Week #2 Transfer #6 - Des Grands Miracles

This week was just awesome. I'll start with a really cool story.

President and Sister Brown and the missionaries at Stake Conference

We were talking to people on the street on Wednesday when I recognized this one lady in her 20's, but couldn't figure out how I knew her. We started talking to her and I asked if we had met but she didn't hear the question so we just kept going on with our questionnaire on the family, and decided to teach her a lesson right there when we asked if she had some time. She'd been to Manosque for 3 weeks and turns out she had lived in some other places recently, including Tarbes. I thought that was cool and shared that I lived there recently too. We started the lesson about the restoration of the church and half way through she says she recognizes me and after a minute I remembered that I had done the family questionnaire with her in Tarbes my first few weeks in France!!!!  So crazy, I even remember where we had contacted her and how she hadn't really been interested and me and Elder Ambursley talking about that conversation after. So we continued the lesson and I felt like she was one of the two engagés (amis with a baptismal date fixed) that we were going to get before our conference with Elder Christofferson, a goal that President Brown had fixed for every missionary to find one new engagé.  Anyway, I sent out a text for our district to pray for us as we asked her to baptism, and we continued the lesson. We explained the Book of Mormon, and then had her read the promise in Moroni 10 about how if we read the Book of Mormon and pray about it we will receive an answer that it is true. She paused afterward and after a minute told us a few times before I understood, "I'm going to go buy one of these books." Super confused I just sat there and then asked her "Why do you want to buy one?" She responded, "Because it's true. .. I feel that it's true and know it."  Haha! Elder Strong and I were so surprised all we could say was "... Uh... Oui!" We explained how that was the Spirit telling her it was true and she agreed. A few minutes of discussion later Elder Strong gave her the invitation to be baptized and she responded with a firm yes, without hesitation. I then followed with asking her if she would be baptized on the 26th of March and she responded with with a decided and happy yes. It was so cool. I know God puts people in our path when we work hard and if we are lucky we will be able to help people in awesome experiences like this.  I followed a lot of promptings and direction from the Spirit, including sending that text and planning then to invite her to baptism, and I know the Lord guided Elder Strong and I to do this.  But we really didn't do much!  Haha, she just was there and ready. We taught her the next day and she even came to the Stake Conference broadcast on Saturday.

P-Day soccer in Manosque

Anyway, our week was awesome and full of miracles, Patrick is doing better than ever and we should be seeing Jean-Luc and Cassandra this week.  Man, I'm so lucky to be helping all these people it's so cool.  Anyway, we also got to play a huge game of soccer against Dignes a town nearby, our member's friend got together a huge group and we got to play. It was so fun! Also, with Stake Conference and our Mission President and his wife sharing some really cool messages with us it was one of the best weeks ever.  Invitation for you: follow the spirit. That's when we get to be part of miracles.

Hiking in Marseille on P-Day

Love,
Elder Laney

Our view from the hike above Marseille

Week #1 Transfer #6 - Love is the key

Bonsoir!!! It is nighttime for you all right about now so that's how to say good evening!!

My first week with Elder Strong was really fun! And just great. We got to see almost all of our Amis and taught them all and it's so cool to help others to know Christ and begin this path for themselves!!  Because that's what we do, we invite and they commit themselves and discover God. That's my invitation, to come to know God's love for us all for yourself, and that He loves you.

Another gorgeous Manosque sunset

I had a good week and really got to see awesome things. Our ami Jean Luc has a daughter (who we recently found out from him) has been listening by the door to our lessons each time we would teach Jean Luc.  Haha, so we invited her to sit in recently and she did; she told us she was interested and wanted to know what we were teaching.  So we started by teaching her to pray and though it was a simple lesson it was one of the best I've had.  She's really coming to follow the example of her father and has seen how his life and joy has improved so drastically and taken a 180 degree turn and it is so cool and makes me so happy to help her find this happiness too.  She's already started to recognize the spirit in our lessons. I'm so grateful to God to serve in such a wonderful area and to meet such awesome people and get to know them all.

