Miracles Abounding

February 13, 2012 

Bonjour bonjour! 

I've been extremely blessed throughout my mission to be able to witness countless miracles. However, I don't recall any week like this past one. Just when you think you've reached your miracle quota, God tosses another one our way. It's been...amazing, incredible, unreal, wonderful and an endless number of other joyful words. =) 

The best day started off with a rendez-vous with Paula. It was the first time Sister Ingraham ever got to teach her. (Last time I taught her with Sr Murray.) We got to the chapel a little later than expected because our tram was delayed. However, the other district was holding their district meeting and invited Paula to eat lunch with them. Once we got there, we took her upstairs to the young adult center and watched the restoration movie with her. At the beginning of the rendez-vous she was a bit disheartened. She'd potentially just lost the temporary job that a member of our ward worked out for her. However, despite her continued stress of providing for her family, she was still pointing out the good things around her. She said the biggest thing has been the members of the ward. She told us that when she got to the chapel that morning, the German sisters were there (the elderly German sister equipe in the ward) and they hugged her when she walked in. "Then they said, 'Paula are you okay?' because I held onto them for a really long time. I don't know. I just feel my mother in them. It's been a long time since I've seen my mother, but every time I see them, I see her. And every time one of the brothers shakes my hand, I feel it is one of my brothers who I haven't seen in six years. And when I see you two, or the women in the ward, you're my sister that I haven't seen in years either. It's weird. I felt all alone, but now...I really feel like you're my family. Is that weird? I...I just feel....love here." The members have just been so wonderful with her. They've reached out to her and it's majorly affected her. And it all started with them just saying "hello." 

As I said, we then watched the restoration film with her. She's been coming to church, and believes that everything that's taught is true, but had yet to hear the Joseph Smith story (we've really been struggling to meet with her. Her son has chronic bronchitis and she often has to take him to the doctor at the last minute.) I've never seen anyone be so into that film/story before. As it got to the clip of Joseph translating the gold plates, she freaked out, turned to me and said, "Those are the gold plate! That's the Book of Mormon! That's what I'm reading!" (She already about half way through the book.) Then as it showed the church being organized and the congregation following Joseph in a sustaining vote, followed my the sacrament, again she turned to us, "That's like what we do here!!! We do the same thing in this church!" (Her first week at church, several callings where extended. So since the beginning, she's seen us sustaining people.) By the end of the movie, she was so excited she could hardly speak, struggling to formulate sentences. "I've never seen that before. I've never seen a church that was created based on faith and not just on man. He didn't want to create his own church. He wanted to do what God wanted him to do. There isn't another church like that. It really is God's church!" I agreed with her, testified that it really is God's church and told her "If you would like to be a part of it, you now have that opportunity too. Paula, will you prepare yourself to be baptized on the 25th of this month?" Tearing up, and giggling through her answer, she buried her face in her hands, looked at me, smiled and, practically exploding with energy at that point, "YES! Of course. Oui oui oui!!! This is the proof that I've been waiting for! Yes!" The feeling in the room was beyond words. I wish I could really explain it, but...there just aren't adequate words to do so. But for sure, we were not alone. That room was...celebrating! =) She left the room floating on air. 

As if that wasn't enough, we left the church to do a pass by. Ended up not finding this old ami, but found a crazy old African lady who talked to us for a while. It's always a bit of an adventure trying to talk to people when they keep going in and out of tribal languages and French. ha ha. On the way to our next appointment, we stopped in a store to buy a drink. I might have gasped as if I'd seen a celebrity when I saw...Diet Dr. Pepper sitting on the shelf! ;) Thinking the day couldn't get any better, the senior couple (the Halls) were at the church, and told me that they had a new comforter and cover in their car for me. =) =) =) Since we moved to the Forest apartment, I've been using a nasty shredded comforter that has probably been used by missionaries for the past century. I can appreciate hand me downs, but...I have my limits. So, baptismal date, dr. pepper, new comforter and next: a new amie.  

Dana. 

Dana was contacted by the elders on the metro. She's only been here for eight months. She's also from Romania. With her broken French and our missionary/American French, we had to move a bit slowly through the lesson, but the Spirit was still there. I'll forever be grateful for the power of the Spirit and knowing that the Spirit doesn't need perfect teachers nor perfect French to still touch people's hearts. At the end of the rendez-vous, she told us she was going to read the Book of Mormon as fast as she could so that she could give it to her sister to read as well. Then we asked her to pray to close the lesson. She prayed in Romanian then looked up at us and said, "I feel something in my chest and on my back. It's...warm. I like it." So despite our imperfections and whatever information what lost in translation, the spirit still could speak to her. It was so tender the way she went on describing her feelings and asking us what that meant she needed to do. She's such a cute gal. =) 

We had a cool experience with our goal setting this week too. While doing our weekly planning last week, we felt like we should say "three amis with a baptismal date." So...we did. Having absolutely no idea who we would be setting them with. Then, you know Paula's story now, second came Chantal. 

