Yo What up?

So I was half way through my email and I got some weird virus prank thing on my computer and now I lost everything! Stinkin' Internet Cafe's

This Week was good but now I have no time to tell you about it.
I got both of the Packages this week, I got the Christmas package before the other one, I don't know how it happened! Me and Elder Sautron are still not really nsync (by by by), but we are doing better. Little by little we are working out the kinks, but needless to say we had an INTENSE campionship inventory this week. wow. almost World War 3. but it's all good now. I did an split with Elder Allen, and I think that I laughed for about 24 hours straight, It was so fun. We decided that we are going to be companions before the end of our missions, I don't how we will work it out, but it is going to happen. We both have the same attitude about missionary work, and it was fun again, not to say that it isn't fun with elder sautron, but it was nice to be happy to work again, not just tired and sluggish.

Shout Outs:MOM AND DAD: Happy Anniversary!!! One of your best choices by far in my opinion! One Choice = One Beautiful Family
JEANELL AND KY: Happy Anniversary! Another great choice, I gave you less (!) because I'm not a result of your choice, but I really do hope that you both have great anniversary's
PORTER: Wow you are big and I can't believe it. Don't grow up too fast, I love you and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
JEN: We can never trust him again.
MIKEY: Toss up between Lady in Red and Stop, Hammer Time

Questions:
1. How are things going? See above paragraph

2. You said that you had learned alot about yourself like what?
I've learned how to motivate myself without the help of some else, and I've also learned that a companionship doesn't work very well when we are not trying to learn -what I mean by that is...if we make mistakes and start blaming the other person, we go know where, but when we realize we aren't perfect and that we are just going to learn and be different the following time. When we have the attitude of learning and trying new things we improve, but when we have the attitude of blaming and being negative, we don't improve and our relationship weakens.

3. Who are your amis now?
Joel - engaged to be baptised but smokes
Caroline - engaged to be baptised but smokes
Conchita - she lives in our stairwell and she is really lonely and sad, and the day that I heard grandma was sad and lonely I asked her if we could teach her, she said yes and turns out she prays everynight to know the truth, she is now reading the book of mormon and engaged to be baptised when she gets the answer to her prayer. I love her, she is great!
Caroline 2 - girl friend of member, they are getting married and she is engaged to be baptised and she accepts EVERYTHING, she wants be married in the temple so bad!
Jeremy and Lucas - Young students that are interested in the mormons
Ally - Young Budtist, hippy, super smart guy, that is interested in the mormons.
VANESSA AND BENOIT - we taught them on saturday and they agreed to keep being taught!!!! I'm pumped for that
4. Do you have interviews with the president? YES If so how often? once every 3 months.

I love you all and I will know on Friday if I'm being transfered or if i'm going to stay in Carcassonne! Thanks for the packages and emails they were great!

Bonnes Fetes!
Love Elder Smith


Christmas package!!!! (it was perfect! scarfs, ties, pens, ihome, SCOTCH-A-ROOS, camera, gloves, jello and fruit snacks!, wow I loved it and I love you, thank you soooo much!)


Elder Sautron and I


Oh just Elder Smith and Elder Allen doing a little bit of service together in a little village named Capendu in the South of France, no biggee


Me and my Basket-Balla's David and Leo


Service Project this morning (we were cutting firewood with a chainsaw, they were impressed that I could just a chainsaw well - it wasn't impressive, I give the credit to Dad for teaching me at the rental houses)


Elder Smith eating some Fruit by the Foot like a Champion (I love American Candy, thanks for sending it)

C'est Decembre Deja?

Wow! I can't believe that it is already December and I have less than 2 weeks left of my 3rd transfer. I feel like Elder Magnan just left! I hope that you are all doing well and that the Christmas preparations are going well, I'm assuming that you all survived Black Friday, and that you all already done your shopping?...yeah right... wishful thinking. Bon Courage and Bon Chance!
It is a little different for me, It is my first Christmas that I won't be doing much shopping, caroling, following traditions, Family dinners, Layton Park Lights, being at the front of the line as we singing "we wish you a Merry Christmas". But it is probably the Christmas that I will be the most focused on the real importance of Christmas. Seeing as all I do everyday is talk about Jesus with everyone, what a blessing!

I had an interesting conversation this week with my companion, we had just left a appointment and we were talking about our ami. His name is Phillipe and he knows the doctrine super well, if he gets baptized he will be a stake president in about 2 days. But he lacks the spirit and that is something that would keep him from being baptized. In most of our appointments the lesson always gets led back to Adam and Eve, he is super smart and he talks DEEP doctrine (kolob, plural marriage, etc etc) and he has really studied the Fall of Adam and Eve as well. He had brought up some good points and we told him that we would talk about them at our next appointment. What it came down to was, that God is perfect so how could he allow/create something that wasn't perfect. As we talked I came to realize that yes, the fall of Adam as negative side effects (pain, death, sorrow) and if we focus on just the Fall it seems like god created something with flaws, I then realized that we weren't looking at the whole picture, The Atonement. The atonement is the cure to the fall, and I've heard that a thousand times in Sunday school and seminary, but I then realized that I didn't understand the atonement. There is lots of bad things in the world, sin, pain, anger, sickness, wars, and I realized that the atonement erases ALL of that, 100%! It struck me that the fall was perfect because there was also a perfect sacrifice. I don't know if this makes sense, but by the end of the night I learned on a whole new level, the power of the atonement, the Greatest of all Christmas Gifts.

Speaking of Christmas- I don't know anything, but just by noticing the patterns that President uses with transfers, I will most likely be transfered the week before Christmas. That means that I have no answers about calls or anything, and most likely if you haven't send the Christmas package, I won't see it until the beginning of February, sorry. If you are a risk taker you can send the packages as late as the 10th but if not, it is probably smarter to send it to the mission office. If I stay in Carcassonne there is a member here that told me I can skype from his house and that the missionaries did it there last year. I have only 1 hour to talk so you can organize yourselves as you like, but I want to speak to all of you. Most likely I will be calling anywhere from 6 to 8 o'clock Christmas Night here, that is anywhere from 10 to noon Christmas morning for you.

For My Birthday- I don't really know. Another SD Card full of pictures? I think that sending me to France was already a good enough present.

This Transfer has been a transfer of lessons, we haven't seen the same success because we haven't worked as well. I hate saying that, I don't want to waste these 2 years, and I feel like we could have been more efficient these past weeks, but if nothing else I have learned a lot about myself and about the work I can do for the Lord.

This week was good, nothing really new and I'm running out of time, the trail that I was following is cold for the moment because we got led to a Jewish man that is in Toronto until next week, we will follow up and see what happens.

Jens Happy Birthday !! I am officially Old, you'll be 11 tomorrow and I'm on a mission. I'm practically already in the grave...its depressing


This letter isn't very exciting, but It was a good week and after a REALLY good fast sunday I feel energized and ready to work hard, and now I'm going to go find some baptisms!!!

I love you all!!! BEAUCOUP BEAUCOUP!

LOVE
Elder Matt

PS this week we ate with members 7 times in 8 days, and I think that I might be getting a mission addition (belly), If you want to send me anything send it low Fat!

Just kidding, Send the good stuff and I'll just have to do more sit ups in the morning.