Christmas Fun - December 30, 2013

Hello,

Talking to all of you on Christmas was such a highlight. I am glad that everyone is doing so well. When Zoe said "I love you Kari" I almost started crying!  I am such a baby. 

Well this week was...different, mainly because of the holidays but we were still able to see a fair number of people. Christmas eve was really awesome. we went to several of our amis or less actives and we read the story of the birth of Jesus Christ. Every couple verses, I played on the violin (while they sang) the hymn that went along with that particular part in the story. For example, after it says "and she brought first her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn." after that, we sang/played silent night or Away in a Manger. It was so great and it was the best way to pass the day :).

But...at about 4, we had only 1 rdv left with one of our amis. After that, we would go to the Ypersier's and have Christmas eve dinner. So we get to the bus stop and it was FREEZING!! The wind was probably about 20 mph and it's raining pretty hard. We wait for the bus (scheduled to come at 4:12)...and it doesn't come. So then we wait for the next 4:42...still doesn't come. So then we wait until 5:12...still not here. So at 5:25, after waiting in the frigid cold, we decided to call Fr. Ypersier. He is our DMP and we were normally scheduled to be at his house at 6:30 but with the way things were looking, I didn't think we would ever get there. Of course! He comes zooming to our rescue and when we got to their house, Sr. Ypersier handed us blow dryers and took our wet coats away. After that, Christmas eve was magical. The Ypersier's took such good care of us. We were spiritually and physically nourished and they even gave us wonderful christmas presents! The missionaries of Charleroi 1 say it all the time---they are our Belgian Grandparents. and it is true! I love them so much.

Our lesson with Claire was really good. For those of you who don't know/remember who Claire is, she is an ami. She met the missionaries about 3 years ago. She comes to church every sunday. Loves church. Loves the members. Adores the missionaires. When we looked over what lessons she has been taught and when, I noticed that it had been a long time since she had been taught the basic lessons. (i.e. The Plan of Salvation). So we decided to start again with the lessons--and a good thing too! Even though she has been coming for over 2 years to church, she still had a ton of questions and a lot of confusion about Jospeh Smith and the Restoration. It was a really good lesson and she really opened up as to why she ins't baptized. She has no problem with what we teach and say but being baptized would be a form of betrayal to her to her family. So we're working with that and focusing on what her Father in Heaven wants for her. We asked her to bring a question like that to church last week to which she replied "I'm not comfortable doing that if you're not going to be there." I thougth that was kind of sweet :) Since we were at Charleroi 2 ward last week, she will be bringing a question to church this Sunday. We're really praying that when she receives her answer, she will have the courage to move forward.

Funny ancedote for the week: So this transfer, I have been really pushing that we get to know the members. Charleroi is a little tricky with that actually because we are over 2 wards--and they meet at the same time on Sundays--on opposite sides of town. So what we have had to do is really take advantage of the time we do have with members...or just invite ourselves over (more sneakily though)--during the holidays, that has been easier :). So it's coming along!!

Anyway, to the ancedote. So last Sunday (like 8 days ago) I scheduled a couple visits throughout the week with members in the Charleroi 1 ward. The family Rasolo, when I talked to them, immediately invited us over for dinner the following Sunday (yesterday). Well Yesterday, we were at the Charleroi 2 ward so I didn't have to chance to confirm with them to their face but when I called they were still planning on us coming and they were excited to see us. Bon! So we head to the metro and we see that the metro is coming in about 20 minutes. "Mince. I forgot that metros on sundays were so infrequent. I'll call the Rasolo's really fast and tell them we'll be about 10 minutes late". Of course they were completely understanding. Well...20 minutes passes...then 30 minutes. Needless to say. The Metro came VERY late. We FINALLY make it to our destination and at this point I'm pretty stressed. We're super late and we're going to a members house...of which I only have a vague idea of how to find their street.

We step off the metro and this man pops out of nowhere and says hello. We say hi but just continue on our way. We find the exit and we noticed that the escalater isn't working. Fantastic. It's only like 3 flights of stairs. Then that same man pops out of nowhere and tells us to take the escalator on the other end and that that one works fine. At this point I'm both confused and grateful. We head up the escalator and kind of distance ourselves from this reappearing man. We come out at a huge round about. I look at all the streets and try to figure out which one the Rasolo's were trying to describe to me. That same man pops up and says "no no! You have to cross here!" and points to the cross walk. I kind of smile to myself and cross the crosswalk and head over to the other side of the round about. We get to the other side and I start eyeing the street signs trying to find the right one. One again the man appears and this is how this conversation went:

Man: "No No, It's this way! This is the way to where I live."

