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

More Missionary Stuff I'm Doing

Hello Everyone, and welcome to yet another Soeur Williams Email, where we'll be talking about more stuff that happened this past week:

Tuesday, May 20 -

We taught Chantal, a recent convert who's been having a hard time understanding a lot of the stuff that goes on in church and understanding the Book of Mormon. The last time we saw her, we told her to read the first 3 chapters of 1st Nephi. When we got there this time, she had read it and she'd even written down questions that she had. We went over her questions and read with her, going slowly through the chapters she'd read until she understood. During it all, I felt Heavenly Father's immense love for her and I felt him working through me to help her. By the end, she understood better and was so grateful that we were willing to help her. All she needed was people to love her and be patient with her and work with her at her level.

Then we visited Jacqueline again, the old lady who's been taught by the missionaries for 9 years. She spent a while showing us her photos of her family and her when she was younger. Then we shared a scripture in the Book of Mormon about perfect love casting out all fear, because she's afraid to change and afraid of what her kids will think if she joins the church, and invited her to baptism. Earlier that week, she'd had a close call where she could have died, where it was a miracle that she hadn't, and we told her that Heavenly Father had saved her because he knows that if she becomes a member of his church, if she gets baptized, she can be a huge example and help change the lives of her family. The Spirit was so strong, almost the strongest I've ever felt it, and I felt God's love and knowledge of her. She didn't say no, but she did say she knew Heavenly Father had saved her and she said she'd pray to know what he wanted her to do.

As we were about to leave, the sky started to become covered with gray clouds, and Jacqueline was afraid it would be too cold for us to walk home in. She asked us if we could stay over for the night, or if she could call us a taxi. We assured her we could walk the 5-10 minutes home, but she was still worried about us, so she opened her closet and search through her cute little old lady clothes and got us some scarves and jackets. We had a really hard time not laughing as she did so... but we managed not to until we got outside, sporting our new/old clothes. Then we walked home, and though it barely sprinkled outside, I was grateful for Jacqueline's generosity and thoughtfulness in letting us borrow her clothes. :) She is such a wonderful lady.

Wednesday, May 21 -

We spent the whole day in Iwuy, a beautiful little town about 45 minutes outside of Valenciennes by train, where the Rousseaux family (a family in our ward) lives. We prayed with them, then started working in their area, porting and contacting. We didn't find anyone, but we've only ported half of the town, so we shall see. Then we ate barbecue with the Rousseaux's, which was probably one of the most delicious things ever. And we had really, really good frites (French fries) which were so delicious, because Frere Rousseaux is from Belgium, where they have the best frites. Then it was their little daughter Lylou's birthday (she turned 3) so we opened presents with her and she got a rocking horse and a baby buggy. She was so happy. I wish I could describe the look on her face when she found out the horse whinnied and its mouth moved when she pressed a button on its ear. She is so adorable and the Rousseaux family is so great and involved with the work here.

Thursday, May 22 -
After visiting a member in the ward named Jan (who is so awesome), we took our dinner hour to go to a museum in Denain (a little village where a few members and amis live). The people that work there were so excited because I bet hardly anyone visits it, and I doubt any Americans have, 'cause Denain isn't a very touristy place. But it was really cool to find out the history of Denain. It's really rich with some interesting history, and it's sad it's fallen so far -- it's one of the poorest cities in France. The lady that gave us the tour of the museum was really awesome, one of the nicest people I've met in France.

Then we went and taught Denise. At first we talked about baptism and she got a little bit offended (because she'd already been baptized into the Catholic church) and at first I was worried we were going to lose her, but then I just calmed down and said a little prayer for Heavenly Father's help. Then I let the Spirit lead me, and we were able to show her we loved her and taught her about how she could receive an answer that what we were telling her was true, and once she knew she would have the desire to be baptized. We also shared about Heavenly Father's plan for her and how much he loves her. I really felt the Spirit and Heavenly Father's great love for Denise. The lesson we taught her was truly powerful and I know it was Heavenly Father who led us to know what to say and how to help Denise. I couldn't have done it without his and the Holy Ghost's help.

Friday, May 23 -

Er. Not much happened that I can talk about. We went to the Duez's (Ward Mission Leader and his wife) house and Soeur Duez made Filet Mignon with mustard sauce. It was so delicious. And I got to talk to Soeur Duez, which was awesome because she's one of the greatest ladies ever. :)

Saturday, May 24 -

We spent most of the day at Amanda's baptism. Amanda is the 9 year old girl who is in a member family but whose parents never taught her anything about the gospel. It was great to see her testimony grow as we taught her, to see her progression and her love for the Savior. I really felt the Spirit at her baptism, telling me that Amanda will be a strength to her family, an example, and that she will be a strong, faithful church member.

