Transfer Day - Goodbye to Soeur Mangum -- March 10, 2014

Hi Family & Friends,

Well for starters—it is transfers again! But this time I am transferred to Charleroi 1. It was sad to say goodbye to all of our amis and members of Charleroi 2. Sad phone calls. Saying goodbye to Soeur Mangum was sad too!!! We were together three months!!! We were so frazzled trying to get her on the train that the doors almost closed...with her inside...me outside...but her ticket in my hands. Tehhehe whoops.

BUT! Things are going really well in Charleroi 1. We have found a lot of people this last week. But I don't have much time because I want to pull lots of pics onto my sd card. So I'll do the best I can.

Soeur Puissant was at church again and even better, the entire Gisonda family was at church!!! SO AMAZING!! Soeur Gisonda is a professor of music in Brussels and she is very busy. But they are soo sweet. I'm excited that they are taking steps back.

Soeur Duret (mom of 15 kids) is doing alright. Her son is going to have an eight hour surgery this next week and that is the only thing occupying her thoughts right now. We went over the other day and because it was vacation, everyone was there :) PARTY!! Highlight of the lesson: I reach down and pull the Plan of Salvation pamphlet out of my bag and I ask the kids "What do you remember about this?" to which all of them quickly run to their backpacks, purses or to the book shelf and they pull out their personal brochure. They all sat around attentively looking at me and one of them even asked "Which page are we on again??" So cute. :)

This last week we saw the Nagloo's. Frere Nagloo has been a member for a long time. His kids are members too. He married a non-member (Annick). She got baptized this last year and they are a really strong family in Charleroi 2. Seeing them was actually our last RDV for Charleroi 2. We decided to teach the Plan of Salvation but with the perspective of Temples. We had heard that she was preparing to be sealed to her husband so we were really excited. We laid out the little pictures which she immediately exclaimed "WHY DOESN'T EVERYONE USE THESE!!!?? This makes it so easy to understand!!" It was such a beautiful lesson. At the end and with eyes full of tears she said "This is exactly what I want. I want to be sealed to my Jean Marie and our kids for all eternity.” So beautiful. That's what this work is all really about—husbands, wives and children being sealed together for time and all eternity and thus being able to live together forever.

Alain is doing well. Still progressing. Still coming to church. Pics below of our FHE with the Ypersiers. That was Soeur Mangums last FHE in Belgium. Tear, tear.

This last week we went by Lili's house again. We meant to go on Tuesday night but everything was pretty crazy trying to get Soeur Mangum ready that we weren't able to go. So we stopped by Wednesday just to say hi and to introduce my new companion. Immediately she threw open the door and welcomed us in. All her kids were there. I told her we could come back if she wanted to have our lesson another time. "No, no. Now is the perfect time." Later we find out, it's the 22 year old son's birthday haha. But even HE was like "It is such a pleasure to have you here." We talked about the power of prayer. They are from Romania and none of them smoke or drink coffee and when the oldest daughter told me that she worked on Sundays she said it with such sadness. "It stops me from going to church--the place where I know I should be."

We had a beautiful lesson about prayer and at the end the oldest daughter turned to me and said, "When I came here tonight, I was so tired. I felt I had given everything to my job. I work extreme hours. But then you came and shared this message and now I know I'll go home and I'll feel good. I feel great. I feel energized. I feel at peace."

It really is so powerful what having the Spirit with us can do. So many times we tell less actives and amis "I know you are tired after a long week. And Sunday morning comes and the last thing you want to do is to go to church for 3 hours. But I promise that you will feel more energized and ready for the upcoming week." And it has proven to be true time and time again.

Well, that's all my updates for this week. More pics to come.

Love you all and miss you

Soeur Bitter

Goodbyes With Soeur Ypersier and Soeur Mangum

New Companion: Sister Mackay