kales takes paris: 2013-10-20

Good news or bad news first?

Let's start with good. I like that better.

Gigh is incredible, golden, wonderful, and we will be friends forever I have no DOUBTS. We went over this week and taught her about the Restoration. The spirit was so thick you could have cut it with a knife. Everything just made sense to her. We started by talking about prophets, and asked her why she thinks we "don't have them anymore". She responded, "It doesn't make sense! You better be here to tell me that there is still a prophet on the earth." Yes, we are actually!! She came to institute on Friday and got along so so so well with all of the young adults. She was in Brussels on Sunday, so she couldn't come to church, but she is really excited to come next week and learn more about the plan of salvation. Oh, and she is a model. She met the king and queen of Belgium last week at a catwalk. NBD. :)

This week we were put in touch with Soeur De Walle. She has been less-active for 30 years, but decided recently that she really wants to come back to church and asked her faithful home-teacher, who has visited her the entire time...stud, to send the sister missionaries to help her come back. Her story was SO inspiring. She joined the church after meeting with the missionaries for 4 years and brought her entire family into the church with her... 17 people! She left because of a "bad leader", but has continued more or less living the standards of the church. We brought her a Book of Mormon and committed her to start reading it again, which she was excited to do. She is going to come with us tonight to the FHE for single adults. She really has the desire right now to do whatever it takes to return to activity. She is such a breath of fresh air. No excuses, just simple humility and willingness to change. I love it.

I also had a GREAT exchange this week. I stayed in Liège with Soeur Matalii and we had SO much fun running around and talking to EVERYONE. Not a ton of takers, but it felt so good to just share the gospel without hesitating. Y'all should try it. :)

OKay...the not so great news...

Valerie is not baptized. I really don't want to be negative, so I will just have to share this story post-mission. She will be baptized sooner or later, I have no doubts. It will just take some humility on the part of the branch, and her mother. She is still as ready and willing as ever. I know it will happen. It was really heart-breaking though, and I seriously learned a huge lesson through all of this that some things are out of your control.

Sheri and her 20 family members did not show up at church this week or answer our calls, BUT we will keep trying. I have so much hope for that little family. You could just feel that they have been prepared for the gospel.

I have always been a really big hater of the phrase, "Don't get your hopes up!". I think it is just about one of the stupidest things we could ever say. Hope is faith in action, and faith produces miracles. I will never stop hoping, and expecting that the people around me will make the right choices. And I am convinced that in doing this I will never stop seeing amazing miracles. I just can't sell people short. There are not enough people in this world who truly believe in others, but I am determined to be one of them!

I love y'all all so much. I can't believe I hit my 8 month mark yesterday.Time is moving way tooooooo fast.

Love, Soeur Johns