I thought "well that's cool but I want to get to a different street" So I decided to take advantage of this moment and ask this nice man where this rue was.

Man: "Right here! That's what I'm saying. You're coming home with me."

Suddenly all the gears clicked together. This was the member!!!! Haha he had come to find us at the metro stop and we kept leaving him every time he reappeared. I felt so bad. Luckily, he didn't seem to notice. And that is why missionaries need to get to know their members!!!

We then had an amazing visit with the Rasolo's. They have SUCH strong testimonies of the Gospel and are incredibly proactive about missionary work. It has been really great getting to know all the members in these two wards. We haven't gotten to meet all of them yet but we have a really good start.

Well, I wish all of you a HAPPY NEW YEAR!! I hope you made a new years resolution to do some more missionary work :) Find a less active! Have them for dinner! Invite your neighbor for an FHE! Help the missionaries in your wards touch the people in your area. That's the way it's supposed to be.

Love you

Soeur Bitter

Christmas Eve With Ypersiers

PDay in Brussels

More Brussels

Two Words: Belgium Waffle

Beautiful Brussels

Warm Christmas Eve

Christmas Cheer in Belgium - December 23, 2013

Hello hello! 

First off, so excited to see all your faces Wednesday!! I'm thinking 5pm my time should work just fine. The family said they have everything to Skype...but it case they don't the DMP has 2 computers with everything set up so we'll just skip over to his house if need be.

This week was really awesome. I can't believe all that has happened actually. Wednesday we went to Versailles for a Christmas conference. There were about 5 zones there so it was HUGE. It was so amazing. President and Soeur Poznanski really took care of us.

Highlights: When we showed up, under each chair was a large vanilla envelope (yes I know it's a manila envelope but seriously. What the heck is a manila? Vanilla makes so much more sense) and a small Christmas envelope that looked just big enough to fit a credit card in. After many beautiful uplifting words, we watched a slide show of photos of the people who have baptized and confirmed this year. Well naturally every missionary was feeling pretty fragile at the end of that. Then Soeur Poznanski tells us we can open the small Christmas envelope. Too excited to contain myself I rip it open. What is before my eyes? A temple recommend holder with the France Paris Temple on the cover. On the inside was written a quote from President Monson and then a message from President and Soeur Poznanski that said

"Nous prions pour que vous puissiez vous trouver un jour dans le Temple de Paris avec ces âmes si précieuses".

Translation: We pray that you may find yourself one day in the Paris Temple with these very precious souls.

My eyes filled with tears as I immediately thought of Prisca and Sophie. (Side note-Prisca's husband is getting baptized soon and Prisca is stronger than ever. They are planning to go to the temple to be sealed to their little girls a year after her husband is baptized). These people have become a piece of my soul and the idea of leaving here one day tears me up. I pray that one day I can find a way to come back after the Temple has been finished and re-find my best friends inside the walls of the Lord's House.

Second highlight: At the end of the conference, the Assistants opened up 2 LARGE boxes and Soeur and President Poznanski reached in and pulled out hundreds of red and green envelopes. My heart skipped a beat as I instantly thought. "No. Could it be? Are those letters from our parents?! Did they arrange to have our parents send letters to us?!" Sure enough that was EXACTLY what it was. Naturally my name was the 5th to last called. I hurriedly took my envelope and found a little corner in the church to read my letters. Hot tears rolled down my face as I read some of the most loving words from the most amazing parents. Thanks mom and dad. It was exactly what I needed at the exact time.

Highlight from Charleroi: So on Saturday, we went to go see Chantel. This was the first time I have ever met her so I was pretty excited :). I love new people! Well we get to her home and she lives in incredibly humbling circumstances. We sat down on the only two chairs she had (while she stood-even though she has a bad back-she insisted we sit. SUCH NICE PEOPLE!). The house was dim and her daughter (during the whole lesson) was in the process of silencing their loud and vicious GIGANTIC dog. Theoretically this would not be the best atmosphere for inviting the spirit. But I just thought "Tant pis. We told her we would teach her about Jesus Christ and that is EXACTLY what we will do." 

