Sunny Days

Hiya!
Happy French Independence Day everyone! I shall celebrate it today by... writing emails! Yay!
This week was a good one, though slightly uneventful. It did rain every single day for pretty much the whole week. And when it wasn't raining, clouds were covering the whole sky. Yesterday was the first day I've seen sun in a while... Anyway, this week was good, even though it felt more like January than July.
Tuesday, July 8 -
It was Soeur Holmes' half-birthday on Tuesday, so of course we had to celebrate by going to this special bakery to get Merveilleux Nords (the delicious speculos pastry I got with Soeur Cameron when I first got here).  We ate that, then Soeur Holmes decided that it would be a good idea to find a different way to walk from there to the hospital where Patricia was staying, instead of taking a bus. So, we started walking... and soon found ourselves on a highway. And then it started raining. And it was too late to turn back and go catch a bus. So, we walked on the highway in the rain and sang hymns at the top of our lungs. It was pretty fun, actually.

Merveilleux Nords

Rainy highway funtimes

Wednesday, July 9 -  (Still raining...)
We went with a member, Soeur Rocquet, and taught Jacqueline about the gift of the Holy Ghost. We testified of the Holy Ghost's power to help us and how we can only have the gift of the Holy Ghost after baptism. Jacqueline was still worried about being baptized. She was afraid to change and she felt like she was betraying something. Soeur Rocquet shared a perfect experience, because she was baptized not too long ago and she's 70 years old, and she was a Catholic before, just like Jacqueline. Soeur Rocquet said she knew that she couldn't have gotten through the hard times in her life without the Holy Ghost there, always with her, giving her the comfort, support and encouragement she needed. She told Jacqueline to do what is best for her and what will give her the most happiness, and not worry about what her family will think. Soeur Rocquet said she knew she wouldn't have been able to overcome a lot of her trials if she wasn't a member of the church. After that, Jacqueline was silent (not normal for her :D She always has something to say) and she really seemed to be thinking about what everyone had said. The Spirit was very strong.
After that, we went to Iwuy and visited Michele, an older lady we'd met three weeks ago, and we prayed with her. She said we could come back again. After doing some finding we returned to the Rousseaux's and they fed us. And Soeur Holmes showed them the wonders of a Pazookie (I giant, not-all-the-way-cooked cookie with ice cream on it) and they adored it. Now we're definitely their favorites. :)

Frere Rousseaux enjoying some delicious Pazookie-ness

Thursday, July 10 - (More rain)
Not much of note happened on Thursday. We visited Soeur Manet and read the Book of Mormon with her, and Soeur Cameron came to Valenciennes to pick up papers for legality.

Friday, July 11 - (Lots of clouds)
We visited Zahia in the afternoon, and we got to her apartment a little bit early, which was good, because she almost forgot about our RDV and was leaving the apartment. She was a little bit tired that day because she's been fasting for Ramadan. We decided to share a short message with her about faith and how we can show our faith in God. She has a lot of faith in God and she says she shows it by serving others, because she knows he loves all his children and is happy when we help those around us. She is an amazing woman and loves Heavenly Father and loves Jesus Christ as she learns more and more about him. After the lesson, Zahia asked us to walk with her to the tram and invited us to eat couscous at her house after Ramadan is over. I'm so excited! She's from Algeria and I've heard Algerians can make some darn good couscous. :D
We went porting in the evening and weren't having much success when we knocked on one man's door and we told him we were there to pray with people and leave a blessing on their home. He smiled at us and said that was so kind of us. He gestured inside at the house full of people and said he had guests, but told us he would love it if we came back later. It's so amazing the little miracles that I see that Heavenly Father gives us each day.

Saturday, July 12 - (Still cloudy)
We went to a stake soccer tournament thingy with our ward and Soeur Holmes and the elders played while I talked with the members who weren't playing and let some of the little girls from our ward take pictures with my camera. It was really fun, we got a lot closer with the members here and they were so glad we came and did that with them.

Sunday, July 13 - (We could see the sun! Yay!)
As we were greeting the members at church on Sunday, there were some people I didn't recognize, but I figured they were members who were visiting a family in our ward, so I didn't think much of it. Then one of the members came up to me and took me to those same people and told me they weren't members and asked me to talk to them. So I did and found out a little bit more about them. There was a girl named Mylene and a guy named Martin, they were both in their 20s and they were interested in learning more about our church. In fact, Mylene had been living in Washington for studies, and she'd been living with a member family and had gone to church every single Sunday for 6 months. She had been taught by the missionaries, she loved church, she wanted to see if it was any different in France, and she invited her friend, Martin to come with her. We taught them during Sunday school and they're both such amazing people. They're very open to learn more, and we made a RDV to see them again next week. It was such a miracle, the perfect miracle to end our week. It's very, very rare to have non-members just come to church here without someone inviting them, and they were both so ready to hear the gospel. Plus, since it's Soeur Holmes' last transfer on her mission, we'd been praying to be able to find one new investigator a week, and by Sunday we hadn't yet found anyone. Then Mylene and Martin showed up. Heavenly Father truly knows and loves us, and miracles can happen if we put our faith and trust in him.

