Week 34 - If you expect it to be chocolate, you're gonna be disappointed, but if you expect it to be beans, you'll be less disappointed

Long boring email (aka for the parents) 

We went to teach the Posadas, the Colombian mom and daughter (members), and it was so freaking funny. They don't speak French, we don't speak Spanish. But this time there was another thing thrown in, some dude was there. We were like okay cool. He only spoke French tho cus he was Martiniquais. The whole lesson was SO WACK it was so funny. I was speaking French so the guy, Francis, could understand, while Google translate was translating what i said into Spanish. Sr Hepburn took Spanish for like 4 years so she spoke some Spanish, and sr Williams tried to too, and then at one point sr Williams was speaking Portuguese????!!! (French Guiana moment) then I was like okay ill try too, maybe God will give me some Spanish knowledge and it'll be cool idk, but then ALL that would come out was creole?!?!?!?? So I quickly gave up on the Spanish thing, clearly not my strong suit... If I was a computer I would've been making really loud noises that make you go "you okay computer?" SO THEN Tatiana was like just say it in English and I was like "what are...do you.." MY BRAIN WAS MESSED UP!!! THE LANGUAGES BROKE ME! I COULDN'T SAY IT IN ENGLISH! We all just laughed it off and it was fine. NOW FOR THE PLOT TWIST! At the end, we asked random guy Francis who sat in a whole lesson about the prophet's talk (weird, I would've left if I were him) if there's anything we could help him with. He was like "oh yes many things... my life is like a book... If I told you all of it you would cry... Well, one thing... I know that SHE loves me, but not her..." and then he puts his hand on the mom Plosada's hand on her thigh!!!!! WE WERE LIKE WHAAAAAAAT!!!!!! YOU GUYS CAN'T EVEN UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER YOU HAD TO HAVE US TRANSLATE AND YOU'RE A THING?!?? WHAT A FREAKING PLOT TWIST! IT WAS SO WEIRD honestly I understand why Tatiana the daughter might not be sunshine and butterflies about this Dude . She started nervous dancing at that point in the "convo"

Sunday was ONE OF THE GREATEST DAYS!!!!!!! It was wack we spent like the whole day with the fort-de-France elders. So we went to church, Ricardo came that was great. After church sr Doumbia invited the whole zone to come over and eat Raclettes so all 8 of us went and it was a good time. I went through her stuff and she has a Pic with president eyring from a temple dedication?!? She like laid down one of the stones or something. Cool. Yeah there was like this whole machine for Raclettes, they're potatoes cheese meat etc. Basic. Ungood. 

Then WOW miracle. Last week I got talking to an older member ("member", she's never been baptized I guess) and she was like I'm gonna visit my 102 year old neighbor. I was like CAN WE COME!!!! So this week after Raclettes at sr Doumbias house, we went!! We sang to the 102 yr old lady Suzette and talked to her and shared a tiny scripture, it was SOOOOOO COOL!!!! Strong spirit! Top 10 mission moments

Then after that we met back up with the FDF elders to visit some old lady member who can't come to the church so they could give her the sacrament-REALLY POWERUFL! I was really grateful for those elders because they are just so reverent. I thought of that song "reverence is more than just quietly sitting..." cus it's true!!! Yes, the other elders are great and can be quiet and all that, but these 2 specific elders honestly were TRULY reverent and it was super super powerful and holy. Our little sacrament meeting was great!!!! We all sang with Sœur Seguin-Cadish and all that. She was so kind. Then we thought we parted way with the FDF elders! But it was not so! We drove over to sr penny's for a lesson, one of the inactive Haitians members we teach (aka I freaking love this woman). Then we were like yo wait the FDF Elder have been trying to get in contact with her since 7 months ago... Let's invite them over! This is their area. So they drove over and all 5 of us met with sr penny !! IT WAS SO AWESOME!!! My creole efforts have earned me the nickname of "Ma ti kreyòl" which is the most fulfilling thing ever.

POINT IS from our day with the FDF elders, I noticed how much reverence they brought and it was REALLY really cool. Satan does everything he can to make us less reverent, the world is so loud and artificial. Fulfillment will always be found in the little reverent things

Ayo!! 3 MCHS 2021 alumnis in one mission zoom call screenshot?! 

Week 33 - Yall ain't neva gunna believe what I did to my face

Yeah so I slit my brow now I'm one of the cool Martiniqueans

In the process we made the elders think that sr Williams shaved stripes into her eyebrows that was funny

To sum up this week I would say that I was able to see the way the spirit worked through me a LOT

"It is ordained that we come to know our worth as children of God without something as dramatic as a leap from the pinnacle of the temple. All but a prophetic few must go about God’s work in very quiet, very unspectacular ways. And as you labor to know him, and to know that he knows you; as you invest your time—and your convenience—in quiet, unassuming service, you will indeed find that “he shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up” (Matthew 4:6). It may not come quickly. It probably won’t come quickly, but there is purpose in the time it takes. Cherish your spiritual burdens because God will converse with you through them and will use you to do his work if you carry them well. "

Don't let that quote go over your head. If it did, live it until you get it. 

