The most wonderful time of the year (Katie-Belgium)

Merry Christmas everyone! (How's that for creative?)

What an absolutely incredible week. Although honestly, Christmas already feels like yeeeeears ago...I guess that's what happens when every day feels like a year (except that I promise it goes by super fast. We just do a lot!) 

I learned a lot this Christmas. See, this is my problem with the gospel. Every time I try and do something especially special (try saying that one 5 times fast) for Christ, He just keeps giving me more! It shouldn't be allowed. This week, my comp and I really tried to make it all about Jesus (it was His birthday that we're celebrating after all): we studied about having faith in Him/His life each day; we prayed every hour to thank Him for the miracles that we were seeing; we went and made special plans for during Christmas day in order to help others feel His love as well; we tried REALLY hard to think all about Him -- really put that baptismal covenant into practice. So we're doing this all for Him, and what does He go and do? Teach me things! I suppose that means that He is and will always be one step ahead. Ça va. (It's okay.)

Let me tell you about a couple of things that I learned this week:

1. Opposition in ALL things. This week, as we "went about doing good" trying to be like Jesus, I literally managed to have the highest highs of my mission (as we made a man's day just by singing a song or managed to give presents to EVERYBODY and not really knowing how we came up with them or by passing by a member with sugar cookies and her whole family is there and touched by our efforts, etc. etc.) while also hitting a couple of rather low lows. It was a beautiful thing to watch because it's just another testimony to me that the gospel is true. And it is SO true.

2. Brussels looks ENCHANTING covered with snow. Yep. Saturday, at around noon, the snow fell...and when I say fell, I mean it FELL, and hard. Kind of similar to a blizzard, actually. I haven't slipped on the ice yet! And the funniest part is that I got all of the JA (young adults) in our ward and some other people to pray for snow on Christmas. There was one JA that said that he would as long as it only snowed on Christmas because he hates snow. Oops. #prayerworks. A little too well sometimes. 

3. Contacting only works in the SNOW if the person happens to be a nun. So...as it snows and snows and snows and we're freezing and everybody arounds us is miserable, we decide to talk to some people about Christ! One lady we tried to stop, but just put her hand up, kept speed-walking and shouted behind her, "I'm not stopping in this weather are you crazy?!" But then, we see this cute little asian-looking person with her long tan coat entirely covering everything, even her head (should've known), so I walk up and start talking to her. Surprisingly, she listens! Then she tells us that she's close to God too! Then she says she would love to pray with us! It was only then that I noticed the blue and white cloth sticking out from her coat...well, it was either that, or when she said that she lives in a "couvent" (aka nun cave).

4. Weekly Planning is even more FUN with multi-colored pens (thanks Mom!). I just thought it was funny that both soeur Nielson and I received lots of different colored pens for Christmas. It's probably because as missionaries, we all desire the same things. ;)

5. Christmas truly is the most MAGICAL holiday of the year. Seeing my beautiful family, speaking to my bro in French, singing christmas carols to the homeless, arriving at the Steenbliks for dinner wearing reindeer antlers and christmas lights, sharing memories, reading the christmas story in French, decorating sugar cookies, and just feeling loved. Thank you to everyone who thought of me, and thanks to everyone else too...just cuz. 

I love Christmas time, and now I'm even more excited to make some good New Year's goals and get ready for 2015! I wish I had time and room to write about everything that happened this week, but really all you need to know is that I am happy, the church is true, even more true is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and being a missionary is THE BEST. It's a good thing we're all missionaries for forever and always, n'est-ce pas (isn't it)? ;)

Je vous aime trop! (I love you all so much!) Bisous et calîns (kisses and hugs),

Sœur Katie Pettingill

Christmas morning at our house :) (doesn't change much even with two people, huh mom? ;) )

dinner with the the missionary couple in Brussels :)

homemade chèvre-miel pizza. best idea we ever had.

on the way to church, stomping through snow!

from our window

Christmas!! (Jacob-Montpellier)

Well unfortunately I got caught up doing BYU applications, which is not the most enjoyable activity for the wonderful season of fêtes, and it means my emails are going to need to go quickly!

