Goodbye to the Bleu's - Letter 10/28/13

Hey!

I love Mondays too! I love the missionary work, but sometimes it is just nice to have a day to relax and write home. I should be able to send pictures this week! I'm pretty sure we're actually not supposed to use Dropbox, so I'll just keep emailing them. Usually if I can't send pictures it's because I don't have enough time anyways. 

Our appointment with the Serbians was great this week! Just a mother and son, but they are super in tune with the Spirit, which is awesome! They are reading the Book of Mormon and like it a lot. It's funny, our apartment is loaded with copies of the Book of Mormon in so many languages haha. Yesterday the Saitovics brought another family of 5 people to church with them, so we have an appointment to teach them Tuesday. 

Marian is doing pretty well. Yesterday he told us how bad he wants to be baptized, and he would love to shoot for the 16 of November. But, it all depends on his operation date, because he doesn't know when that will be yet. His nephew, Yolin, told us that he would also like to be baptized, so we've started teaching him as well. It's awesome! 

I haven't eaten anything really new except for a Kébab, which is basically a bun with shredded lamb inside, those are like burgers are in America over here. Soooo goood :) I think just the people in general are different haha. I've met a couple of strange people, including an Anti Christ guy that cast a hoobie joobie curse on us on a bus one day haha. And sadly, that happens pretty often, so it isn't even that weird anymore. 

It sounds like everyone is doing super well at home! I'm gonna start writing letters home just for you guys so that it saves some space on the group emails without all the family stuff. First one is going in the mail tomorrow :) I'm so happy for Triston and Becca, (friends that received their Mission Calls this week) that is super exciting! I haven't heard much from Kit, but he's in all of our prayers, our whole group of friends has been doing group emails together this transfer, so we've all been keeping in pretty good touch with each other, which is great. Tell Tristan good luck with his concert!

I am officially not a bleu ("greenie" in the Paris France Mission) anymore! It felt nice to wake up this morning as a 'real missionary' ;) So now for the big news.... I am staying in Épinal! We thought for sure that I was leaving, but I guess the Lord wants me to stay here a little longer :) No complaints here! I love this place and this transfer is going to be even more full of miracles than the last one was! I really feel like we'll see a few baptisms in the coming weeks, which is exciting! I found out that Elder Christiansen, one of my best friends from the MTC, is training this transfer! I'm super excited for him! So is Elder Mckechnie! It really is great keeping in touch with all these guys! But, it's also nice to stay with the same comp for more than 1 transfer :)

Not a ton of new stuff this week, we're just buckling down for winter. It's supposed to be the coldest winter here in 100 years, so we're a little nervous haha. By the time this transfer is over, I'll hit my '18 months to Home' mark. Wow! If you are going to send anything it will need to be here before December 10th, because I'm almost positive that I'll leave after this transfer. 

Have a great week, I love you all so much! You're awesome and I appreciate all of your support! à bientôt! 

 

Love,

Elder Martin

 

It always rains here!  Dad always said I'd be a scarf-wearing, satchel-carrying missionary, and VOILA!

 

 I got jealous of Dad's "Burgers of the Week", so Elder Stucki and I made our own...

Elder Martin's Burger of the Week

Burger, Fries, Egg, Peppers, Tomatoes, Pizza (instead of buns)

 

 

 

Dear Santa...

I asked Tyler for a list of things he wants and/or needs for Christmas.  This is what I received...as you can see, he hasn't changed a bit!
******************************************************
I don't have Santa's email address, could you forward this to him? ;)

Dear Santa, 

 

I have been REALLY good this year, better than ever before. I'm serving the Savior and preaching His name, will you please bring me something good?

 

-Peanut Butter M and M's

-Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration (We don't have that one in our apartment)

-Stickers of any kind for decorating letters and planners.

-Root Beer

-Coloring Book (I'm still a little kid)

-The France Shield Pin from Deseret Book, they don't hand them out to the missionaries anymore.

-Christmas music.

-Hot cocoa mix with candy canes :)

-Pictures of everyone :) (Printed)

Love,

Elder Martin

The McKechnie Curse - Letter 10/21/13

Bonjour! (or Bonsoir, since it's like 2 in the morning there!)

