"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