31%!

Jill is now 1/3 finished her mission! A lot of people ask if we miss her. We do - but there is no place we'd rather have her be spending her time and so are loving this time. We know that the things she is learning and the experiences she is having will leave an indelible impression on her life and others - including ours. There are things you can learn on a mission that you can't replicate with any other experience. It's a life changer! It's great blessing to have someone on a mission and we wouldn't trade it for anything.

Jill didn't send a group email this week, but here are some things from the emails she sent to us:

She's been sick. She said: I was thinking this week since I have a cold, can you send Tylenol cold medicine when you send a package next? They have other things here but when you're sick you just want what you want right? 

Re: Elaine Dalton

• Don't you want to be the type of person who when you leave, people take notes? I do!! She was just on vacation. She loves it hear and comes often! 

Re: Halloween

• I'm going to wear a white shirt and black skirt and call my costume an elder.

Re: Mission activities:

• We're going to have a district meal with foods from everyone's home. Any Canadian ideas? There's like 3 sisters and an elder from Canada so I have to think of something original and maybe Calgary specific? 

Someone from South Jordan, Utah sent me a text. She said that they were in France visiting because her husband served there. They went to the temple and met Jill and her companion, Soeur Ethington. She said: Just met your beautiful daughter at the Paris temple visitor center. You should be very proud!

 ...and we are! These are the pictures she sent:

Soeur Ethington is from Utah and lives across the street from the director of the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square (had to use the new name!). Her mom is from France.

Parent Teacher Inteview Celebrations

This week Allen went to Peirce's parent-teacher interviews (yes....Allen went!) I think he had a great time. He likes to talk to all the clubs with displays, buy their bake sale items, and yuck it up with the teachers. When he walked into one classroom, the teacher said, "Hey! It's my favorite parent." I guess when Jill had her, we were memorable (something about Allen wanting something on Jill so that he could ground her ....but she just thought she was great and couldn't give him anything grounding-worthy). He took notes and everything. Everyone had really great stuff to say about Peirce and his marks are really great! (Well, there's one class where he has some outstanding assignments and so his mark isn't that good - but he'll hand those in and it'll be good again). Allen stopped by my school to tell me about it and I suggested maybe we should go out for dinner and tell Peirce all the good news. Peirce was so funny. At first he figured he was in trouble and was going to have one of those conversations with parents where we tell him what he needs to do to do better. He couldn't believe it when Allen said they all had good things to say. He was like, Who? What did he say? What else? Who else? LOL It was pretty funny. We went to Smash Burger and so that was great. After, since he realized we were celebrating, he asked if we could also go to Menchi's - so we did. Then he wanted to get hair care products - so we did. THEN I guess he figured he'd keep celebrating and he said, "Could we get a dog too?" We said, "Well, we thought of that, but you chose hair care products." LOL

Lessons From A Venus Fly Trap

This week in seminary we did section 24 - which is a section that came about when Joseph Smith was starting to experience more and more (and more serious) persecution. We talked about how we deal with hard things when they happen. It was a good discussion. After, we watched a video where John Bytheway talks about that idea. He talked about venus fly traps. He said that a venus flytrap needs pure light (has to be outdoors), pure water (no minerals or additives in the water) and a cold winter. If you keep it indoors, it'll die. If you feed it regular water from the tap, it'll die. And if you don't let it go through a winter, it'll die. Then he compared that to us - we need pure light (the gospel), pure water (the daily things that we need to do to feel close to the spirit) and a freezing period of death (ya...that describes winter....but it also describes what it feels like when we go through trials). Without those things, we won't flourish. I thought that was a good analogy. I also appreciated that it showed me why I can't keep a venus flytrap alive. I've tried to have one for my class pet - but it dies. Apparently, it's not my poor gardening skills....it just can't survive in a classroom. :) 

The week where I eat 6 éclairs

Hi! Welcome to my weekly email! It's been another great week in Antony! So much happened!

On Tuesday we spent the whole day in the Temple Visitors Center. Days like that can be kind of hard because you're doing the same thing for most of the day, but they're super satisfying. Last zone conference our mission president talked about how when we get out of comfort zone and keep working, that's usually when miracles happen! And this was super true on Tuesday! At the end of the day, Elaine S Dalton came in! We were super excited to meet her and talk to her because she is the previous president of the church's young women's organization! 

She gave us some great advice! She said first and foremost, to follow the prophet, President Russell M Nelson. He is giving us great and clear steps to prepare ourselves for things to come. He has invited us to to so many wonderful things!

Soeur Ethington and I had to cut our conversation with Sister Dalton short to talk with a girl from Bordeaux who came into the Center. We had such a great experience with her talking about the temple and by the end, we had all really felt the spirit. Soeur Ethington and I both really felt like we needed to tell her how much Heavenly Father loves her. One of the awesome things about being a missionary is you get the opportunity so often to be the answer to people's prayers. 

