Ma famille!!

This week was fabulous! And really difficult. But still super good :)

I said goodbye to my mission mom :( It was really really sad, it was so hard for her to leave me!

But Soeur Denning is AMAZING. I love her so much already!!! We get along swimmingly and she seriously has the best stories. Not to mention that we both lived with the infamous Chloe and Ashley. So we quickly bonded over sharing stories of them ha we adore them both so much!

My new comp is from Centerville Utah. She's been out about 10 months, her French is BEAUTIFUL and she was in Avery first and then Luxembourg so this is really her first real French ville. She is going to love it! 

Soeur Denning and I are going to have the best transfer here in Angers! We spent the first four days together contacting and porting until we cried haha literally though. We met the meanest rudest man in all the land, and he was American so we understood perfectly what he said...but it actually only solidified my testimony that I know this Gospel is true and that I am not wasting my time here! Soeur Denning bore a powerful testimony of eternal families. This man said you can't possibly know that. no one can. That's just a belief you have, not a knowledge. She was so gracious and courteous and then we left. We were both stinging after that but it just fortified my testimony. I know that families can be together forever, it's not just a belief but a perfect knowledge because I have felt the Holy Ghost testify of that to me. I know that this gospel is true and that through Heavenly Father's plan that He has for each of us we can live together with our loved ones after this life.

So we did TONS of finding and we found some wonderful people to teach! I am so excited for this upcoming week and all of our appointments!! We found a family on Saturday, it was a woman and her three little kids and the little boys asked us where America was and if we took a plane or a boat. It was absolutely adorable and we're meeting with them on Friday so pray they keep their rendez-vous with us!!! I love them so much already and I really really want them to have this gospel in their lives!!

This week we are headed to Versailles again for Mission Conference! I am so stoked because Elder Kearon will be there!! It is going to be some serious spiritual nourishment! Which is what I need after the week I had! The week was hard just because adjustments are difficult and it seemed that all the mean people of Angers were the only ones out and about. It was really difficult for me to adjust to being the one in charge of deciding what to do and where to go because Soeur Denning has never been to Angers before, she doesn't know the people yet so it was up to me to make the plans for the day and I really really had to lean on the Lord and trust the Spirit to guide us where to go. Plus while out contacting, with Soeur Foster I would start out with people and then she would take it from there. So now contacting with Soeur Denning she lets me do the whole thing and for the first bit I was lost and didn't know what to say but as I relied on the Spirit I was able to ask inspired questions and testify. So this week as hard as it was, was a huge testimony builder to me that Heavenly Father is always aware of us and He always has a plan. I am so grateful He put Soeur Denning and I together, already she has answered so many of my prayers and I adore her!! Plus she's going to teach me so much French and how to cook! :)

I am so grateful to be a missionary. I get to help people find their faith and the assurance the God is our loving Heavenly Father. I think that's the most important for people to understand. Because when they understand that, they can realize who they are and who they are capable of becoming through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. When they realize how much God loves them they can realize that He really did send His Son to the earth to die for us. And Jesus Christ is the reason for hope and joy in this life! I am so grateful I have this knowledge and the opportunity to share it with everyone here in Angers.

I love you all so much, thank you for your prayers and support!

avec amour 

sœur hawkes 

                                                Our last district meeting together!!

                                                                  Lenaig and I :)

Bonjour à tous!

This week was incredible! We met so many wonderful people and saw so many miracles! We had fixed a goal to find one new ami every single day and it was incredible to see God answer our prayers and to see the blessings from obedience!

I was so sad to hear about Brother Knuckles!!! I really hope he is doing better, and I will make sure to keep him and his family in my prayers this week!

Also, Soeur Foster is leaving me!! Which is really sad but I'll be staying here in Angers yay!! My new companion is Soeur Ashelle Denning!! I'm super excited! 