Chantal met the missionaries with her daughter in London. Chantal's brother-in-law is a member and invited the missionaries over while she and Joanna were there on vacation. We're not sure how we got their information since it's been a good two years since they were taught, but a few weeks back we got to see them for the first time. They are so great. And when we asked them to pray to know if the Book of Mormon is true and if Joseph Smith was a prophet, Chantal and Joanna both immediately said, "I already know it's true. All of it." However, despite that testimony that they already have, they have yet to make it to church (with us. They used to go all the time.) And with their work/school schedule, it's really hard to see them. So going over their last night, we almost expected to have to drop them until they were ready to really commit. But, after talking for a bit, we also set a baptismal date with Chantal. It's not until next transfer though. She didn't feel ready enough to go any earlier, but...it's still a date! We almost got Joanna to set a date too, but she said she just doesn't feel ready yet. "It's a big deal, and I want to be ready."  

All in all, we got to see, in a really cool way, how if we just listen to the Spirit, trusting the Lord (setting a goal of three baptismal dates) it can happen even though we may not know how to begin. And even though we didn't get the three, it was also that proof of how other people agency comes into play too. Yet in the end, we got to end the week, knowing that we'd done what they Lord had planned on that we hadn't imagined. That, as well as now having seven new amis from the week, we're ending the transfer on a very high note. =) 

I wish I had time right now to tell you about every little (and big) miracle from this week, but as you know, we just never have enough time.  

With another six weeks gone, I've got transfer news for you. I'll be staying in Louise for at least another six weeks (hopefully twelve.) Sister Ingraham is going to Caen. She's so stocked. I'm happy for her. She's been here for six months now and was ready for the change. And Caen was her dream city. So it was really happy news. As for me, Soeur Johnson will be coming up to Brussels. It's kind of funny that it'll be her because I got transferred here right after doing exchanges with Sister Ingraham. And this past transfer Soeur Johnson was here for exchanges with Soeur Ingraham. ha ha. I don't know much about her yet. She's pretty new to the mission (she'll be going into her third transfer.) But, all the interactions I've had with her have been great. She's a really cute girl. I'm excited to serve with her. =) 

I love you. Have a wonderful week. =)

Love,
~Kim

From the Frozen Promised Land of Belgium

February 6, 2012

It's been a kind of slow week for rendez-vous unfortunately. Diamondo, Sara, Meritë and half of Belgium is sick right now. So it's been a real struggle getting to see people. But we've got great things planned for this coming week. So far, it everything goes through the way we've planned, we'll be seeing eight new amis. We're keeping our fingers crossed.  

Speaking of everyone in Belgium having a cold or the flu, I wish I could have taken a picture to show you a lab that I saw on the tram the other day. He had this massive scarf on under his collar. I started petting his head and when I stopped he started whining. His owner told me not to worry about it. "He's only doing that because he's sick. That's why he's wearing his scarf." Europeans are so funny about that. The second you sneeze, you've got to put on five scarfs. However, I think that's the very first time I've ever seen a dog follow the same rule. 

I realize that in last week's email I said we'd gotten things worked out perfectly to avoid any inconveniences for P-day. Well...I spoke a little too soon I guess. We've had a cold front come through from Siberia. Yeah...All I can say is I have zero desire to ever live in Siberia now. It's been SO cold. The sad thing is, number-wise, it's not really that bad. Utah gets about the same. But the humidity here makes all the difference.  

I'm just holding out hope that someday I'll be able to feel my fingers and toes again. ;) 

Mom, that scarf you made for me, while it was the biggest scarf I'd ever owned, and I wasn't really sure how I wanted to wear it when I first got it, has saved my life! No joke. Pretty sure I would have frozen to death without it. 

We did exchanges this week with the soeurs in Villeneuve D'Ascq. I went down there with Soeur Edgerly and her companion, Soeur Johnson came up here. I just love Soeur Edgerly. She's two transfers ahead of me. So she left the MTC right before I got there. So, we've pretty much been around each other since day one. We did an exchange in Versailles, but that's been our only other assigned time together. However, we both feel like we've practically served together with all of the times we seen each other in Paris, sleepovers before stake conference, etc. So it felt like I was hanging out with an old friend from high school, little odd since I've barely known her for a year now. It was just so fun to be with her and to be able to talk about all the missionaries who "died" at the beginning of our missions who none of our last few companions ever even met. 

While down there with her, we had a rendez-vous with one of their amies who will be getting baptized near the end of the month. I liked her. She's a little crazy ha ha, but I liked her. She'd ask the most random questions, at the weirdest times. In the middle of the lesson, talking about the ten commandments, she turned to me and said, "Kimberly, what do you think of Jehovah Witnesses?" (She couldn't say "Jorgensen" and asked me what my first name was. From then on, liking my name, she said it as may times as she could ha ha.) I covered that answer as tactfully as I could, then she went off on where she disagrees with their doctrine. ha ha That was a "fun" one to try and bring back on topic. 

