We got iPads!!

So this week not as much stuff really happened we got Dorian all ready for baptism and Philippe our other ami who has some social anxiety issues and we're all ready to get them going but then Dorian has decided to wait until his wife is ready as well which is a good idea, but we aren't really sure how long it will take to get her ready forbaptism and make sure she understands everything seeing as she only speaks a little French and no English. So we had to move his and Philippe doesn't want to do it alone being the only one so we are waiting for both of them. So I might not end up seeing either. 

So today we met a guy and he just told us that we don't know what happiness is and that we should just do whatever we want. We have those conversations a lot actually. We saw one of our less actives at a bar right by our house smoking and with a beer and then he called us over to talk so I guess that was a little weird cause I was on an exchange with our district leader and our less active was just like talking about n'importe quoi. But aside from that we usually talk to some cool people but they usually are busy or are just nice people and don't want to learn more. But yeah that's why member are so important here cause then people know we are normal people too but they always just think we are Jehovah witnesses and won't talk to us because of that reason alone. 

So as for miracles we had one with Berths so she is a very active catholic member but also comes to our church. But she believes in the trinity and all that so we talked about that and it almost turned more into an argument than a discussion or lesson but we testified at the end and gave her some scriptures to read out of D&C and she came to church on Sunday and told us that she prayed about

it and knew that what we said is true and that she received a spiritual confirmation of the things which we had discussed that day. So it was actually really cool to see that intellectual stuff is

important but spiritual knowledge is even that much more important. We can't know everything but God does and he has given us what we need to know and gives a way to find out answers to things that we don't know yet.

So the things I have learned here in Marseille.... I am not sure I guess my French has gotten better and I have actually some scripture references memorized so I can tell people where to find answers and also being able to tie things back to the gospel principles that we believe in our church. I am not positive it is hard to evaluate your own progression sometimes. Yeah I was positive that this day wouldn't ever come when my birthday was close. It feels like I just turned 18 but now I will be a year older and hopefully wiser. But ha never know.

So what happened with the lacrosse national championship? Josh is one of my favorite cousins out of the 120 that I have haha.  I still talk to my close friends from Olympus but for the most part everyone is off in their own missions doing their own things so I try not to bother them too much. Haha and btw we got iPads here in our mission! Oh and this week is the last week of the transfer so I will know on Friday if I stay or if I go. 😁 love you all!

Email: benjamin.schettler@myldsmail.net

Miracles of May

May 4- Priesthood Blessing

So for iPads we haven't gotten them yet and we haven't really heard much more about them besides that they aren't here. haha But anyway, I did get your package and the salsa packet exploded all over everything so I had to clean the other affaires inside off. But it was very well receives and I thank you for that. When I get back our whole family are gonna be in St George haha you guys have to wait until I get home before you have permission to move though so don't even think about it. But skype I will be at Frère Faudins house so I might end up using his account or something but if not I will use that one and I will find you guys somehow like I did on Christmas. I will maybe let you guys talk to him he speaks pretty good English and is really funny haha so yeah. 

But this week we had a little miracle with one of our investigators named Maria we went and saw her and we weren't really sure where to go with our lesson cause she wasn't willing to commit to baptism yet and so we didn't wanna keep moving if she wasn't willing to progress further, so we show up and we talked about baptism for maybe 20 seconds before she just is like, "Yeah I think am gonna do it. I thought I was gonna talk to my god parents and stuff but they will just say no and I think I need to so I am gonna gonna do it". And then her daughter I guess has been reading her LDM and wanted one in French and wants to come to church and all these things so we got her a baptism date and are gonna try and start teaching her daughter as well!  We got another brother in the ward who is from Cape Verde where Maria is from to come and pick her up and bring her to church. Unfortunately her daughter didn't come but everything was ok cause we will get her to come next week too haha. 

Berthe had her birthday yesterday and she came to church all fancied up haha it was really funny. She was just su^per happy all day and then she asked me to give her a blessing after church so I did and right before she just turns around and tells me to do it in English, which was odd, but I did it and idk it was a really cool experience to just feel you give up your will and listen to the spirit talk through you to the person and have them know what Heavenly Father wants them to know or feel. After the blessing she was almost in tears and even Elder Spencer turns to me and was like.... WOW.. ahha couldn't tell you what I said but it was really cool experience, she still hasn't taken a date for baptism but thats cool. It was a productive week. hopefully we get iPads soon. 

This is a little note and picture mom received from a senior missionary couple in France. 

