HELP I SO COLD

winter has begun and it will never stop! there`s ice and snow and everyone says this winter is going to be a TERRIBLE WINTER because the summer was so hot and it has started snowing really early in the year. 

fun canadian fact: they call beanies touques (tooooooooks) i was so confused when this guy walked past me and said "i like your touque" and i was like, "excuse me?" but then i was told that it was actually my hat.

this week was an interesting week for sure. it started out with everyone cancelling on us, everyone cancelled on us, and then ended with everyone cancelling on us. fun right? 

well since elder bennett visited us last week, we have been feeling a sense of urgency to do the work. now is the time for us to share the gospel with the world! there are people who are ready and if we are ready, we will be led to those who are desperately searching for it. so, to not be discouraged from our rather poopy empty schedules, we needed to talk to everyone. every day we went to where we felt Heavenly Father was guiding us and we were able to see very many sweet miracles because of it. we have been able to teach so many people true doctrine of the restored church on the spot. it`s amazing how many people will let you pray with them on the street and the power that it brings! it`s been really cool to see. one of the coolest miracles we had this week was Saturday when we were calling a ton of old potentials and there was this guy named Pierre who just had "teach him" written next to his name from 2 years ago. we called him and he told us he thought we were a strange community and he thought we were weird. awesome. but the spirit was there and tons of questions were asked and we were able to teach him about what we believe and how we have seen it change our lives. we went from him thinking we were weird to about 20 minutes later him asking us to come over and teach him. and at the end of the phone call we told him we love to pray and thank God for what we have and ask him for peace and things we need, and if we could pray with him and he said that he would really like that. it was so cool!

another really sweet moment this week was i got to go to a baptism! it was for the elders in our district. their investigator renee was getting baptized and she was pretty nervous before. after she came up out of the water, she was a little disoriented, but then she beamed and exclaimed, "AWESOME!" and was so happy and hugging everyone. it was so amazing to see the instant change after she was baptized!

this week we also went on 2 exchanges. for the first exchange we actually went into the sisters` area, which is downtown ottawa. it was so fun to ride the bus! i love bus contacting and i never thought i would say that! haha. i met some really cool college students, and one of them even let me read the book of mormon with her on the bus! she loved it! i also had a creepy guy hit on me at the bus stop. i thought he was a homeless old man, and he came up to me and sister agapinon (who i was exchanging with) and i thought great, people are contacting me now! so i tried to ask him if he believed in God, etc., but he kept asking me if i was 17 and if i would date someone who was 30 (he was definitely way older than 30) and trying to be sneaky about asking me if i would date him. the whole time sister agapinon was trying not to laugh and i was trying to talk about the gospel and get his contact information so that i could give him to the elders to teach, but the bus came and saved the day. it was pretty funny. the second exchange i went on was with sister zobrist from chapel hill! it was a fun day and we had some really great lessons!   

oh good news! sister garcia and i will be staying together in gatineau for another transfer, which means we will be here for christmas, my birthday, and new years which is super nice! i love these people and i didn`t want to leave! 

this week i want to focus on what i am grateful for even i will not be celebrating the real and correct thanksgiving (aka american thanksgiving). i am so grateful for this mission that i am on and for my family and friends, but mostly i am grateful for my Heavenly Father and my Savior. i am grateful that my older brother Jesus Christ suffered and died for me so that i never have to be alone. i`m grateful that He rose again 3 days later so that i can one day be like Him and my Heavenly Father and with my family forever. i am grateful for the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, the commandments that tell me how i can live and be more like Him, and for the faithful prayer of a humble 14 year old boy. i am grateful we have a wonderful living prophet and that we have the scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon to guide us and strengthen us. there truly is power that flows out of that book. 

i love you all! think of me when you are stuffing your face and eat extra pumpkin pie for me on thursday while i am freezing outside in the snow trying to preach some word, but i wouldn`t have it any other way. 

love,

soeur paine 

pictures:

sister zobrist on our exchange with our boyfriends ben and jerry

HELP I SO COLD (this was just the beginning of the snow, there`s now a couple of inches on the ground)

sister garcia and i during calls this morning