We decided to teach the Gospel of Christ. We started (naturally) at the beginning - faith. As soon as we started testifying of what faith in our Savoir meant, the spirit filled the room. Throughout the lesson, the dimness of her home and her humble circumstances seemed to wash away. Her dog that, if left to it's own devices I'm pretty sure would lunge at my throat, didn't seem so intimidating and instead of another stranger, I saw standing in front of me, a humble, searching, beloved daughter of God.

We invited her to church and when we called her the next morning (at 8am) to tell her we found her a ride, she told us that she was already ready and she was excited to come to church. When she arrived, I asked her how the rest of her Saturday was. She said that after we came, her day was so much brighter and she was just so excited to come to church. The members showered her with attention and love and I loved watching her throughout the meeting as the members testified of the Birth of Christ. Needless to say, we love her and I'm so excited to see her this week.

I stink as a daughter/sister. HAPPY BIRTHDAY SARAH, STEVEN AND PAPA!!!!!!!! I'm sending you all personal emails as we speak. I'm cutting this email short so I can :) feel special

Anyway, I will see you all soon :) I'm so excited to skype with you.

May your Christmas be centered on the true spirit of Christmas and may you hearts be filled with thoughts of our Savoir and his birth.

Love love love you

Soeur Bitter

Big Move to Charleroi Belgium - December 16, 2013

Hello hello hello! 

I have officially left the countryside of France for the inner-city Belgium. Mmmmm waffles. Yum. It really is a COMPLETELY different country here. Same language but the people in beglium are most definitely not the French haha.

So I'll give the highlights of both Rennes and Belgium.

So I received the news Monday that I would be leaving Rennes. Not going to lie-biggest shocker of my life. I was in the middle of training and usually, you will stay with your blue. But anyway, I decided to wait to tell Sophie that I was leaving until our RDV -- which was Tuesdaynight--my last RDV in Rennes. (Couldn't have planned that better).

We went over to Sophie's and right away I told her (mainly because there was no way I could make it through an entire lesson without). She was SO SAD. She said when she imagined her baptism she thought of her best friend being there too. :( Sigh. She understood though and in her prayer, she asked Heavenly Father to help me find Sophie #2 in Belgium haha. So cute

So for our lesson, we went through the Baptismal questions and just made sure that she was completely ready for Baptism. It was an AMAZING experience. I got to hear her bear her testimony of each of the things that we had taught her. At first she was nervous for the questions but half way through it would go something like this:

"Do you believe that Jospeh Smith was a prophet and restored the true Church of Jesus Christ on the earth again?"    "OF COURSE!! no problem. PASSED!!"

Then we asked her what these things meant to her. It was amazing to watch her search her thoughts and try to explain what she felt. One of my favorites was her describing what it meant to her to have a modern day prophet.

"To me it means....that Jesus sent someone...for us...so we could know Him better. Someone that talks to God and leads the church..." She said some more things like that and then turned to me and asked "And for you? What does it mean for you?"

It then turned into a testimony meeting of all the questions. Her bearing hers first and then me sharing mine. Definitely one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.

That next day, she came to the Train Station to see me off. She bought all the missionaries breakfast patisseries and we took tons of pictures (naturally). I'm going to miss that girl so much.

Update on her: We set up an FHE the Thursday after I left and Sr Barton said that it went amazingly and (of course) the members just loved her so much. I'm excited for her to be a member. I know she will be such a support to the Rennes ward and that her testimony will bless SO MANY.

Now to Charleroi.

So We got our work cut out for us! That is for sure. We are over two wards here...unfortunately those two wards are in different buildings across town so we only get to see the members every other week--which really inhibits my endearing sense of charm. But We'll just have to work double time with the members. There are not a ton of amis right now so this is going to be the transfer of FINDING!! WOOT WOOT!! And actually we had an amazing finding experience last night.

We went to the Christmas broadcast to see if any of the less actives were there. We showed up in time for the last speaker (which was really good by the way). Well, none of the less actives were there but as I was sitting there, I was thinking of where we could do finding in Charleroi. I really didn't know the ville at all and there were really no sections that were more family oriented. it was all old--in fact it kind of looks like Brooklyn NY--no skyscrapers though. Just lots and lots of brick 2 or 3 story buildings all squished together. Some buildings are abandoned, some are nice, some have young families some have older people etc. It's just kind of a mix all together. Another problem-from our apartment, it takes a bit to get to proselyting areas. Around us has DEFINITELY been done and also around the church. Everywhere else takes like 45 minutes. I looked around the fireside and realized -- WAIT, this room is full of members!! They can take us to their neighborhoods! So Afterwards, we ran up to Soeur Wery in the ward and asked her if she could take us to their neighborhood to do some finding. She was thrilled. We drive over there and Sr Mangum has the great idea to make it a power hour.

