"Be of good cheer for I will lead you along"

his week was a week of miracles!! So I was in Brussels for exchanges with the lovely Soeur Francis and went out that night to go porting but my metro ticket didn't work so we decided to walk in the direction we had originally planned and do some contacting. We met so many wonderful people that were so nice and we had so many cool discussions about God and why we are here! We met people from France, India, Spain, China, the list goes on and on! So then Soeur Francis turned down a road heading to some buildings that we could port but along the street we were stopped by these beautiful houses! I just stood there staring at them because I thought they were so pretty! Then Soeur Francis says,"well let's knock on their doors!" missionaries are so lucky that we can do that! So we knocked on the first one and the man said he wasnt interested so then we went to the next one and rang the bell and that is how we met Jie-Hu.

Jie-Hu is from China and converted to Christianity only 3 months ago. She let us into her home which is to die for beautiful. It literally looked like something from the Great Gatsby movie! She sat us down and we asked her to share her story and through the entire thing I had chills. I cant tell you all the details because it was a huge looong process but long story short God sent her many many miracles and tender mercies that she simply couldnt deny that He was there. He sent her friends to help her along the path back to Him and now we are a part of her story. She was so humble in her testimony of God's love and begged us to teach her more about Jesus whom she was slowly coming to know. It was such an incredible experience for me and it just emphasized how much God loves us and how very attentive He is to each one of us. He has a beautiful plan created for each one of us to return back to Him. I am so grateful to be here to have the opportunity to meet such humble people who trust God so completely and to be constantly reminded of His love for each of His children.

So our mission has recently made a big push for less active work so Sunday we went out with Sariah again to do some more pass bys and we found us some miracles!! It's the family Riga and her sister is an active member of our branch! So we arrive and she asks if her sister sent us and we said nope! God guides us in all we do! and then we shared the scriptures and a prayer with her and her husband and we had a wonderful time together. Her husband had an anneurism two years ago and so she has to take care of him all day every day. It has been really really hard on her but we testified of God's love and His awareness of her suffering. She is so sweet and sincere and she told us she still prays every single day. I cant wait to go visit her again and help her truly understand God's plan for her and His love and awareness. I know she still has that desire inside to come to church but she has been so beaten down by life but I know that she will come back and that is where she will find her true happiness and peace. 

My new theme is D&C 123:17

Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed.

So I want to be more cheerful! Because sometimes it's hard when things aren't always going the way I wish. Neal A Maxwell said "Ultimate hope and daily grumpiness are not reconcilable. It is ungraceful, unjustifed and unbecoming of us as committed church members to be constantly grumpy or of woeful countence" Heavenly sent us to earth to be happy! Soeur Melville said this morning,"when I am not being happy I am not living up to my potential." I love that! Heavenly Father sent us to this earth to find joy and happiness! He loves us so much that He is so happy when we are of "good cheer" and He is sad when we are sad. Just like Joseph Smith said happiness is the object and design of our existence. Our entire reason for being is to be happy. But it is a conscious daily choice. So I want to live up to my potential and open my eyes to the beauty of God all around me to see His hand and His blessings in my life and feel His love. Because I know it is there I just need to do better about recognizing it every day. I know that He is in the very details of our lives.

I love you all soo much! more than the Belgians love fries. and that's a lot. 

avec amour soeur hawkes 

 This is Jie-Hu's house! so beautiful! it looks small on the outside but it is HUGE on the inside! 

All us soeurs in Liege after church on Sunday!  our church building is in the background- it looks so american to me! 

Men are that they might have joy. Missionaries are that they might share joy.

Bonjour à tous!

This week was absolutely lovely. On Thursday we had a zone conference with President and Soeur Babin, I love zone conferences, they are always exactly what I need! We also had interviews so that was really great too. They have so much love for us, it is so touching! I love them, they have so much confidence in us it makes me feel like I really can do anything!

