The doctrine of Eternal Marriage

Everyone!

 

This week was awesome! Crazy!! So starters, I've got some traditions for missing your siblings wedding on your mission seeing as this is my second and that Souer Eyre was my companion both times! So soeur eyre is familiar and so am I!!

 

Anyways so that day was awesome! First we had a meeting at the church and then after we went to this munch at Minas (rhymes with Divina, because she got married on saturday!!) and had our personal and comp study on ETERNAL MARRIAGE!! so we did this last time too and it was more like  a young womens thing, 'what qualities do you want in your husband' blah blah blah hahaha but this time I just really searched out the DOCTRINE!! Thats been our big push this zone conference the doctrine! so the doctrine is your family can be eternal when it is done by the Priesthood and you both keep the covenants you have made. Ya!!! DOCTRINE! so Braden and Nina- keep your covenants!! it was wonderful I am getting so converted to all the doctrines of this church :) and the best part was that that night we had a rendezvous with someone who was baptized when she was really young, so shes kind of an investigator, but shes married (rare in the west indies) and we got to teach her this concept! the spirit was so strong!!! I was so grateful for our studies and for marriage! so yaaaa!! Braden and Nina married! being put to use here!

Other miracles and exciting news :) My dad emailed me last week and was like, TAKE ADVANTAGE of the christmas time!! So soeur eyre and I have been trying to do this!! So we've tried to think outside the box and stuff, we've been sharing that video, but finally we decided! Well, we were talking and sharing a spiritual thought with a member and soeur eyre just had this amazing idea to go CAROLING with all our members to all our amis and their amis!!!! so we went straight to this other member family and told them right after (this part is hilarious) and soeur Occolier, the wife was like SO EXCITED! because shes got this 6 month old baby and shes trying to teach her some good christmas traditions (so cute right) haha and she was lie SO EXCITED to do that with us, not sure if the husband really was, haha but still! He loves missionary work so he'll be up for it! So we're gonna do that christmas eve! and christmas days we have so much good plans with investigators and members!  I'm excited!!! the best part of that story was after we shared this spiritual thought with sister Occolier, she was like 'les soeurs!! I have something for you!!' because she was so exctied! and she searched in her fridge for like 5 minutes (i dont think she really had anything hahaha) and finally came out and gave us 4 yogurts and was like 'i hope you profit from this!' and we were like 'we will!!' and after we left we laughed so hard because she was just so excited she wanted to give us something and it was yogurt! hahah anyways we thought it was funny.

But this time of year is the time to SEIZE THE DAY! We are just really trying to soak everything in. Today we get to watch frozen and thursday i get to talk to my FAMILY!! I love you and i will share with you all my stories and learnings so far :) I love you all! I love the Lord! I have a testimony of the doctrine of eternal life and what we need to do to get there! repentance! and keeping covenants :) thats it!!

Well i love you all have a very merry christmas! read 3 nephi 1 its the christmas story in America!

Soeur Tenney

Fasting brings miracles

THIS WEEK!!! ohhhhh what a week!! well were teaching this guy who loves English, thats actually how we found him. We were doing our emails speaking in English and asked us to come talk to English with him but we told him we'd teach him about Jesus! Anyways,  we reflected on this at an awesome members house as we were teaching him and he was telling the members about how we met and after we left Sœur Eyre and I decided to only speak french!! Ne parler QUE le Français!! So we started that this week!!!! woah! so awesome!! sometimes, Sœur Eyre really likes to chat and she gets a little frustrated so at night we'll speak English, but its been so amazing!! Seriously, I can express myself so well in this language!! its easier for me now to speak French! I LOVE FRENCH!!  anyways, just thought I'd keep you updated :)

So, this week, well these past couple of weeks, we've had a little trial of our faith, we've had a hard time getting our investigators to Church and having serious investigators!! so saturday, we started our fast, FASTING BRINGS MIRACLES! i love fasting :) so much!! so we fasted for PEOPLE AT CHURCH!! and for referrals from the members!! I will tell you, we were feeling a little discouraged! and that is not good! all our plans had Fallen through but fasting! I have the faith that that brings miracles!! so I was ready for my miracle! So sœur eyre was just like, we need to go somwhere new!!! We go to this completely new place and before we get out of the car we say a prayer and I said  'Heavenly Father, we are fasting, we expect miracles, and we want people at Church tomorrow!' so the first door we knocked on we said, we are missionaries.... and her name was Rose! and she told us  'oh i studied with missionaries in France 20 years ago!' (shes about 60) and we said 'the Church is here on Martinique! Will you come with us tomorrow?' and she was said, 'ya why not!!' So we gave her a book of mormon and said see ya tomorrow!! So she followed us in her car all the way to Church the next day! ROSE!! she is so beautiful! It was like a miracle following us all the way to Church! I love Rose! she has beautiful french! and it was fast and testimony meeting and she was reading her book of mormon while the others shared testimonies about it. ahhhhh i just LOVE this branch! I love Martinique! there are just some beautiful Martinique families that I will just always remember forever!!

 

plus!! so many members in our area brought friends to Church that were going to teach this week! oh yes! its so wonderful!! i am so excited! the Lord is a Lord of miracles I know that!

This week is zone conference and we will be in Guadeloupe for a little. oh ya momma and I got the chirstmas package! so many chirstmas décorations up at our house! so wonderful! and one of our invstigators who wants to serve a mission, marvin, he wants to come caroling with us on Christmas, so im excited! CHRISTMAS IS SO GOOD! this week we have also made snowflakes and hot chocolate while listening to hymns one night, so ni ce:) i love Christmas and im so grateful for the birth of Jesus Christ!

 

I love you all!

Sœur Tenney

"CHOPPED"

WHAT A WEEK!!!!!

first of alll.... CHOPPED!! (my favorite tv show) but no this is referring to my hair! before my mission i always was scared i would just chop my hair mid mission like every missionary and look at me i did it! everyone loved my hair too, so sorry everyone! haha but its so nice and fluffy and easy to do now :) and it'll all be back before I'm done too, so I'm obsessed!! I cant believe that was this week, that was the beginning of this week that's like old news now!!