I want to leave my message this week with a scripture on love. In Matthew 22 a lawyer asks Christ "Master, which is the great commandment in the law?" Christ responds as follows:

" Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

This is the first and great commandment.

And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

I know that this is true because it's been my experience these last 2 months.  I have been studying and trying to know how to love God because I know it's so important. As we try to love God by following His commandments He'll help us and we will start to love everyone else too.

Our mission motto is:   " Love is the key "

I know it is and no matter what walk of life you are in or follow or situation, love is the answer to everything, all we do that is good will come of this and I know it's true. May we all love God, and love everyone as we try to help people all the time. We will want to help others when we start to love everybody, no matter who they are well make that right choice in any situation if it's out of complete unselfish love for them and their eternal well-being.

Beautiful church in Manosque

I invite you all to help someone this week! It doesn't matter in what but just be a helping hand and I knew you'll be so happy and so will they. I love it whenever I get to help someone because it's just awesome. Have the best week everyone!!

Love,
Elder Laney

Week #6 Transfer #5 - New beginnings

Hey everyone!! I had an interesting Monday and after a train ride to Lyon and back I am now with my new companion!  Haha, it was fun, turns out the office sent me to Lyon but my companion ended up getting into Marseille way later and I just went to Lyon and back just for fun. 

Always a good time on the trains...

But now Elder Garside is off on a plane to the Canadian homeland and I have a lot of free stuff he left behind :)  haha, anyways it was so cool to serve with him and I know his mission not only blessed the lives of so many others but also his own life immensely and how much he has changed for the better. I'll miss him a ton, he's so cool.

Snowy train journey

This last week with me and Elder Garside here was fun and awesome though, a really great way for him to finish off the mission.  We taught our ami Hervé and we both felt like we should just let him keep talking instead of interrupting to start a lesson, and eventually he opened up and shared how his faith was starting to grow, it was so cool, and then we got to eat dinner with him and his wife and share the message about the restoration with them.  They were both very touched and it was such a cool experience.  I asked on the ride home if he felt the spirit and he immediately responded with a big "yes." And it was so cool.

Gap, a village in the French Alps

We taught Jean-luc and this time invited his daughter to the lesson, she was really interested and afterward wanted to come to church the next day.  They both came and they both had an awesome time!!!  We'll be teaching them as a family now, it's so cool to see how lives are touched and changed for the better by the message of the gospel.  Jean-luc during our lesson started teaching his own daughter and it was so neat.  I just see how the work here is growing and how grateful I am to know such awesome people and be able to serve them all. 

The sights you see from a train in France.  Random volcano...

I hope you all have a wonderful week, below is a picture of me and Elder Strong, who is also from Kentucky just like Elder Omohundro!  So that's my second companion from Kentucky haha.  Awesome guy and I'm excited to work with him!!  He reminds me a bit of one of my favorite actors Michael Cera so that's really fun. We have a lot of similarities and are getting along great so far after 23 hours and 50 minutes.  Anywaysn have a great week everyone and have fun! Also, happy belated Valentine's Day!!

Elder Strong and Elder Laney

Avec beaucoup d'amour,
Elder Laney

Week #5 Transfer #5 - A trip to Nice

Hey everyone! 

Already pulling into last week of the transfer, which is Elder Garside's last week in the mission!  We're going to have an awesome week this week to finish strong for him!  

The final countdown for Elder Garside!

But on that note, I'll tell you how this week went!  It went fairly well, the highlight:  Our conference in Nice!  I will tell you that the Côte d'Azur is probably the most beautiful place on Earth besides maybe Yosemite back home in California.  Really similar in the rocks and green trees everywhere, and then on the ocean so it's so cool.  My favorite place on earth I think now :)

Elder Josh Laney overlooking Nice Harbor,
 Côte d'Azur France

We had a great conference with some awesome inspiration from President Brown and the other missionaries who presented, and then we ended in a special event where we hiked to the top of a hill and on an overlook of the entire city on a beautiful sunny spring day all the departing missionaries (including Elder Garside) got to bear their departing testimonies with the ocean in view.  I was really touched by them, especially my companions testimony and a poem he shared called "The Race"

Nice, on the Côte d'Azur.  The view we enjoyed during our testimony meeting.

