The End... Almost! A field of Roses

Well this is officially the last Monday of my mission which means that it is my last weekly email. I hope that there isn’t too much pressure of having these great and profound things included in this email but on verra! 

On Monday I wrote my last letters. That is how we spent our pday and just relaxing. It goes by too fast each week! Then we had our Tahitian FHE and it was soo much fun and SOOO much food! I love the Taies!! They have such a cool conversion story and are so incredible! We played games together and had a great time! 

With the remaining time that we had left we went to pass by someone that we ported to, that said we could come back later because they were busy... GOLDEN PORTUGUESSE Family! SOO SOO cute and funny and oh wow! MIRACLE! Soeur Nielson and her new companion will be seeing them again next week! It was weird to be fixing rdv for when I am not going to be here.... 

MY LAST DISTRICT MEETNG! We had a funeral service for me and Soeur Lefrandt and got Elder Ursua to eat a pie in two bites! You know just doing regular missionary things! It was weird that I won’t be going to a formation every week and just learning how to be a better missionary! 

We then came back and we saw an ami of ours that we haven’t seen in forever! GIFT! She doesn’t speak French but speaks really good English! It was crazy because just the day before she made my favorite Nigerian chin chins and was hoping to run into us! So we got to see her and eat her yummy food!! We also had a crazy rdv with Amandine! She is a cute young mom with wild boys... Soeur Nielson can definitely tell that I didn’t grow up around boys because I was NOT in my element! But I bonded with the adults and she entertained the boys! 

We then had our last FHE with the Paolis and our ami Emmanuel! We watched the retab and it was so good! I don’t know how many times I have seen this film but each time that I watch it and actually pay attention and not wonder off I feel the power of the film! I want to watch it in English!!! 

On Wednesday I said goodbye to Toun our miracle water lady! She had a gift for me and she is just too sweet! Also we had our last lunch with the Benoits and Backs and of course another 6 course meal that made us sick after! TOO MUCH FOOD!! We got them to do silly faces and it is priceless! Also I saw the Vieullimins who have helped us a lot with less actives! 

Bernadette is a referral from an ami and this lady has SASS! We saw her on Thursday and wow! Don’t worry I filmed us together and you will die! If you can understand French! She just had a million thoughts and is just way too entertaining! She also had gifts... It seems that since I have had my birthday... gifts just don’t stop coming. Not complaining! 

We also saw our ami Nathalie and watched the retab all together! I have seen this film sooo much on my mission with soooo many different amis and for the first time ever I had an ami that cried in it; it was so special and I feel honored to have been there!

We also had a lesson with the Angeons... he is the French Alex boye and LOVES Michael Jackson so of course we are friends!

On Friday we saw Marjorie and her family for the last time! Her grandma is 94 and too cute! She gave me these ancient earrings that are beautiful! I am too spoiled! We did our last weekly planning session and for the first time I did it without a planner... and planned for a bunch of things that I wish I would be here for! While out contacting we finally saw the back of the cathedral and it was the perfect day for it!

Saturday was early morning service with members! We just did what we are best at and helped people with their logs for the winter! I may have damaged my back even more but will worry about that later! We had a lesson with Melanie in the park and then she came to Slauco’s with us which was really weird so we got macaroons after and it made it all better! Then back to visit Bernadette who gave me a postcard from her dad... and more silly faces!

Sunday was my last time seeing soo many people that I love! Remember when I first got Toul and there were 30 people at Church.... 54 yesterday!!! It was wonderful and I love these people! We spent the whole afternoon contacting in the sun and kept on going until we did what we had planned! We were rewarded by an fhe at the Benoits and had a great week!

This past week has been the most successful of my mission and this transfer has been the best of my mission! A triple of what I did my first transfer! The lord is blessing us!

I don’t really know how to express what the past 18 months have been so hopefully this poem that I have had on my wall can do it for me! It really has been the greatest thing I have ever done and I have loved it! Sœur Nielson taught me to think of a mission as a field of roses...

As you walk through the field there are thorns and you get hurt and it isn’t always pretty. Sometimes there is blood. BUT at the end you look back and what you have walked through and all you see are roses. That is a mission. I know that this has been hard and I have gotten bruised and bloody both physically and emotionally but looking back all I see is the beautiful, happy times and it makes me want to do it again! I love love love love love love love being a missionary!!

I love you all! I will see you soon! My homecoming is October 19 and you are ALL welcome to be there!

For the last time,

Love

Sœur Emily johns

A mission is a strange experience
it is a trial and a test.
A mission throws at you the worst
yet, teaches you the best.
I've never been so happy;
I've never been so depressed.
I've never felt so forsaken;
I've never felt so blessed.
I've never been so confused,
Things have never been so clear.
I've never felt my Heavenly Father so distant;
He's never been so near.
I've never been so discouraged;
I've never been so full of hope.
I feel I could go on for forever,
I think I've come to the end of my rope.
I've never had it quite so easy;
I've never had it quite so tough.
Things have never been so smooth;
Things have never been so rough.
I've never traveled through more valleys;
I've never ascended more peaks.
I've never met so many nice people.
I've never met so many freaks!
I've never had so many up;
I've never had so many downs.
I've never worn so many smiles;
I've never had so many frowns.
I've never been so lonely;
I've never had so many friends.
BOY, I hope this is over soon,
GOSH, I hope this never ends.

