Week #5 Transfer #3, Albi, Rodez, Bordeaux

Hello everyone,

After this weekend I want to express my care and support for all of those families and individuals effected by the events in Paris on Friday.  My prayers are out to you. Thanks so much everyone for your prayers and love, and support for France in this tragedy.  It's been amazing seeing how much love has been expressed for the people here.  Here in the south things are all right, we are all safe and fine, and life has gone on pretty normally so far. We are going to be cautious, and I know the Lord is with us and keeps us safe, and we will make sure to listen to His warnings by the spirit we will be kept safe from harm. God will help us where we need it, and I believe we can do much good here.


This week was actually a really fun week with a ton of mangervous (meals at members houses)!  We started off seeing the cathedral finally in Albi! 

St. Cecile Cathedral Albi - the largest brick building in the world

So cool, and the rest of it that you normally have to pay for we showed we were missionaries and they waved us without hesitation to see the whole thing! Thanks dad! Another one of your Europe tips that came in handy, looks like it works in France too. We got to see a lot of people we've been meaning to see and it was cool. I also bought a super warm scarf that is very soft and found out I love to wear scarfs! My neck apparently was always cold. 

New coat and scarf!  Très chic

At the end of the week after the certain events we were advised not to focus on contacting on the street on Saturday, but we were still able to go visit our branch presidents house. Far out in the country of France we had a really fun day where we were far from harm and safe, and got to try some archery, he had a bow. 

Practicing my longbow skilz... 

Anyways we had a really good time and I love the branch president and his family, they are so cool. On Sunday we planned to see a lot more members and they are so awesome and nice! I also feel sincerely blessed with these much more than just tender mercies, and kind of like I'll get transferred because this is too good haha. We'll see this Friday what happens since this is the last week of the transfer and so we'll be getting transfer calls to see who's going and who's staying. Anyways I've felt really blessed with how kind everyone has been and how they really appreciate our messages, it's made me feel a lot more wanted and welcome.

Modern day shepherd

I've noticed this week how the spirit guides us all thorough spiritual promptings to help others. Our president committed our mission to have 200 Amis last week, twice than normal, he did so out of a prompting. The mission had 218 Amis come to church!!!. Our ami Brigitte came and we helped her understand a lot she didn't understand that we didn't know about and it was cool. I witnessed 2 blessings this week where the spirit helped elders say exactly what was needed. I've witnessed Sunday the spirit testify though me of the truth of us needing faith to be healed. I know that if we do not have faith nothing can happen, but if we do, miracles will come to pass. I've witnessed that so far
and it's amazing.

Love you all and have a wonderful week! I pray for you.

Avec beaucoup d'amour (with much love)
Elder Laney

Elder Legolas...

PS: Thanks for all the support and love, this was a cool picture I found.  All the support that everyone has showed for France is so awesome.

Week #4 Transfer #3 - Albi, Rodez, Bordeaux

Salut tout le monde! Ça va?
(Hey everyone! How's it going?)

I had a lot of fun this week and spent half of it away from Albi. We got to meet our ami Birgitte like normal and help her out and then we saw an ami from last transfer, Moise, for the first time in 4 weeks!  He was in Italy randomly and out of town and we thought he had moved, but he may move to close and even in the town of Albi instead!  And what was so cool is that he has been reading the Book of Mormon, even on the train, and sharing with his family this whole time. He says he "knows it's the word of God!" In his manly African French each time we talk about it.  He's so cool, I'm always happy coming out of a rendez-vous with him.

Cool little town on a hill somewhere on the way to Bordeaux

I ate out 3 times this week, got Macdo (McDonalds) twice and even KFC! McDonalds is so funny here, it literally looks like a high end restaurant and is so nice, the foods about the same and twice as expensive but hey!  At least I get a taste of home.

Little village on a river somewhere on the way to Bordeaux!