This week was absolutely incredible and I we had some amazing experiences! To rapidly summarize the week, I guess I could just say that Love is the key. Christ was born in a manger, and because He lives, our trials can be made easy by taking His yoke upon us.

As well this week we had some incredible miracles! Elder Amerjan and I did an exchange where we planned to "find Waldo" (in this case according to the revelation we received, a college aged female wearing a green coat with fur on top and very open to being taught, and we would find her at "La Comedie" at 1:30.) Well we found her, but at 1:45.. Awesome miracle and proof that when we show faith, the Lord provides. Then later at the end of the week Elder Thompson and I left the apartment Sunday night and met a man that was literally in the middle of praying and then saw us, walked up to us and explained that he was evangilist and needed our help. So we sat him down, said a prayer and had a great talk there Sunday night.

Christmas was great and we received so much candy and chocolate that I am considering going off sugar in the apartment for a New Year's resolution.

Love you all!! 

Elder Pettingill

Trains.. Lyon.. Trains.. Montpellier.. Trains.. Bordeaux.. Trains.. Toulouse.. Trains.. Montpellier (Jacob-Montpellier)

      Well this week was incredible! We did not have much time in our sector this week but we did spend a lot of time in the many beautiful and immense cities in France! It was especially wonderful to be edified so much!! In Lyon President taught us all about love! He used John 13-15 to help us better understand love and the importance of love as the foundation of the Gospel and of the commandments! Sister Roney talked to us about being positive and led us through a positivity activity that was very fun where we tried to respond to a negative sentence! It can be hard at times but it was great because now we can go out and get really good at it! It is amazing how much the spirit plays a role in teaching us. I have noticed throughout my mission times when I have been taught by the spirit. It often comes in a thought that is barely recognizeable as one coming from somewhere else. I have noticed that it is very difficult to express these feelings after the fact. It is so important that not only we are taught by the spirit but that the spirit teaches us. I love the gospel.

      After Lyon we were able to work for about half a day in Monpellier; That was awesome and we were able to see Rossil, who is progressing very well. He is reading in the Book of Mormon and praying. I liked something that President Roney said. He was talking about love and about how the Lord says that if we keep his commandments, He will abide in us. So essentially our job is to try and get them to do essentially anything that the Saviour said or taught them so Christ can come and dwell with them (in Love). I want to abide fully in the Saviour's love because it just feels so good.

      In Bordeaux we obviously got to see David Archuleta. It was a glorious experience. We all got there nice and early and they gave everyone mission aprons which we then all signed along with the mission cookbook. The Roneys also got everyone mission scarves and a new mission music cd with David's christmas music on it! Very cool! Then obviously it was great because we all got to shake his hand along with the couple other that had escorted him. When it was my turn, I quickly taught him how to do the Bisous because he had never done it before so it was new experience for him; I also quickly told him about Elder Hodson (David Archuleta was Zone Leader in Chile with one of Jacob's best friends) but because of the rapidity we didn't get to talk more than that. My thoughts of him changed enormously from the time he had walked in to the time that he walked out because I felt the spirit. When he sang, it was angelic; when he spoke it was full of humilty and recognition for others. He is so sincere and loving and that really made a difference because we could all see it. Voila my thoughts on David. 

Donc je vous aime tous! (So I love you all!) Joyeux Noël!! (Merry Christmas!!)

Elder Pettingill

PS Get ready for skype!

At conference with a member I knew on my mission

Montpellier Ward, December 21

merry christmas...feliz navidad...fijne kirst...joyeux noël...(Katie-Belgium)

IT'S ALMOST CHRISTMAS.

I'm not sure if you noticed.

I did. And I'm so excited and happy and just...a little in awe, actually. We had a marvelous conference with President Teixeira, presiding general authority over the western europe area this week, and my entire view of Christmas as a missionary changed. Something he said specifically really touched me (this isn't a direct quote):

"Worried about not getting a meal? You'll have thousands in the years to come. Excited to sleep in? That'll come soon enough. Impatient to open those packages? Years of christmas gifts will fill your life. But this is one Christmas that should never be forgotten. You are a missionary for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. You are living Christmas every day just by being a missionary. So let me ask you this: What can you give Christ this year as His missionary? How do you make this Christmas really, truly, all about Him?"

