France - Week 54 (Paris)

3/3/14

 

Hello my wonderful family and friends,

What an AMAZING week!

So last Monday I explained to you guys about how my goal for this past transfer was to find a full family that I could teach and baptize next transfer. Up until this past week, we had been finding lots of awesome people, but they have all been individuals. For that reason, I asked you guys (everyone who read my email from last week) to pray specifically for Elder Hatch and I to find a full family ready for the gospel.

Well, are you ready to hear about the miracle that happened?

So... Tuesday, we received a phone call from a woman named Murielle Longer. She is a French woman (born and raised in Paris) who is married with 5 children. Her youngest is a 12 year old boy and the oldest is a 30 year old man who is already married and even has children of his own.

She explained to us on the phone that she had seen something about Mormons on TV and was very interested to learn more about us. We set a rendez-vous for the next day.

This first rendez-vous was AWESOME! She expressed her desire to be baptized and also explained that everyone in her family had been "searching for this".  Even her 30 year old son and his family are interested!

We saw her again 2 days later. By this time, she had read the Book of Mormon from the introduction all the way to the end of 1st Nephi. She even brought her husband with her.

They are both super humble and accepting to the gospel.

She wants to be baptized the 23rd of May which is..... next transfer!

We are seeing her again (hopefully with the entire family all together) tomorrow.

Can you believe that?

Let me start by telling you this was no accident. People calling us saying they are interested in learning more about the gospel??? That doesn't happed. In my 14+ months of missionary work I have never seen that happen.

What was the difference? I feel like for once I was able to let go of my pride a little bit, and accept the fact that I couldn't find these people on my own or by my own efforts. Thank you so much for your prayers. I thought about them all week. They made all the difference.

That's the power of prayer and faith.

Once again I have seen the Lord work in this work. This is His work and when we rely on him, it happens!

Also, Justice Owie is still holding strong for his baptism this weekend. The service will be this Sunday after church so pray for him that everything will turn out well.

In other news... Elder Hatch is getting transferred :( He is going to be training a new missionary in a brand new city (Lille up in the north of France). He's got a hard job ahead of him, but if anyone can do it, he can!

My new companion will be Elder Gutelius who was in the MTC with me! He's a stud and speak Spanish so I hope I can learn some Spanish this transfer.

I love you guys so much! Keep praying for the Longer (you need to say it with a French accent.... pronounced lon-jay)

Have an awesome week,
Elder Davis