Note To Self: Papillon also means Bowtie not just Butterfly

Mes chers amis ! 

What à week it has been! This has probably been one of the fastest, shortest weeks ever! Sometimes it's just like that: lessons with amis in Tahitian, hanging out with the young women in the branch and visits with ward members - Simply, things have been great! 

Let me first start out by saying that no matter what language you are speaking or hearing, you can always feel the power of the Spirit! Always!  Even if you don't understand the words that are spoken,  the Spirit knows all languages and He knows all of our hearts, so He knows how to touch our hearts even when we don't know the language. Soeur Chapman and I started teaching a woman name Chatarina, from Tahiti who's husband is part of the military. That is super common here in Toul as there are a lot of Tahitian families who come from Tahiti to serve in the French military. We have been teaching her since I have been here and things have been going SO WELL with her! She is so interested in learning more. She has a genuine interest in the gospel and is starting to read the Book of Mormon on her own! She is also the most easy going person I have ever met! We are currently working on the Plan of Salvation with her and for this past lesson we decided to bring some Tahitian members of the branch with us, hoping that having a familiar connection would help her, and wow did it ever! She was way more at ease and she seemed to be even more open than she was before! It was incredible because the members would bear their testimonies in Tahitian, and even though we had no idea what they where saying, we could feel the Spirit so so strongly!  Personally, it felt like I could feel the Spirit was stronger that day as it was spoken in another language because it was able to touch me simply through the intense feelings we were all experiencing, and not just through words. The Spirit doesn't need words to preach the gospel, it just needs an open heart. 

Our member friends then explained practically the entire Plan of Salvation in Tahitian and it was seriously incredible to be apart of! Of course, every once in a while Sœur Chapman and I would jump in, in French, when we knew what was happening, 😉 but it was so cool to see Chatarina grow more and more open. At the end, we gave her a Book of Mormon in Tahitian, hoping it would help make it easier for her to understand in her native language. We ended the lesson with everyone asking when we could do it again! 🤣 Sunday she came to church with one of her sons and it seemed like she felt right at home. I am so excited to see how things go with her! 

We also enjoyed lessons with other amis this week who were super open and engaged as well! We don't have very many friends in Toul since it is such a small town, but the ones we do have, have very open hearts and are so ready to be taught by the Spirit! They have amazing questions and are so willing to make an effort to learn and know more. 

During the second hour at church on Sunday we had a mini lesson with a member and her mom (who isn't a member but super religious. Sweetest mamie ever!) and another friend who came to church with them. We talked about the Plan of Salvation again and, WOW was the Spirit strong there as well! Both our ami and the member's mom had amazing questions and we had a really good discussion together. The testimony of the member was so so powerful, and the connections both her mom and our ami were making to those things they already believed was incredible too. I couldn't stop from smiling the entire time! It was kind-of an impromptu lesson too, as it was our friend's first time coming to church, and the member's mother has hearing problems, so we usually just have simple discussions together. But, at the last minute we decided to make it a small group with everyone together, and it honestly couldn't have turned out better! After the lesson, both the ami and the mom thanked us and told us how much they enjoyed the time we spent together and how they look forward to talking with us again! Ahhhh! Made my day! 

And for the blonde moment of the day...

So, a lot of times as missionaries we get into situations where we ask ourselves, "how did I get here?" Now that I am driving, sometimes we have to literally ask ourselves that question. (As most of you know... my navigational skills aren't too stellar.) 🤣 Sometimes we find ourselves driving through a tractor field because we missed a street, and maps told us to go through a field. #blindobedience 

Or, sometimes we drive on a road where we are in the middle of nowhere, but are surrounded by fields of cows! #gotmilk 

But don't worry, we always end up where we need to go, and on time! So, I'd say we are doing pretty good so far! 😉However, other times we ask ourselves that question when we miss translate ourselves into a weird moment. (doesn't happen too often, but it does happen) Saturday night an ami was texting us about church, asking us what he needed to bring and the dress code. He told us that he was going to comb his hair and then wear à papillon too, along with some other things. As Soeur Chapman and I read the text, we understood it as he wanted to comb his hair and wear a butterfly hair clip. It was quite strange, because it all made sense until he stressed the importance of wearing this butterfly clip! We kinda laughed to ourselves, and continued texting with him about church and what to bring, etc. and of course we approved his outfit. Hey, you do you!

After we finished texting with him, we went back and reread the texts because we knew we were missing something in regards to his papillon. It took us a bit, but come to find out, he was asking if he could wear a bowtie! OOOHHHHHHH! Soeur Chapman and I just died laughing right there in our kitchen, because finally it all made sense! 😂 

Note to self: papillon does not only mean butterfly, it is also short for bowtie 😉

Funny moments aside, this week was amazing! The lessons we had this week allowed me to leave each time with a smile plastered on my face! Of course there are so many more wonderful moments I want to share with you all, but we could be here for hours! I have so much love for the people here in Toul! It's such a beautiful area with amazing people!

Spiritual Thought: As missionaries we pray a lot. We pray first thing when we wake up, right before we go to sleep each night, and every moment in between. Everything we do is through prayer and with a prayer in our hearts! I read this scripture this week and I invite you all to take a moment to really ponder it and what it means for each of you personally. 

" Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day." (Alma 37:37) 

Apply this scripture daily this week and take note of your thoughts and feelings as you do. 

I love you all dearly! Have an amazing week!

À Bientôt ! ♥️ - Soeur Hansen