What can I do to make this Christmas really, truly, all about Him? 

We have some plans, but they haven't technically happened yet, so I'll share our experiences next week. What I do want to share, however, is how touched I've been by the power of music this year. I've had the opportunity to be a part of two musical numbers, one in Sacrament meeting (yesterday, actually) and the other in our Stake Christmas Concert. Both times I could feel the power of my testimony through the words of two songs very much about Christ. It was such a neat experience, and a very sacred moment when I realized that the Lord was hearing this testimony, and smiling at the thought that us, Children of God, were sharing our testimony of Him for everyone to hear in a language that all can understand. 

We also had a neat experience yesterday with a less-active couple in our ward. After our spiritual thought we wanted to sing a Christmas song, but they don't speak French. However, they agreed to try if we would share our mini-cantiques (hymnbooks) with them. We started singing "Douce Nuit, Sainte Nuit" (Silent Night) and the spirit filled the room with the beautiful melody and harmony of that song. I looked over at the wife as we sang the third verse, and I saw tears streaming down her face. I blinked tears out of my own eyes at the beauty of that moment. And she didn't even understand the words.

We also had our Spanish christmas party this week, and all 8 missionaries had the opportunity to sing "If the Savior Stood Beside Me", spanish-style. This time I was the one not understanding any of the words, and yet the spirit was so strong as I testified of the Savior (IN SPANISH) through this song. And even though I didn't say the words perfectly, and I didn't sound perfect, our wonderful Spanish members felt the spirit and the power of my testimony. It was another neat moment.

Basically, with our zone goal to sing 75 christmas songs before Christmas, music is on my mind ALL THE TIME, and I've never felt the spirit as strong as I do when I sing or hear something beautiful (that involves notes and stuff). I hope that you go and each have an incredible Christmas centered around our Savior, Jesus Christ. I hope that if you can do nothing else for Him, you can at least listen to songs testifying of Him. I promise, it counts. :)

I love you all so much! Joyeux Noël!

Soeur Katie Pettingill

Christmas time in Paris under the grande arche? yes :)

Grande-Place in Brussels

Here is a link to the light show in the Grand Place in Brussels. It's beautiful!

Feliz Navidad! (Katie-Belgium)

Feliz Navidad, everybody!

You could say that my spanish is coming along swimmingly. Hah.

Mais bon, I suppose I'll tell you a little bit about what happened during this marvelous week. I learned a lot about...well, a lot of things, that's for sure. My brain is a little scattered right now, but don't worry. I'll figure this email out.

Okay. So I got a new comp! Her name is Soeur Nielson, and the best thing about this new équipe that we have is she JUST came from Toul! So basically I am a happy camper to hear about all of the people that I love so much. And now, we are creating memories here with so many people that we will come to love so much. Being a missionary is so FUN. Wanna hear a miracle? I mean, it IS Christmas time afterall. 

So. As I mentionned above, my spanish is really coming along. I've memorized at least 5 sentences for contacting someone, so yeah. But anyway, remember last week's letter about prayer? Well, we were practicing our spanish and suddenly (having just learned how to Christmas contact a person sort of) had this urge to share my new-found skill with someone. So I quietly asked Heavenly Father for an opportunity to do this, and then to help me when it came. We head out the door and what do you know! Person #3 that we contacted was spanish! So I confidentally told her the few sentences that I knew, got her phone number to give to the Elders and said a silent prayer of thanks. Until soeur Nielson looks at me and mouths, "Can we pray with her?" 

Uhhhhhh I don't know how to say that! So I frantically make hand motions and she says that she would love to pray with us! (Potentially. I don't actually understand very much spanish.) So I look at Soeur Nielson to start the prayer, and her eyes just widen. She mouths, "I can't!" What the heck. She wants ME to say it?! 

So I did. It was about 2 seconds long, but the spirit was there. Consider the gift of tongues a real deal. I am a witness of that.

Prayer seriously works. 

