Frank and Nancy and their little baby! 

                                               
                                        Cecile and her son Louis and of course the dog Helios.

                                           Racheal and her family! They are members in our branch. 

Dreams Come True!  I saw the Eiffel Tower on Wednesday!

So this week we went to Torcy (it's right outside of Paris) for exchanges and because there was a massive strike our train was cancelled so we got stuck in Paris for a few hours. So we went to see the Eiffel Tower and I totally died. It is absolutely magnificent. Just like everything I had ever dreamed and more! I might be a little dramatic but seriously it is absolutely breathtaking! 

Fall down seven times, Stand up eight.

This week was... interesting. But really good and full of miracles as always but also...it was just a week that things were hard. Sometimes it is seriously so hard. I don't mean to complain but let's be honest, in life there are times when things are just hard and we don't exactly know why. We don't know what's going on or where God is at. 

Tuesday was probably the most absurd day of my entire life. I can't remember all the details, I think I blocked them from my memory but everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong! We showed up at the church for district meeting and had completely forgotten that the Elders had changed it to Wednesday not Tuesday! so we wasted SO much time getting to and from the church and that was a wonderful beginning to our day...then throughout the day things just kept going wrong. it was seriously so terrible. we spent a good hour looking for an adress that did not exist and we missed buses or took the wrong ones and by the end of the day I was so spent and worn out and we were walking home, so discouraged and just tired and there in the middle of our path is Drunk Man. we just call him that because every time we see him he is drunk and yelling at people and being scary. He hangs out a lot in our neighborhood and he's pretty sketchy, he has chased the sisters a few times and even grabbed them! So we ran away from him all the way home just to be safe and that was the end of the most ridiculous day.

Now for the moral of the story just like you expected :)

Sometimes Heavenly Father lets hard things happen. And these things weren't even that terrible. I've definitely had worse days for sure. But the things that happened I KNEW I could have prevented. But they happened anyway. why?

This week I had been studying about the Atonement and learning to forgive myself and to really put into practice the things I have been learning about. I have been trying so hard to learn to allow myself to make mistakes and to laugh instead of groan and to really just find the joy in missionary work despite all the searching for imaginary addresses and running from scary drunk men or getting rejected and mocked. Heavenly Father in His kind and loving way had provided me with opportunities that gave me the choice to apply what I had been studying and learning or to fall back into old habits. He let all those absurd things happen so I could learn to laugh at myself and to let go and trust that He knows me and He knows what is going on. 

I think that is one of the many themes of my mission. learning to trust God and making the conscious effort to see His hand in my life. To daily realize that He is there, that He knows me and what is going on in my life. 

I had been waiting for Dad's letter for TWO weeks. And it came on Saturday. But we spent the weekend in Le Mans for Stake Conference so I didn't get it until Sunday night. But I am really glad that it came when it did. Because like I said this week was just a little difficult. and that letter really helped me remember why I was out here and that truly God knows each one of us personally  and loves us more than we know. Constantly throughout my mission I have been reassured over and over of this truth. I have never felt His love so constantly and so surely before. He reminds me every day and I can see His hand in my life if I just look for it. And it isn't even that hard to find, there are evidences every where I turn! Like Lea. 

We were able to meet with her again Friday night and we SET A BAPTISMAL DATE WITH HER!!!!!!!!! I am so excited for her. She is so prepared and so full of faith! She started reading the Book of Mormon and LOVES it and she is so excited that it is true and not changed like the Bible is. She asks golden questions and cannot wait to be baptized. She just really gets it. She is a huge blessing in my life. I adore her so much and I cant believe how lucky I am! Heavenly Father is much too kind to let me be here in Tours to meet all these amazing people! She said that we are her family here. Tugged at my heart strings! I adore her. 

Sunday night we were also able to stop by and see Helene. The older lady we met porting last week. She is so sweet. She told us she didn't want to meet with us until she had finished with the Book of Mormon so naturally we just showed up uninvited and she let us in to talk with her about the restoration and the gospel. She is really ready too. She kept telling us that there was something missing in the Catholic church and she hopes we can help her figure out what it is. Uhh yeah we can!! I love her so much, she is so sincere and genuine and is seeking for the truth and it just makes me soo grateful because I have the truth! All of my life I have been blessed to have the truth and the best part is I get to be here and have the opportunity to share it!! So this week we are going to go back with the Elders to give her a blessing because she broke her foot a couple weeks ago. Yesterday she asked if we had the same miracles that Jesus did because we are his restored church. and we were so excited to tell her yes and explain the priesthood a little so we offered her a blessing and she was really excited about it so I can't wait to go back so she can have that experience! 