Doctrine and Covenants 122: 9 -
"Therefore, hold on thy way, and the priesthood shall remainwith thee; for their bounds are set, they cannot pass. Thy days are known, and thy years shall not be numbered less; therefore, fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever."

I love you! Have a great week!
Soeur Williams

I'm Proud to be an American!

Pony!

Salutations!

I have felt really patriotic this week. Even more so than when I was in the United States. Yay America! :D

Monday, June 30 - 

We had a lot less time to email and shop and clean on Monday because we had to go into Belgium for Zone Conference. Which I was fine with because I love Belgium. But once we got to the train station we found out that all of the Belgium was having a strike (all the train workers, I believe) so we had to take a bus to Belgium. It was a long bus ride, but we finally got there. When we did, we went to eat with a recent convert of Soeur Holmes' from when she'd been in Belgium. We got some delicious pizza and afterwards I tried some lavender flavored ice cream. It was pretty good. :)

Tuesday, July 1 - 

We had a really amazing Zone Conference on Tuesday. It was basically an introductory Conference for our new president and his wife -- President and Sister Babin. They are so inspired and the room was so filled with the Spirit as each of them spoke. They shared their objectives for the mission and told us what we could do to be the best missionaries we could be. They have high sights for this mission and I know that we will be able to reach them. The Babins emphasized that we need to center everything on Christ, everything we do each day. We need to picture Christ in our minds each time we go out, each time we talk to someone, each time we make a decision. We need to try to teach as he taught, to love others as he does, and to do what he would have us do. They also told us how we need to know the love God has for us and to know that we are his children before we can go out and have that love for others and tell them they are children of a loving Heavenly Father. 

I'm so excited to see how this mission is going to change with the Babins. I know they are inspired by the Lord and they have so much love for him and for us.

Wednesday, July 2 - 

In the morning we went to Jacqueline's house and when we got there she was very distressed because her apartment is breaking down, her water wasn't working so she couldn't take a shower an the people who had said they'd come to fix it hadn't come yet. We calmed her down and comforted her and let her get it out for a little while. Then we talked to her about faith and about baptism. We promised her that miracles would happen as she acted on her faith, that her family's hearts will be softened and that the Lord will bless her more than she can imagine. We asked her if she'd ever prayed to know if she should be baptized and she said she hadn't. So we asked her to do that. I know that if her heart is open that the Lord will answer and give her the reassurance and comfort she needs.

We saw Kathy, an ami from Martinique who had been taught before and who'd had a baptismal date, but was so busy that she stopped keeping commitments. Now that she's done with school we are starting to visit her again and re-teach her the lessons. She's an amazing woman and I know that she is ready for the gospel in her life.

Thursday, July 3 - 

We visited Patricia in the hospital because she'd just had surgery on her knee and was recovering. We shared a scripture with her, prayed with her, and promised to visit her later in the week. We had to keep it short because we had to catch a train. Even with the small time we spent with her, we had to run to the train. But we made it. We took the train to Orchies, where our Ward Mission Leader, Frere Duez, lives and had a meeting with him. Then we ate some really good Shepherd's Pie and some homemade raspberry ice cream and a raspberry tart. I love being at the Duez's house. :) Not just because of the food, of course. They're awesome people. :D

Friday, July 4 - 

WHOOO! INDEPENDENCE DAY! AMERICA! FREEDOM! That's how I felt all day on the 4th of July. So patriotic. I love America. Even though we're in France, we celebrated. Soeur Holmes and I wore red, white, and blue clothes, we sang patriotic songs, we ate ice cream and watermelon, etc. We also went to Iwuy and did some porting and we passed by some of the people who had said we could come back. Then we went to the Rousseaux's house for dinner. Soeur Rousseaux surprised us and said she'd bought stuff so we could make red, white and blue bracelets. And the Rousseaux's did a barbecue for us. And Soeur Rousseaux bought dollar bill and Coca-Cola napkins. :) They're such a fun family. 'Twas verily a good day.

Saturday, July 5 - 

We went to Chantal's house and studied the Book of Mormon with her. It's really incredible to see the improvement she's made since we first started meeting with her and reading with her. She used to have so many questions, and a lot of them were about the technical details. Now she has fewer questions, she understands a lot more, and she has a lot of profound insights on what she reads. As always, I felt God's great love for her as we discussed with her. I know that she's progressing and gaining a stronger testimony because she started to act on the things she was taught.

We went from there to the Gillot's house to do more service. Soeur Gillot had taken all of the stuff they'd put in their basement upstairs and wanted our help to sort through it. They were really gross boxes, filled with mold and spiders, and we ended up throwing a lot of stuff away. Though it was a lot of work, I loved it. It's always good to have the opportunity to serve. Soeur Gillot was so grateful to us because she usually has to do things like that alone. 

