Week 10

I've started a new transfer and sadly I was pretty sick the first couple of days. I started to feel sick on Sunday night and then Monday Soeur Larsen had me take Benodryl and I went to bed at 6:30 that night and didn't wake up until 8:30 the next morning and then I did the same thing happened on Tuesday. I caught that nasty cold that has been spreading around the mission and Soeur Larsen had it only a week before me. On Wednesday I thought I was doing better, but then on Thursday I had a horrible cough and then Friday morning I woke up and couldn't talk because I had lost my voice. It's weird how your throat feels, because I could tell my voice was gone before I had even tried talking. Today I'm feeling much better, because we went to the pharmacy and got some cough syrup that works miracles so hopefully I will be on the up hill from here on out.
As for the few high lights this week one of our ward members Nathalie who is awesome and is always trying to find people for us to teach introduced us to her friend, Aurore, this last Sunday when she had us over for lunch. We taught Aurore the first and will hopefully be teaching her again tomorrow or sometime this next week. Oh and Aurore also came to our ward Easter activity on Monday and lots of members went up and talked with her! On Monday I prayed that Heavenly Father would give us an experience or opportunity to help someone since I had to go to bed after our ward activity. On our way back to our apartment a woman was walking in front of us carrying her groceries and looked like she was about to topple over since they were so heavy. I ran up to her and asked if I could help, and she responded, "Bien sur! Vous êtes très gentillesse" (of course, you're so kind). As I helped her carry her bag back to her apartment she looked at me and Soeur Larsen and said, "You're Mormon aren't you?" We said yes and told her we were missionaries. She got curious and excited as she asked what we do. She told us she has a Mormon friend at work who is such a kind and good person. When we got to her building she pointed to her name on her mail box and said, "I'm Madam Nicholas, if you would like you can come over some time and we can talk and have something to eat or drink." She said she would like to discuss more and then said, "I'm Catholic, but that doesn't matter," and then laughed. She was so nice and I'm so glad that in asking for help from Heavenly Father I followed up on the opportunity he gave me. We're going to try and see her this week and hopefully it all goes well.
We got another baptismal date today! Brigitte whom I think I told you about, she was very excited, so we started to fill out her baptismal calendar today and she is set right now for the 4th of June.
I love my new and old companions Soeur Woodruff and Soeur Murray! They are wonderful and fun and love mission work! All of the sisters I have met in this mission are just amazing! We have some exciting goals and plans ahead of us! All of our amis love them too and have bonded quickly! I love being part of the Lord's work and gathering his lost sheep, but I know I can't do it without him. A scripture that I put on my planner for this transfer was John 15:4-5
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
I hope to bring forth much fruit with him.

Bisous,

Soeur Valerie Reeves

More Photos in Versailles

Soeur Gappmaier showed up with her parents (when Valerie and her companion were already dressed for bed) to see Soeur Reeves and Soeur Larsen

The Sisters went on a hike with the Shepherd family in their ward on P-Day

Some ruins along the hike from a building from the 1800's; apparently it's not open to the public so don't ask how Soeur Reeves and her companions were able to see it...

Another day outside of Le Chateau de Versailles

Michelle, Soeur Reeves and Soeur Larsen at a ward BBQ for Easter (or Paque) Look at that French food - it doesn't look like a BBQ to me :)

Week 9

Ma Chere Famille!

