And life just keeps going.
I'll tell you a few things about this week, but let me start with all of the things that I love. I love getting up every morning and be able to; I love pâtisseries; I love soeur Farmer; I love teaching the fulness of the gospel to strangers; I love the sun, even when it keeps giving me weird tan lines; I love feeling the spirit every day of my life; I love walking so much that I can never get full; I love kissing people's faces because it means they like me; I love being able to speak French to someone without thinking and then understanding them; I love the hour I get every morning to relearn the gospel; I love testifying my heart and soul to everyone I see; I love being a missionary.
But also, sometimes being a missionary is hard. Sometimes you testify with everything you have, and the person looks and you and says, "So?" Sometimes your heart hurts a little from Heavenly Father's children rejecting Christ over and over and over again. We really worked hard this week. With like a total of one rendezvous, we did a lot of looking, but apparently not very many people wanted to be found. We tried showing our faith. We even had a day of finding coupled with the Lyon Mission, praying every 30 minutes for all of the missionaries. And yet, at the end of the week I looked back and couldn't figure it out why we didn't teach very much or have as many phone numbers as we should. Here's the scripture that came into my mind during the Sacrament yesterday: 1 Nephi 11:17. I know that God loves His children; but I do not know the meaning of all things. That is something that was really put into my mind -- I don't know the meaning of all things. But I KNOW that God loves us. Therefore, I know that He will bless us in our efforts eventually.
Also, I hit my year mark and became legal all in the same day. ONE YEAR. People like to ask me, "Does it feel like it's been a whole year on your mission??" Heck yes it does. My body hurts and is really tired and I speak french. But at the same time I'm so sad because the 6 months countdown is counting DOWN now, and that makes me nervous. BUT I do know that this past year has changed me. Am I the same person I was when I left? Yes and no. I still like the same things. I still tell stupid jokes and then laugh at them. My hair is definitely still curly. But then at the same time, not at all. My perspective is completely different. I see so much more than I ever did before, and I love it. I CRAVE the gospel. I love praying and studying the scriptures and then sharing what I learned with everyone I know! I know the Atonement is real because I have felt it. Christ is so real. Real life is life in Jesus Christ--that's what we live for, because that's the only way to live again.
I don't have anybody to ask you to pray for. But pray for everybody, okay? Because we're going to go and talk to them all this week. :) I hope you all have a fantastic week!
Avec tout mon amour (with all my love),
Soeur Katie Pettingill
The first two pictures are in Paris. I am officially legal, and also managed to get a picture with two things I did a year ago: those pâtisseries, and consecration hill (where we go as a newbie bleu missionary)
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| Finding day mille feuilles :) |
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| Totes taught the 17 year olds sunday school class on Sunday. Craaaaazy kids |
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