The Elders giving service

After that, we visited Patricia in the hospital again. She was doing much better. She seemed so happy and she wasn't in as much pain. We chatted with her for a little bit, then we talked to her about the importance of reading and praying each day in order to receive strength and to fortify our faith.

In the evening we had cool experience with the guidance of the Spirit. We prayed to be able to find people who were ready, went on a random bus and decided to stop when we felt like it was the right place. So we did that, then we felt like we needed to go to a certain neighborhood by the bus stop. We did that, too and we ended up finding two families who said we could come back later.

Sunday, July 6 - 

In sacrament meeting, Chantal bore her testimony for the first time since she's been baptized (and it's been almost a year, I believe) ! It's so amazing to see her as she grows in her conversion to the gospel. 

In the evening after we did planning, we went out to visit an ami that we'd never met before, but who was in our Area Book, named Erika. On the way to visit her, we contacted all the people who were out (though there weren't many, because it was really cold and rainy outside). The very first person we contacted, a 17 year old girl named Prisca, was really nice. She is from Africa and lives in a foyer (a place for homeless foreigners) and she believes in God. She was really open to hear our message and she gave us her number and agreed to meet us again next week. It was so awesome. We showed Heavenly Father we were willing to do the work to find people, and he sent someone our way who was ready.

We went to Erika's house and even though she didn't know us, she was so happy to see us. She let us in her house right away and we got to know her a little bit better. She says she believes in God but she feels like something is missing. I know that as she learns more about the gospel, she will feel filled and she will know that she's found the truth, the true church of Jesus Christ. I felt so much love for her and I can't wait to meet with her again.

I'd like to share one of my favorite scriptures this week (hopefully I didn't already share it):

Doctrine and Covenants 18:10 - "Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God."

It's really short, but also really powerful. It's good for when we're having a hard time loving someone or getting along with someone -- all we need to remember is that they're a child of God and they have a great worth in his eyes. But it's also good for all of us to remember for ourselves -- we are of great worth to our Heavenly Father. He's always there for us, he sees our potential, he never forgets about us, and he loves us more than we can imagine. We are of worth, even if those around us don't think we are. All that matters is what our Father in Heaven thinks of us -- and he thinks of each of us highly. We are his children and we matter so much to him.

Soeur Williams

The apartment complex where the Moerman family lives

CHICKENS!!!!

The cherries answer to the ice cream prayer.

Souer Williams with her district. She's made it through 3 transfers!

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Hididdlydoo, neighborinos!
This week has been a weird one. I feel like we did so much, but then when I tried to think of stuff to write about, I couldn't think of a whole lotta stuff. 'Twas a good week, quand-même.
Tuesday, June 24 -
We had District Meeting on Tuesday and it was really good. We talked about how we can become disciples of Christ as we give up all we have and come to him, letting us change us, and try more and more to follow his example.

Wednesday, June 25 -
Okay, so in France there's this thing called Soldes that lasts about a month. It's where every single store has a sale on their items and the closer it gets to the end of Soldes, the cheaper everything is. But at the end there's also less stuff because everyone's bought it all. Wednesday was the first day of Soldes and Soeur Holmes decided that she wanted to take advantage of that and buy some clothes and shoes for when she went home, so we took some time out of our P-Day to do missionary work, then shopped on Wednesday morning. And, oh, how I love shopping... it actually wasn't too bad. Just a few hours of crazy peoples trying to get the pair of shoes they wanted before anyone else. :D
After that, we went with a member in our ward named Soeur Foulon. She's an older woman and she had told us she would drive us around to visit less actives in her city (Cambrai) with us. Then when we got there, she told us that her husband needed the car, so we ended up walking. Which meant that we only had time to visit one less-active member. But, we did get to hear Soeur Foulon tell us mission stories as we walked, which was cool. She loved her mission so much, and she's let it influence and change her whole life afterwards.  Also, the less-active woman we met with was very nice and very happy to see us because she's old and lives all alone and no one visits. She talked for about an hour, maybe an hour and a half, about her health problems, then we shared a scripture with her and prayed with her.

Thursday, June 26 -
We taught Zahia, the lady we met on the tram, about the Restoration of the church, and it was really awesome. She loves learning about different religions (she goes to a Catholic church every 2 weeks and she lets the Jehovah's Witnesses come over to her house) and she especially loves learning about Jesus Christ, even though she's Muslim. She's very open to learning more and wants to know the truth. She has a desire to become Christian, but she said her family would never talk to her again if she joined another church. I know that as we keep teaching her, she'll come to know that the things we teach are true and it will change her life.
In the evening we ported a lot of houses. And we had no success. No one was even semi-kind to us. As we were about to go back home, we decided to port a few more houses. So we did. And at the first house, a teenage boy answered and was really kind and said he believed in God and would love to learn more, but that his parents were gone and that we could come back when they were home. He said they'd like to talk to us as well. Then at the very next house, when we told the woman at the door that we were there to pray with people and share a message about Christ, she put her hand on my shoulder and with a big, genuine smile said that she'd love to let us in and hear what we had to say, but that she was expecting someone. She said she would love it if we came back another time. She was probably one of the nicest people I've ever met. These experiences showed me that sometimes we have to work until we get to the very last dredges of our strength, then as we still continue to work, Heavenly Father gives us huge blessings.

