Bonjour à tous!
Bonne Année! Happy New Year!!
I feel like this past week went by so fast! This week we had a ton of lessons, which went amazing! We also had in person district council, and I was introduced to a new tradition: The Flan Suck! The goal is to suck a whole flan in your mouth without using your hands. You buy flans that are individually packaged, much like pudding cups or jello cups. You open it and then flip it upside down on a plate and remove the cup. You then slurp the syrup off the top, give it a bisous for luck (kisses on each side), then take a few deep breaths and inhale the flan. Apparently it's a Paris missionary tradition! 😂 Let's just say, I still need a little practice before I master it. It was really great though to see the whole district in person. We talked about The Restoration and listening to those we teach with love. I can personally say that the more I listen with love and not worry about what to say, the more I am able to share through the spirit. I have learned that in moments when I fully rely on the spirit it is not me teaching the lesson, it is the spirit. I have experienced some great miracles, especially with speaking in French, as I was able to say the right words in the exact moment I needed them. My French is far from perfect and is still very broken, but I know, and have experienced, that when I fully trust the spirit I am able to convey the thoughts and feelings needed to reach the hearts of those I teach.
This week was once again filled with Miracles! Here are this week's top hits:
- Thursday we went out street contacting and we ended up in an area of Rennes that we hadn't been before. While we where walking on one side of the street we saw a guy on the other side who we felt we needed to talk to. We both ran across the street and tried to catch up to him. Good thing he stopped to get into his apartment! We then began talking to him and he turned out to be so nice! I gave him a Book of Mormon, which he took with great interest! We also got his number and are going to stay in contact! That was one of the first times I really felt the spirit strongly tell me to chase after someone and give them a Book of Mormon!
- Being in the rain as a missionary has a lot of mixed feelings, but this particular time was so fun! One night Soeur Beckwith and I decided to go street contacting in the rain. It started out as a drizzle but we later found ourselves in the middle of a downpour with no umbrellas. We were soaked but were laughing and smiling the entire time! I haven't seen any snow here in Rennes yet, but we have had a lot of rain! We still don't know why we felt we needed to go out in the rain, but we did talk to a few people so hopefully there are some miracles to come from that! Moral of the story: it's fun being in the rain as a missionary! Just doing the work of the Lord, soaking wet and without a care in the world feels amazing, especially as I am doing what I am growing to love more and more each day!
- Okay this is a super cool story! Grab some popcorn! Remember the guy I met on the bus from my very first week in France? Well, he is currently on date to be baptized at the end of the month, but he is also a phenomenal missionary! This past week we got in contact with a woman (we will call her Jane) via text. We had her number and it looked like she hadn't talked to the missionaries very much so we thought we would try reaching out to her. We sent her a text explaining who we were and that we wanted to share a message with her. She responded with a simple "oui". Awesome! We set up a meeting for later in the week. Saturday night we sent her another text inviting her to church. Again, just a simple "oui". Great!
Sunday came and we didn't know what to expect. Soeur Beckwith and I stayed at the front doors of the church welcoming everyone as they came in. We had never met Jane so we didn't know who we where looking for. Our friend from the bus (we will call him John) arrived and by then it was time for the church meeting to start so we took our seats. A little into our meeting a woman walked in, looking a bit lost, but she sat in front of us and listened to the rest of the meeting. After the meeting we began talking with her, and turns out it was Jane! She had clicked on an add for The Church a few months ago but this was the first time she was talking to the missionaries and she had been searching for Jesus Christ her whole life! PERFECT! John even came up and started talking to her. The four of us then went to second hour classes where Jane was taking notes the entire time! At the end of class we gave her a Book of Mormon and she accepted it so graciously.
After class John and Jane talked for 45 minutes and became fast friends while Soeur Beckwith and I made our rounds to different families in the ward. From there we decided to give Jane a chapel tour and John came along too. At different points on the tour Soeur Beckwith and I would explain different things and also bare testimony. John even bore a short testimony on various things too. We then got to the baptismal font where we talked about the importance of baptism and what it means to us. Then, without prompting, John bore his testimony on baptism, why he is choosing to be baptized, why baptism is important in general, and why it is important to him. He then said she could be too if she was interested. She then whipped out her calendar and started looking for a date to be baptized! Our ami (people who we are teaching who are not yet baptized we call "amis") who is on date to be baptized on January 28th invited another ami to be baptized! Soeur Beckwith and I just stood there staring at each other in awe! John is an even better missionary than we are! 😂 Jane then expressed her desire to be baptized and to learn more. She even wants to be baptized on the same day as John!! It was such a sweet experience and truly a miraculous one! This just goes to show that you never know who you will meet and how they will bless your life and lives of others!
Spiritual Thought:
Our mission President extended an invitation to the mission to read the Book of Mormon in 100 days. December 31- Easter and to take note of each time Jesus Christ is mentioned. The past two days of doing this challenge have been so sweet. It has really allowed me to focus more on the Savior. One of my favorite scriptures this week comes from 1 Nephi :
(1 Nephi 9:6)
The Lord knows all things. He understands the things we cannot understand. He knows what is to come and what is to happen, and He has known since the beginning. Because of this He knows who we are, who we need to be, and who we need to become. He has a plan for us, and it is individually and personally perfect. The Lord will provide a way for you to do all things and to become who you are meant to be. Trust in Him and in His plan and let Him guide you in "the fulfilling of all His words." I am learning to really give everything to the Lord and let Him guide me. It's not easy but miracles and blessings come from it. Know that the Lord really does know you individually and He knows what your future holds. Allow Him to guide you in shaping that future.
I know this was a longer post than normal, so thank you for tuning in this week on Bon Voyage Soeur Hansen! I hope you all had an awesome New Year! This is an exciting year for me as a missionary, as it will be a "black out" year, meaning I am able to be on my mission during an entire year from beginning to end. Not all sister missionaries have one depending on when they enter the mission field.
Make this year one centered around Jesus Christ! I invite you all to begin today and finish the Book of Mormon in 100 days leading up to Easter! As always, I appreciate the emails you send throughout the week! I am trying to get to them all! If I don't respond right away, know that I am thinking of you and I will respond eventually! Love you all so much! Bonne Année! À bientôt ! - Soeur Hansen
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