We had so many Christmas miracles this week, including our ward Christmas party! 5 less-actives that we are teaching came. And we got to, as service-oriented STLs, SERVE the food. It was great, super fun, and we may or may not have gotten home a tiny bit late. But we were with our district leader, so it's ok, right? ;) After seeing all of our members and feeling the love that I had for them, I asked my companion during planning what we can do to help the ward. To truly become a "blessing, not a burden." You see, this ward currently has no bishop, no relief society president, no DMP (ward mission leader), no Elders quorum president, no real chapel (we're using the other ward's) and a lot of unnecessary stress. 

After talking with the RS counselors (we just don't have a president), we came up with a game plan to strengthen this ward. The Lord is helping us become missionaries strong enough to support a broken, not super unified or organized ward. It's absolutely incredible. 

The Church is so true. I get little witnesses of this everything single day, and I LOVE it. I love being a missionary. I especially love singing Christmas songs with everybody that we see/meet/run into. 

I love you all. Gros bisous,

Soeur Katie Pettingill

this cool site that was dedicated for Belgium and Luxembourg for missionary work by Elder Holland

saying goodbye...

we accidentally bought pizza. :)

Week 1 (Jacob-Montpellier)

Well I am now all settled into this wonderful crossroad of the mission! From what I hear and have already experienced, essentially Montpellier is the middle point of the mission and thus whenever there is traveling across country, missionaries will usually stop by here! This week we only had one visit from Elder Nye and Elder Steinbock who were coming back from Bleu's conference and going to Limoges! So I guess I will be crossing paths with many missionaries (nous allons "nous cotoyer" (we are going to rub elbows with them) (a new word I learned this week)) and will get to learn many more names! Already I have been learning a lot more about France, being in a new area with many new cities in the zone!

This first week was very good. It was interesting because here in Montpellier we use the tram line a lot more than the buses so it is a different dynamic of missionary work. For the moment we have several amis with whom we are working. The most prominent is Rossil. He is a very cool african ami that is progressing and he is doing very well and we are able to see him on a pretty regular basis so that is great! He is very open to the gospel and the only thing holding him back from being baptised is his work schedule which should be changing soon. We have a date fixed for the 24 of January which is going to be super great! Pray that his work will change! Other than that we are trying to help get the others come to church! 

This week we were able to teach a good amount but it was incredible because another companionship Elder Packer (who was with me in Brive and Nice) and his companion Elder Barnes (they are in Carcassone) were able to teach 20 lessons this week!! and they have been doing it for the last 3 months. It is pretty incredible because the reason they are able to work at such a high level is their unity. Seperate they are pretty good missionaries but as a team they probably could be put up as one of the best teams in the mission because of this incredible unity that they have! It is such a good example of how much could happen if we are unified in our respective groups (as families, wards, or with others like members and missionaries) then incredible things could happen.

I really felt the Savior's love this week! I am really trying to feel that same love for others. I know its hard but I know that it can make all the difference! I want there to be room in my priorities for others, especially those for whom I am responsible! I love you all and am very excited to see you Christmas!

Love Elder Pettingill

Read Elder Thompson's email to get more specifics about Jacob's week, including a presentation they had to give at a meeting with all the local leaders in the area. 

MONTPELLIER! (Jacob-Nice)

Well I am now in Montpellier (which is where Elder Frandsen was right before coming and training myself). I was super sad to leave Nice but right luckily this last week was full of miracles! We got two people with dates for baptism (Cletus and Joy for the 31 Jan) and taught tons of lessons. The best moment was when Sunday afternoon my old ami Roland came to church to say goodbye to me and Elder Smart fixed a rdv for this week! They will hopefully help him progress!

We taught Angélique last night and she is so ready; unfortunately she did not get the permission/change of hours that she asked for so it may take a little longer!

My new companion is  Elder Thompson. It is so awesome here! Elder Thompson was in Antibes in the Nice Zone a little while ago. He is from San Ramon (Bay Area). He is super cool and we already know each other so that is great!

Also David Archuleta is coming next week to sing at zone conference!

I love the Lord and am so grateful to be a missionary! I love the Gospel. I am grateful for the ward in Nice! I am grateful for Christ!

