Etoiles Dans Les Yeux

Leaves From My Missionary Journal

Monday, 25 Jan 1982
Sunday we were so excited that Renee had a baptismal date. We had a really good day. Our whole lives are now revolving around Andre and Renee. It takes so much spiritual strength just praying for them and trying to receive revelation on what we can do for them. This morning Sister Bird called Renee and she said she did NOT want to be baptized. We were really floored! We didn't know what to do! We drove by their house because we really wanted to talk to her. But Andre was there, the car was in the driveway. So we didn't go talk to her. We drove past the house and sat in the car. I was so upset. We decided we would get out today and do some Spiritual Harvesting, then go by and talk to her tonight. So we went out and it was so cold. When we were just about frozen solid we knocked on one more door. Just as I knocked, Sister Bird noticed the names on the mailbox--the occupants were nuns! I wanted to just leave real quick, but it was too late, and an elderly lady answered the door. I didn't know what to say! I stood there looking dumb. I said, "We didn't know you were sisters...we're sisters too!" Then I just stood there. Well, she said, "Come in." Well in we go to warm up and talk to two Catholic nuns. They were so cute, they fed us hot soup and citronouille cake.

About 4:00 we were going to go home for dinner but before we went we just drove by Renee's to see if the car was in the driveway...it wasn't. So we knocked. She let us in and we started talking. At first she talked about how she had already been baptized. So we came down really hard on authority. She took it all really well. That wasn't the real problem. The real problem came out later when she said, "I heard that they seal families together for eternity." She was quite upset about it. We explained eternal marriage but it upset her more. Finally she said, "I don't want to be with Andree." It was so sad. She's just enduring her marriage and she's so unhappy. We know that the Church can help them!! We talked for a long time. At one point she told us, "You just don't understand. All you missionaries come from rich families and you had a wonderful home life and you never did anything wrong in your life. Then you come to me with stars in your eyes, telling me how wonderful it is." Those are her words, so poignant in French, "avec etoiles dans les yeux." I just started to cry so hard. She looked at me, astonished. Through the tears, I said, "Renee, I too had a sinful past. There were things in my life that were bad. But this is the TRUE CHURCH! I found that I could repent and gain these stars in my eyes! I wanted her to know that it was the Gospel that did that. And that she could have that too!

A Renee

Un jour tu nous as regarde
Et tu as remarque quelque chose comme une lumiere
Qui brillait dans nos yeux.
Et tu as dit
Ma vie n'est pas comme la votre.
J'ai vecu toute ma vie
Dans le monde
Et maintenant, voici vous venez
Chez moi avec des etoiles dans les yeux.

Et quand tu as dit ces mots
Les larmes ont commence a couler
Et je me suis souvenu des annees passees
Ou je marchais dan les tenebres
Sans la lumiere de la verite
Je me suis souvenu, et j'ai realise,
Comme tu dois le realiser aussi,
Pourquoi j'ai ete appele a venir ici.

Aujourd'hui je remercie le Seigneur
De m'avoir mis des etoiles dans les yeux
Afin de me permettre de participer
A les mettre dans tes yeux aussi.

Apologies to french speakers, but when I post this, all the accents disappear. Anyone know how to do accents in blogger?