Happy Summer!

Bonjour Ma famille!


Good news!  We had Claudia come to church yesterday!  As well as Edwin again.  Claudia is doing amazingly.  She reads the Book of Mormon and recites from memory everything that she read every appointment.  We just barely started talking about the Plan of Salvation with her. OH OH OH!!! I forgot that we did that Soiré au Parc this last Monday.  It went great!  I hope that Sr. Turner sent you pictures. Dana was there and a couple other friends of Sr. Martial.  Even Dana's twelve year old daughter came and we were able to teach her again after that on Saturday.  She is really nice and I hope she will come to church sometime to give Joani a friend.  Dana has been talking with her boyfriend about the church a little as well! He even said he was going to take them to church but it didn't end up happening.  They would be a great family and I pray and pray that we can help them.

We played a lot of soccer this morning. In the rain. I got soaked.

So Its been a good week, no complaints, other than the fact that the Coïné family might be moving to St. Joseph (out of our area) which would cut our members that can drive people to church in half.  Our investigators are going well, we had a baptism Saturday, so it can't be too bad.

I want to thank you for talking about the week!  I feel like I know whats going on over there now! Sometimes I finish emails and everyone asks how the family and I realize that I don't know anything that's going on, but that was great!  Thanks!

I also want to thank you for the talks that you sent me, they were good. I got the one about the missionaries and C.S. Lewis. I have really started to like listening to talks, and I recommend that you go onto BYU.edu and listen to the speeches on there.  They are really great.  They are basically general conference talks that are twice as long and they don't hold anything back. We download 4 or 5 of them every Monday and listen to them in the car throughout the week.  I suggest you listen to Pres. Eying's talk "Waiting on the Lord"  its from a long time ago so he doesn't sound at all the same.  Then Oak's "Sins and Mistakes"  Then you have to listen to ALL the one's from Elder Holland, because they are amazing.  Especially, "Remember Lot's Wife" and "However Long and Hard the Road" Enjoy!

As for things I need, I need a watch, a little cook book would be cool, another USB card would be nice if I could get one, you could even send that old one I had if you could find it. Maybe some photos of us as a family, I have those ones but I would like to show some others to people if I can.

I am going to be starting ch.3 lesson 5 this week in PMG if your still keeping up with me.

I love all of you so much!
avec amour,
Elder Call

Soccer in the rain today

Making jus pays with Sr. Martial‏

President Occulier's wife with their son Nathaniel at Freddy's baptism

Me with Sr. Yva Jean-de-Dieu

Missing the World Cup...

Bonjour!

Wow that was a really long letter and I don't think I'll be able to to match that... haha

So the World cup is going pretty great I hear!  Yes I hear a lot of it. I am definitely going to have to watch all the games when I get home.  When we go shopping all the TV's have it going and everyone is telling me about the games. Radio statons are always talking about it. Its basically impossible to not hear about it even if I don't watch TV or listen to the radio.

As for our investigators, they are progressing very slowly.  Dana has a testimony of the church, she is just scared to share it with her family her significant other is very strongly Catholic and she is scared of what he'll say.  Also he was sick this last week so she had an "excuse" not to tell him, but she told us that there were a couple times where she felt that the Lord gave her opportunities to do it but she was too scared.  We taught the word of wisdom this week and it seems that she understands it pretty well, we'll see how it goes next week.  Claudia has a testimony of the church as is thinking of a baptismal date, but can't get to church.  Her biggest worry is that she might not be able to find a husband that is in the church haha

We met some pretty cool people this week again.  The problem as always is getting that second lesson.  If they miss the appointment for any reason its gets all too easy for them to push it off and slowly fall of the map.  One family we met was super cool.  It was a lady that Elder Johnston said he had contacted.  One day we had extra time so I thought, why not?  She let us in and introduced us to her husband and family and the spirit was really strong when we shared the first vision.  The husband said that he had been waiting to get baptized because he hadn't found the right church and seemed very serious about praying to find out, I am very excited for them.  During the lesson I felt so happy and couldn't stop thinking of how great it would be if they were baptized and sealed in the temple and really jump started the work in Martinique.

Tonight we have a soirée au parc where we are going to be performing the Plan of Salvation with the Martial family for all their friends, I'm really excited about it!

