, and then went to Aix-en-Provence, and now he's here.  He's great.

Our neighborhood is nice, it's quaint, adorable, really little.  It's not as beautiful as Gex, or Bordeaux, or Narbonne, because those are the three most beautiful villes in the world.  But it's pretty.  And we're going to be doing some outer city work this transfer, so we'll probably find some amazing beautiful little cities, just wait.  Pictures to come!

As far as cooking, I'm a salmon master by now.  And now that I'm with Elder Mattinson, who is a salmon fisher, bon, we're going to be eating probably more.  But apart from being salmon master, I have a recipe book with a bunch of creole recipes from the reunion island down by madagascar that a member gave me, but I haven't made anything in it yet, I'll probably have to get on that so that I can be ready when I get home.  I've EATEN a lot of really tasty food, but as far as made it, eh, not so much.

Oh yeah, and as far as anti stuff, 

Everyone in France has somehow seen some documentary on Mormons that makes us look like the amish and says we certainly still have more than one wife.  And all the french people just eat that kind of stuff up and believe it.  So part of our job here is telling that that's not the case.

And also apparently there is some french guy a while ago who had translated the book of Abraham, too, and had done it differently, proving Joseph Smith wrong, and one time this guy was just saying that to us over and over again, and wouldn't let us talk, and just saying we were wrong.  I got so mad at him I just wanted to punch him in the face.  But all I did was testify hard core in his face, and grab his arm to make him shake my hand and then left.  The rest of the day I was pretty upset because of that dingus, but, eh, I'm over it.  Because the church is still true.  And no matter the amount of garbage the media feeds the French people, truth is more awesome than lies.  Voila.

And how did Evan learn so much mexican food if he was in the northwest US?  That doesn't make any sense!

Wait, are you saying nobody drives the van?  Wut.  Is it completely dead?  Is the couch still in the back?  Does it smell funky?  Are the windows still open?

They're selling school supplies in all the supermarkets, here, too, so that's exciting.  SAM'S OLD.

As far as this week goes, get ready for it.

When Elder Mattinson finally arrived, we did some street boarding as a district and had a real good time.  Talked with lots of cool people, got some phone numbers, some potential amis.  Oh yeah.  Yes yes.  Cool.

Then the next day was pretty lame because we still had to do groceries, and Elder Mattinson had to do his emails, and then we went over our plans for the transfer, goals n whatnot, and this is going to be a super sweet transfer, I'll tell you that now.

The day after that, we were able to see Frère Déjean, our less active buddy, and his roomate, Jean-Claude.  We talked about the restoration, and looped Jean-Claude in it, forcing him to participate, and it went pretty well.  They were both really attentive, and it was just a good time.  They were sad when we had to leave, and since then I think Frère Déjean has called us every single day to see how we're doing and to tell us how he is.  I love that man.  I really love the people of Muret.

Then jeudi was craaaazy.  We had to make cookies in the morning for an activity the next day, and after we did that, we were off to Toulouse, for a leçon with Sylvie and then an exchange with the Zone Leaders.  Our leçon with Sylvie went really well, we talked about relying on scripture for answers to some of our questions.  She's still on the bon chemin.  Then she also gave us some delicious bread to eat, that was amazing, that we ate with goat cheese, and that was a really good decision.  Then we got to the ZLs appartement for our exchange.  It was a very neat exchange.  We got to meet some very cool people on the street, big cities are always really fun for that because there's, like, a million people.  And then we were able to pass a famille who is more-or-less active, I believe, but they were home, and we got to pray with them.  And one of their friends was there, too, searching for her son, who had up and gone about six years ago.  So we're praying for her, too.  Neat-o.

The next day we had a RDV with a fella named Alain, who was living in the same house as a less active who just passed away.  And at one point, they had 56 cats in their house.  Now they have 23, because they called the cat people.  But, the law is 9.  But anyway, that was quite the experience, everywhere you turn cats.  But the lesson was neat.  We talked about faith, and it's clear this guy wants to get more faith, he's just a little afraid.  But he'll get there.  Then after that we got a surprise call and had to help the sisters move a bed into a new appartement for the other sisters, and that took a while.  That took until about 6 o'clock, when we had our soirée familiale at the church.  Jean-Marc and Séverine and Coralie were all there, and that did my heart good.  I had invited them earlier in the week when we realized that we were doing too much moving around n nonesense that we couldn't see them any other time.  The loved it, and we finally got them a book of mormon.  We'll be following up on that, because they're super cool.  After that, during the soirée, I got to help one of the ZLs with a leçon, because the other one was in a baptismal interview.  It was an awesome leçon about the plan of salvation, and the guy they are teaching is crazy cool.  He has a baptism date, and he's good.  Real good.  Good times.

