Ma Chère famille,
Happy Birthday to Greg and Connor this coming Friday! Congratulations Megan with your baptism! I'm so proud of you! You're just making the first step in coming unto Christ. Remember that you have the gift of the Holy Ghost now and he can guide you each day as you make good choices and repent if you ever do anything wrong.
It was a good week, except for the fact that I have had a cold all week. That's okay though, because we still found some new investigators. As for Stephanie, we still haven't seen her... we finally got a hold of her and I guess she didn't have the courage to tell us how she really feels. We found out from our DMP that she doesn't want contact with the church anymore. We were pretty disappointed because we have no idea what has happened or gone wrong; she even told Soeur Edgerly and Soeur Johnson that she had prayed and she new the Book of Mormon was true. The members who are good friends of hers are going to visit her and hopefully find out what's going on. Hopefully I'll get to meet her some day and she will have a desire to actually go through with her baptism. I talked with a man on the metro the other night though and he wants us to come and teach his family! His name is Alexandre, and he's from Africa. I said hi to him and then he looked at me and asked, "Don't you usually travel in two?" I told him that my companion was sitting a little further down (we try to sit separately so that we actually talk to other people and contact them) and then I asked how he knew the church. He was taught once by the missionaries about 3 years ago. We had a great conversation and then he said, "I'll give you my number and address and then you and your companion can come over and teach me and my wife and children." Yeah!!! I didn't even have to ask for his number! We'll hopefully be seeing them tomorrow night.
We started teaching a couple this last week! Jacqueline and Sari. She is French and he is Cambodian. They are the neighbors of our DMP and were referred by his wife. We had a great RDV and Jacqueline said she wants to know the truth, because right now she has no beliefs. Sari actually met the missionaries 30 years ago and has a Book of Mormon and even went to a general conference. We thanked brother and sister Derone for the referral and they thanked us saying they wouldn't have even thought about it had we not asked. So, rather than waiting for the missionaries to ask you for referrals I encourage each of you to pray and think about a friend that you can invite to meet with the missionaries. It doesn't matter what their reaction is, because we'll never know if we don't ask.
I love being a missionary! and I know we will see more fruit and blossoms both litterally and spiritually as we continue in this transfer. Thank you all for your love, support and prayers!
Love, Soeur Reeves
Monday, February 27, 2012
Monday, February 20, 2012
week 52 - Bienvenue à Villeneuve D'Ascq
Salut!
(Just in case you're wondering how to say Villeneuve D'Ascq, you pronounce it, veel-nuv-dask, kind of.)
I love Villeneuve d'Ascq! It's a very different culture from Alsace/Colmar, but they're really nice people here. They also have a dialect called Ch'ti. (and yes it sounds how it is written (sh-tee), you can tell who speaks it because they all throw in the sh sound as they speak French). The members here are great! It's a huge ward, so very different after coming from two small branches. Rather that 2 and 6 pages in the ward directory, there are 26! We're really going to try and work with the members, because there's kind of a separation between missionaries and members. So, Soeur Edgerly and I came up with a plan to go contacting near members homes and then do short visits to get to know them, share a message and get referrals. This way if we teach people in their areas, we'll automatically have integration members/families. We also have an Elder companionship in our ward, who are the zone leaders and they're both new to Villeneuve d'Ascq too (they got the pleasure of doing a white wash!) The bishop had the three of us speak yesterday and then we met with our DMP (ward mission leader) and we've fixed some good goals with him. We have to invite ourselves to eat at members houses, because no one ever invites missionaries to eat, but they don't get offended if we go up and ask. We're hoping to get to know the members better this way. We really want to work with in-actives, because there are a lot and quite a few part member families too.
We have an amie, Stephanie, who has a baptismal date, and hopefully we'll fix baptismal dates with her son and daughter too. A member invited her to church and she loved it and was immediately willing to meet with the missionaries. The only thing is, I haven't met her yet, she's cancelled the last two rendez-vous, because she and her children have all been really sick, and we can't call her, because they live in Belguim :P. (yes, part of Belguim is in our ward) It's kind of frustrating, but that's okay, because the Lord helps things work out if we do all we can, and we're planning on buying a phone card today.
We have another amie, Rosita. She's an old lady, very kind and funny, but has a lot of health problems so it's hard to meet with her as well. She did have a baptismal date, but she's not really progessing, so we're having to push back her baptism. Yesterday we had a great RDV with her as we taught about how to gain a testimony of the Book of Mormon. She said she still has received an answer so we talked about how God answers our prayers and what the Holy Ghost feels like. She felt a lot better after we came and saw her. It's amazing how when we listen to our investigators and the spirit we're able to know the needs and ask inspired questions. We helped her remember a moment when she had felt the spirit and we promised her that she can feel that again if she continues to read and pray about the Book of Mormon.
