15 June 2016 - Week 31: There can be miracles when you believe! (and when you work for them!)

BONJOUR tout le monde!

It's been a while!! Last week, the cyberbase [internet cafe] was closed! Dommage! It's because it's les vacances. Here, there's like 5 weeks of school and then 2 weeks of vacation. I don't know why... Anyway! Lots of news and not a lot of time, but I'll try to get all the important parts in!

First of all, MOISE WAS BAPTIZED!! It was a glorious day and, even though nothing on the program went as planned and all the talks and even the priesthood holder who baptized him changed last minute because his brother was really sick, the baptism was awesome and the Spirit was there! Since his baptism and confirmation, Moise is a rock star and has already had an experience of being prompted by the Spirit to do something and he did and he ended up meeting one of his other brothers who needs help. And now, he's starting to share the gospel with him! See? Rock star!

Last week we had an EPIC district activity because it was Elder Easton's last week, and we wanted to do everything! So we did! We started off the morning by hiking Chapeau Gendarme, the huge mountain that's really steep, so steep at some parts that there's chains they installed to help you climb! That was a really fun hike. Challenging, but fun! The hard part was going down, especially because it started raining on the way down, so I pretty much just slipped and slid all the way, haha. After that, we went and played laser tag at this place en ville [in the city]. Man, that was awesome and SO FUN! Plus, I wasn't a complete loser at it, either! But actually, if you ended up being the loser, they give you a free coupon to come back again and "practice." Soeur Vogel won the free pass, haha :) And after laser tag, we went bowling and, sadly, I was the big loser at bowling. Too bad they don't give you a free pass to come back and practice! 

Chapeau Gendarme

Oh yeah, we actually already had the transfer! It was a surprise because it was early, but Soeur Rooarii and I are staying together in Koutio, and I'm happy about that! I love my companion, and I love my area!

We had several small, but amazing experiences this week with following the Spirit. There were times when we didn't know what to do, but we decided to not stay in the house, and just drive somewhere. And as we'd be driving, we'd receive impressions of who to go see. We were guided to see Soeur Bourgine, an inactive member who's starting to come back to church, and a lot of her kids and grandkids were there. Even though they didn't all participate in the lesson, she told us that just us being there and the Spirit that was there made an impression on them. She's praying that her kids, who are all inactive as well, will come back to church. And I think that with a little time, they will! 

Another experience that we had was that we were guided to the house of an ami that we hadn't been able to teach yet the whole time we've been in Koutio. We got there, and she was home and we scheduled a lesson. Now we've taught her twice, and it's awesome! She has so much faith and wants to change. 

Another experience was that we were guided to go to see if a member was home, to see if we could schedule an FHE with their family. She wasn't home, but her inactive husband, who we hadn't met yet, was! We talked with him a bit, and now I feel like we'll have more of a chance to teach him and his family. 

Yesterday, we had Sister Granger with us during a lesson (we had zone conference the past two days and part of it is that Sister and President Granger go out with the missionaries to see how the work is.) At the end of the lesson, Sister Granger was prompted to say something to our ami. Even though she doesn't even speak the language, she went ahead and said it in English, and I translated. Because she said what she did, our ami really felt the Spirit, and we were able to talk to her more about the Spirit and how to recognize it. It was a really great lesson, and I know it's because the Spirit was there and we were following the promptings we were receiving from the Spirit. 

During zone conference the past two days, we talked about how we can become a mission of miracles. That's through obedience, faith, hard work, achieving our goals, and never giving up. We talked a lot about the importance of the Spirit in the work, and of our testimonies of Jesus Christ, and the importance of remembering that we are literally representatives of Jesus Christ, and we have power and authority. It was a great conference, and I felt like I had been prepared for it based on the experiences I had the past couple of weeks. I know that this work is God's work. His hand is in all things. Something that President Granger shared yesterday was that the Spirit is the manifestation of God's hand, so anytime the Spirit is there, God is there. I really believe that we can become a mission of miracles by doing all the things President listed for us. 

I know that the Gospel is true. I know that God is our Heavenly Father, and that he is there and answers our prayers. I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that he lives! I know that Joseph Smith restored the Gospel on the earth by the power and authority of God. I know that Thomas S. Monson, our prophet, IS a prophet called and led by God to guide us today. I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I do not doubt any of these things. I know them because the Spirit has testified of them to me. And that is my testimony in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

My dear family and friends, je vous aime tous!! I think about you and pray for you all the time. And thank you for all of your prayers and support for me! I hope all of you have a great week!! Stay safe! Make good choices! :) :) :)

Soeur Matheson