8 Months on a Whiteboard

Salut à tous!

I hope you all are doing well! 

Wow, do I have some news for you all! But, before we get to that let me tell you some quick highlights from the week:

This week has been plenty busy, even without the stained glass exposition! Lots of rendez-vous and a lot of member meals. Always so fun! Tuesday we also went to the musée d'Orsay which is kind of like a mini Louvre and it is so cool!

It actually use to be a gare, and is totally your stereotypical French train station from the movies, with à big clock and walkways everywhere! It was so fun to be there with the whole district, especially since à lot of them are going home. It's a funny feeling, at the beginning of the mission it is pretty hard leaving your friends at home, but now it's really hard when your mission friends leave to go home! I have made some amazing friendships on the mission and I am so thankful for everyone I've met and worked with! Missions really do create the best relationships! One thing I am so grateful for and is super cool, is that most of the missionaries here go to either BYU or another school in Utah, so I'll definitely be seeing them again! 

After we finished at the muséum we went to a little crêperie based off of Bretagne! If you don't remember, I was trained in Rennes which is in Bretagne! A few other sœurs and I who served in Bretagne where so excited and of course we got the Gaulette Soucis (sausage galette) for lunch! 😉 And to make it seem even more picturesque, we ate lunch by the Seine! It was pretty great!

This week I went whiteboarding for the first time and it was so fun! For district council we combined with the Nogent district and we went mapping and whiteboarding! Mapping is when you have a huge map and you go to a popular part of the city and just ask people where they are from and start up conversations from there. Whiteboarding is much the same, but you write a question and start conversations based on people's answers to the question. It is so much fun and I was able to talk to some really cool people! 

We had "Are you happy?" written on our sign and a lot of people were actually excited to sign it and share their answers with us! Then, they naturally asked us what we were doing, so we explained who we were and I was so surprised by how many people were open to talk with us! We even got a phone number from  a cute université student, but sadly she is out of our secteur so we had to give her to the Elders, but hey, we planted the seed!  What was most surprising and very interesting, were the reactions we got from people in response to our question. A lot of people said they were happy simply because life is good, and I love that response! Yes, there are hard things to life, OF COURSE, but be we can still be happy and grateful to be where we are in every moment! There is always something to learn, but whether we have a positive or negative attitude completely depends on us!  A woman even admitted she wasn't happy because it was her own fault. We were a bit sad by that response, but I guess that just proves the point - we decide our own level of happiness. 

If someone were to come up to you with a whiteboard asking if you were happy, what would you say? And why? 

Feel free to message me! 😉  

In short, this experience really got me evaluating my own levels of happiness along with the whys and hows. Happiness is definitely à choice, so choose to be happy!

Overall, this was a really good week! Filled with members and just amazing lessons. Probably some of the best I've had so far. The spirit has been seriously guiding the work and it's truly an incredible experience to really let the spirit take the wheel and act in courage and faith. 

The Big News: I received transfer news this week, but to keep things interesting I am going to wait until next week to tell you! 😂 Yep, total teaser!! 

Spiritual Thought:

"And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them." 

(1 Nephi 3:7) 

Simply, keep the faith. The Lord would never ask us to do anything that He doesn't think we wouldn't be able to do. He always provides à way for His work to be accomplished. It may not always be clear but there is a way. Choose to be happy and keep the faith. He loves you, so this week Go and Do! And be happy please! Happiness is a choice! 

I love you all so much! Have a good week! À bientôt ! 

- Soeur Hansen 🥰

Locked Out

Bonjour à tous ! 

This past week has been INSANE! Busy, but so so fun! This was the last week of the huge stained glass exhibit in Paris, so almost every day we went into Paris to be a part of it; whether to pass  out flyers or provide exhibit tours. This week our flyer hot spots were the Champs-Élysées and Notre Dame! We were even able to pass out flyers in front of the Olympic Rings display set up in Paris! Which is pretty applicable since we are definitely at an olympic level of success for passing out flyers! 😉

Europe is known for its incredible public transport systems. On the daily I take trains, metros, and busses. They stick to the schedule pretty well...for the most part at least. I've had to run to catch busses and trains probably more times than I can count. (I mean it's bound to happen) 🤣 However, I can now check off that I've been stuck in a gare, packed shoulder to shoulder with other waiting passengers, for 40 minutes. A 45 minute trip took 2 hours! 😳 Last Wednesday we were in Paris all day because of district council and then handing out flyers that night, so we planned to stay in the city just to save travel time. We also had a lesson that morning, and in order to make everything in time we had to get to Paris early! No problem! Right??