In the mean time, Soeur Ingraham and Soeur Johnson were up here teaching English class and then an inactive member that we work with from time to time - and doing everything they could to not freeze to death. Before leaving the gare to go to Villeneuve D'Ascq with Soeur Edgerly, seeing the thin scarf Soeur Johnson brought up, I told her she could wear my scarfs if she got cold. With the disgustingly cold temperature in Brussels, it only took her a couple seconds once in the apartment to decide to put it on. Soeur Ingraham told me that the wind was terrible that night. So Mom...you saved Soeur Johnson's life on Wednesday. And then Soeur Ingraham wore it on Thursday. And I've worn it all the rest of the week. So all-in-all, one scarf, three soeurs' lives saved. Soeur Ingraham and I discussed how, you'll never be able to imagine the ripple effect you've now had in preserving three missionaries lives. ;) All with one knitting project.

I can tell you, with this cold, I feel like I'm starting to look more and more Muslim. When we went out porting Thursday night, the only part of my skin you could see was my nose and eyes. Yup... I love layers. I had on the longest skirt I own, with three pairs of socks, boots, thermals, pants (hidden by the skirt and boots,) four shirts, two sweaters, a hat, gloves, my coat, and...the scarf. Sister Ingraham was just as layered. With the two of us looking like the Stay Puff Marshmallow man, we headed out.  

I'm so excited for spring. That's all I can say. 

On a warmer note, we had a rendez-vous Saturday night at the church with Hugo and the zone leaders. Having gotten a copy of the Book of Mormon in Swedish, we called him and asked him if we could give it to him. In the process, also passing him to the zone leaders, we asked him to meet us at the church about an hour before the zone leader's ami's baptism. When we told him that there would be a baptism at 6:30 and that he was welcome to come, he freaked out a little and made us promise that we wouldn't baptize him too. ha ha Not to worry Hugo. =) 

He came and we took him in the the JA center with the elders. We talked for a few minutes about who he is and what he remembered from the last time we spoke. We planned on going over the restoration and watching the film with him. Right before I turned the movie on Elder Hoopes asked him, "What do you want to get out of these visits." To which he responded, "Well, to be honest, I'm not looking to be converted. I'm interested in learning what you believe though. In fact, it was kind of interesting the day that the sisters knocked on my door, the only class I'd had at school that day was on religion. So I'd already been thinking a lot about religion that day. I think that's why I wanted to let them in and find out what you believe too." Cool, huh?! It's just amazing to me to see how the Lord is always preparing us and those around us for the next thing He'll toss our way. It was also incredible to see the Spirit work on Hugo and soften his approach. By the end of the movie, he was comparing himself to Joseph Smith, saying that "I've asked myself a lot of those questions. And I've got a lot more. I really hope this is what I'm looking for." And when the elders committed him to read the book, he practically jumped at it saying how much he wants to do so. Just to add the icing to the cake, when we were mingling with everyone else before the baptism, one of the older German sisters asked if he was a member. "Not yet." was his answer. He quickly caught himself, realizing what he said, but...Freudian slip? ;) 

Paula was also at the baptism. She brought her two sons and her husband as well. She was so happy to be there. Through the help of a wonderful member in the ward, she was able to get a small part time job. She started crying when I asked her how it was going and said, "You were right. It's like you said, God hasn't forgotten me. I thought He did, but I see now, He really is taking care of me. I just had to wait." Then after the baptism she surprised me a little bit when I asked her what she thought. Normally people just say, "It was good/interesting/touching/etc." Her response, "I'm a little afraid of the water. Is it normally cold?" (The heater broke. So the water was ice cold.) She then spoke to Sister Ingraham using the same tone - as if we were talking about her upcoming baptism and not the one we just watched. We expected before that she's be pretty open to the idea, but, having not been able to see her, we haven't discussed it. But now there's no doubt in our minds, she's planning on getting baptized. So...we're going to try and get these lessons out of the way as soon as possible. 

Over and over and over again this week, the Lord has been really helping me learn a couple of principles. I feel like everywhere I turn, and no matter what subject I study in the mornings, it always goes back to the same things.

1- God prepares us, and is currently preparing us for what lies ahead.

2- As long as we try, as long as we have the desire to follow the Lord and do the best that we can, even when we fall short of that goal, if we've tried our best, our "sacrifice" will be acceptable to the Lord.

3- And, less specifically, the atonement. Everywhere I turn I feel like I keep running into examples of how the Savior has covered us and the efforts that we need to put forth to obtain a fullness of those blessings. 

And every time I run into one of those three topics, it quickly leads to the other two. It just been fascinating. I wish I had something more insightful than that to tell you, but...that's all I've got for the moment. I think being with Soeur Edgerly allowed the both of us to reflect a little bit together about what we've accomplished over the past year here. We both acknowledged that neither of us are the world's best missionary, nor that we've been without our fair share of shortcomings, but we both have received the answer recently that, as we do what we can do, trusting the Lord...that's enough. Maybe we won't baptize 8,000 people like in the Book of Mormon, but we did/will continue to do our best. The Lord knows us and has prepared us to be who we are, where we are, at this time. He knew ahead of time the work that we would do, and it's acceptable to Him and what He wanted of us. I love that. I love that we can trust that, as long as we're trying our best, we have no reason to worry about His approval. Hmm...I feel like that's a little jumbled, but I don't really know how to explain it for the moment. But hopefully, you get a little bit of what I'm trying to say. 

