I adore everything about my life right now.

I adore everything about your lives right now.

Caleb is in CHINA. Josh is MARRIED and was just in Mexico... or around there. I'm in France. Dad traverses Ohio everyweek. Our family is dang cool. I love you guys. Ok, but maybe the crossing Ohio example isn't the best example.

I peed in the Seine this week, a life long goal.

Down to business, I have so much to tell you. Let's start off with my favorite little story as of late. We found and taught Mama Marcel. Yup. We love Mama. She is an larger, older, African lady. She is an evangilist. So we were spreading the love as usual, but during my opening prayer she started some sort of chant-prayer-thing under her breath. I was freaking out so I got quieter and quieter because I thought she was giving her own prayer. Somehow though, she magically said amen right when she was supposed to. I guess she had been helping a me out or something. Again however, I love Mama. She is the kind of lady that you want to clap your hands together with and sing hallelujahs with. During the lesson she kept saying amen to our thoughts. When we would talk about her blessings she would clasp her hands together, look up, and sing a little "merci Papa" to the heavens. Africans have so much faith. I love them. Especially Mama.

Lessons are picking up! The area is looking a lot better already than it was when I got here. We now have four investigators as opposed to none.

Oh. My. Missionary work. I taught the best first lesson of my life the other day. Probably because it was a real person instead of the mtc. We had an appointment with a man we found named Yves. It took us half an hour in the pouring rain to find his apartment and we were soaked all the way through when we got there. He seemed really touched that we had ran around out in the rain just to find him. Yves is a young African man for the Ivory Coast. He is here for a couple years for school. He knows the bible really well, but he didn't try to use it to find fault in us. Without any prompting from us, he promised that he is going to read the whole Book of Mormon. He has so much faith and he treasures his family, marriage, the gospel, etc... YES :) Talk about someone who is prepared. I hope so bad that nothing goes wrong for him. ALSO, he is normal. Hah, a lot of the people that talk to us are a little bit off, actually a lot of them are just drunk.

On the trains home from teaching Yves I talked to two people all by myself because Elder Riley was on the phone. As my conversation with them continued I got both of their numbers to set up appointments, ALL BY MYSELF :) I might have been a little prideful about that. Too bad they both "frujied" us. C'est la vie.

Church was less of a labor to understand this week, but still hard, and a lot still flew over my head. The whole Sunday was about missionary work so that was cool. I felt like a superstar. The ward is one of the bigger ones in France, and we have a really nice building. We've only had one dinner appointement so far still. It was my second day in France so I hardly remember it. Mission slang for a dinner appointment is a "mangez-vous." As opposed to a "rendez-vous." Hah, also when an investigator stands you up for a rendez-vous it is called a "fruji." Nobody knows where mission slang comes from.

We get around on public transportation and on foot. We have fun little passes that get us onto any train of bus, I'm sure they cost a healthy amount. We use them several times a day. Some of the areas have cars, but not ours.

It's fabulous that Josh is married. I want to be an uncle. Make sure to write that down.

Dad, I am really really glad you are loving the job. Keep on keepin' on.

Caleb, I would LOVE it if you came contacting with me. The French part doesn't matter. Two people not understanding is better than one. Hah.

Caleb said that China smelled like fish when he got off the plane? France smelled like smoke. But I think it was the people smoking right outside the door. Everybody smokes here.

Philip is really working at the Pines?! Shannon is going to emlpoy the whole mormon population before she dies.

Good luck keeping the house clean and getting it sold. That place is a gem.

Oh. One last thought quickly. Yesterday I was feeling kind of discouraged. I read something from my mtc teacher that said if you're not having sucess, look at your obediance. I kind of reevaluated myself after that. I put away all my pictures from home except for the one family picture. In their place I put several pictures of Christ and Book of Mormon heroes. I moved my alarm clock in my room so that I'll actually use it instead of just relying on Elder Riley. I made goals and wrote them down. It is SO liberating!! Sad feelings gone. Josh and Shan, thanks for your testimonies about obediance.

Hey, I'm in France.

Yours truly,

Elder Coburn