We thought that everything was going great, until the train stayed at one of our stops a little too long. Sometimes the trains will linger a bit longer than normal before they get going again, but this time it lingered a little too long. The train was packed full of people trying to go to work in Paris and we all were just sitting there, waiting, when suddenly an announcement comes on that we need to get off the train due to technical issues. So, there we were standing in a gare, shoulder to shoulder, maybe even a bit closer than that with how packed the station was! Talk about a real European transport experience! There were people trying to move through the crowd, and other trains trying to come through. It was so crazy, but Soeur Thurgood and I eventually made it onto our train after successfully swimming through the crowd... and we made it to Paris only à little bit late! 😉

Okay now for the real experience of the week! As I mentioned, the stained glass exhibit was still going on this past week and we again had the amazing opportunity to pass out flyers and give tours. This week has honestly probably been one of the greatest weeks of my mission so far! I know, I totally raged about the stained glass exhibit in last week's update, but I seriously cannot get enough of it! During our all day shift, Soeur Thurgood and I had a quiet moment to simply sit in front of the stained glass window and enjoy it as we took it all in. Words cannot express how strong the Spirit was as we simply just sat there looking at the work.

Through my experiences of being a part of this exhibit, I have learned so much, not only about the stained glass artwork itself and the parables in the New Testament, but my personal testimony has grown so much and in profound ways. The main panel of the stained glass depicts Jesus Christ healing a young man with leprosy. As you view the piece you see that all the light in the stained glass emanates from Jesus Christ. The central message portrayed by the artist is that He is our Light, He will and can heal us! We just have to accept His invitation to come unto Him. Christ can heal you in more ways than you can imagine, and I have definitely seen that in myself these past 8 months as a missionary and also in the lives of those I talk to daily. It has been so touching to see the reactions of people when they see this beautiful piece of art. Some are absolutely speechless, some are simply thoughtful, and others are brought to tears. One of our amis came to the stained glass exhibit, and it was so cool to share the significance of the piece with him as well. 

Sadly, all good things must come to end. I so wish I could work with and share the stained glass exhibit forever, and that I could see it every day! Hopefully one day you all will have à chance to see it! Maybe I could even give you a tour! 😉 

Crazy Happenings

Before we begin the story, there is a little bit of background you should know: it is getting really hot in France and AC is non existent so fans are ESSENTIAL! Unfortunately, our fan broke but awesome enough our mission ordered us à new fan which was scheduled to be delivered on the same day that we where in Paris all day for the exhibit.  

Well, after the end of à very long day, Soeur Thurgood and I had to take the train back home. Fortunately this one went straight home without any trouble. 😂 But we weren't totally safe... the trouble hit at home! First, we got home later than we had intended because we had to stay a bit longer than usual at the stained glass exhibit - which of course we didn't mind doing, we just had to catch some later trains. The other équipe we live with was assigned to pass out flyers for the night, so they were staying in Paris later than we were. While on our way back home, we got a call from Amazon saying they were at our building with our fan, so we told them to leave it at our door since we were gone, and they where nice enough to do it! So awesome! Fan delivered, and sweet relief from the heat... excellent! 

Excellent, that is, until we get to our apartment and there is no box in sight! Soeur Thurgood and I scoured our whole apartment thinking maybe the other équipe came home and got the box. We tried calling them but no response. Super stressed, we decided to go back down to the mailboxes and check all the other floors just in case it was delivered to the wrong apartment. NOTHING! Defeated, worried, and tired, we then turned to go back into the main part of the building and back to our apartment. One problem though....we realized we left our keys in our apartment! 🤯 Soeur Thurgood and I have similar looking fanny packs, and in our rush to find the fan she accidentally grabbed mine, and of course we usually keep the keys in hers! Ahhhhhh! 

So there we were, in the foyer to our apartment building: stuck, keyless, exhausted, and in our slippers! 😂 We tried calling the other équipe again but no response. At that moment we thought they were on exchanges and we seriously thought we would be spending the night on the floor in the foyer, so we sat down in the corner and immediately said à prayer. After the prayer we called à member who has a spare key and he just laughed the entire time on the phone and said he would be on his way. Hey, at least he wasn't mad! As we were sitting on the floor, a couple walked in looking a bit confused with what they saw and asked if we needed help. We explained the situation and they responded with,  "I'm afraid you'll be spending the night here then"... umm yea, we where kinda gathering that. But then he began to explain to us how we could break into our apartment! He said he could help us get to the floor and then from there we could break into our apartment. 🤣  I'm not sure how comfortable I feel about all that, but I gotta give him credit though, the way he told us to break in was pretty smart - but for the sake of the length of this story, I'll tell you how to break into an apartment next time we meet in person. 😉 We were then left once again sitting in the foyer, thinking our fan was stolen and that we would be spending an uncomfortable night sleeping on the floor... but prayers are definitely answered and miraculously the other équipe called us to say they where almost home and were delayed because of troubles with transportation! We then called our member friend back to tell him that we where saved! He just continued to laugh at us. 😂 In the end, we all made it back into the apartment, albeit à little later than usual. 

