June 25, 2013 - Bordeaux, France

I'll go where you want me to go

fam,

okay, funny thing about this song. first verse,

 

"It may not be on the mountain height (-grenoble)

Or over the stormy sea, (-france)
It may not be at the battle's front (-france)
My Lord will have need of me.
But if, by a still, small voice he calls
To paths that I do not know,
I'll answer, dear Lord, with my hand in thine:
I'll go where you want me to go. "

When I hear this, I'm like, ..but it is! and so we got calls for transfers and president told me that I'm moving to BORDEAUX to finish training Soeur Hirshi, I was like, oh my gosh this was totally supposed to happen! So I had been really not wanting to be transferred because I absolutely LOVE the Grenoble ward! they are so incredible! But I had in my mind decided that if I were to be transferred, I would be happy with anywhere but I have always wanted to serve in Bordeaux. or Switzerland, but I dont think that's possible for me since I dont have a suisse visa. So he called and told me and I just got super excited and I have Soeur Hirshi as a companion now! Which is crazy cause yall told me about her!!!!!! So we want to know HOW yall know her family and vice versa, cause neither of us know. lol. other then the ward in West Frankfort. So yeah, if you could update me on that, we would both appreciate it. :) Second off, our apartment is the first apartment I ever stayed in in the field, and its TINY! lol. so great. and I get to walk across the BEAUTIFUL bridge and see BEAUTIFUL Bordeaux every flippin DAY!!!!! I am seriously so happy to be here. And elder call from my mtc district is my zone leader!! Its so great to see him! But yeah. Bordeaux. Miracles. Its happening. Mom, dad, we will now have to visit bordeaux!!! o la la you will die! its so great. Well, I dont have have much time to tell you more about everything, just pray that things will all fall into place well and for the people in bordeaux and this land is blessed!!! Ahh I'm so happy to be here! I feel like I'm home. Here's my new address:

Les Missionnaires

Soeur Gardner

47 Rue de la Bénauge

33100 Bordeaux

FRANCE

Gotta go but I love yall so much and I pray for you all the time! Pray for us to have miracles!!!

Love always,

devaneau

June 17, 2013 - Grenoble, France

In the Highways

fam,

hello, hello! First off, HAPPY FATHER's DAY, DAD!!!!!! You are wonderful and I love you so much!!!! I hope that you had a great fathers day. I hope it was yesterday for yall in America, cause mothers day is different so I'm not sure.

so today was kind of weird! so this email has to be short. we came to do emails first thing, then we got a call 20 minutes in and it was a member saying that our dear soeur planeta had fallen and the window fell on her and we needed to go help her asap. so we dropped everything, and there was the couple Bertola family here at hte church so they drove us to her home and she had already been helped up so we just help to get the door/window re-hinged. which was ridiculous. but we succeeded! and then they left but we stayed with soeur planeta for a few hours to make sure she was okay and to wait for our member who had called us, messad, to get there. so we got to talk to her and eat lunch with her and it was actually really nice. she is such a sweet old lady. minus her always telling us our french is terrible. I'm pretty sure her native tongue isnt even french, but whatev. You just take it with a smile. haha. for example, today she was like, how do you guys even communicate with people enough to teach? hahaha. she's so mean but I just laughed and said, the Spirit! gotta love soeur planeta. 

so this week was a bit of a drought. we had pretty bad numbers, but its okay because from experience I know that when droughts happen we are just about to have a flood of miracles! And we have been working better and better together, so things are looking up! we are definitely seeing much more eye to eye and contacting more and trying to fill every moment with good things and such. 

haha, yesterday we contacted in a park, and one guy seemed super interested and I was thinking, this guy is totally golden!!! and we taught him basically a quick rundown of the restoration, he looks totally invested in everything we say, I  introduce the Book of Mormon, then he's like, wait wait, and we're like, yeah? and he's all, where do you live? do you live here or with a family somewhere? and I'm like, Uh..no we live in an apartment, then I try to get back on topic but he's like, oh is there space in your apartment? its just hte two of you? and I'm like, this doesnt have anything to do with the gospel, and he's like, no, cause I'd like to live there with you and i'm like, "no. anyway," and keep teaching, then he just keeps asking us ridiculous things and I'm like, "this has nothing to do with the gospel" and he's like, well getting to know you helps me understand where youre coming from and then I was like, "okay, I decided to serve a mission because I have seen how the gospel has blessed my life, and i want to share that with others, so that they can have the same joy and happiness that I have, and that is why I dont like talking about myself or about anything regarding me because none of that will bring you the happiness that I have." then he listened a bit more, then we got his number to give to the elders, and that was all. egh. guys like that make my skin crawl. soeur keating was like, I thought it was funny. and I'm like, bleh. 

well, that was just a funny story for yall. Other then that, we had Elder Richards from the second quorum of the seventy come and speak to us on Tuesday and it was INCREDIBLE!!! I absolutely loved it. SO full of the Spirit afterward and during. We had nonstop teaching from 10am until 2pm, no breaks! so we ate at 2, but it was soooo worht it!! wow one of the best zone conferences I've had on my mission!

