Hey, craazy few days, never stressed or sweated soo much!
So I can't remember what I said quickly yesterday, actually we had to swing by the mission office quickly and I profitted of the occasion to sit down on one of the office computers to email you, while I was doing it, they recieved a call that during transfers, because there were soo many whitewashes, which means that both missionaries are taken out and two brand newies go in, there were a lot of passing of keys over to people. Anyways, so one comanionship rocked up to their new city and found out their keys didn't work, so the office Elders had a late night, leaving at about 8:30pm to go give them the right keys. Ahh! the joys of transfers!
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| Elder Hilburn, Festus and Elder Bennallack |
Yes! baptism DID go through. Yay! In the photo, Festus doesn't look too happy but he was and bore a fantastic testimony in church the next day. As he is an English speaking man, he asked me to confirm him. My English and my French are both pretty average right now. I cannot speak eather. Anyways, in the blessing I started talking to him using the "thee" form instead of you. For instance, I think I said something like, "this is a great occasion for thee, of the Lord is happy with thee", can't remember actually, but I was 'thee' ing him! haha! whoops. I caught myself and corrected it though by the end!
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| Group photo! The sisters also had a baptism.. |
But yes, yesterday I spent the whole day at the train station. Not having time for anything, then getting back super late trying to have to plan and having a million people call me asking me questions about things I have no idea about. Like I said, my companion and I have never been anything before, neither have 3 of 5 of the DL's in our zone, so they are calling asking questions or we were calling them. Then because we are in Lyon, the assistants are always calling us to get us to do things or the office Elders or just other missionaries in Lyon. Soooo busy. But there is Zone Council on Friday which will take care of alot of my questions that I have, then we will do some exchanges and things should calm down a lot by the end of this week.
Today was chaos as well, but we still managed to slip in a teaching appointment with someone the previous missionaries in our sector found. Columbian. Golden. Loved it!
So my new compion is called Elder Uluave, he is from Salt Lake, he is the man. Soo charismatic, charming, one-quarter Tongan so he has that bronzed skin. Everyone loves him, so as President is huge on endearing all the members, ie making them fall in love with us, soo much that they start getting more involved in missionary work, it's no surprise that he is here.
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| Theres the board with all the missionaries, a couple months ago I was in the bottom half, now you can spot me. |
Also for transfer news, the new assistant is in his 7th transfer. He trained last transfer like me. Solid missionary. Soo full of love. the mission is going to change sooo much, but no dubt all for the better, so excited! Good things are gonna happen!
Dad asked if I had a car? No I don't, but I do have a credit card because of expenses that we will have, and because of that missionaries are calling us all the time for us to do things. I think because tomorrow is the end of the month, and people need to renew metro cards etc etc, but it's cool. I feel special!
I am, in a 4 man appartment, for 3 weeks. the two missionaries I am with just whitewashed in, but will finish early this transfer to go back to school. So very cramped!
Yes my address has changed but its no biggy for the moment, if ever mail goes to my apartment in Gerland where I was, I'll get it the same day. We see the other missionaries everyday here. I love it.
Although I will eventually give you my new address... when I know it. Yeah! I don't even know it yet, just know how to get to it! hahah!
Elder J Bennallack
13 August 2012
Finally, this week we had a bit more time to go out and do some actual missionary work. We had some good times, the best actually was last night. Normally Sunday nights are the slowest times to meet people but last night we found some beauties. I love contacting in the Metro, it's great! I think one reason why I like it is because its natural. If you are in the Metro, it means you are going somewhere. People's guards are lower. I also love being non French. As my French skills really aren't that great, people know instantly that I'm not French and once they ask where I'm from, their guards are down, barriers broken, makes a smooth transition into gospel conversations. Is it unfair that everyone loves Australia??