Power Hour definition: You go to a members house, pray with them and tell them that you will be finding in their area and you ask them to pray for you while you're out. If they have ideas of specific places in their neighborhood, that's great too.

The Wery family told us of their neighbor who had received a Book of Mormon and a less active down the way. They said that the neighbor had already turned away the Elders but that we should try anyway. We try the less active first-not home. Tried the neighbor-fixed a lesson for the next day (tonight). AWESOME!! Well...at that point we had only used like 5 minutes of power hour -- so on we went. Well needless to say, I have never seen such an amazing finding miracle in my life. Not only did their neighbor and his whole family invite us back. But we also found 2 other families and single woman who we fixed lessons with this week. AMAZING!! It really is amazing how much working with members speeds up missionary work. I am so grateful for this ward and their faith and prayers. Needless to say, we're going back to that neighborhood to finish porting it (and also to teach the lessons we fixed haha).

Well, that's all I have time for. Wish us luck in Belgium!! This week is going to be crazy.

Also, going to Paris on Wednesday for a Christmas conference. SO EXCITED!!

Also, don't know when we will be skyping the family but I'm assuming it will be Christmas night time. So Christmas morning for you. We can try google hangout again so we can have many of you peeps on at a time :) It's up to you!! I would love to see Zoe and Callan and Jon and Sarah as well as you guys :)

Love you mucho!!

Soeur Bitter

Last RDV with Sophie

Tugsuu Sending Saying Farewell

Barton and I at the Coast

Goodbye With Sophie (and Breakfast)

First Day in Charleroi 

With Soeur Barton at the Beach

New Comp. Soeur Mangum

Leaving Rennes Before Christmas (Arghh) - December 9, 2013

Hello,

The saddest news ever- I'm leaving Rennes two weeks before Christmas. So...don't send anything more here. I'm really sad but I know that where I'm going is where I am meant to be. I'm headed off to Charleroi so....SEND ME SOMETHING WARM!! 

Other news: Sophie is getting baptized- the 21st (dad's birthday!). It's such a bummer that I won't be there but I'm so excited for her.

Here's the story: So last week, we talked about baptism but she said that she didn't think she was ready. She said maybe in two months. I thought that was acceptable so we left it there. That next morning, she sent us a text and said that she had woken up "really sad because I don't have a baptism". We had told her to pray about it to know which day would be good for her. When we got to our RDV, she told us:

"You know, I've been reading this book for two hours now."

At this point I whipped around, "QUOI!? Which book? The blue one??!"

Sure enough she had been reading the Book of Mormon for two hours straight. Best. News. Ever. And in her words "I really like this book". Her favorite chapter is still the one "about the seed that you have to water and then it will grow into a strong tree. I love it because it's like my faith" :) Love it.

We then talked about dates and we decided that the 21st would be the best :) I'm so excited for her. Since then, she has been sharing the Gospel with EVERYONE. She'll ask me often things like:

"How do you say the name of our church in French? I'm talking about it to my French friends."

She's is already such a great missionary and I know that she will be such a strength to this ward. I'm excited that Rennes gets to have her and I'm excited for how much love she'll receive from these wonderful members.

In all honesty, I'm really distracted by the news that I'm leaving Rennes so I'm having a hard time writing about the week. So that's all I'm going to say.

Have a great week everyone

Soeur Bitter

p.s. I received this morning the Christmas Package from everyone. I opened the letter to see if I could open the presents early. I was shocked to see everyone signed it and then I remembered when we all sat around the table last Christmas and signed the cards. Dad's made me laugh super hard "I know you miss me!" hehe it's so true.

p.p.s I received the cutest package last week from Aunt Maria and Uncle Craig!! I read all the cards and they made me SO SO happy! The stocking is sitting proudly on my desk :) I'm excited to check out the goodies inside.

Love From Craig and Maria

Sophie's Growth in the Gospel - December 2, 2013

Hello,

So it's week 6 again and we're at the end of the transfer. I'm pretty sure I'm going to stay here in Rennes because I'm in the middle of training...but really, you can never know haha. It's crazy how quick this transfer has gone. But since it's week 6, we have a ton of things to do on our p.day and we still want to go to St. Malo so this is going to be a quick email.