Even though there are those silly absurd days and the hard weeks and the struggles and stress that go along with missionary life, I really wouldn't be anywhere else. I am so happy and content here. I have a wonderful companion, fabulous branch members who take care of us, and amazing amies who love us and the gospel! I have family and friends that support me and I feel so blessed all the time! It can't get any better! Heavenly Father is so so kind to us and if there is anything I have learned on my mission it's that He is there. Always. Watching over us and blessing us as much as He can! He loves us so much more than we can comprehend and I am so grateful for this knowledge because it brings a peace and a happiness and hope you can't find anywhere else! 

quote for the week... "We may not feel deeply enough to know joy unless our hears have been hollowed out by sorrow. A heart may not be big enough to know real joy until it has been stretched and pulled by trials and hard things" 

thank you so much for your support and prayers. I love you all more than you know! 
all my love, soeur alicia hawkes 

We went to the chateau right next to our house! It's small and you can't even go inside but its super beautiful and it was a fun little adventure :) 

This week was absolutely wonderful. I adore my new companion Soeur Autumn Bradley. She is from California and she's gorgeous, in her 9th transfer, her French is flawless and she's an amazing missionary. I am so glad we get to be here together in Tours. I really hope that she rubs off on me! We've been together for less than a week and already we have had so many fantastic adventures! 

Our biggest miracle this week is an adorable 18 year old French girl named Lea. On Thursday we went porting and we knocked on her door and she let us in right away. She actually told us later, that she isn't the type of person to let random strangers into her home but right away she trusted us. She felt that we had something different. So anyway. She lets us in and we just chatted and got to know her. She just finished cancer treatments in January, and because of that she turned to God. She bore her testimony to us of God's love and we were all crying. It was absolutely amazing. Lea is one of the biggest miracles of my mission. At the end, we offered to pray and bless her and her home and she literally gasped and said would you please!? She then sat right next to me on the couch and we prayed. The Spirit was so strong and afterwards, she gave us little bracelets. She said you've changed my life today and I want to give you something to remember me by. She is way too cute. Then she asked if she could come to our church and Sunday she came and we taught her the plan of salvation. She asked so many golden questions and at the end, she asked us if she could be baptized. I couldn't help but cry as we told her yes. She is so prepared. She is so open and so willing, and she has so much faith. I absolutely love her so much. I am so grateful she is in my life!! Today she took us to see the Cathedral in Tours and I died. It was sooo gorgeous and even more she gave us a great tour! It was so fun to be with Lea and she is definitely one of our best friends. I love how kind Heavenly Father is to each of us and He has allowed me to be in France at this time in this place with these people. This weekend was full of so many tender mercies of Heavenly Father just letting me know that He is aware and that everything is under His control. 

On Friday night, we went back to Lea's building for a rendez-vous with her but she had to work late so we decided to finish porting the building. On the very last door an older lady answered looked at us and before I could say anything she said noo I do not want any Jehovah Witnesses here! We kindly explained who we were and that we simply wanted to pray with her. She ended up letting us in and we talked about life and searching for truth. It was really neat to see the Spirit work in her and touch her heart. In the beginning she was very hardened but by the end, she admitted that she had felt the Spirit of God touch her heart and she looved the Book of Mormon. We left her with a copy and will be seeing her later this week. 

This work is so much bigger than me. I am so weak and so small. Yet Heavenly Father gave me the chance to be here and to be an instrument in His hands to help His children. It was incredible to see His hand in our lives this week as He guided us. My whole mission I always thought that I wasn't a very good missionary unless I was perfect. (Ridiculous I know :) But this weekend I learned that Heavenly Father doesn't require me to be perfect. He simply wants me to try. There's a quote by Bruce R. McKonkie that says, "The path of discleship doesn't require perfection only that you are struggling, striving and desiring." and it is so true. "The only perfect person ever to live was not a perfectionist. Perfection is not required of us; it is promised to us."  How comforting that is to me that I don't have to be perfect! That knowledge lifts such a huge weight off my shoulders! I wish I would have figured that out sooner..haha but I am so grateful to know that because of my Savior all I ever have to do is try. and when I mess up it is okay. He is always right there to pick me up, dust me off and send me back on my way to try again. He is with us every step if we only be still and realize it. I've noticed that I let little things stress me out. I find myself wondering how on earth things are going to work out and I can't seem to worry my way out of problems. But then I realized that the Spirit can't speak to me when I'm too worried or stressed. The Spirit speaks to those who are still. Here's a little portion from a talk I read this week...