I know what you mean about some weeks feeling longer than others. It just kind of depends on what we're doing haha. Usually when we travel a lot it drags, but we didn't do that this week! So, to be frooged is actually not French, it's some islander language that has been English-ed haha. It does just mean that they don't show up and don't call ahead to let you know why. It happens a lot, but that's ok :) 

Our amis are awesome! Marien is having a really rough time with his health problems, and sometimes it breaks my heart :( He is the kindest, most Christ-like person I've ever met, but he just doesn't have anything going his way right now. Last night we taught him about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It was awesome because his nephew, who is the one that sent us to teach him, was there. It's awesome having recent converts help teach, especially when it's family! The Spirit was super strong, and another nephew, (13 years old) who speaks really good French and is going to stay here to help Marien got really interested. He said he really wants to be a part of our next leçon, so we're going to teach both of them! It is amazing seeing the gospel change these peoples' lives!

The Saitovics are progressing well, and I'm really excited for them! They are reading and praying and I know they'll be baptized now that we have the help of the Serbian Elders! At church yesterday, Bata, the dad, came up to us and said, (in fastly improving French!) that he has 2 young families from Serbia that he wants us to teach! He said they don't have Christ in their lives but he wants them to, so he talked to them and they said we could come teach them! So, we're going to go meet them tonight! I will then have taught more people from Serbia than any other country, including France! It's crazy, but I love it :) They don't speak any French or English, so we'll still be using the daughter Margarita as our translator. 

We got a referral from some other missionaries for a Russian lady and her family that actually called them because they want to learn about the church :) So we'll meet with them tomorrow! 

M. Ricordeau is doing well, his wife is out of the hospital but we can't meet with them until November, which really stinks. But, that is coming up soon! 

I've been feeling pretty good. I had a cold but it never really headed off so I hope it stays that way! Being sick as a missionary is terrible because you just sit in your apartment with nothing to do. I've heard that the worst is being the comp of a sick missionary haha. My knee hurts a lot, but I don't think that it's a big deal. Just usual stuff haha. And when it rains it hurts a lot, which I thought just happened with amputees and people with arthritis!

 It's possible that I could stay next transfer, you usually stay with a companion longer than one. But, so far I've had a different one each transfer, and Elder Stucki, who is 2 transfers older than me, has had a different comp every transfer! I worry that I may be subject to the "Mckechnie Curse". Elder Mckechnie told me that every ville he has served in, he has stayed until just before the huge miracles and baptisms happened! It stinks, but that might be what happens with me! This is the last week of the transfer, so next Monday we'll find out if I'm staying or leaving. I really hope I stay! I even told Président that in my email to him this morning ;) Couldn't hurt! 

Sounds like a fun, busy week at home! Tell everyone hello and I love them! Tell dad that once the calluses under your armpits get as thick as the bottom of your feet, crutches aren't as bad ;) I'm glad he's healing well, it's super tough being out of commission for a while! I'm keeping him in my prayers, as well as Grandpa Martin. I sent them a letter a few weeks ago, so hopefully they've got it by now :)

Thanks for Ben's contact info, I know how bad he is with missionary letters, because him and I shared one side of one paper to write to Steven once haha. So I was just as bad :) And yes, he rocks the chicken legs :)

We do have just one branch in Épinal, which covers like 15 different villes! We usually have about 15 to 20 people each week, but we're only rocking a 37% activity right now. I got the Halloween package and loved it! If the internet works today I'll send some pictures :) I haven't gotten the other one yet. Oh well!

Thanks so much for your letters and prayers! You're all in my prayers, and I love you! Keep up the good work, and work with the missionaries! Make sure that they get tons of member present leçons, and invite your friends to take the leçons! It makes all the difference in the world!

Till next week!

Love

Elder Martin

Bald and Calloused Knees - Letter 10/14/13

Bonjour! Comment ça va avec ma famille criminelle?! :)  ("How are things with my crime family?"  I opened my letter to him with, "How is my felon son doing?" in French via Google Translate.  Referencing his run-in with the Epinal police last week.)