The next day we had samedi sportif, which was really fun, and there were so many chinese people there.  Because one of the Toulouse companionships was half chinese, and now 100 percent chinese, and they're making it happen.  That was a really good time. I'm even getting maybe a little better at basketball, but not really.

Then dimanche went really well.  At church we talked with all the members, as usual, and there were lots of amis and less actives there that day, sparked them all up.  Stuff is happening here!  Things are actually moving!  Muret Muret Muret!

Then today was already pretty neat.  There was this little kid at the grocery store that sparked the world out of us telling us he loved our ties and that it was cool that we worked for Jesus.  And then this lady later on stopped us on the street and told us that she really wants us to pray for her and her family because they are moving out of Toulouse soon and need prayers to help find housing.  Neat.  Neat day.

Apart from that, that's all I really have to say.  I'm having such a good time on the mission, but it's going too fast.  Hopefully this transfer will slow down a little and I can really get everything into order!  Wowie.  Neato.

I love you.

Love,

Elder Max Liechty

Week #49 - Max stays in Muret

Frosting face liechty

Frosting face Ducrocq

Me n mah friend

Yeah MOM

I stay! Yay! Muret!  It doesn't look like it, but all of those rhyme.  that may be a hint of how to pronounce Muret if you didn't alreay know

Wait.  Sam's already a senior?  wut the crud.  As far as the vocab test, yes, or maybe no.  I don't remember.  There were a lot of vocab tests, so I can't remember when they were.  But.  Eh.  Study sam.  Do it.  Man.  AP Lit.  He's a big boy now.  Tell him to say hi to Ms. Woolsey for me.

A tombez-vous is yes, when someone doesn't show up.  Translated is "drop yourself" but it's mostly just for the word drop, like fall through, and the vous is just to make it sound like rendez-vous.

Yeah, and so, my companion isn't here yet.  I've been waiting in the train station in Toulouse all morning helping other missionnaires come through, but my companion doesn't get here for another 3 hours.  So.  I'll tell you next week?

Bon.  Fin.  Okay.

LA SEMAINE

The last week in Muret.  Good times.  Check it out.

So on lundi, after we had a good little p-day, we did some more street boarding with the district, talked to a really interesting guy named Eric, who was really cool, and funny, and a real thinker, but, I had to leave before we could finish the conversation because we started an exchange that night, and so I left him in the hands of Elder Garside.  Apparantly they talked for the rest of the night.  Neat.  Well, he wasn't interested in the end, but that's always a good time to find someone that is just neat.

Then whips around mardi, we got a rdv with Sylvie, our baptismal engagée, and the bishop was with us, and it went really well.  We talked about loving everyone, even if they are not cool.  That meaning, hate the sin, but love the sinner.  Because she's been having trouble getting mad at her neighbors in her appartement, because they are obnoxious.  But she's super neat, because she said "I know that they aren't trying to bother me, it's just how they live.  But I still can't help getting upset!"  So, she's still on track.  Very neat.  Then that evening was very cool.  We went to pass André and Charlotte and just invite them to a FHE that weekend, but instead we saw him pulling into his neighborhood, he pulled over and got out of the car and said "what's up" we told him we were there to invite him to the FHE, and he said come on in for a drink.  So we went and drank some water and juice, and then his wife came out and said "okay, you're staying for dinner."  So she made us dinner.  And that was really neat.  And then he said he's gonna invite his friend to play basketball with us the next day.  And he did.  And we did.