So today I'm just going to give an update on Sophie. So this week I really felt we should teach the Word of Wisdom. , I was nervous. She's a 25 year old college student so this could go SO many ways. We get to her lesson and we just ask her how she has been and then I say "OK awesome. We we brought a message but we would love to start with a prayer. You can choose who will give it."

"Me. I want to give it!"

I was a little surprised since with her, she usually gives the closing prayers but I didn't think anything of it and just bowed my head. She then gave the most beautiful prayer about how thankful she is to feel His support in her life especially as she is choosing to follow His path. The spirit was incredibly strong. She finished her prayer and then started to bear her testimony of the influence she has felt of the Lord in her life. Once again she mentioned General Conference. She talked about how before, she really didn't understand what we were describing when we described the Holy Ghost (which is interesting because I could have sworn she did...opps haha).

Then she said "but then you asked me to watch that Conference and...and...it was like there was a wall that I wasn't aware was even there-and someone knocked it down, and I saw for the very first time. Ever since then, I have felt someone behind me, pushing me down this path. I can see it and it's so clear to me".

She then continued and described how good it feels to have someone who supports her. Haha at this point she back-peddled a little and said quickly  "But I know you support me too! It's just, someone on the other side, someone bigger than me. When all my friends are telling me one thing, I know what He wants for me".

We then segued into the Word of Wisdom.  After the lesson she looked at me and said "you always bring the perfect things to teach me. This is exactly what I needed. It wasn't a coincidence you brought this." It was such a testimony to me that the commandments that the Lord gives us really ARE for our good and that telling others to keep them, telling others to repent. While scary, it WILL make them happier. I love that she sees that too. I love that she sees so clearly how she needs to change because she knows how she feels and she knows what we teach will bring her more of that feeling. 

Anyway, that's all I have time for. I can't wait to see all of your lovely faces on Christmas...or Christmas eve. Whichever works best for you. We need to arrange with members when we can be at their house on Christmas to use their skype but we will let you know. Which day is better for you? The 24th or the 25th?

Love my package. Also! This morning I got a package from Grandma Weber! What the surprise!! I'm so excited!! Although, I'm guessing I can't open it until Christmas.

Sending my love!!

Soeur Bitter

French Pastries -- Baffling to Say the Least

Awesome Bookends -- November 25, 2013

Hello Hello,

This week was kind of crazy good. I think we should talk about the bookends of the week--because let's be honest, they're the best part.

Monday night after P.day, we set up Sophie to come over with us to the Bishop's house and have a FHE. She was really excited--and so were we. It's good because Sophie's french has actually gotten very good. She spoke the whole night in French to them.  If ever she couldn't find a word, she would say it in English and because the Bishop's family is fluent in English as well, they understood just fine :). Anyway, so we decided to talk about Baptism and the Gift of the Holy Ghost for the lesson. Soeur Letort had just finished sharing her thoughts about the role of the Holy Ghost in her life when Sophie said "I'd like to share my experience." I was kind of surprised. Normally Sophie is very open in our lessons but this was in French and with people she didn't really know. She began by saying that she used to be a good person. That before meeting the missionaries, she wasn't a bad person. But sometimes it's hard for young people to know the completely right path. She went on to talk about how the more she learns about Christ and the more she prays, the more clear the "right" is to her.

Later that night, when we were sitting around the table for dinner, Bishop Letor asked Sophie a little about China and religion there. She talked about how it is really closed off in China. That you can believe but you never talk about it. She said that they are very concerned with their careers but she said "but if they only knew that these things will just ADD to what they already have. They just need to know." Bishop Letort drove us and Sophie home that night. 

When Sophie got home, she called us. She thanked us profusely for the invitation and said that she had a really really good time. She then talked about how when she was was telling her experience, she felt that same feeling she did when she watched General Conference. :) She then asked us if during winter break she could come and do missionary work with us!! For about 3 days!! She said she loves "that feeling" so much and she "wants everyone to feel that feeling". Our little missionary. :) And yes ladies and gentleman. This is the same Sophie that only months ago was Atheist. Obviously not anymore!!

Last week, we scheduled another FHE with our ward mission leader, his family and one of our amis. Well, sadly that ami doesn't want to see us anymore. When our ward mission leader found out, he sent us a message and called us and said that he is really sorry but that he still really wants us to come to his house and eat dinner with his family even if we don't bring an ami. I told him that we had planned to bring an ami so we would keep searching for one. Well all week we searched and searched and searched for someone to bring to this FHE. 