So then we got back and tuesday we had zone meeting and soeur Eyreand I and the zone leaders got to teach it, and it just got me so excited and pumped!! We just felt so united and we are going to have 10 baptisms by the end of this year! faith precedes the miracles!!! its going to happen!! so that was tuesday :) also after this meeting we went and saw this girl in the hospital who can't see or hear and sang to her and I just felt so loving and nice to her. it was so nice!!

so anyways! wednesday was such a good day! we started off with some contacting and right after we said the prayer soeur eyre was like 'i got it; today we're gonna talk to 100 people' and we were just like YES!! we were like running up and down those apartments trying to talk to as many people as we could! and we met some AWESOME people!! such an inspired goal, oh man!!!!!

So satruday, we had a baptism and afterwards, we didn't have much time to preach but we went to this one protuguese woman that we found because of our 100 people day!! haha so we went to her with this member who we thought spoke portuguese, but he didnt, hahaha but anyways she was so humble and could understand our french and had 3 little boys, but anyways we taught her and she was saying that her husband has a closed heart; but he walked in half way through and started listening and was so into it and excited to read the book of mormon by the end of it! and then we prayed on our knees with them and their 3 boys as a family and with the members and the spirit was just so strong!! its hard because the church is so far, but they have a car and they're gonna try and come this week!! so stoked!! that was amazing!

Sunday was the primary program :) and i was the pianist. I always play every sunday wherever I can, by the way, what a good skill to have!! Anyways so it was the primary program and these kids are just so funny! it was so classic!! haha but then sunday afternoon was just like the best! we live far from the church so we took pb and j's (gross) haha but we didnt want to drive all the way back home, so then we went to find some INACTIVES!! inactive hunting! i love it! so we met this one who is so cool! she couldn,t talk but she took a rendezbvous with us for this week, then another who was sweeet!!!!!!!!!!!! her name is Yolette, and so in my setting apart I remember, it said i was going to rescue so i just really look out for those inactives. This girl had laughed at us the 'mormons' the first time we met her. So we saw her sunday afternoon and we had woken her up from her nap and i was just like 'this girl is going to let us in!' so she was like 'ahhh nahhh i dont really wanna talk to you, you can tell me what you wanted to tell me right here' so then i was just like' uhh can i have some water?' haha and she let us right in!! less actives are weird because its the commitment, isnt baptism? what do i do? haha but she said she would read the book of mormon and were gonna come back and garden with her!! everyone is an investigator I decided!! haha

Oh ya and speaking of less actives, papy omar, we watched the restoration video with him this week and he told us hes like a baby and hes just waiting to die! but he still wants to go to church!! his neighbors are investigators though so were trying to get them to bring him;

One more story, so rodrigue, super awesome rodrigue!! we kept calling him and he kept cancelling our rendezvous!! we were so confused! and we had the perfect member lesson for him and soeur eyre called him and hes was like' j'arret!!' which means im stopping!! and we were so so sad!! but then we saw him yesterday and he was like' what the heck why weren't you there!?' and we told him we kept calling and he said no! but then we realized, it was a different rodrigue in our phone!! haha anyways we felt dumb! 

But then today was thanksgiving meal and i brought our famous brie tradition and the elders loved it!! i thought soeur eyre and i could be the only ones to eat is but the elders loved it! what a hit! and soeur eyre made rolls!

I'm grateful that the gospel is restored. im grateful for the doctrine that is true and perfect. and im grateful for the book of mormon. and IM GRATEFUL FOR MY FAMILY!!! i love you all so much and think about you all day and talk about you all the time to soeur eyre and my amis!! I love you!!

Soeur Tenney!

Communication with God

Mom!!!

 I'm gonna give you the day by day because I feel like I never do that!! So tuesday we headed off to trinidad! it was suppoesed to be 2 flights but we took the airline LIAT aka Late If At All There (tahts what we like to say) haha so we missed our connecting flight and had to stay in the airport for about 6 hours. We got free food and we sang hymns with all the elders. But i was sad to miss the fireside!!! so we got in super late tuesday! then wednesday was when we heard from president mehr!! he recapped the night before which was just emphasizing to us that we teach to help people get to the temple, not just baptism! so we need to set those expectations right at the beginning! so that was the fireside, but our day!!! oh my goodness!! it was so good! so full of the spirit and being around all those other amazing missionaries. Its called mission leadership council, we al just counciled together!!! Oh man the Spirit was just like testifyihng to me on how I could be better. President Mehr every few hours would be like 'what are we going to change' and id write that in the side of my notebook and write what I was going to change. Oh! so fullll! of light! makes me want to just go convert everyone! and be exactly obidient!! The testimony meeting was last and basically every mlissionary bore their testimony. It was awesome. And right when the SPirit was so strong, President Mehr talks about his water tower on his mision. How he was made district leader and so he went on this water tower to just commune with God. I loved that so much. I know that if there is one thing I am learning from my mission, its communication with God. I have such faith in prayers! He talked aobut water tower as just a time to be really grateful and just to openly communicate with God and theres no way that your thoughts are not the Spirit. I love that. I feel that early on in my mission I have learned this concept and it is just what keeps me going every day. Every night I just get to communicate with God, let Him lead the work!

So that was my favorites. Nervous to be doing exchanges in the near future with other Soeurs, I will learn a lot.. but so excited!!

Then Thursday we took like 5 flights to get home, stopped in Guadeloupe I got to see some missionaries there that I know and love, then headed home!! 

ohhhhh we were so fueled to work!! next day was a day full o fmiracles!!! so first of all, theres these 3 sisters in our area that got baptized when the were really young and they dont really remember why and we learned that the dad wanted them to be baptized, and we FOUND THE DAD THIS WEEK!! his name is Omar! Papy Omar! (thats what they call grandpas  here) so we found him! i have repeatedly told soeur eyre that i was velma 3 times for halloween and whenever I dont have my glasses on i tell her 'i droppe my glasees! help me!' like velma! haha but this tiome, in our missionary wxork, we were velma and shaggy! we had to like figure out when he got baptized and why! papy omar is in a wheelchair so we came by and visited him after church and gave him a book of mormon and hes stoked to come to church! papy omar!! 

then, his son in law lives in the same neighborhood and he is just so prepared! he was like 'im looking for faith that can move mountains!!!' so we tolmd him to read the book of mormon and were going to bring back another manwho this gospel has changed his life and faith, and then another grandpa in the same neighborhood! the fatherin law the rodrigue who i just described, who remionds me a lot of granpda, he let us in and he was like' im searching for the church of christ, i know he will come back to his chrurch and im searching that church' so he tolmd us he will read the book of mormon with pleasure and that he will get baptized when he knows its true!!!

so the Vauclin is still in full boom! i love it here! the miracles are everywhere! i learned from trinidad for me personally, I need to eliminate fluff!! the doctrine changes lives! I need to make sure everything im doing is somethign that will make someone grow closer to chirst thorough baptism. oh yes. I love missionary work!!