I love this work, and I'm excited to see V d'Ascq progress! Soeur Edgerly is great and she's wanting to work hard since it's her last transfer, she told me she wants to go home on a boost and not become lazy right before she leaves, so we'll continue working hard, with the spirit and doing what the Lord wants us to do.
I love you all!
Bisous, Soeur Reeves
(Just in case you're wondering how to say Villeneuve D'Ascq, you pronounce it, veel-nuv-dask, kind of.)
I love Villeneuve d'Ascq! It's a very different culture from Alsace/Colmar, but they're really nice people here. They also have a dialect called Ch'ti. (and yes it sounds how it is written (sh-tee), you can tell who speaks it because they all throw in the sh sound as they speak French). The members here are great! It's a huge ward, so very different after coming from two small branches. Rather that 2 and 6 pages in the ward directory, there are 26! We're really going to try and work with the members, because there's kind of a separation between missionaries and members. So, Soeur Edgerly and I came up with a plan to go contacting near members homes and then do short visits to get to know them, share a message and get referrals. This way if we teach people in their areas, we'll automatically have integration members/families. We also have an Elder companionship in our ward, who are the zone leaders and they're both new to Villeneuve d'Ascq too (they got the pleasure of doing a white wash!) The bishop had the three of us speak yesterday and then we met with our DMP (ward mission leader) and we've fixed some good goals with him. We have to invite ourselves to eat at members houses, because no one ever invites missionaries to eat, but they don't get offended if we go up and ask. We're hoping to get to know the members better this way. We really want to work with in-actives, because there are a lot and quite a few part member families too.
We have an amie, Stephanie, who has a baptismal date, and hopefully we'll fix baptismal dates with her son and daughter too. A member invited her to church and she loved it and was immediately willing to meet with the missionaries. The only thing is, I haven't met her yet, she's cancelled the last two rendez-vous, because she and her children have all been really sick, and we can't call her, because they live in Belguim :P. (yes, part of Belguim is in our ward) It's kind of frustrating, but that's okay, because the Lord helps things work out if we do all we can, and we're planning on buying a phone card today.
We have another amie, Rosita. She's an old lady, very kind and funny, but has a lot of health problems so it's hard to meet with her as well. She did have a baptismal date, but she's not really progessing, so we're having to push back her baptism. Yesterday we had a great RDV with her as we taught about how to gain a testimony of the Book of Mormon. She said she still has received an answer so we talked about how God answers our prayers and what the Holy Ghost feels like. She felt a lot better after we came and saw her. It's amazing how when we listen to our investigators and the spirit we're able to know the needs and ask inspired questions. We helped her remember a moment when she had felt the spirit and we promised her that she can feel that again if she continues to read and pray about the Book of Mormon.
I love this work, and I'm excited to see V d'Ascq progress! Soeur Edgerly is great and she's wanting to work hard since it's her last transfer, she told me she wants to go home on a boost and not become lazy right before she leaves, so we'll continue working hard, with the spirit and doing what the Lord wants us to do.
I love you all!
Bisous, Soeur Reeves
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Colmar photos
With commentaire by Soeur Reeves
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| Colmar during the Winter |
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| All of the rivers were completely frozen! |
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| Little Hélamen, one of the Tomadon babies |
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| The Kokesha family - they are from Congo, they're such a great family and such good missionaries! |
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| Part of the extended Tomadon family |
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| Me eating ESCARGOT! |
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| It's so good! Soeur Creager and I enjoyed eating it together ha! |
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| It's not as scary to think about when you don't buy them in shells |
Monday, February 13, 2012
Shazi's baptism: It was a great day!
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| Soeur Reeves, President Tomadon, Shazi and Soeur Creager |
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| Shazi and Jeremy who gave him the gift of the Holy Ghost on Sunday |
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| Shazi and frère Santgerma, one of the witnesses |
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| Shazi with Josué Tomadon, another witness for the baptism |
week 51 - Last week in "Cold"-mar (as Soeur Creager calls it)
Oui, c'est vrai... It's my last week in Colmar 8-(. (Or it was, I actually only have 2 more days). I have come to love the people here so much! I love the members of this branch and the branch in St. Dié. I love our amis, I love the beautiful country side and the food; but, as mission life goes, it comes to an end and we have to move on. I actually started crying in sacrament meeting yesterday when President Tomadon asked me to speak for a few minutes. I told the members that I didn't even cry when I had to say by to my family. I will always hold a special place in my heart for Colmar. I was pretty positive that I would be transfered. Every time that I have been, I knew before hand, and the same thing happened when I trained. I find it a blessing that I have a feeling because it helps prepare so that I'm not shocked. I think what I have love most about serving here is seeing the progress that we have made since we arrived, as well as the miracles that have come about. We truly had almost nothing to work with when we arrived, but through much prayers and fasting, working with the spirit and the members and using our area book Colmar has because a successful ville. I have grown sooooooo much since serving here.
