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