       "Consider the experience of the children of Israel, trapped by the Red Sea on one side and the armies of Pharaoh on the other. When they saw their precarious situation the people were           sore afraid and the children of Israel cried out unto the Lord and then to Moses in essence saying 'we're going to die! why have you done this to us? Didn't we tell you this would happen?' Their statements reveal great worry prior to the exodus and great regret after. As Pharaoh's armies bore down upon them, all were in turmoil and panic. All that is, except one whose heart was calm, whose soul was still. And to that one still soul, the still small voice whispered, 'Part the sea'.

I know that Heavenly Father is there and that He loves and knows each of us. I am so grateful to be a missionary. I love this work and I love the Lord! Thank you so much for all your support and prayers! I love you all so much! 

all my love, soeur alicia hawkes 

 This is Lea. She is soo adorable!

                                              Soeur Bradley and I at the Cathedral of Tours!

                                       Fritz the Elephant en vrai! He lived in Tours until he died in 1904

                                  these are the little bracelets that Lea gave us!! She is tooo cute.

                                                                     the cathedral!! 

Bonjour à tous!!

Happy Birthday mom!!! I hope you had a wonderful birthday!! It sounded like it was a great party!! We sang to you from France! :)

Soo. Soeur Bennion is leaving for Lille on Wednesday! We'll go to Paris, send her on her way and I shall pick up my new companion Soeur Autumn Bradley. I don't know anything about her yet so I'll get back to you on that next week.

This past week was full of miracles as usual! We worked really hard this week trying our best to strengthen this ville! On Monday night we were coming home from porting and we were on the tram. We ended up talking to a woman, Elanor and gave her a book of Mormon! We were just chatting about prayer and faith in God and she started talking about how she had nightmares every night but if she prayed they weren't too bad. immediately alma 37:37 from the Book of Mormon came to my mind so I opened up and shared it with her. She read it and asked, "What book is this?" I answered it was the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. So we introduced it and she asked if she could have it! It was a really cool miracle and it just built my testimony that Heavenly Father will give me the words that His children need to hear. The Spirit will always give us what to say, we just need to have the courage to open our mouths to share the gospel! 

Then on Thursday we saw our favorite amie, Nancy and her little baby Frank jr. and WE FIXED A BAPTISMAL DATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I seriously cannot express my happiness. I want this SO MUCH for her. I can't wait!!! The only problem is...she is moving into the Lyon Mission boundaries!! haha which is fine, she will be well taken care of I just wasn't finished having her in my life yet! But we still have another week with her so that's good. I love her so much. Her husband is already a member so after she gets baptized, they'll wait a year and get sealed as a family forever in the temple!! I am so happy. I love being a missionary. Being a part of this is the best thing. Being a missionary is like having a front row seat to see the Atonement work in people's lives, it is the most amazing thing to experience. I am so grateful to be a missionary. I am so grateful for all the wonderful things I am learning out here. This transfer will be my happy halfway! It's really strange. I feel like it has gone by so fast but so slow. I can't believe it's halfway done! NOoooooo. haha I'm not done yet. I am so glad I still have so much time to be a servant of the Lord and taking care of the people here in France. I love being a missionary more than anything. I have never had so much happiness in my life until I came here. There is a joy in missionary work that is unlike anything else. I love the gospel. I love the knowledge that I have, that brings me so much peace and the ability to share that with others is an absolute blessing. I'm excited our ward back home is getting so missionary minded!! As missionaries, we NEED the members!!! It is our members that open so many doors for us. The members have a special spirit and their testimonies touch the hearts of our amies every. single. time. Being a part of hastening the Lord's work is a wonderful blessing and I have seen so  many miracles here in France and I know you can too back home as you work with the missionaries there and reach out to others. 

Quote for the week!

"Fill your life with service to others. As you lose your life in the service of Father in Heaven’s children, Satan’s temptations lose power in your life. Because your Father in Heaven loves you profoundly, the Atonement of Jesus Christ makes that strength possible. Isn’t it wonderful? Many of you have felt the burden of poor choices, and each of you can feel the elevating power of the Lord’s forgiveness, mercy, and strength."-Elder Richard G. Scott

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

all my love, soeur hawkes