Birthday's and Books of Mormon :)

this was the best week ever!!!

oh man so much to tell and sooo little time! So I will start with Eric... I am on exchanges with soeur bailey right and we decide to go porting because we really want to find french people and families... hey they both start with f:) so the first house we see... there is a man standing outside and we start talking about our church and soeur b (my comp for the day) was like bringing up the book of mormon so awkwardly and i was like stop it i am talking about the apostasy we are not there yet! haha but she was inspired and he was intrigued about the book of mormon... then he says, "so you are going to lend me this book and then we are going to talk about it later... is that how this works?" i said yes.. lets talk saturday! so we found a member and we talked to him on saturday and had a GREAT gospel discussion with him and sr clark in the park because he actucally lives in his car right now... he is totally french but he is voyaging around the world running races and swimming races... he is sooo fit! he is like this short little ripped dude but he is like a dad he is like late forties and just cool! sooo cool! and he came to church on Sunday all three hours... incredible! 

Then there is Dudu... she is from south africa and she will probably add mom on facebook soon:) she is like our new best friend! we contacted her on wednesday and we tried to contact her in french and she is like nooo i am in a hurry in english and we were like wait we speak english! haha so we ended up talking to her for 45 minutes on the road about God's timing and His plan for us... she is catholic but hasn't been going to church lately because she feels its too much of a routine at the catholic church and she wants to know why she is going to church and not to just go to go through the motions.  She is sooo ready! we have a get to know you lesson on saturday and she tells us its her birthday and so we invite her to come to church with us and then we will have a birthday party that night at the clarks! so she comes to church with us and relief society turned into a bash the catholic church session... it was TERRIBLE! oh my gosh we were dying! thanksfully dudu is anglophone and understands enough french but maybe just the right amount for this fight to have gone over her head! it was sooo terrible but the rest of the day was pretty good.  But she told us she LOVED IT! we were like really? haha but it shows you that the spirit teaches you what you need to learn from lessons and she was touched! then we went to the clarks that night and ate raclette! haha i have eaten that sooo many times on my mission! yikes.  but its yummy! and we talked about how she liked church and she told us how she could feel a change happening in her life since she met us and she can't figure it out... but for the first time in her life she is just going to see where it takes her.  she told us a really personal story from her life and then we gave her a book of mormon with our testimonies inside and a cute bracelet! she was sobbing and I was sobbing and I said, "Dudu.. that peace you felt at church and with us can always be with you if you read this book everyday.  this book with help this change that you feel to keep happenning to become a better person. Its a peace that you can hold in your hands and pray about.  This book WILL change your life." and at that point we were all in tears, my comp, the Clarks... Dudu... everyone! it was one of the most spiritual experiences I have had on my mission.  The best copy of the book of mormon I have ever given away.  she is sooo cool! 

Then Celine! She comes to sport extreme and one of our members offered her a book of mormon and she promised to read it.  so after church we went to her house on the beach:) haha totally want to live there... maybe i will be her roommate when i get home! haha sorry guys i think i am moving back here! ky you in?? haha sorry nich you and scotty can come visit us:) and we had a REALLy great convo about God's love and how to make the best with what we have. it was so great! she is aethist... she thinks.... but she says that everyone has to believe in something and she doesn't know what that is... i was like well we do... so we turned to alma 22 the story about king lamoni praying to see if god is there.... powerful prayer right there. verse 18,,, everyone go read that verse right now! We testified of how God always responds to our prayers! it was good... we finally got to have like a lesson with her and i realized something this week.  The first point in the first lesson is really important and I skip over it all the time. "God is our loving Heavenly Father" so many people don't believe that and their idea of God is sooo messed up.. Even believing people think he is some dictator king but NO he is our father! our literal father who cares for us in a fatherlike manner.  He wants our best... he loves us... he will run to our sides when we need help... he is our biggest cheerleader encouraging us to keep changing and becoming better.  He never stops.  He loves us.  He is the best.  i LOVE my job.  it is the BEST thing i have ever decided to do.  I am so glad i went on a mission. my life has forever changed... and i mean forever.  I love you all

soeur mod

Ma Maman Ame'ricaine (my mom American)

Pic 1: Frozen yogurt! So good!

Pic 2: Josy's baptism

Pic 3: The ville where I would live when I return to France:)

Pic 4: Two common things found here: poop and cigs. 

It was great to talk to the girls yesterday! They're both doing so wonderfully. We actually got to meet Josy on Skype and she is as Soeur Mod says…sooo great:) Yesterday's phone call is our last until we are talking and laughing in person late September! (December for Ally) And depending on a wedding of a French friend of hers, we may be picking her up so she can attend:) The office has told her flight plans are coming in a couple of weeks for her departure…somebody pinch me.

