Elder Jesse Wade: Week 65- Goodbye Geneva...Hello Lyon

Me, Elder Huntsman, Elder Landry, Elder Sumter right outside the

Opera House in Lyon!

Hello! I'm sorry for not writing last week. So much has happened in
the last 2 weeks I don't even know where to start...so I'll just go
for it! So last Saturday I got a call from President Brown explaining
how Elder Huntsman (his AP) was finishing his mission, and so he asked
me if I would replace him. I was pretty surprised when He called me,
but I am really grateful for this opportunity and I'm looking forward
to it. Right now I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing, but I am
excited so start this new experience in my mission! Even though it was
only the end of week 5, President asked that I be all packed by Monday
morning and be ready to take a train from Genève to Lyon! So that's
why I wasn't able to write last week. So, a lot of things have
happened, but before I talk about anything else, I would like to talk
about my experience in Genève a little bit.

It was so hard to say goodbye to Genève. During these past 6 months I
have had some of the most amazing memories and experiences that anyone
could ever ask for. It's impossible for me to put into words what the
last 6 months were like in Geneva, so I will do my best to give you a
little portion of how amazing it has been. The members in Geneva,
Switzerland have some of the strongest testimonies on this earth and I
am so grateful to have been strengthened and uplifted by their
examples. Last Sunday was a really long and hard day for me as I was
saying goodbye to people that I have absolutely given my heart to over
the last 6 months. It's funny because before my mission I didn't know
I could feel as strong, love as deep, and care as much for people as I
do for my Swiss family. Of course I feel that way about Nice and
Corsica as well, and I'm sure I will feel that way about Lyon, but the
love I have for the people in Geneva is unexplainable. I love them.
It was really late last Sunday night while I was packing my bags and I
just had the biggest hole in my heart to have to leave these people.
I'll just stop there, because even though I've already typed a long
paragraph I still feel like nothing that I wrote compares to truly how
much I love Geneva. But all in all, Geneva was incredible and I feel
like the luckiest person alive to have been there.

I am also grateful for my companions Elder Keller and Elder Lutu and
for how much fun we had together! They are such great missionaries and
pushed me everyday to become a better missionary and person and I
loved serving with them. I was so lucky and blessed to have them as
companions.

The transfer process was such an amazing thing to be apart of! It's
pretty incredible how things end up working out how Heavenly Father
wants them to, and it is very obvious to see that President Brown is
inspired and holds the keys over this mission. On Monday right after
Elder Huntsman, Elder Landry, and Elder Sumter picked me up, we went
straight to President's house and started working on transfers! The
transfer process took the rest of Monday and all of Tuesday. On
Wednesday we finished at around lunch time and then we went to the
Mission Office and worked on a bunch of things we had to do for
President. On Friday morning we went over to Presidents in the morning
and sat there as he made calls and told the missionaries what was
happening. It was a different experience to be on the other side of
the call and for some reason I still felt super nervous every time
President made a call to an equipe of missionaries even though it
wasn't me haha. All in all, transfers went super well and we are so
excited for this upcoming transfer and to see all of the success and
miracles that will happen in the mission!

I will have 2 new companions as well! The other assistant is Elder
Landry! He actually served on Corsica in Bastia while I was in Ajaccio
so I know him pretty well and it's going to be a blast! Also we have a
car and both of us can't drive so our other companion is Elder Sumter
and he will drive for us this transfer! He is from the Netherlands and
is a baller! Honestly this will be a really fun transfer with the two
of them! There are also some big changes in our companionship as well!
Here in Lyon there are 4 wards and the assistants have always been in
the Val de Saõne ward. But from now on we will be in the Écully Ward!
So we are "whitewashing" into the Écully sector. That basically means
that we are starting over from scratch with amis and people we are
working with. It will definitely be a challenge at the beginning but
it will be super fun :)

This next week will be a really sad and super fun week as we are going
to be sending home a lot of missionaries that I love a lot, and also
be picking up brand new blues from the airport! I am really excited
for this week and it looks like it's going to be a memorable one. I
don't have a lot of time right now and I've left out a lot of details
but everything is going great. I am a little overwhelmed right now and
Elder Huntsman (he is finishing his mission) is going to be nearly
impossible to replace...but I will do my best!

Alma 41:10 - There is only one way to eternal happiness and that is
through living the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Have a great week!

Elder Wade

Alma 41:10

10 Do not suppose, because it has been spoken concerning restoration, that ye shall be restored from sin to happiness. Behold, I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness.