Better Late than Never

Hello Everyone,

I recently finished remaking my resume and under the "skills" section I was honest enough not to put "Time Management" on there - better to have a weekly than to not have one!

Well, I have some exciting news to tell you all! Dorcas passed her baptismal interview and will be baptized THIS Saturday!! We are so excited for her and very proud of her, since being baptized and confirmed was her choice and not the choice of anyone else. I have had the privilege to watch her receive a testimony and consequently a conversion to the Gospel and I have seen the difference in her as she has grown in truth and knowledge. She has been blessed with the gift of Charity and is constantly giving to others. It is wonderful to be able to see her enter the waters of baptism and be confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints!

Yesterday she called me and asked if I would be willing to baptize her, after a positive response, I thanked her for the honor of having this opportunity. She has a lot of hair on her head, so I will have to make sure it all gets under! We are also going to video chat in my last companion, Elder Lloyd, all the way from Idaho because he played a massive role in helping her progress. We are all very grateful to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. From the first contact with missionaries eighteen years ago to now, the Lord knows how to do his own work and he makes sure that it all works out in the end.

Sunday we had Stake Conference in Lille. A member brought us and one of the people we are teaching to the conference. Gildas, the person we are teaching, recently moved to Amiens and has been progressing very well. He is a student and comes from a small country in West Africa. He was found and taught by other missionaries and remembered a lot about what he had learned. He  is going to pray about when he feels he should be baptized and confirmed. He has now seen General Conference and Stake conference (which had a visiting seventy speak) and has had strong spiritual experiences from both!

The work is moving along! There wasn't really anything incredible this week. We have been doing a lot of finding recently and made goals to get work moving here. The work is very tiring and I am very tired, but I know that the Lord will, and does, multiply my efforts each day.

I recently have started, without being aware of it, to try and find common ground with others and then have normal conversations with others. If the Gospel comes up, it comes up, but so far it has come up basically every time because it is kind of hard to not notice the plaque and the suit. The conversations have had so much more meaning and value to them. I don't simply feel like I am selling the Gospel, I feel like I am trying to be their friend. This new approach has resulted in some very nice conversations! I also have enjoyed smiling and waving at everyone. This can usually end up with you looking like a fool, or you can really make someone's day -  try it yourself!

Love you all, see you next week!

Elder Molinari

Pictures ;)

Elder Ellsworth and I visited the Cathedral and took a few photos during our finding sessions.

also the big building is where we had Stake Conference!

Je sais en qui J'ai mis a Confiance

Hello Everyone,

I am in one of those somber moods that make you reflect on your life and everything going on around you. It is probably because my companion is finishing this week and I will be receiving a new companion and staying in Amiens. My new companion is actually already in my district and is coming from Arras to Amiens, so… that makes things easier!

I have found that change, even though it is a constant in our life, is what makes me reflect the most and wonder about the future. It is in times like this that I... write the best Ha! Really it makes me stress out! I think as a missionary it is very easy to develop anxiety when it comes to big change - I think that can apply to all aspects of life.

My companion receives voice recordings from his mom and the one he received today had a little story in which she ended with her testimony. I realized that only now there have been so many occasions when I heard my parents, friends, or my leaders share their testimony, but I never really had the spiritual ears to listen to the words.

I find it quite remarkable how much good we can share with our words, yet also how much bad. Why is it our minds become fixated on the worse case scenario and immediately, our minds, jump to the island of conclusions? Where is the optimism we seek for and express in our prayers and in our dealings with our fellow man, yet lack when it comes to the changes in our lives?

I believe part of it comes from our life experiences. We are bombarded with negative experiences, which seem to crowd out the good experiences. As we forget the good, then our ears are closed to hearing and our eyes shut to seeing. When we need to remember the good the most, that is when we forget them! Of course, I can not speak for all, but if anyone is as hard on themselves as I am, then you understand what I am trying to say. We let the doubts control our thoughts!

One of my favorite quotes is that “we are what we think.” So, if we think negatively, well then of course we will be negative! If we think positively, then we will be more positive! It sounds too easy to be true, but I challenge you to try it and you will see what positive thinking can do for you.

I have heard beautiful heartfelt and sincere testimonies, I have been a witness to many a miracle, I have heard and been comforted by the quiet whisperings of the Holy Ghost, and I have been healed by my Savior Jesus Christ! I also have a strong conviction of this Gospel. These are the good things that keep me going - to list a few!

Jesus Christ is the source of our hope. He is the source of our joy. He paid the ultimate price for all of us by suffering and ultimately dying for us. As I have “aged” throughout my mission I have been repeatedly brought back to the feet of my savior in a desperate search for peace and rescue. The miraculous part of this all is that He has come for me each time. He has lifted me when I was drowning, He has opened my eyes to see, He has healed me that I may walk, and He has opened my ears to hear. Through my experiences, whether they be hard or easy, I have found peace and comfort in Christ.

