Another Transfer, Another kid!

Salut toute le monde ! Quoi de neuf ? 

Another week in Toul down for the count, and let me tell you, what a week it has been! We were with members almost the whole week and it was FORMIDABLE! I have to say that this week did go by faster than the previous ones, which was kind-of a miracle haha. Nah, I guess it just means we worked hard. 😉 In all seriousness it was a really good week! It all started Monday night...

Soeur Chapman and I were invited to have dinner with the first counselor of the Branch Presidency. Whenever we have dinner with members we usually share a spiritual thought at the beginning, then we have dinner, and finally it's time to bid adieu. And this dinner was pretty much like many others. They enjoyed our spiritual thought, we had a nice meal together, and talked about the South of France. From what they described it sounds AMAZING, but apparently it is quite a different culture down there from here in the North. BUT... I have to say, that going to the South of France is now on my bucket list! 😂 We laughed a lot and also learned tons of good history about France too! It was such a good evening! 

Finally, the time came when we had to go home. The drive was pretty normal until we had a call come in. We were about to turn into the parking lot, so I gave Sœur Chapman the OK to answer: "Bonjour, est-ce que c'est bien les soeurs ?" ( Hello, is it the sisters?) 

Soeur Chapman and I immediately knew who it was! The Tahitian accent gave it away! Remember the two tahitians that I talked about last week who are part of the regiment/military here? Their names are Teamo and Raumihau. Well...the call was from Teamo! Soeur Chapman and I had the biggest smiles on our faces! We had given both Teamo and Raumihau a Book of Mormon and also our card with our number on it. When we met with them the first time we asked if they wanted to exchange numbers and we never really got a response so we just put our faith in the card we gave them. And it worked!

Teamo called us because he had a question about what he was reading in the Book of Mormon and was hoping that we could help him better understand it. We of course answered his questions! (Also we were parked at this point, so don't worry.) We then asked if there was anything else we could do for him and he asked how we could set up another rendez-vous ! Soeur Chapman and I were losing our marbles at this point, and of course said, "Yeah! When are you free?" We fixed a rendez-vous for Wednesday right then and there. We ended the call and then Soeur Chapman and I literally screamed in the car we were so excited! 🤣 #MIRACLE! 

Wednesday came and we had our lesson at the chapel with the members they know. We talked about the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith, and the beginning of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. That lesson was incredible! Again, the testimonies the members shared were so touching and Teamo and Raumihau seemed to be so touched by what we shared. They told us they read The Book of Mormon together too! Incredible! They are genuinely so eager to learn more and it's so cool to see! I am so so excited to see how Teamo and Raumihau grow in their studies and interest in the gospel. 

Sometimes, missionary work in certain areas can go through a drought, where the missionaries are having a hard time finding people to teach and the work is a little slow. However, in the middle of the drought God will sprinkle some water and help things begin to progress here and there. He will send you some golden amis! These golden amis seem to have an instinctive desire to learn more and to improve their relationship with the Savior in learning more about His gospel. These amis grow faster than the missionaries can keep up with sometimes! They are naturally drawn to the Spirit and have an innate desire to learn more. This is Teamo and Raumihau. I know I've probably said it before, but I'm going to say it again! They are some of the most open and ready people I have ever met! So excited for how things progress with them! #GOLDEN

On top of all that, we had an amazing p-day on Monday! We spent our p-day together as a district and decided to go to Épinal! Épinal may sound like just another French town, but this town is a little special to me. My dad served as Branch President here for a year during his missionary service in France. I cannot begin to express how cool it was for me to literally walk the very streets my dad did over 20 years ago, and all while wearing a missionary tag just like he did! I even got to see the chapel where he would spend his Sundays, and probably many more days during the week! 😂 As a district we got lunch and then hiked to some old castle ruins to eat. It was so cool! The view of the entire city was incredible. Épinal is situated just perfectly in all the trees and hills, and kind of reminded me of a mountain town.  It was gorgeous, and I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to see where my dad served as a young missionary so many years ago!  Needless to say, it was a pretty good Monday! 😁

The rest of the week we kept busy with lots of lessons with members and amis. We even enjoyed a few member meals, which was awesome! We were with one of the members (who we call Tatie - aunt) almost everyday which was so fun! We helped clean out her garage, had a few meals with her, and then she joined us for a few lessons as well! 