We spent the latter half of the week 1st in Bordeaux getting up at 5am to head out, and had a cool zone conference there.  President Brown is like a bow expert turns out, uses a longbow and even goes hunting with it, and we got to see some of his mad skills as he taught us to "take the shot" or in other terms act on our promptings right away when the opportunity presents itself.  Cool message and a fun time.  We then came back and headed to Toulouse the next day and stayed overnight to see both sessions of stake conference.  Elder Morera of the 70 (a leader in the church) spoke, as well as our beloved mission President and his wife.  Super cool to hear all of their messages. What stuck out to me the most was what was shared, how the first presidency's (the prophet and head apostles) focus at the moment and for the next 2 years is keeping the Sabbath day holy.  The Sabbath day in our church is Sunday, and is a day of rest and to dedicate to the lord.  I believe it's really important, something even that has been misunderstood or misused, I know I share in not keeping the Sabbath day very holy in the past.  So I challenge everyone to go and spend time with your family on Sunday!  It's a great way to make sure we all enjoy time with our awesome families.  Members of the church remember to make this day a sign to the Lord of your love for him, and keep it holy and a day to focus on your families and Him.

Toulouse Zone

Love you all! Only 2 more weeks in the transfer already which is crazy.

Je vous aime tous!!!!

Avec amour,
Elder Laney

Awesome Elders of Rodez/Albi

Week #3 Transfer #3, Albi France

Hey everyone,

This week was super fun. We got 3 manger-vous, I was super stuffed after each one, but I'm making sure to do my morning mangos (what we call our morning workouts) so I'll make sure not  to gain tons of weight, or gain some muscle hopefully... We'll see what 15 min a day can help me avoid.  Haha, anyway I tried French chocolate!  It is terrible.  It tasted like a stale Hershey bar and cost me 3 whole euros.  So I'll try some more types to see if I just had bad luck, but i did try some Swiss chocolate and it is literally the best I have ever eaten.  So Lindt (maker of Lindor chocolates) is a great brand and Swiss chocolate wins at the moment.  France does have wonderful pastries and cheese at least.  And quiche.  Seriously excellent quiche...

Quiche perfection

We spent a lot of time with the Rodez elders.  Rodez is just an hour away, and we all go to the same branch here in Albi, though most of the members are from Rodez. Pretty funny since we have like 5 elders and only 30 people there in total.  And 9 members from Albi came to church!!!!  Super cool since soonish we believe the branch will split so all the Rodez members don't have to drive so far, and Albi will be able to continue growing if we have enough members.

Tree tunnel on drive to Rodez

We got to spend Halloween night at a member's home and even trick or treated their door!  Sadly Halloween isn't very popular here, but we did see a huge group of 50 kids with their parents all on roller blades on costumes and it made our night.  Also while yelling happy Halloween to everyone on the ride home from the car one very excited teenage boy yelled it back super excited.  So Halloween is starting to catch on here at least.

Rodez Cathedral - new building dating from 1276 (The original was built in 516 and parts still remain)

Each night as asked by Elder Adler of the Seventy at our last mission conference, we as companions bear our testimony to each other in French for 30 days straight. I'm at 28 and almost done but it's been a really cool experience to see how my testimony grows each time I bear it and how it is changing.  The Spirit really does testify through truth , and I feel the truth and a reaffirmation of what I know whenever I bear my sincere testimony of Jesus Christ.  And so I invite you all to do that this week, bear your testimony to someone you know, or at least about what you do know if it's not a lot, but just be sincere.  It only matters that we mean it, and that's how the Holy Ghost will speak to us.  For friends not in the Church don't hesitate to ask any Mormons you know about their testimony, we love to share
what we believe and it helps us reaffirm our faith too :)

District - Albi and Rodez

Also my French improved dramatically in speech this week.  I don't know why, but I have been praying for help in the language, and my conversational ability has improved a lot and I can really converse with people now, it's super cool.  I understand so much more and am really grateful to the Lord for all the help He gives us. Anyway, Have a great week and love you all tons!!  Have a fun week and I hope you all had a great Halloween!

Good times in Rodez

Avec amour,
Elder Laney

Ps: mangez-vous means a rendez-vous which means a visit to a member's house, but manger means to eat so it's a play on words meaning a meal at a member's house :)

Week #2 Transfer #3 - Albi, France

Week 2 of the transfer done!