Friday, June 27 -
On Friday we had to go take a train to Paris because Soeur Holmes had to pick up her papers for legality. As we were at the train station, walking to our train, we saw a familiar little girl and realized it was Denise's daughter (Denise is one of our African amis) standing in the middle of a ton of suitcases. We asked her if she needed help. She said yes, so we started carrying the suitcases up the stairs to their train. There we saw Denise, who was so surprised and happy to see us. She said that of course God would send her the missionaries at the last minute to help her. She was leaving for Africa with her family for two months, and it was a miracle that we saw her and were able to help her and say goodbye to her. I'm so grateful that Heavenly Father gave us that experience.
When we got to Paris, we met up with Soeur Cameron and her companion, Soeur Linton, because Soeur Linton had to get her legality papers as well. It was really awesome to see Soeur Cameron again. We all walked together to the mission home so that the office elders could take us to the prefecture, and right as we got there, we saw President and Soeur Poznanski getting into their car. They were so surprised to see us. Soeur Poznanski started crying, and she hugged all of us, and President shook our hands. They were just about to leave the mission home forever and go pick up the new President. Yet another miracle. We were probably the last missionaries to see President and Soeur Poznanski before they left. Right before President left, he told us we were all great missionaries. That was awesome. :)
We got falafels for lunch (they were SO GOOD) and then Soeur Holmes and I got macaroons with ice cream in the middle, and Soeur Cameron and Soeur Linton got gelato that had been shaped like a rose on top of the cone. That was probably some of the best food I've had while I've been in France. Mmmm.
We stayed the night in Paris because Soeur Holmes had gotten permission to see one of her friends who was visiting France, but he was late, so we missed our train. It was really fun to be with him and his family, though. He had served in this mission, and you could tell how much he'd loved it, and that he'd let it change him. Soeur Holmes was really happy to see him, because they've been friends for a while.

Saturday, June 28 -
Um. Not much happened. We missed our train in the morning, too, so we were late getting home and we had to take another train. Then we passed by some people.

Sunday, June 29 -
The missionaries got to teach the lesson on Sunday, because it was the 5th Sunday, and they've decided that every 5th Sunday that the missionaries will teach. I was really freaked out, but it went pretty well. We talked, of course, about member missionary work, and how they could talk about the gospel to their friends. We'd had them write down questions that their friends asked that they didn't know how to answer and we answered some of them, then had them go into groups and roleplay a situation where their friends asked a question and they had to answer. Then we testified that as we had love for the Lord, love for the gospel, and love for those around us that we would have a desire to share the gospel with other people, because we want them to have the blessings that we have. We testified that if we trusted the Lord and prayed for his help, that he would be with them and help them know what to say.
After church we visited Nadege in her shop. She didn't seem to be doing very well. She's having her baby in about a week, so I can understand that. We taught her a short lesson about the Savior and where we go after this life. She told us that she had found answers about God and Christ, because she was always confused because people said they were the same person, but in some scriptures it was obvious they weren't. So she prayed and studied in the Bible and found her answer that God and the Savior were different people. It's so awesome that she already studies and finds answers for herself, because not many people do that. We asked her to pray to know if she should be baptized, and she said that she would. I know that she has an open heart and is willing to do whatever the Lord wants her to do, and I know that she will be baptized one day. Sadly, we won't see her for a while, because she's going to stay with her baby in Belgium for a month or two. She promised that she would continue studying and praying, though, and I believe her.
After dinner, we ported a neighborhood, and everyone was unkind to us and no one would listen. Then we knocked on the last door and a man answered and we told him we were there to share a message about Jesus Christ and how he can help us. The man said it was really hard for him to believe in God because he's had a lot of hard things happen in his life, that he used to believe in God, but he doesn't anymore. We testified that God is there, that he loves us, and that through all of our trials Heavenly Father is there to help and strengthen us. We told him that the Savior suffered all of his pains and knows exactly how he feels. I could tell the man was feeling the Spirit and I know I felt it so strongly, and I felt Heavenly Father's immense love for him. Though the man told us he couldn't believe and didn't let us inside, I know we planted a seed in him, that he'll think about the things he felt and the things he heard. Maybe one day some missionaries will come by his house again and he'll be ready.


 Doctrine and Covenants 101:38 - "And seek the face of the Lord always, that in patience ye may possess your souls, and ye shall have eternal life." I know that as we seek the Lord every day of our lives, he will direct us to happiness, to hope, to becoming the best people we can be. He will guide us to eternal life.

