Monday, October 17, 2011

Sister Fitch: October 17, 2011

Oh boy.  So, transferring is stressful.  It was really hard to say goodbye to Ottawa.  I know I was complaining when I was sent there because it was an English area, but I loved it.  It was home.  It was especially hard saying goodbye to William, our recent convert.  He was devastated.  Not only were we leaving, but our sister companionship (brother?), Elder Taylor and Elder Aubin, were both leaving also.  All four of us were deeply involved in William's progression.  He went out teaching with the Elders, they helped him with his English--it was really hard on him to lose us all.  He cried for what he said was the first time in ten years.  But, he also told us not to worry about him, that change will make him strong. 
 
Packing, catching the bus, travelling, all that jazz, was a pain, but we made it to Montreal just fine.  My new companion, Sister Rodriguez, is awesome.  We get along really well.  It'll be fun working with her.  My district leader is awesome, which is good because the rest of the zone couldn't care less about us so...at least we have someone that'll help us out!  Flushing in is TOUGH.  Our week was really...scattered.  Up until Sunday night, we hadn't had ANY lessons.  All of the five or six that we had set up fell through.  So, we decided that wouldn't do.  We needed lessons, we needed people to teach.  So...we set some goals, said lots of prayers, and in under an hour of knocking doors on sunday night, we had three lessons and three new investigators...which were EXACTLY the goals we had set...need I say more???  This is NOT our work.  It's God's.  When we turn it over to Him and work as if it all depended on us, miracles happen.  It was really amazing, and was a much needed boost after an exhausting (physically, mentally, spiritually, you name it) week. 
 
It hasn't been a particulary restful p-day.  something is wrong with my blue card (my access to my monthly allowance) and it is causing a lot of issues.  Such as, I can't take the metro, which is our only form of transportation.  We have three huge fans in our apartment taking up all kinds of room, and they are mostly broken, so we have to take them to the mission office...don't know how to do that without a car OR the metro.  We hoped our zone leaders would help us out, but they have to go hang out at the mall...LAME!!  Oh well. 
 
Basically, what this week boils down to is LOTS of stress, but also LOTS of fun and learning.  We contact on the metros, and that has been VERY interesting, and so very ridiculously far out of my comfort zone.  But, it works, so we have to do it.  No, no, we GET to do it.  The pace here is so very different from Ottawa.  I'm sure I will come to love it, I'm sure.  I'm excited to get going on the new week, our first full week here, maybe somewhat normal instead of the craziness of this past week.  Montreal is full of people who are ready, and full of people who are crazy, so it's an adventure sifting through them to find those who want to hear what we have to share with them. Missionary work is tough.  It's frustrating sometimes.  But it is oh so very rewarding, even when you just have to laugh because of the craziness.  I have to go now, we do our email at an internet cafe now and have limited time.  MUCH LOVE TO YOU ALL!!!
 
han

Elder Fitch: October 17, 2011

I'd say that the first week of a new transfer is always the longest. Either something is different and you have to get used to the change, or nothing changes and you have to get used to doing the same thing. This week I got a new companion, Elder Ormond. He is probably a foot taller than me and comes from a little southern Idaho town called Wendal. One of my really good friends from high school is his cousin and he actually knows Kaysville very well. His mom is even a Davis Dart. He last served in Fribourg Switzerland, he took 5 different trains to get here. It's been a rough week, but also one of the best. We did not get along so well at first. We get a long just fine now, but it was hard at the beginning. I've learned a lot. I've learned things I didn't know I didn't know about myself. I was pushed to grow in a way I haven't been pushed yet. At the beginning of this week I felt like this transfer was going to last FOREVER, I now look forward to the rest of this transfer and the new things I will learn.
 
That's really what this week was, was getting used to this change. We didn't find anyone new to teach. We did make progress with Stephanie and have set a date for her to get baptized so we're looking forward to that. There is still alot to get through with her, but she progresses anyway.
 