However, the miracles didn't end there...our fan wasn't actually stolen! The next day, our sweet neighbors knocked on our door with our fan! They saw it when it was delivered the night before and didn't want anyone to steal it since it was sitting out in the open so they picked it up for us! What a Miracle! 

Even with all the craziness, this week was so good - very busy and very fun! One of the greatest things I learned this week was to Believe in Miracles and learn to laugh! There is always a reason to smile and laugh! 

"If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it." ( John 14:14)  

To believe in miracles is to also believe in the power of prayer. If you have à sincere and true desire when you pray, you will receive the blessings you need. I know for a fact that our Father in Heaven hears our prayers. He loves you and is ready and willing to help. Anything you ask, being a righteous desire, in the name of Christ will be done. Have faith and Believe in Miracles! 

Love you all! 

À bientôt ! - Soeur Hansen 

Believe in Him

Bonjour à tous ! 

What a week it has been! This has probably been one of my favorite weeks as a missionary so far! If you have seen my Facebook story recently you have probably noticed that I have been posting about an event happening in Paris! Anyone familiar with Tom Holdman or Holdman Studios??? Well to give you a hint, he and his team created the stained glass artwork of Christ's parables from the New Testament  hanging in the Visitor's Center of the Rome Italy Temple. 

Well...what if I told you there is another piece of that exact same stained glass depiction of Christ, but with more scenes representing more parables?? That's right! 

Holdman Studios présents: Believe in Him! A 10 meter long stained glass artwork depicting all 160 parables of the New Testament, with actual artifacts from that time period embedded into the piece! This stained glass is exactly the same as the piece in Rome but with four added panels along each side. 

Beginning last week, and all through this next week, all the missionaries in the Paris area have been "enlisted" to do tours, present, and pass out flyers for this exposition. So, almost every other night I have been passing out flyers in different places in Paris including Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, the Champs Elysee, and more! Along with flyers duty, we all have one day during the week when we are at the exposition all day giving présentations and inviting people to come inside to see it. It has been so so cool and the stained glass is absolutely touching. 

My first all day shift was Saturday and we were able to get a little over 500 people to come into the exposition! Incredible! I even ran into the artist, Tom Holdam! This will be the only time this stained glass will ever be in Paris and then it is off to complete its tour in other surrounding European countries. No one knows where it will finally end up, but we all have some good guesses. I am so excited to be a part of this once in a lifetime experience for another week! I marvel every time I look at this beautiful stained glass. Many of the people who took the time to come see it have thanked us for the experience and have been really touched by it, some have even shed a few tears.

This week has been so good! Tuesday was our P-day instead of Monday and Soeur Thurgood and I were able to do a session at the Paris Temple, then after we visited the Castle of Versailles! I got to walk through à castle! How cool is that! And the temple was an amazing experience! I did the whole session in French too and even better, was able to understand it! Gift of tongues! 

Paris is good, life is good, and the mission is incredible! I am so eternally grateful for my mission and the experiences I am having. 

"This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you"  (John 15:12)

This week I have felt so much love from my Savior. I felt it grow simply from viewing the stained glass, as each moment, each section, and every small detail of the exhibit points towards Christ. Through each scene depicted, I was able to see more closely the personality of Christ more intimately. Everything He did was out of love. His ministry was a ministry of love. He loves you as you are, so as He did for us, look at those around you and love them just as they are. 

I love you all! À Bientôt!

    - Soeur Hansen 🥰

Appliances

Salut à tous !

Okay this past P-day was definitely one for the books! I went to Disneyland! We aren't allowed to go into the park, but we can stay within the village and it was still so incredibly magical! 🤣 We walked around the gardens and shops, taking pictures and enjoying the Disney music playing in the background. It was so amazing! The last time I was at Disneyland was when I was six with my grandparents! Being there on Monday definitely brought back some good memories. 😊  

Fun Fact I realized this week - I know most if the translators who work for the Church translating English to French during General Conference! A lot of them are in either my ward or my stake. I even know the French voice for President Nelson's translator!  Pretty cool - if I do say so myself! 😂

Well, folks, it finally happened! We got a new fridge and washing machine! They are actually really nice too! For the past two weeks we have been going to another missionary apartment to do laundry and praying that our fridge fan wouldn't go out for good! It would go on and off and was just super loud - it was a miracle that it lasted as long as it did! It was funny though, because the night before they were coming to fix it, I had suggested we take everything out and let it defrost so it would be ready in the morning...we did not do that. The next day came and we were all in our studies when we unexpectedly got a call from the delivery people that they would be here in 2 minutes! We all scrambled out of our offices to unpack the fridge, turn off the water to the washing machine, and pull everything out from the wall. We got the fridge out just fine, but the washing machine was the problem child. 