Wednesday we had our first district meeting with my new district! We ate KFC and Éclairs (an obvious combination for France Paris missionaries). We talked about what our reason is for what we do as missionaries.

Zone Conference was on Friday. We did some awesome practice for finding new people to teach. President explained to us how he's been focusing on talking with new people about his family and how the gospel blessed his family. He told us how he's never had anyone interrupt him when he approached them this way and how he has had so much success from it. So Sœur Ethington and I were so excited to try this, we did it on the way home! With high expectations and all this inspiration from zone conference, I walk up to this lady who was waiting for the train and start talking to her about my family. She interrupts me and says she not interested. To my great surprise, I wasn't even all that disappointed or discouraged. I knew I'd done all that I could to invite that woman, and I have faith that Heavenly Father will turn the little seed that I planted with that lady into something great. 

That experience reminded me a lot of something sister Dalton said to us on Tuesday. She told us how even when we aren't teaching or talking to people, we're still sharing to gospel simply by our presence. People can feel and recognize the light that comes from Christ! We have to know that everything we do makes a difference 😊

In other news, for P day this week we went to Notre Dame and I put a pigeon on my head! 

I hope you all have a great week and that you make it to the end of this long email haha! 

Love you! 

Soeur Ackroyd 

Us with S. Meunier, 1/2 of the new temple couple.

Fun ice cream we ate by Notre Dame today!

The view from their amazing apartment

Touring SAIT

Peirce got to go learn about the programs at SAIT. Of course, along with that, he found some cool places to take photos!

Later that weekend he also got to carve pumpkins with his friend, Sedrica. So cute!

A Rockin' Day!

Today I had a great day out in Kananaskis! It was definitely an adventure. We went out there to hunt for rocks with our students. One of the teachers has a friend that is a geologist and she taught us about different types of rocks, the rock cycle, and the history of the earth in that area. It was fascinating! The fun part was we could find a cool rock, show it to her, and she could tell us what era it was from and about the make up of the minerals in the rock. It was a great day! We had perfect weather for it too.

Fasting and Prayer....blessings!

Hi everybody! I don't have much time to write but I wanted to share a quick miracle that happened in my new area! It's amazing, I love all the people already!

So this Sunday was fast Sunday, a day where you abstain from eating to show God that you're willing to sacrifice for the blessings that he has in store. So my companion  and I were fasting, and we get to church, and the relief society president comes with an ICE CREAM CAKE. After church they're serving it around, and my companion and I had it literally put in our hands by the people serving it, but we stayed strong and didnt eat it! We knew if we did pur best that Heavenly Father would bless us for it. 

About 5 minutes after that, we're mingling with members and one of them comes up to us and says "this is my daughter, she wants to take the lessons from you." 

I know that Heavenly Father heard our prayer and blessed us with someone who has been prepared! 

Greetings From Paris

It's Thanksgiving weekend and today we are having a family dinner at the NAckroyds, so I was thinking a lot about Jill.  And wouldn't you know it, just then I got one of those emails from someone traveling in France. I was so happy to get it! 

My name is Julene Cutler from Draper, Utah (suburb of SLC). My daughter and granddaughter are here in Paris with me on a “girls trip.”  We had the great privilege of meeting your beautiful daughter at the Paris temple and I just wanted to let you know of the sweet spirit I felt as I spoke with her. She seems to be well and happy and obviously serving the Lord with her whole heart. Just thought I’d let you know...

Five Months Out!

I told Jill I feel like my subject lines are lame. This was her response:

I told my roommate Soeur Olsen about your subject line conundrum and she was like wow! I never even thought to make a weather subject line! Theses are some of her suggestions : 

We aren't Satanists
Peaches and forgiveness
* (yup, just a single asterisk)
Not a hurricane (weather related but still funny)

Everytime the mission president posts pictures from Zone Conference, they're in front of this beautiful building with cobble stone on the street. I've always wondered what the building was. This was her response:

It's so funny that you asked about the building where we do zone conference. That's just the chapel in downtown Paris! It's share with an apartment building and it has a super spooky basement that would look like catacombs to the untrained eye. It's also funny that you say it's amazing because that's how like ALL the buildings are here. Sometimes I feel used to how amazing it is. 

This week one of my companions was in France for a long layover. Unfortunately, she and Jill didn't get to meet:

I was sooooo sad to have missed sister Gibb! She even called us but we we're in a lesson so I couldn't even answer it.... I would have LOVED to meet sister Gibb. It seems like everyone else at the VC got to meet her except me.. what's her email? 

A couple weeks ago I looked up the museum Jill had visited. I noticed a big clock that is shown in a book that I love, The Invention of Hugo Cabret. It turns out it is the same clock:

Today we went back to that museum with the Hugo Cabret clock. Did I mention that it used to be a train station? I think that really is where the story happened! 

