Dunkirk

Bonjour mes amis ! En forme ? 

This week was kind of crazy and a bit out of the ordinaire how everything took place! We didn't do any exchanges this week, which was weird,  but don't worry! They are on the list for next week! 

I had the incredible experience of spending a day in Dunkirk! Yes, the very beaches of a significant battle during WW2, and the setting of the movie depicting that event. I was able to spend the whole day there while visiting another district for their district council! 

We all met at the church for training on Revelation and read a talk from the late President Ballard. We also celebrated one of the Zone Leader's birthday, (Elder Keck from Tahiti) which was so fun! We all then enjoyed some Kebab for lunch! It was pretty funny because there was about 12 of us squished into the corner between two tables. 😂 Then off we all went to talk to people! Soeur Smith and I took this opportunity to go to THE beaches! WOW! If you remember from months ago, I was able to visit the battle stricken beaches in Normandy, and to now also be able to visit the beaches of Dunkirk was just as amazing! It felt even a bit sacred. Soeur Smith and I met a group of 5 older people (who happened to be from Lille ) and we asked them what brought them to Dunkirk. They happened to be visiting for the day, and have some history there from during the war. They told us their story, which was pretty incredible to hear. They of course then asked us why we were there, and we were able to have a wonderful conversation with them about what we do as missionaries and why we are here in France. They were very interested! 

The rest of the day we continued talking to everyone there, asking if they had connections to the city, or even if they were willing to share their own stories.  It was so inspiring to hear the individual experiences from everyone! Before leaving, Souer Smith and I even took a moment to run across the beach and leave with water bottles full of sand.🤭 It was really cool to visit the city as well, because you could still see evidence of the war in various areas of the city, as some buildings were very old and run down, and others very newly developed. It is so crazy to see the transformation of history upon the town with all of its cause and effects! One of the people in the group of 5 we talked with even told us that he remembered how once it was a very beautiful city, but got destroyed by war and is now very modernized. Wow!

This week I had the feeling again. I was ON FIRE! Remember the less active member, Julian from a few updates ago? We went back to his house and, WOW! What an incredible experience we had! That morning we planned a very simple spiritual thought. One where we focused on the Book of Mormon and on Jesus Christ, completely unaware of the miracle we were about to see. All day we had been trying to find another female member to join us, but none were available. So we texted Julian asking if we could do our rendez-vous outside, or by video call. He said yes, of course, and that actually his daughter would be there! So we said we would love to meet her and that we were happy to do the rendez-vous (rdv) with them both! The rdv began as we all gathered around the table with hot chocolate in hand and enjoyed getting to know each other. Julian then said, "OK, let's talk about the serious stuff now," and we took that as our cue to start the spiritual thought. 😂 We each took a turn reading a paragraph from the introduction of the Book of Mormon and the spirit was immediately sooooo strong. At the end we asked what their thoughts and feelings were, and Julian's daughter expressed how she loved the introduction because it expressed what the book is and why it is important. She seemed to be really touched by what we had read. It is always so incredible to see people become more and more open to the spirit just through the small and simple things - such as reading the scriptures. We then read from Doctrine and Covenants 76 verses 22-24 (the scriptures I shared last week) and the spirit enveloped the ENTIRE room and Sœur Smith and I literally felt as though we where on fire! We began testifying of Christ and it became a moment in which I have no idea what I was saying, but words were flowing easily out of my mouth. I know that I was truly speaking by and through the Spirit. Julian and his daughter were listening to us so intently, and you could see their spirits connecting more and more to what we were testifying to them. You could physically see the light brighten in their eyes, and their spirits lift as they yearned to know more. 

Julian's daughter explained to us that she and her father have never been closed off to religion and have always been fairly open. Having placed a Book of Mormon in front of her, at the beginning of our lesson so she could follow along with us, we then invited her to start reading The Book of Mormon, and invited Julian to restart. We told her that the book in front of her was hers to keep. She looked at us with wide eyes and accepted the invitation and the book with eagerness! Incredible! We then sang a musical number we were going to perform later that night at a Relief Society activity and they loved it! In turn, Julian played some traditional Bolivian music on a flute and also on a pan flute he made himself! WOW! It was truly an amazing night! They kept trying to get us to stay for dinner, but we had to go and instead left with a promise to come back for dinner another time. We truly believe the key for Julian in regaining his testimony will be his daughter. 😊

As we all just recently celebrated Thanksgiving, I want to wish a Happy Thanksgiving to you all! 🦃 I hope it was a good one! Even though I wasn't able to spend it around the table with my own family, I was able to spend it around the table with one of my favorite ward families! We had spaghetti with a yummy beet sauce! Not your traditional turkey and mashed potatoes, but it sure was good! They asked us what we do for Thanksgiving and we talked about our traditions and they then began playing Christmas music! YEEES! IT HAS BEGUN! They are such a darling family and it took me back to what it all is about...Family! Cherish them! 

Well, the Christmas markets have officially began and I am taken back to my five year old self with dreams of lights, nutcrackers, and Christmas music everywhere! I am so excited for joy and magic of this time of year!  

Spiritual Thought

"Neither take ye thought beforehand what ye shall say; but treasure up in your minds continually the words of life, and it shall be given you in the very hour that portion that shall be meted unto every man." ( D/C 84:88) 

The Lord knows you and what you need. Trust in Him and He will help you know what to do in those moments of need.

Love you all! À bientôt ! 

- Soeur Hansen ❤️