So that was my week. Also in trinidad my contact just deiceded to kill me so i wore glasses and my right eye was red the whole time, i was pirate eye it was funnny hahah i love you family and friends!

Soeur Tenney

Sacrifice is so great!

THIS WEEK!!!

This week was great!! oh! Soeur Eyre, she is so good! She just helps me be the missionary I want to be!! I love it so much! She is amazing and I am just so grateful for her!

so this week we were trying to stay under our kilometers so we took a bus to district meeting... oh man.. haha, but obedience!! So we took a bus and ended up sitting front seat, they're more like big vans, anyways we sat front seat, so naturally we started talking to the driver, and his name is Roro! so Frere Roro, so we asked him 'would you like to receive the remission of you sins?' and he got all quiet and was just like 'whens church' what a miracle find!! So we went and taught him, and he has some weird beliefs about after life, but he said he was going to church, however he didnt show up. But today on our way to our pday activity (this part is just funny) we see him, and his bus, and he's in the middle of the street on a round about, so we pull over in our car to go talk to him and he waves to us and kinda walks to us and then stops behind a palm tree in the mddle of the street to go to the bathroom!! Soeur Eyre and I had no idea what to do!! haha but anyways he said he slept in too late to come to church but I just that that was hilarious. hahahah

Next miracle! We went to visit Soeur Pluton, shes 77 and her husband is unfortunately inactive and we were hoping to talk to the husband too! but he wouldnt talk to us. Anyways, we walked in and the first thing she says is, 'les missionaries (missionaries) I just killed my cat!' it was so sad! but also i wanted to laugh, haha but anyways it was sad, but the Lord had sent us the missionaries to support her while she was sad about her cat! haha but that wasn't the miracle, so we decided to fast for her husband and Soeur Eyre had never met him. After church we were on our way to see another less active and behind us in the car is Frere Pluton!! so we wave to him and pull over and talked to him for a good while!! That was amazing! He said he was waiting for God to tell him to come to church and we said 'Frere Pluton, 'God sent us here to tell you to go to church!' haha so good miracles.

By the way our area just doubled! We just took the elders area who are moving to a foot area, so now we have like double the members, less actives and investigators!! So much trust the Lord has in us! soeur Eyre and I feel it! But we are purifying! We are getting rid of any little thing that takes away the Spirit so we can be more powerful teachers and have the Spirit more :)

I love this work! Last night i was studying about sacrifice, the topical guide in the french book of mormon is so great!!!!! anyways so I was studying sacrifice and it said something like, 'the true church requires us to sacrifice everything or it wouldn't be Christ's church' im probably quoting that wrong but anyways something like that but thats so true! So many people here need to learn the lesson of sacrifice!! We have to be willing to sacrifice everything for God! I have definitely learned that! Sacrifice is so great :)

Well, life is good. Martinique is good and Soeur Tenney is good and happy! I love you all! Read the Book of Mormong everyday it will change your life!!

Soeur Tenney

 

The French Princessess of BEL AIR

FAMILY!!!!!!

I'm with Soeur Eyre!!! About 50 times this week I would just look at her and say 'i literally cant believe your my companion again!!' its the best!!!

So fun fact. Mom, who was speaking about princesses this week. We live on a hill and its called 'bel air' so we've given ourselves the name 'the french princesses of bel air!' hahahaahah!! so that's me and Soeur Eyre! The french princesses of bel air!! its just so great that were together. We are so much different from the first time! We both know the language and have developed teaching skills! Its just... the resources! We have a car!!!! So its just the best! We have to stay under kilometers though and Soeur eyre and I want to be exactly obedient, so were doing a little car fast! haha its just so fun! But anyways mom, get me that license as fast as possible! BECAUSE! next week Soeur Eyre goes to trinidad to get trained and then straight after she will do training for the other sisters, so i will have a temp for 2 weeks and her name is Maeva!!!!! She is 19 and less active, but she's not gonna be after 2 weeks with me!!!! hahaha no seriously she was one of the first people I met here, and I just have wanted to help her.  I am SO EXCITED for 2 weeks with her before she goes to paris to just help her solidify her testimony! she came out with us Saturday, and she is just so excited and cute!  The members are so excited for her to do this too! IM PUMPED!!!!

Remember how when I first got here I was like 'the field is so WHITE!!!!' Well that's Soeur eyre now! and its perfect! Except this time we're being smarter! we're finding through the MEMBERS!! for example, ok well this branch has just like the STRONGEST MEMBERS!!! so this return missionary invited his friend WHO HAS A FAMILY  to church the other week, and I remember thinking 'oh man I wish Soeur Eyre could teach them with me' well we finally got the frere in the church to set up a meeting with them and the man is just so prepared!! so we are really hoping this family will progress and we are doing our best to help them!

haha I cant believe Soeur Eyre is my comp. with a car!! We are so capable! Its so fun! I feel so much smarter now! The Lord has just been preparing us to be together in this wondeful area!!! not to mention its Sister Eyres birthday this week.. wohooo!!!

Love you all!

The Book of Mormon is true!

Soeur Tenney

 

 
 

 

Reunited and it feels so GOOD!

GUESS WHAT!!

Soeur Tenney and Soeur Eyre are reunited!! We're back together as companions!!! What the heck! crazy!! haha that was the craziest call ever! My companion is just switching with her, so she'll be on foot! But I know that that's where the Lord needs her, she'll be great :) But mama that means you really gotta get me my license because soeur eyre will be gone for a little in trinidad because shes the sister training leader and I"ll have to drive with a temp! I'm excited! I  hope its Maeva a 19 year old girl who is just the cutest thing ever! anyways

So this week was good!! the other week we met this guy who; while we were backing out, he came up to us and said 'hey who are you, are you Mormons? come teach me!!' So we went back and taught him. Then this week we found him a ride, and he came to church!! Soooo that is just a miracle!