Then we went and stopped by the carnival that is pretty much right in front of our apartment to get a kebab and frites to eat during weekly planning. That mixed with the neighborhood party (which we weren't invited to! Mean neighbors) where some drunk dude was singing and playing the accordion, made for a lot of noise... late into the night.

Sunday, May 25 -

Lots of stuff happened on Sunday... we taught the Young Women's lesson, which we were nervous about, because the Young Women in our ward can be unkind at times... which is why after praying and studying we decided to teach about charity. At the start we talked about personal revelation and how we'd received revelation to teach about charity. We gave them paper to write their impressions from the Spirit on as we taught. The lesson went so well with the help of Heavenly Father, and all the girls took notes and I could see a change in them. They really are good girls and I can see that they all love the Lord and are trying to do better.

After our lesson, we went to go pick up Denise, who said she'd come all the way from Denain to go to church. She even brought all four of her kids, and they were all dressed up in their best clothes. I'm impressed with her willingness to do that, to come to our church even though she's a practicing Catholic, and that shows me that she's serious about finding the truth, finding the answers she's looking for. I really love her and I'm excited to continue teaching her. The ward was really great, too. They welcomed her once they saw she was new at church, and they helped her with her kids. They even offered to help her and give her transportation if she needed it to come to church and church activities.

Then we went and taught Nadege in her shop. When we first started teaching her, we thought she wasn't serious about learning the gospel, but she definitely proved us wrong this time. She had read the whole Restoration brochure we'd left with her and she said she liked it, but she was having a really hard time believing Joseph Smith could see God, because she's been taught her whole life that no one can see God because he's too powerful. We just bore our testimonies to her and told her we'd try to find scriptures in the Bible that show that God's shown himself to others in the past. Without us even saying anything, she said she knew she needed to pray to know the truth, and that she wanted to know if it's true or not. She's an amazing woman. I love her so much.

Also... we got a call Sunday night from President Poznanski saying that Soeur Cameron is going to Torcy (a city right outside of Paris) to be a Sister Training Leader! I'm not surprised... she's helped me so much, and though I'm sad she's leaving, I know that's where she's meant to go. Also, she will be doing exchanges in Valenciennes, and since I'm still going to be in Valenciennes... she'll be doing exchanges with me! It's amazing the little ways Heavenly Father shows he knows us and loves us.

Fun stuff that happened:

While we were porting in Iwuy, we found someone who's name was Sexy Pedro. Not kidding. It was even written on their mailbox. It turned out to be some old lady. Hmm.

After Amanda's baptism, some cute little kids in our ward volunteered to do the dishes and they were so excited about it. They even wiped off the counters afterward.

Scriptures:

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." - John 3:16

"Greater love hath no man that this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." -John 15:13

I've been studying charity a lot this week, because charity is truly the greatest characteristic we can achieve - it is related to all things, and without it anything we do is meaningless (according to 1 Corinthians 13). Charity is the pure love of Christ, and we manifest that love by giving - not just by giving money or gifts, but giving of ourselves. Giving everything we have, everything we are to Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and to others. Once we have that pure charity, that's exactly what we'll want to do. Heavenly Father is an example of that charity - he has given us everything. He gave us the earth, our bodies, the gospel, his son. The Savior is the same - he gave his whole life to serving others, and at the end, he literally gave all his strength and his life to us in the ultimate act of charity, the Atonement. I know that as I've focues on loving others with a pure love, and giving my whole heart to them and to Heavenly Father, I've felt guided more in my life and in the lessons I teach. I've felt Heavenly Father's presence more in my life. And even as I give back to him by giving everything I have, he gives me more because of his endless charity. I will always owe him for the countless blessings I have each day of my life.

Until next week!

Soeur Williams

Finally a Normal-ish Week

Hey all you people,
So pretty much every single week that I've been in Valenciennes has been kind of weird/crazy. I've either had to go to Paris or do legality or do other stuff that takes time away from teaching lessons or finding people. But this week we didn't have to do anything like that and that was really nice because that means we had more time to do some serious missionary work-ness.
Monday, May 12 -
We had an FHE where pretty much the whole ward came, and Soeur Cameron and I were in charge. We watched "Because of Him" (pretty much you can't ever go wrong with that video) and aksed the members to share how Christ has blessed their lives and how they can show they're grateful for the blessings he's given them. As we showed the video and discussed, I saw that many of the members had tears in their eyes. They bore powerful testimonies of the Savior and the Spirit was so strong.