I know the promise of our efforts being magnified is true. In the recent months I have grown, I would say exponentially in my spirituality; I truly hunger after the things of the spirit. Oftimes I find myself reading and teaching in a way that does not come from me. The Lord has been good to me as I have tried to do my best. I set standards that are too high for me and I always fall short, but even when I am at my lowest Christ is there to lift me up again. I don’t know how He manages to do it, but I sure am grateful for His help.

He has given me so much and continues to give me so much, the least I can do is to give my meager portion. I know, that He is more than happy to give you just as much, even more!

I really love this work, I really love the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and I really love Jesus Christ. He, along with his teachings, have changed my life. How can I not be grateful?

I leave with the promise that He can lift you up! When you feel you are not meeting your expectations, when you are scared or unsure about the future, when you have to make a difficult decision, or step out of your comfort zone - He is there to help you. Do not rob yourself of so great a blessing as to be wrapped eternally in His arms. He loves you and wants you to do your best. Keep trying, keep believing, keep working, things always get better with the Lord’s help.

When all is said and done, when you are not sure what the next step forward is, take courage, for Christ has already walked the path you now walk and will guide you forward. He gives us a little light here and a little light there and it can be a little scary, but He will always lead us in the right direction. Truly our eyes and our ears can be opened to the things of the Spirit and we can see beyond the mortal eye.

I will recount a quick history from this week!

We went contacting one night and we had actually finished and were heading to Pizza Hut to buy dinner and go home. While we were walking the Spirit spoke to my soul and told me to go contact a girl across the street who was behind us! I had barely even seen the girl, but upon expressing my desire to Elder Lloyd, we went over and started talking with her.

By all earthly appearances she didn’t look like someone we would talk with! She had blue hair, a cigarette butt in her ear, she was dressed in darker, baggier clothes. You see though, that doesn’t matter! We began talking with her and found her to be a swell girl! We practically gave her the entire restoration and Plan of Salvation on the street! She even agreed to meet with us again and we are now in touch with her!

What I want to highlight from the event though is this - Heavenly Father opened my eyes to see her as who she really is. I saw beyond what was physically in front of me, instead I saw a sweet child of Heavenly Parents, who care for her so deeply and want what is best for her. It was a touching and powerful experience, a witness to me of the love our Heavenly Father has for each of His children.

So remember, that even in the darkest and hardest of times we have a loving Heavenly Father and Mother who care for us deeply. We have an older brother, even Jesus Christ, who pleads for us to come unto Him and be perfected. What a marvelous blessing they are for all of us!

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed my somber words haha. I had a great time listening to conference this weekend - I hope you all did as well.

Make a great week!

I love you all,

Elder Molinari

Hey There...

A really nice dinner we had with a member and the cheese cake!

Hi, Bonjour, Good Morning, Afternoon, Evening! I write to an audience that lives all over the world, so it may be any of these times when you read!

What a week, where can I even begin?!

If you read the letter from last week, I am sure you may be wondering about the family across the street! Well, it went incredibly well!

We went over and shared a great meal with them. They are probably some of the nicest french people I have ever met - who aren’t members - and they were so welcoming. They had that ability to just make you feel like you had been friends for years! We chatted about all sorts of different things and had a great meal. I forget what it was called, but it is cooked beef inside a giant tomato - sounds weird, tastes incredible, 5 stars, would highly recommend.

They have a cute little family, the mother works at a school and the father is a master swim coach. That’s right, he teaches professional swimmers - pretty cool huh? The mother is used to working with kids, so she kindly slowed her speech down and enunciated everything she said, because we probably function at a primary school french level.

By the end of the evening, they had asked all of their kids to go to bed and the father asks us “Who is Mormon?” and so ensues a short Gospel discussion. They didn’t show any interest in meeting with us again, to take the lessons, but we left them with everything they need to succeed. We were able to give them a Book of Mormon, with a hand written testimony in it, with a book of mormon challenge book marked at 3 nephi 11, and we had also snuck a restoration and plan of salvation pamphlet in there as well! So, they have everything they need in order to find out if our message is true!

They told us to stop by before Elder Lloyd leaves, and we are going to stay in touch! We are literally just friends with them and I am fine leaving it like that, we are not here to force people into the Church, we invite, and it is up to them to decide if they are interested or not. My fingers are crossed that one day they will pick up that book and read it!

We went on exchanges with the Arras elders and I had a great time with Elder Ellsworth. He is a comedian and we laughed so much. We had a completely open day, so we went to work talking with people and visiting people who used to be interested in the Gospel. We had a great time and ended by visiting a member family.