You Know You're a Sister Missionary When...

Another great week in Toul! 

On Monday I tried to multi task which seems more and more impossible as my mission goes on. I was just simply trying to walk down the street and read a birthday letter from my bleu at the same time. BAD combinations. I walked right into the corner or a shutter and cut my head and ended up having a concussion for 4 days... Don’t worry the mission nurse was sure to call me every single day and my companion took care of me when she wasn’t laughing at me! The letter was well worth it AND I got my last birthday gift! ThiThanh sent me TONS AND TONS of makeup! 

Soeur Nielson fell (KARMA)

TUESDAY Elder Ursua and I tried to get the Vampire Corner back but it wasn’t quite the same without Soeur Wade and Elder Mataele but oh well. We get starburst at district meeting and I still think that France needs to get some of our home goods in the USA! 

We have been baking lots and lots and lots and I think it is statistically proven that the more you bake the more people love you. With ALL of the peanut butter that we have gotten together we were able to make the BEST peanut butter chocolate chip cookies and are slowly converting all of the frenchies to love PB but still  have a hard time with the concept of putting peanut butter, jam and sandwich bread together.. ONE DAY! 

In the east of France it is supposed to get REALLY cold in the winter and EVERY SINGLE person uses logs to warm their homes and Soeur Nielson and I are officially PROFESSIONAL!! We just transport barrels and barrels of logs to people’s homes and it is fun! I am pretty sure that I have permanently damaged my back but oh well! We continued to do that all day Thursday morning and it was great! On the drive back we saw a pretty field and had to take a photo... and maybe talk about playing the Chinese fire drill but realized that is not the best idea. Be proud! 

On Thursday we had our last RDV with Gerard...he loves giving gifts so once again Soeur Nielson profited and got gifted too! We are lucky girls! He got us nice French chocolate and a tour of the catherdral AKA the ONLY thing in Toul to see! It is really pretty!! 

We had some more time in the gare this week and finally took a picture of the pretty steps! Also just more and more early service opportunities for us! In a porting session that we had, we found some gnomes and a soccer game to entertain us! It makes porting a lot more exciting!  Also we got stuck in a rain storm and so we tried to jump in the puddles but our feet got too cold so it made for some awkward photos! 

The stake president came to church yesterday; please remember 10 years from now when he is a general authority that I knew him! He came from Luxembourg and we had a little meeting with him yesterday! He is incredible! Me and Soeur Nielson are already better people from knowing him for a week! 

This week has been great and I am happy! Things are going well! 

I LOVE YOU ALL!! 

I am starting my last FULL week as a sister missionary and so in honor of me and a few of my companions have made this list. Please Enjoy! It is called, You Know You're a Sister Missionary When... and some things are more Paris France Mission specific but you can all understand I am sure! 

YOU KNOW YOU'RE A SISTER MISSIONARY WHEN....

• Your only perfume is fabric softener. 
• Your daily moral dilemma is whether or not to carry your heavy bible. 
• Sunday is the MOST stressful day of the week.
• You walk ALL day and still gain weight. 
• You know the significance of TONIGHT YOU WILL JOIN OUR BROTHERHOOD (The Testaments)
• You get excited to go grocery shopping just because they play good music. 
• Your ultimate goal is to secure dates none of which actually involve boys.
• You always refer to yourself in plural pronouns
• You know more people with problems than a psychologist
• You are more excited for General Conference than Christmas
• You know EFY songs by heart
• You know more scripture references than gospel songs
• You are afraid to drink water because you don’t know when you will get to use the bathroom again
• You're more comfortable talking to a 60 year old woman than a 20 year old man
• The first thing you notice is whether or not they have a stroller
• You're excited to go to Paris not to see the Eiffel Tower but to see other missionaries
• You want to marry someone just like Levi Savage
• You get 8 hours of sleep and are still exhausted
• Your favorite magazine is the conference issue of the Liahona
• When you talk about boys back home as progressing or non-progressing amis
• When you're more excited about mission reunions that high school reunions
• When you have weird tans lines EVERYWHERE
• When you see a group of men and run the other way
• Your favorite times of the day are 8am and 9pm
• When you stop getting ready except for zone conference and baptisms
• Your soeur book is more important than your passport
• You're frudged by your amis but still can’t wait to see them
• You can call, text, pass by with cookies and still not understand that they just aren’t that into you
• It is weirder to be called by your first name than your last
• You are dreading summer vacance
• Decorating planners are more fun than decorating a home
• You can spend 24/7 with someone and not want to kill them
• The post lady is your best friend or worst enemy... Depending on the day
• The best letter writers are other missionaries without iPhones
• You can wait hours outside someone’s house and be considered dedicated and not creepy
• You ring stranger’s doorbells for fun but it isn’t doorbell ditching
• Stretching in bed with lights on counts as exercise! 

Slauco teaching people on the phone how to pray

Early morning service

Slauco FREEZING

Dinner

When I tried to do Soeur Nielson's hair