Miracles

Mon, Nov 5, 2012 at 11:42 AM

Hello my dear family and my dear friends,

We have had a week full of many very spiritual experiences here in Toulouse.  I'm super excited to share with you a word or two from my recent past!

So I can't wait to tell you guys about her, so I'm going to start with Leila.  Elder Petek and I "white-washed" Toulouse, which just means that both of came into this sector from different parts of the mission.  We inherited some of the old amis that the previous companionship was seeing, but we found that most of them were not really progressing and even hesitant to see us.  So we had a LOT of time to go out, start fresh, pray and search for those whom the Lord and his angels have prepared here in the wonderful city of Toulouse.  This week we saw some miracles in our efforts.  We found Leila on Halloween night.  Leila comes from Malaysia, her father is from Morocco (Muslim background) and her mother from Spain (Catholic background).  She was raised mostly in a catholic home, but she was always confused about who God was and who she should worship.  She studies art here in Toulouse and speaks French, Spanish, and English.  When we met her on the street, she really opened up to us and was honest about how she has always been intrigued with the passion of Romantic art and especially Christian art.  She was touched with our testimony of the Savior on the street and agreed to meet with us.  We saw her two days later and we ran into her on the street on the way to the RDZ! It gave us a chance to get to know her before the lesson.  This lesson was the most spiritual lesson of my mission.  Every single thing that was said, every point that was covered was directed and magnified by the spirit.  We shared the beautiful message of the Restoration and after I shared Moroni's Promise with her, I asked her how she felt.  She said that she felt like she wanted to cry.  We just sat there in silence for a few moments and let the Spirit continue to work with her.  Eventually she started to cry and said that she felt like she was coming home after a long journey.  The Spirit was ultra strong and she expressed to us that she wanted to change and that if this was true, it would mean the world to here.  I am so, so happy that God loves us so much that he has given us so so much.  Through Jesus Christ our natures can be changed and we are so excited to help this incredible person who the Lord and his angels have prepared to come unto Christ and to receive all of the blessings that God has for her!

Some other way cool things happen this week.  Just a couple days ago I met, in Captiole square (look it up on google, way cool and there are always weird mimes and child-kidnappers with music boxes) a student from Guadalopa who had been taking the missionay lessons back in her country, but stopped when she moved her to study law.  She was in the square with her father, who was just there for the week.  I asked her if she would be interested in taking them back up and in attending church. She said yes!  She'll be at church this Sunday, but we will not...  BECAUSE AN APOSTLE OF THE LORD WILL BE HERE!  Yes, this weekend Elder Neil A. Anderson will be in Bordeaux speaking to all the missionaries on the western half of the mission!  And my awesome companion speaks Chinese, so we get to sneak into the Stake Conference, which he will speaking at, so that he can translate for some Chinese friends of the church.  Radical!  I'll tell you all about it.

Utile is progressing really, really well.  We fixed a date of baptism with her for the 1st of December and she feels good about it.  Yesterday at church, twas fast and testimony meeting and she was really touched by all of the testimonies that were shared and the love that the members showed to her.  She told me that at 8o clock every morning she says a special prayer for us, the missionaries.  That really touched me.  She is very, very faithful and was very ready to receive the restored gospel.  By the way, the ward here is AMAZING!  Really wonderful.  And they love the missionaries and missionary work.  We are treated so, so well here.  Invited to dinner with a wonderful family this friday who will be feeding us duck chest and other Toulousian dishes (Toulousians are known for their strange and delicious cooking).

Since my companion speaks Chinese with a heavenly tongue, we have been receiving all of the Chinese amis from other companionships here in Toulouse to teach them in their native tongue.  We received a wonderful little Chinese couple who have an incredible desire to learn and to receive more of the Spirit, which they have already felt.  Their French names are Elza and David and I'll have to tell you more about them next week!

May your fall days be merry!  It's chilly and rainy here in Toulouse and I'm going to buy a warm coat here this afternoon after we go to a CHINESE BUFFET.  Fararara rah rah rah rah.  I love you all and wish you a joyful week!

L'amour,

Elder Kunzler