Tuesday, May 13 -
Errr... not much happened on Tuesday. We taught some lessons, but nothing too special. Oh, and we went to District Meeting.

Elder Walton and the rest of the district. 

Wednesday, May 14 -
We were going to spend the whole day in Iwuy with some members in our ward, but they cancelled because the father was in the hospital because of a relapse of malaria, which he'd contracted while on his mission in Africa. He got a blessing and he's okay now.
So, instead of going to Iwuy, we went to the Elders' part of Valenciennes to find new amis for them because the Elders are having a hard time right now. We didn't find anyone for them to teach, but a Muslim man did come up to us while we were on the tram and asked us about our religion. He started explaining his religion to us as well, and was willing to listen to what we had to say. When some people on the tram started pointing at us and laughing at us he said not to pay any attention to them because their minds were too closed and they couldn't understand the good we're doing. He said it's important to respect and love others no matter what they believe. I think it was a little miracle that the Lord sent this man to talk to us, because it was encouraging and we both felt better afterwards.
We were going to go visit some less-actives after that, but instead we decided to visit a family in our ward, the Pierach family. First we visited their neighbor, who was open to talking to us about the church and was very kind. Then we went to say hello to the Pierach's. Soeur Pierach took us home. We sat in her car with her outside of our apartment for about an hour and a half while she told us about how she'd been hurt and offended by some things that had happened in our ward and how she and her husband had considered leaving the church. I know we were inspired to visit the Pierach's because we knew they'd been having troubles, but we didn't know it was that bad. Soeur Cameron and I talked about it afterward and decided that we need to strengthen the ward, that that is why the Lord called us to serve in Valenciennes. Because every single recent convert here in Valenciennes in the past twenty years has left the church because of something the ward did. The Pierach family was the last recent convert family left, and they're still considering leaving the church or going to another ward. We need to help this ward have love and charity for those around them, we need to help them be more involved in strengthening the new members and helping them through their first years in the church.

Thursday, May 15 -
Thursday was a day of miracles. I definitely saw the Lord's hand in the little details of our day.
We decided to fast to know how to help the ward, and that gave us a lot of miracles, strength and ideas. We focused our studies in the morning on the needs of the ward and both Soeur Cameron and I found some really good ideas and inspiration. In fact, the answers we'd gotten were pretty  much the same, and that shows that the Lord's hand was in it, guiding us to the things we needed to know.
Then we went and saw Christelle again, but with a member this time. As we talked to her, she started crying and said she was still having such a hard time with her husband's death. I could tell she had no hope, that she was in despair. We told her she could have comfort and peace, she could have the hope that she needed through the Savior and his Atonement. We told her we were there to help her and that we know our message will help. She went inside to get her phone so she could give us her number, but her kids and all the neighbor kids that like to hang out at her house were causing problems. We heard a lot of yelling and screaming from inside the house, and we decided to pray for her to help her and her family, to help her find peace and happiness, to feel the Lord's love. As we did, I felt the Lord's love for her and I felt comforted, that he was with her and would take care of her as much as he could. I know that we'll be able to help Christelle's life change for the better, we just need to meet with her somewhere less chaotic, like at the church or a park.
After that, we decided to pass by Catherine, but she wasn't home. I felt like we should go visit Chantal, a woman we'd found a few weeks earlier and hadn't had the chance to see again. Miraculously, she was there and she said she had a few minutes to talk to us. We shared some scriptures from the Bible about the Savior and about how he would help her carry her burdens and find peace, because she was worried about the surgery she would be having. The Spirit was definitely there and I know she felt it. She was different, more peaceful and hopeful, when we left. We gave her a Book of Mormon and she was happy and said she'd read it while she was recovering from her surgery.
A member, Soeur Duez, came to teach one of our amis, Marie-Christine, with us after that. But Marie-Christine said she was busy, so we decided to go visit an inactive member named Soeur Manet instead. It ended up being perfect because Soeur Duez and Soeur Manet connected and related to each other really well and ended up talking to each other like they were old friends. We shared some scriptures and Soeur Duez gave good insights and testimony that helped give Soeur Manet comfort about her difficult family situation. I know it was in Heavenly Father's plan for us to visit Soeur Manet instead of Marie-Christine, because it ended up working perfectly.
Then we taught Denise, an ami we'd just found last week. We were afraid we'd be late, because the first two of the trams that went to her city were too full, so we had to wait thirty/forty minutes to get the next tram. But we prayed and we ended up getting to Denise's house early. Denise is a mother of four children, a practicing Catholic who's having a hard time because her husband can't find a job in France, so he went back to Africa to work there. She can't find a job because they won't accept the degree she got at a university in Africa, and she really doesn't like the neighborhood she's living in becuase it's really shady and run-down. We shared with her about the Lord's love for her and how he'll help her through this hard situation she's in. I truly did feel Heavenly Father's love for her, and it was so incredible.
The last thing we did that day was visit Marie-France and Didier. As usual, Marie-France wasn't feeling very well. But we studied a chapter of the Book of Mormon together, and as time passed Marie-France began to smile and laugh and joke. I know that the gospel can truly help us with any of our problems and I've seen that each time we visit Marie-France and Didier and how the Spirit changes them into happier, more hopeful people.