I told her that this week there are no toilets (well, there are port-a-potties) at the stake center since the city is doing construction on a main water pipe. I told her I feel stressed about it whenever I think of it and I think part of it is from the months that our school had the same problem and had port-a-potties. I said I think I might have Pottie PTSD from the experience. She said: 

I understand your ptsd... That's how I feel about French sour cream. I'll never be the same. It's so awkward explaining to people how other Dairy is fine for me, but creme fraiche will kill me... Like when they invite us for dinner appointments they're so confused...

On experiences with new missionaries:

Did I wrote you about last time we took the new sister out? It was bad.... We contacted this one lady and the new sister didn't really want to do it, she was understandably tired and overwhelmed. But then as were talking this lady gets so emotional and starts telling us how she was just in the hospital after a suicide attempt, and she asks Soeur Tulieva if she looks sure of herself. And of course, the polite answer is yes. But maybe in French that sentence means something different because she got so offended and started how she felt judged by Soeur Tulieva in particular.... Soeur Marteeny and I felt HORRIBLE. We dried Soeur Tulieva's tears and then went back to the Elders who found a new person to teach....
So lets hope this time goes better!

We just had the Terry Fox run at school, and I told her about it: 

It's so funny to be with all these Americans who don't know who Terry fox is. I had to show them the picture of him that's in my passport. There's also the family we teach who did t know what a beaver was!

And more on French people:

People don't really hug here but they sure do give kisses a lot! I remember when I awkwardly gave someone a hug and it was just SO intimate for them hahaha

Jill
PS I did get the birthday card and gift from grandma. That's so nice of her! I have no idea what to get with it! I'll think of something special. 

She also sent a bunch of pictures with her Seniore's t-shirt. We will definitely share them with our friends around the corner! It's our favorite pizza place!

The End of Fall?

I'm writing this as it is snowing non-stop. I'm not ready for winter to start! Fall was way too short.

I decided I ought to post more about our life rather than just Jill's or some of you might think we have nothing going on.

A sad miss this week: One of my former companions, Sister Gibb (now she's Sister Bell), came to the Paris temple this week! Unfortunately, she didn't cross paths with Jill. She had been in Rome (I think) and had a long layover in France so they stopped by the visitor's center. I don't know what day it was - but she said Jill wasn't there. They went bike riding around Versailles after that. What a great thing to do!

This week at seminary they have to do construction on a water main or something. All I know is it means there is no water in the building - that means no toilets!! They were kind enough to bring us a port-a-pottie. I hate it. I think I have PTSD from when our school had port-a-potties. Although, I must admit, it fits well with the church history theme. They didn't have flush toilets :)  I guess I'll survive.

The construction was underway when I was leaving today!

Allen and I had a fun time this past weekend. On  Friday, we went over to the NAckroyds. I hadn't seen their new house yet. It is beautiful!! It was fun to visit with them. On Saturday, we went out with Amber and Kevin Walton. We went out for something to eat because it is Pizza Week here in YYC! We laughed and laughed and talked and talked for hours. Great times!

This past week at school we had our Terry Fox run. We go over to the middle school and so does the North East elementary. That means there are about 800 kids there. It's total chaos. I can't believe I can bring 21 kids over there and scatter them amongst 800 kids and not lose a single one. LOL A miracle! I got LOTS of steps in that day! This week is Learning Conferences. I have so much to do to get prepared for that! No time for rest, I guess.

Tonight at dinner Allen and Peirce and I were talking about getting ready for General Conference. I think I'm going to plan on prayerfully coming up with a couple questions and then looking for answers to those questions at conference. I love conference weekend!

Chico has not been feeling well today. He is walking strange and is very sensitive. He won't even come lay down with anyone. He wants to sleep alone under the desk in the basement. I have no idea how he got hurt. Oh dear. Poor Chico. You can't even take a grumpy dog like that to the vet so it's hard to help him.

It's time for a new book club month!! I really love buying all the books. It fills some sort of crazy book-buying need that I have. ahhhhhh!!

Soeur Ackroyd Updates

I got a text from a lady today. Her name was Heidi Poulter from Farmington, UT and she sent a picture of Jill. She said: She is healthy, happy and a wonderful missionary and she sends her love!

Last week they had zone conference. This is Jill with her zone. I have no idea what that building is - but it sure sets a scene!

Update: I asked Jill about the building. She said:

It's so funny that you asked about the building where we do zone conference. That's just the chapel in downtown Paris! It's share with an apartment building and it has a super spooky basement that would look like catacombs to the untrained eye. It's also funny that you say it's amazing because that's how like ALL the buildings are here. Sometimes I feel used to how amazing it is.