It's True

After ten days of whitewashing this lovely city, I'm still alive!!! Haha, there are so many adventures every day and last night Sœur Gordon and I were talking and we turned to one another and said, "wait, how long have we been here?" I replied without really thinking, "I think ... 2 ½ or 3 weeks?" Time seems to go in slow motion here, and now that we know the members and people here, it seem like I have been here forever!

We are really trying to turn things around and get these two awesome wards fully integrated in our efforts out here. They are so willing to come out with us for our appointments with non-members and open up their homes for soiree familiales. We are also going to try and start "POWER HOUR" here … which basically gets the members involved in our finding efforts … to find new people in their own neighborhoods that will accept the gospel! We will keep you posted about how that goes.

We had a wonderful district meeting in Liege last week. My district leader is an elder from the South of France. He and our zone leaders are so inspired and gave us such great training on constantly finding and talking to people, as well as testifying with power as we teach.

I took this counsel to heart and really tried to implement it in my lessons with our amies this week. One of our progressing amies, Bernadette, has been taught by the missionaries for a couple years now and comes to church just about every week. She is what the members call a "dry member"; basically she lives and acts like a member of our church, but just isn't baptized! When they were telling me about her, I just had this feeling of love come over me. I decided then that I would do all I possibly can while here to touch her heart and help her come to know for herself that these things are true. We had an INCREDIBLE lesson with her this past week. She was born and raised Catholic and seems to love all the discussions we have about faith in Jesus Christ and the other basic principles we teach about the gospel, but she seems to be stuck on the principle of authority, and isn't really sure that the experiences and prophetic revelations of Joseph Smith are true. We prayed before the discussion and planned to talk about authority and how Jesus Christ restored His church and the priesthood (or the authority to act in God’s name) on the earth through Joseph Smith. She began to ask so many questions and the lesson seemed to be going in all directions as we tried to answer them. Then the Spirit prompted me to be bold and I just started to testify. I testified from the bottom of my heart that I KNOW this is the true gospel, that the Church of Jesus Christ has been restored and that Joseph Smith was a prophet … because I have prayed about it. I have searched, I have studied, I have read the Book of Mormon, and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it is true. Heavenly Father answered my prayer by telling me, through the Holy Ghost … through feelings of peace, happiness and comfort … that the gospel, in all its fullness, can only be found in His church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. My chest seemed to burn and my eyes began to water as I testified with every ounce of my soul that this gospel and these principles are what have made me into the young woman that I am today. I have NEVER felt the Spirit working through me as powerfully as I did in that moment. I began to say things and make analogies of things I have never even thought of before. I know the gift of tongues is real, and that the Lord never leaves us alone when doing His work. As I closed my remarks, silence filled the room. There were no more questions; no more remarks to combat what I had just said. Her eyes seemed to glimmer as she looked at me with a smile on her face and simply said, "Thank you." The Spirit was SO strong. With great excitement, I look forward to the progression that Bernadette will continue to make!

I am so grateful for the chance I have to serve. Sœur Gordon and I always find ourselves laughing throughout the day. We truly are growing together and are learning from one another. We have a huge zone conference this week and we have organized a musical number to sing the song, "I Stand All Amazed". I have grown to love music while on my mission, especially the hymns. I spent some time before my mission working on my voice, and I have been able to use some of those skills recently here on my mission.

I know the gospel is true and that it has been restored in these latter days because God loves us and wants us to know it. When people test my faith or my knowledge of scriptures, I never try to prove them wrong. As I testify of the love of God I have felt in my life and how I truly know that Christ is my Savior, the Spirit is able to bear witness that these things are true.

I love this work … and I love my family! I am excited to see the progress that will come in this area in the lovely country of Belgium! General Conference is this weekend, an opportunity to hear from a prophet of the Lord! TUNE in! A year ago, they announced the age change for missionaries … an announcement that has drastically changed my life. I have never been more grateful for this opportunity to serve!

LOVE YOU ALL!

