And the rain comes tumbling down

So first things first: we have a pregnant less active (non active is actually more accurate) that weve decided to buy little things for and leave notes because she hangs up on us all the time.  Dear pregnant sister in laws: what does a pregnant woman want?  thank you much for your aide.



Wow that was uber french.  Uber is actually german.  My comp told me.



So yeah, we do a lot of less/ non active work.  One lady is named marina.  She has a son named moïse (moses in french).  Moïse cant sit still to save his life.  So he would do something and she would tell him to go stand against the wall, look at the wall and "refleche de quoi tu as faites!" think about what you have done.  Hahaha.  Hes seriously three years old.  So the first time, he decided licking the wall would be the best thing to do while "thinking about what he had done".  Hahahaha!!!!  I totally didnt pay attention to what was going on.  So Marina saqw him licking the wall.  Yelled at him again.  Teehee.  Then he started sliding up and down the wall.  Oh yeah, that had my attention for a while (man i am such a bad missionary sometimes).  So she caught him.  He behaved for a while, and I decided to start participating and paying attention to the lesson.  Well, I saw out of the corner of my eye that Moïse was suddenly behind the speakers of the TV.  Oh boy, I couldnt resist a peak.  HAAHAHAHAHAHA.  He had the wires from the speakers in his mouth and was chewing on them like a rat.  Oh man, I looked him in th eye and shook my head like "your mom is going to kill you."  But, for the first time, Marina didnt notice.  Soeur Gappmaier did.  So we both sat and looked at Moïse chewing on wires while marina told us the same story she tells us every time.  Finally, as I started shaking my head again she noticed.  OH BOY HE WAS IN TROUBLE.  After we left the apartment complex, soeur Gapp and i laughed so hard I thought I was going to wet myself.  It was sooooo nfunny.  We would calm down, and be okay for a second.  But then Sr Gappmaier would point at me and say "Now think about what you have done!!" and wed be off again.  Teeheeee.



I love inactives.  There is always something fun gonig on in their homes.  And theyh feed us.  I had this giant four course meal at a nonpracts home (non practicing member/ inactive) on wednesday night.  But it was really late, and she wouldnt let us leave, and i had to eat it all.  So guess who was sick during zone conference?  Moi.  Encore.  Yup.  But we went anyway because we really really wanted to.  PLUS there was going to be three other elders that were in the MTC with me at the conference.  SO we HAD to go, I NEEDED to go.  It of course, was raining when we got to paris, and our train was 25 minutes late, so we were late.  I got really nervouse that wed walk in and everyone would stare at us, but that didnt happen.  In fact, I was really more sad that there wouldnt be talking time before it started now, and I really rreally wanted to talk to my elders.  THough I did see elder smith/  know it all (remember him?) at the train station.  His face lit up like a lightbulb when he saw me, ripping his hand out of his pocketo shake mine.  That calmed me down a l:ittle bit, and made me feel much more at home.  we were walking up the courtyard to the church building, we saw through the windows that the place was just full of socializing missionaries, waiting for all of the late trains to arrive.  I whispered to soeur gappmaier "i'm nervouse that they wont be as excited to see me as i am to see them".  As I said that, I saw a tall red head inside waving at me like his life dpended on it.  I about jumped in the air it made me so happy to see Elder Draleau waving at me.  If any of you look back at the emails Ive sent, elder draleua was one of my closest chums in the MTC.  He was the one I was most nervouse about forgetting me, mostly because I apparently doubt how much people like me.  But yes, he saw me through the window and wavzed like crazy.  It was all uphill from there.  I got to see three missionaries from my MTC group, and I loved each of them for different reasons.  And yes, I almost threw up, but we did sing.  All my elders came up afterward and told me how luch they loved it.  At the end of the day when we rode home, Sr gappmaier said "i dont think you should worry anymore; its obvious they love you.  A lot."



AH love.  I love love.





Okay, a couple of spiritual thoughts from this very loved missionary:



We had a RDV with this really religious girl my comp and her old comp ffound on the street.  She gave them her version of a pass along card and So they gave her a pamphlet.  We finally met on Saturday night.  She had previously told the soeur missionaries that she knew about joseph smith and believed hed had a vision.  So the first thing we did was ask her how much she knew about joseph smith.  BAD IDEA.  She then went off for 45 minutes about the bible and promising a restoration and all kinds of weird half truths.  It was ridicxulous; not what she believed, but how she treatd us.  She said things like "that is wrong.  Do you know why?  No you dont, so this is why..."   Seriously.  And when we found a scripture to try and start teaching, she ignored us, and said we really didnt know our stuff.  In fact, at one point, as we searched our scriptures, she said "if you are going to talk about the Word, you should come prepared."  HAHAHAHA.  But oh man, when she started telling us that the first vision of Joseph Smith was actually a vision from the Devil, thats when I knew that we were wasting our time.  It was so interesting, because I had nothing in my head.  Nothing.  And I realized that it was the Spirit telling me that she isnt going to listen, so dont waste your words or engery.  So I told her our time was up (because it really really was) and asked if I could finish by bearing my testimony.  I then bore a strong and solemn witness that Joseph Smith did see God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.  I KNOW that through Joseph Smith Christ restored HIS gospel upon the earth.  And I KNOW that Christ is my Saviour, Redeemer and the Son of God.  The spirit just radiated from me as I said that (which doesnt happen all that often).  Then she went off telling me that I can have my prophet and she'll take hers.  So my companion bore second witness.  QWe cut her off from further lecturing us and ended with a prayer.  Instead of taking the tram, we took 40 minutes to walk home we were so frustrated.  Sr Gappmaier felt so dumb,; she told me, becuase she didnt know half those scriptures this woman had used.  I said I did, but she was using them completely out of context.  SO then my comp felt even stupider because the new girl knew more than her.  And thats whe I realized something: I'm not here to bible bash.  I'm not here to prove people wrong. I'm here to give them the opportunity to learn about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and come unto Him.  I'm here to testify.  And thats what I did.





I know this really is the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I KNOW it.  I KNOW Joseph Smith was a prophet called by God, and that we have a living prophet today.  I Know it.  I feel it.  I live It.



I know it.  Thats why I am out here.



TImes up.  I love you all.  SOOOOOOOO much.  Please write to me.  Please.  It gets lonely being a stranger in a strange land.



Je vous aime.



Soeur Kacey Barros