First Email from France!
October 6, 2014

I'm emailing from a tiny internet cafe in Saint-Severe in Rouen. It smells like cigarettes. Then again eveything does. I'm glad you have seen some pictures. I didn't bring my camera today but I didn't take a lot of pictures anyways but I will in the future!

Mission president here is awesome. Main church buillding and secretary offices are wayyy cool in Paris. It's in this really old but big stone building in a large alleyway. There's a small visitors center as well. It's by the new art museum. Right next to the modern art museum I think and Notre Dame. Saw Notre Dame and it is both huge and cool. Didn't have time to go inside. We don't have time to really do anything actually.

The language hasn't been as bad as I thought. I can understand 50 percent of what most people say and 100 percent of my companion. I can communicate basically everything I want to. Ordering stuff around town is difficult because I often can't understand enough due to my small normal words vocabulary but I can understand everything Gospel related. t's about what I expected only a little dirtier. Nothing here look clean but it's Europe so whatevs. All the building here are really old on the outside and new on the inside and I love that. EVERYONE here smokes. EVERYONE. It really blows my mind how much lung cancer there must be here. People just throw cigarette butts EVERYWHERE. Their public transportation and metro is really nice. here in Rouen it's all we use. We don't have a car but I don't want one anyways. You have to pay for bathrooms here which I find to be comical. I think the conversion rate for each Euro is 1.3 American dollars and if that's the case things here aren't super expensive but they're still more expensive. People in France just crack me up sometimes. I think it's funny how no one shows emotion in public. Little French kids are the cutest FYI I always look down expecting english and they speak french and it's the cutest thing ever.

The downtown is pretty cool. There is cobblestone everywhere over here which I like. The church is right next to the main massive cathedral and it really is massive. We spent yesterday at the Branch President's house and saw the 2 sessions of general conference and then the priesthood session. We saw the first sat session with a member satuday night and it was kinds long because it was in French and her family was crazy the entire time so that was a long 2 hours. Talks in conference were great from what I saw. We haven't seen the last session yet but plan to soon because I want to hear Bednar.

All the homes and literally everything here is so much smaller. And I know the people are smaller but proportionally wise things are smaller. The US has everything super big and in abundance it's crazy. The food here is totally different from the United States. I've just eaten everything whether I like it or not. Mom would probably be shocked. I doesn't bother me a lot. We haven't had any good food yet.

Have not even seen a glimpse of anything else really besides Notre Dame. We are really busy. We did do this thing the 2nd morning called consecration hill where we go to this big palace/castle thing with a huge garden and look out over the city east of Paris and compare it to Lehi's dream where he saw the great and spacious building and that was really cool.

I gave a priesthood blessing my 2nd day so that was cool. Rouen is pretty cool. It's starting to get a little colder. We never see little kids in the city which is different from Utah a lot. The French are very polite when they talk to us but almost all of them reject us. We found several amis this week while tracking and picked up 3 new people to teach. We had 2 before and 2 less actives. Had 8 lessons last week which wasn't bad.

Love you all so much and if you ever send letters I expect pictures of you guys in them.

We were thrilled to see pictures of Mason posted on the mission facebook page the day after he arrived in Paris. We were able to see his assignment and all the new missionaries that arrived with him. Below is the email we got from President Babin the following day.


To the Family of Elder Wells

Sister Babin and I were delighted to welcome your son , Elder Mason Scott Wells , into the France Paris Mission on 30 Sep 2014. He and his MTC companions were enthusiastic and all arrived in good health. He spent his first day eating some good food, visiting with me, contacting non-members in the heart of Paris, and sharing testimonies. We enjoyed his spirit.

The next morning, after a mission orientation, Elder Wells left for his first assignment to work in the Rouen E0 Area with Elder Barber, who will be his trainer.

We feel very privileged to work with your son . We also realize the responsibility we share with you to help him continue to grow spiritually as he faithfully performs his duties. May the Lord inspire us all to sustain him in this challenging and exciting assignment. We hope you will join Sister Babin and me in praying each day for your son , his companion, investigators, and all of us serving in the France Paris Mission.