To top it off... on Saturday Shazi was baptised! It was so wonderful! On Friday night he asked us to pray for him so that he would be prepared and ready the next day for his baptism. He was so happy! After his baptism he told me that he felt a new light in his life and I told him he would feel even more on Sunday when he would receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. He bore his testimony after he was baptised and he ended up telling the whole introduction of the Book of Mormon, plus Joseph Smith's testimony by heart! He was up there fort quite awhile, but everyone loved seeing his faith and enthousiasm to share what he has learned. He also shared that two questions he has had his whole life were answered when he met with the missionaries and he bore testimony that he knew this church is true. He then said he is going to go back to Pakistan and help build up the church there.
Oh we love Shazi! He has experienced a true conversion and he has changed so much since we first met him. We're definitely going to ask for his help if we teach people in English, or even French.
I know that we have the restored gospel of Jesus Christ here on earth today and that if people will come unto Christ they can have a change of heart and have faith in him and repent. It is something that each of us need to day daily. I love being a missionary!
Oh, ha, by the way I'm being transferred to Villeneuve d'Ascq. It's in Northern France, right next to Begluim. Soeur Creager served close to there in her last area and says that it's beautiful, but it's a big city, so I'm leaving the country, that's okay though. I'm excited and I know it'll be another great adventure! I'll be serving with Soeur Edgerly, she is an awesome sister missionary! This might be my only transfer with her though, because I'm pretty sure she's going home next transfer.
I love you all! Bisous, Soeur Reeves
To top it off... on Saturday Shazi was baptised! It was so wonderful! On Friday night he asked us to pray for him so that he would be prepared and ready the next day for his baptism. He was so happy! After his baptism he told me that he felt a new light in his life and I told him he would feel even more on Sunday when he would receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. He bore his testimony after he was baptised and he ended up telling the whole introduction of the Book of Mormon, plus Joseph Smith's testimony by heart! He was up there fort quite awhile, but everyone loved seeing his faith and enthousiasm to share what he has learned. He also shared that two questions he has had his whole life were answered when he met with the missionaries and he bore testimony that he knew this church is true. He then said he is going to go back to Pakistan and help build up the church there.
Oh we love Shazi! He has experienced a true conversion and he has changed so much since we first met him. We're definitely going to ask for his help if we teach people in English, or even French.
I know that we have the restored gospel of Jesus Christ here on earth today and that if people will come unto Christ they can have a change of heart and have faith in him and repent. It is something that each of us need to day daily. I love being a missionary!
Oh, ha, by the way I'm being transferred to Villeneuve d'Ascq. It's in Northern France, right next to Begluim. Soeur Creager served close to there in her last area and says that it's beautiful, but it's a big city, so I'm leaving the country, that's okay though. I'm excited and I know it'll be another great adventure! I'll be serving with Soeur Edgerly, she is an awesome sister missionary! This might be my only transfer with her though, because I'm pretty sure she's going home next transfer.
I love you all! Bisous, Soeur Reeves
Monday, February 6, 2012
week 50 - power of the priesthood and spirit
Bonjour à tous!
Shazi's getting all ready for his baptism on Saturday! I'm so happy for him and the sooner he has the gift of the Holy Ghost the better, because he needs that feeling of comfort and peace. Gospel wise he's doing great, but as far as personal life he's been having a very hard time. :( He misses his family soooooo much and all he wants to do is help them, but he probably can't get a job for another 6 months. He's been so stresssed that he's been having awful headaches and can't sleep at night. Yesterday however in gospel principles we taught about the priesthood and each of the members in the class bore powerful testimonies of the power of the priesthood and how it has blessed them in their lives. Afterward two of the Tomadon brothers gave Shazi a blessing. Josué who speaks some English sealed the anointing and gave the blessing, it was a very simple prayer as far as words, but it was so powerful. That night we had a RDV just accross the street from Shazi's place, so afterward we called Shazi to say hi and ask how he was doing. We told him to look out his window and he was so excited to see us and he said he was feeling much better. I'm so grateful that we have the priesthood here again upon the earth.