Every week Soeur Chapman and I visit an older sister in the branch who is now in a retirement home because she has Alzheimers. Even though we always end up having the same conversation with her, it's always so fun to be there. She has the brightest smile and it's fun to talk with her! We also went to the restaurant a few times this week with the branch President, his wife, and even Tatie because we have been getting 24 lessons! Those three are seriously the funnest people ever! I could not stop laughing the entire time we were there! They are probably the most "American" French people I know! It's so fun! 

I think all of this shows that Soeur Chapman and I had an amazing last week together! To finish strong we also made the goal to speak only in French from 9h-21h every single day - and we did it! We totally finished the transfer with a bang! Transfers are this coming week and, WOW is it going to be memorable! Soeur Chapman is going home, which means I will be staying in Toul! I will also be training a brand new sister missionary again! Yep, I get to be like a mom again to my new companion and teach her all the ropes! That's right! Toul is getting à blue! (Blues are what we call brand new missionaries.) We will go into Paris early Wednesday morning where I will drop Soeur Chapman off, then hang out with the Paris Soeurs and the other Sœurs that are training until Saturday when I will meet my new companion and bring her back to Toul! So, yep! I get to spend a week in Paris! Of course all those updates will be included in next week's update! 😉

Spiritual Thought:

There is something about the cantiques in French that is just incredible. In the French hymn book there are some cantiques that do not exist in English, and I wanted to highlight one of them today. It's called "Au Jardin"- In the Garden (N. 95 in the French hymn book) and it talks about being in the garden close to Christ. It references a few scriptures that talk about the Garden of Eden, as well as a garden close to where Christ was crucified, where some would go to try and feel close to Him. I wanted to share the last verse with you that I feel is very touching and powerful: 

"Je voudrais rester près de lui, 

Et goûter l’infini bonheur.

Il me dit pourtant qu’est venu le temps: Je dois pour lui servir ailleurs.

[Chorus]

Il est près de moi et j’entends sa voix, 

Et je suis à lui pour toujours. 

Je me sens si bien dans ce beau jardin! Où rayonne son amour." 

Translation:

I would like to stay close to Him 

And taste infinite happiness 

However, He tells me that the time has come

I must serve him elsewhere 

[Chorus]

He is near me and I hear His voice 

And I am His forever 

I feel so good in this beautiful garden 

Where his love radiates 

I think it's safe to say that if not all, many of us would love to stay in the presence of Christ, to stay in the garden close to Him, to constantly taste of the infinite happiness and love that comes from Him! But, He has a work for us to do. No matter where we go He will always be with us and we will always be able to feel His presence and taste of His love. The garden isn't the only place where His presence radiates. We can also share and radiate His love to those we choose to love and serve. 

Always remember that Jesus Christ is with you, no matter where you go. He lives. His love is infinite and eternal for you personally. Find ways to be in the garden, no matter where you are, and share His love with others. I love you all so so much!

À Bientôt ! - Soeur Hansen 🥰

Change of Plans...I'm going to Tahiti!

Coucou ! 

It's your favorite French missionary back with another weekly update! This week was kind of a slower week again because EVERYONE is on vacation. Not gonna lie, it has been à bit difficult to get rendez-vous with our amis because of vacation. So we have been putting our efforts more into finding friends, getting to know the members, and service. And still, through it all we have had some INCREDIBLE experiences this week! A lot of these experiences happened thanks to the amazing members in our branch, so this week I want to share these lessons with you, and I have to say these may have been some of the best lessons I have had in the past 9 months as a missionary!

 As I've mentioned before, my area has a lot of Tahitians due to the regiment/military base here. Most of the members in my branch are actually Tahitian and it is always à party when we are invited to their homes! However, I want to highlight a specific family. BUT let me give you a little fun fact first, which is super cool! Often times both parents in Tahitian families here work. Both are either in the military, or the Father is in the military and the mother works at another job. If both parents are working...who is home with the kids? The mother's parents! Often times the maternal grandparents (more-so the mom of the mom 🤣) will come and live here in France for 3 years and help with the kids until they can all go to school and then come back during the big school breaks to care for the kids while the parents work. This is the case for one of the families in my branch, the Tehahe and Tefaaite. I think I mentioned them in my last update, but Holy cow they are so so so amazing! Almost everyday this past week we attended rendez-vous they had set up with different people in the Tahitian apartment complex and invited us to be a part of. We visited with members, old and new, and even made some new friends all thanks to these amazing members!

