Deux Missions Françaises : Be HIS Hands (Katie-Toul)

Hi :)

Okay, If feel like the week goes by so fast and then it's suddenly Monday again and I'm like, "But, wait! I won't have anything to write about!" Then I look at my planner and realize an entire week passed and that in actuality I have TROP (too much) to write about. Hm.

First off, I don't want you all to think I'm the missionary that's like, hey! Everyone! Be better! Because I am so incredibly imperfect that I don't have the right. However, I would like to share a little miracle about a member here and missionary work.

His name is Frère Pagot, and he is an older man. One you might accidentally mistake for a Témoin de Jéhovah, (Jehovan's Wtiness) actually. But he is so sincere and so sweet. We are at his house for a soirée familiale (remember my easter miracle from last week??), and we are having a good time, but a little down because Brigitte's inactive son didn't come with her and that was kind of the point. So we're chatting with Soeur Pagot and Brigitte when Frère Pagot disappears. I look out the window and see that he is talking to an older man and I just smile. You know. What else am I supposed to do? The next thing I know Frère Pagot and this man are walking through the doorway! Frère Pagot says, "Look who I found! This is my friend Joël. He needs the Plan of Salvation."

So we go and teach him the Plan of Salvation. It turns out he recently lost both his wife and a son, and has been having a hard time believing in God. But he is ready and willing to pray and read in order to believe again :) We even called him to sing happy birthday on Saturday, and he told he is progressing! Yes, in those exact words. He read the whole thing and prayed. Good boy, Joël ;)

BUT WAIT, there's more. Frère Pagot, after Joël leaves, tells us that he has been praying for weeks for an opportunity to help the sister missionaries. Then when he was talking to Joël, he felt like he should introduce us. How simple and wonderful! And with that tiny act of faith, frère Pagot helped this man find God again. Incredible.

Now watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5NVypwnNfo

What does this have to do with missionary work? This hit me in the face this week when a different member mentioned it. WE ARE HIS HANDS. Notice how with each healing, Jesus first commands them to be whole, then He extends a hand. That is us. Without the help of the members (even more so than the missionaries), amis cannot progress, and these people who haven't taken a spiritual step like that in years, would never be able to take that first step again. My advice to you this week--be His hands :)

Angélique and Loïc are doing well! They are having TONS of opposition to the baptism, and also because they decided to get married first, everything with that is going wrong as well (of course). So please pray for them.

We met a couple of polynesian ladies on Friday who said we could come by with a message of Christ on Saturday, which we did. During the lesson they were SO nice and wonderful and we were like AH! Golden! I think we might have spoken a little soon...because after the lesson we left them with a prayer and they even said they would come to church the next day. But about 5 minutes after we left, we got a phone call. I was driving and listening to Sr. Evans give me the strangest looks. Here is an excerpt from the conversation:

Visesia (poly): We were just wondering why you didn't do the cross sign after the prayer.

S. Evans: Well, because, we don't do that, because, uh, we believe that Christ lives and that the words of the prayer are more important than a sign!

V: Oh. You're not catholic.

E: No.

V: What is the name of your priest?

E: Um...our Branch Président leads the meetings and his name is Lionel Claus.

V: Who was the mother of Jesus?

E: Mary...?

V: Okay. That is good. We will still try to come tomorrow.

HAH. They just wanted to make sure . It turns out they are SUPER catholic and very practicing, and they had to make sure we were real missionaries and not fakes, so they quizzed us. I think we barely passed.

I love you all! Gros bisous!

Soeur Pettingill