I love you all!
Soeur Williams

Gauffres and Frites and Durum, Oh my!

Aloha, Childrens!
Basically the highlight of my whole week was Monday and Tuesday when I got to go to Belgium for Zone Conference. We spent our whole P-Day in Belgium, stuffing ourselves with delicious foodstuffs like gauffres (Belgian waffles - mine was covered in speculos butter and strawberries and whipped cream), frites (French fries :D ) and a durum (umm... a kebab-ish thing in a tortilla that's not actually a kebab and tastes better than a kebab).
Then came Zone Conference...
Tuesday, June 17 -
Zone Conference was so good! Since it was President and Soeur Poznanski's last Zone Conference, they did some special stuff. There were a lot of musical numbers, the Poznanskis gave their last testimonies/words of wisdom, and the Sister Training Leaders did a special training. It was all really amazing and spiritual. The Sister Training Leaders talked about how we can become better missionaries as we try to become more like Christ, because he was the perfect missionary. I learned from President that I should look at everything as an opportunity to learn and grow, to realize that everything that's happened in my life has prepared me for something greater even later that he has planned for me, and that though we are weak, the Lord isn't and he'll strengthen us in our weakness. Soeur Poznanski talked about how she saw these plants that had grown through the asphalt and talked about how we can be like those plants, pushing through hard times towards the sun, towards the light of Christ, and that we should never give up and always be reaching toward the Savior and holding on to his hope.
But, the best part of the whole conference was when I got to break a mission rule and hug President Poznanski! :D Soeur and President Poznanski had decided to let all of the missionaries hug them, which was awesome. Soeur Poznanski started crying more and more as each missionary hugged her. I love her and President so much and I will miss them!

Wednesday, June 18 -
We visited Jacqueline with Soeur Deladerriere. And it was perfect, just like the last time we worked with Soeur Deladerriere. We're always afraid to teach with her because she's really blunt and rough, but she's been perfect with both of our amis she's taught with us. With Jacqueline it was good because Jacqueline likes to go off on tangents and tell stories so our RDVs end up being like 2 hours long. But Soeur Deladerriere would just say, "That's great, but that's not what we're talking about." Then she'd bring it back to our lesson. And the lesson was so good. We were talking about how Jacqueline could do the work for her family and have them baptized and sealed to her. She said she really wanted to do that and we told her that she had to be baptized first before she could do that for her ancestors. Soeur Deladerriere asked Jacqueline if she knew that the things the missionaries had taught her were true and Jacqueline said of course she knew they were true. She just said she was scared to change because she thinks she's too old to change and she's afraid of the reactions of her children. It was a really spiritual lesson, and Jacqueline was so close to fixing a baptismal date. We just have to help her replace her fear with faith.

Thursday, June 19 -
We visited a member family, Jacques and Carolina Moerman, on Thursday night, and it was a great experience. I didn't really know them very well because they're both kind of shy, but when we were at their house we got to know them better and hear their testimonies. We shared about trusting in the Lord, and they bore their testimonies about how he's helped them. Carolina has been having a really hard time, especially since she comes from Guatemala and her family lives far away, and she says that the church has really helped her. She's been a member for 2 years, and you can see how much it's changed and strengthened her.
We contacted a little bit in their area and everyone we talked to was really nice to us. We got the information of a woman and her daughter who were interested.

Friday, June 20 -
We taught Samira, our Muslim ami, about the Restoration and it was so amazing how open she was and how willing she was to learn about things that are so different from what she believes. She said that she isn't going to teach her son the Muslim beliefs that Jesus Christ isn't the son of God because she wants him to choose for himself and find out for himself what he belives. She was really interested in what she taught and I can see her progressing in the future. Far in the future because she's leaving for Algeria for 2 months.

Saturday, June 21 -
We did a service activity at the Gillot's house. They have a big house and a big yard, but the problem is that their house isn't finished and their yard is filled with junk. So Soeur Holmes and I, the elders, and some ward members came and helped clear out all of the scrap wood, rotting furniture, garbage, and other gross stuff out of the Gillot's yard. We found a lot of bugs hiding under the things we threw away, especially under a soggy mattress we found. It was actually a really fun service activity because I love doing service and it looked so much better afterwards. I wish we got to do service more often, but French people don't like to say they need help, even when they do. So they won't let us serve them. :P
In the evening we stopped by Francoise, an older lady, and her son Alexandre. While we were riding there on the tram we talked to a nice Muslim lady named Zahia and her hyper little daughter. Zahia said she isn't a very practicing Muslim and that she'd like to talk to us again. It was really fun meeting them and talking to them.
When we got to Francoise and Alexandre's house they were both so excited to see us. We talked to them about the Savior and how he can help us change and grow, and they both shared beautiful experiences. It was really cool because I got to hear their conversion story (they were both baptized 3 years ago, and they were the ones who had contacted the missionaries instead of the other way around).

