Pictures from Goodbye

Goodbye

What a week! What a week! I don’t even know where to start and I feel pretty emotionally and physically drained after this transfer and week. So forgive me if this is boring but I am going to do my best! 

On Monday we had our last lesson with Nathan before his baptism and we taught him about the word of wisdom. It has been pretty interesting to teach a 9 year old who hasn’t been really raised in the church about all these things that we usually teach grown-ups but he learns them better than they do! With the law of health he explained to us to be healthy and take care of our bodies. It really is as simple as that and he taught it better than we could have! 

On Tuesday we had our last district meeting of the transfer! It has been almost certain that I would be leaving Rennes and so it was a bit of bummer! BUT it was so well worth it! I have really loved this transfer and me and soeur wade have worked harder than ever and have been so soo sooo blessed by miracles and joy! I will miss being in Bretagne! 

Wednesday we took the district leader to Laval to interview Nathan. We were pretty nervous because our DL is super serious but it went great! And they even gave him a cute tie and ahh it went perfect!

On Friday we saw Sophie and some fights. Turns out that we have been spending a lot of our time in a sketchy neighborhood and this thing happens a lot! It was pretty surreal but oh well. We met with the coolest Tahitians and planned a party for July and I am going to do all that I can to come back for that!

Saturday morning was the baptism. It was a little bit stressful but oh so beautiful! Nathan is soo cute and he had Elder Ursua baptize him and had all the support in the world! It was incredible! A lot of members came and too tooo tooo much food! 

After the baptism we were all just singing around the piano and I saw that we had a missed call.... It was my mom’s phone number and there was a voicemail. I immediately knew something was off. In the voicemail she said that it was something with my grandpa. After stressing about whether or not she would call back she finally did. I am a pretty private person in something’s and so to be around people when I get this call was hard but I was able to be alone. My mother’s dad passed away on Friday morning after being in the temple with most of his family the day before! I am so grateful for the plan of salvation and the knowledge that I have and comfort I can receive! He was more like a father to me than a grandpa but I know I am where I need to be and that so is he! 

On Sunday I said my goodbyes to the ward! It was hard! I have never felt so much love from a group of people in my life! I am thinking that leaving these people is harder than leaving my family. But I know I will be back here and will be with them in a short time! I love Rennes! Also it was mother’s day in France and some men bought us roses... sooo awkward!

So on Wednesday I will be leaving Rennes and going to my last ville. I will be heading to Toul in the east of France by Nancy! It is similar to Cholet I hear and pretty small. I hope I can do it!! 

I have been soo blessed and I know that Toul will be great!

Thank you for all of your love and support! I miss you and love you all!

Love

Soeur Emily Johns

MORE SKYPE

Normally as missionaries we are only allowed to use Skype on Mother’s Day and also at Christmas time...well not for me! No no no I am not a pagan missionaries and didn’t go and Skype my friends and family BUT I DID use Skype! 

Ever since I got to Rennes we have been teaching a lady from Mongolia... well by teaching I mean we try to talk to her about God and Jesus and pretty much nothing gets taught or learned because we don’t speak Mongolian and she doesn’t speak French or English. I have now really gained a testimony of how important it is to be taught the gospel in your own language! Our assistants here in Paris have been working with the assistant in Mongolia to get a Skype session going so that she can learn. Well it has been a several weeks since we last saw her and she hadn’t really been answering our calls... We got the go ahead and that everything was ready for us to do the Skype except we had NO ami! We were praying so hard that we would find someone or that she would be interested again. SHE IS!! On Friday we did our first Skype session with the elders in Mongolia! The best part is that they are both Mongolian and she is really able to learn! The entire time Soeur Wade and I were just in awe because this could only happen right now in the world thanks to technology! We understood absolutely NOTHING except for the words Jesus Christ and Baptism but the Spirit was there! We did our second one this morning bright and early. With the time difference I am not sure how we are ever going to get our full studies but this is more important right now! 

I have zero energy! This transfer has been go go go go go and I am TIRED! I don’t know what I am even saying! We haven’t eaten a full meal or even cooked one this past week. But it is all worth it! I am so happy and we are really being blessed with amazing people and miracles all around! 

This is probably going to go down as the worst weekly email of my mission but hey I write in my journal and will read it to you when I get home! 

Just know that I love and miss you all! You are in my thoughts and prayers! 

Love

Soeur Emily Johns

Final Skype!

This week was pretty nice and it ended even better by doing Skype!! I will get to that later though!

On Tuesday our young amis invited us over to eat lunch with them. Since they are just our age and in college I thought it would be like what I ate in college which was boiled eggs and cereal... NOPE not at all! This was like a lunch for a queen! They started us off with a super fancy salad and then a salmon quiche, dessert and bread and cheese! All on a nice table with flowers and classical music playing in the background! To make it all even better we had a great conversation about Joseph Smith and how the Book of Mormon came! Also Lukasz came to church for his third time yesterday and still just loves it! 

But Sophie, our recent convert, who is roommates with them, told us that we HAD to bring something to this lunch to be polite. Well all we had pretty much was a bunch of flour so we tried making bread.... FAIL! After a few hours it was finally done and didn’t taste too well but it was a big hit to them! SUCCESS!!!