Later that night we were waiting at a crowded bus stop and we started talking to an African lady (I would tell you her name but I have absolutely NO idea how to spell it) and as we were chatting with her another woman close by was listening in and watched us the whole time! I tried desperately to think of a way to involve her in the conversation but nothing was really working, eventually the conversation died and I turned to Soeur Melville and said something in English and the woman watching us asked in English "so English is your first language" Yes! so then we all got on the bus together and we sat down next to her, she is from Egypt and people call her Dee. She was so cool!! we gave her our card and hope to see her soon! then we got off the bus and the African was right behind us and started talking to us again! She had felt the Spirit earlier and wanted to feel it again. we gave her a brochure and prayed with her. It was a wonderful miracle :) 

So each Saturday we have something called Samedi Sports where we go with amies and members to play games just to help our amies be more integrated and get friends so last Saturday we went to the church with a bunch of members and amies and had a HUGE nerf gun war. It was probably the most fun I have had in a loong time. We were running everywhere and it got pretty intense ha hiding in corners with our guns our hearts beating out of our chest as we prepared to make a run for it through enemy territory... it was awesome. 

Yesterday we went with a member Sariah (she leaves on her mission to Canada next week) to do some less active pass bys throughout our area and it was so fun and so productive. We drove all around just talking about missions and also our favorite ways to eat potatoes! We were able to see so many people! and cross off a few on our list as well ha we went to this one house and a bunch of people were outside working and they asked us who we were looking for. when we told them, they said he was already dead but we could find his son. apparently he is really famous with the police and in prison at the moment!! the workers were like maybe don't go visit him huh? that was interesting but then we passed by a woman named Jessica, she was baptized 6 years ago in a different branch and has 2 adorable children. she loved church but then they moved away into our branch and got kind of lost. When she opened her door and saw us standing there she was SO happy. We shared a message with her and the whole time she kept saying how touched she was by our love for her. She is coming today to our branch activity and i am so excited! 

Last week during Sacrament Meeting a man stood up to bear his testimony. He talked about how the missionaries helped him overcome his smoking addiction and prepare to be baptized. He kept saying over and over "the gospel has made me happy, so happy." he said it so many times and it was so touching!! he was so humble and so grateful! I loved his testimony. Sometimes after so much rejection and no immediate results from our work I get a little discouraged and I forget what a powerful impact our message can have on those who are ready! We are here to share JOY. this gospel has given me so much happiness I cannot even begin to describe it and that is why I am here in Liege Belgium talking to random strangers on the buses on the streets, everywhere! Because they are children of God and they deserve this happiness too. I am so lucky to be a missionary. I thank my Heavenly Father every day for letting me have this amazing opportunity. It is hard but is SO rewarding. I am so grateful for all of things that I am learning and experiencing here! Heavenly Father is so kind to each of us!

The gospel has made me so so happy.

avec beaucoup d'amour, soeur alicia hawkes 

Today is Belgium's National Holiday so naturally we all dressed in belgium colors :)

Antonio the Italian Shepherd :)  

Well... the other day we were doing some less active pass bys and we walked for HOURS in the hot sun searching for these addresses all over the place and we found a nice green beautiful area and took a picture ha and then we finally found one of our less actives and we talked with her at her gate but she wasn't interested so we sat down across the way in the shady grass to look up the next address and all the sudden we hear bells behind us. and there is a flock of sheep behind us!! so we get up to leave and their shepherd comes around the corner asking us why we were leaving so quick. we ended up talking with him for a while? he is from Italy and his name is Antonio. we gave him a retab brochure which has a picture of Christ with a lamb on it and Antonio LOVED it! so we took a picture with him, the brochure, and his sheep :) it was a great day!

Liege Love

Ohh. where to start. I absolutely adore Liege. I am so in love!!! Beautiful red brick and old cobblestone streets as far as the eye can see. We live right in centreville and a wonderful gauffre shop is right down the street and cathedrals are the view from our balcony. Liege is beautiful. Getting here though was quite the adventure. We took a train into Paris then I had to navigate through the metros with my suitcases and go to a different train station and went to Brussels. I waited in Brussles with a few other missionaries for a few hours and then we finally got on our train to Liege. And it was going the wrong direction!!! so then we had to get off, go back to brussels, find the right train and finally we made it to Liege. It was quite the adventure.

Our branch is so fabulous. I love them so much!! there are two branches here, so 4 missionaries for each one and the building is huge so I feel like I'm  back in the states because it's so big and there are so many people! I love them so much already I can't wait to get to know them better!

