Bonjour ma famille et mes amis!
SAINT QUENTIN. I already love it here.
I realize that no matter where you go, a whitewash is still,
well, a whitewash. I could not help but laugh to myself as my new companion,
Soeur Kohlert, and I were lugging our huge bags off of the train before it
pulled away and continued on to the next city. You acquire so many things while
on your mission and you simply don’t have time to get rid of it all. Hence, the
100 pound bags that could kill a man!
When we got there, we looked around, and a new excitement
grew within me as I realized I knew nothing about this new place. It was like
Charleroi all over again. Christmas lights were still up and, from what I could
tell, Saint Quentin has its own charm. It is such a beautiful city in northern
France. Two women from the ward arrived at the train station and helped us with
our things, and drove us to our apartment. As we drove past the red brick homes
and little city shops, I couldn’t help but have flashbacks to the beginning of
my mission in Villeneuve D'Ascq. I instantly felt at home, and it was in that
moment that I knew I was where I am supposed to be.
My new companion, Soeur Kohlert, is great. She arrived in
France the same time I did and she is a great missionary. She is from Utah
(like many of my other companions) and was serving in Luxembourg before she
arrived here with me. I am so excited to work with her and we have already become
good friends. It should be a great transfer!
Last week in Paris we had a crazy, but really great, week.
The days were biting at our heels as we prepared to head out and pack our bags
for our new areas. I was tired and stressed, wondering how in the world I was
going to get everything done. Soeur Biver and I had to make all of the
necessary preparations to close down our area at Paris Lilas. It was harder than
I had expected it to be … not just the physical work it took to update the area
book, inform all of the members and amies that we would be leaving and pass
them off to the elder teams, but it was also hard emotionally. At one point as
I was organizing all of the different paperwork, maps and information about our
amis, when my eyes filled with tears. I couldn’t help but think, "What is
going to happen to our people here? Are they just going to fall through the
cracks? The elders are so busy with their work and their amis … these people I
have grown to love are just going to be lost and forgotten." It hurt my
heart to think that all of the work that we and the sisters before us had done,
could be lost knowing there weren’t new sisters coming to replace us.
In that moment, I got on my knees and offered a prayer to my
Father in Heaven. I poured out my soul, pleading for comfort and expressing my
worries and fears of leaving this place, and leaving these people. That comfort
came. As I finished my prayer, an overwhelming sense of peace entered my mind
and heart. I knew that everything was going to be okay. I knew the Lord heard
my prayer and was aware of my efforts to leave this place in the best hands. It
was then that I truly realized that I was leaving Paris Lilas in the best of
hands … His.
I am so grateful for the power of prayer. I know Christ
lives and that God answers our prayers. I am grateful for the chance I had to
serve in Paris and grow to love the ward there. The members really stepped up
and started working better with the missionaries. The last Sunday they announced
that they had called five people to serve as member missionaries! I will miss
the ward so much.
Soeur Biver and I also had a great New Year’s Eve and New
Year’s Day! On New Year’s Eve, we went to the Ravello family’s home. They are a
sweet family from Peru and we went with the other elder teams and had a great
dinner together. On New Years Day, we went out to discover Paris a bit! Not
everything was open, but we went to Sacre Coeur (a church) with a member,
Sonia, and our amie, Ammara. It was so much fun! It was special too because I
went to Sacre Coeur the first day of my mission here in France. I remember
making goals and "consecrating" ourselves to the Lord and His work
for the next 18 months. It was neat going back after so long and reflecting on
that moment, especially on the New Year. Later that evening we went and saw the
Eiffel Tower all lit up! Wow, it was stunning! It was a great time with Sonia
and Ammara, and it was so neat being able to see a bit more of Paris!
We saw Marie and Raquel before we left. We had powerful
lessons on the Plan of Salvation. They really loved the idea of being able to
live with their families for eternity and it seemed to make sense to them when
we explained that we truly did live with God before this life, and that we will
live with Him again. It was sad saying goodbye, but I know Marie and Raquel
will continue to progress towards baptism!
I loved this talk given by President Uchtdorf. He talks
about making New Year’s resolutions and deciding, NOW, to become the person we
want to be. Read it!
"The Best Time to Plant a Tree": http://www.lds.org/liahona/2014/01/the-best-time-to-plant-a-tree?cid=HPWE010114311&im=true&lang=eng
Here is an excerpt from the talk:
"An old proverb says, ‘The best time to plant a tree is
20 years ago. The second-best time is now.’ There is something wonderful and
hopeful about the word ‘now’. There is something empowering about the fact that
if we choose to decide now, we can move forward at this very moment. Now is the
best time to start becoming the person we eventually want to be - not only 20
years from now but also for all eternity."
We must choose now to change. If we don’t, we never will.
'Someday' will never come, but choosing 'today' is the way we will change. I
have recommitted myself to living the highest standards of obedience and doing
everything I can to be in unity with my companion and to have the Spirit with
me. When we sanctify ourselves, God endows us with power. Soeur Kohlert and I
know there are big things waiting for us here in Saint Quentin. We are going to
see miracles. I love my mission and I love each of you for the good example you
are to me. Thank you for your prayers … please pray for the Josse Family (here
in Saint Quentin), that they will continue to progress towards baptism!
Have a wonderful week, and great New Year’s resolutions!
Stick to ‘em! Love you!
Soeur Madeline Vance
p.s. If you would like my address in Saint Quentin, you can
email me at madeline.vance@myldsmail.net
or ask my parents for it.