Friday, May 16 -
Not much happened on Friday... we did weekly planning and met with the Ward Mission Leader and went to Ward Council. We talked about the problems the ward has been having and how we can help them.

Saturday, May 17 -
We met with an ami that I hadn't seen yet named Jacqueline. She's probably 80/90-ish years old and she'd been meeting with the missionaries for 9 years. She was really distressed when we came to visit her. She told us of all the problems she's been having with her health and her family, and apparently she'd also gotten scammed and had barely any money left. We prayed with her, shared scriptures with her and followed the Spirit in helping her. I could tell she felt a lot more peaceful by the time we were done. It was fun meeting with her because she had so many stories to tell about her childhood and about the history of Valenciennes, plus she's so cute and nice.

Sunday, May 18 -
On Sunday, the Pierach family came to church, which was a miracle in itself because they weren't planning on coming. But another miracle was that the missionary that baptized them had come back to France to visit, and he was there that Sunday to talk to them and help them. And the talks during sacrament meeting were really inspired, perfect for the family's situation and exactly what they and the ward needed.
We taught Amanda the Law of Chastity, which was really awkward to teach a nine year old who doesn't know anything about such things. Her mom wasn't really any help, either. She was embarassed as well... but eventually we taught it so that Amanda understood, then she had her baptismal interview. She's going to be baptized this Saturday, and I'm so excited!
After church we went and visited Denise again and taught her about the Restoration. She seemed to understand remarkably well. We told her she could find out if it was true for herself and we testified of how the gospel would help her have more direction and strength in her life and find the answers she's searching for. She was willing to pray and ask and listen to what we have to say, even though she's a strongly practicing Catholic. I think she feels the truth of what we taught her and knows it can help her with the situation she's in.


I'm going to share a scripture that we shared a lot this week, because it helps me so much and it helped the people we taught:
Matthew 11:28-30
"Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly of heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
I know that the Savior knows all of us so perfectly and that he knows exactly the things that will help us with any questions or worries we might have. I've learned by experience that all we have to do is just come to him and he will help you have peace, he will make your burdens light, he will make up the difference in those things you can't do by yourself.

Soeur Williams

So, I found a baguette vending machine and thought that was hilarious/awesome/something that needed to be shared with the world, so there ya go.

And we found a really pretty park while trying to find people for the Elders.

Learning Stuff is Good

Belated Happy Easter photo

Howdy persons!
I'm so happy to be a missionary and to have the opportunity to help others learn and grow closer to Christ and to learn and grow closer to Christ myself. I did a lot of learning and growing this week. :D

Monday, May 5 -
On Monday we had an FHE with a few of the ward members (two to be exact, though there are usually more) and Catherine, one of our amis, came. We taught a lesson on faith and growing our faith, then we played a card game and I didn't lose, so that was a nice change. I also learned a lot more about Catherine. I found out that she was abandoned and raised by nuns and that she has 14 brothers and sisters and that her mom died and she's never met her dad. She's had such a hard life, yet she's kept her faith through all of it. I know that the gospel will help her so much and I'm excited to talk to her more and to get to know and love her even more than I do.

