Poitiers 7:2

Aimé got baptised! I was kind of stressing about it because we had to

go all the way to angoulême because here in Poitiers we don't have a

baptismal font or any sort of thing to do a baptism, so transport was

crazy, and we took the train to get there. But the main reason I was

stressing was because the missionary that found him lives in Paris and

to surprise him she was going to come, she played a little prank on

him and said she couldn't come, but because she couldn't come he asked

me to do the talk on baptism. It wasn't for sure that she was going to

be able to make it to the baptism, so I prepared a talk, but didn't

finish it because Friday night it was set that she would be there. But

of course I worried about it, and so the whole morning when we were at

angoulême getting things sorted out I was kind of sick to my

stomaching thinking about all the things that could possibly go wrong.

But NOTHING WENT WRONG!! It was awesome, out Amis were able to come,

all the ward members were there practically and the old missionary

came so I didn't have to do the talk and Aimé loved it and gave an

awesome testimony at the end. And our Amis loved it. I don't know why

I let my self stress out.

Poitiers 7:1

Hello family, And friends and just everyone :)

I love you!

OK, so this week was really crazy. So he left Sunday night to head to
Lyon. We went to Bordeaux, spend the night with our sister training
leaders and then Monday morning we all headed off to the gare. Sister
Castagno and I had our train together going to Lyon, and so we said
goodbye to our companions at the gare.

Poitiers 6:6 otherwise known as the craziest week ever

Ahhhhh, guess what!!! I'm training! I'm sitting in the Lyon institute

with all the other trainers and it's crazy!!! Ahhhhhhhhhh I'm so

excited! So there are four coming in and 3 are European and one

Tahitian. So I'm getting a foreign companion, obviously. I'm so

excited! Ahh, nervous to, but so excited!

So, now that I got my self all excited and my heart is racing with

slightly shaking hands I will try to write what else happened this

week.

First things first, our engagés are doing awesome! Aimé and Aurech

have there baptisms coming up in less than 2 weeks, the 24th of

October and then zoé and Anastasia are doing so well too!

So much happened this week I really have no idea where to start. We

had one day that was really cool. So I have been thinking about 3

things lately that I've been hoping for I guess. Number one, that we

really need to teachable family. Number two, that we run into these

two girls that were really cool, and number three that we have a

miracle lesson with someone we lost contact with. So all of these

things happened in the space of about 5 hours. Let me tell you about

it. We wake up Wednesday morning, do our workout, start are studies,

everything like normal. Before eating lunch we had decided to go out

and do some contacting for an hour. So we head out, not many people

were talking to us, but our wandering led us to walk by some one we

had met a while ago, but hadn't been able to see. She was sitting out

side her house and so we go say hi, and have a lesson with her :)

which went really really well and she seemed like she really needed it

in the moment because when we walked up she kind of looked like she

was crying... Miracle 3 fulfilled! So we went back, ate, and then

headed out so we were passing people and going through the city and as

we were walking guess who we walk in to, Amélie! Which is one of the

two girls we had met a few weeks ago, we had fixed a rdv, but they

didn't come, and so we were super bummed, but what she told us is her

phone fell in the toilet and she had to change her phone. Miracle 3

fulfilled! And now, miracle one. So this needs a bit of a back story.

So we had been calling these old potentials, people that had met

missionaries and given their numbers probably at least a year and a

half ago, and we fixed a rdv with one. He lives in an outer ville so

we got a member to drive us there. All we knew about him was his name.

So we go, we drive up, and guess who is driving up at the same time..

Him with his wife and two kids! Voilà! Miracle one done and done!

And in that day we met some one and fixed a rdv, and met someone else

who was interested and got their number :) such an amazing day!!!

There is so much more! One of them is that sister Jacobsen left her

bag with everything in it on a train going to Paris. iPad, journal,

camera, wallet, everything was in it. And guess what, we got it back!

A member just happened to be going to Paris for the day and was able

to pick it up!

Prayers get answered people, prayers get answered!

So much to say, not enough time.

