A Pit Stop at the Louvre

Salut la famille et les amis ! 

 J'espère que vous allez très bien ! (I hope that you are all doing very well!) This week went by so fast! I feel like each week goes faster and faster! 😂 

Last Monday I had in an person district p-day and it was a blast! We all decided to go to Etratat which is in the Le Harve area! The Soeurs in Cherbourg have a car and had to drive through Caen to get there, so we were able to hitch a ride with them! It's been a bit since I've been on a road trip and it was so much fun! (Definitely something I'm looking forward to doing again in a year. 😉) We met up with the rest of the district and then hiked up to the top of the arch, took some amazing photos, then hiked to the top of another nearby cliff! Etretat is also filled with some WWll history we were able to explore. There where some old German bunkers everywhere, and different signs explaining about the history, which was pretty cool! 

We all then went back to the church where a senior couple in our district, the Suebes, prepared lunch for us. We had lasagna, salad, desert, and we even got Elder Suebe to try a blue airhead and stick his tongue out at us! 😂 He also gave us a lesson about the importance of pairing cheese with the right kind of bread - um does that scream French or what! 😂 After lunch we played a few games, chatted, and then we road tripped it back home. This district is seriously truly amazing, I love them so much. We even have t-shirts! Legendary!

This week I was also able to take a trip back to Paris! But this time it was for OFII, which is a government medical exam we have to do to renew our Visa. That part actually wasn't too bad, weird experience though! You wait with a bunch of other people in a lobby and are then called to a closet sized room, where a door suddenly opens as if from nowhere! They take x-rays of your lungs and you are then pushed back into the closet sized room where you meet with a doctor who speaks too fast and you don't understand, so you just nod and say Qui to his questions.  Then you leave with a whole lot more government documents than you know what to do with.  At least I can proudly say that the French government has declared me healthy and I have a stamp to prove it! 

Bouncing back, that morning we took a train to Paris and got into the Gare at Saint Lazare and from there Soeur Reynolds and I decided to ditch the metros and walk to the appointment we were staying at which was about a 2 hour walk. It was actually so fun, and we just so "happened" to pass by Le Louvre, and we just so "happened" to take pictures there. Gee, isn't it funny how things just "happened" that way? 😉 

It was funny, as we were walking around the garden and talking with people, (taking pictures may or may not have been involved) one lady mentioned to us that there were a lot of people there right then, but we might still be able to beat the crowd. We then turn the corner to find a manifestation going on! Gotta love those manifestations... and Soeur Reynolds and I may or may not have had to walk through one that morning to get to our train heading to Paris. Don't worry though, we were there and gone before people started burning trash. 😉 

It was such a beautiful day and we definitely profité bien ! Weran into some other missionaries going to their OFII appointments and it was nice to catch up with them. We then took the metro back to the Gare where we found Gaufres (a.k.a waffles). Let me yell you, there is nothing like a waffle in France! I want to apologize to my dad and grandpa in advance, because the French gaufres are giving you all a run for your money! Gaufres are kind of treated like froyo - if that makes any sense! 😂 Your base is the waffle and from there you can put whatever you want on top, ranging from something simple like Nutella, (Nutella is also very popular here) to ice cream and candy. I grew up with ice cream on waffles, and it is really good! Highly recommend! Soeur Reynolds got some gaufres at the Gare with ice cream, peanut M&M pieces on top, and some noisettes too! So so good! The French know how to level up their waffles! 

Ooooook, enough waffle talk! 😂

We took the train back to Caen and it was absolutely gorgeous! Have I mentioned that I love the French countryside??? I love it so much, especially in Normandy! The trains just fly through, and it definitely feels like a movie! One of the best feelings ever! 

Unexpected Blessings

This week a lot of our lessons fell through, so I don't have too much to report on that. We did talk to some super cool people this week, though, and we did give a gentleman a Book of Mormon. Soeur Reynolds and I where walking by a tiny boat harbor on the way to a tentative appointment and the spirit told us to talk to a man who was simply sitting and admiring the boats. We stopped and said hello and began talking with him. He was super friendly, and we began talking about how God really does love each and every one of His children with a perfect, divine, and eternal love. He nodded in agreement and we continued to talk more. By the end he was practically reaching for the book to take it out of our hands - and of course we didn't stop him! 😉 We exchanged numbers and then went our separate ways. Even though it was a small conversation, it is amazing to talk with people in the midst of normal, every day moments, to catch them while in their sonder, (I invite y'all to look that word up 😊) and share such an inspiring message about Christ with them, especially when directed by the Spirit to do so! 