The first rendez-vous we had was with some members we hadn't seen at church for a long time. The Tahitians have such a talent for making everyone feel like they are family. From the moment we got there to the moment we left, we did nothing but smile and laugh and even shed some tears together as they shared their story and testimony. We talked to them about being humble seekers of happiness (Alma 27:18 in the Book of Mormon). We shared that through humility we are the most receptive to the whisperings and blessings of heaven. It is through humility where we can actually find and feel true happiness. The Spirit was so strong, and of course, the Tefaaite couple we were with shared their story along with powerful testimonies (in Tahitian of course). At the end, one of our member friends asked if we could sing a song, and we of course said yes! He asked if we knew the song, "I will Go and Do" from the Church youth album, which we were able to pull up in French. He pulled out his guitar so we all sang it together and the spirit was so strong! It's amazing how music can so easily bring the Spirit! We then shared some delicious crêpes and as we left they asked us to come back whenever we wanted!

Our next day in Tahiti was actually with the Chaterina's husband! We were there again with the Tefaaite couple, and again it was amazing! Chaterina was out on a trip with one of her sons.  We had conducted a lesson with her husband once before and he seemed pretty interested so we all decided to go see him again. We talked about faith (Alma 32 in the Book of Mormon). We talked about what it means to have faith and how it is something we need to constantly be nourishing, and that it is okay if sometimes our faith is greater than at other times. We also compared it to a seed (a well beloved parable). If we have even the smallest amount of faith, that is enough to do extraordinary things. He told us he would rather go and hangout with his friends than go to church, but after talking with us he said that religion is more important than his friends, and that he wants to continue meeting with us. We even set up an appointment to come back this next week! So excited! 

On our last day in Tahiti 😉 we had a rendez-vous with the Tehahe and two of their friends they knew from work (a.k.a the military). Two days before we met with the friends Frère Tehahe and Frère Tefaaite went and talked to them to get to know them more and see how interested they were in learning about the church. When we saw them the next day, they kept telling us how ready and open they were to meeting with us! Fast forward to our lesson with them...wow! The Spirit was so incredibly strong! We gave them a Book of Mormon and explained what it was and then we started to talk about faith, kind-of like we did in our other rendez-vous, and we could tell that what we were talking about was really resonating with them. One of them even seemed to be a bit teary-eyed. The Tehahes even shared their testimonies and stories, which was so powerful and touching. These two guys made absolute eye contact the entire time and just seemed so eager to learn more. That lesson was completely driven by the Spirit and it was incredible! At the end we all finished by kneeling in prayer. When we all finished and were standing Frère Tehahe went over to each one and gave them each a hug and honestly it was the most wholesome hugs I've ever seen! It was so precious! Then we all had pizza and had a great time together! 😄 

Flash forward to church! We had 4 amis at church and two of them were these same amis and they absolutely loved it! I am so excited to talk with them again! They just seemed so eager and it's so clear that they have such a sincere desire to learn more. 

Overall, this week was amazing! I am so thankful for all the Tahitians that I have had the opportunity to get to know. They are some of the most kind, welcoming, and loving people I have ever met. Their testimonies are also incredible! They really do have complete dependence upon God and the experiences that have helped them get to that point are so fortifying. I often find my testimony being strengthened by them more-so than the other way around. 

Spiritual Thought:

This week I want to leave you with a scripture about faith because that seems to be the theme this week:

"And now as I said concerning faith—faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true." (Alma 32:21)

 

I invite you all to ponder on faith this week. I also want you to be hopeful... because faith comes from the hope we already have. 

I love you all! Have a great week! 

À bientôt! - Soeur Hansen 💕

Fancy Nancy and Selfies with Strangers

Salut toute le monde ! Comment vous allez ? 