Hello all I have an awesome, funny, and neat experience to share with you! Last Sunday Soeur Larsen and I met up with our ami Norbert. He is a 24 year old French guy who does not believe in God. I can't remember if I told you how I met him on the train and he wasn't interested until Soeur Larsen came over and shared her testimony with him as well. (mouth of two witnesses!) Anyway he really wants proof that God exists and we told him that he can only get proof by reading the Book of Mormon. He wasn't willing to take one the first time we talked with him. We told him that we all receive answers to our prayers in different ways, through the Holy Ghost, and that God knows each of us so we will receive an answer in a way that we understand. He then grabbed the Book of Mormon out of Soeur Larsen's hands and mockingly said, "Ok, I'm going to open this and the Lord knew I was going to be talking with you today, wanting an answer and he knew that I was going to open to this page and read this verse, because he knows me so well that he knew this is how I wanted to receive an answer." I silently laughed to myself because I knew that he would get an answer! He then started reading silently to himself and then laughed. He showed us the scripture and it says, "And behold, this is the thing which I will give unto you for a sign..." (3 Nephi 21:2). Soeur Larsen and I both immediately said, "That was not coincidence!" I bore testimony to him that God does know him, but he has to be willing to act on the answers that he receives. He kept saying that it was just coincidence, but at the same time I think it sparked some desire in him to know more. He ended up taking a Book of Mormon and we'll find out later today if he has started reading it.
We met with a new ami named Lydia. Her brother who lives in Sweden is a member and referred her a while ago. We've been trying forever to see her; everytime we set up a rendez-vous we go and she isn't there, but this time we caught her! We found out that she has been avoiding us because she thinks that we are a cult and that we worship Mormon. We explained to her that we worship Christ and that the Book of Mormon is another testament of him and that Mormon was a prophet who put together all of the ancient records of America. We read 2 Nephi 25:26 with her, "And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins." It then all made a lot more sense to her and she felt a lot better about it. She then kept apologizing to us and said that we are welcome in her home whenever we want! We are very glad that she was honest with us because she immediately told us how she felt and asked some questions, whereas some people stay silent and when we teach them about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon they think we worship him. That's why it's so important to teach them about Christ in the first lesson and that our purpose is to help them come unto him. We are excited to go back and see her again. She has started to read the Book of Mormon because her little 11 year old daughter began reading it and she wanted to make sure it wasn't something she would be uncomfortable with having her read. Now she knows it's a testament of Jesus Christ.
Transfers are next week! I'm so sad that Soeur Larsen is leaving, she's going to Brussels, but she's going to be Soeur Judd's companion; my first companion from the MTC! Soeur Murray and Soeur Woodruff are coming to Versailles so I will be in a three-some once again. If you remember Soeur Murray was my companion in the MTC and Soeur Woodruff was one of my roommates, we will be co-companions all having only been out for 2 transfers! But I guess the Lord and President Staheli trust the three of us together.
I love you all and hope all continues to go well! I'm sorry I've missed everyone's brithdays! So happy late birthday to Megan, Mike, Jen, Sadie, Leah, Lindsey, Carrie, Nyall and I hope I don't miss anyone! By the way I get to skype home in two Sundays! So I will see you then ;)

Bisous, Soeur Valerie Reeves

Week 8

Bonjour!

Sorry this is going to be a short email, because I spent a ton of time emailing everyone back separately.
This week was good, but Soeur Larsen had a really bad cold so Soeur Staheli told her she had to stay home and get lots of sleep. We were still able to teach 5 lessons so far though. And I actually loved getting the extra time to study! I've really been thinking a lot about the Atonement lately especially with Easter coming up next week. That's the whole reason I'm out here is the help others come unto Christ and partake of his Atonement. Whenever people tell us, "I've already been baptized and mine was a true baptism," and we try to talk about priesthood authority they say, "Well all that really matters is your faith and your love for God." I then think about what baptism really signifies. We have the chance to be made clean and whole again, forgetting our past and putting that behind us and it's Christ who made it possible for us, but only if we got about it in the way that he showed and prepared for us. That's why it's so important to have the proper priesthood authority that comes down directly from Christ himself. Baptism is an act of faith and there is only one true church and one true way and it is God's way. We didn't come up with this, man isn't telling these people you're going to do it how I tell you. Christ established his church and suffered for our sins and now invites all of us to come unto him. We really want to work hard with helping our amis gain a personal relationship with Christ and coming to understand that he knows them and is here for them. If they come to realize that then they will want to be baptized into his church.
We have some new amies, Brigitte and her daughter Laurienne. She was supposed to get baptized 2 years ago but didn't because the sisters found out that she had a tribal marriage and not a legal French one. So she has been trying to save up money but it hasn't worked out yet. Guess what we found out when we told this news to the Elders?! The church recognizes tribal marriages! We are so excited to go an tell her next week! I feel so badly that she has waited all of this time, but perhaps there was a reason. Laurienne is very excited to get baptized and hopefully her two older sisters will start taking the lessons again as well.
Soeur Gappmaier came into town with her parents! It is so fun to see her again! Our district went on a hike today with an American family from our ward (the Shepherds). It was a lot of fun, I will send pictures next week.
I love you all and I hope all of us can think about the Savior's life this next week and think about his teachings and the things he did for us and try to be a little more like him.