We still have not changed apartments, but it is in the works. The mission office was pretty busy with transfers so nothing really got done, but now they are trying to get things worked out with the realtor. Hopefully between this week and next we will be moving to our new apartment.
 
Tomorrow is going to be sweet. Elder Causee is coming to speak at our zone conferences. So tomarrow we are going to Bordeaux for our zone conference. I'm stoked. I've heard it is awesome there.
The weather is getting absolutely beautiful here, perfect temperature and blue skies. The colors are starting to come out too, it's fantastic.
 
I love you all and i wish you a wonderful week full of good things!
Elder Fitch

Sister Fitch: October 10, 2011

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!  Ou en Francais, Actions de Graces! 
 
Sometimes I think Canada is weird.  Like having Thanksgiving in October. 
 
We went for a "hike" last week in Gatineau Hills, in the rain.  I very much enjoyed it.  I was soaking wet the rest of the day, but it was worth being out of the city and in the lovely fall colors.  It's been really nice the last few days--just like October should be.  This week has been kind of tough--no one would answer their phone, lots of lessons fell through, amis tried to drop us, all kinds of crazy things.  It was...painful.  But!  Could have been worse.  At the end of the week we got a text from one of our amis who freaked out a week or so ago and didn't want to see us again, and in this text she said she wanted to get baptized.  So, could be worse! 
 
So.  Transfers. 
 
Let's just say I don't think I spoke more than a word or two for about half an hour after we got our call.  Couldn't believe it.  Was not expecting it.  They are closing our area :(  Not entirely, but we are BOTH leaving Ottawa, and they are giving our area over to the other sisters to take care of.  I'm kind of anxious about our amis and our less actives, and all kinds of things like that, but I am trying to have faith in the other sisters.  I thought when I came to Ottawa, I would definately be serving in French areas, as Ottawa is the ONLY English sisters area in the mission.  Alas.  I am going to Montreal to open up another English sisters area.  Sigh.  It's called Concordia, and it's YSA again!  I went through many stages...shock, anger, sorrow, acceptance, and now I'm excited.  I never had ANY desire to serve in Montreal itself, because it is big and noisy and dirty and...cityish.  Ottawa is big, but it really isn't.  It's small compared to Montreal.  I'll miss my quiet little river walk to our bus station (a good 40 minutes) and our quiet little street (despite the sirens ever night).  I hear my new apartment has had a lot of work done on it and is nice, but is on a pretty big street.  I am NOT a city girl, so I am worried about being overwhelmed, especially since we will be opening the area and therefore having to start completely from scratch...it'll be fun, though.  An adventure.  I lost my sense of adventure for a while there, but it is coming back.  I'm glad for that.  My companion will be Sister Rodriguez. I hear good things about her.  This means I am in no way a greenie any more--not in my greenie area, not with my trainer, and more than two transfers old.  Thank GOODNESS.  Being green gets old, old, old.  They made TONS of changes in Ottawa, every single team is being effected, and FOUR of them are being flushed (which means there will be two new missionaries coming, instead of just one--a whole new team).  Crazy.  We leave Wednesday morning, so we have not too much time to say goodbye and pack.  Funny how uncertain and unplannable the future is on the mission.  Well, next week my life will be TOTALLY different so I'll have lots to tell you about!  Much love to you all!
 
Hannah

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Elder Fitch: October 3, 2011

This week....
Weell this week was not a super steller teaching week. However, we did spend alot of time doing service. Almost everyday we spent at least a couple hours doing service. Our friend from Peru owns a pizzeria. This is our friend who invited us over to her birthday party and it was all latin americans speaking almost only spanish. Well she's planning to move back to Peru and so needs to sell her pizzeria. So we've been doing alot of painting and cleaning and moving huge pizza ovens and stuff like that. oh and of course our red cross service on thursdays. So that was really fun. I always like doing service.
 