A positive, supportive letter from home every week does wonders to sustain a missionary’s morale. Proverbs 25:25 states: As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country. If you have any questions, or if we can assist you in any way, please contact us at our office (001-331-3480-0483) or home (001-331-3976-8402).

Sincerely,

Frédéric Jean Babin

President, France Paris Mission

Mason sent us these pictures this week!  He is getting used to the 12 hour days in classes in the MTC.  He has really seen some improvement in his French and is really excited about that.  His companion is from Idaho and they get along great.  Of the other two missionaries in his room, one is a cousin of a good friend from Lone Peak and the other one is former Gov. Huntsman's nephew.  He loves to get letters and emails.  He found out that the French consulate no longer requires missionaries to do a personal visit to the office so he wont be going to San Francisco for the day now (bummer).  He is healthy and in good spirits and loves any communication from family.  His departure day for France should be September 29th.  He also found out that because of the transfer schedule he will return home from his mission by August 3, 2016 (YIPEE!!!).

(The top picture is Elder Miller; Chad's cousin's son who went into the MTC the same day.  He is going to the Philiipines. The bottom pic is his district!)

Saying Goodbye
The best kept secret in the church IS how hard it is to drop off your child knowing you wont see them for two years.  After checking out all the kids early on their first day of school, we had lunch at Outback (Mason's favorite) with Chad's cousin John Miller and his wife and son who was also entering the MTC to serve in the Phillipines.  After lunch we took pictures in front of the Temple.  Mason said goodbye to Tayla with tear-filled eyes and then we rushed over to "the drop-off".  The standard two minute drop off was probably even shorter as Mason was anxious to go and knew goodbye was going to be hard on everyone.  So with Tayla crying to get out of her car seat, we each gave quick hugs and off he went.When we arrived home we found a letter from Mason sitting on the kitchen counter.  Most of the letter was his testimony that I thought we would share here.  This letter was a great comfort to us and we have read it several times, especially when we are missing him.  We hope to hear from Mason on his Pday which is either weds. or thurs. this week.  Until then we hope and pray he is doing well.

"Consider this my first letter from the MTC.  I wanted to share my testimony I wrote over this last year.  Everything I write comes from the heart, and I stand as a witness that God is real and that he will bless our family.
  Christ allows me to become more than I think I can become.  He holds my burdens and gives me strength to endure.  Without him I am without physical ability to bring about good in His kingdom.  He brings me out of darkness and allows me to see the good in life.  He gives me trials that I might learn humility.  He shows me my weakness that I might strengthen my Spirit.  He has led me by the Spirit.  He continues to lead me through the scriptures; through the Prophet; and through my patriarchal blessing.  He is willing to forgive the person I once was, and accept what I have become.  Repentance is about changing the nature of my being-I know it works.  Praying and reading the scriptures can slowly edify me; they can keep me tethered to God.  The joy that God can give me is better than any material substance.  God always knows what is better for me.  His will is more important than mine.  He guides me quietly, and I can hear Him when I am willing to hear him.  He works in silent ways, but he is always willing to show me the way.  God knows what I grow through and he can carry my inadequacy.  I will be judged one day on what I've become and how I dealt with those inadequacies.  Because of Christ I can repent for my shortcomings.  Because of Christ I can return to live in the presence of my Heavenly Father.  He bore my afflictions so that I can become as He has become and as the Father is.  His mercy has been shown in the way he comforts me; there have been many small acts in my life that have testified that God is present and real, and that He loves me.  The Lord refines me when I strive to change; he can allow me to develop righteous desires and clean habits.  Righteous desires and living a righteous life result in finding true happiness; happiness that is conditional only on the Savior's unconditional sacrifice in Gethsemane. I know that God will carry me through the trials that I will face in the future.  He is a just God, and through suffering he will refine my soul.  I trust Him to guide my life and my refinement through mortality; I know that through faith on Him all things are possible, and all people can be saved.  I know that I will be guided not only to do His will, but if I so wish, to also prepare for eternal life.  God is real.  God is just.  God loves His children, and I know he loves me."

  I love you all very much.  God will bless you for your sacrifice.
  Your son, Elder Mason Wells