5 June 2012
This week I have grown to love more my companion. So many hilarious stories.
My highlight of the week was with a lady whose door we knocked on. We taught her with her YSA aged daughter. She assisted in the past with the Jehovas Witnesses and has been slightly doctrinised by them, but she didn't like them so never became part ot them.
In sharing the First Vision, she cut me off halfway through the vision and said, "wow wow, you're not telling me that he saw God the Father? No one has seen God the Father". Then after trying to testify she said "it's even written in the Bible". Then I said "yeah it is, in John 1:18. In fact lets turn to it now". So we turned to it and it says something like 'no man has ever seen God'. Then I said ok, now lets go a little bit further to John 6:46, it says something like 'no man has ever seen the Father, except him who is of God, he has seen the Father'. Then she said "yeah but it says only those who are of God". Simply I asked her, "and you? Where do you come from??" After a few seconds of silence her daughter said, he has a point!" :)
I often don't like using the Bible to prove things, well actually I love doing it, but I don't because I know it's not good, but in this case, it just felt right. And the question was just so perfect that I know it wasn't mine because I'm rubbish with questions, but that one just seemed so perfect, so simple, but worked a treat.
Today we saw a couple cathedrals in Lyon, right next to Roman ruins..
Elder J Bennallack
 |
| Cathedral.. |
 |
| ... and another one |
 |
| Roman ruins |
11 June 2012
Yesterday in the corner of Europe, there was a European wide conference, kinda like a general conference but just for Europe. It was by satelite and there was Elder Zwick of the Seventy who spoke, Elder Nelson and President Eyring. We all congregated in Ecully chapel to see it, and I was in the English room. It was really, really good. There was a sister, Sister Stevens who spoke and it was just wonderful. She talked about how to raise good kids. She talked about how in Utah there's a new immersion school, where it's in French and experts are praising it because they say immersion is the best way to teach kids a language. Then she tied it in nicely to how immersion progams of spiritual experiences is the best way to raise kids. I liked it.
 |
| Me with the glasses of a member, yes this week we visited 5 different families. I quite like me with this style of glasses! |
Speaking of liking things, Lyon's getting good. The assistants are down and today we all played soccer, the 8 Elders in Lyon (the office elders didn't come) soo much fun.
This week we were able to add two new 'amis' to our pool. One is another asian girl, just a crack up. She speaks perfect English and is just so outgoing. She comes into institute for the first time and is just laughing with everyone, it was great. We met her just outside of our apartment coming in one night, and she is just excellent. We taught her the Plan of Salvation this week, actually Lucie as well (new girl is called Luan) and to help explain, as it can be quite confusing. I took a hilarious photo of me, cut it out, put it on paper, cut the paper out, so there was me and then a paper cut out of me. We used it to explain spirits and bodies. It was so effective and hilarious. Good times!
The other was also YSA, a Fench but brown skin guy who plays american football and can drop a nice beat. The YSA girls were happy we brought him to the institute and want us to continue contacting good looking, tall, 22 year old men.
In our mission we are reading 'Preach my Gospel' in the month of June. It is excellent. As a pre-mish I never liked reading 'Preach my Gospel'. It was boring to me and I never got into it. Such a mistake. It is just filled with wisdom. aA book of spiritual power phrases.
In a weeks time a whole bunch of missionaries will finish, then the transfer after, another 30 ish will finish. The start of the big change over, with the new President as well, things could be pretty different. But a nice shake up always makes things more lively.
Elder J Bennallack
photos from P-day:
19 June 2012 - She was lost but now is found!!
Yes the baptism I performed in Perigueux, Fabiola, went less active, moved to Bordeaux and we lost contact completely with her. For over a year nothing. Last week, a missionary in a small town near Toulouse found her!!! They were walking past a stand of Jehovah Witnesses and wanted to show them up, stopped a girl right in front of them and she's like, "hey I was baptised by Elder Smith and Elder Bennallack". haha ooh la!! soo good. Great news!
