We’ll begin with an out of this world p-day last week. We made the hour drive and headed over to Korou to visit the European Space Centre, this is the place that nearly all of the rockets from the European Union are launched because of the perfect global position of French Guiana. In the blog post about Guyane that we put up a couple of weeks ago we mentioned the space centre and it’s very exciting that they got to visit. A cool morning visiting something specific to this cool country.

Soeur Holt’s wonderful experiences of French Guiana continued this week. The members seem to be so welcoming of the missionaries, this really helps with the missionary work and the opportunities that Soeurs Holt and Hansen have to teach.

The week began, as usual, with a Family Home Evening. That evening we went to an older single member’s home called Soeur Mirta. She had invited our Ward Mission Leader, Frere Lyptempha and his wife. She shared a lesson about having faith in Christ using Alma 17. The game was then to take a picture of Jesus and explain how he has been an example for you. We ate soup and then headed home; but not before Soeur Mita told us that she would really love to work with us in future!!

It seems that the diversity of Guyane was not a one week thing, Soeur Holt mentions the opportunity they had to teach people with Creole, Portuguese, French, Spanish and English as their first language. It seems to be enthusing her with a love of language and learning languages: then out to a family we started teaching last week- we read with them in the Haitian Creole ‘Introduction’ of the Book of Mormon ‘Liv Momon an’!! Cool lesson with them and they seemed to understand the using of the Book of Mormon and the Bible… That evening we visited another of our new friends from Santo Domingo, we took Soeur Souverain with us who is from Haiti but lived in Peru for a long tome so those two hit it off like a house on fire (I really need to learn Spanish!!) We spoke a little bit about the plan of salvation and how God is our Heavenly Father so created a plan for us to live with him again but mostly she spoke in and out in French and Spanish!!… One night we taught two ladies about the difference between the power of the Holy Ghost and the gift of the Holy Ghost. Our creole translator for the night was Gaelle who bore a really amazing testimony!!

This has also translated into her studies. Although Soeur Holt spends time in language study each day, for the most part she studies her scriptures in English, but that has changed over the last couple of weeks. This week and the end of last week I doing my Book of Mormon reading in French during personal study; so far I think it is going really well; my goal is for my French set of scriptures to be well used by the end of another 9 months. I underline the titles and references of Jesus Christ throughout and up until now (I’m in 2 Nephi) it really has strengthened my testimony that it is another testament of Jesus Christ. Not a page has gone by without a reference to him!! 2 Nephi 4.20-25 touched me this week- actually the entire end of that chapter is so powerful as Nephi rejoices in his Saviour. I love Jesus!

“My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions in the wilderness; and he hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep. He hath filled me with his love, even unto the consuming of my flesh.  He hath confounded mine enemies, unto the causing of them to quake before me.  Behold, he hath heard my cry by day, and he hath given me knowledge by visions in the night-time. And by day have I waxed bold in mighty prayer before him; yea, my voice have I sent up on high; and angels came down and ministered unto me. And upon the wings of his Spirit hath my body been carried away upon exceedingly high mountains. And mine eyes have beheld great things, yea, even too great for man; therefore I was bidden that I should not write them.”

Soeurs Holt and Hansen continue to teach the people they met last week. The extended family are so cool- I really am excited about this family!! The grandma loves all of our points of doctrine, this lesson we reviewed the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon is proof that God loves all of his children not just those in Jerusalem!! Coolest thing ever- we left them reading it!!

The young man who Soeur Baksh took them to last week has continued to make progress. Sports evening with the branch- the young man came; crazy because he cycled 45 minute to get there and he brought his friend!! Then that evening we were teaching him with Soeur Baksh- he had been bitten by something so his arm is massive!! but he still had a lesson with us. Souer Hansen asked him if he would like to be baptised on 2nd September and he accepted. So cool and we really believe he is ready; he has been taught all of the lessons multiple times, we just need to review them. He has a testimony of Joseph Smith everything!! That evening we talked about prayer and personal revelation to enable him to get confirmation!!

Not everything is so rosy in the life and teaching of a missionary. One funny and one not so nice example show this:

One man told us that he had read the testimony of the 3 witnesses and so I asked him what his thoughts were on the golden plates [from which the Book of Mormon was translated]- he started talking for a good 15 minutes about how gold doesn’t mean anything to him and women are more beautiful without it; it seemed he hadn’t read after all but we laughed a lot after leaving him!!

Friday morning we went contacting. Someone invited us in and started basically telling us that the Book of Mormon cannot be the word of God, we bore testimony and tried to leave but he kept on going. In the end we offered to give a word of prayer and he refused!! 

On Saturday afternoon we all worked in the Elders’ Cayenne area- we worked with Soeur Esther and she was amazing talking to everyone and getting the numbers out of everyone!!

Cookie runs with jam jars- the labels say the Gospel is like these cookies…. Sweet, so share it!

We think that’s a good thought to end on!

Except, Soeur Holt’s mailing address has changed; if you’re writing to her please send it to:

Soeur Eleanor R. Holt
La residence les jardins du mahury.
Bat F appt 43
Route de Rémire,
Rémire-Montjoly
97354
Guyane-Française
France