Elder Jesse Wade: Week 61 New companions.. "Choosing the Savior is choosing happiness."

Our only photo we took together this week of the new trio!

Hello! This week was such a great week. I love my new comps Elder
Keller and Elder Lutu. We have a great time together and I'm worried
that this transfer is going to go by too fast. This week was very
eventful and I feel like the week taught me a lot of things about
myself and the gospel!

We had a great week with our amis and they are progressing very well.
Serge has been solid and our last lesson with him we taught p hit him
the word of wisdom and he accepted it! He told us that Atoussa told
him about 2 months ago that if he wanted to get baptized he would have
to stop smoking and drinking and so ever since then he has stopped! We
had a very touching RDV with him where he talked about fighting in war
and how he had a lot of things happened to him and he always felt sad
and empty about it. But, he said that the very first day we came into
his home that he felt whole and happy. He is en train to be baptized
on the 9th. Jamel is doing well and she wants to get baptized soon but
is waiting until she has a little more support from her Mom. Ali is
still battling with some things but is making some good progress
towards baptism. We have some other good Amis right now but due to
time I can't go through and name them all, but I am very grateful for
how the work is going.

We went out and contacted a place called Place de Neuve and had a
pretty cool experience. We were contacting separately and there was a
mom sitting on a bench next to her son and I really felt like I needed
to talk to them so I made some small talk with her and sparked a
conversation! She talked about how her husband was a Priest and how
she was very Catholic and believing! So we talked about the
restoration of the priesthood and eternal families and she was really
touched. Then I started to teach her about the Book of Mormon and her
husband showed up and I was kind of sad because I was expecting him to
try and bash or prove everything wrong but he sat there and asked very
good questions. I was grateful for the plan of salvation and for the
knowledge of where I come from, why I am here, and where I am going,
because a lot of his questions revolved around those 3. I was feeling
the spirit so strong and I could tell that they were too. At the end,
the young couple asked if there would be another time we could see
each other and so we exchanged some information and we will be seeing
them this Wednesday at the church. The whole exchange lasted about an
hour and it was the fastest hour of my life! I felt so much love for
these guys and I was so grateful that they were open to it.

Also we had a funny experience on Wednesday. So we had a few important
RDVs scheduled during the night and we were excited about them! So
then the Annecy Elders called us and said they needed a baptismal
interview in an hour haha. So after a few stressful minutes of calls
we got it all arranged! Elder Lutu and Keller drove the car to Annexy
to do the interview while I stayed in Geneva with Frere Fidalgo and
went on an exchange with him! I love Fidalgo so much. It was pretty
fun and weird at the same time. My comps got stuck in traffic coming
back into Geneva and got to the church late, but luckily there was a
ward party and so I had a some "companions" for a little bit.

This week was such a good week and when I went to bed last night I was
so tired haha. It was a hardworking week and I'm very grateful for the
things that happened. Life is so great right now.

Matthew 16: 24-26. This has kind of become my mission motto since I've
been out here. I have really come to realize that the only way to be
sincerely happy is by following the Savior and his example. In losing
ourselves we find ourselves. In giving ourselves to others and in
losing our lives for His sake, we are able to truly find our life
because there is more of it to find. When we catch a glimpse of a love
for Christ such as Peter did (John 21: 1-17), we want nothing more
than to do His will. In John 21 we see that after Christ asked Peter 3
times if he loved him, Peter catches a glimpse of a perfect love for
Christ (and this is after he had already denied him 3 times). And what
happens after this moment? Peter goes on to be the head Apostle and is
eventually crucified upside (it was his choice to be crucified upside
down because he thought it would be disrespectful if he was crucified
the same way Christ was.) I know I'm kind of babbling on right now,
but I was just very touched this week as these verses meant more and
more to me. Again there is only one way to eternal happiness and that
is following the Savior. Our Father in Heaven gave us everything that
we have; and out of all of the many wonderful things he has given us
there is only ONE of these things that is our own. That is our free
agency. And something very special happens when we give Him the one
thing that is even ours to give away, to Him. I know that choosing the
Savior is choosing happiness.

Elder Wade

Matthew 16:24-26

24 "¶Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"