That last night, there was a huge rainstorm, and we had left some chairs outside.  The storm woke me up, and i was like "there are chairs outside" but then I decided "ah, je m'en fiche" BUT then I realized that my coat was on one of the chairs, my rain coat, so I freaked, and got up to get it.  I opened the blinds, pulled in the chairs, and I saw the coat on the edge of the balcony.  I saw it just in time to see the corner slip off the edge.  No.  I was in so much pain.  It was like watching a dear friend hanging off the edge of a cliff, and reaching for his hand just as he falls.  I was devestated.  It was raining, and winding, and thundering, and the situation was just so disastrous; I figured that i had lost the coat forever in that black abyss.  Then I woke up the next morning, realized that there was someones house just below ours, and that my coat was just in their yard.  Ha.  What a joke.  But that was a really big relief.  The rest of the day was really fun, too.  We made pastries with Jean-Marc and Severine, with the Ducrocqs, and also the sisters from Toulouse because it was one of their birthdays.  And then we shared a thought from "The Family: yadda yadda yadda" and it was very cool.  Soeur Ducrocq later told us that everytime we go over, they say afterwards that they feel something different, and something inside them changing.  so cool.  Then, that evening, we played basketball with André and his friend, Jean-Marie, who plays for the Muret basketball team.  That was really fun.

Then we had district meeting, and that was great.  We talked about goal setting. I set a goal to set more goals.  And when I do, I need to send them to you so that I can be accountable to you, too.  So.  I'll get on that.  And the Ducrocqs were with us, again, for the lunch.  That was a good time.  Then that evening we got to do some service for our Frère Zulien, a more-or-less active member, and his non-member son.  It was really neat, it was the first time I'd met him, and it was cool.  Cool guy.  Yes.

Then, the next day we were able to see Malika again, that was great.  Taught a lesson about PMG and then gave her one so that we can all study it together.  Yay!  Then that evening was an FHE, and it went very well.  We played that game where you set up an obstacle course, and then someone blind folded has to be guided by someone's voice while everyone else is just shouting at them.  Ha.  That was really fun.  And the people there seemed to take a lot away from it, so that was neat.  Man.  Good times.

Then samedi was a real surprise.  The Concorde Elders had a surprise miracle baptism of this older lady that said she needed to be baptized that saturday.  so we did.  And it was very spiritual baptismal service.  (Elder Olsen says hi).  Man.  Cool.  This ward is hoppin'.  We have several baptisms lined up for the near future, so that will be really cool.  Then that evening we went out to KFC with Laurent Urbani, and young adult going on a mission to Tahiti pretty soon.  He's super neat.

Then dimanche.  Elder Garside packing all day, church, good times, Frère Zulien was there.  Uh.  took lots of pictures, maybe I'll send them to you sometime :)

Man.  Cool.  I'm really happy to stay here in Muret again, and my companion's name is Elder Mattinson, so I'm excited to meet him, too.  Cool.  Man.  Yes.

I love you.

Love,

Elder Liechty

Week #48 - Muret

Dabadee, dabadie?  Ha.  Yeah. (a song reference)

We played this game at american night, where you have a cup shape of flour, with a coin at the top, and you have to slice the flour up and down without making the coin fall, and if it falls, you have to get it with your mouth, at it was hilarious.  And then one of the members had a hand full of flower, told me it smelled weird, and I fell for it, even though he is famous for that trick.  He got me.  Voila the results.  And this tie an elder gave me in suisse with the statue of liberty playing the saxophone.  Ha.  Yeah.

Yay!

A letter from mom!

I forgive you :) 

Street boarding means that we go out on the street with a big sign and put it up and use it as an excuse to get a bunch of missionnaires together in a really busy area and talk to everyone we see.  It's a fun time.

WHAT. Elder Phelps called me the other day because he has to go home for a broken foot.  Maybe you're thinking of him?  He broke it a while ago, so they put him in the office for a little, but they just got some scans back and it's worse than it had seemed, and so he's headed home, hopefully just for a brief moment.

Heh heh heh.  Pictures.  So, I take pictures when I'm with a picture taking companion, which, yeah, is probably a bad habit.  I should be more of a leader when it comes to taking pictures.  Elder Garside isn't really a picture taking companion, but Elder Olsen and Elder Jenkings both take lots of pictures.  So.  Heh.  I'll try to get a boat load in because this may be my last week!  Also, pictures take one hundred hours to upload on these computers.  I'll do better.  I'm sorry.  I hope you can forgive me.