Sœur Madeline Vance

 

 

BELGIQUE!

Well, this past week was a crazy one! So many changes and adventures, but that's what makes a mission exciting, right? It was hard and sad saying goodbye to all of the people I grew to love in Villeneuve D'Ascq. It was nice seeing Sandrell one last time before I left … I have grown to love her and her daughter, Leann, so much! I also had the chance to have a soiree familiale at Astou's before we left. We had so much fun, but it was so sad saying goodbye to Astou. She truly is a miracle. She gave me some bracelets as a goodbye gift and then said, "I didn't write a card. There are not words to describe what you have given me. I am so grateful that we crossed paths that one day on the street. I will forever be grateful for the happiness you two brought me in my life through the message of Jesus Christ." My eyes began to water as I embraced her for the last time. We were talking about how we would keep in touch and Sr Francis and I jokingly said, "You need to come to our weddings!" Astou then turned to us and said in all seriousness, "You send me the invite, and I'm THERE." We were so shocked but were so excited! Astou is coming to my wedding one day! Haha!

Anyway, now I am in Charleroi (shar-luh-wa) … a city in Belgium known for being an old mining community. There are many Italians here who came to work in the mines years ago. Some say the city looks like Chicago and other parts of it are covered with a beautiful countryside. Overall, everything with the transition to Charleroi from Villeneuve D'Ascq went smoothly. Sœur Gordon and I are getting along very well. Her funny personality reminds me of my cousin, Hope. Like my other three companions, she is also from Utah. She has only been out for nine weeks and it is great working with someone with a strong desire to serve, and with someone who also seems to know the French language well. It was so funny because she had NO idea we were whitewashing this area until she was on the train headed here.

This area was opened up by sister missionaries only three transfers (about 4.5 months) ago. We are both fairly young in the mission and in real life too! We are serving over two different wards, so we switch off attending wards every other Sunday and have to split the time between the two ward boundaries during the week as well. It’s hard because the chapels are on the opposite ends of our area! We've only gotten lost a few, well no, plenty of times, haha, but that is part of figuring out a new area! When we arrived, the apartment was not very organized or clean. Many of the appliances (microwave, iron) didn't work, and the stove heats up slowly. We were laughing so hard because we kept finding interesting surprises and huge dust bunnies! It used to be an elders apartment before the sisters opened it, and was just kind of run down. We make the joke that we didn't know that "whitewashing" entailed WASHING down the apartment too!

Charleroi … we like to call it "Chat"leroi ... because it is covered with cats (and SPIDERS)! They are everywhere in the bushes, just sitting in their huge webs. While porting our first night here, it was dark out and we were getting ready to head home. We decided knock on a couple more doors. One had a big iron gate that opened when we turned the handle. We entered, and figured someone would be home since the light in the living room was on. As we knocked on the door, I heard a killer dog bounding around the corner, barking his head off at us. I couldn't see it, but I screamed and grabbed Sœur Gordon! Long story short, I was attacked by a Jack Russell TERROR! (no, that isn’t a typo ... yes, TERROR!) I know they are small, but it was so vicious! I was laughing and screaming and the lady opened the door looking at us like we are a bunch of crazies in her front yard. We were laughing so hard as I ran back out of the gate. We tried explaining who we were over the loud barking, but she wasn’t really interested in learning more. It was hilarious!

Overall, we had a pretty good week. As always, change is difficult, but we are getting used to the area, the members, and the work here, bit by bit. As hard as "whitewashing" can be, Sr. Gordon and I are ready to work. We feel a big responsibility to really get the work moving here and are going to do all we can to build the Lord's Kingdom here.

We know that planning and organization will be key to the work here. We are so grateful for the efforts we are seeing from the ward members and from our DMP (ward mission leader) and their willingness to help us with this work. We are doing our best to find out the best way to split up the time and work between the two wards, because we feel that Charleroi is lacking amies. We know that we must be constantly finding, and must do our best to contact the many referrals the ward members are giving us. We know we must plan our day effectively so we aren't wasting time on the transport or métros.