Then again this morning, I felt impressed to flip through my notes from the MTC and came across the same three things, again and again. (shocker) ;) And found this quote from President Hinckley that summed it all up, "Please do not nag yourself with thoughts of failure. Do not set goals far beyond your capacity to achieve. Simply do what you can do, in the best way you know, and the Lord will accept your effort."

Anyway, that was my happy-feel-good-thought for the morning. =)

I hope you had a great week. I love you.

With love from the frozen promised land that is Belgium,

~Kim

Siberia in Belgium

And The Work Goes On...

January 23, 2012

Best news of the week: Diamondo is doing SO much better! He and Sara are really on the up swing now. YAY!!! We finally got to see them again on Tuesday. So...the drama. Sara decided to go out with her ex fiance. Diamondo said he just felt sick about the idea and did everything he could to talk her out of it. But Sara, having known this guy for eight years was insistent that nothing bad would happen. But unfortunately she was wrong. This guy lost it and started beating her up in public. Sara was screaming for the police, but despite all the people around them, no one did anything more than watch. Finally two teenagers pulled over as they were driving past and got him to stop. She ended up in the hospital for a couple of days. Understandably she was super shaken up. Diamondo was as well of course, but even more than some creep doing that to his daughter, he was majorly bothered by the fact that this guy is a member of the Church. (Diamondo really struggles with hypocrites. Like...a lot.) To make matters worse, he was also the guy that introduced Sara to the church and baptized her. So both of them were struggling a bit to separate their feelings for him and their feelings for the Church. 

When Diamondo came to the baptism, he talked to the bishop afterwards and let him know what happened. The bishop then told Sara yesterday at church, that he's talked to the bishop of her ex's ward and they'll be taking care of things.  

They seemed to be doing so much better at Church. We had amis' class after sacrament meeting. Diamondo was sitting next to me. It was so cute, every time he answered a question he turned to me and just grinned from ear-to-ear. He even bore his testimony to everyone else in the room of the changing effect the Holy Ghost has had on him. After Church, at Sara's request we took the zone leaders over to their house to give her a blessing. He was just so proud of himself. =) He told the elders about how much he loves cCurch. "At first I was really shy and I wouldn't talk to anyone or share my thoughts. But now, you saw in that class, I answer questions, and I ask questions. Reading, praying and going to church have really changed me, but going to Church especially." To which I responded, "That's why it's so important to go to Church. It makes all the difference." He smiled and said, "I know! (then pointing at Sara) Every week. Okay? Every single week from now on." ha ha I just love Diamondo.

I'm not sure if I've told you about two of our other amis. They are the mother and daughter from Congo. The mother's brother-in-law is a member in London. Well, we saw them for the second time this past week. We taught them the Plan of Salvation. About half way through the rendez-vous, I felt really pushed to talk to them about baptism. So we got very blunt with them and asked them if they wanted it, what they thought of it, etc. I promised them that if they prayed to know if the Book of Mormon is true and if Joseph Smith was really called of God to restore the gospel, they would have the desire to be baptized. To which Chantall, the mother, said, "I don't need to pray about that. I already have. I know that it's all true." Then her 16 year old daughter said she felt exactly the same way. It was incredible. They do have some concerns as to why they would need to be baptized a second time though. We talked about that for a while, explain how the restoration ties into that. In the end, we just asked them to pray to know if it's something God wants them to do. They are two of the sweetest people I've met out here. They are just happy and loving from the second you meet them. It's incredible to hear their story and see how well God has prepared them for this. =) 

Most stressful day of my week...I had an appointment in Lille to renew my French legality on Thursday. Our train was supposed to leave at 12:18 getting me to Lille with about an hour to get to the prefecture. We ate lunch in the gare so that we could be there early -giving us plenty of time to catch the train. (I get really stressed about not missing trains.) We waited and waited and waited for them to announce the platform for our train...but they never did. I asked multiple people if I was just being dumb and couldn't find it (worded in a slightly more tactful manner though ha ha.) Everyone I talked to though, agreed with us. This train was nowhere to be found. Finally I found someone who knew what they were talking about, told us were to go and we took of running. We got to the platform with just enough time to watch the train roll away. Perfect...after a very stressful thirty-or so-minutes of trying to work things out and find another way down to Lille that would get us there in time, along with a 22 euro ticket upgrade: success! =) We made it to Lille with just enough time to meet up with the elders who gave us our metro tickets, and then we walked into the prefecture right at 2:30 (the time of my appointment.) Yay! The worst part is, after all that stress, if I finish my mission in Louise, then my French legality doesn't matter anyway ha ha. Oh well, it keeps the mission office happier. So, at least it's finally out of the way after our having made three serperate trips down there.  

I've got to run. Sorry this is a short one. I love you and I'll talk to you soon. =)

Love

~Kim

We have a countertop and lights=)

January 16, 2012

This might well have been the longest week of my entire mission. But the good news is, we are finally moved in!