Shazi is such a great missionary! Soeur Creager and I went on exchanges this last week with Luxembourg. Soeur Creager and Soeur Worsham stayed here in Colmar, but they missed their second train that morning and the next one wasn't for 3 more hours! So nothing went as they had planned, but Soeur Creager kept feeling strongly that she needed to call Shazi, even though we didn't have a RDV set up with him. She called him and then asked if his friend from Pakistan was home (the one he had invited to church). She was, so Soeur Creager and Soeur Worsham went and taught her with Shazi. Soeur Creager said that Shazi did such a good job helping them teach and bore strong testimony of the Book of Mormon. His friend, Arooj, is going to reflect on it and will hopefully come to Shazi's baptism this Saturday. As soon as he gets baptised maybe we'll just bring him to all of our RDV's with us. 8-)
Shazi's getting all ready for his baptism on Saturday! I'm so happy for him and the sooner he has the gift of the Holy Ghost the better, because he needs that feeling of comfort and peace. Gospel wise he's doing great, but as far as personal life he's been having a very hard time. :( He misses his family soooooo much and all he wants to do is help them, but he probably can't get a job for another 6 months. He's been so stresssed that he's been having awful headaches and can't sleep at night. Yesterday however in gospel principles we taught about the priesthood and each of the members in the class bore powerful testimonies of the power of the priesthood and how it has blessed them in their lives. Afterward two of the Tomadon brothers gave Shazi a blessing. Josué who speaks some English sealed the anointing and gave the blessing, it was a very simple prayer as far as words, but it was so powerful. That night we had a RDV just accross the street from Shazi's place, so afterward we called Shazi to say hi and ask how he was doing. We told him to look out his window and he was so excited to see us and he said he was feeling much better. I'm so grateful that we have the priesthood here again upon the earth.
Shazi is such a great missionary! Soeur Creager and I went on exchanges this last week with Luxembourg. Soeur Creager and Soeur Worsham stayed here in Colmar, but they missed their second train that morning and the next one wasn't for 3 more hours! So nothing went as they had planned, but Soeur Creager kept feeling strongly that she needed to call Shazi, even though we didn't have a RDV set up with him. She called him and then asked if his friend from Pakistan was home (the one he had invited to church). She was, so Soeur Creager and Soeur Worsham went and taught her with Shazi. Soeur Creager said that Shazi did such a good job helping them teach and bore strong testimony of the Book of Mormon. His friend, Arooj, is going to reflect on it and will hopefully come to Shazi's baptism this Saturday. As soon as he gets baptised maybe we'll just bring him to all of our RDV's with us. 8-)
For the exchange I was obviously in Luxembourg with Soeur Dawson. I love her! She's so fun and such an amazing missionary. I can't remember if I told you that she's a convert of the church, so she can really relate to these people and she is so good to always follow the spirit, she never doubts any impression she receives. Oh and the two women that Soeur Worsham and I contacted when I did my first exhange up in Luxembourg, Dora and Tina, are both getting baptised! (Well Tina actually got baptised on Saturday!) Also, I can't remember if I ever told you about Sister Pelous in Versailles. She is the wife of a member there and had been meeting with the missionaries for 3 years, and still hadn't been baptised. While I was there, we would teach her once a week, but we could never figure out what was keeping her from being baptised. We tried teaching about multiple things. I know she had never read the Book of Mormon, nor prayed to know if it was true, so that could definitely have been it. We started having to give her reading assignments and foused more on building our faith instead of baptism. Well, Soeur Murray told me that she just got baptised! I'm so happy for her and her husband and family. He's been waiting for so many years for this and now next year they will be able to be sealed as an eternal family. (Allyson, make sure Soeur Powers knows, I'm sure she taught Soeur Pelous).
We got another new amie on Wednesday, named Desir. She is from Congo, and is our ami Adrien's niece. She is stellar and understood very clearly the apostasy and restoration. At the beginning of our lesson we explained why we are here and told her that as she studies and comes to know the truth for herself she will have the desire to be baptised. She asked us, "How can someone get baptised a second time?" We told her to listen and that we would explain during the lesson. By the end of the lesson we committed her to read the Book of Mormon and pray to know if it's true and then we asked her if she would be baptised when she receives her answer. She said, "YES"! She didn't even have any more questions or doubts, it's amazing how, if people will just listen the spirit can testify and they can feel that our message is true. Adrien on the other hand won't listen and searches scriptures in his bible all the time trying to prove us wrong. Haha, he's so funny. He's a tough one, but maybe he'll see Desir's example.
Bisous, Soeur Reeves
We got another new amie on Wednesday, named Desir. She is from Congo, and is our ami Adrien's niece. She is stellar and understood very clearly the apostasy and restoration. At the beginning of our lesson we explained why we are here and told her that as she studies and comes to know the truth for herself she will have the desire to be baptised. She asked us, "How can someone get baptised a second time?" We told her to listen and that we would explain during the lesson. By the end of the lesson we committed her to read the Book of Mormon and pray to know if it's true and then we asked her if she would be baptised when she receives her answer. She said, "YES"! She didn't even have any more questions or doubts, it's amazing how, if people will just listen the spirit can testify and they can feel that our message is true. Adrien on the other hand won't listen and searches scriptures in his bible all the time trying to prove us wrong. Haha, he's so funny. He's a tough one, but maybe he'll see Desir's example.
Bisous, Soeur Reeves
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