Salut! At the end of last week I was talking with one of the assistants, and we decided to fast for our area. So, we did, and I can't believe how much it helped! This week we had the most lessons we've ever had and our investigators are progressing super well! To start, Mario is still as awesome as I said he was. We went back to give him a baptismal calendar and we discussed his baptismal date (the 14th of May). He said he felt a little hesitant, but then he just flat out said, "When I commit to do something, I do it. I'm going to do it!" Yeah! He's super awesome. He came to all three hours of church this week too and he loved it. He understands French pretty well, but has a hard time speaking sometimes. We teach him with a member who speaks portugese so that helps a ton. I'm excited for this week to see the progress that he makes. We also got a few new investigators this week. Two of them are from Cape Verde and another from China. Hooray foreigners haha. This afternoon we got a new French investigator too though :).
We gave Sebastian the "real intention" talk this week. By the end of the appointment, he said he would stop smoking again without even being asked. We had hardly even talked about cigarettes during the appointment! It's amazing to see the Spirit work on our investigators as we teach. The Spirit knows exactly what they need, and as our investigators feel it and listen to its promptings, it will show them all that they should do. It's kind of interesting how that works. It seems like a lot of times as missionaries, we worry about saying exactly what the Spirit wants us to say so we will say what the investigator needs to hear, but really, nothing we can say will get them to do anything if the Spirit doesn't testify to them personally as well. As we follow the Spirit the best we can and try to create an environment so that the Spirit is there by teaching and testifying of the truth, the Spirit itself tells the investigator what they need to do! We can teach and invite all we want, but the Spirit is the ultimate teacher. I see that clearer and clearer every day. Zone conference was this week and we received tons of inspired lesson. We were presented with an awesome family missionary plan that we're going to start presenting to all the members in the ward. They used this same plan (except we modified it a bit) in the Portugal mission and the next year their baptisms doubled. It's really simple and powerful and I'm excited to get it going in Cannes! The Stake is really starting to crack down on the ward here. A high council member came last week and gave a talk about how it is the members who need to find investigators, not the missionaries. With that, and this new program, we hope to get the ward excited about missionary work! We've already started and I can tell there will be some fruits from it.
Calls are next week. Elder Park and I have been together two transfers, so it's likely that we won't be companions anymore. It's too bad! I love him! We've had some good times together and we're super good friends now. Who knows, maybe we'll stay together! I will most likely stay in Cannes, but we'll see what happens. Cannes has been quite a place for me. I've learned a lot since I've been here. I've been humbled - that's for sure - and I've definitely started to see missionary work from a different perspective. I'm so thankful to serve the Lord in this part of His vineyard. Something I've heard a lot, but that I've actually been learning lately, is that the Lord doesn't do things without a reason. It can be hard to accept that some of the things that happen to us can truly come from a loving Heavenly Father. But I know that whatever happens in life is for a specific reason, and there are specific blessings in store for those who recognize the opportunities that God gives us to grow, endure them well, and then thank God for those opportunities. I love the Gospel and I love being a missionary! We could never find anything else that brings us the same peace and joy that the Gospel does - nothing! We have it, so let's live it, let's enjoy it, and let's share it with all those who are without it! I love you all and hope you have a great week. Ciao!
Much love, Elder Tudor
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