I know we really need to continue to rely upon the Lord at this time for help and direction. In our lives, we don't always understand why we are needed in a certain place, but I do know that the mission leaders are inspired and that there is a reason why we are here. I know that as long as we follow the Spirit and their counsel, and do our best to be diligent and obedient, we will see miracles and success. I know that even if we don't know the "why", that we can pray in faith to know the "what" … to know WHAT we need to do at this time and WHERE we need to go to find the people who are ready to accept the gospel. I am excited for the opportunity I have to serve here, even with its challenges. We will rely on the Lord and follow the Spirit as we go about our work.

I loved this quote by Elder Oaks when he says, "We will get promptings of the Spirit when we have done everything we can, when we are out in the sun working, rather than sitting back in the shade praying for direction on the first step to take. Revelation comes when children of God are on the move." I know that is the case for each and every one of us. We don't need to see the whole lit trail in front of us while walking in the dark; all we need to see is the step in front of us. We must trust the Lord in all we do; that He knows what is best for us. I know that we are here in Charleroi whitewashing for a reason, and that the Lord is going to help us. Don't be afraid to get up and act, to show the Lord you are ready to act on your faith in Him!

Have a wonderful week!

Sœur Madeline Vance

Adventure Ahead, Piece of My Heart Left Behind

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 29^th 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 27^th! 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

Because I Have Been Given Much

Sometimes I forget that I am in the beautiful country of France! It is becoming more and more like home to me … the language, the culture, the people ... I love it! This will be my last week in Villeneuve D'Ascq. It will be an adventure leaving my first city and moving on to the next with a new companion! I will really miss it, as the people have become like close family. But change is good, it makes us grow and challenges us, forcing us to help where help is needed and meet new incredible people along the way as well.

Soeur Francis and I had a busy but wonderful week! We are at the end of her 12-week training program, and I am realizing now more than ever that it was probably ME who learned more than anyone. I have learned to rely on the Lord, work in unity, and follow the Spirit. Soeur Francis is such a great example to me and I will forever be grateful for her desire to be here. She truly has helped me keep that "new missionary" fire going strong!

We had a neat experience this last week. Soeur Francis and I were sitting across from one another in the full, hot and crowded metro car on the way to one of our proselyting areas. I saw an elderly woman standing a few feet away from me and stood up, offering her my seat so she could sit down. She did, and as I stood and held the silver pole to keep my balance as, I was thinking and praying to be able to know who I should find tonight, and with whom I needed to share the gospel. When the elderly woman got up from her spot and exited the metro, I returned to my seat and smiled at Soeur Francis sitting across from me. I then had the sudden but strong impression that I needed to pull out my French Book of Mormon and start reading it silently to myself. So I pulled it out and rested it in my lap and opened to one of my favorite chapters that talks about the resurrected Christ ministering to the Nephites in 3 Nephi. There were two people sitting to my right and suddenly I could just feel the young woman next to me leaning over, peering onto the pages, curious to find out what I was reading. She didn't just shoot a glance; it was obvious that she was reading the entire page! I discretely slid the book over a bit, so it would be easier for her to read, haha. After a while, I felt like I needed to talk to her. I wasn't going to just sit there and let her silently read and turn the page without saying something about what I believe or what this amazing book was! Haha!

I asked her if she had ever seen or read this book. She was a bit startled at first that I had noticed (it was obvious), but then she went on to tell me she hadn’t seen or read it before. Her name was Celia and she was a young college student studying at a nearby university to be a neurosurgeon. She went on to explain that she was an atheist and believed only in science. She then began asking question after question, wondering how I could KNOW that Jesus Christ lives and was resurrected, when I had never seen him. I prayed in my head to know how I could answer her many questions … we ended up riding the metro way past the stop we were supposed to get off at, and had an awesome discussion. We got off the metro, and I ended up giving her the Book of Mormon! She was interested in learning more and said she would start reading the book. We exchanged contact information and made plans to get in touch with her the next week.

