If you missed part two, click here.
For part three, click here.
And part four, here.
Many of you might know this already, but I was fortunate enough to serve my LDS mission in Paris, France. I loved my mission and look forward to the day that I can revisit some areas from my mission. I also look forward to the day that I can serve another mission with the companion of my choice, Kaylee.
I arrived in France just before Christmas on December 21, 2010. My first couple of days were a struggle because it was Christmas time, and I was stuck in a different country where people don't speak much English. I was excited, but jet lag didn't allow me to show that.
I got to meet some of the most amazing people in France. This story takes place in my very first area though. It was the end of the year in Alençon, France, which is in the Normandy region of France. I was still very 'bleu' in the mission, which meant I was new (our mission's version of greeny). I didn't dare talk in French because I knew I was going to make mistakes.
Alençon is a very small city. In fact, it is one of (if not the) smallest city in the mission. I wouldn't be surprised if most of the city had already had contact with the missionaries because of the size of the city.
This is the Halle au ble. This building is what I always think of when I imagine the city of Alençon.
One bitter cold night in Alençon during my first couple of weeks, somewhere between Christmas and New Year's, my companion, Elder McQuay, and I were out knocking on doors. In France, we called this porting because 'la porte' is 'the door.'
We knocked on a door and a man answered. Elder McQuay went through his opening lines. Elder McQuay generally spoke because I didn't dare, so he introduced us and the Book of Mormon to the guy.
“Non, ça ne m’interesse pas (No, that doesn't interest me),” the man responded. He didn’t move to shut the door like everyone else did though. He just stood there looking at us. I stood there awkwardly not knowing what to say.
Elder McQuay offered him a Book of Mormon, which he reluctantly reached for. I hadn't spoken during a contact up to this point because I didn't usually understand what was being said. This man just looked at us with a sad face. I seemed to follow the conversation a little better this time, so I decided this was my chance to speak.
“Monsieur,” I stammered. “Je sais que le Livre de Mormon est la parole de Dieu (I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God).
I continued by telling him I knew that by reading the Book of Mormon, he could come closer to God. It was broken French, I’m sure, but it was definitely by the power of the Spirit. The man didn't say anything. He just stood there staring at me. His eyes started to water as he blinked more and more. I didn't know what else to say, so I stood there watching him intently. He started weeping with no noise. His eyes were sad and I knew there was a story behind them that would explain everything.
"If you want, we could talk more about this book now," Elder McQuay took over the conversation in French.
"No," he responded simply. "I can't."
"We could come back another time and talk about it also, if that works better," Elder McQuay said.
"No," he responded again. He again chose not to back away and leave us, so we just stood there quietly for a moment.
"I'm sorry, I need to go," he said, breaking the silence. He turned to walk inside and close the door.
"Well, if you ever want to talk, here is our card with our number," Elder McQuay said, finishing the conversation and giving him a pass-along card.
We never saw or spoke to this man again. I couldn't even tell you exactly what he looked like. Sometimes people help shape your life without you even knowing who they are. This was the night I realized what my purpose was as a missionary and that I could speak in French. I'll always remember that man and the feeling I felt that day.
Well, there you have it. It took longer than I anticipated, but that is the end of my exhaustive accounts of five people who have helped shape my life to be the person I am today. Thank you for reading.
It wasn't easy to narrow it down to five people, just know that chances are that if you know me personally, you've probably had an impact on my life also.
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