Our amis stephanie is doing well. She still has a brick wall when it comes to applying the discusion to herself or realizing it's something more than just a superstition. Slowly but surely it is breaking down. She now looks at baptism as something that is in the future for her, but yet has a ways to go. She came to General Conference on sunday and watched the Relief Society session and the Saturday aftrnoon session. It was really good and is a great step for her. She was able to see the church as a real world wide organization, as opposed to just our tiny little half building branch in Montauban. She's prayed a couple times, and I have to say that they are legit prayers. She is super sincere and really talks to God as a person and asks heartfelt questions about her life and about what we teach her. Her answers are coming too.
 
So conference! how incredible! How they do it here is they transmit the saturday morning session live so we watch it here at 6 oclock to 8 oclock here. Then we watch the priesthood session at 11 oclock sunday morning till 1 and then an hour break and then saturday afternoon session from 2 to 4 and then they brodcast the sunday morning session live from 6 to 8 and then sunday afternoon live from 10 to midnight. The relief society sometimes has a day where all the stake women go to watch somewhere. this year they did it in Carcasonne for the stake im in. but then they also rebrodcast it during the prieshood session at 11 o clock sunday morning. Montauban being as small as it is goes to Toulouse to watch it. In the past it was a rule that we had to have an amis with us if we went to the session brodcast on saturday. So we were not expecting to go, but then we got a call that said we could so w last minute went to Toulouse and watched that steller session. Then we were there the whole day except we can't watch the last session, so that was the only one I missed. which is sweet!! cause last conference I ws so ticked! I didn't get to see any that I understood. Conference is so cool. It's exactly what the Bible and Book of Mormon are, scripture. It is God revealing His word to His prophets and apostles for us for our lives right here and right now. HOW INSANE! how incredible significant is that. That is what the difference is between The Church of Jesus Christ and every other church and religion that is on the face of this planet. There is a prophet of God who is alive today who has His authority to lead His church. Thats nuts. Thats the truth.
 
Being a missionary I know how this all works. I am in the thick of this work. I see it everyday. This work would utterly fail and crumble and fall to the dust of the earth if it were not the true and living work of th Lord. This simply HAS to be the Lords work. There is no other way it would function. He leads and guides EVERY step of this system. I am a witness of that truth.
 
This is the last week of the transfer, it's going to be sweet. Heads up.
I love you all!!
Mark

Sister Fitch: October 3, 2011

RE: Eternigator Turned Recent Convert
 
Hello! (president Monson style)
 
Kind of a crazy week!  Started out with a text from this girl we have been teaching since I got here, and who has been coming to church since she was 14, and who has had many a missionary before me.  She said "invite only baptism, this saturday."  Uh...OKAY!  So yes, we had another baptism, surprise!  Some members helped her figure out what the hang up was, and she realized it was pretty lame--she was afraid of being in front of people.  Three baptisms in three weeks...President said its the first time it's happened since they've been here.  Sweet!  It's been crazy working everything out for all of these baptisms, so it will be kind of weird this week having a normal week...it'll be good.  Baptisms can be STRESSFUL. 
 
I absolutely LOVED general conference.  It was so great.  Our catholic missionary came to one session and found it highly interesting.  He said for the most part the speakers were "speaking my language" so, we'll see!  We have seen him four times and STILL have not finished the first lesson....so we'll see! 
 
Anyway, it's been an emotionally draining few weeks but lots of good people around, plus conference, lots of resources for feeling happy :)  Weather here has been cool.  Maybe...10-15.  And drizzly.  More like misty.  It's been lovely, actually.  Love it.  Today we are celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving.  So weird.  It'll be fun, though, the whole zone is in town for zone study tomorrow, so we might be able to go for a hike too.  Hike.  Ha.  In the HILLS.  Not mountains.  Sigh. 
 
Last week of the transfer!  I'm pretty sure I'm losing my companion, but we'll see.  Sad, sad, day.  Okay, sorry for two weeks of brevity in the email department...people are waiting for the computers.  I love, love, love you all, you are my ROCK.  Thanks :) Much love,