Tuesday, May 6 -
We had a really good district meeting about how God loves us so much and has shown us so much love and how we have a responsibility to share that love with others and help them feel it once we have felt that love. It was really cool, because Soeur Cameron had been praying that we would be able to know what to teach a less-active member named Danielle (the one we'd seen the week before) and we got the answer to simply love her and help her see how much Heavenly Father loves her.
We saw Danielle later that day and brought Frere Deladerriere with us. They were really excited to see each other and catch up because it had been 30 years since they'd seen each other because Danielle had stopped going to church 30 years ago. There were also two other people at her house who we found out lived with her -- a woman and a man who were old and alone. They work on researching the history of Valenciennes together. We showed the video "Because of Him" and testified of Christ's love for us and perfect knowlege of us and our circumstances. We testified that we were there to help others know of and feel that love and come closer to the Savior so he could help them. Danielle started crying and the other woman there seemed to have a longing in her eyes. Then Frere Deladerriere shared his conversion story and explained a little bit of the plan of salvation and the Spirit was so strong. Without him there, I don't think our visit would have been so spiritual and powerful. It's so great working with members. This visit with Danielle was a miracle and I'm so glad we got to meet with her again. I felt the Lord's love for her so strongly.

Wednesday, May 7 -
We taught Chantal, a recent convert, and at first it was a little bit stressful and the Spirit wasn't there. She said that she didn't want to go to church anymore because she didn't feel like she learned anything and she didn't like all of the commandments we follow in the church because she feels like they restrict her. We prayed in our hearts and felt like we should just concentrate on the Book of Mormon. We talked to her about how the Book of Mormon is powerful and can help her find answers and peace in her life. By the end of the lesson, she had changed so much, she had softened her heart and she said she would like us to help her by studying the Book of Mormon with her so she could understand better and apply it more in her life. I know the Book of Mormon is powerful and it will help her.
It was pretty interesting, because the next lesson we taught was about the Book of Mormon, too.  We met with Patricia, the Protestant lady we'd prayed with the week before. She had some questions because she'd finished reading the Book of Mormon and had started reading the Index/definitions... and had already gotten to the letter "M". It was pretty crazy. I hadn't ever heard of anyone reading every single page of the Book of Mormon before. The problem was that she hadn't prayed to know that the book was true and she didn't understand why it would be important for it to be true. So we explained it to her and shared that it could bring power into her life to help her with her problems and that if it was true, that would mean our church was true. I hope she prays about it, because I know the Lord will answer her.
Then we went to Paris for exchanges. I went with Soeur Finneran, and we didn't have that much time, so we went out contacting and contacted a Chinese family who had no idea what we were saying.

Thursday, May 8 -
On Thursday we were still on exchanges. I went out with Soeur Finneran again, and we visited an excommunicated member named Soeur Jacquet. She was a very nice woman and she had a lot of good insights as we talked about our purpose on earth and Heavenly Father's great love for us. I really came to love her in just that one lesson and I'm sad I'm probably not going to get a chance to see her again.
Buuuut... we both felt we needed to vacate Soeur Jacquet's apartment pretty quickly, because apparently the African food we'd all eaten the night before was not doing good stuff to our bodies. We ran through the rain back to the apartment and realized Soeur Cameron and Soeur Linton had the keys. So we frantically called them and begged for them to come back to the apartment so we could use the bathroom. So, they did, and we did. This will definitely forever be an exchange I will remember. Yay, food poisoning! :D

Friday, May 9 -
We went and stopped by Christelle again, the woman who'd lost her husband, and she couldn't let us inside because there wasn't any room for us because of her children and their friends. But she was willing to stand on the porch and talk to us. Her kids also peeked out once in a while and asked us questions in English because they thought it was funny that we were Americans. Christelle and her family definitely have a long way to go, but I thought it was really cool because Heavenly Father helped me have such great love for them and see their potential... as I looked at them I saw them as how they would be as members of the church and the positive impact that would make on their lives. I know this gospel is what they need right now, and I know Christelle knows that too, which is why she is so willing to talk to us. She feels she has no hope left, and I know our message can give her hope.

