surprise service

Bonjour ma chere famille!

 

This week was action-packed. So many adventures and good things happened. We taught District Meeting, went on exchanges with the Paris Sœurs (Elizabeth, I went with Sœur Roney — she is incredible, I love her!), got smashed in the doors of the metro, and I locked the keys in the apartment. Yay!

 

Last week we met a woman named Florence. We called her this week to see when we could come over to visit her. She told us that she was in plein travail, and there was no way she could meet with us. We asked her if she needed any help with the travail. and she was like OUI. So we put on our jeans (yessssss) and went over to Florence's house and scraped up carpet. With our bare hands. And sharp blades. Her daughter recently has been suffering from bad asthma because of the carpet, and she is getting it redone, but she has no money and they told her it would be 800 euros to get the carpet up. She told them that she would do it herself. They laughed at her and told her it was impossible. Then she said "God will send angels to help me." It was the best. And we are totally going to have it done by Friday.

 

After Church on Sunday we went to the hospital to stop by Manon. She welcomed us in, and explained to us that she had been wanting to call us, but didn't know how to explain what has been happening. There are some sad sad things happening with her children in the Congo. Her eyes were welled up with tears, and she expressed how helpless she feels. She is in another country, in the hospital, and has no moyens of helping them. And then she said, "But God is good, and all is well and the only thing I can do is have faith and put things in His hands." And the thing is, with her these aren't just words. She really believes it and trusts God. I love visiting her, she just fills up that room with light. Keep Jemimah and Calro, her little ones, in your prayers. We had planned on teaching the Restoration, but as soon as we got there, this scripture just kept on running through my head, and we decided to share it:

 

 14 But, behold, Zion hath said: The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me—but he will show that he hath not. 15 For can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee, O house of Israel. 16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

Her face just became brighter and brighter and she said, "How did you know? God sent you to me."

This week I think I recognized just how often God sends people to help me, and how often we need to try to be guided so that we can help others. I love that scripture. That our "walls" are continually before Him.

I love you all and hope you have a great week,

Love

Olivia