7 Months...and My Pizza was Stolen!

Bonjour toute le monde !

This week was a pretty good week! Monday for P-day we went to l'opéra Garnier and oh my goodness, it was seriously a dream come true! As most of you know I was a ballet dancer all growing up, and I would constantly watch ballet videos. L'opéra, as it happens, is one of the places that I loved watching Ballets from.  It was absolutely stunning! Decades of history and architecture just came to life for me! I even bought a Book about the Nutcracker...In French! That is huge - um yes, I am totally obsessed with the Nutcracker, in case you didn't know! 😂 That was definitely one of my favorite places in Paris so far, and a check for one of the places on my bucket list!  

And  guess you could say I was a little too excited by the whole experience... coming out of the metro, walking UP the stairs, I totally biffed it! I tripped on a step, and I couldn't get my hands out of my coat pocket in time, so I just thought to myself, "Welp, I'm going down!" So, I broke my fall by putting my knee into the stair and falling on my elbow. You can't say you've lived in France unless you've tripped on the metro stairs at least once. So I guess I can now say I live in France 🙃 Not gonna lie, it really hurt and I still have a bruise à week later... but it is a pretty awesome bruise! 😂

This week was transfers and I am staying in Torcy with Soeur Thurgood! How exciting is that! We did, however get a new Soeur in our apartment! If you remember, I am currently in a quad, so there are four Soeurs to an apartment. The other Sœurs I am with are the STLS (Sister Training Leaders- they are kind-of like the zone leaders for the Soeurs) and we share our ward! It's pretty much a party all the time! 😂 The new STL is Soeur Halliday and she is awesome! She and Soeur Coleman are in charge of videography for the mission, which is super cool! 

 

In the midst of all this I also turned 7 months old! How crazy is that?! I can now say I have less than a year left on the mission. I can't believe how time is really is flying by, but I am having the best time on the mission! 😊  We still don't have a new fridge or washer, but don't worry... they should be here Tuesday! (Crossing my fingers) But, of course I'll give you an update on that next week! 😉 Too bad my toilet fixing abilities won't come in handy with a fridge or washer! 

Friday we had district council, which was incredibly fun! We all went and bought pizza for lunch from Five Pizza. France has pretty good pizza, but nothing beats Beau Jo's! Yep, shout out to my favorite Colorado Pizzeria!! So, we were eating lunch in the Family History Center and a lady from the ward in Paris comes in asking for a key to the chapel. Then she asked if she could have some pizza. We didn't know if she was joking or not, and so one of the Elders said, "Sure, for 5€" and she started looking for 5€! We where like, wait actually?? And she goes, "Yea! I'm hungry!" We all kinda laughed and I offered her some of my pizza. She ended up taking two slices, which in the end helped me out 'cause I couldn't eat the whole pizza! She then left and we all where a little confused at what just happened, but it was so funny! (If you read the title... no, she didn't actually steal my pizza.) 😉

The work here is going well. It is starting to slow down as people are going on vacation, which can be a bit hard because now our area is filling with tourists. Tourists are great, but they don't stay for very long and we kinda need people who live here. 😉 Soeur Thurgood and I are just praying to find more people and keeping the faith that we will. We are also still teaching English to those two cute kids, along with some other kids in a refugee building and it has been so much fun! The kids here are so funny and they just love to learn! They keep asking us to say different things with our American accents. 😂  In the end I learn more French from them than they probably learn English from me! 

Overall things are going great! I love France and the people here are stealing my heart. The culture is elegantly simple and rooted, and I love it so much! The sun is also coming out and it's getting warmer! I am feeling more and more comfortable and starting to get more creative in my efforts and finding more ways to connect with the people and the culture. 

Spiritual Thought:

"For we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do."                  

(2 Nephi 25:23)

Do all you can. Do absolutely everything you can and always give it your 110%! But know you can't do it all yourself, and that is why we have Christ. He makes up for what we lack and for what we cannot do on our own. This week, give Him what you cannot do and let Him help you. 

I love you all so much! Keep doing what you're doing! Have an amazing week! 

À bientôt ! Bisous ! - Soeur Hansen 🥰

The Golden Days

Salut à tous ! 

First and foremost Happy Mother's Day to all you amazing mamas! A huge shoutout to you all! I have been so lucky to be surrounded my so many amazing woman in my life, past and present. Thank you for everything you have done for me and in shaping me into who I am today. I am so thankful for every single one of you and I love you all so much! Happy Happy Mother's Day to you all!