We found and set up some great appointments for this week which we are excited about. One actually who was found in the Metro. I was talking to this young YSA aged girl (who infact spent a gap year in NZ) who I sat next to, and then after she left a muslim looking man who was sitting next to my companion starting talking to us. He asked us who we were etc etc. It turns out this arab guy, about a 22 year old, is a christian convert. You think there is family pressure for white people who turn Mormon, when a Muslim turns Christian it's bad. But he said he read the Bible, prayed about it, got his answer that it was true and then cried for two days straight when he found out it was true. Great guy. We will be seeing him Thursday. Small miracle, especially as I probably would have never contacted him because of his race, but because we were super nice and friendly talking to people he felt comfortable starting a convo with us.
Hope it goes well
This past week we also did a couple exchanges. My companion went to St Etienne, I stayed in Lyon and took out a missionary in his second week of his mission. Great missoinary. Then we did an exchange with the assistants. Ooh boy did I love that. I was with Elder Gubbay, who looks like Clark Kent. He was in the MTC with me and he met Thomas, Michael and others in the family at Temple Square when everyone was there for Bens wedding. He shared some insight about what he's learnt from the mission. One thing that really hit me, which is kinda silly actually because of it's obviousness, but that was a big hitter for me, was that how he learnt that the strongest converts are those who are baptised, for a remission of their sins. It's silly but it's true. There are a lot of different reasons for which people are baptised. Often as a missionary I have used different reasong to try and 'help' people to be baptised, for example, entrance into the kingdom of God, or to recieve the Holy Ghost afterwards, but as we are commanded to preach nothing but repentence and baptism it's clear what the prime reason for baptism is. The whole night my head was tripping thinking that I had found some great secret in life. But all in all, good exchange, fun times,. I love missionaries.
Before the mission, it was said to me: "the mission is great, as a missionary there is a great sense of brotherhood". It's soo true. When I think of all the other missionaries here in the mission who are now great friends and brothers. There is that sence of
fraternity which there isn't elsewhere.
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| Us uprooting a ginormous tree. A very manly moment! |
Speaking of missionaries that I love, as I mentioned the two missionaries who are doubling up in our apartment for one more week before they finish their missions. Life is sooooooooooooooooooo funny. Soo funny. Companion study is a laugh. Planning is a laugh. Bed time is a laugh. We just laugh all day every day at, and with each other. It's soo much fun. Will our time be more productive when they leave? Yes. But I am enjoying every single tiny second of having them with us while I can. So hilarious!
Coming up this week we have lessons, finding, exchanges, baptism interviews (which gives us another reason to travel), two different special district meetings with exchanges. Oh la la! crazy week ahead!
Elder J Bennallack
21 August 2012
Lyon is hot!
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| 'Guignol' means idiot in French. kinda. |
I think summer only just hit France, but it's quite the hot. Our apartment isn't air conned so we had a couple of really, really, hot nights. But I'm still alive!
This week was a crazy one. Two special District meetings, followed with exchanges. One of the exchanges I spent in with Elder Hilburn as he was sick. He had been sick for about a week, that morning he woke up with a nose bleeding profusely, he lost soo much blood he passed out. Twice. So I had the fun job of cleaning, and watching the Testaments for a day :)
I also was able to go back to St Etienne for a day on an exchange which was fun. It was a public holiday so there was virtually nobody on the streets, but we were able to pass and see recent converts who remembered me so that was nice.
Friday we went to Valence. We had to go there to do a baptismal interview. We got to the train station early to make sure we didn't miss our train to Valence. As we get there, we see listed that our train would be 20 mins late. This was then cutting things close. Then the 20 mins became 40 which ended up listing that our train was CANCELLED. ahh France! So it was the only train having difficulties, the rest were fine. So we called the office Elders and asked if one of them could drive us down to valence, lucliy that day there there was a car free so someone came and got us and drove us to Valence so we could do the interview. It was a good experience, for me anyways. It was my first time interviewing someone. A 24yr old french woman, a police officer actually. Her fiancé got baptised a few weeks ago and was able to perform the baptism on Saturday. Exciting time in their life for them!!
Actually in the zone this weekend there were 3 baptisms, so thats nice. Another couple are coming up this weekend, one of which is being taught by a DL so we will be going to St Etienne this week again to do an interview. Also this week, we are doing an exchange with the DL in Besançon so we will take advantage of the long travel and attend the District meeting in Dijon in the same voyage.
