The weeks on a mission tend to follow the same structures but the people and experiences are new and different each week. As we read Soeur Holt’s emails we never fail to be thrilled with the experiences she is having and the people she is meeting. The structure, as the blog entries suggest, fit around visiting, teaching, meetings and service. We are excited each week to read of her exploits.

Mondays are an unusual day in the life of a missionary as they are p-days (preparation days) where there is opportunity for organisation and a little bit of recreation. On p-day last week we played football, ultimate Frisbee, and a game called yardage which is basically a non-contact simplified version of American football as a zone. I loved it and it turns our I’m half good at catching an American football. I then showered and did personal study.  We all went for burgers at a place which the Elders love called Kliff Del (mostly because it’s really cheap and you get pretty large portions).

We did a little bit of shopping because Soeur Needs needed some new shoes and obviously the weekly shop before emails and then straight home.

The Cultural Foods in the Supermarket!!!

Monday night, as usual, was Family Home Evening- just one this week! We went to the branch president’s home; the Bouchauts! They are a lovely family and we had a lesson on Tahitian dancing from Soeur Hootini, as well as eating pizza and reading with them in Matthew about the temptations of Jesus and how we must always remember our divine nature!

We had been asking about Soeur Holt’s development in speaking and understanding French. Soeur Holt received a couple of compliments;

-That evening we got bokits and then some more contacting where we met a lovely lady and her son plus it was made even better by her complementing my French!

-The highlight of my week though was at the end of a lesson, when we were leaving the daughter asked me where in France I was from!! She was astounded when I said I was English! I think I also figured out a trick with members here- if they liked your visit they give you juice and guess who got juice!!

 Teaching- the Sister missionaries met with Soeur Volet and went and taught Frere Paul about the restoration of the gospel- we explained to him that primarily our goal for him is to partake of the sacrament every week wherever he may be; he also asked us for a Book of Mormon to give to his boss. Onto the church where we taught Frere Viranin about priesthood and auxiliaries.

We also contacted an old lady who is a devout Seventh Day Adventist, I felt the spirit really work through me as I testified to her of the reality of my Saviour Jesus Christ and his role in my life as my big brother; it’s hard to express the powerfulness of that moment across an email but just trust me!!

After visiting a family who are going through some challenging situations. We read Alma 31.30-35 with them:

“O Lord God, how long wilt thou suffer that such wickedness and infidelity shall be among this people? O Lord, wilt thou give me strength, that I may bear with mine infirmities. For I am infirm, and such wickedness among this people doth pain my soul. O Lord, my heart is exceedingly sorrowful; wilt thou comfort my soul in Christ. O Lord, wilt thou grant unto me that I may have strength, that I may suffer with patience these afflictions which shall come upon me, because of the iniquity of this people. O Lord, wilt thou comfort my soul, and give unto me success, and also my fellow laborers who are with me—yea, Ammon, and Aaron, and Omner, and also Amulek and Zeezrom, and also my two sons—yea, even all these wilt thou comfort, O Lord. Yea, wilt thou comfort their souls in Christ. Wilt thou grant unto them that they may have strength, that they may bear their afflictions which shall come upon them because of the iniquities of this people.  O Lord, wilt thou grant unto us that we may have success in bringing them again unto thee in Christ. Behold, O Lord, their souls are precious, and many of them are our brethren; therefore, give unto us, O Lord, power and wisdom that we may bring these, our brethren, again unto thee.”

I had actually read this in personal study that day and felt that it was inspired for them.

Friday morning we also visited with a member who has terminal cancer we shared with her and her less active daughter Alma 38.2:

“And now, my son, I trust that I shall have great joy in you, because of your steadiness and your faithfulness unto God; for as you have commenced in your youth to look to the Lord your God, even so I hope that you will continue in keeping his commandments; for blessed is he that endureth to the end.”

One of the blessings of belonging to a lay church (one where in the local communities no one is paid and all share in the burdens) is that we rely on one another to visit those who are struggling. This is something Soeur Holt experienced before she left for Barbados, but we are glad to see that this has continued while in Guadeloupe and she is able to follow the Saviour’s example in all she is doing.

Soeur Holt continued to study and learn: I finished ‘Jesus the Christ’ this week and I would definitely recommend anyone to read it to understand the divine appointment and ministry of our Saviour Jesus Christ; I loved the apostasy chapter right at the end and it answered a lot of my more intellectual questions about the apostasy of the priesthood authority! At district meeting we discussed the role of the Holy Ghost as a motivation to observe the commandments and did some role plays regarding that.

This weekend was General Conference with studies and food in between [General Conference is a semi-annual meeting of the Church where leaders speak and it is broadcast around the world]. There was an intermittent Wi-Fi signal but I have gotten to listen to all sessions in English.

Watching General Conference with our English class

I am glad mummy loved the ‘Certain Women’ talk- that was my favourite from that session.

Please see my post-it that I took a picture of showing a selection of my favourites!!