What a week it has been! First off, let me just say you never know what will happen with the seeds you plant and when you will see evidence of old seeds again. Remember Stephane? The guy I met on the bus my very first week in the field in Rennes, who ended up getting baptized? I saw him! I saw him randomly in the middle of Paris! Soeur Thurgood and I had just gotten off the metro and were getting onto the escalator, when right in front of me I saw Stephane! I seriously could not believe my eyes! I shouted his name and he turned, smiled, and waved! Being on the escalator he couldn't really go anywhere so I raced the stairs, taking them two by two to meet him at the top. I cannot explain how big of a miracle this is! Last time I heard about him it sounded like he wasn't doing too well, but turns out he was on his way to do a temple tour! How cool is that?! We talked for a bit and of course took a picture. We both had to get going, but it was seriously so cool to see him! #miracle 

Golden...

This week we had some pretty cool lessons! One however, was what we call Golden! His name is Paul and we got his number from another équipe of souers. We had our first lesson together this past week. He told us he started meeting with missionaries because he seriously wants to learn more about God. He asked us who Satan was and where he came from. We answered his question very simply and he says, "Very interesting," then proceeds to tell us about the war in Heaven and how Satan is the second son of God.  Then at the end he goes, "That's just what I've understood from my research with the Bible." Soeur Thurgood and I where shocked! That is exactly who Satan is and what happened! Paul has such a genuine desire and truly wants to meet with us and learn more. It's incredible! We invited him to church and he said he would love to be there! Unfortunately, he didn't come, but called us just to say how sorry he was and that whenever he says he'll do something he does it. Turns out he was taking a nap and didn't wake up in time, but it's okay. 😂 He did say that he will be there this week though! On a side note, he is also from Angola and speaks Portuguese, so his French is mixed with Portuguese too, so sometimes it can be hard to understand him. 😂 During our lesson we wanted to give him a French Book of Mormon, but he said it's hard for him to understand French and would be much easier to read in Portuguese. Our apartment was so close to where we were meeting and we happened to have a Portuguese copy of the Book of Mormon at home, so we asked him if we could go get it for him. He said with pleasure, and that he'd wait for us! Soeur Thurgood and I literally ran to our apartment, barged through our front door, tore through all the Books of Mormon we had until we found the Portuguese one, grabbed it, then ran back, (ok, we did walk when we knew we were within eyesight so we looked a little less crazy) and he was still sitting there, just waiting for us! We gave him the book and he was so interested he started leafing through all of it reading different verses, genuinely so interested! It was amazing! I am so excited to see what happens with Paul! #GOLDEN

A Day in the Life... 

Also I have some fun missionary life updates for you all: So turns out that our washer is broken! Which now means, that all of us soeurs (I am currently in an apartment with another équipe so there are 4 of us) are doing our laundry at another missionary apartment. 😂 Aaaaaand our fridge is on it's way out, but it is still currently hanging in there. Soeur Thurgood and I have been on the phone with the missionary building coordinators all week trying to figure all this fun stuff out! Even though it stinks not having a washer right now, it just adds to the adventure! I have also made an interesting realization recently... one of the senior missionary couples gave us some Snickers bars this past week, and woah, sugar explosion!! I guess it's been about seven months since I've had American food, and it was way sweeter than I remember! 😂  Makes me a bit curious to see what food will taste like when I get home. I think being out here I've become more sensitive to sugar, american sugar haha! Anyway life is going good! I am loving Torcy and Paris, and the mission is just so good! 

Spiritual Thought:

This week my spiritual thought is short and sweet but I feel like it serves as a good reminder for everyone. 

"God loves us deeply, perfectly, and everlastingly." 

- Elder Uchtdorf 

Believe and have faith in the love that God has for you. It is eternal and everlasting and it is perfect. 😊

Love you all! Have a great week! 

À bientôt ! -Soeur Hansen 💕

Mary Jane Tan Lines are Way Better than Chaco Tan Lines!

Bonjour à tous ! C'est pday encre ! Comment ça va ? 

It is starting to get warm here in France and it feels so good! The sun is out almost all the time now and the humidity is starting to literally weigh in... but we have also been spending more and more time doing work on our balcony soaking up the sun, watching sunsets, and just enjoying the day! Also, guess what I started to get?! Mary Jane tan lines! Ok, if you know me, you know that in the summer I am all about the chaco tan line... but, since I am lacking on the chaco game this summer, Mary Janes are the next best thing and lemme tell you, the tan lines I am getting are looking so good! 🤣

On Wednesday during our conseil de district à Paris, we all sat in front of the Pompidou eating lunch and soaking up the sun, just enjoying it all and having the best time! Even though I know it's going to be a hot summer, I am so excited because it is just so gorgeous here and it is actually so fun to see everyone out and about doing their thing! #Sonder ! 

