Last week was pretty good. Our investigator Brent decided to move his Bap date from oct 30 to Sep 24 which is really good. He is getting pretty close to being prepared. We were really impressed that he came to church after his friend did something to him that really hurt his feelings. He is kind of a shy guy and likes to sit in the back of our tiny chapel. He really enjoyed church and stayed for 2 hours this time which is the most he ever has. 

We also did a stop smoking program with the Randy and Michelle, a part member family. Randy so far still hasn't smoked a cigarette since last Saturday!  Michelle hasn't either, yet she had to go to the hospital tuesday because she had trouble breathing. Hopefully she doesn't blame us for it. 

We were promtped to make a recent convert, Christina, an orange dreamcicle flavored cake and gave it to her because she has been challenged a lot lately by her baptist friends. Her 5 year old son was really disruptive during our lesson with her--he wouldn't stop pretending to chop of our arms with his toy chainsaw. But Christina came to church the next day and even bore her testimony. 

Our other recent converts, Gary and Terry, bore their testimony. Gary was the first to go up even though he told us before how nervous he was. Terry got up there and did a great job. She thought she didn't because she got nervous and didn't know what to say, but I was still impressed that they tried to do it at least. They are eating everything up right now. Doing very well.

This other recent convert--Sis Timmerman and Korbin, texted us tuesday saying they don't want to be part of the church anymore. They wouldn't tell us why or let us come over. So pray for them please. We have been teaching the granddaughter Alexis, but it doesn't look like we will be anymore even though she wants to. 

On Tuesday we had a really great district meeting. I really like the way we do our meetings. IT's like a revelatory council and we all receive assignments and make personal goals. I gave a training on using the scriptures to teach. A lot of missionaries don't use the scriptures enough and talk too much, but I challenged everyone to memorize 2-3 scriptures per missionary lesson and teach as many principles as you can using the scriptures. 

After that, Elder Durrant and I went on exchanges in Paris. It is a good thing we are not companions because we might not  be able to focus as much as we need to. We spoke to each other in and Indian accent the entire time while making lots of puns. It wasn't the most dignified way to act and felt like we could have focused a little better. It was fun though and we still got some things done though and even found the monument for Zion's camp. I will have to send it to you next week or maybe today. A lady also tried to run us over with her car when we tried knockin on her door a little late at night. We sure didn't look like intruders dressed in white so I don't know what was going through her mind. We quickly got back in our car and aplogized for knocking on the wrong door. 

Yesterday was the temple. I learned that part of the covenant we make is to avoid all loud laughter and light-mindedness, a reminder for me of how I should have acted on exchanges with Elder Durrant. In the celestial room it felt good. The temple president encouraged us to forget all of our problems while in the temple and to concentrate on who we are going through the temple for.  I was trying to think as muh as I can about the person I was standing in behalf of, but nothing really happened. But after, an answer to one of the questions I had came to me while in the shower this morning. My question was this, how can we feel of God's love more in our life? --the answer came from the words I listened to while excercising by Neal A Maxwell: 

We can partake of His love by applyingJesus’ glorious Atonement in order to become more like Him. By likening precious scriptures to ourselves we will hasten that precious process! 

I am happy to know that God does love me by answering my prayer. I have learned that if we are to receive answers for ourselves, we must lose ourselves and think of others, and in God's own timing the answers that we need for our own progression will come, either quickly or at some later time. On the ride down to the temple which is about a 3 and a half hour drive from Paris, I was looking through my prayer notebook (I try writing some of my prayers) and I noticed how basically all of the prayers I have had have been answered in some way or another, usually not all at once but as "packets of help along the way" as Richard G Scott puts it," like the increase of light on the horizon from dawn--almost imperceptible but discernible. 

I hope you all have a good week! Keep being a light to others

Elder Soutas