Beautiful fields around Albi

Albi is as beautiful as ever.  This week we went to see a lot of members and spent a lot of time driving in the French countryside, 10 min drive from centre ville takes you straight into the country and its beautiful.  One of the things I'm super grateful for out here and the car is so nice!  And it's cool because we got to see a lot of members, and drive around here a lot, and the member visits are actually going to increase.

Foggy drive - (safely in the passenger seat)

So this week was fun, we did see a lot of members and less actives.  One night we went to see a member from the Rodez branch with the elders from there, but instead of just taking the freeway and then following the gps like we should have, we followed the gps straight up and took 2 hours to get there!  Haha we got so lost, but we saw a lot of beautiful tiny French villes and forests.  The drive back was only a bit over an hour lol, but it was fun and the family had a good time with us at dinner there.  We and the Rodez elders had a fun time.  My favorite part of this week was visiting our older members, singing with Frere Pageault and visiting Mimi who is super cool, we now do family home evening with her every Monday and she feeds us, she's so cool!  She can't make it to church b/c she is handicapped and it's hard to get to church that way, so we give her the sacrament every Sunday and she's so funny, I'm psyched for dinners on Mondays now!

Lost in the forest...

So what's going to happen is Albi and the Rodez branch are going to split.  Right now we both meet at Albi together, but all the members are from Rodez and it's an hour or more for them to drive here.  So we have like actually 5 members who are mostly active, but we talked to the branch president and with a lot of faith and hard work well see all the less active members and get them back!!!  We got a bunch of lists and the work begins this week.  I'm excited, I read Mosiah chapter 26 this morning in my progression through the Book of Mormon which talked about gathering the lost sheep, and literally gave the advice of how to help members through repentance become faithful members again!  So this is our direction and I'm excited to start and then build Albi up from there!

Sunset view from our Albi apartment

Regarding the beauty of this earth I'm privileged to see each day I invite you all to sing and ponder the words of "How Great Thou Art" either in family home evening or to look at it yourself and think about this beautiful earth God has given us and feel the gratitude for this beautiful world.  I'm so grateful to be on this magnificent world with all of you and hope you have a great week and revel in the wonders around you.

Beautiful French countryside

Que Dieu vous benisse tous, je vous aime.

Sincerement,
Elder Laney


Words of "How Great Thou Art"(our mission president shared this thought
with us this week)

    O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds thy hands have made,
    I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
 Thy power throughout the universe displayed

  When through the woods and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees,
  When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze,

 Then sings my soul, my Savior God to thee,
How great thou art!  How great thou art!

Week #1 Transfer #3, Albi France

I've been in Albi for a week already!

River View of Cathedral of St Cecile

I'll begin this week's email with an awesome experience with our investigator who will be called Anastasia for confidentiality reasons :) we met with her earlier this week, I met Anastasia for the first time and we had a good lesson, and the spirit was there.  After I thought about her problem, which is smoking, besides that she's ready to be baptized and wants to.  So Elder Omohundro and Elder Robards and I thought this week of her and came up with some key phrases we wanted to share with her in our next lesson.  These were bold statements and helpful advice, scriptures and other inspired guides.  So we had Amis class on Sunday, and she was our only ami to show up.  We had the class with her and Sister Bernardi, and some other members, and right before Sister Bernardi had us change the lesson to faith in Jesus Christ instead of what we had prepared to share with Anastasia.