This week was a bit of a slower week. It is the beginning of vacation season here in France so almost everyone left for vacation and we didn't have as many rendez-vous as we normally do. Kind of hard when you don't have rendez-vous to fill your schedule with, but it's okay because instead we took avantage of the change in weather and went street contacting! We talked with a lot of people, got a few phone numbers, handed out a few Books of Mormon, and even built up our Mary Jane tan lines in the process. 😉 

Despite the slower week, we were actually pretty fortunate enough to be a part of some awesome Miracles! One in particular really shows that timing is everything, and God is in the details! We were in a small town named Lognes, which is in our secteur, doing some street contacting. When we first got off the RER and à little into the town we saw a girl pacing up and down the sidewalk doing what looked to be some studying. We didn't want to brother her too much (knowing how important studying is) and so we kept walking. A little less than an hour later we had to go back to our   apartment to get some work done, and on our way back guess who we saw again...The same girl! Soeur Thurgood and I thought that in seeing the girl twice in a row, it was a little nudge to go talk to her. However, there was a little fork in the road. She was a little ways away and we watched her take one of the paths that led into a little forested area... not the same path we where on, unfortunately. We thought we could maybe catch up to her, but she was a pretty good distance away. However, when we barely reached the fork we turned to see how close she was. To our surprise she had stopped to look at her notes and was within à reachable distance! No way! That was our chance! We may have speed walked up to her! 😂 We started talking with her and she was so cool! She was studying for an exam for her economics class, so we didn't want to keep her too long, but she ended up accepting the Book of Mormon with excitement and gave us her number! SCORE! We where pretty excited about that! We did contact her but haven't heard back yet so I will keep you updated!

In the midst of talking to people all day, everyday, we try to find one way to make someone laugh. During one of our contacting excursions we saw a guy round a corner wearing a shirt with a cobra snake on it. I asked him if it was Cobra Kai and he said no, G.I Joe. Agh! Should've known! Sorry dad, I confused G.I Joe for Cobra Kai 🤣 We laughed about it though so all was well! #Missionaccompolished 

 

We are also still teaching English classes for two little kids and we just have a ball! I taught Felix some expressions we say and I asked him to used "Holy Cow" in a sentence and this is what he came up with, "Holy Cow, it's a tsunami !" Pretty great right? Haha! 

I just realized I haven't really given much update on how training is going, or what I've done in Paris! Who does that! Jk! Training is going so good! Soeur Thurgood is seriously killing it! She has confidence like she's been out here way longer than two transfers and I am so impressed with her! I know I'm the one training her, but seriously I feel like she's training me half the time! She is amazing and I love her! We are having the greatest time together and we laugh multiple times à day! She is the cutest and I am so thankful for the opportunity I have had to train and to get pushed outside my comfort zone, and learn more about being a missionary for the Lord! 

Paris is amazing as always! So far I've seen the Panthéon, Le arc de Triomphe, Sacré Cœur, and I went to the second story of the Eiffel Tower! How fun! I've also seen Notre Dame à few times and the Olympic Rings! So fun! Every Monday I get to spend my Pday in Paris and every Wednesday I get to go to Paris for our district council and I love it! Last Monday we did pday as a district and we went to Sacré Cœur! While we where waiting inside there were a bunch of people playing the saxophone, accordian, guitar, and singing as well! It was so cool and by the time we got in we actually got to watch part of à mass taking place! What an experience! After, we walked around the shops, got some ice cream, and just hung out as a district! I love these missionaries so much and I just love being here! I am so thankful for all of these experiences, for this 18 month adventure called à mission!

Spiritual Thought:

"I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine."       

(John 10:14)

The Lord is our Shepherd and we are His sheep. He knows us all individually and we are all numbered unto Him. He knows you, and you are His. Never doubt who you belong to and the experiences you have because it all happens for a reason! You meet who you meet and you know who you know for a reason! There are no coïncidences as they are all driven by The Good Shepherd. 

I love you all! Have an absolutely amazing week! 

Gros Bisous ! À Bientôt !

- Soeur Samantha Hansen 🫶

I Told You She Would!

Bonjour à tous ! 