It's really long, but it shares that no matter how many times we fall down and have to get back up, as long as we keep trying we'll make it.  We get up and go to win that race anyways, and even if we don't, to our loved ones and to our Father in Heaven, we won.  That's what matters.  A quote from Nelson Mendella that I may have already shared: "I’m no saint—that is, unless you think a saint is a sinner who keeps on trying.”  This is us all.  We keep trying no matter the circumstances.  I learned this week also that if we want to do good, our desires will change as we love God and then others including ourselves, and in doing so our heart will change as well as our motives, and the good things we should do will just happen because we will WANT to do them.  I know these two messages will bring me a lot of peace and strength in the future.

Elder Josh Laney with President Brown 

This week was really cool, despite really hard difficulties that our ami Jean-Luc is facing, but his perseverance and continued faith despite staggering circumstances and heart breaking moments is truly amazing.  I ask that you pray for Jean-Luc that he will have peace, and that his daughter Cassandra and their dog Ranger will get better and feel better and happy.

Love,
Elder Laney

Sunset in Nice.  Pretty nice! :)

Week #4 Transfer #5 - great week! Manosque - in the heart of Provence

Hey everyone! I will say this week was a great week! It was just overall in general great, haha, nothing super big but just good. And fun too! I'll share a little about it.

First of all we did P-day in Aix with the whole zone, slightly sprained my ankle in football with everyone (all better now), last in bowling haha but had a blast. Really fun! And the rest of the week we played soccer twice with our member Jonothan, who actually served in the same mission as my brother-in-law Josh Waldron (he served a few years after you and has heard of President Tate, who is now Nick's mission president!) and a bunch of kids ranging from 8 to 18.  So fun though, and it's cool to just get to know the people of the town and let them know we're normal!  Haha or maybe they think we're weird because we ran into a few of them later in our missionary clothes [we normally wear more formal wear so we're recognizable and for professionality (if that's even a word)] and it took a bit for them to recognize us and then they smiled afterward like "what the heck!"  Haha so funny.  More soccer today too!  One of our member's friends who plays with us could start taking lessons!

The rest of the week we spent comme d'hab (like normal). Jean-Luc is doing amazing, he got really down but after a blessing and some great lessons he's more fired up than ever for his baptism in 2 weeks!  He's so awesome and came to church on Sunday and loved it, lol I felt awkward singing hymns with him because neither of us can sing;) but afterwards he said it was just great being in church and it made such a difference for this week. So cool. Ran into Patrick like 5 times this week in the street and he's doing well too. 

Also I watched some cool videos recently that our Churhc makes about Jesus Christ called "the Life of Jesus Christ", this is one of my favorites, a little before Easter but so awesome: https://www.mormon.org/easter 

I hope you all have an awesome week!!!!

fraternellement,
Elder Laney

Week #3, Transfer #5 - Manosque, France

Bonjour! We got to see all our Amis this week!  Started off seeing Jean-Luc finally who we haven't been able to see yet, haha, so then we saw him 4 times this week! He's doing so awesome.  He's taken a lot of steps to change his life and says he's happy for the first time.  He saw some miracles in his life while we couldn't see him and all the sudden he's ready and prepared for baptism! He's so pumped and we've seen God blessing his life left and right haha, so many blessings it's crazy!  We're so happy, it's so cool, so we'll be having his baptism at the end of the transfer!  I'm super excited.

Another gorgeous sunset in Manosque, through the apartment window

We got to see Patrick again yesterday, had a good lesson and he was as cool as ever.  Haha gonna keep them shorter - he seemed to lose attention after 50 min, always working on improving my teaching so good learning experience!  We also got to see Hervé who had a lot of good questions, he's super cool and one of the few people I've found shorter than me.  He's so cool, he looks like he stepped right off a cartoon and is super funny.  So it was a cool week with Amis!