We taught Gratiant Lucienne and Jade the word of wisdom this week and they just accepted it and loved it! We even roleplayed with Gratiant what to say if one of his friends tries to give him wine. He said no!! so that was wonderful :) they're wonderful. They need to get married! We saw Jade after church and she said that she wants to be baptized :) We're gonna fast this week for the 8th or the 15th of november. I LOVE JADE!!!! She is so cute and hilarious and awesome just like Tauna.

I just can't believe I'm in a car! Im so grateful! its so crazy! And now Soeur Eyre and I will be together again! I really cant believe it. I know this is where I was supposed to be with Soeur Guernsey :) shes the best! She's a really good cook. I have some good recipes for you family when I get back.

I've just learned to rely on the Lord! and everything will work out!

I love you all and I love this work!

 

Soeur Tenney

"Be BOLD"

Hello friends!

This week was good! President and Sister Mehr were here, and we had interviews, and they came to church! Sister Mehr came out and taught with us! She is so great! Oh my! And my interview with President was just awesome. I said 'President I want to baptize' and he said 'ok, be bold' so I'm working on being bold and patient this week :) thats how I could get better!

So we have this super cool guy we're teaching that we met while he was drunk, but we gave him a Book of Mormon! Another Book of Mormon miracle! We meet him at a bus stop and we pull up chairs :) Its so fun! Being a missionary is so fun! He hasn't come to church yet, but he's so stoked to read, and for our rendez-vous.  He would come to church, its just his car won't go all the way to fort_de_france (we live far from the church) anyhow so what a great miracle!  Jade and Lucienne and Gratiant are still a great miracle in my life. I love them!!

So this week I realized, 'I can speak this langauge!' haha so now its just hard because sometimes I blabber does that make sense? I'm also just really working on listening to the spirit to help me know what to say, not just blabber on like a crazy person. I love sharing the gospel! its so great! 

We also watched this marraige video with Fabrice and he just really felt the Spirit. We've been trying for a long time to get him to understand the Spirit, and after the movie he was like 'I understand! I understand the spirit!' He also didn't understnad why we keep asking him to read the book of mormon, but I shared my testimony about how i learned the BOok of Momron was true and that really touched him.  After he said 'I will read it!' so the Vauclin is doing so good! The vauclin is great. Miracles await us everyday. Great things await you (thank you tressa :)

I love you all! I love this gospel!!

Soeur Tenney

Favorite part of the week was...

Dear Fam!

 

 This week was great! Soeur Eyre came and I just always love that :) shes so good! such a good missionary! she just fixed me right up! i love her!

This week we've been really trying to find people that are ready to EMBRACE the gospel like my patriarchal blessing says! We found this boy that accepted a baptismal date on the first lesson! what an amazing miracle! the Lord really is blessing us! 

My favorite part of the week was conference. wow! I was crying when Jefferrey R Holland talked about how President Monson walked through the terminal in his slippers. He is so loving! What a man of God! This church is so true! I know that the Priesthood is restored! I took Elder Ballards advice I think is was and am trying to strengthen my testimony of Joseph Smith. What a blessing! Joseph Smith has done so much for us! He is so awesome! The talk about the parents too. One of the apostles just exactly described dad I was dying. 'leading the family in prayers, scripture study and vacations' haha! I thought that was too perfect!!!!!!

Missionary work is so great :) in a car too! what a blessing! President and Sister Mehr come this week and I'm excited to take them to our amis! pray for them!

I love this work and I love Jesus Christ!

Soeur Tenney

Cherish the good moments

 And Petty Coats...

Theres this mormon tabernacle choir song that says that line and I don't know what it says before but its always in my head. oh man! this week was hard! sometimes its hard. I felt like the little current bush and God is just shaping me into what I need to be! I'm just focusing on what I can learn and always looking ahead! Cherishing the good moments and just helping others have this light I have! I love the gospel!!

But, highlight of the week was Friday night. Jade!! we were with the YWs leader, she came out and worked with us, and e went to Jades and Jade is just so funny! she super reminds me of tauna! with her parents shes all shy but when it was just us she was like hilarious!! she was like 'its the weekend ladies come on in!!' haha of course all in french. Anyways so we decided to just start the personal progress with her. and it was amawing! I think it was individual worht? just the first one? and she just loved all the scriptures and at the end she had to read dc 82:10 the worth of souls is great in the sight of god. and she was like 'this verse is short but we learn a lot, that God loves us all and we are ALL worth it to Him' and she was just like marveling at how great God is. it was really just a wonderful gospel discussion :) I was so happy. and then it was sunday and they werent there!  but then classic Lucienne and Jade they walk in right before sacrament is about to be over and Lucienne was like sick but she was like 'Jade MADE  me come to church!' haha so Jade is just like super star progresing and really just EMBRACING the gospel! I love it! Im so happy! I lkove them so much!!!!!!!! I LOVE THEM SO MUCH!! they are so great :)

Then last night while i was studying on the patio on top of the hill looking over the Vauclin, I've just been praying for more power. to be better! I dont know I felt Satan just trying to discourage me a lot this week. But of course Heavenly Father speaks to us through the scriptures and Preach My GOspel is scripture haha anyways so I was reading in PMG and I read about the power and authority of our calling. We get power when we do a lot of things but some things that stuck out to me was when we PRAY for people, and when we LOVE people! And I just love that. Because if theres one thing I do its I pray for these people!! and I love them! so I have power :) and I should not doubt that :)

Missions are so great. I love serving the Lord. Im learning SO MUCH!! Heavenly Father is just making me a better me :)

 

Je vous aime!

Soeur Tenney

Monkeys=CHANGE

 

This week was zone conference!!! I went back to Guadaloupe!!! Back to my home where I was born! I was so ecstatic to see everyone Soeur Eyre and Soeur Dorsan both about attacked me with hugs, I was so happy to see both of them!! Soeur Guernsey and Soeur Turner (senior couple) were both concerned I havent fully converted to a Martinique missionary yet, but its good to be back :) I LOVE MARTINIQUE! but i will always love my home guadaloupe! and zone conference is just so spiritual so i just love that! it was SOOOO weird just hopping on a plane for 2 days, we left tuesday night and got back thursday night, to go to a conference! I felt so lucky! The Lord has blessed me so much my whole life! with my mission! and everything! I felt so lucky.