Even though a lot of things fell through this week, the spirit still made up for it by giving us opportunities to talk to people we otherwise wouldn't have. And sometimes, miracles and opportunities may take longer than you had hoped for. Remember the miracle I shared last week with the family from Egypt? Well, they kind of sent us a rejection text. It was so sad too, because they are really cool people. Rejection does happen though, and I face it everyday, but that is when I turn to the small things that bring me joy and carry on. 

One funny moment this week was when we went back to good 'ol Josè's  We started talking about Machu Pichu, and as we were eating lunch he decided to go on YouTube and pull up a documentary on it for us to watch. Soeur Reynolds and I did not know what to do, as that is not exactly within the rules! 😂We watched for a bit and listened to him explain with excitement about Machu Pichu and the culture of Peru. It honestly was amazing!  Eventually we were able to segway into our little spiritual thought for the day, which was about how we need to make a humble offering of our heart to Christ so that we may be able to take part in His love and power for us more often. Not sure how we connected it to Machu Pichu, but somehow we did and he really enjoyed it. His testimony is incredible! 

Spiritual Thought

During my personal study this week a scripture from the Book of Mormon really stood out to me: 

"And blessed are all the pure in heart, for they shall see God." ( 3 Nephi 12:8) 

I love this scripture! For me, a pure heart signifies a humble heart, one that is turned to God and is open to Him. A heart that is aligned with the will of God. When we come close to God, that is when we see Him. A pure heart is different for each one one of us, so this week I invite you all to define what a pure heart means to you.

I love you all so much! Hopefully you enjoyed the waffle talk! Sometimes you just gotta enjoy some good waffles, so you can better enjoy all the other incredible things around you! #Culture! 

Carry on this week! 

À Bientôt! 

- Soeur Hansen 😘

5 Months and a Blabla!

Saluuuut ! 

What a week it has been! Buckle up! 

It all started on Tuesday with our weekly lunch with Josè Salazar! The day was looking very clear... but that was misleading. During the five minute walk between the tram and his house we got caught in a torrential downpour and showed up to his house absolutely soaked and dripping wet! 😂 He thought it was so funny and kept saying we had been baptized by mother nature... it definitely seemed that way!🤣 

This week I also spent two days in Paris! I had Zone Conference and exchanges, which were so much fun, and the weather was absolutely beautiful! The morning we were going to Paris, our train was to leave at 8h20...little did we know there was no train. We woke up at 5h30 that morning so we could make sure we had everything ready and could be at the Gare early. We show up to the Gare and our train isn't showing up on the board, but the train that leaves at 8h27 is?? We double checked our tickets and went to ask a worker, only to find out there was a grève (big protest) that had cancelled the trains for that morning. The next train to Paris wouldn't leave until 11h59, making it so that we would miss our Zone Conference!

However, Soeur Reynolds and I where determined to make it to the conference, so we had a bit of a mission impossible on our hands! We then called the APs (Assistants to the President. They are kind of like the top dog missionaries 😉) and we were able to get a blabla car! It was gorgeous being able to drive through the countryside of Normandy! Blabla cars are the Ubers of France 😂! We blablad all the way to Paris! During the blabla ride, I have to be honest, it was so hard to stay awake but it was still so cool! And...We were only an hour late and made it in time for lunch! We then went blitzing in Paris; that is when a group of us missionaries spread out in one area and talk to people! It was so fun and we met some really cool people, and some "fun" people...when in Paris, I guess!🤣 

After Zone Conference we headed to the apartment for the sisters who are serving in Paris to start our exchanges. Exchanges are when we change companions for 24 hours with the Soeurs in leadership, just as a check in and learning opportunity. On the way over we stopped by the Olympic Rings and Notre Dame! Sadly, it is still under construction but it was so cool to see in person! I loved the exchange and I learned so much about charity and how it is present in almost every aspect of our lives. Plus, it was so fun to spend a day in Paris! And, while in Paris I actually hit 5 months as a missionary! How crazy is that?! 

Miracle Moment:

We also have a super cool miracle in progress! The Elders who speak Arabic gave us a reference for a friend who lives in our area. She is super super cool and her daughter is the cutest! We gave her a tour of our chapel on Saturday and during our tour she invited some of her friends to come! Her friends are from Egypt and only speak Arabic, but one of them speaks a little English and so we had three languages going on in our tour, English, French, and Arabic! It was so cool! The one that spoke English kept saying "It's good," and lots of questions were asked in many languages on both ends. 😂 At the end we all exchanged numbers and invited them to join us at church Sunday. 