I know that I told you last Monday that we'd be switching apartments after I emailed you. But with a couple things having come up, and Sister Ingraham being sick enough that I didn't want to drag her all over the city, we spent the night in our old apartment. Packing up that night and the next morning, we took our luggage to district meeting and then the elders who used to live there helped us home with everything.

So...finally, we were mostly moved in -having just left a few odds and ends in the Louise apartment. However, having Sister Ingraham still being sick, moving was not exactly the kind of physical stress that her body needed. So, she's been pretty out of it the past couple of days. It was semi perfect timing though because we had a man coming to check our heating and for him to do so, we weren't allowed to leave the apartment between noon and five pm, giving Sister Ingraham plenty of time to just sleep and I got to basically rebuild the apartment. The electricity in the bathroom has been out for about a transfer. There should be six working lights in there, but instead we had extension cords running through the hall and a small desk lamp lighting the room. The vacuum stopped working the day before we moved in. The electricity for the washer and dryer...also out. The kitchen sink was plugged with a moldy bucket catching the water below the pipes. And the dishwasher wouldn't drain or start. Yeah... It's a beautiful apartment in an adorable neighborhood. It's just that the interior needed a bit of time and work. So I more that appreciated being "forced" into having the time to get it all in working order. I was exhausted by the end of the day, but we now have two of six lights working in the bathroom (we just need the zone leaders to buy new bulbs to replace the ones that had burned out.) A working vacuum. A working dishwasher, dryer, and washing machine. And a drain able sink minus the moldy bucket! =)

We love the apartment. And all the elder's surprises that they left for us were...fun to find. ;) I.E. root beer flavored hard candy in the freezer. Apparently eating it cold is like drinking it out of a can. Balloons all over our study room. Water balloons in the sink in the bathroom. Regular and water balloons in the freezer. Tortillas in the microwave. And toys on our desks -complete with a smurf giving a blessing. ha ha As I said, we love the apartment. It's incredible! It's by far the biggest one I've ever lived in with the most amazing kitchen I've had. Not only do we have a counter, but we've got granite counter tops, a dishwasher, french doors, a water closet, etc and a rubber scrapper (you'd be surprised, it's a rare commodity to come by.) I was floored when I saw the apartment for the first time. The elders were right. They totally have been covering up the best kept secret in the mission. We are SO not complaining. I hate moving, but now that we're moved in, I'll happily stay. =)

With all the moving, Sister Ingraham being sick, Sister Murray and I needing to go to Lille to renew our French legality and...everything else, it's been a long, weird week. And after having gone through boarder control twice in two weeks, all I can say is I never want to be an alien again. Being a resident is just so much easier. ha ha

But despite everything we were able to still get in a bit of real missionary life. Sister Murray and I taught a Romanian girl Thursday afternoon after getting back from Lille. We were a bit stunned. Seriously, we have NO problems in our lives. She's 22 years old. She has a 5 year old and an 18 month old boy with chronic bronchitis. Her husband has Hepatitis B, as do her in-laws who also live with them. He father died when she was 10 years old, and when her mother got remarried shortly after, her new step father wouldn't let Paula nor her three siblings live with him. So she's basically been begging ever since then. She's been in Belgium for six years and despite constantly trying to get her visa, they won't grant it to her. So now having lost her job, running out of money - not being able to pay rent anymore, they may be kicked out of their apartment tomorrow. She's terrified that if that happens, being on the street, the cops with deport her. But her sons were both born here. So they would be put in an orphanage. Yeah...and that's just the tip of the ice berg or her story. It's really sad. She's incredible. And she loves the church. She's been reading the Book of Mormon and came to church for the first time yesterday. Before the meetings had even started, having just sat down for sacrament meeting, she leaned over to me with tears in her eyes, amazed at "how kind everyone is here. It really feels like a family. Like, I don't know how to describe it, like, they care about me." By the end of the first hour she again leaned over to me and said, "I don't understand this. I love it here. I've never felt like this in my church. I just feel...good here." The second hour was a class for all the amis. The teacher taught about the Plan of Salvation. And even got into the fact that we believe Satan is God's son and was in the preexistence with us (generally not something we teach right of the bat to investigators.) While Paula had a few questions about that, by the end of the hour all she could say was that "for some reason, I just...believe it. I believe everything she said." Paula is SO ready, but in such a hard situation that we have no idea when she'll actually be able to be baptized. She the walking proof that your spiritual needs can't be met until your temporal needs are taken care of. Luckily, not matter what happens over these next few days for her, the Church is global and no matter where she ends up, she'll be able to find it again. Personally, I've decided that I hate feeling like there's nothing more I can do that pray for some of these people. Sometimes waiting upon the Lord is one of my biggest weaknesses, I think. I just want to be able to pray for them and then go out and fix everything for them and make her life easy. But...I just don't have that power. Oh well. I know the Lord will take care of her. She just needs to keep trusting Him to do so.

As I said though, Sister Murray and I left that rendez-vous feeling so blessed. This girl is younger than both of us and has a life like that. We have nothing to complain about. We really are more blessed than I think we realize.

