Hermana Hansen 🇪🇸🇫🇷

Coucou à tous ! Quoi de beau ? 

This week was crazy! I feel like I say this in every update, but hey, at least there is a common theme! 😂 Keeps things interesting! This week was full of MLC, transfers, tons of member visits, and a birthday party!

Monday night we went over to the Stake President's house and had so much fun with his cute family! Fun fact: a lot of members in France actually work for The Church in a bunch of various positions: telecom, building managers, translators, etc. I have so much respect for all the translators! I've done real time translations for visitors who come and, la vache is it hard! Two weeks ago we had a whole bunch of women visiting, filling an entire row, and Sœur Stevenson and I could hardly hear the speaker as we tried to translate for them...it was way hard! So, shout out to all you translators! 

Anyway... Frère Bertola works for the church, so he speaks English all day for his job, so when we came over he unconsciously kept switching into English and his whole family kept telling him to switch back to French! 🤣 Soeur Stevenson and I were dying, it was so funny! We of course kept talking in French, but it was hard to keep up with the constant switching back and forth. We passed an excellent night with them! 

That next day we had our monthly MLC in Paris! I look forward to MLC a lot. I love it so so much! This time we talked about studies and why they are important. We study to prepare ourselves to teach. Studies are so so important for a missionary! We have about 2.5 hours a day to study the scriptures, the language, and even as an équipe to prepare for lessons and what we are going do that day. I have LOVED studies as a missionary and so it was awesome to get new perspectives from other missionaries during our training!

One thing that I've been loving lately at MLC, is that they give us time as ZLs and STLs in each specific zone to say a kneeling prayer together for our zone and for the missionaries we work with. Imagine 20 missionaries all kneeling in prayer at once! The spirit is so overwhelmingly powerful. It has lead to some incredible experiences and the feeling of unity is so strong. That is one of the reasons why I love MLC! Le fait de se réunir en tant que dirigeants amène l'esprit très très fort parce-que nous avons tous la même objectif. J'aime l'unité avec les autres missionaries en faisant l'œuvre du seigneur. (Coming together as leaders brings a very strong spirit because we all have the same goal.  I love unity with other missionaries in doing the Lord's work.)

This week was also transfer week, and Wow was it crazy! Soeur Stevenson and I headed to Paris Wednesday, one day before the transfer since the parting missionaries spend a day with President and his wife; going to the temple and doing some fun departing activities. So, Mercredi I said goodbye to Soeur Stevenson since she is heading home, which was so sad, but I prefer to think of it as a “see you later!” 

I then spent the rest of that day as an Hermana... and Nope! I don't know a lick of Spanish, apart from hola and gracias. 😂 It was so fun though because the Hermana I was with taught me how to read Spanish and she translated my testimony into Spanish so I was able to at least read my testimony during the lessons we had that day! I felt like a new missionary again, and it was definitely a new experience, but I had a great time! #Trilingual 🤣 

Even though I didn't really understand the words she spoke as she taught the lessons, it was an incredible testimony building experience of the power of the gift of tongues and how the Spirit really does speak to our hearts. Even though I only teach in French and English, I have had incredible opportunities to be a part of lessons in many other languages, and no matter what I always understood what was being taught and felt the Spirit. God knows and speaks our language! No matter what language it may be!

That night we had a bit of a challenge, as the WiFi in the apartment we were staying at in Paris is a disaster, so half the time we were hanging halfway out the window just trying to get a signal. 🤣 But on the bright side, later that night I was able to see one of my MTC comps! Soeur Madsen! Actuellement she is serving in Colmar and also came into Paris for transfers, so it was so fun to see her! 

However, up until that point, in the midst of all our lessons, Soeur Vazquez and I where absolutely running around like chickens with our heads cut off, constantly on the phone with other missionaries trying to figure out housing for the night, and other logistical aspects for the transfers the next day. Oh la la ! 

As usual transfers the next morning were absolutely crazy! One of the Colmar Soeurs had her OFII appointment so we had to go all the way to one side of Paris with all her suitcases! We met up with some Elders and somehow convinced them to take the suitcases with them to the transfer point so we didn't have to lug them all the way back to the other side of Paris. Let's hear it for our girlish charm! 🤣 It was so nice of them, and very much appreciated!

We showed up to transfers and I actually got so sad, as it was my last transfer day for my mission, next time I will be the one going home. 😢 Heursement, (Luckily) I saw so many of my friends that day. Almost every single missionary I was in the MTC with was there, along with almost all the missionaries I've been able to work with this past year and a half. I can not describe the love I have for all these missionaries! They have become some of my very best friends and I am so thankful for every single one of them and our experiences together. It was sad saying goodbye to a lot of them. I came in with a lot of Elders, so they still got some time, but again definitely more of a “see you later” since most of them will be going to BYU in the Fall, so we can party again in a few months. 🙌🏻 

I have always loved transfer days to be honest! It's  a crazy day, but it's a fun experience taking everything you own in a few suitcases and navigating the Paris transport system with it all in tow! 

I met my new companion, Soeur Williams, who is absolutely adorable and we hopped on a train back to Rennes! Funny thing is, she was with Soeur Beckwith (my trainer) during her last transfer and now she is with me for my last transfer... CRAZY ! I cannot believe I am that old! 🫠 

  

This week we had soooo many members rendez-vous ! It was so awesome! We went to the Aubin's and the Leroy's, and they were such a party! These are two of my favorite families in the ward. We laughed so much and they shared some amazing perspectives and testimonies regarding our spirituelle thought. In la famille Leroy, they are a family of just girls and you can totally tell that Frère Leroy is such a "girl" dad. It's so cute! The members here are awesome! The Aubin's are kind-of THE missionary family. They are always there and seem to be everyone's point of contact. It's awesome! I love them!

Well, malheureusement, (unfortuneately) we are in another period of having to drop a lot of our friends. Many of them have been taught by the missionaries for a while, but haven't progressed, so we figure we should give them a break for a bit. But, whenever missionaries go through periods of "refreshing" a secteur, miracles are always générateur (happen)! For example, we met a guy this week named Georges. We were trying to get to one of our friend's house, but because it is Rennes, we were unable to due to some manifestations. Buses were down again and we couldn't find one going to the area we needed. We tried calling her, but she was on a long distance call and was unavailable. But, this little hiccup in our plan made it possible for us to meet Georges! We stopped him, introduced ourselves and he immediately started asking questions! We testified to him and told him about the Book of Mormon and how it can offer answers to his questions. He asked where he could get one and we gave him ours! He told us he was going to read it right away and then asked if we would call him Monday night! Wow! So pray that all goes well tonight! He seemed super cool! 

Spiritual Thought

Recently I have been working on "myplan". Myplan is a program for missionaries who are nearing the end of their mission which  focuses on helping us fix and plan goals upon returning home, reflecting on our time as missionaries, and preparing us for going home. Not going to lie, it has been a bit emotional. This week I worked on the module that talked about remembering what I've learned the 18 months I've spent serving the Lord and applying it to my life in the future while continuing to grow and learn. I loved these scriptures from the lesson: 

"But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed." 

(James 1:22, 25) 

I love these verses because growing up my mom always told me that actions speak louder than words. You bet they do! Much of Christ's ministry was expressed through His actions, not just through His words. Are you a doer or are you a hearer? Or are you both? Do you act on the words of Christ or do you just hear them? 

Sure do love you all! 🥰 

À bientôt ! - Soeur Hansen