It's fun doing what I am doing.
The down side in this past week with all this going on, we didn't really have much time to work in our own area. Actually we didn't see any of our 'amis' this week. We only had a couple of hours free and this next week coming, as we are quite busy again, most of our other time will be spent in teaching appointments which is great. Elder Uluave does a great job setting up teaching appointments. He is a good man. So as mum asked about our ex muslim "ami" we will see him and everyone else this week. We hope.
Well there is my update. Elder Moore and Lumakaso who were in the apartment with us finished their missions today. It was fun having them, I learnt lots. But seriously soo much fun!!! Actually it was scary seeing them finish up. It's the first time I've seen it. Scared the bejeebers out of me. Last night I was lying awake and had another one of those resolution moments to do, and be better.
I had a haircut. It was another missionary that did it. He cut the sides and then went a bit high on one of the sides, so it's all shaved off. At least it's cooler (temperature wise).
Elder Jonny Bennallack
27 August 2012
27 August 2012
Ahh! This week you had a cold snap, we had a hot one, oh la! it was hot!
It was a fun week, we had a bit more time being able to work in our sector. WH are teaching an 18 yo called Fabian. He's the man. He wants to be a missionary like us one day, of course he knows that he has to be baptised before! haha. This week he accepted the law of chastity and the word of wisdom, and was at church for the 6th week in a row. In the past he has been hesitant to engage himself with baptism, but no doubt he will take the big step soon. Often the good strong converts take time :)
He was being taught by a bunch of missionaries before, including Elder Moore and Lumakaso who just went home, so we are just having the fun time now of teaching him the big commandments
Speaking of them being gone, the apartment is soooo much quieter. I feel like more of a missionary now! hahah. Like there is time to think, not too much, but a little bit. 4 man apartments are soo much fun, but I think there's a good reason that they are a rarity in the mission.
It was interesting reading Elder TB's email about how he got into a ward that was relitively cold towards the missionaries. With President Roney, we are focusing on that very one thing. Loving the members. He says often that he wants us to love and endear the members soo much that they will offer us to marry their daughters. It's from Alma 17 or 18 with Ammon, but it's funny none the less.
Elder Uluave and I have been talking a bit about different ways to gain or earn members trust. One of the things that we have thought to focus on, is the quality of investigators that come to church. There are always multiple people to contact and so normally a choice often has to be made. Too often misionaries tend to take the easy option and avoid talking to the French french people because with them there is an increased chance of rejection, so they choose to talk to an "easier target". So that's one thing that we are trying to change, first with ourselves.
So the delicious fruit was given to us by a less active, named Mario. That is Mario in the photo with my comp. So Mario was met by another missionary while we were singing in a really dense mall in Lyon. He is in our sector so we visited him. We have seen him three times in the past three weeks. He has come to church the past two weeks as well as other activities. He was baptised in Argentina, he is from Chili, and has been less active for 15 years. Now he's pretty much made up the resolution to come back to full activity and we love him soo much for his efforts. 
Funny side note, my comp HATES fruit. With a passion. But twice now Mario has made us a delicious fruit platter and I enjoyed it while he forced it down. Literally a struggle! hahaha!
Another baguette fight from our travels to Dijon and Besançon. We went to District mtg in Dijon, where the photos were taken then to Besançon for an exchange. It was cool. All four of us worked in Besançon for the day, I was able to pass one old investigator and one potential investigator from my time there. We were also able to teach and find, so I was really, really, happy with the day there. Plus I LOVE the missionaries who are there!
The raw meat with an egg yolk on it is precicely that. Raw beef with an egg yolk on it. Only in France could you eat that at a resturant. We have a really good friend here in Lyon take us out to eat the other night, and we both accidently ordered this meal. The meat is soaked in vinegar over night to kill all the bacteria or what not, but honestly it was one of the nicest things I have ever eaten in my life. Delicious!
Only in France could you find something like that though! hahaha! I dont think that would pass health checks elsewhere :p
All in all, a good week..
Elder J Bennallack
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