Funny things: Zoé and Anastasia, new question, taught the plan of

salvation and she says, "why can't we just go to the spirit world

right now?" :)

We visited a part member family and their 7 year old sons said the

prayer, "Merci de nous sauver du moyen âge, parce que je pense que les

gens étaient très méchants." Aka, thank you for saving us from the

Middle Ages, because I think the people were really mean.. What did

thinks about that? He reminded me of Rhett and jake. They're the same

age too.

We also got called super fly sisters... Weird

Ah, there is so much more but I can't even gather my thoughts!

I'm training!

Love sister Christensen!

Poitiers 6:5

Another week gone to fast in Poitiers. This week was...

GENERAL CONFERENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Obviously you know that, but it was

so amazing I just can't even get over it. I don't know why but just

looking at all the apostles and the prophet and their wives and such made me all sensitive and I burst into tears. Haha, I just love them

all so much it's embarrassing. But also how amazing was the last song

of the Sunday afternoon session? I loved how it started with just the

one voice and then slowly got louder and louder and louder! It was so

powerful.

I loved President Nelson's talk about women. Especially all the

adjectives that were used in it: serenity, virtue, light, love,

knowledge, character, faith, strong, courageous, converted, covenant

keeping, pure... So many! I just felt like everything he said was so

needed, the men and women of the church and everywhere cannot

duplicate each other, each brings a needed aspect to the table and all

our voices must be heard. I know I for one needed that boost of

confidence, so my goal now is to try and figure out how to step

foreword and take my place as a sister missionary, and become bedrock

firm in my faith and my convictions.

One theme I loved was testimony, and how important it is that we are

nurturing our faith and progressing so that testimonies may never

falter. And also, I just felt like so many of the talks were a call

for us to stand and take our place as believers, as the covenant

people of God. I felt a great call to be different, to stand as one

who will not bend to the influences of the world but will forever

stand tall and upright in keeping the commandments and in being an

example of Christ. It's funny because as missionaries we don't really

have a choice in standing out, we just do. With the way we dress

everyday, the badges we wear, going to talk to people all day. We

stand out, it can't be helped. I remember at the beginning of my

mission being annoyed at wearing the missionary badge because I felt

like so many people just disregarded us before we could even say

anything. People would see the name Jesus Christ and just shaking

their fingers at us and keep walking, and it bugged me. I thought we

would be able to do so much more with out these badges on because then

people would actually stop to talk to us before prejudging based on

looking at our badges. But now, I LOVE it. I love that I wear the name

of Christ unmistakeable visible each day. I love when people look at

it and ask me what I'm doing and I get to tell them, or people just

look at it and I get to smile because with out words I am saying to

them, to the world that I believe in Christ. And isn't that our great

call, to tell the world that we know he lives.

I know Jesus Christ lives, he is my best friend, he is the great

example for my life, and for what I want to be like. I love him and I

wish and want everyone to know that.

So, conference was wonderful and I have so many things I need to look

back on and act on, especially the ponderize. I love that.

This week we had a cool miracle happen. We were in Limoges for

district meeting, and someone called, but we were in the middle of the

meeting so we didn't answer. The person left a message and it ended up

being a less active member who got our number from a member he was

still in contact with and called us saying that he wants to come back

to church and he wants to start meeting with us. That has never

happened to us before, so we were pretty excited. We called back, set

up a rdv, and Saturday morning met with him. It was really cool, he

was baptized in his late twenties, and was very active, but about 8

years ago stopped coming. We had a really good get to know you lesson,

he asked for both of our favourite scriptures and chapters and said he

would read them. And as we were talking we found out he is a huge fan

of genealogy, and is week it just so happened that there was this big

conference thing in Poitiers about genealogy and the church had a

stand at it where the members were stationed to show people how to

sign up for the website etc. and he said he was going to it, so of

course we told him about our stand, and we told the members he would

be there. He spent a whole hour or so at the booth with his mom

(against the church but opened up a ton at the conference and spent a

ton of time looking at things with the members and telling stories).

He told the members there that he would come to some of the

conference, and he did and I think it was awesome. It was the Sunday

morning session and he loved in. It was cool to see all these things

kind of lining up to give him a good new start in the church.