Soeur Margaret Melville is my new companion and I adore her. She is finishing her mission this month so she is a pro at this mission stuff in my eyes so I am trying to learn as much from her as I can!! She has such a gift with people. One minute they don't even want to talk with us and the next they've given us their address, two phone numbers and we have a rdv set! She is amazing. She is from Ohio and she is so kind and her french is beautiful! We live with another equipe of sisters and it seriuosly SO much fun all the time. I laugh so hard everyday and we all go running each day together and it's just great :) 

So last week I left my home of Tours. It was really difficult. I loved the people there so so much! I was talking with soeur bradley and she said that as missionaries we have pieces of our heart scattered all over France. and it is so true. but soon there will be pieces of my heart scattered in Liege as well! I can't express my gratitude and happiness for being here. Heavenly Father has blessed me so much and I am so happy to be here and meet the wonderful people of Belgium! 

I love Liege so much but for the first few days I was having a bit of a hard time and this quote kept coming back to me.

"What do you think destiny is?  A smooth path that never jostles you?  No.  When you walk in your destiny, you will crash and fall more times than you can count.  But the secret is to hold on to God's vision for your life - and for the lives of those He puts under your charge.  No matter how many times you fall, crash, and fail, you get up.  You getup and face your obstacles." 

Walking in our destiny will not be easy. It isn't supposed to be but it's through those falls and crashes that we can learn and grow and progress! Just because it is hard doesn't mean that it isn't what you're supposed to do. It's always the hardest things that are worth the most doing. I love the idea of keeping a hold on the vision God has for my life-for my mission! His plan is perfect, I just need to always continue to trust Him. He needs me here in Liege and if I do my best and stay worthy of the Spirit then it will all work out. I am so grateful He put me here Liege. I can't get over how perfect and beautiful it is. I feel like the luckiest Sister missionary ever! I am so blessed! I just hope that I can do everything that He needs me to and that I can help make this ville stronger! 

thank you all so much for your support and prayers, I really feel them everyday! I love you so much!!! 

all my love,

soeur alicia hawkes 

We found a plum tree :) 

Saying goodbye to Soeur Pajimola! I will miss her so much and her adorable daughters.

Lenaig was in Tours this week and we chatted at a little cafe together on my last day. It was soo lovely. I adore her! 

The view from our balcony :) the only thing here is that..it RAINS everyday!! but I still love it! It beats the scorching heat of Tours! 

Soeur Bradley and I at the Paris Gare! with Elder Heath smiling in the back haha 

The culture seems the same so far. the only new thing I have tried are gauffres which are waffles and they are TO DIE FOR.  GAUFFRES!!!!! aka belgian waffles, the most delicious treat I have ever eaten in my life. I want to eat them every day from now on!! also it rains here a lot! the first day I had to wear a coat and boots!! haha but i love it so much! except yesterday we were on the bus and he ran someone over! it was traumatizing. but she is okay, it wasn't too bad but it really scared me. but we have THREE amies with a baptismal date!! Soeur melville is a really really hardworking amazing missionary!!

July 7

Keep your face always to the sunshine and the shadows will fall behind you

Well. I am leaving my lovely Tours. 

I am so sad to leave! I feel torn a bit. Because Tours has a piece of my heart now and it has become my home. When I first arrived here to Tours I struggled to love it and look at me now! 4 months later with tears in my eyes as I prepare to leave my home. Crazy how that happens...but deep down I know that I have down all that I could do here and now Heavenly Father needs me somewhere else. In Belgium to be exact.

I am going to the beautiful city of Liège. I am so soups excited!! I can't wait for this new adventure! I will miss Tours dearly but I know that I have done my work and now it's time to hand it to someone else to love. I am so grateful for the opportunity that I have had to be here in Tours. I have learned so much here and have felt so much love for the people and from them. Tours is absolutely beautiful and I will miss it. I will especially miss Soeur Bradley. She has taught me so many wonderful things the few weeks we have spent together. With her, life is always beautiful. Elder Maxwell said,"Brothers and sisters, this mortal experience through which we are passing is one in which beauties abound; subtleties and delicacies are all about us, waiting to be noticed. Wonders are everywhere to be seen. It is, however, the observing meek, who will contemplate the lilies of the field, will ponder the galaxies and see God moving in His majesty and power." and that is absolutely Soeur Bradley, she always pointed out all the beauties that surrounded us not only in our physical surroundings of Tours but in all the experiences that we had and all the people that we met. I loved being with her and feeling so loved all the time and enjoying the beauty of Tours, but I'm excited to see Belgium and learn more things from my new companion! 