Flash forward to Sunday... our original ami came with her daughter! She loved singing the hymns and I was able to explain to her the importance of the sacrament and she really took it to heart. We asked her what her thoughts were after the meeting and she said she was happy, and that her heart was happy. She really enjoyed the talks that were shared and the cantiques we sang too! During the second hour, we taught a class in English and she joined us for that, and her friends came too! They all enjoyed the class and at the end we set up some rendez-vous for later in the week. Of course I will keep you all updated! I am so excited to see where this miracle goes! Overall, it was a super great week! 

Spiritual Thought

"And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto Him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto Him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved." (Omni 1:26) 

I like this scripture because in folllowing Jesus Christ and in being a true disciple we must give our full sould unto Him, and do all He has asked us to do. Seems easier said than done, but the Lord loves and magnifies effort! 

Love you all! À bientôt !

-Soeur Hansen

Yes, I Speak French!

Salut ! 

I hope you all are doing so well! This week was full of plot twists, but it was still amazing! 

Tuesday we of course had our lunch with Josè Salazar and it was amazing! We shared a spiritual thought with him concerning how we get answers to our prayers. The spirit was so strong! At the end of the spiritual thought Josè kept mentioning how the spirit was strong and how there was a good spirit with us. He was so touched and so sweet! We could tell he didn't want us to go because he kept trying to feed us more. Then, after we told him we had to go, he ran over and gave us chocolates to take with us and walked us out. It was so sweet! He kept saying how excited he was for next week too! Great guy! 

We also had our goûter lesson with la famille Piel and we talked about the same thing with them concerning prayer and all went well.  The lesson was great and we had a great conversation! 

However, not all of these lessons were as perfect as they seem. We were a bit late to each one because of a manifestation happening town, which consequently delayed or even canceled some of the public transport.  At one point while riding the tram, after making one of its usual stops, it didn't keep going after that. One of the workers for Twisto (the public transport company) came on and told everyone we needed to get off because the trams weren't going to the center of town due to the manifestation. Soeur Reynolds and I then had to quickly figure out a plan B for transportation so we could make it to our appointment on time.  While we were looking at the schedules, one of the Twisto employees came up to us and told us we could take a certain bus to the center of town, but for us it was the wrong one. We showed him where we where trying to go and he walked us to the right bus stop right as the bus got there. MINI MIRACLE! In the end, we were only 10 minutes late due to it all and the people we were meeting with where very understanding!  

Wednesday we had another member lesson with a sister in our ward who also speaks English fluently! She is the only active member in her family She has a daughter around 16 years old and wanted us to come over and teach a lesson about women (that day also happened to be a Women's Holiday in France). There was also another young adult there, who happened to be a guy, and it was so funny trying to incorporate him into the lesson about women, 😂 but he shared some really sweet things about his mom.

(Shout out to my mama and all the missionary mothers reading this! Us missionaries love you so very much and really do remember the things you have taught us! We talk about you more than you think. 😂 

Also shout out to the dads! We love you too! 😉) 

At the end of the lesson we had goûter (il faut) and it actually turned into a French lesson😂! We asked her one question, to which she was like if you have any others I'd love to help! Jokingly, I said I had plenty - so she actually rolled up her sleeves and said, "OK, dit moi (tell me)." Soeur Reynolds and I were a bit surprised, but said okay and fired away! It was so so helpful! Plus, she always corrects us too, which is awesome! (Most of the time. 😉) 

Overall the members here are incredible and help us out so so much! They love to come with us on lessons too! We had one lesson this past week with a family where we talked about the eternal plan that God has for us. We had a member with us and her testimony made all the difference in the lesson! She spoke with such conviction and was so genuine, and the spirit was incredible! Whenever Soeur Reynolds and I teach with her we always say how much we want to be like her! 😂 She is so courageous and bold, and we love it! She is also from Spain, which is so cool! I have been so lucky to be where I am, and work with all the incredible people I've met so far! 