Google Translate was pretty close haha. Getting busted by the cops was really crappy, but at least it's an awesome story to tell! I'll try not to make too much of a habit out of it, but who knows! ;) We have actually been doing an hour of contacting or an hour of my 12 Week training each night, because the police just said to stop porting at 20h. But then we got an email from Prèsident today saying that we were to continue using that hour to knock doors :) I know we'll be blessed as we follow his counsel, but it is also a little scary haha.

So my daily schedule:

6h30: Wake up and exercise

7h: Shower and stuff

7h30: Breakfast

8h: Personal Study

9h: Companion Study

10h: 12 Week Program (But only for 2 more weeks!)

11h: Hit the street contacting! 

12h30: Lunch

13h30: Contacting or Porting

16h30: Language Study/ Dinner

18h: Porting

21h: Come back home, plan for the next day, write in journal, eat ice cream, etc.

22h30: Bed time!

That is kind of a general day, it depends sometimes on if we have rendez-vous and meetings and stuff. On P-day we do an hour of studies then email from about 10h to 11h ish, depending on the length of our emails to Prèsident Poznanski. Then we do our shopping and get home about 14h. Then we clean and write letters and relax, or else go into town and look around or do touristy stuff, but there isn't tons to see out here haha. Then we jump back into missionary work at 18h that night. 

That's so cool that you found his mom (Elder Stucki's) on that email group! When I told him that we both just said "Oh, mothers" haha! We get along super well, I have been praying so hard to stay here with him in Épinal next transfer. Also, that family with the two missionaries in France is the Pettingill's. They are super awesome! (At least, the 2 kids that I've met are, so I imagine the whole family is).

So this week was a little slower. A lot of our rendez-vous fell through, which stunk, but that's what happens when you teach a lot of college students with hectic schedules. Marien is doing really well, but he was in the hospital for his back so we didn't get to see him as much as we would have liked. We're anxiously awaiting our Book of Mormon in Romanian from the mission office for him. Favrice has kind of frooged us a lot this week (c'est à dire: doesn't really answer the door haha) But we'll keep trying to get back in contact with him.  M. Ricordeau's wife is doing much better, but they said they aren't available until Novembre, so that really really bites. But, I'm just glad that they're all doing ok for right now. The famille Saitovic is doing well, we've seen internet connection miracles this week! Their connection is terrible, and usually cuts our calls with the Serbian missionnaires, but this week it was amazing! Which was super good, because they taught and committed the famille to live the Word of Wisdom, something we've been struggling to do for about a month! They are definitely progressing towards baptism, I could see them being baptized before the end of next transfer (just another reason I want to stay!) We watched Conference kind of spread out across the whole weekend until Monday morning haha, but it was great!

I did not get the package :( But, I would say don't resend anything until we know if I'm staying or not, because if I get transferred then I can guarantee I won't get it before I leave. The mail system has been really really slow lately. It takes me about 2 weeks to get letters right now, so the package could still be coming. If it doesn't come by the end of the transfer you can resend it :)  I just hope that the Halloween one comes, because Elder Stucki and I have been getting super pumped for Halloween! I'll send home my Christmas list either next week or the week after. 

Crazy Rigby news! I'm so pumped that Riley (Johnston) got his call! Could you send me his address so I can write him a letter or something! Also, please send me Ben poo-stain South's address! I have great need to write him haha. Sounds like everything is moving really fast there! 

I miss Tanner so much, but I'm so happy for him! He's gonna love the MTC, it is an awesome place. And he is going to be an awesome missionnaire! I hope he cried more for me (than when he said goodbye to Kylee)! haha. That's how it should be, right! :) Sounds like a fun week, and tell C-Mack congrats for me! Wish I could be there to watch him play, but that will be the priority when I get home! I'm so excited for Trace, it sounds like he's doing super well! And I'm sure that your leçon touched that woman's heart, the Holy Ghost is pretty good at that, I've started to learn :) 

Sounds like Dad is... way too much like me! Crutches are the pits, and I had such a hard time being off of my feet for that long. We're both just too antsy to get stuff done at the pace we want, and crutches tend to prevent that from happening. I've prayed harder this week than I ever have in my life! It is a scary time, but I know that the Lord is going to protect our family. At least a big part of the problem can be fixed with diet. I'll really have to keep an eye on those things, because the odds are really stacked against me genetically as far as heart health haha. 