Sunday, June 22 -
After church we stopped by Nadege in her shop. She was really tired because she's pregnant and having her baby in a week, so we taught a short Plan of Salvation lesson. She told us that she'd still been worried/doubtful about Joseph Smith being able to see God, so she was studying in the Bible and found that Adam and Eve walked with God, so she said she didn't have a problem with it anymore. It's so awesome that she was willing to find the answer to her question, and that as a result Heavenly Father gave her the response she needed. If all of our amis were willing to do that, it would be so much easier for them, and so much easier for us.
We walked from there to visit a less-active we'd tried to pass by before but had never met, and as we approached her house we realized that we didn't remember her name and I hadn't brought the ward list for some reason, even though I always have it with me. So we decided to knock on the door and say what we would say with someone who wasn't a member (that we were there to pray with them/to share a message about the Savior) and a nice lady answered and said she was Catholic and busy then but that we could come back later. She told us her name and when we went back to our apartment we looked on the ward list and saw that the names were different and that the less-active must have moved. It was a cool experience to see that the Lord had guided us so that we could find someone who was ready.
As we were walking back toward our apartment it was really hot outside and Soeur Holmes and I started talking about how much we wanted ice cream. We kind of half-jokingly prayed to be able to find someone who would let us in and give us some ice cream. Shortly after, we saw this tree in someone's yard that was laden with gorgeous, round, red, juicy cherries. Some had already fallen on the ground and had started rotting. We decided that this was a perfect opportunity to do some service. Clearly whoever lived there was too old to pick cherries on their own, so we could pick some for them and buy the rest. We knocked on their door and a woman answered. We told her we'd seen her tree and were wondering if we could buy some cherries. She told us that they hadn't treated the tree this year, so the cherries were inedible. But she told us she had some for us, so she disappeared into a room in her house and came out carrying... a Magnum ice cream bar box. Soeur Holmes' and my eyes got so wide and we just looked at each other in amazement. We thanked the woman, took the box, and walked down the street. The Magnum bar box was, of course, filled not with ice cream, but with cherries. They sure were delicious cherries, though.

2 Nephi 25:26 -
"And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins."
I've been thinking a lot of the Savior this week, and what a great example he is, and of all the many things he's done for us. I know that as I follow his example more and more in my life, the happier and stronger I am, and the more love I have for others. And every time I testify of Christ, in lessons or on the street, the Spirit is so strong. Everything in the church links back to the Savior and his Atonement.

Soeur Williams

I somehow got a virus on my card reader thingy, so I can't share any pictures until I figure it out. So, maybe you'll get some next week! :D

Guess where I am right now!

Soeur Homes and Soeur Williams

Hey, you peoples, did you guess?
I'm in Belgium! WOOHOOOO! I love Belgium so much. Today we're gonna get Belgian waffles and Belgian chocolate, and French fries, and all sorts of other delicious stuff. We have Zone Conference in Belgium right now, so we went a day early to pick up Soeur Holmes' legality stuff (because she was in Belgium before) and have a Belgium P-day. I'm so excited. :D

Anyway, this week...
Tuesday, June 10 -
On the way to visit an ami that the elders gave us we talked to some people on the tram. We met this really nice Moroccan lady and talked to her for a while. Then a guy sat next to us (which is usually a bad sign here in Valenciennes) and started talking to us in English. He said he was from Singapore and that he had seen missionaries there and in the Philippines and wanted to talk to us. He gave us his number so hopefully we'll be able to teach him later.
We got to the ami's house and started talking to her by her front gate. Her name was Martine and one of the first questions she asked us was our birth dates, then she told us our horoscope sign thingy (Libra, Capricorn, etc.) and what exactly that meant. After she talked about that for a while, we asked her if we could teach her and she said that we could pass by later. Then some random middle-aged dude, a friend of Martine's son, started talking to us. He got really close to us, close enough to smell the alcohol on him (which actually didn't have to be very close, 'cause I'm pretty sure he'd been drinking a lot) and stared at us and told us we had pretty eyes. We decided that was a good sign that we should leave. Very quickly.
After that fun experience, we took the bus to a member's house, but I wasn't paying attention, so we missed the stop. We had to get off at the next stop and start walking back towards their house. We ended up talking to a woman on the way. When we told her we were there to help people find hope and the answers they're looking for in their lives through the gospel of Jesus Christ, she said she'd been searching for the truth for a really long time and that she didn't know where to find it. We told her we were there to help her, and that we knew God was there for her and loved her. She then pulled up her sleeves and showed us her arms, which were completely covered in cuts and scars. She said she didn't think she could ever be forgiven. We told her that we knew that she could be forgiven, that she can find forgiveness and peace through Christ's Atonement. She gave us her number and address. I hope we can talk to her soon, because I know the message we have to share will change her life.