Mornings go like this:

30 minutes of exercise (give or take... :) ), 1hr to get ready for the day and eat breakfast, an hour of personal study, an hour of companion study, an hour of language study, and then out the door.  That's a normal morning.  For personal and companion studies, we use scriptures and PMG n other stuff like that, and for language I use whatever I can find that has to do anything with french and then do something with it.  Like study it, maybe.

Wait, so Lane and Derek were out front without Zach?  Ha.  Silly guys.  That reminds me of when Nate and Tommy would go into our backyard and sometimes make it in the basement.  Those were the days.

Heh heh.  School.  I don't have to worry about that for another year or so.  Ha.  Yes.

Wow.  People are just moving all over the place.  Why is Zach going to Seattle?  To be a hipster or what?

I've seen ads for that movie, was it any good?  And the new planet of apes?

This week went by a little too quick.  Check it.  Yo.

Lundi we had a big meeting with the missionnaires to coordinate an activity we were holding on saturday with the ward.  A "soirée américaine" or "american night".  Got down to business an all that.  Also, earlier that day, we went to visit some cathedrals in Toulouse, and they were neat.  I'll think about sending some of those pictures.  Cool thing:  we were looking around, and it was cool n all, kind of like every other cathedral in france, but it was getting kind of lame.  So we saw this place where you could go visit the crypts for 2 euros, so we thought, eh, why not.  We got in line to pay, this lady came up behind us, asked us if we were religious leaders, and we were like....not catholic...but, uh, kinda?  She said, well, it's free for everyone religious, so, we got in for free.  Pretty dang cool.

In all honesty, looking at our day for mardi, I cannot remember a second of the beginning of the day.  So.  Not important.  But that evening we started our exchange with the zone leaders, and it was neat.  We went out knocking some doors, and we were pretty far out, in a neighborhood right next to a JW congregation, so everyone thought we were them.  But we cleared it up, met some cool guys, and then even taught a lesson with a portugaise fella.  We were teaching him, then his son rolls up in his car, gets out, and then we start teaching the both of em.  Very neat.  We're gonna go back and force service upon them so that they love us even more.  I here that when you convert a portugaise person they're active for life.

The next day we had a couple tombez-vous, kind of a bummer, but we were able to talk to a lot of people, and that was neat.  We also got to pass a less active lady we hadn't seen in a while, sparked her out of her mind, and we should be seeing her again soon.  Also promised a guy cookies later, so that was neat.  Exchanges are always really neat, because you learn lots of different ways to do missionary work, and you get a chance to really flip it around and see miracles.  Good times.

Jeudi we had a really good district meeting, and it was great.  Talked about the importance of following up, because, bon, it's really important.  If you don't follow up, nothing is ever gonna progress.  Starting something without following up is pointless!  wow.  That applies to everything.  Elder Ballard even said that's how he got his wife was because he followed up.  The rest of the day was kind of a mess with a bunch of missed trains and changing plans and nothing really going great.  But it was my ONE YEAR MARK.  wut.  I kind of just sat at the train stations and thought about how it had already been a year, and I really want it to just slow down or maybe just stop for a second so I can get it all under control and kick booty this next year.  Whoa.

The next day was very cool.  We were able to teach and see this famille, André and Charlotte, that the elders in Toulouse gave us as a referral.  They had been texting him for months now because he was a potential ami, and finally were able to fix a RDV with him, and he lives in Muret.  They are some of the coolest people I've met yet.  We got there, and the lesson was kind of focused on him, and his wife was just kind of taking care of the baby off on the other side of the room, but eventually she just came and joined us and starting listening and it was so neat.  When Elder Garside was reciting the first vision, she mouthed along at the end.  Wut.  apparently she had met the missionnaires even before, like a couple years ago, and she recognized that.  It was really a neat RDV.  They want to come to an activity before they come to church, so we're gonna get them to our FHE this friday.  They won't know what hit them.

Then there was a beautiful thunderstorm that evening.

The next day was just preparing for the soirée américaine and then going to it.  Call me iron chef, we were cooking up cookies and pies and all sorts of hamburgers all day long and it was sweaty, and greasy, and smelly.  We had to run to and from stores because we kept forgetting to buy stuff, and to top it all off, it was like the most humid day that there has ever been.  But it was all worth it, because the soirée was a success.  So neat.  Such fun.  So many people came, and it was amazing.  The sisters put it all together, all we did was cook sugary and greasy things and call it american.  P.S.  You didn't say anything about them saying you have beautiful teeth.