So Elder Zivick was there and it was just amazing! They came to martinique for a couple hours, we got to see them!! So, Soeur Zivick told me I remind her of her 14 year old granddaughter!! She said if she was a missionary she'd be like me!! I just about cried! so I had a special connection with the Zivicks :) and I got to lead the music at zone conference, and I just loved being in front of everybody with the Spirit so strong, just singing!! zone conference was amazing.  :) what did i learn? I realy like what elder Zivick said. He gave a story of 4 monkeys in a cage, and they put a banana at the top of the cage but everytime the monkeys tried to go get the banana someone would spray them with water, so all these monkeys wouldn't go try and get the banana then. So they swapped out one monkey and when the new monkey went to get the banana, all the other monkeys stopped him because they knew he'd get sprayed! so he didnt try and get the banana. then they swapped another monkey and he tried to get the banana but the two others stopped him, and eventually they swapped out all the monkeys and the ones who didn't even get sprayed didnt even try to get the banana because they learned from the others not to go try and get it. anyways.... CHANGE!!! we must change! we cant just do what the missionaries before us have done!! we gotta be better! change things up! see the fruits of that! so Soeur Guernsey and I have tried to apply that! We've put up all these inspirational quotes from zone conference just to motivate us. I love it! I love it! I'm so pumped from zone conference :)

So the work is still good! Gratiant Lucienne and Jade are still wonderful as ever! They were all at church this week. and FABRICE!! pray for him! He is so ready for baptism, he introduced himself in Priesthood, I guess, and said 'hi my name is Fabrice and I guess I should get baptized' he really understands everything and the Spirit is teaching him so well. 

Saturday night, our tire popped and a less active had to help us for a while. That wasnt very fun. car probs! I learned from that experience that I get SAD when im not sharing the gospel!!

haha so the work is good! I really just felt the Spirit at zone conference, motivating me to be good to do better and really I just felt Gods love for me! I have learned so much here in Martinique and I still have so much to learn! I love you all! I know this church is true :)

Soeur Tenney

Daniel 2:21 "God makes everything happen in His way"

Family and Friends!

This week was miracle filled comme dab. thats shorts for per usual; haha but really. It started with an FHE or a soiree familial with Gratiant, Lucienne and Jade that ended in a tea party. (the legal? kind of tea) it was so pleasant! and the Sprit was so strong we talked about 3 Ne 11 and when Christ came to the Americas. Gratiant is a patisser which means he makes really good pastries. it was delicious!!

Then we met this guy Rodrigue who we taught and gave the Book of Mormon and he was just like 'You two are just so happy all the time I want that in my life' I see great things in store for Rodrigue. these sort of things just always makes me happy when people recognize the Spirit and how that's it. The gospel is the happiness we have Rodrigue!!!!

Then, we have FABRICE!! I dont know if you know about Fabrice but we found him in the car he came up to us and told us 'he wants to marry a religious woman!!' So we told him we'd teach him the gospel and he could marry a relgious woman after!! Anyways that was a while ago but hes gonne get baptized in these next couple weeks! he calls us his angels! We are really changing this mans life. He was super addicted to alcohol and now hes just doing so much better with the word of wisdom! It is so fun to see the gospel change lives. This is just another person that Heavenly Father has literally prepared for Sœur Guernsey and I.

And we had a new Sœur right from the mtc for one day, that was fun! She got to just see the Vauclin with us! (it was just a crazy week!)

Then my personal fav, Saturday we helped Gratiant clean up his pizzaria!!! with my favorite family on the island :) And we got to teach about the Book of Mormon as we cleaned because Lucienne had some quesitions :) it was just so pleasant! I love serving... and that place was a mess. I was just thinknig about if, i were them, i would have been so grateful for our help. I love this family so much and they are truly starting to just embrace this gospel, because yesterday at Church Lucienne shared with me a scripture in Daniel 2:21 and she said "God makes everything happen in His way. Yesterday, he sent 2 sister missionaries to help us clean the pizzaria so I would have the energy to come to Church today, because He wants us to come to Church!" Shes so great! literally! I love her and them so much!!!! Im so grateful to help them just embrace this gospel.

Also, one of my favorite things from this week was working with members. We had a great lesson with Fabrice and a member who served a mission about eternal marriage and the law of chastity. It just makes me happy to see members get to feel the joy of spreading the gospel :)

I love thsi gospel and I know its true :)

Sœur Tenney

Cleaning the Pizzariea

My life is GREAT!

My life is great. Wow! This week! Ok, we had an extremely spiritual lesson with just Gratiant this week. It was amazing. It was law of chastity but we just learned so much about him and how prepared he is for this gospel and how he is just ready to submit to God's will. I said an extremely grateful prayer to Heavenly Father that night. Gratiant Lucienne and Jade are just people that make me  remember exactly why I'm here and that the Lord prepares people for each of us. Lucienne gave us sooooo much fruit from her garden and made 2 tarts for the ward meal this week. They are amazing! our last lesson with the whole bunch Lucienne was like 'Do you have to b baptized to give talks?' haha she is just so embracing the gospel! Ahh!!! It just builds me up to know that there are people here that I've helped find to bring them this eternal happiness I have and my family has in the gospel!

Also; Thursday was like the best day ever because we just worked with the members!!! First, with the lovely Sœur Pluton who is about 70 and came with us to the 60 year old man. Then Frere Occolier came with us to Katia who just loves the Book of Mormon and the gospel! then we went and picked up Sœur Occolier to come with us to Fabrice! We taught him word of wisdom :) I love working with members. Missionary work is just such a testimony builder for everyone! not just the missionaries but the members too! and then Church we wanted 100 people but we ended up with 131:!!!!!! yes!! The Church in Martinique is just BOOMING and im happy I get to be a part of it :)

I love reading the Book of Mormon everyday. Like an elder in the district says it is a pure vehicle to the spirit. I know it blesses everyones lives who reads it! I encourage you all to read it daily!

