Elder Jordan Stanford: My dying ville

My time in Paris is over! I saw it coming, of course, but it's always a bit surreal to pack up and leave someplace that's been your home for months. Almost every night since mid-May I've gone to sleep and woken up in Paris-proper--a beautiful, stressful, polluted, dynamic, historic city. It's been a blast. By far the most busy and chaotic time of my mission. No idea how my trainer did five transfers here haha. I'm excited to get a chance to breathe a little easier (metaphorically and physically).

I will be finishing my mission in Namur, Belgium! Super excited to go back to Belgium. The apartment is awesome, the ward seems cool, and they say Namur has the best frites in the mission. I'll have to try them about a dozen times before I can get back to you on that one.

There goes my end-of-mission beach body regime. Good thing I get home in wintertime, right?

For the second time, I'll be whitewashing into a ville (for those of you who haven't served a mission in the last couple of decades, that's when you and your companion enter the city at the same time and neither of you have any idea what you're doing). The first time was in Strasbourg, where I only got to do six weeks. I'm excited to see what work we can get done there!

Other news:

- My son, Elder Harris, just became a zone leader in the Paris Lilas ward. It's kinda weird, actually: My father, Elder Wheatley, only left Paris once, for two transfers in Liège. Then I did two transfers in Liège. Now my son has only left Paris once...for two transfers in Liège. Now he's coming back! As I leave.

- My grandson, Elder Barton, is training! It's been about a year since he was born. I get to see my great-grandson before I die :D

As far as missionary work, this week focused itself completely on Aurélien. He is doing so well! We taught him three times this week, each time with a different one of his new friends in the church. The highlight was when we had a family home evening with the Stonehockers on Monday night. It seriously helped him so much. He is a stud!

On Sunday, Mitt Romney stopped by during his annual Paris vacation and had a little conference with all the missionaries in the Paris area.

It was pretty cool, actually. I don't worship the guy, but he's an important man, great public speaker and a strong testimony of Christ and His gospel. It helped me motivate myself to give my all to this last part of my mission. (He also told a couple of funny stories, like when he and three other missionaries got into a fistfight with the Toulouse rugby team haha.) It was good.

I don't have much more to say, but you can have many pictures to complete this entry.