Dear Family,
This week, we taught one of our amis about the Word of Wisdom and it turned out that she'd already been living it for years! I was absolutely blown away when she shared a story with us about how she quit smoking. She had smoked when she was younger and had quit throughout the years that she had her 3 children. But a difficult experience in her life sent her back into the bad habit.
Finally, deciding that this was something that only Heavenly Father could help her overcome, she knelt in prayer and asked Him for his help. Since then she has never smoked again. The desire itself left her from that moment on. Prayer accompanied by mighty faith can do anything. It makes me think of Christ when He healed the sick in the bible and said that His miracles only worked after faith. Faith is the essential ingredient in all miracles and healing. I know that to be true.
This week, we sat in a prefecture for my year mark waiting to renew my legality. Lines, lines, lines, waiting, lines and then finally having to go back another day! Oh lalala. But there were several miracles that came out of it. We ran into a member who had lived in the United States but was now living in France. He said that he was originally from Pakistan but had been a member all his life. When I asked him how that worked, he said simply, "I got baptized twice because all records were destroyed before leaving the country for security reasons." Wow. That is true conversion to believe under such circumstances. And someone else that we talked to showed up to church!
Next week we find out changes for the next transfer and I think my stay in Evry is drawing to a close. I'm going to miss this place and these people who I can't help but love because I've served them for this long. I think it'd be safe to say that if I ever came back to France, I would love to come back here! They have just become like family to me and I look up to their examples.
So stay tuned for an address change! And speaking of address changes, the mission home recently moved. So if you have any mail you're thinking about sending through them, please send it to:
Mission Française de Paris
13 Blvd. Carnot
78110 Le Vesinet
Do me a favor this week and invite your local missionaries to your home, get to know them and set a goal to invite someone to church or an fhe at your home with them. You'll be so blessed and happy to have shared something meaningful with your friends. It'll strengthen your relationship with them!
I love you. Have a wonderful week and pay attention to all of the beautiful things around you!
With love,
Soeur Hopkins
I know that my creativity of email title may come as a shock but I'm really working hard on this end to create a special surprise every week....
With our ami, Candida
Over at the Alves having a swinging date with their grandson...oooooh lala!
We went to a wedding reception at the church and I had a drink that got spilled down the front of me. Then someone made the comment that it looks like a map of the united states, so I could just introduce myself to people and say, "Look, I'm from here!"
With Soeur Stevine and her cute girls!
And so the other day we went porting and discovered an abandoned castle. I know, right? We took some pictures outside the walls.
Lots of love,
Melissa
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