"Service for the Senior Missionary Couple:  weeding our little patio

"by hand".  Thank you for supporting this young man on his mission.

We have enjoyed working with him very much.- Elder Stewart & Soeur Rivers"

May 11, 2015- Day after Mother's Day call

I totally forgot that Berthe said to tell all of you guys and also that she says that "je les aime" haha so yeah, and I will get a picture with all of them this week when I go and see them. Sorry it was sorta short and stuff, but I loved talking to you guys. I will get you those pictures on dropbox as soon and I figure it out. I also thank you for inviting Ella that was very very nice of you. I love you all and will continue to work hard. I hope you like Frère Faudin haha he is really like my French Grandpa. 

May 17, 2015- Fun is an attitude

So I will address the issue of the car first off because it is the most temporal subject to address. haha But I would suggest a 2012 Mercedes GLK or if you are looking for something with a little more umph, maybe your GMC will do you good, but you will have to get good rims on it. But if you wanna get really classy instead you could look at an Audi S class haha but that's a little more cher. 

But yeah like mom always would tell me fun isn't an activity it is an attitude, so if you think you are having fun it probably means you are, and if you think you aren't you probably aren't. It is all up to us to decide our attitudes and how we look at things. It is our own perspective that makes these things appear to us as they appear. Our amis are actually progressing well, we have right now 5 baptisms previewed for the 6th of June. We are on a tight schedule with them but we should be able to make it work. The Romanian family we are seeing a lot and helping them. He drinks coffee but he said something to the effect of, "If it is written by God then I have to do it" haha. He is so cool and willing to change. Sometimes it is sorta hard just because French isn't either one of our maternal languages so yeah, but for the most part he understands everything. 

Maria de Graca Gomes is another ami that we have and she is really cool too. She was taught way in the past but then she got sick and lost contact with the missionaries. but we are gonna get her baptized the same day. She also has to stop drinking coffee but she has the desire to stop so it should be good. A lot of stuff is happening but those are just our two top canididates at this time, the transfer would have no better ending that getting to baptize at least Dorian. He has changed so much and he is one of my closest friends now. haha I told him if he comes to the USA he can stay at our house. 

Miracles this week, I am not sure if i told you this one last week but we have this ancient ami Philipe who hasn't been seen for awhile, but his paper came up last week and so we gave him a call and it turns out that the night before he was looking at a picture of Jesus getting baptized and he had never really looked at it until that night and then when he woke up the next morning we called him to set up a RDV. Just a little miracle that happened. It was a spiritually growing experience. Haley is already going? It seems like she just barely got her call... The sisters are coming from my age group that is really weird. When I started I thought I had tons of time till they showed up but now they are starting to come. My birthday is next transfer which is really even weirder. But yeah Metro and bus and trams are just life for me now! It is all I have know the past 6 transfers. I have no idea what I would do with out super crowded public transportation. 

May 25, 2015- 

Sunday last week we taught Dorian and his family the Word of Wisdom and of course the only thing he had a problem with was coffee, haha, like the whole world here, but thankfully not smoking or anything else! But this past week he has really been putting forth his best effort and he told us yesterday that he hasn't had any for almost the whole week and he is getting through it very well. He is so cool. He couldn't come to church cause his car is broken but we got Frere Faudin's wife to come and give him a ride to church along with his whole family. Its really cool to see his progress towards baptism. You can really see his desire to become a better and more Christ like person. He has a hard life but he doesn't let that get him down, he always doucement.. doucement... haha which means like slowly... or slowly but surely, but he is getting there very well. He is still on for his date and we hope that we can see him all the way through it. 

We talk to crazy people everyday basically but for the most part people are really nice if they are willing to talk to us. We did have an atheist lady yell at us which is odd cause she called her self happy but from the looks from the smile on my face and the veins popping out of her forehead that one of us was obviously happier than the other, at least in that time. People are people and they can do what they want, but we are there to make people happy. That's what Christ came to us for to make us happy and to help us have that happiness eternally. But yeah we are getting iPads tomorrow so that will be really cool. I can see my emails everyday and I can do all my studies and everything on them, I think, but we will see what else we will be able to do once we actually get them. 

Dorian and Berthe's family from Romania. Elder Schettler and Elder Cueva met them in March and Elder Schettler  has continued to work with them with Elder Spencer. He loves them like family. 

Here is Elder Schettler's address in Marseille, use as written below! 

Les Missionnaires

Benjamin Schettler

30 Avenue de Toulon

13008

Marseille

France

Email: benjamin.schettler@myldsmail.net