AMAZING! (Jacob-Lyon)

Well this week was incredible and obviously with a highlighting moment of my life. It really was super great! On Monday we headed over the other church in Ecully and then got on the bus for 7 hours! It was literally the best bus ride I have ever had! We each received an activity packet (sounds like our family ;) ) with every talk that Elder Andersen has ever given since he has been a General Authority! I loved reading that along with his biography which helped me really get into the spirit of the event! 

So we did that then basically walked off of the bus in Nice into the hotel where they gave us food and sent us to our rooms! The French Hotels are super funny and basically there were two beds; a king size bed and a small twin bed that was like a bunk bed on top.  So we had a choice to make and in the end we slept in different beds (yes I got the bunk) and had a great night sleep. The Zone Leaders who are Christlike stayed up until 1 in the morning ironing all the missionaries shirts because the rooms did not have irons and they had only one ironing board and one iron (that the office Elders had brought).. SO then we woke up and headed over the conference and then basically got in our seats and practiced the songs we were singing. Then the best part was that President Andersen had made a list of all the missionaries that he knew through someone and asked to take a photo with them! So without knowing we got taken out and got to take a photo with Elder and Sister Andersen!  

The actual conference was absolutely amazing and I will probably never forget the experience we had!! We had both Elder and Sister Kearon who spoke (along with President and Sister Roney ) and then THE Andersens finished! It was such an edifying experience! I was expecting Him to come and explain some really crazy things but in the end he talked about Faith!! It was so cool! He shared an experience (and I wonder if you were there Mom) about how the mission had set the goal to baptize 50 people in one month and how President had made the goal to find someone who would be baptised within the month as well. Then how he went and did the zone conferences and that took two weeks and how things were crazy where eventually it got the end of the month and he hadn't found anyone but just kept having faith that it would happen! So the last week they found a card with this girls name on it (who was a coordonée (referral)) and in the end she happened to have just arrived in France.  Basically her family were all members and her dad was Bishop and she had been going to church since forever but had just never been baptized. President Andersen was able to baptize her on the last day of the month and she made the 50th baptism! So awesome!He just built our faith so much!

I love the Gospel and the amazing message we have to share that God DOES love us and He shows his love by sending us Prophets, seers and revelators;

I love you all!!

Elder Pettingill

At the conference