I AM IN LOVE. With life.

I would be lying if I said that I didn't legitimately feel like I was on vacation right now. Maybe it has something to do with being in Paris and eating pastries all morning. I took a zillion pictures, I wish I could send them all.

Paris is my favorite city ever to exist. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else doing anything else right now. Although, this morning while puttering down the Champs Elysées I admitted to Elder Riley that if I could change one thing it would be to have my lovely mother with me. That would be a dream.

Well, the pictures will explain most of my vacationing. However fortunately, I'm not here to vacation. Missionary work. I. Love. Missionary Work.

Each week since I've got here we have been more and more sucessful. We are finding more and more people to teach and setting higher and higher goals each week. This week has been fabulous. There is one African man we started teaching this week named Jérôme. We taught him in a park on Saturday about the Restoration, and then we taught him in the chapel Sunday night about the Plan of Salvation. He had already started reading the Book of Mormon and had some questions. He is our first investigators who really seems to be keeping comittments. THATS EXCITING. Haha, we randomly saw him at a train station on the way back from Paris just now. Its destiny.

Oh. I am legal in France now. I had to have a medical appointment to get my title of residance. Medical appointment... there's a story. My favorite part was when I had to wait in a 2'x2' room inside a large truck for 10 minutes with my shirt off. It was the 'waiting' stall to get my lungs x-rayed. I don't know why the only things French people care about are your lungs and your teeth... maybe because everybody and there dog smokes here. I think I got a little high from secondhand smoke in a tie shop in Paris today. Sick.

Another man we found is Guito. He has an aunt or something in the church. We started talking to him and he already knew EVERYTHING about the gospel. I asked "Guito, do you have a testimony about Joseph Smith and the Restoration?" He said yes. Then I didn't know what to do. They don't teach you that kind of stuff in the mtc. Hah, we read 3 Nephi 11 with him and talked about Christ's doctrine. We discussed why it was important and told him that we're here to help him through it. That was cool. He'll get baptized.

Side note: in other important news I found the best kebab shop of my mission this week.

I love children. I had my third dinner appointment this week. Frankly, it was the first time of my whole mission that I stepped foot in a real house. It was nice. I was having trouble speaking French with the parents so I went and played barbie with the 3 year old daughter. Everybody speaks the same language when it comes to barbies. Needless to say, little Victoria and I are now best of friends. It kills me to not be able to pick her up or anything.

Somehow this week we found ourselves at a city festival because a member wanted us to help at his genealogy booth and hopefully find people to teach that way. When we got there he directed us into the hottest, stuffiest, most full or old people room of my life. We then sat down and listened to some french genius give a talk in French about family history. I just wanted to die. So hot. So much French. For an HOUR AND A HALF. We left the festival after that. Possibly the most unproductive thing I've done. Ever.

We saw Mama again. That is always a treat. She was so happy to see us. She is bed ridden because she just had knee surgery. I've just gotten used to her chanting during prayers. She said that one of the next times we can teach her whole family. Aka, her daughter and THIRTEEN grandchildren. Jackpot. She also gave us the first referral I've gotten on my mission. Those babies are rarer than baptisms.

Our sister missionaries are living in a sick house. Meaning, one of them has been sick for the whole last week and a half. She is just now getting better and the other one is just now getting sick. We took them chocolate cookies. Those poor souls. The sisters usually carry our district. Needless to say, our numbers are down this week.

Well, life goes on. Awkward teaching appointments, church, studies, eating baguettes and moldy cheeses (MMM), frujies, English classes, exchanges, and running across town squares to catch trains. One could say it is a dream. I sure would.

I love you all, as always. I also decided that this is the first real time that none of us brothers have been really living together.

Thank you for all the emails and pictures. They make my life.

Hugs and Bisous,

Elder Coburn

... a bisous is the cheek kissing thing. I'm not allowed to do them :(