Then sundee.  Dimanche.  Just a good old church day, good times, talking with members, fixing stuff for my maybe last week in Muret, no one knows.  I would enjoy to stay another, but, eh, whatever the Lord wants me to do, I must do it.  But, uh, hopefully he wants me to stay in Muret?

It's just getting hotter and humider every day here in Toulouse. Mmmmmmmm.

You guys sound like you had a killer trip.  Partying.  Having only good times and nothing but.  Well.  Cool.  I'm happy for you?  Just so you know, I'm having a better time, so.

I love you so much.  I've loved this last year of my life so much.  And there's another one to go.  I hope it doesn't go by so fast this time.  You probably won't recognize me when I get back, because I've been setting lots of goals and reaching them and one of them was get more handsome, and I think it's working.  But in reality, this is so neat.

And Chandler Madsen is going to  SAMOA ON HIS MISSION DID YOU HERE.  Whoa.  So cool.

LOVE YOU.

Elder Liechty

PS.....ALSO

I wanted to lance you a challenge.

Elder Ballard is coming to our mission (well, to the suisse part) the 7 of septembre, and we're supposed to be placing PMGs in everyone's homes.  So I was studying one of his talks the other day, and, he said EVERY member should have one.

SO.

I wanted to tell you that you should get one, and then study it with me!  See what I teach all the time!  what I learn all the time!  And read his talk "following up" I think it's called (in french it's called "faire du suivi")

Do it for, like FHE, and do it lots with sam, get that pupster more prepared than any brother before him.

Which reminds me.

remember that challenge I lanced, like, forever ago, for you to do FHEs?  FOLLOWING UP.  Are you still doing it?  Are you still the best famille?  You'll always be the best famille, who am I kidding, but, like, FHE is totes a commandment.

I LOVE YOU.

Love.  

You.

Elder Max Liechty

Weeks 46 and 47 - Muret

Mom n Dad n Everyone!

As Zachary might say, what it is what it is?

The way you wrote Dude makes it look like doody :)

whoa ho, sam at private party?  Like, catering n stuff?  Elite.  High class.

The sisters in my ward like your teeth a lot.  they say they are perfectly straight and beautiful.  They say "The radiance of those small objects which habitate within your mouth gives cause to rejoice within the dental care of america.  Be proud of those pearly whites a.k.a. dang girl you got nice teeth."  The sister that said that is british.  So.

I'm gonna have to say no to Weird Al..... :( BUT you can send me the lyrics, just pretend like you're the one saying them or something.  That'll work.

Wow, so, have a great trip, you rich retired couple you.

THE WEEK

I forgot to tell of a miracle on lundi.  When we were waiting in the prefecture, this lady came up to us, started speaking in spanish to us, and we were able to understand that she was a member from Spain and that she wanted to know where the church was.  So that was really cool.  Probably count that as being the answer to someone's prayer.  Unless it was more like "oh man the missionnaires, now I have to pretend like I'm interested in coming to church..." but I'm pretty sure it was the good way, so that was neat.

The next day was interesting.  We had a leçon planned in the evening with a new ami we had found not too long ago, so we went and started the leçon.  Then her friend came into the park where we were, and she had some doggies with her.  Our friend, her name is Simona, said "I like dogs, but I hate those dogs."  And then we found out why.  They went NUTS and started attacking each other and also another dog that was there and it was loud and crazy and then Simona got up and started slapping the dogs around.  It was kind of weird.  But then afterwards we asked "hey, would this be better another time, maybe?" and she said yes, so we fixed a RDV with her the next day, but, unfortunately, she couldn't come to that one, so that was a bummer.

However, the next day we had zone conference!  And the night before, the office elders had stayed at our apartment, and guess who is there right now?  It's Elder Phelps!  Because he broke his foot, so he's in the office team for now because he can stay in the office.  So he came and stayed the night, and that was fun.  And zone conference was amazing as usual.  This time was interviews with president, so that was a really good time.  I asked him if we could get bikes in Muret, and he said yeah, so we should be getting bikes in a couple weeks.  Zone conference is just a good, uplifting time, filled with the spirit, and gets me pumped up like nothing else.