I love you all and mostly I just love God and I am so happy I get to serve Him everyday here! The life of a missionary is a good one :) oh ya trasnfer calls came and me and Sœur gGuernsey are staying the same! but next week is zone conference and we get to fly to Guadaloupe! back to my homeland!! haha (its like a mini vacation) a spiritual vacation!!!!

Love you all

Sœur Tenney

"Lovely family to teach"

Hi everyone,

Well i forgot my camera cord this week, but thats alright! next week i will send pictures of me touching a monkey! hahaha we just found it in a cage on the side of the road! Anyways, this week! so wonderful!! first of all my amis Gratiant and Lucienne and Jade are just lovely. Every time we go over there they just make me feel like I'm with my family! They are so hilarious and the spirit of joy and laughter is just with us in the lessons, its amazing :) Jade is 13 and so wise and adorable. I just love them all so so much! Its all from using the Book osf Mormon, I tell ya!

Also, we have a soiree familiale or an FHE with a less active, well inactive family this week that was just wonderful!!!!! Oh wow, that too made me feel like I was with my family! There's this little 6 year old Laya who is just so cute, my best friend and shes just adorable! We taught them the plan of salvation and they all colored parts of it and were dying to read the scriptures that we shared with them. We hung it up in their kitchen. I have a picture, I"ll send it next week! 

Yesterday!! was crazy!! So we ran into this guy we've been trying to teach that we met miraculously at the beginning of the transfe,r and we ran into him at his sisters house!! and he has just fished!! haha but he was like 'come teach me now!!' But while we were teaching he was gutting these sea uechins and Soeur Guernsey was getting sick from the smell. haha, but it was a good restoration lesson. He was very attentive and would always gasp when he felt the spirit, haha, but that was crazy! and he had us try raw sea urchin! haha so thats the weirdest thing I've eaten on my mission now! hahaha

But that was just a funny awkward mission moment that I loved! I love my mission!! haha im so lucky to be here :) It is so beautiful and Soeur Guernsey is just teaching me so much :) I love the work and the Lord so much!

Love you all!

Soeur Tenney

The work is "booming"

My best friend ever!  I love Soeur Eyre!!!!!!!!

This week. wow! well Soeur Eyre came and just got to see! She got to see the miracle Vauclin, and I got to hang out with her and just soak in how good of a missionary she is! I really am just so grateful Heavenly Father let me start my mission with her and gave me this friend through my whole mission. We've been there for each other through everything, and I just know we will be friends forever. During our interview together we were just crying and praying together :) It was a very tender moment, we had some wonderful times! haha

But she got to SEE!! Le Vauclin!! IS just booming!! There are so many prepared people!! Katia and Celia both accepted bapitsmal dates this week, and thats just so wonderful!! and then of course you remember Gratiant and Lucienne from last week? Well this week we taught them (with Soeur Eyre) and Luciennes daughter was there and then ALL THREE OF THEM CAME TO CHURCH!! This family is amazing!!! I could talk about them all day!! Gratient is just hilarious, like my families humor kind of hilarious, and I've never even met a funny french person! and Lucienne speaks english! But she doesn't very much. Its nice anyways, but she is also just amazing!! This week at church they left equiped with a personal progress for Jade who is 13, and the Family Proclamation and all sorts of things!! Soeur Guernsey and I just split up at church and just went to work! We are such a good team!!!

Its crazy. The Vauclin is just like full of so many miracles! All hingent upon our faithfulness and obedience, and Soeur Guernsey is such a good missionary that no one gets lost, and she plans such good lessons!!!! Oh man, I am just grateful and excited for the work I get to do here.

The work is booming, I don't know if you can tell :) Soeur Guernsey and I are just working so hard! I feel so lucky that I got to come to this place where the field is just so white and ready to be harvested! I love all these people and I'm so happy I get to help people have the happiness I have with this gospel!

Je vous aime tous!

Have a good week! 

Soeur Tenney

"I knew my car would work"

Momma and family and friends! 

How are you all!? I am doing good! Soeur Guernsey and I are pumped! We have been working so hard to find and teach and baptize! and of course flooding the West indies with the Book of Momon! I have such a miracle from that!

It was after zone meeting, so Soeur Guernsey and I were pumped to just give everyone we met a Book of Mormon. So we start talking to this guy and he's like 'You're like an army over here!' and so because we're trying to use the Book of Mormon in our contacting me and Soeur Guernsey both had the thought to share the stripling warriors with him!! Then we turn to that scripture and he's like 'awesome!' So then we're like hey could we come by saturday and share this book with you and of course he says yes (naturally :) So then we go to give the Book of Mormon to the person we were planning on giving it to, but he wasn't there so as were walking back I was like 'Soeur Guernsey I wanted to give him a Book of mormon' and she was like 'me too' so we go back! and give it to him! haha and hes working on his car that wasn't working, so we were like 'hey could we leave you with a prayer and pray that your car will work too, before we go' and he's like 'yes of course!' so we do and we left and waited til Saturday.

Then saturday comes and we go over and he's like 'honey come out here' and so she comes out and hes like 'its those girls that helped me! I knew that my car would work, I knew that it would work because they prayed and I kept looking at that book and thinking of you this week!' So we taught them the restoration and they came to church the next day!!! We have a rendez-vous with them tonight and I am just so so excited! What an amazing miracle!!! 

Miracles come because of our FAITH!! Firstly, but also our diligence and obedience. We have been exercising our faith and then just doing everything in between to be obedient, diligent and work hard! and miracles just flow! I know that God answers prayers and I know that this church is true! I'm so grateful to be here! This week I learned I like speaking French better than English;;; oops! haha the french is just so pretty here! and whenever people speak english here its with that hard caribeean accent. Oh, I love French! 

Love you all! have a good week!

Soeur Tenney

 

 

 

 

                                                          Mom asked for a sunset! I think this is one!

A Flood in the West Indies

Dear family and friends,

This is where I live on top of a hill!

Yes Mama, the place is so beautiful! and so ready for Soeur Tenney! As a mission we have been asked to FLOOD the West Indies with the Book of Mormon and I am just trying to tell everyone I meet about this wonderful book! It is so awesome! The Lord is preparing people to hear about this message, I know it!