Ok, to correct falsehoods that I may have preached. The thirty missionaries that are leaving leave next transfer, ie in 6 weeks. Only 11 or so leave today. There are a whole bunch who are coming in. 18 this week and then another 14 or something next. So that's exciting for the mission.
Ok, to correct falsehoods that I may have preached. The thirty missionaries that are leaving leave next transfer, ie in 6 weeks. Only 11 or so leave today. There are a whole bunch who are coming in. 18 this week and then another 14 or something next. So that's exciting for the mission.
This week was a toughy, In brief, we are back down to 0 investigators, but that's all good because in the zone of Lyon it's find new 'amis' week. yay! Should be fun, fun, fun, fun. Tomorrow night to start ,off, as there will be a whole bunch of trainers who, because they are picking up their missionaries here in Lyon, we are going storm one of the busiest places. Hopefully people find me some 'amis' :)
Today as it is transfers, we spent most of the day in the train station helping missionaries come and go. It's great seeing missionaries. Elder Temanaha-moo is being shipped of to Bordeaux which is great for me because the man was force feeding me. This will give me a new start to eat less before sleeping. :) So Elder Tmoo is out and I'm recieving one of the newbies. I will be training but I don't know who he is yet. Out of the 18 new Elders coming in, there is one English, one Tahitian and I belive the rest are American, so time will tell. There will be hard work ahead this week, it's going to be good.
This week we also did service in the new mission home. We tore up some floating floorboards. Speaking of service, we also helped another missionary companionship move. 5th floor, no elevator. You do the math! I was sore for a few days! hahaha!
Elder Bennallack
 |
| Removing floorboards in the Mission Home |
 |
| Many opportunities for service in Lyon.. |
26 June 2012
 |
Elder Bennallack & Elder Hilburn |
My companion's name is Elder Hilburn. He's from California. He was born and grew up in LA or a suburb of, but now is from Sacramento. He's a studly man, good cook. He doesn't really understand it right now, but he's already French. Everything he does is French-like. His likes and dislikes go hand in hand with French culture. So it's no surprise that he's been sent here.
What a fun week I have had. It's getting kinda hot, well not really hot, just humid. It's crazy. Like it will be hot then 30 mins later the clouds are covering the sky and it's raining. Makes for fun times though! The mornings are perfect temperatures for running. We went this morning, so twice already with eEder Hilburn. We run to a park, to be honest it's not that far away, then we workout there. Being June 21 this week there was lots of sunlight. Long days, but I love it. Love it. No matter what the time of the day is, if it's sunny, missionary work can be done. I remember in winter when it got dark at 5 something PM, if we talked to someone they feared for their life! ahh I love summer!
Dad asked what happened to all our amies? Good question. I'm not quite sure, well I am, the two asians for the moment nothing is happening, long story, family pressure for one and busy life for the other, but we hopefully will get them back in a few weeks . But still we started this week with zero 'amis'. A great start to a new missionary right? But we took it in our stride and acted and had such a great week. Honestly its probably one of the most fun of the mission. Lyon has people and missionaries everywhere.
This week we did a whole bunch of street boarding. We met some great people and picked up one new investigator, on Suday arvo, a man we met on Saturday. Angolese, father and husband of 4, and he just lapped up the Book of Mormon. Loved it. So hopefully great things will come from that. But Lyon is just full of people. Soo many elect.
I think with all this contacting I'm going crazy a little. I have no comfort zones when I get into it. But I have found that the bolder I am, in terms or getting ppeople to stop and talk to us, the more people stop and talk to us. I love my smiley face board, it's still going strong. And with the quesiton "for you in life what brings you the most happiness" it's a winning comination.
President Murdock goes home Friday, President Roney is in on Friday. That's exciting for the mission.
Elder Bennallack
No comments:
Post a Comment
Any comments are most welcome!