ThiThanh to Tahiti!

 Well my time in Cholet officially ended and it was soo hard! I remember when I first got to Cholet I started counting down the days until I could leave Cholet! That is how much I hated it at first. But then after that first Sunday meeting the members and then meeting ThiThanh, it was incredible! It was a hard city with the work. And I had some of my hardest times in my life in Cholet. BUT I have never felt more loved and supported than I did while in Cholet! Those members in the Cholet ward are the most incredible people that I have ever met in my life. Then there is ThiThanh who will always be my BFF and I can only smile and feel happiness when I think about her!

So on Monday we hit the town and went shopping! I keep thinking that I have improved in shopping and that I can do it but then I try and fail. But I think the fact that I walk into a store and spending even a little money is a big step! SO this time I bought a couple of shirts and like 10 pairs of socks and tights! They are very needed! It was so fun just shopping with my friend Soeur Hill and being kind of normal minus the long skirts and name tag!

Then I had my final FHE with members! I chose Guillame and Amelie! Both RMs and in fact her parents are the ones that met my sister in Spain! I will always remember Cholet as the FHE ville and really that every family is SO FULL of love and happiness! It was TERRIFIC!!

Tuesday we had a lot of RDV's including with a Muslim lady who was pretty offended when we denied her homemade tea but hey WoW trumps that! She supplied us with lots of crepes instead though and it was all good in the hood!

Saying goodbye to my Portuguese family... HARD HARD HARD! Turns out they had a friend there who had never met missionaries before. Well the students became the teachers and they all taught their friend the first lesson and made it very clear that we are not nuns! I was VERY proud! Then of course Lucie giving the closing prayer was the cutest thing! They are all still reading the Book of Mormon and going to church! I will miss them! Final dinner with ThiThanh! We went to a Chinese place and of course I spilled all of my water because I am so graceful and of course there were lots of pictures taken!

Because I put myself in this denial that I am not actually leaving cities, I wait until Tuesday night to pack. Just like I did when I left Utah and left Versailles! SO staying up until 1130 and waking up at 5 was great! I would be traveling to Rennes by myself having to change trains so I left a little suitcase in Cholet that I would get back this week. ThiThanh met us and was taking us to Angers so soeur hill could meet her comp and I could catch a train; she was not okay with me traveling alone and switching trains so she drove me to Nantes! AN hour car ride with just ThiThanh! SOO fun! I ended up missing that train and so I had to wait in Nantes for 3 hours... OOPS! But of course ThiThanh insisted on staying with me! SO we passed the time with breakfast and lunch an HELLO! Magazine! ThiThanh knows how much I Love Kate Middleton and she saw her in the corner of the magazine so she bought it for me! I hope the stories in there are ALL still the same in 8 months when I read it! But hey now I know random things about Hollywood!

Arriving in Rennes was great! We had a couple of RDVS and honestly the last couple of days have been a blur. I know we have met people, taught people and all that but I am still pretty turned around. My companion is Soeur Tane from Tahiti and doesn’t speak any English but for an hour every day we practice and she will be American in no time! So my whole mission I have been dreaming to have a native companion so that my French could really improve.... BAD idea. For me someone who LOVES LOVES LOVES to talk. She is patient but I just can’t wait until I can just fully be myself and cracking jokes and telling stories. It will come! Living with someone from a different culture is a little rough. Eating and living habits just to mention a few!

Emily, new companion, and Sophie who was baptized last Sunday

GOOOD NEWS!!! Tomorrow I am seeing the Greniers!! There is a conference in Versailles with Elder Kearon on Wednesday and yesterday F. Grenier called and it is all arranged for me and Soeur Tane to get there tomorrow afternoon and spend the evening with them! I am a LUCKY LUCKY girl!! CANT WAIT! oh and you know how much I love Elder Kearon!

I love being a missionary! I am excited to be here and to learn all the things here in Rennes with my companion and the members! These next couple of transfers will be amazing! Thank you for all the love and support!

Love,

Soeur Emily Johns

Dessert with a lot of whip cream

Samedi Sports

Package from David

An Elvis Car that they say