Joyeux Thanksgiving!

Dear everyone,

Thank you for the letters, I loved hearing about Taylor, Jake and Trent. Did Charlie make it to chile? Is Ren in the same country as me? Where is Mark? Is he frozen?
I was SO SO excited to hear that David Parker got his mission call and that is going to join my in the vineyard, and I'm also super excited for Elder Jones 2 (Cameron), I'm super excited for them. Does anyone know what Paul Wuthrich is doing? Hope all is well.

I'm not gonna lie, hearing about the Christmas Picnic tugged at my heart stringles a little, and also I'm a little bummed that I won't be joining in the Turkey Bowl this year. But I am also very glad to be hear in Carcassonne even if Thanksgiving doesn't exist, (that is such a sad phrase "Thanksgiving doesn't exist"). You all need to eat double portions for me. I heard that there was 2 feet of snow at the Winter Picnic, that sounds like antartica. I am cold, but I think that it has tappered off, It is kind of like end of september climate hear, and I think that it will stay like that, till about March. Appartently the most it snows here is about 3 inches. Not terrible. The cold thing in Carcassonne is the wind. It seems like it is always breezy or windy here, I need to buy a scarf, cause its a little bit chilly.

This week was.......ok I'll just tell you like it is.....hard. (There have been complaining that the missionary work here is too peachy, and I've been asked to be more negative) I'm not going to complain because its probably one of my biggest pet peaves after the MTC. I think that I was a whiny child, and I'm sorry cause I hated listening to missionaries complain at the MTC. This week was hard, but it is not the fault of France or someone else, besides Satan. Oh geez Satan is a jerk. Our Amie Vanessa.....She has been engaged for 7 months to be baptised on the 4th of December, she has prayed and recieved a testimony and she as felt the spirit and she told us that she knew that she need to be baptised. She is getting married this weekend, and orginally she decided to get married so that she could get baptised. Well last week she got ready and she headed off to church with her fiance and her son. They were running late and they were a little embarrassed to come into sacarment meeting late, just then, this is why I've got a grudge against Satan, they heard the bells ring from the great and abominable church, they stopped and thought "well we haven't been to mass in a long time, maybe we can go this week to see a difference." To make a very long story short, they went to the catholic church for sunday and there the fiance felt better because, it was not the mormon church, she was happy that he was happy and she felt the feelings of her childhood. After 7 months of missionaries teaching them, countless prayers, fasts, and they have decided that the catholic church is the church for them. Needless to same, my heart is broken, I have never felt so happy, than the moment that she told us that she KNEW that she need to be baptised and just 7 days later, she doesn't want to be a part of the church and I don't know if I've ever been more sad. Don't worry we're not going to let her off the hook that easy, but for this week with their marriage, we'll have to wait.
Also this week as been a little rough with Elder Sautron, we get along great, but we have really different ideas about missionary work. He is the senior companion, but I like my ideas. and in my opinion they work better. I know that I'm just being prideful but it has been a little frustrating as we teach, we laugh a lot together and we really do get along, but we have different personalities, I think that I'm going to let him lead, because after all we was called by our mission president to be my leader. BUT, if it crashes and burns this week, we are going to go back to my ideas.


Q&A
1. Where do your French companions go to the MTC at? Madrid, Spain
2. Do you do service every week? Yes, we helped someone move. helped someone sand a door and stuff for painting. gathered firewood in the forest. Organized and prepared a cabin for winter, Cleaned. Just random stuff.

3. Shelley told me that the French celebrate Christmas on the 9th of December is that right? I don't think so, if she is right then they have missed planned the Christmas program in Carcassonne

4. Does the mission have special things planned for Christmas? Talent Show and Zone Conference at the end of the transfer, we are working on a doozey of a sketch "Missionary Celebrity Jeopary" we'll see how it goes

Even if this we was hard. I'm still happy and loving the mission field. I feel like I've seen ALOT of Carcassonne, and I've contacted lots of people more that once. But I'm sure that there are still some elects that are hiding from me. I'll get them this week.

I love you all, Ben good luck with residency, Sara that your for the note. Tres, tell everyone at the Turkey Bowl hello. Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Love Elder Matt