The primary here is around 4 or 5 kids and we have Trevon, the teacher, Dario, the deacon, and Joani the only Young Woman.

Well I got to go, I love you all so much!

avec amour,
Elder Call

Elder Ardeche

The Old Zone

Elder Glover made carrot cake for our play tonight.  I helped!

Enjoying raclettes

Bonjour Maman!

This week was pretty good as usual.  The World Cup has really gotten started, and no I did not watch it, but I know everything that's going on because there's not a person on this island that isn't watching it.  So no matter where I go I can hear it blaring, its very tempting haha.  I was in a lesson and someone was watching a game in the other room.  Oh man, it was hard to stay focused... haha.  I heard that Spain got beat 5 to 1 par Pays-Bas (Netherlands) what?! haha  And also if there is France playing, absolutely everyone is watching the game and will not give us the time of day, especially when its Fathers Day haha!

Not too much else special happened this week.  Edwin came to church again which was really exciting, what twelve year old boy likes to go to church, let alone when he's the only one in his family going?  I'm not complaining!  We have been trying and trying to get a hold of his Mom and brother but apparently his mom is assisting a lady deal with rehab to drugs and spends a lot of her time with her to watch her.  His brother is just never around, unless we play soccer.

We saw Claudia again this week and she is doing really well.  She has been reading from the Book of Mormon very regularly and almost memorizes and recites everything she reads to us when we come by.  She says she's been thinking about baptism but is worried about her family.  Also she doesn't have a way to get to church...

You didn't tell me about dad getting a call in the high council, is it a student ward again, or what?

I love the talks you send me and I hope you keep doing it.  Also I suggest you listen to some talks on byu.edu.  There are some really amazing talks in there.  I download them and we listen to them in the car, which is nice.

This week for PMG I finished lesson 2 the Plan of Salvation.  I didn't get any new ideas this time around but I was thinking a lot about the spirit world after our death and what it would really be like.  I can't really explain my thoughts, especially when I don't have a lot of time, maybe I'll write a letter about some of the stuff I am learning.

The best thing of the week is Jean-Claude!  Remember the story about the guy that ran after us into the building by the Chinese restaurant that sold dim sum!?  He finally got baptized and is preparing for a mission!!!

Elder Miyasaki isn't in French Guiana anymore.  He is one of 4 zone leaders on Guadaloupe right now, I'm going to see him again in July for zone conference!

We had a fast with Fr. Renard and Sr. Telcide to help the missionary work and to help them share their baptism with their family and friends, it was really good, and we ate... can't get much better;)  That's what some of the pictures are.

Transfers are this week and I'm staying.  Elder Drennan is going to Guadeloupe, Elder Ardeche is going to English Guiana, Elder Lewis is coming to be with Elder Bodily, Elder Dayton is the new zone leader with Elder Jex, and Elder Russel is coming back from English Guiana to be with Elder Fraley.

I love you all!  Have a great week!
avec amour,
Elder Call

Fr. Renard and Sr. Telcide

We're eating Raclettes, its a type of cheese that you melt and pour on top of cold cuts of meat and potatoes, its delicious.  I've come to love cheese, I had no choice, after all...this is France!

Hiking Mt. Pelee again.  I'm getting good at it!

Bonjour de Martinique!

Bonjour Tout le monde, plutôt, Maman ;)

This week was good, not the best. We only had Edwin come to church which was really cool and he really liked it, but Dana couldn't make it. She went with her family on a little outing for the holiday weekend (pentecôte) But it sounds like you all had a good time in Florida! Can't believe you could go without me!

Things are going well with Elder Glover and I, sometimes he makes me slow down and not get too stressed out trying to get everything done which is good. We are having a lot of fun together and I feel comfortable with him. So thats nice.

One good experience we had this week was with a lady named Claudia, who Elder Johnston and I met one of my first weeks on Martinique. We had lost contact with her after seeing her once but she called us a while ago and asked us to pray for her friend in the hospital out of the blue.  After that we couldn't find her again. Last week she called again to see "how things were doing" she even remembered my name, apparently she has an amazing memory.  Finally this week we were able to teach her again. she was able to recite back to me quote of the first vision, sadly when I had recited it to her, I stumbled on my words or something because she had thought I had said "un Colombe (dove) de lumière" instead of "Colonne de lumière" So she thought that God and Jesus Christ appeared on a dove of light to Joseph Smith.... Lucky that's all squared away now.