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Date: Mon, 12 May 2014 14:50:24 +0200
Subject: Ma Maman Americainne
From:mccall.modersitzki@myldsmail.net

Happy mother's day everyone!

I got to talk to my cute mamma yesterday and it was the best thing ever! SOOO grateful for my mom/mom's! My amie Josy... who got baptized:):):):) on Saturday thinks she is my French mom because she is always telling me how to live a healthier, economical life! She is hilarious! She is like a walking google... you ask her a question and she has some hilarious home remedy to cure you of whatever you are asking her.  She is soooo great and her baptism was great! SHE IS A MEMBER now!!! ahhh so happy!!!

Anyway the week was very good. I have not a lot of time today. There was another holiday last Thursday which meant that our exchange was cancelled and we were on foot most of the day to get to our rdv's and stuff... there are like 3 major holidays in May in France and it's ridiculous! Nothing is open and nothing is running so we just contacted a lot and passed people in ville and it was fun! We had a girl's night at Emily Paul's house to get ourselves all pampered up for the baptism! Josy wanted her nails painted by Soeur Roberts because she is really good at painting nails apparently haha #hiddentalent. We did 3 sessions of sport extreme this week! #5monthstosexy so ya still feeling a little sore! Most of this week was just getting ready for the baptism. It was in the ville next to ours because our chapel is under construction, so we had to prepare everything really really well.  So it was a good week!! 

It ended even better getting to talk to my cute family and my sister... I was able to talk to Ally for about 5 minutes just she and I and it probably was the best five minutes of my whole mission!!! We sat there and cried and told each other how much we loved each other and how proud we were of each other... haha sooo cheesey but it really was like the best 5 minutes ever.  It's a feeling I cannot describe being on a mission but it's the best feeling in the world... knowing that Ally is feeling that same thing and doing the same thing everyday just pushes me to do more.  She is my hero!!! It was sooo good to share my testimony in French with my family... because I testify all the time in French, the spirit is actually stronger to me now when I speak in French… I guess you could say I prefer to testify in French actually.  I wish I could say I don't cry every time I testify of eternal families, but that would be a lie. It gets me everytime because I am SO grateful for my eternal family! They are the best and I am SO excited to create my own some day! Sooo excited! What a blessing! Anyway sorry this email is all over the place! en beef (in short)... it was a fabulous week! love you all!

Soeur Mod

Happy Cinco de mayo

Happy cinco de maio!

Ya i have no idea how to spell cinco de maio actually.... I speak French not Spanish:) HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALLY CAT!!!!

So the wind this week in Montpellier was out of control! It's better now but I hope it's not that windy all summer like it was in Perpignan, my first area! 

Again happy birthday Ally!!!:)

So this week I went to Carcassonne on an exchange and it was great! It's sooo beautiful! I will send pictures.. oh man! There is a beautiful castle there! The biggest greatest miracle ever.... the sisters there are teaching a family that is from Bulgaria but they speak Spanish.. ya I don't know how that happened but anyway.. I couldn't really communicate with them because I understand a lot of Spanish actually but I can barely say anything... haha so Soeur Buonanotte translated for me and their family lives next to Ally in Bulgaria! We were all freaking out and they were like... "your sister has to find my family in Bulgaria and bring them the gospel!!' and I said welll she is pretty good at finding and baptizing families!! I will pass the referral along!! haha How cool is that??? Ally cat your going to baptize another family:) It made me kind of homesick for my sisters but so happy to know that my sister is doing the same thing I am in a different land but the gospel is the same for everyone! I was soo happy for that! It was a great lesson but I could only concentrate on sending this referral to Ally:) 

Then we had zone conference and interviews which were really great! I always love talking to President Roney and he is always so complimentary and nice! He makes me feel good about myself! love him. 

Then on Thursday we had our ward picnic and one of our friends from sport extreme picked us up and took us there! Her name is Celine and she is really nice! We got to know her on a whole different level and she is just soooo great! I love her! She is athiest but we are hoping that she realizes she needs the gospel because she sooo does! She moved here for a boyfriend and now they are no longer together.... she is beautiful and fun and cool so I am trying to think of who I can set her up with:) haha you know..all of my French friends here in France:) 

This Sunday was a really special Sunday as well! The testimonies were really good and the spirit was just really strong! It was great! I loved it sooo much! I just love church! We have loads of visitors here on vacation so every week we meet people from all over the world! It's just awesome! 

I have like no time today but know that I am doing well! We had a great week and I will talk to you on Sunday!!! ahhh I can't believe its already Mother's Day! love you all!

soeur mod

pic 1: Beautiful Carcassonne

Pic 2: The Castle!

Everything is ALLL good:)

Sorry ladies and gentlemen for the dramatic email last week... I wish I could say I was being more dramatic than it actually was but that would be a lie.  That was the roughest week of my mission besides the Chrystelle thing.  But anyway this week par contre was much much better! Let's begin with a happy birthday to my mom…Sandals and Er bear:) happy birthday!!! love you both!!! 