We have been blesssed with miracles too. Niger! as we were fasting we ran into Niger and he is just so ready for baptism! The sisters had taught him before for a while and he came to church but last Monday he accepted a baptismal date and is just so ready to embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ. I love Niger. He lives like literally in the jungle and his house has all these dirty stuffed animals just scattered around! I feel like I"m in a movie every time I walk up to his house. hahaha but i love it! I love teaching him, he is so prepared!

We're also teaching this members cousin Katia who is 25 and is just too cute! She texted us and asked us when we were coming again! And last night we taught her and she asked us if we could come back tomorrow! She is just the best! I pray for these people every day!!!!!!!!! haha I really really want them to come unto Christ!

The work is just exploding here!  Soeur Guernset and I can hardly keep our planners straight! But the members are so awesome and I am just blown away by the faith of these people, so humbling! I know that Heavenly Father answers prayers because he sent me here and I have just learned so much being here! I love my Heavenly Father and I try and serve Him with all my heart each day! Its a little tiring but I love it! This gospel is true! I'm so grateufl to be here! I love Martinique!

Love you all!

Soeur Tenney

 

 

                                       Living on top of the hill!

                                      Her new companion that is allergic to the sun.

Car life in beautiful Martinique

 Wow,

So so sad to leave Goyave! defintely shed a few tears especially after my monday night which was a family night with PRISCA!!! who calls me her grandma so I love that, then Lydia and her Cherie had us over for dinner. It was literally my little taste of celestil kingdom I will say. I love lydia so much she is such a miracle and blessing in my life.

So then after much hugs and tears hopped on a plane to Martinique! of course,  I shared the first vision with someone on the plane who lives in paris (sorry i cant get over how much I love my life!)

CAR LIFE!!!! I have a car now! so so weird. such an adjustment! Its about a half hour 40 min drive to the church and we live up a hill it is SO BEAUTIFUL!! Sometimes were driving around and I'm just like, this is too beautiful! im too lucky! Its pretty mountainous here and theres just houses scattered on the mountains; its so beautiful! and the people!!! are so nice and loving and, their french is so beautiful!!! I experienced my first car miracle!!!! We were lost and looking for someone driving around and then we see this guy, and the spirit was just telling me to talk to him and ask him for directions, so of course we did, and then voila! he wanted to hear our message! so we'll be teaching him this week along with many others!!! and the miracles just flow, my first day I was like how do miracles come when your not walking on the street all day, but they come ,even in a car!!!!!

So then, the ward, oh my! the ward! its so strong and so great! I was literally sitting in the congregation with all the members on the island of Martinique! Theres usually another group, but its fast sunday so everyone was there. fast and testimony meeting was so good! The spirit was so strong, I just already love all these members and they all say my french is pretty good so thats exciting! Martinique french is very beautiful, I'm excited to pick up the accent. There's this 19 year old member that we went aand taught and convinced her to come out with us. She's so beautiful, I'm already obsessed with the members and people here!

So, we're baptizing this transfer, we fasted this sunday for that and we're working our hardest to achieve that. and Heavenly Father is giving us miracles and people who are prepared!! There are so many people that i just want to baptize! so many good investigators already!

Also, one more quick miracles, Sister Guernsey and I were trying to decide where to go and who to see and we both made a decision and we ended up at this guys house teaching him and I was like 'ok were we supposed to be here' because the lesson was going just alright... but then, his friend comes up, Alexdandre and hes like 'hey! I've talked to missionaries before!! come teach me!' basically and he had like sweet rasta hair and I really want to teach a rasta! anywways, what another miracle that Heavenly Father is giving us because he knows were gonna baptize!

Anyways working hard! even if sometimes I'm sitting in a car driving around probably one of the pretties islands in the world!!! but life is good :)

I love you all! thanks for all the love and support!

Soeur Tenney

and sorry the pictures arent loading so next week i will send pics i promise! 

Island hopper

 

Hello,

Sister Tenney is now an island hopper!!!  After 5 months of Goyave, Sister Tenney is heading to Martinique! The other French island!!!! Ahh!!! They have beautiful very Frenchy French there so I'm excited! Theres exactly ten missionaries there and a senior couple. wohoo! My comp is Sister Gurnsy and she's allergic to the sun! so we're in a car!! haha car life! but hey im excited! However, I may have shed a few tears this morning while commencing to pack. I'm moving! I've got a lovely life here in Goyave and I'm moving!! So sad! such great miracles this week too!!

So this week, just.... ahh!! Missionary work is the best! I've gotten into the habit of writing miracles on the side of each day because we plan at night, but always there are miracles just trickled throughout the day as we're obedient! Like, for example, Soeur Dorsan got a fly stuck in her eye, and she was very scared, and she wouldn't do anything till we got it out, haha, so I was like 'alright, we gotta get this thing out before we can go to our appointments. So we go to Priscas house and she couldn't get it out, so then we went to the doctors and Voila!!! It was this woman who we met who is from france who loves Jesus! what a rarity! what a miracle! So I know we had to go to see her! and she got the fly out all for free!! haha so that was a miracle!

Also, Soeur Tenney got to give a discourse at church and it was great. That was how we got al our amis to come to church! haha but of course my favorite thing, my favorite miracle is my Lydia. I sat by her in sunday school and she just leans over to me, "I prayed that God would send me to the true church and I just know this is the true church, the Holy Ghost tells me that again and again," I'm so sad to leave Lydia! like so sad! but I know she is in good hands still and we will be friends for eternity :) 

The miracles our endless! mommy asked me to describe a sunday, we dont ride our bikes on sunday haha, Soeur Dorsan and I decided that. so this sunday we headed to Goyave meme, taught a couple of our great amis! Those were all solid solid lessons! ah i love teaching! Then headed up to the Valmy family to teach about seminary! Their mom is in france but we took a lovely photo, me and the Valmy boys that I think I convinced samuel to put on Facebook.

Miracles! happen all the time and I know I'm supposed to be heading to Martinique! More miracles will come! Car life will be different but still amazing! I'm stoked! I'm so blessed! 

I love this gospel and I love Jesus Christ! I serve Him with all my heart everyday! expect miracles! They come according to our faith!

 

 Love you all!