Made cheese Naan thanks sr Monteiro for the recipe

Finished ghetto exchange (just call the srs on French guiana and talk, ain't no otha srs here or there) 

Had a branch meal

Truly the biggest miracles have come from doing the little things. The quiet kindness has made tears come. The listening ear has accomplished what all other efforts proved to be impossible. Guys, these are souls we're dealing with here!!!! The freak!!

We have a friend Ricardo who is willing to try his faith, so he's been coming to church a lot and reading the book of Mormon, actually he listened to all of first Nephi in one day that was awesome! 

If you feel nothing, keep going

Shoutout to my mom for sending a package

Papa Beaman

Mmmmmmmakafana

Week 32 - I'm sorry this emails not spiritual

Don't be careful, be Claireful

In life, we can be careful with people, by showing just general kindness. My little sister Claire is always kind and happy in all situations since the day of her birth, and it's MORE than just care, cus she has genuine charity. So lately I've been trying to go even further than being careful with others, by being Claireful with others. Let's all do that. That's what Jesus would do. Don't be careful, be Claireful

What the freak so much happened and it was ALL weird

-drank alchohol then threw it up

-sr hepburn didn't want to throw up but then she saw and heard me throw up so then she did

-sr Williams threw up at home

Let me explain that one actually, we went to an inactive members house and it was her b-day and she poured us drinks and we toasted, then as we drank she was like "ugh the church says we shoildnt drink stuff like this or coffee" so uh yeah. Sr Hepburn was like I'm gonna go grab a paper towel from the kitchen you guys wanna join? So we did then we looked at the bottle and it was alcohol and they dumped out their glasses, I went to sr Husson (the lady) and was like I'm sorry Im not drinking this. Then she switched up and pretended she didn't know it was alcohol, it was so so funny. 

So then when we left I was like "God doesn't want this in my system, neither do I" and made myself throw it up, which caused sr Hepburn to throw up too. Really funny videos came out of this experience. 

-the mountain was on fire

-saw a variety of dead animals

-lunch at the house of asuper active member, super inactive husband, and they had a horrifying Pic on the wall, it started at me. They had a real piano and a guitar?!?!? Very very satisfying that piano. Guitar méga out of tune

-were two for two with guitars, the NEXT day w met this guy Jeremy sr Williams found on Facebook and he HAD A Guitar it was so beautiful it was white

-performed for Jeremy in English this (joke) song I wrote on the ukelele, but played it then on his guitar, it's called "3 chairs and a toaster" to the friend who owned the guitar. He started recording as if it was some really meaningful song. The lyrics were literally "3 chairs and a toaster sitting in a line ones on the left ones in the middle and the third one happens to be mine" he does speak English

-The American sailing family was back for a pit stop, the dad gave us a training thing for when you knock on people's doors. He's the owner of a pest control company and he's from Utah. Unfortunately USA summer sales door approaches are not appreciated by the people of Martinique. Makes sense tho, I wouldn't like if people pounded on my door like that FUNNNNY DID LAUGH

You know what, I learned a thing or two with that whole guitar experience. So that first guitar the Pluton's house was EXTREMELY out of tune (Hah BSL), but I was like eh whatever a guitar is a guitar, I just gotta take what I can get you know? and then I played and I was like oh my gosh it's been so long I cant play I suck! This sounds horrible! I probably just lied to myself anyways I don't think I ever even knew how to play! I shouldn't even say I play guitar this sounds horrible. 

And then I was really discouraged

THEN the next day there was another guitar, at a Jeremy's house. And it was only kinda out of tune. And so I took the time to tune it, and then I played it and I was like WOAAHHHHH THIS IS SO FIRE I'M GOING OFF RIGHT NOW THIS IS WILD AND SO SATISFYING!!!!

Basically, sometimes life will be out of tune beyond your tuning abilities. Sometimes it's out of tune, and you CAN tune it. But regardless, Just chill out, just cus the guitar is out of tune doesn't means you can't play!

I really was out here breaking the commandment to doubt not fear not all cus the silly GUITAR was out of tune, how ridiculous

I've been noticing the spirit teach through me a lot lately, I'm very grateful for that.

The spirit of lyrical prophesy and melodic revelation has been dwelling within my soul this week I wrote like 2 songs at random, it's so weird I've never been into that kinda stuff before my mission.

Accras is the tradional Martinique Easter food, and crab too. We ate accras (honestly idk how to spell it)