Now last Monday we left for Leadership Council in Lyon and I talked with Elder Moeller for the whole train ride! He is just coming from the island of Corsica (which is in the mission) so I was getting all the cool secrets about that tiny little island:) I got to spend the night in Lyon and stay with Soeur richardson (MTC companion) it was soooo great!!! And Soeur Bentley! (from Alpine) We talked about all the people gettting married or who are married... haha and how crazy that is! I swear every week someone new is engaged or married!  Congrats to all of you:) On Tuesday we had our leadership council, which is always the best thing ever! So very powerful.  I received so much direction that I needed in my life as a missionary and the spiritual boost to get over this moment of hardship and find the next person who needs this gospel! We were blessed with lots of new amis this week and lessons and I know its because we decided to change our attitude:)

Wednesday we had an exchange in Perpignan, my first area and it was really great! We had random things to do all day so we were teaching, testifying and working out all day... yes I said working out... So our ward does Sport Extreme which is where we all get together and watch the Insanity work out videos... We put it online and now we have loads of people who come and it's killer! Literally we are dying! So Soeur Bragg and I went to Sport Extreme Thursday night because we have some potential amis who go to it. 

Thursday we had zone training which we did completely in French which is not common unless you're in the Switzerland zone.. haha So when it came time to do our part as Sister Training Leaders we had not prepared to do it in French but it came out well I think. I love zone trainings.. they get me pumped up again:) It was awesome! One zone leader said something that I really liked.. he said, "this is reality.. being a missionary and living the gospel to the fullest everyday is real life... this is as real as it gets." and it's so true... never in my life will the purpose of life be as real as it is now.. I hope I can keep that feeling and knowledge forever... this is what it's all about; sharing the gospel and being an example at all times and in all things and in all places:)

Also on Thursday we finally saw Josy... BIG miscommunication but very frustrating quand meme because she had made a mountain out of a mole hill… literally. It was the most ridiculous story and she accused me of saying things I never said nor understand in French.  But she was like don't worry Soeur Mod I am over it and I forgive you... haha I was like ok well then I guess I should say sorry? So ya she is getting baptized still on the 10th but we are leery about it just because we are afraid she will offend and be offended her whole life.  But she is ready... she knows this is true she has a testimony.  There is nothing stopping her and I am very happy for her.. I am soo happy to have her back in my life to be honest.  I love her sooo much even though sometimes it's rocky.

On Friday we were on another exchange; this time with a sister equipe that is still really struggling.... the ones we went to go see last week?  We had a big companionship inventory together at the end of our exchange and it was really good.  They are polar opposite.  They have pretty much nothing in common.  But we told them something we were inspired by the spirit to say and I want to share it with you all.  We said, "You maybe very different but you will always have one thing in common and that is the gospel... "you are both members of the true church of God... and that should always be enough. That should always be the most important thing to have in common with someone." It went well and we invited them to study the gospel.  We will follow up next week:)

Saturday was probably one of the craziest days of my life.  So we went to Sport Extreme and had like 14 poeple there! Just leading and translating Insanity!! #sixmonthstosexyhasbegun! After we went to see our amie Fanny.  Well we get there and she is dressed in this tiny black dress with lots of make up on... so I knew immediately something was up... We go in and there is this guy that is sooo scary and creepy, wasted drunk on her couch.  Then there were two sketchy girls chillen on the couch; helping this poor drunk guy roll his own cigarette while the kids played on the ground with this super gross dog... I literally felt like I had walked into hell.... seriously the worst feeling ever just came over me and had to fight back tears the whole time we were there.  So this drunk guy we found out was her "super Christian boyfriend" starts saying "Why did you invite the Mormons over here?" and starts going off about how we aren't Christian and I was like dude you won't even remember this conversation in five minutes so zip it:) haha but I didn't say that... anyway we bore testimony and thankfully we were with our member that knows her well so he took control of the situation. When we left, I just started crying in the stairwell.  I couldn't move I was practically paralyzed by fear for those sweet kids.  I looked at our member and I said, "Those kids can't stay there." and he said "Don't worry Soeur Mod she will get it figured out but she has to get there because she chose it, not because we are forcing her.  I just can't believe how irresponsible some people can be.  Those poor kids were trapped inside an apartment with 4 super immature adults.  I cried for awhile just thinking of how incredibly lucky I am.... how lucky I was to have parents who don't smoke, drink, or party.... parents who are married... and stayed married.  Growing up in a home where I KNOW that I am loved.  I can't really explain the feeling I felt but basically I am just very grateful that I was born into the situation I was because those poor kids weren't. :(

This is long and I have to go but Sunday was great and church was great and I love my life as a missionary! Thanks for your love and support! love you all!

Sister Mod