And the next day we went on exchange.  I was in Muret with Elder Jenkins, the bleu in Toulouse.  We had an awesome day.  When we were out contacting in the morning, we contacted this lady and got talking and it was awesome, and we talked about prayer, and we asked if we could pray with her right there, and she said "totes" or something like that, so we prayed.  But like a couple of fools we forgot to ask for her number, so we can't contact her right now.  So we're just praying really hard that either we see her again on the street or she feels the need to call and meet with us.  Her name is Anna.  Anyway, the rest of the day was cool, too.  We were able to pass a member famille, the Riquelmes, and had a quick fifteen minute RDV with them.  We even squeezed a name out of them, someone they had helped teach a while ago and they wanted to get in contact with again.  That was awesome.  Elder Jenkins rules.

Then vendredi we had a MGV with la famille Ducrocq, a very silly famille that loves the missionnaires.  Some delicious pizza, some delicious cheese cake, the usual.  And that evening we had an FHE at the church with members and amis, and it was cool.  had a great spiritual thought about God's love, and some awesome snacks, including no bake cookies, and some awesome games.  Just a good time all around.

Samedi we got to go to our samedi sportif and play some basketball.  A few guys we had contacted a while ago came, and they were super cool.  Apparently the sisters are teaching them now, too, and they are progressing really well.  That's so cool.  That and weekly planning were about all we were able to do that day, so, yeah.  Neat.

Church was a classic.  This time, though, I got to translate for a guy who works with a company tied with Airbus and lives in Milwaukee.  That was a neat experience.  It was going alright, but it was pretty skippy and sketchy on my part, until sacrament meeting, where I really searched for the help of the Lord and got down to business, and it went a lot better and it was neat.  And there was this other famille there from Texas, the mom is French, and they were just visiting for a few days, but they might play basketball with us today for pday, so we'll see.  It was a good sunday, all around, talked with members, the usual.

So that's about the week.  It was really fun, and I feel like we accomplished stuff, even if what you read seems kind of lame and boring and day to day kind of stuff.  This week should be sweet, as they all should be.

Have a great trip without me and without any of the children and i hope you feel guilty,

LOVE YOU

love,

Elder Max Liechty

I forgot something really cool!

I believe it was vendredi.

we were on the way home from Toulouse on the train.  We overheard these people speaking the queen's english, and, instictively, I eavesdropped.  The were wondering if this train went to Lourdes, and then they asked us directly, so we said yes, asked where they are from, and got talking.  They were from London and somewhere a little more south that starts with a B, and they were going to Lourdes for their Catholic pilgrimage (Lourdes is where Mary appeared to a little girl a long time ago, and there is some holy water and stuff there, very catholic), and we got talking, and it was a really good time.  It was the most neutral conversation I've ever been in with practicing catholics, because they didn't try to battle or anything.  The mostly just wanted to know how the Mormons keep youth in the church so well.  We told them it's because our familles are the best.  Which is true.  I have the best of all the familles.  I LOVE YOU

AND THEN WE FORGOT TO WRITE......

MA'AM.

So.  I see how it is.  You go on a cruise with dad, and then don't email your son.  Alright.  Well.  I might just not send pictures.  Hm.  How's that feel?

I'll probably send pictures anyway, to show my love for you, even though you don't always show your love for me.

I got your package!  So I guess we'll count that.  I loved it.  I love all that is in it.  It blew my mind when I got it and made the day that much better.  Thanks, love you.  I love all the pictures.  And the shark with frickin' lazer.  And the dice game.  And the jelly beans.  And the notes.  And sam's drawing.  And all that was inside.  Thunks.

So I guess I'll get right to the week, eh?

Lundi started out alright.  We played basketball with some Americans who had been at church the day before, and that was a really good time.  They brought their french cousine, too, and that was fun.  Then afterwards, we did a little street boarding, then it started raining, so we decided to finalize planning and set a bunch of goals to make the best week ever.  And we did.  We made a huge list of goals of how we could do better, how we can work harder, what we need to change, etc., and we applied it, and it was a cool week.  Check it out:

