There was some pretty crazy weather this week. One day it was rainy and windy and probably 20 degrees and then the next day it was really hot and sunny. Then today it rained again, but it's still really hot outside. So weird. Hence the title of my email. 'Cause that's all I could think of. I'm not feeling terribly creative today, sorry.
Tuesday, June 3 -
We visited Jacqueline and Soeur Holmes introduced herself. And of course Jacqueline loved her right away because Jacqueline's really nice and Soeur Holmes is really awesome. We shared Moroni 7:23 and 24 about how with faith in the Lord we can do anything and talked about how he would help her have the strength to choose to be baptized. She said that Catholicism runs in her family and she didn't want to betray her grandma and mom who had taught her all of the things she knew. We told her that what they had taught her had prepared her to receive the restored gospel and that after she was baptized she could do work for her mom and grandma, who were prepared and waiting for her in the spirit world. She seemed to think about that, but she's still not quite sure. After teaching her, she got us some chocolate cakes and some juice. Then she got really excited and asked us if we'd ever had non-alcoholic beer. We said no, and she brought out a dusty can of non-alcoholic beer and gave it to us. We thanked her and stuck it in our bag. It's still sitting in our fridge, as we have not really had the desire to try it yet.
We had to run from her house to catch a train to a member's (the Bouhadda's) house, because we were almost late because Jacqueline likes to talk a lot. We barely made it, but our connecting train was late, so we ended up being 45 minutes late to the member's house and had a 10 minute visit and spiritual thought with her and her kids. It was short, but it was good to meet them.
Wednesday, June 4 -
We were in Iwuy all day with the Rousseaux's again. We ported in the rain and wind, which actually ended up being a good thing because everyone was a lot nicer -- they listened to us because they realized that if we were willing to knock people's doors in the rain, then what we had to say must be important.
Thursday, June 5 -
We met with Samira, the Muslim lady that contacted us at the bus stop, in the morning. She is an amazing woman. She said she moved from Algeria with her son because she wanted him to be able to choose what religion he wanted to join, because in Algeria everyone's automatically a Muslim. She's looking into all sorts of religions, and she said that when she saw us at the bus stop, it was perfect, because she's been looking for people like us (missionaries) ever since she'd moved here. We showed her around the church and she was very interested in everything we said. She has such a huge faith in God, and she's so open to learning more. I'm excited to see her again, and I'm glad the Lord put her in our path.
We taught Soeur Manet after that, and she was having a really hard time because someone close to her had just died. We'd planned something else to teach her, but instead we talked about how, because of Christ, we will all live again and we'll be able to see those we love after we die.
After that we taught Patricia. She seemed to be feeling better, and she told us that she'd decided to forgive a friend that she hadn't talked to in many years because she'd been thinking about us and the things we'd taught her. It was really cool, because that shows that she's been feeling the Spirit and that she's changing because of what she's being taught. I know that as she continues to put what we teach her into practice in her life that she'll feel the Lord's strength so much more and she'll be able to overcome her trials.
We had an FHE with a family in the ward, the Lheureux's, who I've been wanting to see for a while. Their daughter, Laure, who has a hard time with people bullying her because she's different, kept asking us if we could come over. I'm so glad we were finally able to, because it was a great experience. We had a lot of fun with them and were able to show their children the love and care that they need.
Friday, June 6 -
We saw Chantal again and talked about her questions about the Book of Mormon. It's really cool because she's doing the work, she's studying the Book of Mormon and writing down her questions. She's changing, little by little, as she makes the effort to gain a stronger testimony of the gospel.
Saturday, June 7 -
We had a little bit of time before a lesson with Denise, so we contacted in her area. We talked to a nice woman who had two kids, who gave us her number and address. Then, as we were on our way back to meet Soeur Gros, the member who was teaching with us, we saw... a camel. Two camels, in fact. And a yak. In the middle of the city. So of course we had to go over and see what the heck they were doing there. Apparently there was a circus in town and they had a kind of petting zoo thingy going on. The camels and the yak and an ox were in the middle of this grassy space with no gate or anything around them. And then in a little enclosure there were goats and llamas and geese and ponies. And little baby piggies. They were so. Adorable. I love pigs. So we took a little break to pet ponies and pigs. Pretty much brightened my whole day.
Then we went and met Soeur Gros, then went to Denise's house. She didn't have much time, so we just taught a little lesson about how the Savior is there to take our burdens and to give us strength when we need him. Soeur Gros testified and shared experiences and everything she said was perfect. The Spirit was so strong.
So, a cool little miracle that has to do with Soeur Gros... On Friday we were trying to think of who we could have teach with us, and Soeur Gros came to my mind, even though I don't know her very well. So I called and she said yes right away, and even offered to come in to Valenciennes to pick us up. Which surprised me. After the lesson, Soeur Gros told us that on Friday, she'd promised the Lord that if he helped a problem her family had been having turn out well, that she'd invite the missionaries over every week. Then when she thought about it, she realized she couldn't this week because Saturday and Sunday were Stake Conference and we'd be in Lille. And that's when I called and asked her if she'd teach with us. She said it kind of freaked her out. She knew Heavenly Father had answered her.
After that, we went and had stake conference in Lille. It was really cool because it was centered on missionary work.
Sunday, June 8 -
We had Stake Conference again, and this time it was broadcast from Switzerland, and 30-ish stakes were watching it. Elder Anderson, Sister Reeves, and President Uchtdorf all spoke. It was a pretty great experience, even though it was kinda hard to understand sometimes because everything was being translated into French. I learned a lot about how to show my faith by acting and letting the Lord guide me, putting my trust in him and his promises.
Then, once we got back to Valenciennes, we ported for the rest of the day. We talked to a lot of people, and some of them were kinda crazy. We knocked on one door where we could hear some music thumping really loudly. Some dude with a really hairy chest and no shirt answered the door. We explained why we were there and he said he didn't believe in God, only himself and... dancing. Yeah. Then he told us, "Yeah, you keep believing, though," when we tried to testify. Then we met an old lady who talked for a reaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalllllllllly long time and then invited us into her house. She got out a coin purse and tried to give us money. We told her we couldn't and wouldn't take any money and she told us we had to. She tried to put it in her hands, but we wouldn't let her, so she shoved it down Soeur Holmes' shirt. Soeur Holmes said that had never happened to her before. Ever. Thankfully.
2 Nephi 28:32 -- "Wo be unto the Gentiles, saith the Lord God of Hosts! For notwithstanding I shall lengthen out mine arm unto them from day to day, they will deny me; nevertheless, I will be merciful unto them, saith the Lord God, if they will repent and come unto me; for mine arm is lengthened out all the day long, saith the Lord God of Hosts."
I love this scripture because it shows how loving the Lord is towards us. He is always reaching out for us, offering his hand to us, to help us and guide us. All we need to do is reach out to him and take his hand, to let him guide us to the right path, the path that leads to happiness. He is always there for us, it's up to us to come to him and let him help us.
I also like the scripture because it shows how we should be towards others. We always need to reach out to them, to love them and offer to help them, even if they reject us or even if they don't seem like they'll accept our help. The Lord is rejected by so many people, but he still reaches out to them, every single day. Everyone has worth, everyone deserves to feel Christlike love, and everyone deserves to hear the joyful message of the gospel.
Soeur Williams