Saturday, May 10 -
We did planning and ate a really delicious pastry that was probably the most delicious thing I've ever had in my life ever (an eclair type thing, but more like a sandwich, with cream stuff in the middle, hazelnuts, then chocolate-covered pecans and walnuts, with caramel all over everything) then we went out and ported and met some nice people.
After that we visited Marie-France and Didier and listened to Elder Hales' talk from this conference about keeping the commandments. I asked them what blessings they'd seen in their lives from keeping the commandments, and they shared how much hope the gospel has given them, and what a great change it's made in their lives. Marie-France had been feeling down and sick at the beginning, but at the end she was more open and willing to talk, happier and more hopeful.
At the end of the day, we went back to our apartment and found a bag on the apartment steps from the elders. They'd bought us ice cream and written a note thanking us for all the work we do and for our examples and testimonies. It was really thoughtful of them, and I know they were inspired because Soeur Cameron and I had been feeling a little bit down, especially on the tram ride home when we had to have a bunch of gross men around us talking about not-good stuff and trying to hit on us. It's so amazing seeing how the gospel and how the priesthood changes men as they hold it worthily, and it was great seeing the contrast between the men on the tram and the elders.

Sunday, May 11 -
On Sunday I got to Skype my family! Woohoo! It was awesome seeing them! :D Now the next time I'll talk to them is Christmas...
After we Skyped, the elders came to talk to their families, too. First they told us a really awesome thing that had happened to them right before they came. They had been in their apartment and someone rang the bell, so they went down to talk to them and found it was a homeless man named Cristoff who they talked to a lot. He told them he'd tried to kill himself by slitting his wrist a week before, and someone had found him and taken him to the hospital. As soon as he got better, he went to go see the elders because he considered them to be his friends. The elders saw that his arm was really hurting him and he could barely move it, so they asked if he wanted a blessing. Cristoff was hesitant at first, then he said yes. So they gave him a blessing, and he said he felt something so powerful, that he felt a great peace and comfort. And then he found out that he could move his arm without it causing him any pain. He was so amazed, and he said he wanted to start taking lessons from the elders.
Okay, so after Soeur Cameron and I Skyped our family, we went out to visit a less-active who lives near us. But, she wasn't there. So then we saw Cristoff walking down the street, so Soeur Cameron said we should follow him to see if he was up to anything sketchy. So, creepily, we did. Then he stopped and we had to pass him, but we still wanted to see what he was doing, so we went toward a bus stop to sit down and a woman sat there. We decided to talk to her and said that she could find hope through Christ. She started crying and said her husband had died. As I listened to her and testified that she could see her husband again, I felt such a great love for her and desire to help her. We prayed with her, a prayer of comfort and hope, so she could feel that God was there for her. After the prayer, she cried more and said she felt Heavenly Father's love, and I know I felt it too. I know that he loves all his children no matter what situation they're in (this woman was a heavy smoker with almost no teeth, had been drinking to drown out the pain, and had a bag full of alcohol) and is always there for them to comfort and help them. I know he sent us to help this woman when she needed it.

My scripture has a lot do do with that, in fact -
Moroni 7:47-48  -- "But charity is the pure love of Christ and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him. Wherefore my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen."
I know that love is so important. Probably the most important thing in missionary work, the most important thing to guide our whole lives. As we love others with the pure love of Christ, which we can pray for and the Lord will give us, we will want to share the gospel with them because we know it can help them. It's so important to know God loves us so perfectly, and it's so important to love others and to act toward them in a loving way, no matter who they are, no matter what they say or do. That has helped me so much as I've understood and realized that more on my mission.

That being said... love you!
Soeur Williams

Soeur Williams' and Cameron's legs. Guess which is whose. 

Another Week in Valenciennes (and Paris)

Heyo!
Each time I think that life can't get any more fantastic, Heavenly Father surprises me with more awesomeness. Seriously. I thought last week was amazing... but this week was amazing, too. I just keep experiencing so many miracles, big and small.

Monday, April 28 -
After every P-Day, we generally have an FHE with the ward that we try to invite amis to, but this Monday was the first one since I've been here where we've actually been able to do so. Though we didn't have any amis there, it was really awesome. Soeur Cameron and I were in charge of the spiritual thought (even though it was the elders' turn... the slackers) and we showed the video "Because of HIm" (in French, of course) which is so powerful every time I watch it. I could see that it touched the ward members that were there and I felt the Spirit so strongly as Soeur Cameron and I testified of the Savior, and as the members shared their testimonies and love for the Savior. It was really cool to hear because each one of them were converts. That's generally how it is in France.
After the spiritual thought, we played a fun French card game called "Six qui prend", then we ate delectable crepe-y goodness.