Finally Saturday night came and we still don't have an ami. Then out of nowhere, an old ami texts us and asks how we are. We invite her to church and she says yes!! Then we invite her to the Moal's house...and she says yes again!! We're stoked. We're thinking SCORE!! BLESSINGS FALLING DOWN!! Well..then we get to church...and she's not there :( We text her and she can't come anymore. I'm sitting in Relief Society thinking still of who in the world we can bring. I knew that Frere Moal and his family would be happy to have us as we were but I also knew that this ward was really excited to do missionary work and I wanted them to experience the wonderful things we do each day! 

I then look out the window and what do I see? Nope. not popcorn popping BUT JEAN CHIRSTOPHE (our best member missionary) and who is he walking next to, I HAVE NO IDEA!!! Less than 2 minutes later he cracks open the door and leads her inside and plops her right down next to us.

*Be cool Soeur Bitter. Be cool*

She then came with us to Gospel Principles where we talked about eternal marriage. I translated for her since she doesn't understand French super well. She said she agreed with everything...which I thought was interesting since she is Chinese and this is her first time leaving mainland China. She then turned to me and told me "you know. You talk about really really good things here."

Then for Sacrament meeting it was the primary program--score. She ADORED IT. She kept saying over and over how warm it was and how next time she wanted to be early so she wouldn't miss a thing. Also, she adores the primary songs...but who doesn't. 

We invited her over to the Moals and she was so touched!! And not only was it a wonderful lesson, and she loves their family, guess who knows an unusal amount about Chinese history and speaks English really well? Frere Moal...naturally. haha They just chatted it up about the history of her country and the philosophers and the emperors and the periods of time and then she asked tons of questions about French culture. 

I was just sitting there in between these two thinking "this is not even real life." -- this is missionary dream life! I felt truly touched by how much the Lord provided for us that day. Needless to say, she is amazing and we'll be seeing her again after she gets back from Merseilles next week. :)
Also can we just point out how our most unbelivable amis are Chinese? Love them.

Well, that's all the goodies for today. :) Love you all tons!!

Also, I totally got the countdown package! I'm so excited :) They are sitting proudly on my desk (see pic below).

Happy thanksgiving

Also, last week I hit my half way mark---that was weird.

Soeur Bitter

12 Days of Christmas From Mom

Sophie - November 18, 2013

Hello,

Another week has come and gone. I was thinking I could do a little update of Sophie since we haven't talked about her in a while. Just for a refresher, Sophie is the Chinese student who had already heard the story of Joseph Smith.

So she went to Germany for a week and a half and unfortunately she lost her phone. haha But we dropped by and she had missed us! :) Anyway, she told this story of when she was in Germany. She met someone there and they went to lunch together (Sophie is one of the most outgoing people I know).

She said that this girl started talking about her life and she told Sophie about her theory of living: "Live today and take no thought for tomorrow". (As missionaries we're thinking "Uh Oh....and what did YOU say??" haha) But then Sophie said something amazing. She said she sat back and realized all the blessing that God has given her—a good family, help getting to France, and meeting the missionaries.

And then we introduced her to Christ and Christianity. She said "In that moment I knew that I was on the right path and I thought of my missionary friends and all that you have taught me". She went on to say that this last week or two has been hard because she hasn't had ANY time to see friends or to hang out.

She's in school full time and she works as well. (But she still makes time for us :)). She then said that every once in a while she feels lonely but then she thinks of us and what we told her she can do. So she gets on her knees and PRAYS! She said, "and then, I'm not sad anymore. And what is more? I know I should be doing this (praying) more often". She is so incredibly easy to teach. It's actually amazing to me how little we have taught her yet how many amazing spiritual experiences she has had. Teaching people like her make all of this worth it.

Well that's kind of all I want to share for this week :) haha sorry.

Mom & Dad- I'm so excited about the 12 days of Christmas! WOO HOOOOOO!!!! I was thinking the other day about how much I'm going to miss that. BUT NOW I WON"T! Now I'm just going to miss the Christmas stories. haha I'll look some up and read them to myself. teheh. You asked about the weather...it's pretty cold haha. But we're in one of the warmest areas in my mission...so I'm pretty grateful to be here.

Sending my love

Sœur Bitter