This week we were able to meet President Babin and his wife, in Angers. I absolutely ADORE them. We were able to have a quick 5 minute interview with them as a companionship and they absolutely glowed with love for us. The formation they gave was exactly what I needed to hear. They shared with us their goals for us their new children and it was all about loving ourselves and having a strong relationship with our Savior Jesus Christ. They played the song You are Loved by Josh Groban and Soeur Bradley and I were so excited because we already listened to that song every single day! I love that song and we decided that is our new mission theme song. Don't give up. You are loved. When things get hard I just need to say to myself, "I know why I am here. I am loved and I will continue." I really loved everything they told us and I felt so much love from them I felt my heart was filled to the brim. They are absolutely incredible and I am so excited to get to know them better. 

They also shared the Mormon Message from President Eyring. Choose This Day. which was from a conference talk he gave titled This Day. I studied it this morning and it was absolutely perfect. he gave two promises. 

"Hard as things seem today, they will be better in the next day if you choose to serve the Lord this day with your whole heart. Your circumstances may not be improved in all the ways which you desire. But you will have been given new strength to carry your burdens and new confidence that when your burdens become too heavy, the Lord, whom you have served, will carry what you cannot. He knows how. He prepared long ago. He suffered your infirmities and your sorrows when He was in the flesh so that He would know how to succor you. The other promise I make to you is that by choosing to serve Him this day, you will feel His love and grow to love Him more."

I felt so much hope and love as I read these promises. I have already seen them come to pass in my life and I know they will continue to do so. On Wednesday, I was struggling a lot, I was really sick and my anxiety was very high. We came home for our dinner hour and after I napped I got ready to go out porting for the night but I felt the dread and the panic building up inside. I sat down and cried with Soeur Bradley as she comforted and reassured me. We talked it out and she said a beautiful prayer and we left. That night I saw so many tender mercies from my loving Heavenly Father letting me know it would all be okay and that He was aware of me. We met some wonderful people that night and I felt the Savior near as He helped me carry the burden that had become too heavy to carry that day. I know without a doubt that Heavenly Father is aware of each of us and He knows us completely and perfectly. I know that the Savior is always there  with open arms ready to help us carry our loads each day. He suffered for us and He knows how to help us. 

Yesterday we went porting and we found a beautiful miracle. Her name is Florence and she's from Africa. We knocked on her door and asked if we could pray with her and she let us right in and twe talked about our faith in God and His Son, Jesus Christ and what that means to us. Florence is so believing and she has a rock solid testimony of her Savior and she was so impressed that two young American girls were walking around knocking on peoples doors asking to pray with them. She said, "Don't worry about anything. Christ already conquered your problems 2,000 years ago. Don't walk in your problems. Walk in victory. What you are doing is SO COURAGEOUS." She was truly an answer to our prayers and the whole time we were with her all I kept thinking was, "my life is so beautiful." only as a missionary would I have the opportunity to knock on people's doors only to find miracles and answers to prayers behind. Florence was the 4th person to let us in this week. I have no idea how many other doors we knocked on and rejected us but those four people  are the only ones that matter, they have changed my life. Each person I meet here teaches me so many new things. I feel so blessed to be a missionary. I adore my beautiful Tours and it will forever hold a special place in my heart but I am excited to go to Belgium and see many more miracles. Change is always a little scary but I know that I will always walk in victory. 

all my love, soeur alicia hawkes

My new address!! 

23 Boulevard d'Avory #71 4000 Liège Belgium

 Cecile and her daughter Clemence. I absolutely adore them! 

                                           PINK TREES! in Tours haha it was for some hippie festival this summer.

                                             Zarik. I love her so much. We went to see her yesterday and I told her I was leaving and wouldn't be coming back. She asked why? I tried to explain through my tears that as a missionary I've given my life to the Lord and He sends me wherever He needs me even though sometimes it is hard. As I told her that I felt reassurance and peace that Heavenly Father was aware of me and He knew where I needed to go. We both cried and hugged and I felt my heart break as we walked away but I know that I will see her again someday. :) 

So we were wandering around Tours one lunch hour and we found Charlemagne's Tower and St. Martin's Church! 

A painting by the one and only Claude Monet! 

The museum was BEAUTIFUL. it was in an old house right next to the cathedral. 