I have really felt you're prayers in my benefit! I can't lie and say that a mission is easy, but at least I can say that it is COMPLETELY possible. I agree with Elder (Gavin) Ritchie, sometimes you do all of this work and don't see the results and all of that. But I can definitely say that what changes we don't always see in other people, I have seen in myself. This has definitely changed me so much. I pray for you all so much (I realized just how much this morning when I was getting dressed and found out that I have not only calluses on my knees but also bald spots where I kneel to pray haha.) You are always in my prayers and I love to get your letters! It's so good hearing about home and family and friends! You are all such a big part of my strength and my reason to be here! I love you so much, and I can't believe that I'll see your faces at Christmas! That is really close! By the time I see you again, I'll be 1/4 of the way done with my mission! Elder (Ben) Anderson hit his year mark a few weeks ago, which is bizarre! 

C'est un bon jour d'être missionnaire de l'Église de Jésus-Christ des Saints des Derniers Jours!  ("This is a good day to be a Missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints".  Tyler heard this from his friend, Elder Gavin Ritchie.  Elder Ritchie repeats this while serving in Costa Rica and Tyler repeats it daily in France.)

Love you all so much!

Love,

Elder Martin

Unfortunate Name

 Called to preach to the sinners!

N'importe où, Some things never change :)

 This week after we did service with Jean-Pierre, he took us to lunch at McDo's!

Letter and Picture from Elder and Sister Chaston

Elder and Sister Chaston are Senior Missionaries serving in Elder Martin's Zone in France.  He loves them so much!  We are so blessed to know he is being watched over and loved by some wonderful "adoptive parents" in the Mission field.

Dear Martin Family,

We thought we would take a few minutes to send you a note and a picture.

As you probably already know, Elder Martin has a new companion, Elder Stucki.They are a great companship. We are very impressed with how dedicated and hard working they are.

We've had a chance to watch Elder Martin now for a while and we want you to know that we notice an extraordinary maturity in him.  He is really a pleasant person and shows such confidence!  He is always smiling and excited about the work.  What a great missionary he is!!

Hope your family is doing well!

Elder & Sister Chaston

Elder Martin and Elder Stucki

J'aime bien la Conférence Général!!! Letter 10/07/13

Bonjour!

I love your letters too! They are always a highlight of the week!  Zone Conference was amazing, our mission leaders are so inspired! Because we made our goal of 100 baptisms in the last 2 transfers, Prèsident Poznanski gave us a new challenge. And I can tell that he works by revelation, because it is the same challenge that Elder Ballard gave in Conference this weekend! We've been challenged to find and baptize one family before Christmas! I learned a lot about how to teach simply and effectively with the Spirit and the scriptures. Also, I loved seeing my friends here in the mission! Elder (Ben) Anderson wasn't there, but I saw lots of others, including the twin sister of one of my best friends from the MTC. He's serving in Lyon right now, and his sister just arrived in Paris this transfer! Crazy!  That picture probably was with Elder Stucki, that was when we were setting our goal of how many baptisms we'll have this month! If you can add Elder McKechnie to my Facebook, that would be awesome!

The language is going really well, I have felt your prayers! I really feel like I can speak this language now, which really helps me feel so much closer to my amis and the members. I'm not entirely sure about the other languages right now actually... Prèsident said something at Zone Conference about priorities and what we do with the time we're given in the mission field. If I start to really feel the need to learn those other languages for the missionary work I will, but if not I can wait until I'm back on my own time after the mission :) Btw, Elder Stucki said he doesn't know the Nelsons (friends of ours in American Fork) or Taylors (a family in our Ward that moved here from American Fork). Oh well!