Love, Soeur Valerie Reeves

P-Day

Here are some pictures from Soeur Reeves' "preparation day" today.  Enjoy!

The carousel outside l'Hotel de Ville (the "city hall" where all the action in Paris happens)

Soeur Reeves in front of l'Hotel de Ville

Haagen Dazs!

Notre Dame

ps. In case you didn't notice.  Ma jumelle now has bangs :)

Week 7

Bonjour ma famille!

All is going well! So for little miracle stories this week. We got to teach Hernel Kouton at the visitor's center. I met him on the train and he asked if he could have my Book of Mormon! I got his number and set up a rendez-vous. When he got there he said, "Ok I have to be honest, I have some questions about the begining of your church. I asked him where he had looked and he said Wikipedia so he said, "I know now I'm trapped because that's not a totally liable source." He then said that he read about Joseph Smith seeing God, and I replied, "Yes he did." He then asked about him seeking and angel and translating the Book of Mormon. I told him, "Yes that happened too." After teaching him the first lesson I told him he couldn't know for sure though unless he read the Book of Mormon for himself. The lesson went really well and I know that he felt the spirit. He said that he's going to read it and we are going to teach him again once he get's back into town in 2 weeks.
We have another new amie, Michelle, from Florida but her parents now live in Spain and she is here as a Nanny. She is leaving in a few weeks though :(, but she has a lot of Mormon friends back in Spain and hopefully she will continue to meet with the missionaries there. She has been homesick here though and has been having a hard time with the family she works for and last Sunday she lost her keys to the house. She was supposed to come to General Conference but because of that she didn't come, but I told her we would pray for her and hope that she found the keys. Soeur Larsen and I immediately found a spare room in the church and knelt down and said a prayer because everything seems to keep going wrong for Michelle and we didn't want her to have to replace the keys (if she didn't find them the mother was going to make her pay for a replacement of all of the locks and keys). On Monday we called her to see how she was doing and she said, "I meant to call you!" When she got home on Sunday she said that the mother walked in and put some keys and the table and then walked out. Michelle ran over to check and it was her set of keys! She said she ran up to her room and fell asleep from exhaustion after looking for the keys all day. After that nothing more was said by the mother on the subject of her keys. I told Michelle that it was definitely an answer to prayer and it was not coincidence. Perhaps she would have eventually found the keys, but I know that because of our faith and prayer the keys were there as soon as she returned home.
We've had the opportunity to teach the first lesson other times during this week and I love it! My testimony grows stronger every time I tell people about Joseph Smith's first vision and also about Jesus Christ and that he lives and loves us.
We had exchanges again this week. Soeur Larsen went to Paris with Soeur Jorgenson and Soeur Rowley came and stayed with me in Versailles. She's such a great missionary and so friendly to people. If she says hi to someone she stops and contacts them, she doesn't just keep walking. I need to get better at that. We're often in a rush so I never stop to talk to people after saying hi. But in D&C the Lord said,
61:3 "But verily I say unto you, that it is not needful for this whole company of mine elders to be moving swiftly upon the waters, whilst the inhabitants on either side are perishing in unbelief." Hopefully I can apply all that I learned from her.
I have to go, but I love you all!

Love, Soeur Valerie Reeves

P.S. dear family (my brothers and sisters) You are allowed to email me ;)