Monday, October 31, 2016

Life should be enjoyed!

Bonjour family & friends!

This week I had to say goodbye to my sassy french companion, Sœur Méjean and said hello to my new companion Sœur Kitchen! Change can be hard but it is good to have new and different experiences because it allows us to learn ad grow... And that's what life is all about.  I know there are lots of things I need to learn this next transfer!!

My last rendez-vous with Sœur Méjean was Tuesday night. Our ami Clémentine invited us over to have dinner with her family. There are not members and never really have had interaction with the church. They asked lots of great questions! They have heard a lot of stuff about the church so it was a good opportunity to clear things up. It was really good to have Sœur Méjean there to show that the church is worldwide. They asked her where she was from and said, "I am French." Then they said, "Oh a French American." She responded, "No, like French from France." They were surprised to meet a "Mormon" that wasn't from America! We were able to explain to them the basics of our beliefs and what we do as missionaries. They were super cool and easy to talk with. Hopefully, we were able to leave a good impression! It must have gone alright because they already said I can come back over for dinner before I leave Brussels. What a great last rendezvous to finish up a great two transfers!

Dinner with Clémentine! Aka my favorite person ever

This week we meet a girl on the street named Vanessa. We started talking with her and she didn't seem that interested at first. Usually when that happens, we try to ask different questions or talk about different subjects until it's something that they are interested in (or until they walk away). This time the question that really made the difference was, "What are the things in life that bring you happiness?" She paused for a moment, and then got emotional. It took her a minute but then she finally managed to say, "Hardly anything, life is hard." We were able to testify that we know God is there for her and that the reason we are here on earth is to have joy.  "Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy." (2 Nephi 2:25) We explained that Indeed life can be hard, but trials and difficulties are part of the plan that Heavenly Father created for us... And that no matter the circumstance, we can always find joy and happiness. We told her that understanding why we are here on earth will not take away our problems, but make it easier to overcome the trials we face in life because we have a different perspective. We told her that one of the things that bring us comfort in hard moments is prayer. We were able to pray with her and then set up and rendez-vous for next week to explain the plan of salvation!

Fall with Sœur Kitchen!

This experience reminded me of one of my favorite quotes from President Hinckley,  "Life should be enjoyed not just endured!" What a simple, but really quite profond statement. It is so true! There are always things that we can find that make us happy. It's just up to us to choose to look for the good in every situation! Have a wonderful week. L'église est vrai.

Love, Sœur Johnson

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