Anotha One!!

Coucou ! J'espère que vous allez bien ! (Hello!  I hope you all are doing well!)

This week was a whirlwind! Let's see if I can share it all in a reasonably lengthed blog post. 😉 

Starting off the Week Strong: Well, I experienced my first French Manifestation! For the past couple weeks, there have been numerous grèves and manifestations (insane protests) in the République, which is the center of town. My companion and I aren't too sure on why they are happening, as we are counseled to stay out of politics as missionaries, but what we do know is that they have put a huge dampener on the public transport and our ability to street contact! Most of the time when the manifestations are happening, we avoid the town center and limit street contacting to the area around our apartment. However, Tuesday we didn't know there was a manifestation happening until we where on the bus. I was casually looking out the window until Soeur Beckwith leaned over to me and said, "You are about to experience your first manifestation." Oh no! That was when I realized the bus was going to the stop at the Gare instead of in the town center. We walked from the Gare to the center of town, but made sure to remain far enough away so we wouldn't be caught in the middle of it all. It was crazy! There were rows of police cars, lines of police, smoke bombs radiating from various areas, and just a lot of angry people doing what angry people do! Soeur Beckwith and I stopped to watch from a far in awe for a moment then quickly continued on with the work, safely away from the chaos. 

Later that evening, we had another lesson in another language again! This time it was in Swahili! We have a friend we have been teaching who is from Rwanda who doesn't speak much French, but speaks Swahili! We found some Elders in Tanzania who where able to do a lesson with us via FaceTime and do the translations for us. It was so so cool, and it was amazing to see our friend open up about her beliefs because she could finally express herself freely without language limitations! I am so thankful that there are missionaries all around the world, because those Elders who helped us were a huge answer to prayer! 

This week we also had another in-person district council! Soeur Beckwith and I where in charge of the formation this time and we talked about "Love, Share, Invite" which is a way for members of the church to participate in missionary efforts alongside the full-time missionaries. It was amazing, and honestly, I'm pretty sure I learned more from others in the district than they probably did from Soeur Beckwith and I. I loved hearing about how each missionary connects with members differently, and their ideas of how to strengthen their relationship with the ward. I learned that the details matter, and sometimes the smallest things that maybe we might feel are insignificant, can actually mean a lot to those we serve. 

At the end we all went to the local boulangerie for lunch and then, once again performed the Paris France Mission Tradition... the Flan suck! That is something that will never get old and might be a new hidden talent for when I get back to the states haha! 

WE ALSO HAD ANOTHER BAPTISM! This time my hair isn't gray! 😂 It was the baptism for our friend Michelle, who if you remember the story, was actually invited to be baptized by Stéphane, our friend we met on the bus who just barely got baptized! It was so beautiful! Michelle was so excited and was all smiles that day! She kept asking everyone for pictures! We asked her how she felt when she came out of the font and she just said happy. Short and simple, but I think that is the perfect summary of how a baptism should feel: Happy! At the end of the baptism we all had some good 'ol American chocolate chip cookies! Soeur Beckwith and I made some the night before to bring, and they where a huge hit! Shout out to my Uncle Cory for the recipe! We had tons of requests for the recipe, and each time we couldn't help but tease them and say it is a family secret! 😉 It was so cute, before the baptism one of the kids that came saw the cookies in the kitchen and was so excited, and kept telling everyone there where American cookies! Plus, I have to mention, the sun was out! So, indeed it was an amazing, beautiful day all around! 

Overall it was a great week, one that was definitely all over the place ranging from manifestations, to Swahili lessons, and of course a baptism as the icing on the cake, and I wouldn't have it any other way! I am really beginning to truly love the people and the culture here in France and every day I find more and more to be thankful for. 

This week for my Pensée Spirituel, I wanted to talk about love! Especially since today is Saint- Valentine! I love this scripture from the bible: 

"That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love." 

Ephesians 3:17

Christ is the essence of love, He is the best and ultimate example of love! In everything we do, we should try and love the way Jesus did. Everything He did was done through love. He taught, served, healed, comforted, and simply spoke with pure love. If we ground ourselves in Jesus Christ, we will be rooted in Him and His love. This week, in the spirit of Saint-Valentine, love like Christ our Savior did in all you do! 

Je vous aime ! À bientôt !

-Soeur Hansen