Wednesday, June 11 -
On Wednesday, we went to Iwuy. There was a strike, though (those seem to happen a lot here) so there ended up not being a train that went there, so we had to call Soeur Rousseaux. But she's awesome, so she picked us up and drove us to her house. We did a lot of porting that day. It was almost the end of the day and we prayed to know where to go. We felt like we should go down a certain road, so we did, and we found 3 different people who told us we could come back and we found an amazing lady named Michelle who we prayed with and who gave us her phone number.

Charly Rousseaux doing a dance 

Thursday, June 12 -
We visited Soeur Manet and shared Sister Wixom's talk from Women's Conference, and she really liked it. She brought up how she'd been having a lot of trials, and that people always asked how there could be a God if so many bad things happen. She said she sometimes had a hard time answering that. I told her that through my trials I've become stronger, that I've learned so much, that I've come to know Heavenly Father more and feel more deeply the love of the Savior for me. I said that I've learned to rely on the Savior's power through the hard times in my life. She seemed to feel a lot better after our visit, and I know that Heavenly Father loves her and is there for her.
Then came... exchanges! I was so excited because Soeur Cameron was coming to Valenciennes and I'd be doing exchanges with her. We went contacting for a while and contacted a woman who told Soeur Cameron that she talked with the spirits over the earth (or something, I still don't understand everything people say) and that they had told her what Soeur Cameron would be doing in her future - apparently she's going to be a nurse or a doctor, even though that's not something she'd ever want to do. She didn't tell me my future though. So disappointing. Then we went and saw Kathy, an ami that Soeur Cameron had taught who had a baptismal date, but who she'd had to stop teaching because she was so busy that she hadn't been keeping any of her commitments. So, we went and visited Kathy, and she was there, and she said she'd finish with school this week and come to an FHE the next week. Hopefully we'll get to start teaching her and she'll be progressing and ready for baptism!

Soeur Williams on exchanges with Soeur Cameron

Friday, June 13 -
Soeur Cameron and I went and taught Patricia with Soeur Deladerriere. At first we weren't sure that it was a good idea to have her teach with us, because she's a bit... rough/insensitive. But it turned out she was perfect for what Patricia needed. Patricia tends to like to talk a lot, so our lessons are usually really long, but this time Soeur Deladerriere kept our lesson to the point and she was bold in testifying to Patricia of the need to pray to know if this church is true, which Patricia needed as well, because she's so attached to her church that she doesn't want to change.
After Patricia, we were trying to figure out where to go in the 15 minutes we had before lunch, and I thought of going to the pastry shop and contacting on the way. Which is always a great idea because pastries are the best thing ever. So, we got to the pastry shop and were waiting in line when someone at the front of the line started to leave. We recognized her -- it was Marie-Christine, the woman that Soeur Cameron and I had found together. We talked to her for a while and found out the reason she hadn't been able to see us was because she was taking care of her dying aunt and said we could pass by if she wasn't busy. It was such a miracle to see her, especially since Soeur Cameron had never been able to say goodbye to her. It's always a good idea to get a pastry, remember that.
I am so, so glad I got to do exchanges with Soeur Cameron. She's doing so well and I'm sure she's helping so many people as a Sister Training leader! She sure helped me a lot, and I felt so comfortable and happy with her. I'm so grateful Heavenly Father let me be her companion last transfer, and let me see her again this transfer. I know that we'll always be friends, during and after our missions.
After the STLs left, we taught Denise. We re-explained the Book of Mormon to her and read it with her, because she hadn't been reading. Soeur Holmes and I bore testimony of the Book of Mormon and how we'd gained our testimonies of the church. I felt the power of the Spirit so strongly. I know that Denise felt it too, and I know that if she reads and prays, that she'll find an answer.

Saturday, June 14 -
We tried to find a less-active named Francoise in a little city outside of Valenciennes. We were walking up a street and felt like we were going the wrong way, so we turned around. We ended up asking a woman in front of her house for directions. She invited us into her house and looked on the internet and on a map for where we needed to go. Apparently we'd turned around right before the street that we'd needed to be on. I know it was because we needed to meet Monica, the lady that helped us. She was so nice and we talked to her for a while. She told us about herself and we told her why we were there. I think that we'll probably visit her again someday.

Sunday, June 15 -
We went to the Gillot's house after church and ate dinner and shared a message about how we can keep our baptismal covenant and endure to the end. It was a really cool experience because Soeur Gillot's husband was there, and I haven't seen him before because he's a less-active and he always avoids us when we come over. We got to know him better, and he's a really nice guy who loves his family and has a testimony of the gospel

Soeur Holmes in a pretty park 

This week's scripture:
"And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours."
I love this scripture so much! I know that even in hard times, the Lord is there to lead us along if we'll just come to him. Even if things seem too hard or overwhelming, we can be happy and have confidence in Heavenly Father. If we do his will, we will receive the riches and blessings of the kingdom of God, of eternal life.

Soeur Williams

Crazy Weather-ness

Well, hello there!
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

Some Changes (and other thingamadoodles that happened)

Cathryn's district. The numbers are how many transfers they've been in France. 