And this week was cool for another reason. We were waiting for a

member at a bus stop to go and visit someone, and we were there a bit

early, so we walked down a street doing some contacting, no one, and

so we were turning back, and I just kind of said, hey let's porte this

house, and so we did, there were four doorbells, we did one, then the

other, then all, nothing. Just as we had turned on our heels to walk

away the door opened and this lady answered. We asked if we could do a

questionnaire, she said yes, then said a few words in English. So we

chatted about that and then she just says, "do you want to come in? I

don't bite!" No one ever invites us in! And so yes, of course we did.

So we go into to little entrance hall, and we start the questionnaire

with her and she says her mom has been the biggest example in her

life, then her eyes tested up and she said she hoped we didn't talk

about that anymore because she just died. We said about how we were

there to share the message, the truth with her that families are

forever and that she will be able to be with her mother again. She

said of course, that she believed that, then she invited us in to her

house house part. So we go, and we keep chatting, and she says, I

don't have a lot of time right now, but come back again and tell me

all about your church. ( She has actually been to Salt Lake City) she

was so funny, she said, that's my family, but I won't introduce them

to you because,( in a whisper) they aren't believing. Haha. We all had

a good laugh about it. I'm so excited to hopefully start teaching

her!!!!

Here are some questions our Chinese Amis asked us to week. I seriously

think they are the cutest people I have ever met, ahhh I just love

them!

1) Zoë, asking about the angels appearing to Joseph smith, why do they

wear white, and why don't they wear shoes?

I just said they live in the heavens, in the sky, they don't need

shoes and we all just laughed and she says, your right, that's a good

explanation! Haha so funny.

2) Anastasia, talking about the Buddhist gods asked if God and the

Buddhist gods were neighbours.  She's so funny! And don't worry, we

have answered their questions. :)

This week once again was wonderful and filled with so many blessings.

I'm so thankful for the wonderful things that God is letting me be

apart of.

Love Sister Christensen :)

Poitiers 6:4

Bordeaux conference. Elder Adler from the seventy came with his wife.

They are from Germany.

Poitier 6:3

So, it happened. I hit my half way mark. If you take a minute to think

of 5 good feelings about that, I'm feeling them, and then all the

opposite feelings too. For example, hitting half way I feel excited, I

also feel some dread. Hitting my half way I feel calm, I also think

I'm so stressed that my hair has become a whole half thinner than

before (and I didn't start with much to begin with!!) do you get what

I'm trying to express?

But all in all I feel pretty much the same :) I'm excited for what the

next half of my mission will be like. I'm going to try and do some

good, you know kind of inner reflection stuff, that I've always been

super bad at... We shall see how it goes.

This week was pretty crazy too. We just seemed to be busy. We had

district meeting here in Poitiers, and so we had the elders from

Angoulême and Limoges and then the zone leaders came from Bordeaux

and our stls from Talence (just outside of Bordeaux). It was pretty

stressful for us because their trains didn't get in till about 10:00

in the morning and that's when we usually want to start... So it was

pretty rushed. But the meeting was really good we talked about getting

back to basics, so refocusing our planning and studies and being

better at following things outlined in preach my gospel. We had

homemade lasagna for lunch and it was so good!!! Our district leader

is from Germany, he's kind of exactly what you picture when you think

of the Paul bunion, hoodwinked guy, minus the lederhosen.

So this funny thing happened this week. We had a lesson with our ami

roger. He's doing well, progressing, but he might have to move this

week :( so we aren't really sure what's going to happen, but he was at

church again, he asked me if he could have my pen... So I gave it to

him, it made me laugh. Anyways, that's not the funny thing. Right

before teaching him we were waiting with Santiago the member we were

teaching with, and so we decided to call José the ami that got

baptized the transfer before I got there. He hasn't been living in

Poitiers since his baptism so it's been hard to see him, so we call to

check up. And so I called found out how he was doing, and then we just

started talking, he doesn't have the best French so when he talks he

just kind of says "oui, le Canada, c'est bien... C'est froid. Oui,

moi, prier, lire, oui, s'est bien!" It's just really funny, and he

kept asking me questions about myself, it was nice to chat, but while

we were talking something weird happened with my eye. It had happened

earlier that day, but my eye just started burning! And I mean this

weird stinging burning, so weird, but it made my eye water ALOT. And

so I felt really ridiculous because I'm trying to talk but then my one

eye became this faucet and then roger comes up for the lesson. Haha. I

still don't really know why my eye did that, so weird.

