Lyon, France

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Dearest family and friends,

The weeks fly by faster and faster!  I can't believe that I already find myself in front of this computer screen again, reflected the events that took place this last week.

I have had some pretty amazing experiences (as every week of the mission) that I hope to paint to you.

Unfortunately, I left the Lausanne Stake just before their stake conference and entered into the Nice Stake right after theirs, so I did not have the opportunity to be edified in a stake conference this fall.  But this last Saturday was the stake leadership training, to which my companion and I were invented to help train the ward mission leaders of the stake.  It was a really cool opportunity to bring back out some of the inspired messages from the worldwide leadership training, Hastening the Work of Salvation.  It was also a huge pleasure to find once again a good group of the members of the Aix-en-Provence ward, where I started my mission.  Some of my friends from Aix were now pleased to be able to communicate with me after over a year of French learning.  Haha, 'twas joyous.  Most of all it was a pleasure to be able to benefit from the incredible examples of the leaders of this stake.  They are true disciples of our Lord and Savior.  I love the members here.

So I have described it well enough yet through these letters, the Nice ward is one of the best missionary wards in the stake.  To give you a vision, yesterday there was a baby blessing of the first born child of a family that was baptized in May and will get sealed next May.  They met the church through a woman who gave her talk in Sacrament Meeting.  Both her and the family of the baby invited non-member and less-active friends and family to church, making for a total of 13 non members at church!  It was such good missionary work.  My companion and I got to know the sister and brother-in-law of the recent convert mother and they accepted to have us over to teach them this weekend!  Cool finding activity.  Member missionary work is honestly the best!

Another amazing experience actually took place today, when my companion and I went with one of the ward missionaries to the hospital to give a blessing to a less-active woman who had ulcers removed.  She was in terrible pain, and the visit did her a lot of good.  She was a woman who has been through a lot of difficulties since she was baptized about 5 years ago, but she has kept the faith.  She told us that when she was in her lowest of lows and when she had nowhere else to turn, she pulled out her Book of Mormon and it lifted the burdens.  We laughed and cried together and then we gave her the blessing.  She gave me the opportunity to give the blessing and I felt how much love Heavenly Father has for this woman as I said the things that the Spirit inspired me to say.  It was one of the most powerful moments in my mission.  She told us that she was going to start coming back to church again after the holiday season when things are more calm.  It was a cool little rescue mission that the Lord called us on.  Being a missionary is the best thing ever.

I will not have the time to describe some other experiences that we lived this last week, mais elles étaient bonnes.  We are seeing the Asilo family tonight!  This is the Philipino family that we haven't seen since my first day here.  We're really stoked, they're so prepared!  Pray that it goes well.

I love you family and friends and I pray that you find ways to engage yourselves in this amazing work that is being accomplished on the earth today.  I testify that it is being hastened.  There are truly miracles that are happening in this mission, as I am sure are happening in all the others.  I know that the Lord gives us all that we ask with faith.  He won't give us a stone when we want bread or a snake when we ask for fish.  Ask for people to help come unto Christ, and he'll give them to you!  I love you and wish you an excellent week,

AVEC AMOUR

ELDER KUNZLER

PS.  Sorry no pictures, but believe me when I say to you that Nice and the French Riviera are gorgeous.  Went to a town called Menton this week, literally a few kilometers from Italy (you could see the Italian cities just down the coast).  Probably one of the most beautiful places I've ever been to.  The drive on the way back was in the mountains over Monaco.  WHOA§§§

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