We prayed to know where we were needed and ending up going to an area around their church building. We stopped by the church quickly and then headed out and walked by an old man who was working on his fence. I suggested we turn back and chat with him, knowing full well the risk that comes with talking to the person that lives right next to the church and has probably been spoken to by every set of missionaries that has ever been in the area! Well, it turns out this kind man and his wife had listened to missionaries a long time ago, but I don't really think people have passed by very often. We chatted for a solid forty five minutes and it was a great chat. Turns out he had been living in the area before it was even a town and when there were only farm fields surrounding the area - which was over fifty years ago! We just chatted like friends - You know how I love talking with the elderly - and we ended on very good terms. He even said we could come back and help him paint his fence another day. We left him with the Family a Proclamation because we could see how important family was to this man. I took a picture with him :)

Elder Lloyd was sick the rest of the week, so I did some work behind the scenes and was able to set up a few lessons for next week. He is feeling better today and is basically back to 100%.

That’s the week folks, hope it was worth the read. If you want to send me an update on how things are going on your side of the pond, I would love to hear about what is going on - I might even respond to you ;)

Alright, Love you all,

Elder Molinari

Elder Lloyd and I wearing the same outfit with a member named Romaine and also our friend Dorcas!

As One Speaking From the Dust

Nous avec un membre

Hey,

You might be wondering why I didn’t write last week. Simply stated, I had no desire to write last week - sorry - I am back now though! We had had a pretty hard week and Monday was the culmination of a lot of stress and other thoughts I was having. I needed to work all of that out myself and so I put myself in a type of isolation. I’m not sure if my ironic isolation makes any sense, since I am already far away and it may have come off as a little selfish of me to not write; but sometimes you just need to take a minute to yourself - I feel much better now! Imagine it as my figurative camping trip into the mountains to escape the world for a weekend!

This week went really well and I feel like Elder Lloyd and I are finally making headway in our branch. We have been helping one of the members move out of his house basically the entire week and it has been stressful on them since they need to be out of their house by Wednesday - this week - and the house is still full. Elder Lloyd and I are sacrificing our p-day to help them move all day today. They haven’t even found a place to move into yet, it is a long story, but they have faith it will all work out. They gave me a bunch of old legos and that made me pretty excited. They have all the old Alien, Knight, Western, and space sets from the late 90’s and I was in heaven looking through all of those. Haven’t found the time to build any of the sets yet…

We were also able to visit our Branch President this week with the same member previously mentioned. Our Branch President lives about seventy minutes away from Amiens by car, so it isn’t always easy to make it out there! In fact, I think we have been some of the first missionaries, in a long time, to visit his home. We spent a long time there, but it was great!! I think our relationship with him has skyrocketed. We were cracking jokes, he showed us around his house, fed us a really really good meal, and we got some great work done. We categorized all of the inactive members into groups by neighborhood and assigned the appropriate active members to contacting the chosen groups. We are going to hand them all out next Sunday. We also planned our special Sacrament Meeting for the 23rd of September. It is pretty nice being a missionary, you get to work closely with our leaders, see how the ward/branch is run, and since everyone thinks you have all Gospel knowledge, they really listen to your opinion - it is great!

We had a very successful moment with them; boy did I have a french headache after that day though, I don’t think those will ever cease to plague me!

We also had lunch with a member who lives about eighty minutes out of Amiens as well. He took a train into town to teach with us, but went to the missionaries old apartment because he hasn’t taught with missionaries in over three years! Missionaries… please teach with the legendary members you have in your wards/branches; they aren’t sand, you don’t need to hate them, ahh bad star wars jokes… Yes, well we had a really nice time with him and he speaks english as well, so that always makes everything so much nicer! We had an all you can eat chinese buffet - just imagine an Italian kissing their fingers and opening up their hand if you want to know how good it was.

I realized I never talk about the people we teach… Well, our ami Dorcas, after not wanting to commit to a baptismal date, randomly told us she received an answer to her prayers and figured out the Church is true, so she is now on date for the 29th of September. We are excited for her, but we are a little nervous she wants to be baptized to please everyone rather than because she received her own testimony. I’ll keep you posted on that one because Elder Lloyd and I both felt off when she announced her big news to us and it is just 100% against my morals, and his, to baptize someone who isn’t actually ready. In the Lord’s time, not mine.

What else? I never told you about my companion apparently. His name is Micah Lloyd, he hails from Idaho. He likes potatoes, cooks very well (Bless his heart), and is in his last transfer. We were in the same district while I was in Belgium, so we already knew each other, but we have gotten to know each other even better now. I also lived in a four man apartment with three of his previous companions and my old companion Elder Peel is serving with his companion that he was with while in Belgium. He sings nonstop… like, when I say nonstop I mean NONSTOP - we sing together though, so it is fine. He is also trying to convince me to attend BYU Idaho, but if you know anything about me, I can not make a decision, thus still have no idea where I am going... I’ll figure it out later. I did figure out what I would like to do as a career, but that is another story and I am just rambling now - good to have me back huh?