Well I love yall so much and I hope that you have a great week! Transfer calls are on Friday so we'll see if I'll be staying in Grenoble another transfer or if I'll depart! O la la!!  Will i keep soeur keating??? So many questions not answered until Friday morning. Hate this feeling.

love yall and I love photos!!!!!!!

love always,

devaneau

June 10, 2013 - Grenoble, France

Our God will never us forsake!

ma chére famille,

how art thou? things are going pretty good here. just taking it one day at a time with my wonderful blue. she's been having a tough time adjusting to missionary life and stuff like that, which I totally understand, but you dont really "understand" fully when youre not in the situation. but yeah. ça va, quoi. So we had exchanges with the soeurs in our ville last Tuesday and I did exchanges with Soeur Lewis. She's a little peacemaker and just works so hard to get the language and is the cutest little 19 year old missionary here. She's the youngest in our apartment but seriously the most like a sweet little mother. its hilarious. she makes these "taco rolls" and german pancakes with homemade syrup (yeah. legit) and she's just soft spoken and its adorable. haha. But I did exchanges with her and we got to see our potential ami, Lisette, who is Yannick's cousin! So we set up a rendez-vous with her for this coming wednesday and she seems very committed to it. so thats great! super excited about her. Yannick is doing well also, though he doesnt have the desire to be baptized right now. he did have it, and he knows that the church is true, but he doesnt really have that desire that he had before to get baptized. So we are working on that with him right now. But he came to church and talked to the bishop! 

the ward members really seem to love us; its a good feeling. If you have the ward on your team, miracles happen. they trust you. its a win-win situation. and I LOVE this ward! they are just incredible and I just want to make all of them brownies and thank you cards! which we eventually will be doing in the next few weeks. haha. the young adults are amazing and always help us with lessons and the families always ask about our amis and they invite them over when they invite us over for dinner and its just awesome. I have a huge respect for French members of the church. the culture here is definitely different then the states, but when they come, they are really invested in the  church. The active members are really STRONG members. they really understand the gospel. Not that Americans don't, but its like we have members come that are just on the fence; thats not how it is normally here. 

well, dont have much time, but I love yall and pray for us! We have 2 weeks left of this transfer, this is our fifth week! holy cow! already!!!!!!! have a great week and if you plan on sending a letter send it now or wait till  transfer calls! 

love yall!! the church is soo true!!!!!!!!!!!

love always,

devaneau

June 3, 2013 - Grenoble, France

exchanges!! soeur keating, soeur reintjes, me, and soeur taylor!

June 3, 2013 - Grenoble, France

fly away home

dear fam,

I chose the title of this because of the email from soeur marker and she talks about that movie and I just like it. nothing to do with me flying home. just clarifying. :) 

so this week was pretty great! I felt like I accomplished stuff! haha. missionary work! stuff..! my heads not fully in this email. okay! so on monday night we left for aix-en-provence and we totally did exchanges there and it was so fun!! the sister training leaders there are soeur taylor (who I have done exchanges with twice in Toulouse!) and soeur reintjes! I have just heard good things about her, so it was really cool to get to do exchanges with her! she is awesome!!! love that soeur! we had a really good time teaching and singing and contacting! she's a beast! she gets on a bus and literally contacts everyone!! so I got to get a few pointers from her-just close your eyes, buckle down, and do it. haha. but seriously! you have the desire but it can just be so awkward cause everyone's watching..but who cares?? youre doing this for a better cause then your own pride! So yeah. contacting on the streets doesnt bother me or streetboarding or any of that, its just condensed people not moving, but now its getting better. Soeur keating is helping me and I'm helping her. its really cool to do it, though. you feel empowered! and a couple of times I've had good conversations with people! So I'm progressing! slowly but surely!

Yannick is doing really well, he is praying about when he should be baptized; he feels like he's not ready yet, but he is super ready to set a date and to progress towards it! but he needs to pray about it, anyhow, sylvie has a date for baptism the 22 juin but has to quit smoking before so we may push it back if she hasnt quit by next week. Vaber is doing well, he's been reading the Book of Mormon every day and seems to be alright with his situation, which is great because he's not depressed and wanting to give up on missionary lessons and such. He needs to stop smoking, also. His wife is going back to work!! She is slowly progressing to getting a healthier life and is on her way to letting Vaber get baptized! But yeah. things are going good, here in ol' Grenoble! I absolutely love this ward-they are so great. so much desire to be a missionary! Its addicting, I think. This month is the month of invitation, so things are gonna get pretty intense here in the next few weeks! :D

So this morning I was studying about "hope", because its a Christ-like attribute that I'd like to work on, and I read lots of scriptures having to do with it, and my favorite was Ether 12:4 , which says,

 "Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to gorify God."

I LOVE this! Hope is knowing with a surety that the things that we have been promised will come to pass. Therefore, those who believe in God know that the world can be made better. That is why as missionaries (and members) we should and can be happy always, because we have this hope embedded in our souls, the "anchor" of our souls, to remind us that even if something doesnt turn out the way we wanted it to, we know that what the Lord promises will come to pass. We know that through Jesus Christ we can have a better world, full of love and peace. Is that not a reason to be happy? Not just happy, but rejoicing! Let us continue to push forward with hope that the Lord will continue to bless us and not give us anything that is too difficult to handle. (NOTE: read the talk, "the Infinite Power of Hope" by Dieter F Uchtdorf!)

I love yall so much and I love hearing from you! Youre wonderful! Keep being great examples to everyone around you! 

love always,

devaneau