Houses along the River Tarn

So we went with it and followed the book to start. As the lesson went on we addressed her problem directly with our inspired thoughts from the previous week which fit perfectly into the lesson.  We expressed how faith in Jesus Christ is all we need, and with this He can help us overcome all things in our path.  The members and especially Sister Bernardi were key and helped relate these to Anastasia, and at one point Elder Omohundro just shared what he had felt during the week, a quote in French "soyez diligent et faites-le" - or:  "be disciplined and do it."  So pretty much to be diligent and do what's right.  Afterwards I had had a prompting throughout the lesson to ask her to give up smoking there with everyone, but had discounted it.  Thinking I decided to follow this, and with that decision acted in faith and so I directed the question of how we can all decide to change, and approach God, and asked them if they would all commit.  I then looked at each person, and Souer Bernardi started with how she could, and then when I got to Anastasia she said in French "well isn't it evident? I need to give up smoking" still hesitant, we all spoke and reinforced her and shared  experiences until, prodded by Soeur Bernardi, she told us: "I decide to give up  smoking". Talking to her after, she had found out that she could do it, it was all in her head, and if she decided to wait she could wait.  She had smoked one less that day than usual and had dropped to 2 less by this way the last week.  She had made progress, and she had now committed to follow Christ through his commandments!  I know the Spirit led us in this lesson, and she was given what she needed as we were bold and loving, and after she was happy and optimistic, not at all offended and happy. And I was so happy and felt so much joy.

Albi Street Cafe

This is what the mission is for!  I realize now that I have to follow the direction and inspiration the Lord gives me, the Holy Ghost directs us and we need to follow, it will only help others, and it will all work out even if it's hard because he knows what we need and what they need and we need to trust the Lord.

Elders Laney, Omohundro and Robards in Albi

Albi is awesome, and my favorite part so far is our Amis and our members here, because I'm here for them and they bring me so much joy.  Albi the most beautiful place I've ever been to, it's an old French town and a fairly good size and we have a ton of fun meeting all the people.  I also get to enjoy the beautiful countryside of France as we drive to visit members who live far away.  I love it here and it's so fun, Elder Omohundro and Elder Robards are super funny and fun, and great missionaries. I learn a lot from them and am so happy to serve with them.  

Elder Laney with Cathedral of St. Cecile in background.  This cathedral has the distinction of being is the largest brick building in the world.

Love you all and have an awesome week, may God bless you, and follow the spirit and you will feel greater joy than you ever have, serving others brings so much happiness.  I know as we are diligent and disciplined and do what's right we find so much joy.  That's what I found when I made that decision to follow the spirit. So decide now, that's what I learned :) and I know I'm happier because of it, and that someone was helped

Que Dieu vous benisse tous, je vous aime.

Sincerement,
Elder Laney

Pink umbrellas line one of the main streets in Albi

Week #6 Transfer #2

Bonjour!
I can now announce I am no longer a bleu!!  After 2 transfers your a full grown missionary, and I'm now in transfer 3!  It looks like now that I'm done as a bleu I have finished my service at Tarbes.

Me and Frere Pho from Tarbes. I'll miss him so much! I saw him every Saturday and it was the best!

I received my first real transfer call and am now in Albi with my 2 new companions!  Elder Omohundro and Elder Robards, from Kentucky and Georgia respectively, and our ville Albi is in my same zone as at Tarbes, Toulouse, just the other district!  So I'm right at home, just another ville and another district.  Super cool, both are awesome and super funny and I already know them!  I'm excited to really get to know them and their both really fun.  Below our first picture.  Robards is the tall one and Omohundro is the other.  Omohundro was actually Elder Ambursley's companion in Tarbes right before me!

Elder Omohundro and Elder Robards and ME!

We had a good week in Tarbes. Not a ton of lessons but we did have an activity with 3 less active members where they came to the church and watched the last session of general conference with us that we had missed on Sunday! Super fun and uplifting for us all, great talks and even though it was in French I understood a lot.  I liked the "meditiser" talk, which is the French version of the word the speaker made up: ponderize.  I'm looking forward to memorizing and pondering on some scriptures from now on.

IN A CAR!!!!  No more walking!  (Now all the cheese will catch up with me and I'll get fat!)

So in Tarbes I got to be a counselor for 1 day!  Both families of the counselors to the branch president moved out so they called the missionaries in Tarbes as the counsellors to the branch president this last Sunday.  I moved out the day after haha, but I think it'll be cool for the elders to serve in this capacity, and even more Elder Withers became district leader of that district!   So he'll be having quite some responsibility, haha but he's excited.

Anyways, Albi is really beautiful and I'm excited to be here.  It's so funny because I'm companions with elder Omohundro who I replaced in Tarbes, and I moved from the one ville with probably the most walking in our mission to one of the very few where we actually have a car!

