May 16, 2016 - Adma's letter - First week in Compiegne, saw Pres. Uchtdorf, and Haka video!

Video of Adam doing the Haka! I couldn't stop giggling...

Adam's new companion, Elder Williams from Oklahoma.

My face and emotions when I finally finished packing all my crap into my suitcases and an extra bag. Too much stuff. Will throw lots away before transferring again. Haha everyone is surprised at how many books I have...anyone surprised family? Hah

President Babin speaking at the conference with President Uchtdorf

Pres. Uchtdorf mentioned that he'd said at conference that German was

the celestial language. He bbrought it up with French brothers before

the conference, who had a simple solution. They said, "It might be

true, Brother Uchtdorf, that everyone in the Celestial Kingdom speaks

German, that might be true. But the one who holds the door of the

Celestial kingdom--the one at the gate--he speaks French." Hahaha!!!

:D So they were all ok with that so that's now doctrinal truth i guess ;D

Hey family!! :) Gives me joy to think of you and receive your emails and voice recordings and all. :D Makes me happy, thanks! It does me so much good to hear from ya. Hope you have all had a great week. Thanks for your updates mom and dad. :)

Here is my mailing address. Who asked for it, just out of curiosity? :) Cool now you hvae it:

Les Missionnaires

Elder Adam G Edwards

3 Rue du Maréchal Fayolle

60200 COMPIEGNE

France

This week has been kind of hard. It's been good, but hard. But it's okay, that's pretty normal since this is a pretty small town and I'm really used to Troyes, which is about 3-4 times bigger than Compiegne. And I really loved my companion, Elder Kaonohi, and the people there. So I've just been kind of missing them a lot. BUT yesterday I had a tender mercy, we got to hang out with a couple other missionaries, got permission from President to do some service in nearby St. Quentin with them, and an elder, Elder Blackham, gave me some advice as to how to love little "villes," as we call areas in French missionary lingo. 

Here are some good things about Compiegne and small towns in general. It has a ward. We have a couple great, strong, fun families. There is a very chill, still, calm spirit here. People and ward members here are very kind and patient. I'm still able to see Elder Kaonohi every Tuesday, every district and zone activity, because we're still in the same district haha. Also, I get to hang out with Brother and Sister Petion, a great French couple I know from the Nogent ward, as frere Petion is a high councilor assigned to this ward. That's cool! Also, I've got to be real, the Lord is merciful to me in sending me here. I think I was growing less dependant on him and too proud in Troyes, as we were seeing a lot of success there, and I think that it's about time I get a good, solid challenge to bring me back into humility and accord with him. I felt that and some of HIs love for me this morning. It was good to feel. It felt great. And you know what, it's a good thing to love and serve my current comp ad members and ville just as much as the last ones I had, even if they're different. 

God does not ask us to change our personality, to be more like someone else, or do something before he starts loving us a ton! No, He already loves us a ton, whether or not we like it or do what He asks. So the Lord asks us to do the same with His children. I'm called on a mission to love His beloved sons and fellow missionaries as the brothers and good guys they are. I ought not expect them to change before I like them or get along with them. I will be myself; I will also expect them and accept them being themselves. It's when we stay ourselves and build momentum and DO work that things happen. Yeah. We're going to full this chapel. If not with members, then with the Spirit and with angels, and with investigators and maybe with less active members who haven't come in a long time.

I decided to accept Compiengne and love it and move on. :) Feels good. 

We have a VERY big area to cover. It is huge. Like ginormous. I don't even know how many times the Nogent ward would fit into ours. And we don't have a car. XD I HATE YOU STATESIDE MISSIONARIES. YOU ALL HAVE CARS. Nah jk. :) Haha but dang that would be nice. So anyways until further notice (like until we get a car or Elder Williams gets transferred) this is pretty much just a street contacting ville. That's like all we do. Normally we would do some door to door as well sometimes or something. In Troyes we pretty much had lessons all or much of the time. So it's a change. :D So we're going to try and get a couple cool activities done, one is already planned, before I got here, we'll be working on the deails on that, and we'll maybe try and do a music night or a Latin American activity, we have a couple members from Panama and Peru. Told them Andrea served in Bolivia, they thought it was cool. 

I try and speak to them in a little bit of Spanish, but I really just need to throw myself into Spanish immersion with them, I need a mental kick-start, or else I'm just not going to get the phrasing and vocab back. It's in there, it's in my brain, but boy it's going to take some serious stress to get it back. :) It's ok I love Spanish. 

Maybe I need to take more time to relax, just meditate, chill and think, and be happy the way I am and the way things are. No need to be sad that things have changed. :) I can love my comp the way he is, even though he's not Elder K.! His name, by the way, is Ethan Williams, he's from the Tulsa area of Oklahoma. He worked in a movie theater before his mission for several years, and he's a different guy, but he's a rock. Really chill, doesn't talk a ton, but definitely enough still to have a good time. We have to be creative to have fun here because the town is little and everything is really quiet. But I'm used to it, or close. He likes anime and is pretty well read and smart. He has been here for 4- 1/2 months already, so this is his fourth transfer here. He's kind of wondering why he's still here, as am I a bit. But as we move forward with the Lord, doing good things, getting creative with ways to find people, we can probably find a few more peopel! Already a few people to teach so that's good. 

We set some good goals here, want to find several solid people to teach, like legit people who would get baptized and stay strong members, we want two baptisms this transfer and two baptismal dates set after. So pray for us and support us with our goals everyone! We would love that. Also please send me letters and packages because this is a really quiet place haha. I love hearing from you all. 

We had a Book of Abraham fireside on Saturday. Yeah needless to say that was interesting. O.O what the heck Egyptian hieroglyphs and stuff--good thing no amis came I would have smacked someone 

Love how I can sacrfice myself in service of God. Made a big sacrifice that was hard to make last week. I don't have much to offer Him in terms of wordly stuff, or as far as anything much goes. But I do have my purity, my worthiness, my whole self, a contrite spirit before Him, and if I can keep giving that with a full heart, the Lord will provide and He will make this mission worth it and every ounce of effort will be for my good. I will keep going out and working. I will probably take it slow because I don't want to kill myself walking faster than is necessary. But I will work until my dying day, dang it. I love the Lord, and if I can keep giving it, that's enough. He will make it be enough. He will consecrate our afflictions and efforts for our good. Plus a little work never hurt me. :) I'm a lazy bum I need it anyway.

Love you guys! Man ok so that's enough about me. Loved hearing about the family this week, and about Grace's birthday, how much we all loved the Mother's Day Skype call (did an hour and a half--whoops #loveyoumom haha also I don't really care ). Cool to hear about my TWO ADORABLE NIECES TOO :D 

Happy to hear about the campout and Grace's bday dinner. HB GRACE DANG 17 WOOWWW Hey no dating her y'all. (Black Adam voice) Mm mm you don't date my lil sis y'all. :)  happy birthday Grace

Love you guys, love all of ya, family friends and such kind folk as care to read this blog. Hope it brightens your life in some way and I hope it makes you DO STUFF about your own life. Knowledge without action is absolutely pointless. And dead.  

Keep in touch, everybody! I will try and think of you all hope your lives are all precious, full, and good. Talk to you soon. 

Love you my family!

Elder Edwards

Btw Mom and Dad, you mentioned you maybe wanted to come to pick me up here after my mission. Was that still something you would want to do? Like how much did you wnat to do that? Because I could change plans if you'd really like to do it.