Tuesday, April 29 -
This Tuesday was a little bit insane. We went to Zone Conference in Paris instead of Lilles because the day we had our Zone Conference in Lilles (April 30) we would be in Paris for my legality stuff. So, we took a train early in the morning to Paris for the Zone Conference. I loved it. I learned so much. Soeur Poznanski talked about how if we have faith and are obedient to the things the Lord asks of us, we can see miracles. She compared it to Joshua and his army as they obeyed his instructions to make the walls of Jericho fall down. President Poznanski talked about how we can truly see miracles as we have faith and exercise that faith. He taught that we should contact people and knock on doors expecting people to accept, expecting the Lord to help us, because that's how we show our faith in him. Expect to be able to change lives with the Lord's help. We had a good zone teaching thingy about seeing each of the many blessings the Lord gives us, then sharing those blessings with others.
After that, there wasn't room for the people from the Lille Zone to have district meeting in the building we were in, so we decided to, you know, just have a lil' district meeting by the Eiffel Tower. 'Cause... France. Yeah. That was cool. Not only could I see the Eiffel Tower out of the corner of my eye as Elder Walton taught us, but his lesson was really amazing. He was worried because he hadn't prepared anything, but what he taught helped so much. We went in-depth through the story of the brother of Jared in the Book of Mormon. There were a lot of great things, but basically my favorite part was when Elder Walton talked about how the brother of Jared didn't immediately see the Lord's hand as he touched the stones, that he had to look for the Lord's hand, believing it was there. He testified that his mission was a lot better and happier as he looked for the ways the Lord's hand was in his life each day, and challenged us to do the same. That really inspired me, and now I'm keeping a little notebook where I write down the blessings the Lord gives me each day.
After that we went back to the church and had interviews with President and Soeur Poznanski. I loved those interviews. It was a really sacred experience for me as I spoke with President Poznanski, and all I will say is that I know that the Lord knows me perfectly and that he's been strengthening me and will continue to strengthen me.
Then we went sight-seeing around Paris, got some paninis and crepes, and I bought a cool journal themed after Saint-Exupery, the man who wrote The Little Prince. It's so gorgeous. :)

Wednesday, April 30 -
I did my legality pretty much all day Wednesday. It was really cool because I got to see everyone in my MTC district because they had us all do it on the same day, so I got to talk to them and see how they were doing. Then... I did my legality stuff. It was awkward. And uncomfortable. That is all I would like to say about that experience. Oh. And, I passed. :D
We were almost late for our train home, but we prayed and Heavenly Father gave us strength to run quickly to the train, and we barely made it.

Thursday, May 1 -
So, I'm not sure if I've talked about this already, but French people like to have random, bizarre holiday things where no one works, nothing is open, and there's absolutely no transportation. May 1st was one of those days. So we decided to do planning that day instead of Friday.
After planning, we ported in the neighborhood where we'd found Marie-Christine. It was so cool, because everyone was so kind to us, which doesn't happen a lot. Soeur Cameron said that was the nicest neighborhood she'd ever ported in.
Then we went and stopped by Catherine, a woman who we'd met while she was walking her dogs. She was really nice to us. She let us in and we had a lesson with her. She talked to us about how her sister had died from cancer and we testified that we knew she'd see her sister again. We prayed with her and the Spirit was so strong. I love her so much, and I could see and feel a difference in her as we left.