Mardi was probably the coolest of the days.  We got a RDV with our less active friend, Alfred Déjean, did lots of contacted, and knocked some doors the evening.  Check this.  We had planned to pray every hour and see miracles.  So we did.  And that evening, we prayed to have a lesson while knocking doors, just to top off the day.  We found a lot of really cool people at their homes, none really interested, but, still friendly.  then this lady that had had the missionnaires over before and totally invited us back when she has time, and then her grand daughter and her friends from Germany, Spain, and Vietnam came, and they all spoke english, and they were cool, too, but they started talking amongst themselves, and the old lady left, and we were just standing out front of this lady's house, so we kind of just slipped out of there awkwardly.  But then the last door we got.  We knocked, the lady came out, we had a good contact, she was talking about how hard it is to believe when there are so many problems, and we testified that it's to really help us.  Then I thought of a scripture, one of my favs, Ether 12:4, whipped it out on her like that, testified, then we prayed with her on the spot.  Neat.  Yes.  Good end to the night.  Very good day.

Then comes around the next day, and we got ourselves a lesson with our baptismal engagée, Sylvie, and she had some questions about the sacrament meeting, because someone had given a talk on the sacrament, and had used really weird logic that was not correct, and was getting pretty deep, and, well, it confused her.  So we got it under control, explained the simplicity of the symbolism, and that we don't have to worry about silly stuff like what that fella was talking about.  Then later, while we were hitting the streets, we found this lady, the simplest and coolest contact I've seen yet, we simply talked, did the questionnaire, and then she said she could see us next mercredi, so we fixed that RDV right on the spot.  Then we passed some old amis, were able to chat with them, and we'll be seeing them in a couple weeks because they are going on vacation, kind of like everyone else in this area right now.  It's Toulouse vacation time.  Because it's pretty dang toasty down here.

The next three days we basically spent in Toulouse.  We helped the Elders there jeudi evening because they had two RDVs at the same time, so I got to help teach this very cool Tahitian famille about the Plan du Salut, and it went really, really well.  Then they fed us amazing Tahitian food.  Yes.

Then whips around vendredi déjà, and we've got ourselves some service in the morning.  We, all four of the elders, helped someone in our ward, a recently returned missionnaire, move her stuff from the ground floor to the upstairs and then put some stuff together for her, because we're men.  Then they made us amazing lasagna, because they are Italian.  After that we hustled back to Muret, where we had a RDV with Malika, our recent convert, talked missionary work, and she's super excited to share what she knows, so that's real cool, and then back to Toulouse for the FHE at the church, which went really, really well, too.  I think we had 5 amis there, several members, as well, and it was just a good time.

The next day we had samedi sportif, that was fun, as usual, made some new friends, strengthened friendships with the oldies.  Then we were supposed to have a lesson that evening, but it ended up not happening, unfortunately, but we still had to weekly plan for next week, so we had a solid session of planning for next week. Alright.  Yeah.

Here comes dimanche.  Church was classic.  It was fast sunday, so that was cool.  The coolest part of this day is this:  I had started my fast last night, but I couldn't remember for what I had chosen to fast for......uh.......yeah, so.  In the morning I kind of just send "uh, help me with what I had decided last night" and then I added some other things just in case I hadn't actually prayed for anything the night before.  Anyway, the day goes on, just another fast sunday.  Then we got home, sunday, and we hit up our power hour (acutally just twenty minutes) of contacting in the evening before we have to get in.  We went out, and it was pouring rain, and I had lost my umbrella somehow in Narbonne, so we just went out and got soaking wet, and no one was on the road.  I went out thinking "this stinks there is so much more effecitve ways we could be working right now" but we had told the Lord this is what we were doing, so we did it.  And after grouching for about 10 minutes, I just had a blast the last 10.  Joking with people as they ran past us in the rain, people pointing and staring at us from the bars on the corners, so on.  Then I remembered what I had fasted for: that I don't be a grump when we do stuff I don't feel like doing and to stay motivated and happy.  Voilà.  Cool.  It worked.  It took me a second to realize it, but yeah.  Cool.  Yes.

So yeah, uh, that's the week.  I hope you have a sweet one, too.  Also, is it true that EFY changed to FSY?  That's just something I heard.  No idea.

LOVE YOU

I love,

you,

love,

Elder Liechty

This is Elder Jenkins n I

He's from Atlanta, Georgia, and no, he doesn't know the Ellis famille.

And  he doesn't have an accent, either.

Here's beautiful Muret

The river that runs through it

A beautiful picture of Elder Garside in front of a plum tree