In case you all where wondering... yes I do speak French. 😂 We went street contacting this week and had some unexpected encounters that were both funny and educational! We went up to this one guy and asked him if he believed in God, in French of course. He then turns to us and says, "Do you speak French?" in English. That was not the response we where expecting. 🤣 Soeur Reynolds honestly didn't know how to respond to that! We said yes, again in French, that we could speak French and asked our question again. He then simply said no, and that he didn't want to talk. It was okay, that is the most popular response we get here. 🤣 

Another contact we had, though, was so cool! We were talking to this one gentleman and somehow got on the topic of Normandy and the history of WW2. He told us a bit of about the memorials here then also walked us to a part of town where we could see a lot of the buildings he had mentioned right here in Caen. The gentleman then pointed out that half of the buildings in Caen have been here since the bombardment, and are still the original buildings, but the other half are all new buildings because the original ones where completely destroyed. Super cool small history lesson! He wasn't too interested in our message, but he was still super cool to talk to! I love all the different people I have had the opportunity to meet and talk with. I have learned so many new and incredible things, and I know it's not over yet! 

Spiritual Thought 

This week I listened to a BYU speech that was incredible! It's called "Become as a little child" by James M. Paramore. 

It talks about how we need to be more childlike in our faith. I loved this quote:

"Another thing I learned from children is that they have implicit faith—in the principles of the gospel, in parents, leaders, people in general. When they are young and pure, they don’t have to have all the answers. They have faith that Mom and Dad are right, and that they would never lead them astray."  

I love this because it's absolutely true! And it is the same with our Father in Heaven! We don't have all the answers, but He does.  And like the trust and faith we have that our parents have all the answers, we need that same unwavering faith that our Father in Heaven has all the answers too! He will never lead us, His beloved sons and daughters, astray! This week I invite you all to listen to this talk and apply it to your life in every aspect! Become as a child this week and you will be surprised by the little things you recognize and the growth you will find! 

https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/james-m-paramore/become-little-child/

I love you all and I hope the best for each of you!

Bon courage et à bientôt !

- Soeur Hansen

A New Found Talent...Plumbing!

Salut ! 

Another week in the books, but this time it was my first one on Caen! Have I told you how much I love Caen/ Normandy? Well...I love Caen and Normandy! 

This week was so so busy! It started off by have two mangez-vous (instead of rendez-vous because they where meals 😂) back to back, two days in a row, with members. From the few that I've met here so far, this ward is amazing and the members are incredible. I am so excited to get to know them more! 

Tuesday we had a mangez-vous with Josè Salazar who is a member from Peru! I guess it is his tradition to feed the missionaries lunch every Tuesday, and in turn we give him a spiritual thought - excellent! He makes food from Peru and it is absolutely delicious! After that we went to the Piel's, a sweet older couple, who also have a tradition of inviting the missionaries over every Tuesday since they joined the church years ago, but for goûter - a mid day snack, and of course, a spiritual thought. We chatted a bit, which meant I smiled and nodded a lot, pretending to understand. 😂  (Older French people are so hard to understand!) She fed us tiny almond tarts, then sent us home with a giant apple tart....that lasted a week! The testimonies we heard from each of these people we spent time with that day were incredible, and ultimately strengthened my own testimony. I love hearing their experiences because each one is so unique and inspiring. To think, I would have never met these people, or been inspired by their strength and stories if I hadn't accepted the call to come to France! It only adds to the many witnesses I've already experienced that God really does place people in our paths for a reason. I'm constantly reminded how divinely inspired our paths are, everyone we meet and come into contact with is for a reason if we allow ourselves to be guided by Him, we just need to take advantage of the situation!

Wednesday was a day of miracles... ranging from toilets to trams! As a missionary I wake up at 6h30 everyday! Some days it definitely feels even earlier! 😉 Our morning routine consists of personal prayer, daily planning, exercise, getting ready for the day, and lots of studying! I had just finished my personal prayer for the day when I hear a "plop" and an "oh no!" coming from the bathroom. I ran over to find Soeur Reynolds standing next to the toilet with the handle to flush the toilet in her hand, and the flush stick it attaches to dropped into the depths of the toilet. We both looked at each other, barely awake, wondering how we where going to fix our toilet...  and at 6h45 in the morning! Now, we have a special toilet - it flushes by pulling a handle up on the top of the toilet, rather than pushing one down on the side.  We started by taking the lid of the toilet off to see if we could find the lost stick. We found it in a hole in the top of the toilet and had to fish out. We started by using our hands to pull it out, but we couldn't reach it, so we resorted to using a pair of scissors... IT WORKED! 

PSA: No flushing sticks where broken or hurt during this process! 