Friday, May 2 -
We were really excited for Friday, because we were going to spend a whole day with a member family, pray with them and find people in their area. But... they cancelled, so we had pretty much a whole day where we didn't know what to do. So we prayed and asked Heavenly Father what we should do and felt like we should go and pass by less actives in a nearby town called Anzin. We went to 6 or 7 different houses and we found out some people had moved and so we were able to make notes to update the ward list (which hasn't been updated in like ten years :P ). Then we decided to go to a less-active family that was technically the elders' family and who'd said they weren't interested. But... we felt like we should go, so we did. When we knocked, a little girl answered the door and said her mom wasn't home, then their dog ran out the door, so the girl opened the door a little bit wider, and then their mom walked up to the door because the dog had escaped so we were able to talk to her. At first she was very closed, and didn't want to say much to us. She said she was recently divorced (so the elders couldn't teach her anyway because she's a single woman). As we showed love to her and let her know we were just there to help her, she opened up more and said when she was a little less busy we could come by and see her again.
Then we were about to go meet with our ward mission leader, but he cancelled as well, so we decided to go visit Danielle, the less-active we'd met last week. There were Jehova's Witnesses there when we got there and they pretty much tried to get us to contradict ourselves and destroy our beliefs, but we just testified and asked Danielle if we could come back another time and she said no, that she studied with the Jehova's Witnesses now. When we left we were a bit discouraged because we'd been so excited to meet with Danielle. As we walked along the street, feeling a bit down, Soeur Cameron decided to contact a woman in our path. She testified of God and the hope he can bring us. The woman, whose name was Jeanine, said she believed in God, but it was hard for her right now because she had a handicapped son and she needs to move to a bigger house because she and her husband and her son all sleep in the same room, but she doesn't have enough money. She says it's really hard to take care of him, and it's really hard for her family right now. We offered to pray with her right then, and we did. Afterwards, she had tears in her eyes and said we'd given her so much comfort and that she was glad she met us. We testified of God's love for her and said he is listening to her prayers. It was amazing the love I felt for her, probably the strongest love I've ever felt for someone, stronger than I though was possible, and I knew I was feeling the love Heavenly Father has for her. I know Heavenly Father sent her to us, and that we and Jeanine both left feeling so much better than we had before.
After that miracle, Heavenly Father decided to send us another miracle. We talked to a member, Frere Deladerriere, and he said he knew Danielle and that he wanted to visit her with us. We prayed and decided to go back to visit her again, even though she said she didn't want us back. We explained about Frere Deladerriere, and she was so excited. She said she'd love to see him with us. We ended up just talking to her for half an hour, and setting another RDV with her for the next week.

Saturday, May 3 -
Not much happened on Saturday. In order to support the ward, we went to a baptism of a kid in our ward, a child of a previously less-active family. It was great, and the Spirit was there.
Then we visited Marie-France and Didier. Marie-France wasn't doing too well, but as we read the Book of Mormon together and as Soeur Cameron and I testified, I saw hope come into her eyes. I know that the Book of Mormon has a great power, and as Marie-France and Didier read it together that their lives will improve drastically, that they will be given the strength that they need.

Sunday, May 4 -
I just have to say that I love fast Sunday. I felt a lot of strength and a lot of love for others, and the Spirit more strongly as I fasted.
We taught Amanda, the 9-year-old girl who's getting baptized this month, and she is so cute. We gave her gospel pictures and asked her to explain them and teach us, based on what she'd been taught by the missionaries. She knows so much and I know she's ready to be baptized. I love her so much! :)
There's a recent convert family in our ward, the Pierach family, that does so much, a lot more than some of the long time members do, and we're getting worried about them because we can see they're getting worn out and no one in the ward seems to notice/appreciate all that they do. So we dedicated some study time for them and found really good scriptures and I felt the Spirit guiding me to know what they needed as we studied. It was really awesome. We wrote a note for them and wrote down the scriptures, put it on plate of cookies and dropped it off at their house. I hope that helps them!
We went to visit Patricia, an ami I haven't met yet. She's an older lady who has a lot of health problems, is Protestant, and has a brother with a mental illness who she takes care of. She was unbelievably kind to us and I felt a great love for her. She said that the missionaries (Soeur Cameron and her last companion) came on her worst day, the day she needed help the most, and she knows the Lord sent us to her. I felt that was true, especially as we prayed with her.
After that we went to contact someone a ward member had told us to contact. She's a woman who'd recently been widowed and was having a really hard time. She has three kids and doesn't really have any hope. We were about to knock on her door, but we heard a man's voice and that freaked us out 'cause French men are generally creepy and we knew it couldn't be the woman's husband. So we prayed and walked by her house, and the moment we walked past her house, the door opened and she came out. We talked to her and told her we were there to help people find hope and see their families after this life. She said she didn't believe in God, but as we told her we knew she could see her family after she died, and asked her if that was something she wanted she opened up and told us about how her husband had recently died. When we asked if we could see her again, she said we could. I know that was definitely a miracle, and that this is something she needs in her life.

"And they did sing praises unto the Lord; yea, the brother of Jared did sing praises unto the Lord, and he did thank and praise the Lord all the day long; and when the night came, they did not cease to praise the Lord." (Ether 6:9)
I really love this scripture because at this time in the chapter, the brother of Jared and his family were being tossed to and fro by the winds and they were stuck in a teeny boat for a long, long time. Yet, they thanked the Lord without ceasing because they knew the winds were leading them to the promised land.
Something that I've really learned this week is to look for the ways the Lord's hand is in my life, the little blessings he's given me. As I've done so, I've really felt happier and I've felt the Spirit more, and I've seen how much he truly does give me and how much I'm indebted to him.

-Soeur Williams