There's the sum total of our week. As I said, it's been a bit different. I'm just happy that we should be getting back into the flow of normalcy again.

I hope you had a great week. I love you!

~Kim

Happy New Year 2012

So I have been severely neglajent in posting Kim's e-mails on her blog, with all of the Holiday activities.  So suffice it to say, things have been very busy for her and the time is swiftly passing.  We were able to SKYPE on Christmas day for three fabulous hours.  She is doing well and is now serving in Belgium.  Here is her latest e-mail as of today.

Happy New Year!

What a week! I am so tired and it's not yet over. 

It was SO good to talk to you last week! =) It's was just a great week over all. Last Monday morning, we went over to the Strombeek sisters apartment and had lunch with them. So having basically spent all weekend with them, we thought we would quickly be getting back into our normal routine and only see them (maybe) once a week. Wrong. Due to problems with their apartment, they had to spend the night with us. We got a call from them late Monday night and they were escorted by our zone leaders to our apartment around 10:50ish. 

They have been living with us ever since. I love that apartment. It's cute. And it's perfect for the two of us. However, it for sure was not built to house four of us ha ha. So it's been a bit cramped. Sister Smith has been sleeping on the floor between mine and Sister Ingraham's beds; our kitchen table has become their desk; and luggage has been strewn about across our floor. However, it really has been fun to be back in a four man set up again, despite the less than perfect size of the apartment. 

With all of that drama, it was a bit crazy knocking out our exchanges for the transfer. But we got that taken care of (finally!) on Wednesday. It was a bit of a surprise to tell Sister Bell that we'd actually be going home to the Strombeek soeurs as well. ha ha But what are exchanges without at least a couple surprises tossed in. 

Since that adventure wasn't exciting enough, our water heater, which also heats the entire apartment, turned into Shamu, screaming like a Killer Whale, and stopped working. So we've been heating our apartment by turning the oven on full blast and leaving it open. We've also been boiling water every morning to try and shower in non-arctic waters. It is quite the sight to see these pots and pans of boiling water in the bathtub with two of us washing the hair of one of the others while she is sitting on the floor, towel around her neck, leaning her head over the rim of the tub ha ha. Like I said: adventure.

AND transfer news. Sister Ingraham and I are staying together in Louise. However not to break my tradition of having something new every transfer, we're moving. Yup. Since I love packing SO SO SO much (especially with all the added Christmas stuff,) we're moving. It's complicated to explain all of the details, but because of the issue with the sister's apartment, they are moving into ours and we're moving into the elder's apartment that they just moved out of this morning. The problem with the sisters has been discussed by president and the assistants and they let everyone know where they'd be moving to. (Three companionship is total would have to move.) But in the beginning, Sister Ingraham and I weren't supposed to be moving. Sister Smith was packing up this morning using my suitcases since hers were full, and -since we don't live very far away- she could use them and return them later. Right when she finished and zipped them shut, Elder Gubbay called and told me that we would be moving as well. Great...So the Strombeek soeurs went to their apartment to clean it up for the elders while we packed as quickly as we could (the senior couple had offered to use their car to help everyone get around today.) We didn't get much of a start on packing our stuff before Sister and Elder Hall came by, but at least something is over there already. In the mean time, I was also dealing with the repairman that finally made it to the apartment to fix the water situation. After the Hall's came, we went to the sister's old apartment to help them clear everything out (and they can't go over there alone.) It was SO weird turning off the lights, walking out of that apartment, and locking the door behind us knowing that we'll never go back. Sister Smith said she felt like it was the "Friends" finale and we all needed to set our keys on the table and walk out. I love that apartment. It holds SO many wonderful memories from my first transfer and this last one. But...ça va. It's not a big deal, we just felt like we were saying goodbye to one of our best friends. (As dumb as that sounds.) After taking care of that, we ate lunch, drop of the last bits of their stuff in our old apartment and...now we're here. Still needing to pack and move, we all needed an email break before moving some more. But it may not have been the best idea because as soon as we sat down, we all started falling asleep. Yeah...like I said, I'm tired. ha ha Luckily we've got incredible elders who are being so sweet and helpful with this whole situation. So we should have all the help we need for the rest of the night. It's just going to be a long one. And it doesn't help that Sister Ingraham got sick last night. Of all days to come down with a cold...