We actually only found 5 amis instead of 7 but that goes to show how important exact obedience is and how much the Lord will bless us when we are obedient and we are committed to our purpose with full heart! 

Wednesday we weren't able to find anyone and we committed to finding two the next day to make up for our mistakes that day. SoThursday evening we went to pass by one of our amies and she wasn't home. So we just ported in that building. Every single person said no (as usual :) But finally we knocked on the door, introduced ourselves and why we were here and the woman said come in. And I was so surprised I didn't even move! She had to say it again for me to actually step forward! She is from Africa and she has two little boys age 8 and 5 and they are angels!! Immediately we could feel the love of this family and how close they were to each other. We introduced the Book of Mormon to her and really explained why we were they and testified that this message could bless her and her family. She accepted a soft invite to be baptized and we prayed and read with the family!!! We have another meeting with them on Wednesday. It was an absolute miracle. It was incredible to see Heavenly Father answer our prayers! 

Also on our way home one night we talked to a girl on the bus. We were just chatting and we mentioned why we were in France (everyone asks us what university we're studying at and it's the perfect opportunity to say what we're actually doing here!!) We asked her if she was believing and she said she is atheist. So we talked some more and fixed a rendez-vous for Saturday. Saturday morning came and we prayed so hard that she would keep her meeting and we would get to talk to her and she was there!!! So we got to know her more and then introduced the Book of Mormon, why we were there and all of that. We talked about our loving Heavenly Father and prayer. And then we invited her to give the closing prayer, she was really nervous but we told her all the steps and then she said the most sincere humble prayer, I've heard. It was so full of hope and faith as she asked Heavenly Father if He was there and thanking  Him for all her blessings. The Spirit filled the room and it was a moment I'll never forget. We're meeting with her again on Saturday and then she's moving back home with her parents but we'll send the missionaries there for sure :) I am so grateful I get to be here and to witness the people grow in faith. It's incredible to meet someone who doesn't believe in God and then a few days later hear them say a humble prayer. The life of a missionary is seriously the best!! I get to see so many miracles every single day and not a moment goes by that I don't see the hand of my Heavenly Father in my life. He's with me every step of the way. Giving me the courage to talk to people on the street, giving me the words I need to say and the ability to do that in French no less!! 

Yesterday at church I taught the Gospel Principles class. In French. OH my lanta I was so scared!!!! But I prayed and prayed that Heavenly Father would help teach with the Spirit and that I would be able to say everything I wanted to and it went well!! Obviously I wasn't fluent in French magically but I was able to say the things I wanted to with effort and I was able to testify and share my testimony and that's all I needed to do and I definitely could not have done that without the help of my Heavenly Father!!

I am so blessed to be a missionary, I love being able to share my testimony in so many ways every single day. I know that Heavenly Father is always with us, He loves us so much and He is always there to listen to our prayers. 

 I love you so much Mom. I can't thank you and Dad enough for everything you've done for me. This week we were encouraged by Soeur Poznanski to share why we came on missions to influence the young adults and I was able to share my testimony and story with all the girls we work with here in Angers and as I talked I realized the reason I came was because of you and Dad. Because you taught us the gospel, you raised us with the teachings of Jesus Christ and I saw that bless our family. I saw the happiness and peace that we had that comes from the knowledge that we can be together forever. I never had a troubled childhood, like soo so many of the people I meet. I always had you and Dad who are so firm in this gospel, I always have you as an example and that has made all the difference in my life. And now I get to be here in France sharing that gospel with all the world knowing that I'm far from my parents but that you love me and pray and support me and I can't thank you enough!! 

"God sees you as His child. He sees you as the being you are capable and designed to become. He want syou to know that you matter to HIm." -President Uchtdorf 

I love you all so much! Thanks for your support and love!

Avec amour, 

Sœur Hawkes 

Bonjour à tous! 