Our amis are great, they are really starting to progress! We have found some new amis this week! Lassine is a young student who is really interested in the Book of Mormon. I think last week I mentioned the Romanian guy whose uncle lives in Épinal? Anyways, we couldn't find his house or get a hold of him, so we were pretty worried about finding him. But then, the other night, we got off the bus across town in some tiny, random quartier, and this white car pulls up and starts honking. It was the guy's uncle, Mario! He took us to his apartment and fed us and said he wants to change his life and stop smoking, and we promised him that we would help him do that! The last one this week was Favrice. I think Elder Mckechnie and Elder Andersen found him before I got here, because he lives like 3 doors down from the church. He stopped us on the street one day and asked if we would come visit him that afternoon! He already had a Book of Mormon that he was reading out of and he said that he knows it's true. We're shooting for the last Saturday of the transfer for his baptismal date! The Saitovics have been out of town, so we haven't met with them a ton this week, which has kind of stunk. The same with M. Ricordeau, his wife is in the hospital right now and hasn't been able to meet with us this week.

Conference was amazing! It kind of ate up our whole weekend of missionary work, but c'était la pêine! It was the best conference I've ever seen by far. I loved watching the morning sessions in the evening here, because I knew that I was watching them at the same time as you! Those talks were so geared towards the world right now, I never realized it until I left little Rigby, Idaho :) But the world needs our message so badly! I can't believe that it was a year ago that my life was changed forever by that announcement! 

I didn't get the package yet, we're holding out for today! :) They celebrate Halloween here, but we're not really sure what they do to celebrate it haha. But we're going to celebrate American style, by going and knocking doors! ;) Maybe for a different purpose though haha. I should get to Skype at Christmas, it will just depend on members where I'm serving at the time. It's been a long time! If you want, we could try using a little handheld tape recorder or something like that. I know there was an Elder in the MTC who used that and really liked it. His parents are serving in Africa right now because he's the youngest, and that worked really well for them. 

Go Rigby Football!!!! And it's not a big surprise about those two (Catherine and Gabe, friends of Tyler's) getting engaged :) I'm super happy for them! Sounds like the boys are doing so great, I'm super glad! Also, I'm glad you have your house full of teenagers again :) Soon it will just be a house full of 20 somethings doing the same things we used to! 

That is so crazy with dad! I'm so glad we found it now and not later though. It's scary, but it's going to be ok :) I'll try not to worry too much. You know me, I kind of worry a little haha. But I know I'll be spending lots of time on my knees this week, because that has gotten me through every other rough time so far!  Everything will be ok.  I better keep an eye out for that stuff for the rest of my life, our family has quite a history! Grandma wrote me a while ago to nag Dad about getting his heart checked, but I guess the Lord beat me to it! 

I'm so glad that everyone is doing well and is happy and healthy! The world is changing so much right now. It always freaks me out to hear about changes in America and the world, I feel like the world is changing while I'm protected inside my bubble for these 2 years haha. But it is so good to know that my family and the Church are always going to be there for that strength and solid ground. Don't worry about me at all out here, I'm in the Lord's hands, the safest place in the world! I love you all so much and pray for you constantly! Have fun and enjoy those beautiful fall colors! I'm not sure if it's because it is so wet here or what, but our leaves are all still green, they changes super late here! Au Revoir!

Love,

Elder Martin

P.S. Random Épinal Fact: The local police force is not a big fan of young men knocking on doors after 20h in the evening, and we've been kindly invited to stop our proselyting at that time haha :) We'll probably move an hour of studies to the evening and start contacting an hour earlier in the mornings, in order to stop scaring the citizens of Épinal :)

 

 Zone Conference in Paris - 10/02/13

Setting Companionship Goals with Elder Stucki at Zone Conference

Lunch Break during Zone Conference

We finally went to the castle (Since I've lived here 9 weeks and haven't gone haha) and got some awesome pics from the top!

 

 Comps at the castle ruins

 

 Love the view of my ville!

 

 

We've got sweats, snacks, and the computer in our Branch President's office. Conference, here we come!

 

 

 A member got these shipped here from America. They don't sell Peanut Butter M&M's or Reese's Pieces in France. That's going on the Christmas list.