On a more normal mission related subject: Diamondo. We saw him on Saturday. We had a quick lesson about the sacrament and our reasons for going to church and then made sure that he and his daughter were ready to start the stop smoking program the next day (yesterday.) They were. =) And they seemed really pumped about it. But we got worried yesterday when we didn't see them at church. So I called Sara and asked if she still wanted the elders to give the two of them a blessing. She said she did, so we passed by with two of the elders after church. When we walked into the room, something just felt...different. They gave them both really lovely blessings, but something was still off. So even though the elders were ready to leave, the two of us just sat their for a moment or two...then Diamondo and Sara started talking. They were struggling. Diamondo, who is one of the happiest people I know, broke down. He's talked to us a lot about how his wife died when she was 35, but always in just a factual way. But yesterday...he was missing her. Apparently holidays were her thing. She loved them. She would cook all day, have decorations everywhere, and she was the glue that brought and held everyone together. He told us that even today, he misses her and can't understand why she had to die leaving him with four young children. At the time, he questioned God's existence, but has changed and "come to peace" with what happened, even if it is still hard. He and Sara just sat and cried and hugged each other. The four of us (the two of us plus the elders) shared a couple scriptures with them, bore our testimonies to them and just...listened. The most incredible part was that in the end, I knew Diamondo's wife was sitting by his side. It was practically like I could see her. It's such an incredible blessing to know that we are never alone. There is always someone who loves us by our side supporting us through the very most difficult moments. I just love that. 

In addition to that, I've fallen in love with priesthood blessings all over again. After witnessing five in four days, it's just incredible. The spirit that comes when these young men place their hands and these people's heads is just...beyond words. I love those moments where you can't question how much Heavenly Father loves you. =) 

Well...like I said, it's been a crazy week. I can't even begin to give you all the details, but I hope you get the picture. 

So I'm staying in Brussels. In a different apartment (the elders that moved out were heartbroken to leave it. That should be a good sign. ;) We have yet to see it. But we'll be there soon-ish...I hope.)

I would tell you more, but I just don't have the mental energy right at this moment. Just know, life is busy but good. =) It'll be that much better when all of this craziness is out of the way and be can go back to normal life again. 

I love you. Have a wonderful week!

Love,

~Kim

I did speak english once, right?

November 5, 2011

Happy Halloween! Following the suggestion of Soeur Emilcy, she and I had themed costumes this year. We decided to dress us as Mormon missionaries -name tags and everything -we went all out. ;) And then, as par tradition, at the end of the day we even went trick-or-treating. A.k.a. we went porting. ;)

Sunday we had a weird "coincidence." Soeur Emilcy and I'd planned to go contacting, but when the hour arrived, felt contacting on the street was not what the Lord wanted us to do. We thought about porting. Also not it. In the end, we decided to go to the apartment and call the people in our area books. I love area books. The first thing I do when I get to a new city is to go through the book and see if there is anyone who is no longer being taught that may still have potential. However, there are a few pages in there I don't like to deal with: potential investigators. Whenever we contact someone who gives us their name/address/phone number etc, a member gives us a referral, or the church sends us a name, they are entered into the "potential amis" page. From there, if lessons are started, there's a spot to mark that they've been taught. Generally, if they are still on the list and were never taught after being contacted, there is a good reason for that. Like...they tell us never to call them again; we're a sect; they gave us a fake number; etc. So...not my favorite list to blindly call. I just don't have a testimony of it's success. But, we felt it was what the Lord wanted us to do. So...we did it.

There are several pages of names in the book. There are a couple pages from the summer of 2010 that have virtually no information/commentary about the people, nor anything stating if they were passed to other missionaries, taught, etc. So we figured half of them had probably been passed to other missionaries around Paris, but we needed to call them anyway just to be certain. One of them is named Jean. Soeur Emilcy called him. She stated who we were and asked if he remembered meeting the missionaries. He said, "Yes. I actually have a couple of the brothers here. I think they are in your ward." "Oh really? You're sure they are members of our church and not Jehovah Witnesses?" "Umm...yeah I think so. I don't know them very well though. Their names are Elder Hall and Elder Duarte." Those two elders happen to be the assistants and are most definitely members of our Church and in our ward! Soeur Emilcy just laughed confirmed that he was right. Then told him that we'd love to see him at church and that that was proof that we were doing our best to take good care of him ha ha. Hanging up the phone, knowing Jean was a single man, I just assumed that the sisters passed him to the assistants a long time ago, but forgot to write it down. We laughed for a while about the coincidence of that timing, but moved on thinking nothing more of it. About thirty minutes later the elders called. "Did you just call someone?" (Yes. Quite a few people actually.) I told them what we'd been doing and that I figured the sisters forgot to mark that they'd passed him. Then, not believing in coincidences, I was curious about Jean. So I asked about him and their side of the story. When Elder Duarte got to the area, he flipped through the area book, found Jean and noticed that he was from the same country as Elder Duarte's father. So...sure why not. He wrote down his information and planned to contact him some day. He's carried that piece of paper around with him for three weeks now and felt impressed to visit him Sunday night. They had never met him before. They knocked on his door. He let them in. They talked for a couple of minutes then started with a prayer. Right at the end of the prayer, Jean's phone rang. "I'm sorry. But I have to answer this." Jean picked up the phone and guess who was on the other line! The sisters! God was making sure Jean had contact with the missionaries that night. He told the elders that he's very active in his church, but if this church is true, his ties to his current church don't matter and he'll join. He explained to the elders that they couldn't convince him to join though. He'd have to pray. "I know God will tell me if it's true." I love when investigators "teach" us what we'd planned on telling them all along. =) So now it's up to Jean. He could be a major miracle story as long as he does his part and listens. If nothing else, both the assistants and Soeur Emilcy and I had our testimonies of God directing us and this work strengthened that night.