Once we got the main stick out, we then went through the process of figuring out how in the world the whole flushing mechanism worked and needed to be attached. After a series of attempts of feeding the stick through the lid and attaching it to the handle, then trying to get the bottom of the stick back into place inside the toilet, we finally got it figured out... and now our toilet works!  It was definitely Miracle #1 for the week, considering neither of us have any plumbing experience whatsoever! Although at this point I am practically a professional, unfortunately, I am not taking any plumbing referrals at this time. 😉

Miracle #2: Remember the man I met on the bus in Rennes who was my very first baptism? Well, instead of a "bus guy" we might now have a "tram guy"! We are just making progress by hitting all forms of public transport! Soeur Reynolds and I were on the tram going to a mangez-vous when a guy took a seat right across from us. I felt prompted to talk to him, but my courage wasn't quite there yet. It took me a bit as I sat there planning how the conversation could go and what I would say, but finally figured the more I sat there and planned and reasoned with myself, the more I was missing the opportunity and blocking the spirit. After a few minutes Soeur Reynolds and I decided to go sit next to him. Taking 5 seconds of courage, I turned to him and asked if he was going to work. He said no, he was going home. But the conversation didn't end there. He asked where we were going and we said that we were missionaries for our church and that we were going to a rendez-vous. He seemed super interested and we started talking about religion. He is religious himself and began to tell us how there isn't a lot of differences between our beliefs and how similar we are. All I could say was, exactly! He was so open to talking with us! The brief tram ride together ended with us giving him a Book of Mormon and explaining how precious the book is and its significance. We exchanged numbers and he then asked us if we would like to go to coffee right then. We politely declined and parted ways with him as he told us he looked forward to meeting with us very soon! 

Later that night, we texted him saying it was a pleasure to meet him and how we hoped to plan a rendez-vous in the near future. He then blew our minds with his response! En brief he said that he loves religion and loves reading about it and that he would love to meet with us after he had finished reading the Book of Mormon and would either Saturday or Sunday work... it was only Wednesday! He was planning on finishing 653 pages of scripture in 3-4 days, Wow! 

We had a rendez-vous with him on Sunday and although he hadn't finished it, he was almost halfway through reading it, but had lots of questions for us! We met for almost an hour and a half talking through his questions and bearing testimony. The spirit we felt was incredible! We ended with a plan to have another rendez-vous this week and he is super excited to meet with us again! 

This week we also took a small trip to Bayeux! We took a short train ride through the countryside, and it was absolutely gorgeous! The cool thing about Bayeux is that it is home to some of the WW ll memorials from the events that took place on the beaches of Normandy. While we were there we stopped at a boulangerie and got some lunch and patisseries too! I even got a pain au Chocolat aux amandes - an almond croissant with chocolate!! We ate in front of a monument and then went to the rendez-vous we had planned. They went so well! We hadn't met these amis before, so it was more of a get to know you and Q/A. One of the rendez-vous lessons we had was even in the beautiful botanic gardens, which we very much enjoyed. 

After having amazing rendez-vous we had some time before our train home, so we decided to go street contacting and stop by some of the war memorials. While there we also stopped by Notre-Dame Cathédrale de Bayeux! It was gorgeous... and huge!  We could see it all the way across town! We saw another memorial and took some pictures with some of the old tanks still there. We also saw some of the war cemeteries. It was a small cemetery, but the amount of respect I felt while there, and still feel, for those men buried there is incredible. A lot of them where so young when they answered "the call of the bugle" as it was written on their headstones.

Finally, we ended the week with a cute little family in our ward! We went over and read with them from the Book of Mormon. They are from Ukraine, but have been living in France for about 4 years. The dad speaks English and the wife and daughter only speak a little bit. The daughter speaks French so we talked with her quite a bit. They where the most adorable family ever! They read in Ukranian and Soeur Reynolds and I in English. Yet, another language I have had a lesson in while in France! 😂 The way they talked about the verses we read was incredible. It was so cool to see the sweet way the parents answered the questions their daughter had. I cannot wait to go again! 

A bit of a long email this week, so thanks for hanging in there!  

I will leave you with a short Spiritual Thought:

This week my dad invited me to read the story in Matthew 14 of when Jesus walked on the water and bid Peter to come to Him. 

"And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus." 

I love this! All Christ said to Peter was, "Come." Through faith, Peter walked on water. All that Christ invites us to do, is to come unto Him. When we choose to obey through faith, Christ will qualify us to walk the stormy waters of our lives, and when we fall He will immediately be there to save us, as He did for Peter. This week accept the invitation to "come." Start with the small things; prayer and scripture study, then build and grow your faith to walk on the water each and every day!

I love you all dearly! Bonne semaine! 

À Bientôt ! - Soeur Hansen ❤