Alright, I will cut it now.  ←- Comedy gold.

See you next week ;)

Elda Molinari, the Italian Stallion.

 

Le 21 jour pour le Livre de Mormon

La semaine dernière

How are you going everyone?

This week was so tiring, holy smokes, I almost didn’t make it. We did so much service this week - I love it.

I put Elder Bell right to work, and now within his first week, we have taught multiple lessons, found a new investigator, visited countless members houses, and done service three days in a row!

I am also excited to announce that our friend, Stephanie, will be baptized this Saturday!!! We are going to finish the lessons tonight and then she will be interviewed Wednesdayand baptism on Saturday. I am so happy to see her make this covenant with her Father in Heaven. It has been quite an honor to see her progression over these few months, and to see her now enter into a covenant with God. I am very happy for her and I know Heavenly Father is as well. She quit coffee and tea without any issue, she accepted the law of tithing without flinching, she even had to end a relationship because of her new found faith in Christ. The Lord knows his people, and prepares a way for each of them.

We had a great fireside this past Friday night. The Elder’s Quorum President asked us to prepare the discussion - which would be approximately 45 minutes. So we took a few hours Friday afternoon trying to figure out a really fun idea to teach about Christ’s atonement. We finally came up with something, went to the fireside, and waited for people to show up. Only about 13 people showed up, so the Elder’s Quorum President said we would just watch the Bible videos and we would direct the discussion after the videos. So, all that planning was put to waste, but it was ok because we had some really good discussions. It was super interactive and everyone participated - even I spoke a lot! It was a fun fireside with the ward members.

Thursday we went and mowed Brother Scheen’s lawn for him. He is an older member, who can’t bend over too much anymore, so he needed help with mowing his lawn. Elder Bell was kind enough to do that, so I just talked with Frere Scheen. He was the first Stake President of Belgium! His first counselor’s son is now the Stake president! The stake was organized by Thomas S. Monson and back in those days, the stake presidents were invited to General Conference and went to Church headquarters regularly. So, Frere Scheen knew President Monson and probably some other apostles - pretty cool! He worked for General Electric and did so many different things for them. He shared a cool story about tithing with me.

General Electric told him that they were going to be opening up a new branch in Belgium and they wanted him or another employee to open up the branch. So, they were both interviewed and told that they would receive a 10% bonus. After their interviews the other man told Frere Scheen, “don’t say yes yet, tomorrow we will ask for 15% bonus.” So, Frere Scheen went home and told his wife and she looked at him and said that 10% is your tithing - take the job! She also asked him what he would do with another 5% extra. He didn’t really know, so he agreed with her. He took the job and within a few months the company was so impressed by their work that they gave him another 10% bonus, and then another, and another! So, he was continually blessed because his wife helped him realize that 10% was his tithing money.  

Saturday we had a good time at John’s house - He is the member with the farm. We worked from about 11 am to 8 pm. What a glorious day, had so much fun doing hard manual labor. I honestly hated doing any sort of work before my mission, but now I really enjoy it. It is so rewarding to just see everything you accomplished after you are done. I was so sore the next morning though - holy smokes. Then, John invited us back over Sunday night to eat with his family and celebrate his daughter and father’s birthday! They are such a nice family. They are one of those very close knit families, so when you are with them, you feel like family as well. I love visiting them.

We went to the English speaking branch on Sunday to give talks and when we got there, there were two other missionaries there, who serve in France, and I guess thought the branch was in their area, but it is 100% not in their area. So, that was awkward!! I was the final speaker for sacrament meeting, but by the time it was my turn the meeting was over. President Jensen (our old stake president) used to say he never had time to finish any of his talks, and that is how I felt! So I didn’t think I was going to speak, but the stake President was there and told me I could take as much time as I wanted. I had to skip around in my talk and I read super fast, but I think it still went well. We only finished about 30 minutes after sacrament meeting is supposed to end. ;)

Other than that, the week was good. Elder Bell and I are getting along well. I seem to be the missionary companion that everyone can take a breath with. Elder Bell told me he has felt a lot of stress taken off his shoulders already since being with me. I am glad I can help others feel a little more comfortable. I am 100% against contention, so I try to create a very happy atmosphere for my companions, where they can be comfortable, but still excel. I suppose it is working!

Much Love,

Elder Molinari

P.s. Stephanie asked me to baptize her! I am honored! Heavenly Father is so good to his Children :)

Pictures:

Me with mustache

Another Sunset

Sunset with the moon

Me ruining my shoulders a little more