We could only pull it out à little from the wall because there was a hose still attached in the back. We had only begun our attempt to unscrew the hose when water started spurting out! We seriously thought we where going to flood our apartment! We then grabbed bowls to put under it as we frantically tried to find where to turn off the water! Time was seriously running out and we where panicking a bit. We tried calling the senior couple who are in charge of the mission housing stuff, but no answer. So, we started going through the bottom cupboards to see if we could find where the hose attached, hoping to be able to turn it off. I started just throwing pots and pans out of the cupboard and literally crawling into it to try and find the attachment! 😂 

Voila, we found it and I began twisting with all my might! It was on there super tight! I was able to loosen it à bit, but my hands were hurting and I couldn't twist anymore, so Soeur Thurgood gave it à try and she was able to loosen it... until her hands started hurting too. 😂 I then crawled back under and was able to twist it the rest of the way and shut the water off! Success! We unhooked everything from the wall and Soeur Thurgood and I moved the washer out into another room. But our job wasn't over... to our extreme disgust there was quite a bit of black mold that had formed under the washer. 🤢 We grabbed all the cleaning products we could think of (including bleach) and began scrubbing away at the floor. It was DISGUSTING! But hey, now we know it's clean! 

 Soeur Thurgood and I then looked at the time and raced down stairs to meet the delivery people! We got there right as they pulled up! Perfect! (Forget 2 minutes, it was like 5, but it worked out better for us in our scramble!) After the guy had installed everything he said that we had to wait 24 hours until we could use our fridge. Mince! We don't have any cooler bags in our apartment so we got big Carrefour (à grocery store here) bags and loaded them up with our freezer stuff and double bagged! We then put the bags in the coolest part of the apartment with a fan on them in the hopes of keeping it cold 😂. Everything else we took to the other missionary apartment. However, we couldn't save everything so we may or may not have gone through all our ice cream in two days... 🤣 

Long story short, in all worked out and we now have a new fridge and washing machine! 

In the midst of our appliance craziness we had some pretty cool Miracles this week and some amazing lessons! One of our miracles included getting à Facebook reference! The reference note said that she was interested in the Book of Mormon! We called her and she was like "Yea! What is this book!" She was so interested right from the start! We explained it à bit over the phone and she was so excited to set up a rendez-vous for the next day! Unfortunately, the rendez-vous didn't happen because she had something going on, but hopefully it happens this week! She seemed really interested so we are pretty excited about it! 

But, one of the lessons we did have this week was pretty formidable! We taught our friend Caroline who we have been working with for awhile. She has been taught by the missionaries for over a year, and isn't quote ready for baptism but loves the discussions. This week we decided to give her a temple tour in hopes of helping her see the bigger picture and give her a goal to achieve in the future. I guess you could say "the why." The cool thing about my mission is that there are Soeurs assigned to work in the temple and they give tours every day, virtual and in person, where they explain what à temple is and what we do there. It's pretty amazing for us as missionaries to be able to teach our friends about the temple, which can help them better understand the gospel. During this lesson we were able to have two members attend who gave beautiful testimonies about the temple and their experiences alongside the temple Soeurs. Caroline loved the tour, and the spirit was so incredibly strong. At the end we had a good conversation about the temple and she seemed to be really touched by it. Then, to finish off one of the members with us, Frère Mejia, gave our friend a blessing. It was probably one of the most beautiful blessings I have ever heard. It really was a testament of how God truly knows us individually and personally. That is one of my favorite things about missionary work! Over and over again I see and witness miracles and have experiences that testify that God really does know us, personally. 

Spiritual Thought:

This week I read a talk by Elder Eyring, titled "Try, Try, Try" from the October 2018 Général Conference. I recommend you all take a moment to read it, it's amazing! It talks about charity and how we can apply charity in our lives with everyone we meet as well as face the trials of this life. I want to share a quote from it:

"The Savior is the rock upon which we can stand safely and without fear in every storm we face... I bear you my witness that the Savior knows and loves you. He knows your name as you know His. He knows your troubles. He has experienced them. By His Atonement, He has overcome the world." 

What powerful words from an apostle of the Lord! I know that if we ground ourselves upon the rock of the Savior we will be able to face the storms of life. He really does know your troubles and how to help you. Allow yourself to let Him in and build yourself on His rock. He knows you. 

I love you all! Have an amazing week and always remember, Christ knows you and your story! 

À bientôt 💕

-Soeur Hansen