This is us and Frère Ismael Men Dassi the first time we ran into him at
a fountain on street corner (lot's of fountains in Aix, btw)
MOM!!
So for pday today, we're actually gonna hit up SOLDES. Cuz it's soldes. And it's my last opportunity before
returning, so I need to get a fly suit so I can look good when I triumphantly walk off the airplane. Luckily I got
sent to the sexiest town in France for soldes, so that's handy.
Also, I'm a day late cuz yesterday was ZONE CONFERENCE. And I finally met President and Sister Brown!
One word: spiritual giants. Or two words: spiritual giants. Like, I'm just glad it wasn't some knucklehead that
took over my last couple weeks. They're really amazing people, and love just emanates from them.
So, let me tell you something about last week. So we made a goal to teach 20 less active/recent convert
lessons. And you know how many we got? 20!! Plus we got more normal lessons this week than we did last
week, so that improved as well! We saw so many miracles it was just stunning to see how much Heavenly
Father wanted to help us reach this goal. We only got 20 cuz o' Him.
We started out on monday, which was a little bizarre, cuz we saw Michel, and he's not doing so hot. He
actually called us the next day, still not doing so hot, and we told him to go to the hospital, which he did the
last time this happened and that helped him out a lot. So we're pretty sure he's there now, and hopefully that
works out for him and everything gets better. Really sad there.
We also saw Jacqueline that day, and we saw her a couple more times during the week to sing with her, and
also to visit her with another recent convert, which was really neat. She's the one who lost her dog and took it
really hard, but now she's doing a lot better. She really appreciates our visits, and so that's neat. So that's
good news.
Then the really big miracles began. We went to go pass a less active in the morning named Ismael, but he
wasn't home (and the prob is that he is never home and doesn't answer his phone very often, so it's tough to
see him.) However, we went to pass him, nothin', then we went n talked to people in the street, no one wanted
to talk, really difficult, and then on our way back for lunch, we ran into a guy who we taught more or less the law
of chastity (real fun to teach on the street, btw), and then who do we see on the street corner but Ismael! He
sees us and jumps up in the air out of excitement (he's realllllly funny like that) and then we were able to share a
scripture and pray with him. Very neat. Then we actuallly saw him the next few days in a row again. We helped
him in his yard, we taught spiritual thoughts, really neat. Especially neat, cuz he was contacting us and calling
us and inviting us over n stuff. So that was neat.
We got to see Fr. Philibeaux, who did not pray to Moroni this time, so that was nice. As of this sunday he is
actually officially reactivated, which is DOPE. We're gonna keep visiting him and treating him as a recent
convert, just because it's been so long since he came to church, but not he's coming all the time and it's
awesome.
We saw this really really really old spanish less active, too, who is really hard to understand (probably harder
than pépé was) and is not really interesting in returning, but really likes the missionaries. He's honestly like a
hundred years old (I think he's actually 92, but he could probably be 120 also).
Patricia, one of our recent converts, asked for help on how to give spiritual thoughts at family home evenings n
stuff, so we helped her out with that a couple times, and she's doing just fine these days. As is Rachelle, the
other recent convert, who actually has the same birthday as you, mom, which we celebrated on saturday (I
pretended like I was celebrating for you :). All the recent converts are just doin' great, so that's nice.
Also, I was in Avignon thursday-saturday, so I was having just as much fun as you. Got to see some of my
favorite members, the Hubys had us over for dinner, the Farinas came to english class, and Bernard and
Marylène had us over, too, and gave me a birthday present they had planned on giving me weeks ago, but I
had to leave to quickly after church, so they couldn't get it to me! so that was really cool and thoughtful that
they had kept it in case I came back! Very cool. Also got to see Halima, who is going to be baptized the 18th,
so that's super cool. Also knocked on doors with no shade in 100 degree weather in the south of France, so
that was also really fun. AVIGNON!!!
And also on sunday bishop Gérald Caussé was there, so I got to talk to him (in french! wooo!) and he
remembered going to Cedar Hills for stake conference, and I told him what you told me about liking his accent
and hoping I get one, too. But I'm sorry, I don't think I have an accent. sorry.
So now we're actually on a sort of exchange/blitz with the Elders from Manosque, with whom we did good work
yesterday after zone conference. Elder Thompson and I taught a Polish man about the restoration, and that
was especially cool. And also ate kébabs. so today we're gonna go get foxy suits and then do more work and
then do the real exchange on wednesday n stuff. So we done been BUSY!
This was one of the best weeks of my mission. We worked really, really hard and saw amazing miracles.
ONE OF WHICH I JUST REMEMBERED. So we were waiting for a recent convert, John, to come teach
Jacqueline with us, and while we were waiting at the church and doing a little cleaning (cuz it was filthy for
some reason), a NOTHER less active came in, named Yves, out of nowhere just walked into the church. He
had changed his number (again!), so we weren't in contact with him, but we got it from him again, and he's been
calling to see how we are and if we can do some activities together n stuff. Really cool miracle. Also John
showed up, and he was really great talking with Yves and asking him why he didn't come to church anymore!
Really neat.
The whole week we shared one scripture with everyone, Mosiah 2:41, which just says that if you keep the
commandments, you're happier than anyone else, and also blessed in everything. It's an amazing scripture for
less actives, things which we realized after seeing all these miracles and the progression of these people. It
makes them realize that you can be happier if you keep the commandments, and it makes them think about
how happy they were when they were going to church and how different it is now that they've taken a pause.
Really neat. And all these miracles are thanks to MOMMA WEEK (also, like, dad helped and everyone else and
also God and Jesus n all them, so).
I love you a lot, and probs see you soon :)
LOVE
ELDER MAX LIECHTY
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