Since we live in Bretagne where it literally rains EVERY day we saw a little rain miracle... there was a lady standing under the tree in PORUING rain and we each had one. Well Soeur Wade being the selfless girl that she is went up and offered her the umbrella she had. She kindly refused but no less than 2 minutes after the rain completely stopped and the sun came out! I like to think that God blessed Bretagne for Soeur Wade’s kind offer! It was soo kind that she even forgot her umbrella on a bus a few days later and so now we are just hoping that we are blessed with no rain now that we only have one umbrella between the two of us... so far we aren’t too lucky but on verra! 

On Wednesday I had my last one on one interview with President Poznanski! After 3 years of being President his mission will end at the end of June and we will receive a new one for my last couple of months! It was so great! I have learned soo soo much from that man in the past 14 months and I will forever be grateful for him and his example! 

That night we were out porting and we were running to catch our bus and BARELY missed it. We were soo bummed and had no idea what we were going to do because no one was out. Then we just started walking down the street and found a family! A mom, dad and two kids with one on the way! They were sooooo nice and we will be seeing them tomorrow! There is definitely a reason that we missed that bus! 

Our little miracle last Sunday named Nathan will be getting baptized on the 24th! He is 9 and his mom is a member but they live sooo far away that it is nearly impossible to come to church! We have found a way for them to come and he is prepared to be baptized! After we shared the Joseph Smith story we asked him what he thought and he gave the CUTEST answer and said that he wishes it was him that got to see Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ! He is too cute!! 

We have a LOT of young amis. Most are all our age which makes it so fun but horrible at the same time! They always just want to hang out with us and go shopping. We were talking to Tamarie who is from the country of Georgia and 23 about our favorite movies and the Proposal came up! She invited us over to watch it and eat pizza and popcorn AKA the girl’s night that I have been dying for! Well instead we offered to bring the movie and we watched the Restoration with her. Not quite as lovey dovey but one of my favorites! It was fun!! 

On Saturday I was blessed to Skype my dad and sister Michelle!! They are just so great! i love them! Then on Sunday I skyped my mom and all of my sisters minus Jennifer in Spain! I am fully convinced that I have the most incredible, beautiful amazing sisters and family in the world! It was soooooo great to just be laughing and talking with them! Due to technical difficulties in Spain Jennifer wasn’t able to be on with me! But Christmas can’t come fast enough for me to see her! It is crazy to think that the next time I see my family it will be at home!

A family here the Letorts just got back from spending a few weeks in Utah! They were able to go meet my family and eat at my sister’s restaurant! TOOO cool! The best part is that they came back with goodies from my parents! I now have the best movie collection in the mission, the conference addition of the April Conference and more! I am very blessed and loved!

I love being a missionary! I am seriously happier than i have ever been! 

Thank you for your love and support!

Love,

Soeur Emily Johns

MIRACLES and Monks

Let me just say that I am IN LOVE... Not with a boy or anything even though the name is dreamy enough to be the man of my dreams. It is called YVES ROCHER. It is a French beauty brand that does skin care, make up, etc. and I am hooked! My comp came to Rennes and the first thing she asked is if we have one here... Luckily we do and we made two trips there last week! I am officially hooked and want to buy everything there! I am an official card holder and for the next month I get 50% off for the next month. BUT the greatest thing that I bought was the tanning lotion... So my legs have been hidden in tights for the past 5 months and I am already naturally ghostly white so you can imagine the help that my legs needed! I am glad to say that they no longer glow in the dark and that I already have tanner legs WITHOUT the sun!! WOO HOOO!! I may bring a suitcase home of it... 

This week we had SOOO many miracles!!!! Every single day almost we found 2 new amis and had miracle after miracle happened!! We met soo many great people and have been able to teach them and help them grow in their faith and relationship with Christ and God! 

MAY first is the worst day for a missionary! It is not only a holiday but the holiday that EVERYTHING is closed. ALL buses and metros were nonexistent and so look like a big long day or walking for us! We were able to have a few great lessons and meet some people but there was no way we could walk to all of our RDVs in such a short time. then of course because we live in Bretagne is rained HARD! No hoods, umbrellas or anything. So we got reeeal desperate and called president and got permission to have the elders with a car drive us! SCORE!!! 

Also since the elders moved apartments we were able to get a shopping trip for our apartment! We now have a fully stocked kitchen with the latest appliances!! Just living the life in Rennes!! 

Friday I attended my first wedding in France!! It was Cayo and Cecile and they had a little spiritual thing at the church between the Marie and the Temple! It was beautiful and we all had so much fun!! 

We met a Buddhist monk at our Mongolian amis house. He was off duty and not dressed but still soo cool! He wrote our names in Tibetan and was willing to pray with us!! 

I love being a missionary! I can’t believe how fast time goes by and that I only have less than 5 months as a missionary! I have already learned SOO much and know that I will learn more and more and continue to become who I need to be!

Thank you all for your love and support!!

Love

Soeur Emily Johns