It snowed in Provence!!!  Had to bring in the heavy equipment to deal with it...

My favorite part this week, besides teaching all of them, was the Worldwide Mission Conference, a broadcast with a lot of the leaders in our church to all missionaries in the world, which took place right in Salt Lake City where Nick is.  Anyways it was really cool and while I was in Aix to watch it I met a lot of cool missionaries in the moving companionship who deal with moving missionaries to new apartments, including Elder Carlson from my MTC district, Elder Keller who was in Rodez by Albi semi recently and Elder Tindel-Biscaut from Malaga Spain who is in Albi now after some emergency transfers got figured out.  Elder Omohundro is doing better which is good to hear, I don't think he's in the hospital anymore, and turns out a promise I made to our ami Brigitte in Albi really happened. It was something I honestly felt inspired to tell her right before I left, all I know is God really does work through us. It was amazing.  To explain, we feel what we call the spirit in the church, who can help us in life by peace and aid in decisions (I pray a lot when trying to make a good decision!) and by good thoughts and feelings we can be inspired to help others.  I felt so recently and it's powerful to see the results; sometimes we don't see them immediately, but like this week with what I heard, it really works! It's so cool.

For my mom.  Just to remind her what she's missing there in California...

Also make sure to eat some good food and happy MLK Jr Day!  Had no idea that happened this week, thanks Nick for the update haha!  A little detached from the US right now. Tell me what cool things are happening back in the homeland! Love you all lots!

Avec amour,
Elder Laney

Week #2 Tranfer #5 - Manosque - Fun stuff!

Hey everyone!! This week was amazing as usual! We have been working very hard and with some new inspired direction from President Brown and working in the right direction too. Really awesome!  This week was cold, the mistral, a wind that comes from the Swiss alps comes in and it is freezing! This week we started off with some shopping in Aix on Monday.  Soldes, a 6 week period where all the shops drop most prices below minimum 20% and many to 50% off, have started, so I bought a little, but not too much, and I'll try not to spend all my money!

Manosque is in the hills of Provence

We found a lot more people and even engage Patrick, our new ami from Kenya, to be baptized!  He wants to know its true, but every time we meet with him it's so cool. He's so happy and we even found 1 Book of Mormon in Swahili for him that was in our apartment.  Who knew! Anyways, I'm really excited for him and all our other Amis.  It's so cool how hard work and strict obedience immediately will bring about wonderful change and so much in our lives.  I've really been working on this and acting in faith to do what God needs me to do for these people here in France, and were finding those who are ready and helping them along the way, and it's so cool. Haha, Patrick told us again he was "very happy" and was so cool, we're seeing him later this week.

If you look REALLY close you can see the Alps in this photo!  Where the white meets the blue of the sky, toward that top of the photo, that is the Alps.

I also got to hold what I believe might have been a violin worth several thousand dollars this week at a members house, they wouldn't say how much it was worth, but it sounded beautiful when their daughter played it, though I was too afraid to try it.  I will give it a go next time, haha, I'm not good at violin and started a year ago and am out of practice, but it's fun anyways!

Manosque is so picturesque, even if it is freezing right now!

Below is my favorite scripture, I wanted to share it with you this week. It's Helaman 5:12 in the Book of Mormon. 

".. remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, ...because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall."

I love this verse and it has given me strength in the past and continues to do so now. 

This is a painting that just works with that that I found this week. It's really beautiful.

Have a wonderful week! Love you guys and I miss you all so much. Lots of love et

Avec amour,
Elder Laney

Some French fun!
Baguette literally means "stick"
So guess what "baguette pour manger" means?  Manger means eat, so I thought it meant a beaguette for eating, so you know the bread you eat. It means a chopstick! Because it's a stick you use for eating. I find that really funny and ironic.