The sun is shining and miracles are happening in Gotham City

Salut!

Your packages arrived and it was perfect and the day of E's wedding was, surprisingly, filled with weddings here in France. They have this tradition here that when the wedding party is leaving the church, they all honk and have music blasting. It happened not once, not twice, but three times on Saturday. And then the elderly woman we visit shared all of her grandchildrens' wedding albums with us when we visited her, and after we looked at them I told her, "Guess what? My sister is getting married right now!" She then looked at me with the most sympathy and heartbreak and I assured her that it was okay, and that she must have been inspired to have a wedding themed visit. 

This week was so wonderful. Highlights:

— It officially feels like summer! It was hot hot hot this week and I loved it. Now that it is summer it seems that every child is outside playing soccer in come courtyard or alley. So we go to visit Petula, but she wasn't home so we waited in the little courtyard of their batiment where there were beaucoup de kids playing soccer. I started kicking the ball around with one of them and then Petula's 12 year old son Divin showed up and we started playing with him. Well, I asked him if he knew how to do a 'header', but it just wasn't translating. So in my genius I decided to show him how it's done. I picked up the ball and headed it. Directly, and at full speed into Divin's face. Yep. He thought it was hilarious, but I felt so mechante. Just a sister missionary bullying the kids of the ghetto. NBD.

— Soeur Bitter and I were porting in Le Mée, a sketchier but wonderful part of our area, and we found this cluster of batiments that is awesome. Like something out of Slumdog Millionaire. And it has a pond in the middle of it with lots of dead fish. We told the Elders all about it and we decided that we should all port it at the same time. They dubbed it Gotham City. And let me tell you, we might as well just set up the Gotham City Branch, because this place is bursting with miracles. We met the most amazing people, and we actually find ourselves wishing we could go to Gotham to port. It's our new fave place. As we were leaving the other day Soeur Bitter said "The sun is shining and miracles are happening in Gotham City!" One of my favorite things that happened when we were there, was this woman who answered the door, and wasn't very interested, but we gave her a card with a picture of Christ, and it has a free DVD offer on it. We were literally down the stairwell knocking on the next door and the phone rings. It is the woman we just talked to asking for a DVD and if we could please come back. We took her one, and we are teaching her more this week. So wonderful. Another cool one was a lady we met and we gave her a card, and then she looked at her daughter and said "Hurry run to the fridge and get that picture of Christ." It was a passalong card that she had received YEARS ago from the Elders, and she loved it so she always kept it. She said that because she has been given TWO cards, it must mean something, and she would love to come to our church. It was so wonderful to see how the little efforts those missionaries made in the past led her to accept other missionaries in the future. We never know the consequences of the small actions we make. I love to see that, and I wish we could find whoever those missionaries were to let them know that their faith and hard work lives on in France. 

— Our most wonderful, prepared, sweet amie Prisca has decided to get baptized on June 22. We are so full of joy for her! Soeur Bitter and I met her after we missed the bus and were making the trek from Petula's to the gare. We were in the midst of talking about weddings (this email makes us sound wedding obsessed. We aren't I promise) and more specifically the worst wedding announcement she has ever seen, and then all the sudden I am saying bonjour to the cutest mom walking with her two little girls, and now she is getting baptized. It has been so easy teaching her. She accepts everything, loves the Book of Mormon, has a strong faith and testimony, and really just is one of those prepared people. Her home is full of love and her family is wonderful, and I am so excited for them to have the gospel in their lives. 

— There was a carnival right outside our house all yesterday. It was such a fete. We didn't go. We were the kids watching longingly out the window. 

I love to see how the gospel brings light into peoples lives and adds to the light the already have. There is a quote I love by Joseph Smith that talks about how that is our invitation to all people: to add upon the light they already have. 

I love you and am always thankful for the light you add to me, even from across the sea. Je t'aime, je t'aime, je t'aime!

Love

Olivia