This week was crazy for sooo many reasons, but it was so fun because I was able to spend half the week with either the whole zone or district! Plus I finally got to meet the new mission President, his wife, and his family! I know, my mind was exploding from excitement too! 😁 

Monday night we had interviews with President Munns and his wife in Nancy, then on Tuesday we had Zone Conference with everyone! Zone Conference is always à transfer highlight for missionaries because we get to be with a bunch of our mission friends, with the mission President, and have a huge devotional together with different workshops! It's really fun being with other missionaries because we all become like each other's family! The Lord's work has a way of bringing people together and it's been pretty evident in the friendships I've made during my mission. Ah! I just love it all so much! 🤣 

For this Zone Conference we talked a lot about becoming a disciple, staying a disciple, what it really means to be a disciple of Christ, and how it translates into our service. Along with that, we talked about prayerfully planning with a purpose and really putting the Lord first in the work. I loved it because as missionaries we wear Christ's name daily and in doing His work we should always be remembering Him and keeping Him central to all we are doing. By putting our trust in the Lord and keeping Him central in the work, we can see and expect miracles. Miracles also happen through our consistent and diligent efforts and we are more likely to progress in the work. I truly believe this idea and way of thinking can be applied to everything we do - not just in missionary efforts! We can see and expect miracles in every aspect of our lives, if and when we involve the Lord. 

I loved the things I learned from this Zone Conference and I left feeling so rejuvenated and excited to apply everything I learned! 

Friday we had a district blitz here in Toul! We began the day with our district council meeting at the church.  (By the way, - a district council is when our district gets together once a week to see how everyone is doing, etc) At the end of our council meeting we usually have a role play among the équipes to practice teaching, but this time because we were in person (we are usually on zoom) we asked some members of the branch to join us for the role play! It was so fun! At the end the members gave us some great advice and it was really beneficial to hear their feedback! 

Afterward we all went for lunch for some kebab and then went....BLITZING! Blitizing is when a bunch of missionaries from different areas all gather together in one area and we all focus and work within one area together for a few hours! It's so fun! It's kind-of a finding party.🤣 The Elders in our district stayed in Toul, and because we have à car, my équipe and the STLS went to a nearby little town and did some good old fashioned door knocking! We were also on exchanges that day, so I was able to work with Soeur Weed, who was the other trainer for Soeur Thurgood! We had an absolute blast! We talked to some pretty amazing people and even got à few phone numbers. We did that for about 3 hours before we had to get back for some rendez-vous we had scheduled. 

Towards the end of our blitzing period we were finishing down a line of town homes on what seemed to be a pretty popular street. We started talking to a lady who was seriously the cutest ever! I swear, we probably laughed more than we talked with her AND we got her number! It was so cute, Soeur Weed then asked if we could get a selfie with her and being the cute lady she was, she said yes! Then the windows behind us opened and a guy pops out and says don't forget me! Soeur Weed and I were just dying! It was too funny! He and the lady chatted for a bit, we chatted with him, then we continued to chat with both of them. In the end, we left with the guy taking our card and us having the number from the lady. It was so awesome! We all ended the day by going out to dinner with our Branch President! Remember his deal about us teaching at least 24 lessons and earning dinner? Well, we got 31 lessons the week before! Score!

Overall, this week was a bit if a slower week with rendez-vous, but it was okay because we had some fun finding opportunities and had some amazing learning opportunities through our Zone 

Conference and our exchanges. 

Spiritual Thought:

One lesson from this week in particular though, that has stood out à lot to me recently is the principle of patience. Particularly Christlike patience. In the Book of Mormon it always talks about bearing our afflictions with patience, enduring our trials with patience, and as we do so, we will be blessed. So, for my spiritual thought this week I want to put my focus on patience! In the new edition of Preach my Gospel there are some quotes that I absolutely love about patience: 

"Patience is the capacity to trust God as you face delay, opposition, or suffering. Through your faith, you trust God’s timing for His promised blessings to be fulfilled. When you are patient, you look at life from an eternal perspective. You do not expect immediate blessings or outcomes. Your righteous desires will usually be realized “line upon line, … here a little and there a little” (2 Nephi 28:30). 

Some righteous desires may not be realized until after this life....Patience also means that when something cannot be changed, you come to accept it with courage, grace, and faith." 

Over the course of my mission so far, I think one of the greatest lessons I have learned is patience; and through patience developing trust. Patience and trust with my amis, God's timing, my companions, etc. I can't always see the results immediately, and I can't always help every situation, but I can take it as it comes and work little by little and try to be 1% better every day and learn what He wants me to learn -  and do it in His timing. 

"All these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good" (D&C 122:7) 

Everything happens for a reason, the question is what do we need to learn. I love you all so much! 

Have an amazing week! À bientôt! 🥰

-Soeur Hansen