Please title this: LOSING IT!

I lost it. And by it I mean my companion.....

So in our area of Versailles we actually cover a HUGE area and lots of cities. So there are lots of cities that I have never been to which means that there are more cities that Soeur Stahly has never been to. We don’t sit together on buses or trains so that we can talk to more people but I am always paying attention to where we are so we can get off at the right place and then I motion to Soeur Stahly that it is our turn and we get off. Well we decided that since I am probably leaving Versailles next week that she would need to start knowing when to get off and stuff. It hasn’t gone too well but this past week we went to Montigny. This is where our recent convert Isabelle lives but I have never taken Soeur Stahly there. So we get on the bus to get to her place and my comp sits RIGHT behind me so that she would know exactly when to get off because she would see me push the button and get off..... OR SO WE THOUGHT!!

I get off at the stop and turn to tell her that it will just be a couple minutes of walking but then I notice that it isn’t Soeur Stahly walking behind me... THEN I look at the bus that is pulling away and she is on it... The problem is that she doesn’t realize that I am not on the bus because she was talking or reading or something. The other problem is that we share a phone and I had the phone...

SO my companion was on a bus in a city she had never been to heading to another city that she had never been to without a phone, companion or even realizing that she is alone. Lots of little problems equal a big problem. It took me about 2 minutes to realize myself that I wasn’t with my companion and I had no idea how I was going to get her back. Then I just started laughing because my mom taught me that it is better to laugh than to cry! After laughing for a bit by myself I started to panic a bit because I found out that the bus was headed to a city that we aren’t allowed to be in... Bigger problem. I then called some elders in our district and told them and they were on their way to meet me so we could figure out how to get my companion back. So I waited and waited and didn’t know what to really do with myself because it has been a few months since I have been alone. FINALLY I get a call from a phone number of a young boy who soeur stahly begged to use the phone and we were able to figure out a way to meet up! I HAD MY COMPANION BACK!!!! SOO happy!! I have no idea what I am going to do after my mission when I am going to have to walk around by myself and not have another person with me helping me all the time....

Waiting for the bus

Having a district with 6 elders in it is fun... It is just like being in a fraternity sometimes. Each week after district meeting we have a meal together and each companionship is in charge of a part. Being poor missionaries is one thing but then being a poor 21 year old guy as a missionary is another. We have had chips dipped in chili once as a meal and then the Webber special of having all sorts of left over pasta noodles mixed together in some ketchupy sauce... GOURMET cooking in France! But the best is the activity. There is this thing called flaun here and it is like this Jell-O pudding thing that is weird but all the elders like to put it on a plate and pretty much inhale it. It is quite interesting but we did it for round 2 this week... I still can’t do it. Once I figure out how to attach videos you will all have some fun watching it! I hear that we are doing round 3 this week. The APs are the best at it and can really inhale a big thing of flubber in one breath. Skills of a missionary!

You all know who Robert Pattinson is right??? he is Edward on Twilight and Cedric Digorey in Harry Potter.. I forgot who he was. There are Dior Ads ALL over Paris and Versailles with this man on it and I have been spending a lot of time trying to figure out who he is and have had no idea. SOO finally I swallowed up my own embarrassment and I just asked my companion who that man was and turns out... A tan version of RPatz!! I will one day know who famous people are other than Kate Middleton and church leaders. Speaking of church leaders... Elder Oaks is coming this week!! WOO HOO!!! Still sooo excited to hear from him on Sunday! And speaking of Kate Middleton... HOW IS SHE??? No one has been adequately updating me but pas grave! I have actually liked not knowing too much about what is going on in the world which is weird because my major at BYU is all about the world but I like having one thing to focus on and being able to devote EVERYTHING to it and that is the gospel and the people here! So eventually I will be like Kate Middleton who?? Well not really but I will be less of the world!

As missionaries we walk a lot. We also like to come up with ways to entertain ourselves. One of my favorite games is name that tune... It happens to be my companion’s LEAST favorite game now because I can’t do any tunes. I have not exactly been blessed with the gift of music or any musical talent but I don’t let that stop me! So I play and I think I know the tune or the song I want to do but then I forget and end up just making up my own and she doesn’t understand. Personally I think that is what makes me even more talented because I am able to improvise and write my own music... TALENT right???

People sometimes forget that we have lessons planned with them and sometimes that is the biggest miracle of the week. By sometimes I mean NOW! So we had two RDVs fixed that we were going to and so we went to the first but they weren’t there and it was tooooo early to show up to the next so we decided to pass by some people. On our way we ended up just saying hello to this lady named Mart and she was just SOOO excited that we said hello and so we chatted with her for a few minutes and gave her a Book of Mormon and quickly explained that it is the word of God and she was SOOOOO excited and touched and happy that we were giving it to her! She wanted us to come to her house and talk more but we had to get to our second RDV so we fixed something with her for the next day. Well our second RDV cancelled and so we went to her house but she wasn’t there. Then the next day she wasn’t there. pretty bummed because she was so cool and just looking at her you become happier. So it was sad that we didn’t know if we would ever see her again. Yesterday after church another RDV fell through and so we just decided to pass by her place and we ended up having the complete first lesson and it was so great. WE had nothing planned and only thought we would say hello and get her number but wrong. Thanks to the Spirit we were able to teach and she was able to understand and it was beautiful! It was one of our BEST lessons together and it was just incredible! It really strengthened my testimony that as long as you are united with the Spirit that it is the Spirit that teaches!

Yesterday was a big day! It was Sunday and the day that Audrey would be baptized. She is in her 20s and the Elders have been teaching her. But we are her friends and we just love her! We hang out with her at church and sit with her and we were sooo excited for her to be baptized! It would be a grrreat day and she just really is so special! We had to teach YWs though and so we stayed up late and woke up early to prepare our lesson but it was good. MUCH BETTER than my first Sunday here when I had to teach and people laughed at me! It still made me think of my sisters and being in young womens! The baptism was beautiful and a lot of people stayed!

Emily, her companion, and Audrey

A few weeks ago the APs gave me two HUGE zucchini and so for the 3rd time this past week I made zucchini cake! First for district meeting then for the baptism and it was a huge hit yesterday so I made it again this morning for the Grenier Family tonight but only with cream cheese frosting this time! So if anyone wants some zucchini cake/bread... I am the girl!

My birthday is this week!!! The countdown aka my annoyingness is almost over and I am actually kind of excited to have it come and go so I can move on from thinking about it. I am just really happy to be 21 on Thursday and to spend it with some of my favorite people here and doing my favorite thing ever... BEING a missionary!! Thank you to everyone who has already emailed, wrote, or sent me something for it! I love you all!

This time next week I will know for 100% if I am staying or leaving Versailles... So eeeeekk!! I have loved the past 4 months here and would love to spend the next 13 but understand that there are other villes for me! We will see!!

I love being a missionary and hope that you are all able to have cool missionary experiences too! Thank you for your prayers and love and support! I do feel them and I know all the missionaries in the world do too!

Love,

Soeur Emily Johns

Elder Burgess with the shirt they gave him

Pigs in the blanket French style