Thanksgiving!

Madame was so very kind to invite us over for Thanksgiving dinner. I got up, meant to do things in the morning, didn’t, then headed out for Madame’s. We had to get our own turkey since they didn’t sell whole ones yet (they do that for Christmas; they don’t have Thanksgiving, if anyone’s confused). So I went to the boucherie (the butcher/meat shop) and asked for a leg of a turkey. I swear it looked smaller, but I ended up with a leg that was at least a foot long and more meat than we actually needed. It didn’t finish cooking in time for dinner – it was that big – so it is currently waiting at Madame’s to be used for leftovers.

Madame is a fabulous cook – I loved it. Apparently, it was her first time preparing a Thanksgiving feast, but it was great. And dang, that was the best pumpkin pie I had ever tasted! I must have her recipe!

After Thanksgiving dinner, we helped clean up the apartment before we left, because, let’s face it, 15 people meeting for dinner can get a little messy. Then we went to Champs-Elysées to see the Christmas lights. We ran up and down in the cold, went down this awesome slide for one euro, and tried to go into Ice Sculpture exhibition, but it turned out to be far too much money. We all decided to wait until we got back to the US to see any ice sculptures. Still, it was fun, cold, and exciting. I didn’t buy anything (except a ride down the slide). Aren’t you proud of me?

Let’s be thankful. I am extremely thankful to be here in Paris. This is, by far, the most amazing experience of my whole life. This year, in general, has changed my life for the better. The beginning of the year was a little confusing and messy for me (boys – what can you do about ‘em except love ‘em?) but then I went to General Conference and received answers to my prayers. I must say, God certainly didn’t beat around the bush waiting to answer my questions – He answered it within the first five minutes. It took me a while to accept His answer, but nonetheless, I am grateful that I have accepted it: I’m going on a mission!

That fact alone has changed my life – so has this summer. I spent it going out with the missionaries every week, watching how hard they worked for the Lord and seeing how the gospel changed lives. If General Conference wasn’t enough to convince me, the summer certain had. Especially when a wonderful guy named Jason got baptized. If you want the whole story, let me know, but more or less, I have never, ever seen a more beautiful baptism. I never felt the Spirit so strongly or so sweetly as I had in that moment.  In that moment, never has it been clearer the purpose of God’s work, that it was to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of all men, and to do that, the gospel must be brought to every person so they could share in the Good News.

To sum it all up: I’m going on a mission!

And if that’s not enough, coming out to France has further changed my life. It’s great preparatory work for my mission, and it has certainly put me out of my element; speaking a new and different language every day, making friends with 18 complete strangers, being here without anyone I knew, being expected to survive in a city far, far away from home… God has certainly looked out for me while I’ve been out here, and I’m sad to say that I’m not perfect. I could have certainly done better to be worthy of His blessings, but nonetheless, I am eternally grateful for everything He’s done for me.

I am grateful for my host family, for their kindness in allowing me into their home and eating their food and helping us adjust to the culture. I’ve learned a ton from them. I’m grateful for Sutton in being my roommate – more so now since she’s in Italy, and I miss her like crazy! I’m grateful for Madame and her hospitality and for the extra mile she put to make sure we had the best experiences out here. Really, there couldn’t have been a better person to share this with. She’s such a sweetheart, and her humor takes all of us by surprise sometimes. Oh, dear, so many memories… No one could have handled “Annie” like she could have…

Paris is wonderful. I’m grateful for the history here that makes such a colorful, wonderful city. Started with the Celtics, and it still continues on today. I’m grateful for the people here in Paris. I had expected the whole lot of them to be rude and condescending, but on the whole, they’ve been extremely kind and helpful. There were a few bad eggs, but many, many kind people. No more worse than any of the people in America. I’m grateful for the public transportation to get us everywhere we needed. I’m grateful for my awesome regular bus 72, which goes past all of the best monuments in Paris. I’m grateful for my teachers and all that they’ve been able to teach us. I’m grateful for my parents and the wonderful sacrifice they make for me daily. I’m grateful (especially now) for the Internet, which allows me to contact my family far across the seas. It certainly eases the homesickness. I’m grateful for Opa, and for Uncle Bob for helping funding my education – really, there could never be a luckier or more grateful girl on the face of the planet. I’m grateful for everything the gospel offers, especially that we have a church all across the planet. I can’t tell you how special it’s been for me to be able to partake of the sacrament here in Paris, and go to a three-hour meeting to spiritually feed us (albeit in a different language). I’m grateful for the Thanksgiving season and Christmas, which gives us the opportunity to reflect on all our blessings. Most of all, I’m grateful for Christ and his sacrifice for our sakes. If it weren’t for Him, I highly doubt that I would have been able experience such joy as his gospel and the Atonement offers us.