                                         Happy 4th of July from France!
We ate at the most American place we could find in Tours (Besides McDonald's-gag me with a spoon!) and of course we also did the pledge of allegiance and sang The Star Spangled Banner all day long! It was glorious :) 

Happiness is the object and design of our existence

June 30

hello family!
Another lovely week in France has passed and we saw so many beautiful tender mercies! It was a great week and I really saw the Lord's hand in our lives. Friday especially, for a little background on this story a few weeks we met a cute little family at the bus stop but they got on their bus before we got their information but they were really sweet and so kind to us. Anyway, Friday night I was struggling a lot and so Soeur Bradley and I sat down on the park bench to just soul talk it out and find some peace and as we dried our tears the bus came and out stepped that little family. We talked to them a bit more and they gave us their information and we will be seeing them Sunday next. It was such a beautiful blessing from Heavenly Father. He knows us perfectly. He knew we would be sitting on that bench and He put that family right back into our path. I felt His love so completely and I cannot wait to see our family again and teach them everything so they can be sealed forever in the temple. Missionary work is the best!

So usually I really hate my thick American accent when I speak French but Monday night it turned out to be a blessing! The Elders had given us a referral with just her address so we passed by and knocked on her door. A woman answered and I asked if she was Alyssia our referral but she was Valerie! We had been given the wrong address!! So I apologized, and she asks, are you american? and that led to a delightful conversation about what we are doing here in France and we were able to share our testimonies a bit and she was so kind and gave us her number! So hopefully we'll see her this week! It was a really neat experience and the longer we talked to her the more she warmed up and by the end we were all best friends! I love that as missionaries we can meet a stranger and twenty minutes later we are great friends. So fun.

I've been studying the conference talks from April and I really loved Elder Rasband's The Joyful Burden of Discipleship. We actually discussed in relief society and then brought it to our less active as well. He shares a quote from President Monson that says “We are surrounded by those in need of our attention, our encouragement, our support, our comfort, our kindness—be they family members, friends, acquaintances, or strangers. We are the Lord’s hands here upon the earth, with the mandate to serve and to lift His children. He is dependent upon each of us. … “‘… Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these … , ye have done it unto me’ [Matthew 25:40]

I love the idea that we are the Lord's hands. He is dependent upon each of us to share His love and assure His children that He is there watching with love and care and He is always aware of our circumstances. The STLs shared a scripture I loved. it's Mosiah 8:18 "And thus God has provided a means that man through faith might work mighty miracles therefor he becometh a great benefit to his fellow beings." I want to be a benefit to my brothers and sisters here! I love the idea that God can use me, a flawed 20 year old american girl to help His children feel His love. Soeur Bradley always says, God can draw a straight line with a crooked stick. I love that. I don't have to be perfect in order to be an instrument in God's hands I just have to be willing. I have learned that over and over again. That this work is so much bigger than me and I am just a tool here for Him to use. I am His hands and I will love every person He puts in my path! President Kimball said those mortals that we meet, are that portion of mankind God has given us to love and to serve." every person I meet in life here on the mission and afterwards God has entrusted me to care for and to love and serve. 

To be near the Savior we must be like Him and the best way to do that is to love and serve all those around us. 

I am so grateful for the opportunity to be here in France as a missionary for my Heavenly Father. I feel His love every single day and I get to share that love with everyone I meet! What more could I possibly ask for? I have never felt so much love until I came here. I think I said that last week haha but really it's true. Yesterday I was with AnneMarie our recent convert and she was telling us how her faith helped her overcome trials and I felt so much love for her and I was so happy to feel the Spirit she brought. Everyone I meet is so amazing and God just fills my heart full of love for them. It's incredible. I am so happy. 

i love you all! thank you so much for everything. you are always in my prayers. 

tout mon amour soeur alicia hawkes

We got on a train to go to Bourges for district meeting and we happened to run into Franck, the boyfriend of one of our amies! And then we met this sweet lady, Marie-France. She's the really French looking one with the dog.

These two Canadian girls came to church here in Tours yesterday! We get foreigners all the time. I love it. Speaking English is just so nice sometimes.

I am 20 years old now!!  So on my birthday we went to Bourges for our district meeting and the

Elders had made me a cake! Sooo nice! And then I got Grandma's package
with EIGHT boxes of cereal....needless to say I was very very excited
haha

                                             This is the adorable ville of Amboise. I am IN  LOVE.

We went to a chateau today! It's Amboise and Leonardo De Vinci is
buried there! It was so cool!  it was absolutely stunning. I loved it
so much, totally reminded me that I live in France! haha sometimes
it's easy to forget that!