I LOVE BLOIS WITH ALL MY HEART AND SOUL!
You would just be absolutely sick with jealousy if you saw where I live. Absolutely sick. Bwahaha.
So, I live next door to a castle. And a five minute walk from two
cathedrals. And a five minute walk from the Loire river. I live on a
cobblestone street. My apartment is older than my home country. There's a
park down the street where you can sit on a bench, facing the castle,
in front of the church, underneath the weeping willow, and listen to
audiobooks from the speakers up in the trees. Romantic and random, I
know. The other day a bagpipe band came marching down the road in front
of our apartment. Probably to welcome us. There are big tall rickety old
buildings and big tall old fashioned lamp posts. There are lots of
cobblestone streets in the shopping district (where we live) where there
are christmas lights strung up and people stroll and enjoy the fact
that they are french and live in the most picturesque storybook french
town ever. I seriously spend most of my day giggling inside and thinking
how Jaime and Kari would just kill to be here. If only they knew :)
We also have the BEST branch in the history of the world. I love
them. The little boys in the branch all wear "future missionary" plaques
to church. And all of our amis who came to church were brought by
members. Our members LOVE us. It helps that they haven't had sister
missionaries in 11 years, but still. Their overall love and respect for
the missionaries just blows me away. They keep telling us how they know
our jobs are hard so they're there for us and we're never alone and if
we ever need anything, to not hesitate to call, and they're all fasting
and praying for chances to talk to their friends so we can teach them
and not have to spend time knocking on doors... I just was blown away.
Totally blown away. Oh, also the parents and brother and sister and
basically entire extended family of my mission president resides in my
branch. So, no pressure or anything. But the love and confidence of the
members just makes me want to work even harder than ever. They have so
much faith and such big hopes. They've already done so much for
us, members helped us carry our ridiculously heavy luggage up to our
apartment, made us dinner the first night we were here, helped us with
our plumbing adventures (let me just say that the toilet and the shower
pipes are connected. And sometimes, that is a problem), and they teach
with us. Nothing more I could ask for.
Pray for this branch! And pray for C and N and B
and J! If all goes well we should have 3 baptisms and a marriage
this transfer. Which would basically be the best thing that has ever
happened to me.
I've never been so happy in my entire life! When I found out I was
going to serve in Blois, it was a wierd feeling. It was like I'd been
waiting my whole life to serve there but I hadn't known it. That feeling
got even stronger when our train first pulled in to town, and has just
grown each day with each person I meet. It's wierd to me that a tiny
little town in France, thousands of miles from my home or my normal
life, could be where I was needed, and that the Lord would work his
magic to get me here at this time. I just keep praying that I can do
whatever it was he sent me here to do! I think a lot about that quote
Kyle quoted at his homecoming, "Wherever you go, there you are. And
whatever you do there, becomes the reason you came." So, I'm guessing
the reason Soeur Williams and I came was to turn the Blois Branch into a
stake. And maybe get a temple here, while we're at it. On y va :) Dream
big! Haha. Never hurts, right?
So, uh, how's Utah? Hey that's so cool about Bri being a ROCKSTAR!
Tell her I want an autographed poster! And yeah, party it up for my year
mark! It actually works out kinda cool, we have district meeting that
day and four of us in my district were all in the MTC together so it's
everyone's year mark! So Soeur Williams and I are bringing birthday
cake. Woot. That's right, all we do out here is party. We don't actually
work. Don't tell....
I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!! Almost as much as I love Blois. haha.
Love love love,
Soeur Larsen
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