This week was amazing!! Soo many miracles!! The baptism yesterday was absolutely beautiful. Lenaig was just glowing, she was so happy! I am so grateful Heavenly Father let me be a part of this! Being able to see her grow and progress has been incredible, her testimony and her faith have grown a little every day and being able to witness that has been a huge blessing! The Baptism was wonderful, the Zone Leader's investigator Wilfried got baptized too so it was great! The missionaries and Kahaia, Natasha, Emma sang I like to look for Rainbows with Emmanuelle on the saxophone and Elder Payet playing the guitar. We suprised Lenaig with our little performance during the program and she loved it. It was so incredible to be a part of the baptism! The spirit was so strong the whole time and I couldn't help but tear up as she came out of the water. It was an amazing experience!

Also we met the most incredible couple this weekend! Saturday we received a referral from the office and felt like we should contact her right away so we went and met her boyfriend Cedric, he's French but his English is really good, they met in Hawaii last summer and really hit it off. Turns out Liz is from Utah and she's been here living with him since November, her family is all LDS and she asked her Mom about the missionaries here in Angers. We invited them to church and the baptism and they invited us over to eat the next day! On SundayI was walking into the Chapel and I saw someone waving at me, I look over and there they were!! I was so thrilled they came to church!! That night when we went over, she said that was the first time she has been to church in 20 years. She said she's not sure what's she's looking for right now but she's willing to put forth the effort to find the truth. And Cedric was very impressed that I was playing the piano during Sacrament Meeting, Liz said don't be so suprised, she's American, they all play the piano over there haha. So we'll be seeing them twice a week until she leaves in February to go back to the US to get her visa! I'm so excited. We asked Cedric if that's okay with him and he's like yes yes of course you come all the days, anything for Liz she is the best. it was so great spending time with them, I love them so much! Yesterday they fed us snails!! Oh my gosh they were so good! I don't know why we don't eat them in the US they are delicious! You'll have to try them someday for sure :) 

This weekend, Soeur Foster lost her grandpa and grandma. She was able to talk to her Grandma Saturday night before she passed but her Grandpa passed away Friday night. But she was able to talk with her Mom twice so that was a blessing. It's been difficult for her but she is so strong and you can see that this experience has strengthened her testimony a lot. She has turned to her Heavenly Father for comfort and the members have been absolute angels to her. It's been really cool to see everyone's support and love for her. So please keep her and her family in your prayers. She has been a wonderful example to me and I really look up to her so much.  This experience has emphasized to the both of us the truthfulness of the plan of salvation and how grateful we are for that knowledge and the opportunity we have to share this truth with the people here in Angers!

On Thursday we had a zone conference in Nantes to learn about the new theme for 2014. Which is D&C 64:33-34.

"Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great. Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind; and the willing and obedient shall eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days." 

 It's really good and absolutely perfect! It really helped put things into perspective for me. Our will, our hearts are the only things that are truly ours to give. And I want to give that to Him. I want to be 100% obedient all the time so I can be a useful instrument in His hands! I'm really excited to spend the entire year as a missionary striving to be the best instrument that I can be for Him.

Also the other day I was having a bit of a hard time so I was looking through my scriptures and I found this one and it really touched me. D&C 78:18-19

  And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours.And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more.

I loved it because many times in our lives, we can't bear all things but that's why we have the Savior. He will bear our burdens, He will help us carry our load and that gives us reason to be happy. Because we don't have do this alone, He will lead us along. He will show us the way and He will be with us every step to help pick us up when we fall. It's important that we don't magnify the negative as well. Many times at the end of the day, it's easier to see all the things I did wrong or where I messed up but if I look a little closer I can always see the times when Heavenly Father blessed me, when His hand is evident in my day when his tender mercies were apparent. We can be so much happier when we look for the good in our days! As I have to tried to do that more, to look for His hand and receive all things with thankfulness I have been able to see His hand more and more. I have felt so much happier as I dismissed all the negative and focused solely on the positive things each day. An attitude of gratitude really is the happiest way to live! 

