Exciting news! I hit my 7-month mark this week and … I am
headed to BELGIUM!!! I will be leaving this first area and am transferring to a
city called Charleroi (Shar-luh-wa). I am packing my things and leaving early
Wednesday morning to meet my new companion, Soeur Gordon. We are doing
something called "whitewashing", which means that both my companion
and I are new to the area. Normally they keep a missionary there who knows the
area well and then they bring in a new one, but it sounds like President Poznanski
wants to mix things up and is having both of us come in together! It should be
fun getting to know the area; I'm sure we will have some good stories to tell
about getting lost next week!
Don't send any more mail to the Lille address. You can still
write letters to the mission office address (23, rue du Onze Novembre 78110 Le
Vesinet - FRANCE) and they will forward it out to us in our area. My new direct
address in Belgium is:
Soeur Madeline Vance
2D, rue du Moria Bte
2
6032
Mont-Sur-Marchienne - BELGIUM
(FYI – it usually takes three American stamps gets letters
out here, or an international one of course.)
Elder Oaks came yesterday and we have been preparing as a
mission for his visit these last few months. We had a goal to have 100 baptisms
in those three months (or two 6-week transfers), at a time of year when
baptisms are usually lowest (they had 74 baptisms last year during that
period). We all worked super hard to bring people into the happiness of the gospel.
We gave our hearts to the Lord and, believe it or not, we had 115 baptisms in
the two transfers! Five of them were from our ward here in Villeneuve D'Ascq! We
exceeded our seemingly impossible goal! The Lord truly blessed our efforts and
it was so great to have our two recent converts at the huge multi-stake
conference yesterday! Elder Oaks came to reorganize the stakes in France and to
add a new stake! In 1976 President Kimball prophesied that one day France would
be covered completely in stakes and, as of yesterday, that prophecy was
fulfilled. President Hinckley also prophesied in 2002 that we would have a
temple here. The temple was announced 1 ½ years ago but it has never commenced
because of huge problems with the land, government and all sorts of things … but
yesterday it was announced that they have started building!!! The work in
France is moving along so quickly and the people here are ready to receive it.
Soeur Francis and I had an interesting and wonderful last
week of the transfer! We knew it would be the last week before I left, so we
were doing our best to stay focused and busy. We had a wonderful soiree
familiale with the sweet Stagno family. They got back from their vacation in
Canada and it was so nice to see them again. We gave a lesson on temples and genealogy.
It was cool getting the parents and children excited about family history,
since both of the parents are converts and there is so much temple work to be done!
I know the temple is the House of the Lord. We must do ALL we can to be worthy
to go, so we can perform sacred ordinances such as being sealed to our families
for eternity!
We had the opportunity to celebrate Astou's 29th
birthday with her! She is so sweet and blows me away every time I see her with
the progress she continues to make as a new member of the church. She is
continually reading her scriptures and shares the gospel with the kids and her
friends. Her husband is currently living and working in Paris, but he came for
her baptism and was really touched by the changes he saw in her. We got his
contact information and passed it on to the Paris zone leader missionaries, who
set up an appointment to teach him. They were impressed to find out he was
reading the Book of Mormon we gave him, and told us their lesson went really
well. We were so happy and surprised to find out that they set a baptismal date
with him for October 27th! I know that the Lord brings about great
things by our small efforts. It’s incredible to see the ripple effect that
Astou is having on the people around her.
Soeur Francis and I had a really incredible miracle this
last week. We were walking down a main street when I saw a young woman sitting
on the steps of a house in the rain. I thought that maybe she was locked out of
her house, so we walked over to talk to her. We asked if she was locked out and
she said she left her keys at her parent’s house, so her landlord was coming to
let her in. I told her that we were just heading to the house of a family in
our ward who invited us for dinner and asked if she wanted to come for a warm
meal. She was kind of hesitant, but we told her that the family had told us we
could bring a friend, so she agreed. Her name is Amelie. She spoke to us in
English, but she's French. She was so great! She doesn't really know if she
believes in God … she prays every day, but doesn't really know why. She came
with us to the soirée familiale and, before we knocked on the door, she said,
"this isn't a trap is it?" We laughed and told her it wasn’t and we
went in and had a wonderful time. The family connected so well with her and the
mother is actually from Brazil and wanted to learn French better, and Amelie
wants to learn Portuguese, so they are going to teach each other! It really was
such an incredible experience! We haven't been able to meet with her again, but
she said she'd love to come to more church activities. Amelie truly was an
answer to our prayers. My testimony of acting on the promptings or impressions
from the Spirit continues to strengthen as I do my best to show the Lord I am
willing to do His will and am blessed in seeing the fruit that comes from that
action.
On our way to try and find one of our referrals, we took a
wrong bus and ended up riding on it for a good hour! We had no idea where we
were and couldn't get off anywhere as we were surrounded by corn fields and
cows grazing to our left and right. At first we grew really stressed because we
had no clue where we were, but decided to laugh about it, and prayed that we
would figure it out. We ended up getting off in Armentieres, clear on the other
side of the Lille area. It was hilarious as the bus driver kept looking at us
in his rearview mirror, wondering when and where we were getting off.
I truly feel so blessed to have the support of so many
people. With this new transfer coming up, my heart is full of love for these precious
people. These past six months here in Villeneuve D'Ascq have meant the world to
me, and I truly am a better person for having served here. The Lord put
specific people in my path, and allowed me to touch the hearts of certain
people I know that only I could touch. So many people have changed my life and
motivated me to want to do better and to find those who are searching for peace
and hope in their lives. I will miss so many people … I can't even begin to
name names. I just know the Lord is opening up my heart for more people that
will enter in my new area in Belgium.
As I say goodbye to those I love, I hold back tears as my
mind flashes through memories with each person I see. I pull my gyspy girls
into my arms and give them one last hug as I tell them to stay strong; and to
remember that their Father in Heaven loves them. I look around the congregation
at church, seeing families reactivated, new people brought into the fold, and
motivated members striving to do the Lord's will. Sure, some days were really
hard and the weather wasn't always ideal, but I know one thing for sure … miracles
are real. I saw more miracles in this ville than I had ever seen before in my
life. Was it because they were never there? No, it’s because I rarely took the
chance to notice the Lord's hand in my days. He was always there and always
will be; He who will save all from their sorrows and sins. I'm not perfect and
I have so much to learn, but I can honestly say that I did my best to make this
place more Christ-like than I found it. I know the Lord is proud of me and I am
so excited to hear about our amies’ success and progress well after I leave. I
am comforted to know that the Lord will take care of these people. My best
friend from the MTC, Soeur Wynn, will be taking my place. It's nice knowing
that sweet Soeur Francis and Soeur Wynn will watch over these precious people
I've grown to love.
I know there is more ahead; the Lord needs me somewhere else
now, and I am excited for the new challenges and moments of pure joy that will
come as well. It's during hard moments or change that we learn to rely on our
Savior the most.
HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEK! There really is a power in the
scriptures. Read them daily and try to apply them to your life!
Soeur Madeline Vance