Tuesday marked the beginning of a new month (Where did October go?!) Meaning, my eleven month mark. To "celebrate" we had our regular transfer exchange. This time it was with the sisters in Louise -the other ward in Brussels. (I haven't served there, but it's where Sister Woodruff was trained.) I didn't realize until our train was pulling into Brussels and I saw that city, how very much I've missed it. I felt like I had gone home. =) Walking though that gare and that city again felt so surreal. It was like this fictional city and story I have in my head; a story that says that I used to live there suddenly became real. I told Soeur Emilcy it's probably a small fragment of how I'll feel when I actually go home. I feel like everything about home could just been a story I've created, or a film I've seen. It's a story I know really well, but...is it really true ha ha? I LOVE Belgium. =) It was just wonderful to be there again. And there were so many little things I'd forgotten that just made me smile when I saw/heard them again. (Most of them are French words or phrases that no one else says outside of Brussels, or I'd explain them to you.) I was with Sister Woodward and Sister Ingram. What cute girls! They are just dolls. It was just an amazing exchange. But, one flaw: English. They are both American. I'm American. They speak English. Doesn't sound like there's a problem there. I know. But there is. Problem: apparently I can't speak English. Not speaking it anymore has absolutely destroyed my ability to speak! I was having the hardest time staying in English - constantly slipping in French words or phrases, or just altogether forgetting how to say certain words in English. It was ridiculous. ha ha Honestly, eleven months into the field, several months left to go -there is absolutely no hope for me when I get home. ;) "I am just a disaster!"  ha ha

Last night we had our first rendez-vous with a lady named Rita. She is one of the people we found during our Sunday "finding" session. She was another person that had no information next to her name other than her number and address. She was more than willing to meet with us and fixed a rendez-vous right away when we called. We got talking with her and I honestly expected that she'd had contact with the missionaries that just hadn't been documented. Nope. Apparently, the sisters contacted her on the street, and (African that she is) she was more that happy to give them her information knowing that they wanted to talk about Jesus. But that was the last contact she'd ever had with the missionaries until now. So we got to start at the very beginning with her. I love those rendez-vous. When you get to really set the foundation without any preconceived notions from their past lessons, it's just...wonderful. =) We talked to her about the restoration of the church and the Book of Mormon (typical first rendez-vous.) I invited her to be baptized when she has her own testimony. She gladly accepted and begged us to tell her how and when she could get her hands on a copy of the Book of Mormon so she could start reading it as soon as possible. She was thrilled when we told her she could keep the one she was holding in her hands. She's fantastic! She's from Congo Kinshasa -just like Philomene. And boy is she ever like Philomene! She's toned down in personality, but her mannerisms, style of speech (not just accent), her openness to the gospel, etc. It was such a flash back to my Paris Lilas days to be with Rita. And that is never a bad thing. =) I just really hope I get to be here when we teach her about temples and can tell her there will be a new one in her home town! I'm so excited to work with her. She's going to be incredible. The only down side to that rendez-vous was leaving it. We went out and waited for our bus with two very drunk men. The one was at the point that he was struggling with his aim in getting his can of beer to his mouth (never really succeeding the whole time we were there.) In between attempts to take another drink he was doing his best to show off his German Shepherd to us. The alcohol in his system could be smelled from a mile away, but otherwise, he was pretty harmless. However, our other sauced friend was convinced he had to tell me about everything he knows about Jesus. He got down to the details of Greek vs Hebrew words. Sorry frère, the French you speak combined with the alcohol you've ingested causing you to slur something fierce, coupled with your logic about the existence and deity of Christ are more or less lost on me. But...I'll give you points for persistence. I was SO happy when that bus finally showed up. That may have been the longest four minutes of my life. We got on the bus. I greeted our bus driver and thanked him (he'd seen the situation.) He just smiled and said, "I'm sorry. I got here as fast as I could." ha ha

Last thing to tell you about from the week was our P-day today. I love today. We did our shopping then quickly ate lunch. Soeur Emilcy laughed at me a bit for my choice of how to pass my lunch hour, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Nothing beats Mango nectar, French cheese/bread, apple sauce and an episode of The District. (The District has become my favorite series! Possibly because it's the only one I can watch -not being allowed to watch TV, but I love it! They use it for training purposes with us. It's made up of clips of a district of missionaries in California. So you get to see them, their investigators, etc.) I realize it's kind of lame that training videos have become a highlight in my life, but...what can I say? ha ha =) After that, we finally went to the Chateau. Wow. Honestly, there aren't even words. It was breathtaking. Pictures just don't do it justice. I can't imagine living like that. Marie Antoinette had such a bizarre life that I will never be able to relate to (and I'm SO okay with that. If nothing else I'll pass on that whole death by guillotine thing.) I wish you could see it. It's just...amazing! Soeur Emilcy wants to go back again next week. ;) I would send you pictures, but my camera can't connect to the computers here. Maybe later.

Well, there's my week in a nutshell. I love you! Have a wonderful week. =)

Love,
~Kim