Soeur Tenney

 

Good bye Goyave!

The Holy Ghost speaks "Sister Tenney"

Dear family and friends,

 

This week! was zone conference! President and Sister Mehr are the BEST! I love them! I think my favorite thing I learned from them this week was that Heavenly Father speaks Sister Tenney. He speaks Sister Tenney! The Holy Ghost speaks to me in ways that I can understand! And I love that! I had this awesome study sesh this morning where I just felt like Heavenly Father was speaking my language! I love that! We also learned about spiritual gifts and that we need to ask Heavenly Father the spiritual gifts we need! and I did that! and he told me! So seek spiritual gifts to help others come to the kingdom of God and you will get them as you pray for them!

Lydia is just too sweet and cool. I love her! she came to the talent show this week! oh ya there was a talent show this week and I sang with another missionary "abide with me tis eventide" in french. I wasnt even nervous because it was in another language! that was so awesome! Lydia made a cake for me for the bigh at! haha 

Church was also just so fun, everyone is pretty much on vacatine, but our amis were there! Christian! this man that Sister Eyre and I raked his leaves forever ago came to church! service! it softens peoples hearts! He is so sweet and hilarious and frank! He says it like it is! He says hes gonna buy a white shirt though because 'that would be better!' haha I love church!

Miracles happen daily. I wake up and tell Heavenly Father 'I expect miracles today Heavenly Father!' its the best! being a missionary is a best!

 

I love you all!

Soeur Tenney

Search your spiritual gifts

Mema and Papa are there what!!! so fun!! I wanna come! ok! I will try and describe a normal day but this week has been a little crazy because I had to do OFFI which is like these doctor appointments for our visa> But anyway! a typical day! I wake up! do some stretches haha get ready... STUDY!!! I love studies!! but you know that! I'll explain friday! so we have a lot of studies to do because we are still training! so we study personally as a companion, lanuguage!! all the above! then we ate lunch, hopped on our bikes and headed to Goyave!! We ride down this hill into Goyave. Then we just teach people pretty much ever hour of the day! haha it is so fun! Friday night we had a Bokite appoinment, but the guy didnt come! But then a miracle! This other guy that we lost contact with was there and had a lesson over bokites! I love sharing the restored gospel with others!! Theres 22 missionaries on my island but 2 are the senior couple> two zones. I'm in a zone with all elders, its a weird adjustment but I deal! Theres 12 missionaries on Martinique, the other french island, and 6 on Guinia, the french part of South America, fun times!! We mostly eat like idk whatever we can make real fast, haha, grilled cheese, paninins, cereal, pasta, chicken! I make mesquite chicken sometimes!! Sometimes we get Bokites! just whatever!

Ok can I tell you about my week!!???? We got back a hold of Christine!! Shes doing better but still fighting off that chickengoonya. wasnt able to come to district conference this week but thats ok! shes getting better! Her testimony is still so so strong!!!!! then LYDIA!!! oh my goodness! Heavenly Father loves me too much by giving me Lydia, I love lydia! our lessons are so fun! she is just so cute and she LOVES US! At district conference this week, which she drove us to.. she leaned over and said 'I can tell i have the best missionaries' hahah shhh! dont tell the other missionaires! She loves us! Anyways saturday she invited us over to give us some clothes that were too big for her because shes tiny so i took this super cute wrap dress, but then.. miracle!! we thought of our ami Lily who hasnt come to church because she has nothing to wear, but then we went and gave it to her, and LILY CAME TO CONFERENCE WITH US TOO!! literally it was too perfecrt! Lydia drove us and Lily to conference! And Lily looked so cute and perfect like a mormon girl! Lily is this haitian that we kidna stopped teaching for a week because she wouldnt come to church and we didnt know why! but we felt prompted to come by this week and she came to conferecene! all the way in abymes! (thats far) anyways i was thrilled>> THRILLED!! I LOVE HAVING AMIS!! I love sitting with amis :) I was so happy, when they left I just didnt know what to do with myself... hahaha

Then it was district conference (like stake conference but were a district) and President Mehr spoke and it was just amazing. He told us to search for our spiritual gifts that Heavenly Father will give us to make us more Godly. We must earnestly search these gifts and we must ask Him what gifts we need! I know thats true! because I asked Him and I know what He wants me to be! Its so awesome and I'm just so grateful I got to hear that! 

And this week is zone conference so we'll hear more from him! I'm so excited to get spiritually fed some more and improve my work! I love missionary work! I love this gospel! I am so blessed!

Love you all,

Soeur Tenney

"COUNSEL" in all thy doings

Hello everyone!

 

This week was wonderfull!! HAPPY FOURHT OF JULY!! i love fourth of july!! i was on a split so i got to see s eyre fourth of july and its her favorite holiday and i love sis eyre so that was fun!!! but anyways, we did exchanges this week! with our sister training leader! shes on our island. that was awesome! i learned so much from her! our day maybe wasnt the best thing ever but i learned so much! so i think that was good! weve been asked to memorize alma 37:37 whichi is just so good! COUNSEL with the Lord in all thy doings! do we counsel with Him in all our doings? thats what we need to do!! anyways,so that was a good thing I learned this week.

And yes!!! Jean got baptized!! diligence! Sister Eyre and I were eternally happy! So fun! So great! Sunday was the baptism and that was just such a wonderful day for so many reasons! number one probably was Lydia! So she came to church of course! and she is just progressing so well! I didnt have to play the piano because this other elder was there who could play and me and sis dorsan sat on either side of her and she was like 'i like being in between you 2'! so awesome!!! and she showed the plan of salvation brochure to her husband and its his birthday the day of her baptism at the end of the month but he wants her to get baptized that day! because its her day with God! oh my! and shes been reading the scriptures! she is just such a miracle!! remmeber when she came because we fasted? i love that! and I just sat by her all of church and she just kept whispering to me and chatting with me in her beautiful french! more celestial happiness right there! she said she woke up feeling sick but prayed to God to be able to go to church because she knew she needed to. WHAT A MIRACLE! i love her!

I love the work! you know that! Goyave is so good and Sister Tenney is doing really well! everyone! invite your friends to be taught by the missionaries! were nice people!

 

 Love yoàu all!

Soeur Tenney

 

Jean's baptism