 Yet another week down in the books! To be honest this week wasn't as crazy as it has been the past couple weeks, and it has been so nice! BUT, I had some really fun experiences that I unfortunately can't fit all in one email, so we will go with the "coolest" ones. 😂 

Ask me for the rest in 12 months. 😉 

This week we had some really good lessons, even handed out a Book of Mormon on the RER, and had the coolest conversation about prayer. It all started when Soeur Thurgood and I where standing on the platform waiting for the RER and we see a girl about the same age as us standing there, waiting forthe same RER. Soeur Thurgood had the thought to talk to her, but didn't get the chance before the train arrived. As we all board, I also felt prompted to talk to her. We CASUALLY followed her on the train and sat right in front of her. (I promise it's not as weird as it sounds.) We started a conversation in French and because we Americans have heavy accents, she then asked if we could speak English so she could practice her English. 😂 We got to know each other bit; what she does for work, etc. During our conversation Soeur Thurgood had a copy of the Book of Mormon sitting on her lap.  Suddenly the girl asked, "what is that book?" PERFECT! 

We started to explain about the Book of Mormon, but then the conversation gradually shifted in another direction and we then started talking about prayer and asked what her experiences with prayer were. She explained that she wasn't really religious, but whenever she is going through something hard in her life; an exam, or a job interview, she said she prays and that she feels that it helps! We continued talking about prayer and the significance of it during the entire train ride. We then started explaining the Book of Mormon again, and she started leafing through the pages and saying how interesting it was. We came to the end of our ride, exchanged socials, and went our separate ways. We texted her the next day and she said she read through it and thought it was interesting but wasn't interested in learning more. BUT... she did say that her roommates where reading it and that they thought it was super interesting! Excellent! We haven't gotten in touch with her roommates yet, but we will soon! You never know the seeds you plant! 

Another Funny Experience ~ We were suppose to have a lesson with a member the other day at our friend's house, but turns out we don't know where our friend lives. 😂 We went to the apartment we thought was hers, but no answer. Another apartment... no answer. We asked for directions, and we got 3 different responses. We even tried calling our friend 5 different times and no response.. BUT we did get a confirmation from her the day before so we weren't totally ghosted! Weird, I know!  The member who was with us though is seriously incredible! At one of the apartments she pushed every single doorbell to try and get into the building! 😂 She pushed EVERY SINGLE BUTTON like it was no big deal! Once we finally got in she knocked on a random door to ask if our friend lived in the building, and when they said they didn't know, she started climbing the stairs, deciding that we would just go door knocking until we found her. Soeur Thurgood and I were so amazed! 

Long story short, we spent an hour trying to find the apartment and trying to call our friend with no success. We had to get to another rendez-vous, which we were already kind of late for, 😬 so we gave up for the moment and headed to the next rendez-vous. I felt so bad and kept apologizing to the member with us, but in turn she said it wasn't à big deal and asked if we wanted chocolate... and of course we said yes! 😂 We then parted ways, and as we walked away Soeur Thurgood said, "I can see her coming back and trying to find the apartment." Well, her ears must've been burning, because my phone then started blowing up with texts and pictures from her! Sure enough, she found the apartment! Soeur Thurgood was so excited about it! All she kept saying was, "I told you she would!" It was too funny! 

But let me tell you, the members here in Torcy are seriously incredible! Soeur Thurgood and I were seriously blown away by her decimation and efforts to help us. We left that experience with a goal for the week... find where our friend lives. 🤣

Along with those crazy experiences we had a bunch of other cool little miracles and happenings this week that where amazing. We had interviews with President Hansen,which was one of the biggest highlights of my week. I always really enjoy talking with him and hearing his council for me, along with the council Soeur Hansen gives too. They are seriously so incredible and I love them both so much! Next transfer will be my last transfer with them before they finish their mission and head home, and I am already so sad thinking about it - so I try not to! 

I also gave my first talk in church this past Sunday! Not gonna lie, it was a bit nerve wracking addressing the whole ward in French, but everyone seemed to like it, so I'll take that as a win! 😁 

Despite many things not going according to plan, this week was truly a good week.  We just call those unexpected events plot twists and they make for an excited ride and some good journal entries! 

Spiritual Thought:

"For, behold, I have refined thee, I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction." 

(1 Nephi 20:10)  

Let's face it, life is hard! We have moments that really weigh heavy on us and that may sometimes seem like they will never end. But those are also prime experiences and opportunities for growth. Those are the times when the Lord will refine us, molding us into the people He knows we can become. He has chosen you to be here at this moment, doing what you are meant to do at this time, and He would choose you again. Let your "afflictions" be moments that refine you. There is something to learn in every moment, both in the good and especially during those that are difficult. 

I love you all so much! I so appreciate all the messages and emails you send me, even though it takes me ages to respond! Have such an amazing week and be humble in every moment that comes your way! 

Bonne Semaine ! 

À bientôt !- Soeur Hansen ❤️