Week #3 In the Field - Tarbes and Montauban

Hey!

Another week in France and a really good one!!

I'm walking everywhere here but finally getting used to it lol.  And it's interesting because we take trains every week to go to other cities for meeting other missionaries etc, it's cool.  

Beautiful countryside around Tarbes

Eventful week!  Monday we had p-day and didn't really do anything, lol Tarbes has lots of shops, so we visited those and then set up some rendez-vous  (lessons/meetings with people). Tuesday we taught our ami (or investigator in English, someone we're teaching the gospel who is interested).  We had a really good lesson, in English lol, she speaks English and French so we just did English this time.  But it was really awesome and we helped her and talked about faith and acting on it, and then invited her to church and she said yes!  We then taught a less active member and had a really good lesson with a lot of input from him.

P Day!  Updating photos and writing home

Wednesday we went to Montauban, the oldest city in France (so I'm told) and did a blitz, which means I exchanged companions with the missionaries there and we both went and taught and prosecuted in the same city.  

St. Oren Church in Montaubon France

Had a really good time, and learned a lot, and we met this man from Ghana who was super funny and later that week committed himself to baptism with the elders there haha, saying he "needs to worship with [us]."  Next day we did a district meeting with all the missionaries in our closer area and it was really good, about temples.

The Old Bridge is a bridge that crosses the Tarn

Friday we did some heavy brick and boulder moving for a member lol, but all with it because I had my first real French lunch.  As the big meal there, we spent 2 hours with tomatoes and mozzarella to start, bread, then an African curry, then cheeses and then fruit tartes to finish it.  Amazing, except for the moldy cheese lol. 

AMAZING lunch!  Tomatoes and mozzarella to start

Saturday was a bit slow, but Sunday was awesome because our ami came to church!!  One of our members her age befriended her, she's a bit younger than I am, and she had a really good time! And one of our less active members came to church for the first time in a long time, which was so cool.  And I gave my first talk in French lol. The branch president announces we only had 2 speakers and the first took about 7 minutes, so when I got up there I had a good 20 minutes to go.  Luckily I had prepared too much anyway so it worked out, I spoke for 20 minutes in terrible French and tried my best, I spoke on gifts of the spirit and how to find them, as well as gratitude for all we receive from God.  All the members said they understood most of it!  Success!!  Mostly haha, anyways it was so cool to have our ami and member have a good time.

centreville fountain

I'm having a fun time here!  It's hard work but good and I need to work on a lot of things to become the best missionary I can sooner rather than later.  Love you all and have a great week!

Elder Laney

Ps: I'm an uncle again! Congrats Morgan and Cade on your 1st born child little baby James Pierce. Love you and I love him and he's adorable!

James Harrison Peirce

Ky and Mike happy 10th anniversary!! You're so cool and I'm so happy for you and your family and to have you guys!!

An interesting note: Josh was doing a little family history on the internet and found a photo of Hyrum Laney, the son of William Laney (Leany) who was Josh's great great grandfather who joined the Church om 1834 with his twin brother Isaac.  William knew Joseph Smith and lived in Nauvoo. Isaac was shot 14 times at the Haun's Mill massacre and survived.  The chair in this photo has been preserved and passed down through the family and is currently in Gary's office!!

Hyrum Laney 

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