Week 18 - Miracle Story

Bonjour ma famille! Bonnes Vacances!

The Bonnes Vacances is because it is now summer vacation here in France and all of the French people part and are replaced by tourists! Contacting in Paris was kind of hard yesterday because we mainly ran into tourists. (It's funny the French say bon(s)/bonne(s) which translates to good, before almost anything. You can say bonne voyage, bon appetit, bon travail, bonne chance, bonjour ;), bonne journée, bonsoir, bonne soirée, bonne nuit, bon...n'importe quoi!
Mom and Dad I hope your doing okay! I'm sure this is a bitter-sweet time for you! We had our last zone confernce with President and Sister Staheli last Tuesday and President and Soeur Poznanski arrive today. I had to choke back my tears when I said good bye to them. They are amazing and have taught me so much! I was so blessed to start in Versailles and see them almost every week. Mom and Dad I was so blessed to be with you the first year of your mission, I loved watching you work with the missionaries and I know the love you and look up to you so much. Whenever I ran into one of your former missionaries at BYU they stopped me, not to ask how I was doing but, to tell me how much the loved both of you and ask how you were doing. Are you going straight back to Bountiful, or are you going to go and visit everyone first? Bonne Chance!
Ryan I hope your Visa arrives soon, like you said it's all in the Lord's hands, I never thought I would serve at Temple Square. It made me laugh when I was told that I was going there temporarily because so many people joked that I was going to get called there. This last Saturday Soeur De Santis and I had the opportunity to attend Michelle's baptism! It was so wonderful, she was so happy! Her friend Hannah flew out her for the baptism and gave a talk. Michelle had to be baptized 4 times because the water was really low, but it was good. Afterward the Bishop talked about how it had to be done in the correct way with someone who had the authority. He told how the Savior walked for miles to find John the Baptist, so that someone who held the Priesthood could baptize him; it wasn't just the first man that he found on the street.
I found out the Regna (the woman from Cuba) has a baptismal date for July 16th as well! And she wants her two daughters to get baptized too! The Versailles soeurs said she's doing so well and loves coming to church and reading the scriptures. I'm so glad I had the chance to start teaching her.
On Sunday we had 16 investigators there! 3 were people that we have taught before and 4 others are being taught be the Elders, the rest were people the members brought. For the month of June Elder Kopischke, Elder Texiera and Elder Causée had challenged all the members to bring friends to church every week. Finally the last week there were lots who came! I hope that members will continue to bring them, and that it won't stop just because it's July in 2 days.
Kamla is doing great! She has a baptismal calendar and we see her 3 times a week. Oh miracle story! Soeur De Santis and I were headed to a rendez-vous when a woman at the gare (train station) came up to us and asked if we were from Nogent. We said yes and she told us she had met the missionaries there before, 15 years ago! She told them she promised them she would come to church and she never did, so she asked if we had the address. We gave her our card and took her number and she promised she would come and she did! And she just happens to know Kamla! They sat togther during sacrament and stayed afterwards for the ward meal (it was ward conference this Sunday). She wants us to come over, she can't meet with us this week, but we are going to make sure we see her next week and she said she wants to come to church again. I also told her that Kamla is getting baptized and she said, "Can I come? This way I can see how it works." I told her of course!
Little seeds are starting to sprout and we're trying to plant more each day. I love you all!
By the way I don't know if I've mentioned it, but I've had the opportunity to play the piano quite a bit since getting on my mission, so I'm grateful for that. :)
Mom I don't know if you ever wrote down my mission scripture, but it's Alma 5:13

Bisous, Soeur Valerie Reeves