Being here in Angers is the biggest blessing. I get to see so many miracles every day and so many experiences that strengthen my testimony!

Thank you so much for your support and love, I can't tell you how much I appreciate it!!

Avec amour,

Sœur Hawkes 

                        Our first baptism, Lenaig.  Also, the zone leader's investigator Wilfried got baptized.

                                                    Eating snails with our new investigators

 Yesterday they fed us snails!! Oh my gosh they were so good! I don't know why we don't eat them in the US they are delicious! 

Picture! Notre Dame, it's a terrible picture and my hair is blowing everywhere but it's Notre Dame!!

Bonjour à tous!

This week was wonderful as usual! Although we didn't have a ton of time to do actual missionary work which made me really sad but it's okay because we still got to see lots of miracles! 

New Year's was great, the 31st evening we made crepes with the Elders at the church and I slept through the New Year but that's okay because  I am really excited to spend the entire year as a servant of the Lord! The idea of that makes me so happy! 

New Year's Day we spent at the Bishop's house with all the Elders as well so it was a full house but it was so fun! Plus the Bishop is from Scotland so it was a whole day of English, it was a nice break!

Friday we spent in Paris! I got to see Notre Dame really quick and then almost everyone from my MTC district! It was a really fun day just seeing old friends and now I am officially legal in France! That will last until my year mark in France which is the end of October, then I get to do it again :)

I love New Year's!! It's a wonderful time for making goals and getting a fresh start!! This week I was studying a lot about the Sacrament, the most important reason we go to church. Through the Sacrament we get to renew our covenants with Heavenly Father and part of that is receiving a remission of our sins. I love that each week we get a brand new clean slate! Yesterday I was thinking about New Year's and my goals. I was thinking about all the things I wanted to leave behind, the bad feelings and mistakes and as I took the Sacrament and pondered what Christ did for us, all the sudden I felt all the feelings leave. They were just gone! It was a huge testimony builder for me as I felt the burdens lifted and I knew that Christ really did suffer and die for me and I can receive a clean slate each week, and rededicate myself to keep His commandments and to always remember Him. I am so grateful for Church each week and the wonderful blessing of the Sacrament Heavenly Father has given us. 

My favorite part of being a missionary is being an instrument for the Lord. We do whatever He needs us to and we get to be the answer to someone's prayer!! I love it so much and it has strengthened my testimony of how much Heavenly Father really loves us!! 

The French is coming...my trainer gets upset if I say it's bad so I don't dare anymore haha but she means well. If I say it's bad than I don't have faith in God to help me out, so I've let go of trying to be perfect and I just go for it and make mistakes! Yesterday we went porting and we were talking to this guy and he asked us about how long we've been out, and my comp said 14 months and I said 2 and he said to me oh that makes sense, her French is wayy better than yours. ha! I laughed and said yeah you're right. But really I've seen myself progress and lots of people ask how I learned French and in all honesty it's a miracle, I've only been able to learn because God is helping me! So many times in lessons I just go off and when I'm done, I'm like uhh what the heck! I didn't even know I knew all those words! It's incredible. I LOVE it. :)

Lenaig is getting ready for her baptism this Sunday!! We were pretty worried about her for a while, because her phone was broken and we couldn't contact her and we hardly got to see her because of the holidays but she's still going strong! We were able to meet with her a few times and she is really excited to get baptized! I'm so excited for her! Being able to see the light of Christ and His teachings come into her life and change her has been an incredible blessing to me. This Church is true! I have seen it change and bless her so much that there's no way it couldn't be!

I am so grateful to be out here. It has been the biggest blessing. It has strengthened my testimony so much and deepened my gratitude for my Savior, my Heavenly Father and my family. I'm so grateful Heavenly Father loves me so much to let me be a missionary!!

Thank you all so much for your support and prayers!! I love you so much!!

Avec amour,

Soeur Hawkes