Love, Elder Pettingill

Goodbye to Elder Smart

Goodbye to the Nice District

#prayerworks (Katie-Belgium)

What a beautiful week. 

And you know what one of the most beautiful parts was? Realizing how successful we were even though by Sunday night, we were feeling pretty unsuccessful. It just took a few cantiques (hymns), a prayer, and some reading in PMG (see pages 10-11) to lift our spirits. We did lots of good. And one testimony that was strengthened A LOT this week was that prayer works. Also, Heavenly Father loves each of us, and He cares about even the silliest of worries. Let me tell you a story.

Sooo...if any of you know me, you'll know that I rather enjoy celebrating holidays. On December 1st, we walked into our apartment and my heart sank. Turning to my dear companion, I said, "Why do we have NOTHING Christmas-y in our house? Lame." And as I turned in a circle looking at our apartment, thinking of ways I could make our house more Christmas-y, the thought suddenly came into my head...I want a Christmas tree. I again turned to my comp and repeated that thought, "Hey, Soeur Mangum. I want a Christmas tree. Like, really really really bad." She kind of laughed and then turned and then said, "Yeah...me too." That night during my nightly prayer, I kind of mentioned it to Heavenly Father, just in case He would hear my prayer (keep in mind, the only reason I thought it was appropriate to pray for a Christmas tree was because of my mom. She used to tell me I could pray for anything, anytime). The next morning, I literally woke up as if I hadn't slept, and prayed even more fervently than before for a Christmas tree, if it was His will of course. Before we left the house that morning, I let Soeur Mangum in on my secret. She just laughed at my ridiculousness. Then we left.

Fast forward about 2 hours. After some good contacting and lunch, we found ourselves at our old chapel, waiting for a lesson. After a few minutes, the Elders came in needing to use the computer really fast. One of the Elders then came back into the room, looked at us and asked, "Hey, Soeurs, do you want a Christmas tree?" ... Soeur Mangum and I just looked at each other, stunned. "Really?" And you know what? They brought us a Christmas tree. I got a Christmas tree. #prayerworks

How about another story. Soeur Mangum has been praying for a long time with faith that she would see one last person make baptismal covenants. Then finally, the last week of her mission, she let me in on her desire and then expressed her disappointment. So I joined her in prayer. Then we get to district meeting, and one of the Soeurs in Liège (in our zone) comes up, grabs Soeur Mangum and starts talking to her. Then Soeur Mangum freaks out. Then I felt really out of the know, so I went over to see what happened. MARINELA IS GETTING BAPTIZED, Soeur Mangum told me. I was mostly just confused because I had NO IDEA who that was. Then it clicked (mostly after she explained herself more). Marinela was found by Soeur Mangum and Soeur Hogan in Liège on exchanges 2 transfers ago. And she is getting baptized on Saturday. And then we got permission to go. It was beautiful. #prayerworks

Can we go for one last story? Please? Okay. So we had been having ZERO success with Christmas finding. And I mean zero. And we're walking back to our house before dinner after an afternoon of zero success, and we were hungry and tired. A little bit before we had said a prayer, asking for something, anything, to lift our spirits. Nothing. Then we see this lady struggling with a heavy bag and caddy, obviously having trouble even walking. So we offered to help. Long story short (it took a long time to get up to her apartment), she let us pray with her and said we could see her another time. Her name is Lucie, and she called us angels. And we're totally going to sing with her next time. #prayerworks

Know that I KNOW that God loves us and that He hears our prayers. I love being a missionary.

Love,

Soeur Katie Pettingill

me and grand-place and its giant tree!

dying missionaries district photo

my miracle christmas tree

Marinela's baptism

cinnamon gaufres!

this was at church...so cool

Grateful in any circumstances (Katie-Belgium)

I learned a valuable lesson this week, that has been learned before but for some reason Heavenly Father thinks it's extremely important to relearn things a hundred times. This time I had the opportunity to remember all of the things for which I am grateful. It was pretty exciting if you ask me. :)

