Bahhh bonjour tous le monde!
So this past week has probably been one of the best weeks of my entire mission. I was transferred to Antony in the South of Paris and I'm with Elder Nelson now. I've got to say, Elder Nelson is one of the best missionaries I've ever met. He's humble, kind, talented, speaks impeccable French, and above all else, his desire to serve is extraordinary!
While walking back to our apartment from the train with my luggage, Elder Nelson goes "Elder Wheatley, I feel a really special Spirit about this companionship, and let me say that I'm flippin' stoked to see what goes down this transfer." I agreed, and we start talking about things we wanted to do. Among many of the little goals we set, we decided above all else that we want to be 100 percent obedient to the mission rules.
We've been working at this hard. I'll tell you, waking-up at 6:30, exercising, hitting studies at 8, speaking only French outside of the apartment, and being home by 9pm, to name a few, can be very difficult, but we've been working hard. As a result, we have been so blessed by the Lord this week. Not only do we still have the energy to keep going each and every day, but we've found 13 people who were interested in our message and taught TONS of lessons; more than I've ever taught in a single week.
Last night was a prime example of this. We had a dinner apointment set with a family of members for 6pm but we arrived at her apartment building at 5:50. We were outside the building and asked this black guy outside if the building was correct. Not only did he respond, but he unlocked the door and let us in! He then went to his apartment a few floors up. Seeing that we had a few minutes, we decided to tract for a bit. Following a prompting, we went up a few floors and knocked some random door. Who answers but the same guy that let us into the building... and his mom! Haha.
The two quickly let us in, and, talk about a vision, the two had agnostic beliefs that perfectly matched our teachings! We taught a brief lesson, and the Spirit was so strong. They eagerly accepted a following appointment and became some solid new investigators. We later shared this story with the members who lived downstairs and they were not only touched, but super excited to help teach them! What a blessing.
To make matters better, while returning to our apartment, we again saw that we were a little early and decided to contact and tract for a bit. The time was 8:47. Following inspiration, we walked down a road while contacting and we crossed paths with a young, non-practicing Muslim guy; he was probably in his early twenties. In short, we ended-up teaching part of the first lesson (The Restoration) and sharing Joseph Smith's first vision there on the road. To make things better, this guy was so touched that he gave us his phone number so we could fix another lesson.
I think the principle that I'm trying to convey is that we show our faith by our actions. Those actions can be acts of searching and finding as in missionary work, but they're just as much those moments when you're by yourself, nobody is looking, and you choose to be obedient. Obedience to
all commandments, and not just to written commandment but spiritual as well (I can't tell you how many times I've kicked myself for not having followed a divine prompting), brings more blessings than we can fathom.
I think Ether 12:6 from the Book of Mormon says it best:
"And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for
ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith."
Brothers and sisters, to be obedient is to show faith, and to show faith is to invite miracles. So don't waste your time on worldly pleasures that temporarily satisfy carnal desires. All you're doing is stunting your ability to be a light in the world.
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