What I didn't know (until later) was that the ENTIRE time, Soeur Francis had the strongest impression to talk to this lady sitting next to me. She was trying to figure out a way to do it, but figured it would be too hard to start talking across everyone in a loud and crowded metro. She then began to PRAY. She began to PRAY that I would start to talk to her. I had no idea!!!!! I just pulled out my Book of Mormon, and later talked to her. Soeur Francis later told me that she wasn't able to hear the conversation that we were having, but could tell that I was carefully trying to think of responses to her questions. She told me she began to silently pray ... harder than she ever had before that I would know what to say; that I would be able to testify with power and not be confounded by her questions. As I tried to follow the Spirit, I found that the words flowed easily for me. It wasn't until later that I had found out that my sweet companion was praying for me the entire time!!!

Companionship unity is SO vital to this missionary work. Without it, we cannot have the Spirit with us; and without the Spirit we cannot teach! I am so grateful for a companion that follows the Spirit and loves me enough to pray for me when I need it most.

I truly know that people are able to recognize us as disciples of Christ. This past week, a woman in the metro leaned over to us and frantically said, "Can you two pray for my brother? He is in the hospital." She later told us she felt a good and warm feeling when she saw us and that she could see the light of hope and happiness in our eyes. She felt like we had something important to bring to her. We really are those examples for the people around us! We were able to give her words of comfort and set up a return appointment to meet with her and start teaching her the restored gospel.

We had an awesome soiree familiale with my beloved gyspy Srekovic family! Aw, I love all of these kids so much! Our bishop was able to arrange some things and found them a house that he is letting them rent for the time being until the father is able to pay it off. It is incredible to see them so excited about the simplest things we take for granted! A toilet that flushes, a washing machine, spacious rooms with hard tile floor, pretty painted walls ... they are so grateful for the things they are given! We encouraged them to "Choose the Right" or "Choisir le Bien" and helped them make paper chains, with things listed on them that will help them follow Christ in their lives. I will miss them so much! They have the biggest hearts and are so willing to serve and give.

Unfortunately the Elder Oaks fireside in Paris with the missionaries was canceled because there is too much going on with the organization of a new stake! September 15^th will be an historic day for France! There will no longer be any roaming districts, or groups of wards, together … France will officially be made up of stakes! It’s so exciting, groups of LDS members all across France, unified in building Zion in their little part of Europe.

On Sunday, it was funny because Soeur Francis and I were called on to teach the Sunday School lesson minutes before it started, and I was also asked to give a talk right on the spot! It's amazing to see how the Lord blesses us to step up to the plate and do what needs to be done when we are willing to do so … even in French! It is going to be so easy to do that when I get back in English! We talked about the Atonement and how we can better use it in our lives. I bore my testimony in Sacrament meeting on replacing our fear with faith. If we put our lives in line with the Savior, He will help us overcome any trial that comes our way!

After church, we had a wonderful missionary fireside for the members, encouraging them to help us in this "great work of salvation!" We showed a couple clips of the broadcast and invited them to keep working with us and to continue to allow us to have FHE's at their home and to fellowship our amies. We (four sister missionaries) sang a beautiful musical number to the hymn "Because I Have Been Given Much". It was so beautiful in French and we even translated a special verse that they only have in English (Kenneth Cope) into French! It was super powerful!

Thank you for your prayers. This is the greatest work we can ever be a part of and I encourage you all to watch the special "Work of Salvation" broadcast and find ways YOU can share the gospel with your friends and family around you.

http://www.lds.org/training/wwlt/2013/hastening/special-broadcast

It’s not just up to the missionaries to do this work. We need YOU! I love you all so much!

Soeur Vance

p.s. I will be transferred in a week, so you can write to my mission address for now at:

Soeur Madeline Vance

23, rue du Onze Novembre

78110 Le Vesinet - FRANCE