Anyways, also something so random, Montauban, my first ville, got hit

by a tornado! Crazy right. Who knew that could happen. I think

everyone is okay, but I don't really know.

This week we taught our 2 Chinese Amis. The are so cute! We are

teaching with Santi right before soirée JA, and it pretty much turned

into a question and answer period for them. It was so cute, on of the

girls asked, "if I am a member can I get surgery for changed my face?"

Haha, and then she said, "my mom says my eyes are to small"  and that

they hurt a lot. So It's not plastic surgery really, just eye surgery,

she just didn't know how to explain it. We all laughed a lot, it was

cute. But it is so cool because they both just want to keep learning

and we talked about baptism because they wanted to know if there was a

ceremony to become a member... So perfect segway into baptism. And

they both want to get baptized! So we're going to keep teaching them

and preparing them for that! We also played this hilarious game with

them and made crepes all together on Sunday after church.

At church they had me near my testimony on prayer. It was good, I made

sense and I think I've mostly gotten over my nerves when I public

speak because my legs and hands barely shook. I could almost control

it :)

All in alll, really good week. And I really love sister Jacobsen, she

helps me to express my feelings.. So this last comp inventory was

really good, and I just think she's wonderful!!!

Poitiers 6:2

Okay, what cool things to tell you about this week? Hmm, well to start

off this week was FULL of miracles, and also the worst moment of my

entire life so far... Are you ready?

So miracle one, 5 months ago Sister Jacobsen contacted this Chinese

guy on a bus. It was a really good conversation and he seemed really

interested, but he got off before she was ready and so she didn't have

anytime to fix anything or get his information. That day they prayed

that she would be able to somehow come in contact with him again, and

then her and her companion had the district pray for that as well.

Then just this week we were contacting a group of Vietnamese girls (3)

and as we are talking this guy comes up and says hi, says he

recognized sister Jacobsen and said he was really interested and

wasn't sure how to do it. She asks him a few questions, when he met

the missionaries, he said about a year ago, but then that it was

definitely her, and that it was on a bus... 3 seconds later sister

Jacobsen realized it was the guy from 5 months ago at the bus!! We

were able to get his info this time and we have a rdv for this week!!

Then, miracle number two is coming up, we were just finishing our

nightly planning and we get a text from an unknown number. She's

speaking in English and says that she is a friend of Tony's (above

miracle guy from China) and that she just got here from Vietnam and is

looking for a church she can go to each week!!!!! We read that,

freaked out for a few minutes and then texted her back the info for

church, saying we could bus with her. That never happens!! It was so

cool. And her English is perfect!

Then, miracle 3, I know... This is crazy! So last Sunday we had that

miracle guy come to church, Roger, and after church we fixed a rdv

with him. So we taught him twice this last week. He accepted our

baptismal invitation, if he finds out it is true. If. And it is so..

:) He is really surprising, he gives off the vibe I guess or just has

this way of listening and talking that make it seem like he's

listening or understanding, but then we ask him questions like, what

is faith for you, and he gives these great answers, and when we

explained that after Christ was crucified and his apostles were killed

his teachings and the simple gospel truths that he taught were changed

or lost, he just understood. That is such a hard part sometimes for

Amis to understand, but he got it. And as we talked he brought up how

weak ways talk about prophets, but that Christ had apostles too, and

so we were able to show him pictures of the prophet and the quorum of

the twelve apostles, and he just kind of understood. He knows the

bible really well and so it's been cool to just build off of that.

