LDS Missionary: France Paris Mission

"In His Strength I Can Do All Things"

The weeks began to fly by. The work had slowed in Alençon to almost to a complete stop. We were trying to teach a few people, but they seemed to either be avoiding us or never available. We searched by walking through Centre Ville and knocking on doors for hours and hours, but nothing seemed to be working.

The transfer was coming to a close and I was worried I would be left here to welcome in a new companion to no work. I continued trying to be the best I could be and as positive as possible but when you go through weekly planning and all that is planned is hours upon hours of finding, it wasn't an easy task.

The Friday before the Wednesday transfers became one of the hardest days of my mission. Everything seemed to be falling apart around me. I could tell even Elder McQuay was starting to feel the effects of not having much work to do.

"I'm worried there isn't even anyone in the near future to teach in this city," he said during companion study. "We, as missionaries, and the ward just need to repent and keep going I guess."

'How could you even think there isn't anyone in the near future,' I thought. I didn't know how to respond to that, so I just sat there with no emotion or body language.

"So today, we need to do our deep cleaning," Elder McQuay continued after seeing I had no response whatsoever for that last comment. "We will basically tear this place apart and clean everything that doesn't generally get cleaned."

"Ok," I responded simply. I wasn't sure about spending an entire day in the apartment, but I wasn't about to argue.

Companionship study ended and I went to work on my French studies still trying to shake the negativity from my mind. I was reading the Book of Mormon in French, but it was slow-going. It was really hard to understand, but there were certain parts that I could easily understand, such as "Et il arriva que..." meant "And it came to pass that...", which was constantly throughout the Scriptures.

After about a half hour of French study and quiet in the apartment, Elder McQuay started moving things and cleaning. I still had another half hour of studying, so I was not about to stand up and help just yet.

The second half of my French study went too fast and I really didn't want to clean. I decided to straighten out my desk a little before moving on to something that I knew was going to be a lot worse.

"Would you rather deep clean the kitchen or the bathroom?" Elder McQuay asked after I stood up and he finished with a smaller cleaning job of the table.

"Either one," I replied. "What would I need to do in the kitchen?"

"You'd need to clean the—" Elder McQuay started. "I'll just do it. You can clean the bathroom. Just scrub the shower and sink and then clean the toilet and mirror. Everything you need should be under the sink."

"Ok, sounds good. Shouldn't be too bad, right?" I said with a slight laugh. Elder McQuay must have not heard because he just turned and walked towards the kitchen.

I walked towards the bathroom and found the supplies under the sink like I was told and started cleaning.

My mind slowly turned to my family as I was alone and didn't have any source of communication for a while and wasn't reading.

'I miss them so much. I wonder what they are doing right now,' I thought. My mind began coming up with scenarios of what we would be doing all together if I was there. I was beginning to get homesick, but I couldn't stop myself.

'What about the work here?' I thought,trying to focus my mind onto the work we had in Alençon. 'Who am I kidding, we have nothing here. The branch is tiny, there hasn't been a baptism in over a year. The most recently scheduled one went down in terrible flames.'

Tears formed in my eyes and I couldn't help but return to what my family was doing and how I missed them so much. I held the tears back as best I could, but slowly couldn't see well, so I washed my hands and wiped my tears away. I walked out into the main room and grabbed my scriptures.

I went into the bedroom and opened my scriptures which seemed to fall open to Alma 26. It was a chapter about the sons of Mosiah and their work among the Lamanites. Ammon glories in God in having the opportunity to convert so many.

"3 Behold, I answer for you; for our brethren, the Lamanites, were in darkness, yea, even in the darkest abyss, but behold, how many of them are brought to behold the marvelous light of God! And this is the blessing which hath been bestowed upon us, that we have been made instruments in the hands of God to bring about this great work.

4 Behold, thousands of them do rejoice, and have been brought into the fold of God.

5 Behold, the field was ripe, and blessed are ye, for ye did thrust in the sickle, and did reap with your might, yea, all the day long did ye labor; and behold the number of your sheaves! And they shall be gathered into the garners, that they are not wasted...

12 Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in His strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land for which we will praise his name forever.

13 Behold, how many thousands of our brethren has he loosed from the pains of hell; and they are brought to sing redeeming love, and this because of the power of his word which is in us, therefore have we not great reason to rejoice?"

I looked up from my scriptures and out into the hallway. Just outside on the wall, a painting of Jesus Christ hung on the wall. It was the painting with him like it was a portrait in the red robe and white clothing underneath.

'He was away from His Father for 33 years, and I'm whining about two years,' I thought to myself. My tears were now gone. 'He and His Father knew that He was going to His death, but still both agreed to let the process be done. I can do this. I will see my parents in two years, it isn't that long. "For in His strength, I can do all things."'

After we finished deep cleaning, Elder McQuay explained how this was also the day that calls were made out to the new zone leaders, district leaders, and other callings within the mission. Elder McQuay randomly would call people to find out who was going where. We, apparently, would receive an email tomorrow that had all the areas in the mission and the companionships in each mission though.

We ate dinner and headed out for a few hours before the day ended. It was the most successful contacting in quite awhile. We received some numbers and handed out two copies of the Book of Mormon.

The next day, we found out that both Elder McQuay and I would be staying together in Alençon. I was weary of this idea since Elder McQuay revealed his frustration of Alençon the previous day, but maybe with the success we had last night, we would be able to move forward and bring miracles to Alençon.