I did get the package.  And I didn't know it had been opened!  I guess you won't be able to send mousse any more.  Unfortunately they don't have any of that here that I've been able to find.  We just watched the DVD 17 Miracles for Sr. Geurnsy's Birthday that you sent.  Thank you, it was great!  Also thanks for those pictures!  They were awesome!  I would have liked some of the MTC because I don't have any to look at...

We played soccer with Andy and Edwin again this week which was really fun! And yes, there was another gas strike.  They have so many I don't even seem to notice anymore!

Have a great week!

avec amour,
Elder Call

My investigator came to church!

Bonjour!

Sorry for last week it was a bit crazy and I didn't have much time to write!

Again this week I don't have too much time, there is way too much I have to do in one hour!  So I will do my best!

But this week was great! We finally had an investigator come to church! That's my first one since I've been on Martinique!  Dana came to church and she had an amazingly spiritual experience!  We had started a fast with her right before she came to church for her to receive a response to whether she should be baptized on the 21 of June and that she could have help on her driving exam.  During church I noticed that she often had tears in her eyes.  Afterward we had a quick lesson with her that was one of the most spiritual ones ever. We had her pray right on the spot to ask if she should be baptized because we could feel the spirit so strong. She gave an incredibly sincere and powerful prayer, and I am not kidding when I tell you that I could feel the spirit buzzing all around.  Afterwards, we sat there and pondered a little bit, she looked up at us with tears in her eyes and I asked her if she would be baptized on the 21 of June.  Slowly she nodded her head and then quickly and with a big smile on her face, she said "Yes!"  It was amazing. I am so excited for her and so grateful to have had that experience with her.

So that was basically the greatest thing ever, especially this week. Please keep her in your prayers!

I will get to your questions now so that you don't get on me for missing them....

It was a great week, we met three really nice FAMILIES that are interested this week. We have only taught them each once so we'll see how it goes but they ALL have cars and they all seem interested. It should be a good follow up week.

I'm glad you saw the pictures of Sister  Pedale.  She is a very active member.  I have talked about her before, she invites us every other week to eat at her house because she loves the missionaries.  She is the mother of the choir director who's husband is the (greffier, I forgot the English word sorry...) and her grandson is the only deacon we've got!  The funny thing is that she feeds us the same thing every time. Ancras de Morue (salt cod fritters) on bread.

Tell Jordan that my garments are indeed still white...I always make sure to wash them with bleach!

Today was good, we made some pork chops with mashed potatoes.   Monday meals are basically the equivalent of Sunday dinners for missionaries because we've got time!

Transfers will be in 2 weeks and Zone Conference is the next transfer, every other.

I like it here, I wouldn't have any problems staying or going, but I will probably stay since its still the first transfer with Elder Glover.

So I was wondering if the flood of missionary farewells has started yet, I'm getting pretty excited to see the next wave of blues and to see how many we get coming our way.  If we get a lot, odds are a lot of us will be training like when I came in, every companionship was training.

And to some important business... Jordan and Shelby, how are things going?  Its a big deal to me ;) je suis fière do mon frère :) I don't know who this lady is so your going to need to fill me in a little bit. I was very surprised when I heard he stopped by after dropping Brianna off, I won't be able to recognize my ladies-man of a brother when I get home! haha! So what is she like?  I have only seen the picture of them flying together.

My studies this week were good. I didn't notice TOO many things this week.  Most importantly I got some ideas for studying, I am going to try to keep a topic study journal that I can refer to with answers to questions and my own definitions. So if you have any questions or topics you'd like me to study, I would enjoy to get some ideas!

I love you all so very much!
Soyez prudents!
avec amour,
Elder Call


On Thursday the priesthood members of the branch went on a 5k run, it wasn't really 5 kilometers but it felt like it haha! I called it the tunnel run.

These pics are of Elder Glover and I on our hike today.  We were down at the bottom west part of the island near Rocher du Diamant.