A Redhead Mormon Missionary in Paris: Colorful

Sorry it's late this week! I will try to do better next time!

Dear Family,

Thank you thank you so much for the letters, love and packages this week! I have felt so encircled about with love and care. Thank you for your examples and for your prayers!

This week, my companion and I got to see some beautiful miracles.

This past week Soeur Bradley and I passed by a family that the missionaries hadn't visited for about 6 months. The family had welcomed the missionaries into their home, but their schedules had just gotten too busy for a while. But now that the school year has begun, they've found some more time. And they are stellar.

The wife of the family (her name is Caihua or Sara she's Chinese!!!) told us about how she grew up in a non-christian religion and now, she's looking for something more in her life. Something that will help her to become a better individual and something that will strengthen her family. Right off the bat, she turned to Soeur Bradley and I and asked us, "Who is Jesus Christ to you?" and "How do you live and practice your religion?" I was so taken back by her honest and curious questions! It was such a beautiful opportunity for me to share how I live and love my faith.

And in the end, she wanted to know what she'd need to do to become Christian! So we talked to her about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We taught her about how she can pray to know for certain if this is the path God wants her to take. We invited her to work towards baptism and she accepted. Such a beautiful family with such beautiful and sincere desires.

For the past couple of months, we've been working to teach one of our amis named Chantal. She's an older french woman and she has a real desire to be baptized. She loves coming to church and feeling good about herself. And she loves us sooo sincerely much. We just feel uplifted by her everytime we see her. But we'd been having such a hard time helping her to progress. Sometimes she really struggles to understand and grasp the things we're teaching her. We were really beginning to worry. But this week, when we began teaching her....it began to click.

Right in the middle of teaching her about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the steps towards eternal life, she stopped us and explained very clearly her understanding of what we were telling her. I was kind of shocked to be honest. I might've fallen out of my chair if I hadn't been careful.

I looked over to Soeur Bradley as I realized that all of those prayers we'd been saying along with those offered by the members in our branch and our families were being answered. Chantal then told us quite simply, "I'm beginning to understand."

BEAUTIFUL!!!! (Allelujah choruses chiming in the background)

Did I ever mention how much of a riot she is? In one visit with her, she showed us all of the recent magazine ads she had, her exercise regimin and the dress she thought she might wear for her baptism (So glad she was only joking. I about DIED when she unveiled a bright red dress with a humongous rose fastened dead center). She says that she always does her exercises when she's afraid of dying--so she does them EVERYDAY. And then, we played her guitar that she bought. But none of us know how to play! She is one of the funniest people and we love her oh so much!

This week was so colorful. With so many suprising layers. Just as one door of opportunity seemed to be closing off, another one would open elsewhere. This kind of work is such a purifying experience that has humbled me to the ground and yet taken me to elevations of joy even greater, higher and grander than any Mt.Everest. How is it that all things seem to work that way? Hard things become Easy--er. Challenges bring blessings. Hope grows out of unseemingly rare possibilities.

Thank you for all of your prayers on behalf of us and thank you for all you do that adds to and comprises me of what I am. I'm so glad I get to share little peices of you all everywhere we go! Scatter the sunshine!

Love, love, love!!!

Soeur Hopkins

Bronte LOVES packages! She says thank you to her Mom and Dad!

Revree's face now adorns their fridge along with their wedding announcements haha.

Bronte and her companion realized they were unintentionally a walking American flag on September 11th, it was a reminder to them to reflect on the day.

Bronte's Ami Sonia!

Bronte's words: "The Loire River runs between Centre Ville and North Tours. It was sooo beautiful walking across the bridge!".

Bronte's words, "This is where I draw my weekly inspiration from.

In the 12 week program for the District movies, there's this awesome one liner you hear over a phone conversation. Found it on a t-shirt in HandM. haha".