I don't know if any of you remember this, but this week was Thanksgiving! This week was also our last two exchanges! With Thanksgiving came three different opportunities to eat a lot of food coupled with time to reflect on all of our blessings. It was neat. The day that really stands out to me, however, is the day of: Thanksgiving-même (Thanksgiving day). Our "plans" went like this...finish exchange in Villeneuve d'Ascq with soeur Mangum and soeur Walton coming up from Bruxelles (Brussels) on a train at 12:17, where we would then reunite, eat lunch, and head back out to Bruxelles at 2:08, getting back just in time to get to our dinner with the missionaries and the Steenbliks (mission couple) and a couple of members. Normalement (Normally), this was the plan. Then their train was delayed an hour, giving us exactly 4 minutes to change gares (train stations) and catch our train--which was successful! Until we missed our stop. DUMB. And we may or may not have accidentally gone into Dutch-speaking Belgium...and out of our mission. We got off the train, slightly bewilderered and more than a little lost, and this man who heard us speaking French said to us in English, "I hope you speak English...they don't speak French here." WHAT?! Luckily, we speak English ;) Anyway, we figured everything out and got on a train headed back to Brussels and ended up being about a half hour late to the dinner. Oh, and did I mention we did all of this while carrying 2 pies and all my stuff? 

This led to a reflection session while on the train back to Brussels, and both Soeur Mangum and I started saying everything that we were grateful for. We went back and forth until we got there, about an hour and a half later. This made my mind turn a little bit...there are SO many things to be grateful for! It's just that sometimes we get caught up in the moment. But it's freezing outside! We are going to be late! I can't believe we have to walk all the way back! And this is when that talk comes to mind by President Uchtdorf, and we remember that we can be grateful in any and ALL circumstances. It is a state of mind, not an action (but it can also be an action!). The night ended with all sorts of laughter and exhaustion and full stomachs, and I'm just so grateful for all of that. And for all of you. I'm grateful for all of the opportunites that I have every day to testify and to spread the power of the spirit. I'm so grateful for the tender mercies of the Lord.

I am so grateful to be a missionary.

I'm also really grateful that I can officially listen to Christmas music without feeling guilty because thanksgiving isn't over yet! It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

I love you all! Remember that no matter what happens, has happened, or will happen, we can forever be grateful. And gratitude will bring miracles. Happy Thanksgiving and happy CHRISTMAS! #sharethegift 

Go and watch it: mormon.org/christmas

Gros bisous, 

Soeur Katie Pettingill

district meeting thanksgiving with the whole zone!

cutie liège soeurs cutting pie

waiting for our comps with a surprise tarte to celebrate..

néerlandais! oops... 

Thanksgiving Week (Jacob-Nice)

Well this week was super! We had Thanksgiving and talked a lot about gratitude. We prepared for district meeting by reading Elder Utchdorf's talk for last general conference Grateful in any Circumstances. I really loved this:

"How blessed we are if we recognize God’s handiwork in the marvelous tapestry of life. Gratitude to our Father in Heaven broadens our 
perception and clears our vision. It inspires humility and fosters empathy toward our fellowmen and all of God’s creation. Gratitude is a catalyst to all 
Christlike attributes! A thankful heart is the parent of all virtues."

I love especially where it says that our perspective changes. This week my companion and I tried to only be grateful for everything and to only say good things! It is amazing how looking at a rainy day full of contacting can change so quickly when we look at it with a grateful heart! It can truly push us to do and be so much more than we would normally be capable of doing! 

For Thanksgiving, we had a wonderful meal of rotisserie chickens! Then last night the Burtons even gave us more of the meal that they had! And we got some homemade pumpkin pie! I was very grateful for that!! 

I love you all! This week is transfers so everyone pray that I stay in Nice :). Also in case you haven't already gotten many invitations to share this video, then I invite you to do it!

christmas.mormon.org!

 I love the gospel! It makes me so happy!

Ciao!

Elder Pettingill

We also got this surprise email this week:

We met your son in Nice this week on three separate occasions.  What a pleasant, composed, and wonderful young man.  We enjoyed getting to know him. He spoke in Sacrament meeting this morning and translated the other talks for us and did a great job. He has a great sense of humor from what we heard in his translation!
Just thought I would share this photo and a note to let you know he looks happy and healthy. Hope this brightens your day.
From another missionary parent.
Tandy