Okay family! I love you all. So this email will mark the end of my
time in the Nogent Ward. I was there for only two transfers or three
months. I almost can't believe it. I was kind of going back and forth
between leaving and staying, and finally we get the repertoire and I'm
out! Fun fact though, I'm going out into the country just a ways
southeast of Paris. I'm so excited!! My new companion will be Elder
Kaonohi. His full name is Vaihi Teva Kaonohi. HE IS HAWAIIAN!!!!! :D
:D :D YEESSSSS. From what I've heard he is super chill and he sounds
like he just has the biggest heart, I am SO excited because we are
both pretty chill people, hard to offend, etc. So I am just SO PUMPED.
We are going to get along great.
Ok. So I guess let me step back and cover all my bases. I'll talk about:
- What happened this week
- My feelings about the transfer
- My last Sunday and saying goodbye to everyone in Nogent
- Goodbye to Malloy, Jenness, and Beach
- Beginning of Troyes
1. What happened this week in a linear delivery. We taught Frere
Saisiaw for the last time. We were also able to teach an old
investigator, Charles, whom neither of us knew before, for the first
time, and it went great. He was much more believing than he was with
the last set of missionaries, so he has progressed in the five years
since he was last taught. We also were able to eat at the Lucas
family's house. His accent in English was INCREDIBLY good. I've never
heard a Frenchman speak English like that before. We had district
meeting, we went and did service at the Leconte family's house. Also
had DMP meeting Thursday. We tried getting the second year visa for
Elder Malloy but it turns out you can only go in the morning. So he
now is able to go get his second year legality. :D We taught Mezak
with a member, Samuel. That was great. He is our only progressing ami
and I joked I want to take him to Troyes in my suitcase so I can keep
teaching him. We visited with a member, Ali, who was baptized a year
and a half ago, whom Sister Hill was able to teach for a while. We
were also, finally, able to visit with the Ihout family one last time.
They're the ones we helped move so much at the last minute last week.
2. My feelings about the transfer-- I'm pretty happy but also a bit
sad. Me and Elder Malloy have gotten along really well here the last
while, and it'll be sad to leave. Honestly, we kind of didn't
really expect it. I sort of did, sort of didn't. It's hard to say. But
I am SUPER HAPPY to leave!!! Oh man I really hoped to move faster here
this second half of my mission, so I'm super happy. :D We are
whitewashing as well, and I'm going with a super chill, awesome
Hawaiian companion, he's got a big heart, I've only met him once or
twice, but he is just awesome. And also, I'm going to a REALLY SWEET
town that is fairly well-known in all of France or the mission, it is
a pretty small town with NINE churches, all of them have bells that
ring on the hour. And I love bells. I am SO PUMPED. :D :D :D So yeah,
we are both completely new to the town, so we will be totally finding
out how to get to the apartment all alone and everything. It will be
interesting. :D haha. We are going to try and find the right rhythm,
going hard with finding and all that.
3. Last Sunday -- was really interesting, had a great spiritual ward
conference to finish off my time here in Nogent. It is really weird to
be a missionary who's leaving... In no other time in life are you
every really "assigned" to leave, and given a specific date to do so.
There was one brother who was even so sad he almost started to cry,
which was kind of weird, but several of the members seemed genuinely
sad to see me go. It was cool to have a good time seeing everybody for
the last time and it was just a great spiritual Sunday as well, so
yeah. :D Great experience.
4. It will be sad to say goodbye to Elder Malloy, my current
companion, and also Elder Jenness and Elder Beach, the Aulnay elders,
who live with us. It has been cool because I have had such a fun time
with them, it has been so cool. We just got a Risk board from another
missionary apartment, so it has just been great in general. We have so
much fun playing chess, too. Elder Malloy is pretty much the best
companion I've EVER had at playing chess, which is super cool! Anyway,
it'll be sad to leave them, but I'm also happy to be moving out
relatively quickly. It's always a shock and a boost to see that kind
of stuff change. Change of scenery can help a lot. I need to focus
more and more on my misisonary call.
5. Troyes -- Funny, Elder Johnson, my MTC comp, and Elder Roth, whom I
lived with last transfer, were in Troyes before. Me and Kaonohi are
replacing them. And Roth is coming back to Nogent! Haha! So that's
kind of cool, we're swapping places almost.
I have also learned a lot this week about humility and just not caring
about leadership in general. I am still not in a leadership position,
like district leader or anything, but it's ok! I have learned that I
DON'T NEED LEADERSHIP in order to feel loved or important. I don't
need a title to be a good influence to those around me.
Plus, Compiegne has been moved from my old district, Paris Lilas, to
come to my new district with me! So I'm keeping Elder Kelley, my BYU I
buddy (we want to room together) and Elder Williams, who are both
really cool, in my district. I will be in the district of Troyes,
Meaux, Compiegne, and Auxerre. All elders, each town has one
companionship. It'll be fun.
Thanks for telling me how much you love getting my emails, I didn't
realize that it made that much of a difference for you! Haha sorry
it's hard for me to feel like continual communication is going on, I
still feel pretty separated just because we can only talk once a week.
Please send me emails during the week whenever you want to.
Love you tons. Sorry I don't have any pictures to send this week, but
I will try and send a few next time.
Love you guys! Have a great week.
Elder Edwards
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