Also, he came to church again :) and when we asked him about if he had

read the pamphlet or the Book of Mormon, he pulls out the pamphlet and

reads a part he wanted us to explain, and then says he didn't read

much in the Book of Mormon--he read all the introductions!! And so he

asked more questions about that. It was so nice! Teaching is so much

easier when they keep their engagements!! Something that I've really

liked about teaching him is that we were able to really explain the

importance of the priesthood, and how that power and authority comes

by the laying on of hands, like how Jesus did, and he just gets it. It

makes sense to him. Also one things he said, we asked what it would

mean or change for him if he receives the answer that our message is

true. And he said, well, that would completely change my life.

YES!!!!!!! I was so happy when he said that because sometimes people

get the answer that it is true, but then don't connect that to acting,

to changing. He just seems like such a miracle ami!!

Then, this week we had planned a JA activity (jeunes adultes=ysa). It

was supposed to be a picnic but the weather was rainy, so we  did it

at the church and Santiago, one of the members here (Mexican studying

here, been a member for 1 year and a half) brought 3 friends!! It was

awesome, so now miracle 4 :)

2 of the friends that Santiago  brought are girls from China here

studying. They are so cute! Their names are Anastasia and Zoé and they

came to church the next day!!!

So this is a big miracle, Roger, Anastasia, Zooey, and Melody (friend

of tony) all came to church!! It was Zooey and Anastasia's  first time

at church, and first time in contact with anything to do with God. So

really really cool. We have roger who has a lot of faith and knowledge

of God, Melody, who definitely believes in God, but hasn't been to

church too much, and then Zooey and Anastasia who have absolutely no

background. We taught Amis class (gospel principles) and we

strategically changed the lesson from tithing to FAITH IN JESUS

CHRIST. It was awesome! At the end of the lesson we asked Anastasia

and Zooey if the believed in God, and Anastasia said in very broken

French (miracle six is that a member just moved here from Toulouse who

is from China and was able to translate for them) that this is her

very first time and she doesn't really know anything, but that she

thinks she does believe in God, and then Zooey who speaks better

French said how she thinks that yes there is a God because she can see

in us that he exists, she said she could see in our hearts that God

exists and so she said how she is beginning to believe too. She made

me cry, I was so touched. And also we did little introductions and she

said, "je m'appelle Zooey, je viens de la Chine, je suis étudiantes à

l'université de Poitiers, c'est mon première fois à l'église, et je

vous aime!" Sooooo cuuuuuutttttttteeeee!

So ya, i need to take a break these miracles are making my hands shape... :)

So this week we have rdv set up with all of them and I'm just so excited!!!!

Also this week we helped a member move, her parents left her this

house, well really this old farm and 3 generations of her family lived

there so there was a lot, and I mean a lot of things to get rid of. So

we went to the dump a lot and while we were there we met a lady that

had met with missionaries a while ago and were able to talk with her,

she didn't seem very interested but she had the number of the member

and so if she ever wants to talk with us she knows how. That was cool

too.

Also, while we were helping the member we found 2 little abandoned

kittens. They were so cute, but they were starving and it was kind of

sad, but we bought milk to feed them from the pharmacy and one of the

workers at the dump adopted one of them. And the lady old ami lady

from above was going to take the other one for her daughter who was

super cute and was showing me all her "new treasures " that she had

gotten from the dump.

Okay, now I can tell you the worst experience of my life. So this week

we had a goal of contacting someone we are afraid of, so maybe sdf

(sans domicile fixer, homeless) or old ladies, or old men, or for me,

groups of junior or high school aged people...

We hadn't done it yet that day and we were walking towards this group

of lissez (high school ) and so I said, that's my fear, and so we had

to do it.. And IT WAS HORRIBLE! Haha, I laugh at it now, but

seriously, it was horrible. I go up, I'm smiling being nice ask if I

can ask them a few questions about the family, and they all look at

me, and they all talk at the same time, half in French and then half

in English, no one wants to do the questionnaire but they keep talking

to me, "do you speak English?" "Who's family" and one of the girls

wouldn't talk to me but asked her friend everything I said and just

like laughed, and one of them just straight up walked away.

I wanted to crawl into a hole and eat chocolate for 2 days.

But it was fine in the end because this was such a miracle week!!

Have a good week everyone! Love you!!

Sister Christensen

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