Hello again!
So, it feels like a lot happened this week, but in reality, not much happened that I can write about. So this letter will probably be shorter than some of my others.
Tuesday, May 27 -
We spent most of Tuesday saying goodbye to people and packing. Soeur Cameron and I helped Claudine, a woman from our ward, set up tables and put up decorations for her wedding, then she fed us. Then we visited Jacqueline and Soeur Cameron bore her testimony and said goodbye. Then she gave us some delicious fruit tarts. After that, we went and ate at the Rousseaux's house, and that was delicious too. By the end of the day we were stuffed and exhausted, Soeur Cameron was emotionally exhausted from saying goodbye and physically exhausted from all her running around to get things and pack things.

Wednesday, May 28 -
Soeur Cameron and I went to Paris to meet our new companions. I was really sad to say goodbye to Soeur Cameron, she's been such a good example to me and has helped me so much, but I'll get to do exchanges with her since she'll be my Sister Training Leader. And I got an awesome new companion, Soeur Holmes. She used to be a Sister Training Leader, she's almost done with her mission (only 12 weeks left), she's very bold but also very loving and is really good at listening to people and asking questions. I know I'll learn a lot from her -- I already have.

Thursday, May 29 -
We spent the whole day in Iwuy with the Rousseax family, and this time the elders came with us, too. We'd decided to all come to Iwuy and split up, since it was a French holiday and everyone was home (no stores were open, there was no public transportation, and no one worked). The elders found three different people, and we found one as well. It was a day of miracles. Then we went back to the Rousseaux's and Soeur Rousseaux taught us how to make crêpes. We even learned to flip them without a spatula, instead flipping them with the pan. It was a good day. We did a lot and the Rousseaux were so good and willing to help us with anything we needed.

Friday, May 30 -
We went contacting and talked to a woman named Maria. At first she was very closed off. She said she didn't believe in God and that too many bad things had happened to her so she wasn't believing any more. She said she lost a lot of people that were close to her and that she cried every night. We just prayed in our hearts to know what to say and showed her love, then testified that she was never alone, that God is always there for her to comfort her, and that he sent us to her to help her. We testified that Christ knows exactly how she feels and how to give her peace. She started to cry and said she knows that God is real, but that it's really hard for her right now. We prayed for her and felt Heavenly Father's love, and she said we could see her on Tuesday. I know that Heavenly Father prompted us to talk to her at the time she needed it most, that he's mindful of all his children and their needs.
After talking to Maria, we taught Denise with a member, Soeur Coppola. We talked about prayer and finding/recognizing answers to our prayers. Basically Soeur Coppola taught the whole thing -- she shared her conversion story, how she receives answers to her prayers and how each member of her family receives answers. She shared perfect experiences and perfect ways to find answers (prayer, scriptures, going to church) and the Spirit was very strong. I know Denise understood and it related to her so much better than if we had taught alone, and that shows me why it's important to have members involved in missionary work.
We were standing at a bus stop in the evening and a lady came up to us and asked us if we were part of a religion. We told her who we were and she said she was Muslim but she wanted to learn about all the other religions and she wanted her 7 year old son to be able to choose for himself what religion he wanted to join, so she asked us for the address to the church and information about any church activities. That was a really cool miracle since pretty much no one ever contacts us, and it also showed me that there are people ready and willing to talk about the church wherever you are.

Saturday, May 31 -
We'd tried to visit Patricia earlier this week, but she was so sick and so much in pain that she couldn't answer the door, so we came back on Saturday. She was feeling much better and we talked about the purpose of this life and about the Atonement and how that can give us the strength to get through the hard trials in our lives, how the Savior knows us so deeply and perfectly and that he's always there to support us. She agreed with all that we said, now it's up to her to pray and receive an answer to know for herself.

Sunday, June 1 -
We had Ward Conference this Sunday and a lot more people came to church. Denise even came again with her kids. It was really cool - the talks were perfect for what the ward needed, and I got answers to the questions that I had. Also, we all ate food together after and I got to talk more with some of the members I don't know as well, so that was awesome as well.


3 Nephi 27:27 - "... Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am."
I love this scripture because that's basically our whole goal in this life - to become more and more like the Christ. I find that the more I rely on him, put my faith and trust in him, the more I feel his power and guidance in my life. When I don't know what to say, or when I'm scared to do something, I just let go and let the Savior take my fears and my burdens, and he guides me and fills me with his peace. As I come to do that more and try to become more like him each day, the closer I become to him, the more love I feel for him and from him. As I give everything I have to him, he gives me even more.

Soeur Williams

Here are some pictures that go with this and previous emails.

Amanda's baptism

Soeur Cameron dressed up like an old lady after our incident with Jacqueline

The sisters in our district

Soeur Williams and her "greasy baby-sized package of kebab/frite-ness"

Soeur Cameron and Williams in their matching shirts

A pretty stream in Iwuy

Lylou and Charly Rousseaux posing for a picture