Gonna miss seeing these Tarbes mountains from the train!

 I'm gonna probably start finally gaining weight now. It's cool to still be in the same zone and to see everyone still, minus about half of our zone who all returned with honor, they'll be missed, such awesome guys and I'm happy to have gotten to know them and serve with them. I'm psyched to be here and to be  companions with these two awesome servants of God and even more excited for what the Lord has in store for me and us together here in my first new town.

Passez une Bonne semaine et je vous aimes tous!

Sincerement,
Elder Laney

Week #5 Transfer #2

At last I enter my last week of being a blue!  My 2nd transfer in field is over after this week, and then I'm done with being trained and am a full fledged missionary! Haha nothing changes actually, I'm a missionary right now that just does an extra hour of study each day:) but hey it's cool!  And technically I could get called to go train brand new missionary or someone 1 transfer behind me haha - that just happened to my friend Elder Summers! Congrats Elder, I know you'll do awesome!

Elder Withers and me with a few of the amazing missionaries who will be returning home with honor this week!

This week was awesome.  We had an ami, (an ancient ami/he's been taught every couple years in the past since 2006), and we met him 2 weeks ago.  I remember feeling like he would be good to call, and so we were able to meet him, but the meeting which I had felt uneasy about didn't go anywhere and we walked away feeling defeated, he wasn't accepting and just argued about different points in the bible and said no to reading any of the Book of Mormon to try to find out if this is true, and we left feeling like we couldn't help him.  So I thought about it and it felt like he needed more time.  So we canceled our visit with him the next Saturday, and planned to meet him in 2 weeks.  He said we could send him small scriptures though, so we did, and I prayed the whole next two weeks for him that he would be prepared the next time we met him, and I know he wants to know since he's really trying to search for the truth.  Our rendez vous came and we said a quick prayer before to ask that he would feel the spirit and that we could help him. We had our rendez vous and my prayers were answered, he was way friendlier and everything we shared, the 1st lesson about the Restoration of the true church, he liked a lot, and though skeptical with some things he really agreed with some of the points we made. I felt the spirit with us the whole lesson and we were able to answer a lot of his questions.  At the end I asked him to read The Book of Mormon and he said yes, and it was so cool to see this step we made with him, and as he's not sure on prayer yet it's so cool to see how the Lord works with each of His children little by little to help them with what they need.  I know my prayers were answered, and my one before the lesson, as I felt the spirit strong during our visit and was led in how do teach each principle, and I know he felt that spirit and that he was truly helped.

Camembert cheese - YUM!!  Fancy cheeses are really, really ridiculously inexpensive and delicious here!

This week we also got to watch General Conference!!!!! General Conference is a broadcast by the Church twice a year in which the prophet and many of the 12 apostles and other leaders of the church are able to give messages of love, help and advice on how we can better live in this world today.  It so awesome to listen to the prophet and to the 3 new apostles who were called to take the place of those who recently passed away, who we miss so much.  I know Elder Perry, Elder Scott, and Elder Packer are joyfully in the Lord's work on the other side happy as can be.  The messages that were shared strengthened my testimony of all our apostles and of the reality of our prophet as God's prophet on the Earth today.  I know he is, and I'm so grateful to have the prophet's direction in the church today. I know God leads this church and that He works miracles through His called disciples.  I am so grateful to have the occasion to listen to these great men and women of faith during General Conference and to learn what God would have me learn from their inspired messages. 

Preparing to watch General Conference - snack necessities

Anyway, if you haven't seen Conference yet, I highly recommend it!  It's so cool and I learn so much.  Just go to lds.org and there is information all about it on the home page.  The Saturday Morning session was my favorite and the Sunday Morning session was so good, you can watch our prophet, Thomas S Monson, speak as the first speaker in the Sunday Morning session if you don't have too much time, the newly called apostles also speak right after him too. Awesome messages.

I hope you all have a good week, et que Dieu vous benisse. Ayez fois.

Sincerement,
Elder Laney