A roller coaster week and a baptismal date!

This week was absolutely full of surprises.  It felt exactly like a roller coaster.  It had its ups and downs and it has been very humbling. I’m grateful for these experiences, because I learn a lot about myself.

To start out, I have set a goal for myself to become The 4th Missionary. It’s not going to be something I say I’ll do and end up not doing it.  It’s something I really want to do.  So far, I’ve seen such a difference and miracles in my life because of this commitment.  The Lord is helping me to achieve it.  What is The 4th Missionary? For those who don’t know, let me tell you in a nutshell.  Basically it’s

• Sacrificing your will to the Lord and putting your desires on a little pause.

• Becoming consecrated and using your time more wisely.

• Having charity, the pure love of Christ.

• Having faith and serving with all your HEART, MIND, might and strength.

• Measuring your success based on how well you feel you did your best, and not basing it off the success of others.

• Find people even if you don’t want to, work even if you’re too tired, and serve even if it’s too hard because it’s the only intelligent thing to do.

So, this is my plan in a nutshell. To eventually attain these things and really make them a part of my life. A quote I really like from The 4th Missionary says exactly why:

"My question is: why do all that (mission) and not benefit personally from it?" Do you see that I am not talking: about obedience: rather I am talking about intelligence? I am telling you that there is only one intelligent way to serve a mission; the way that will bless you, and benefit, and change, and uplift, and empower, and ennoble you; your life, your spirit, your character, you. That is the way of the Fourth Missionary. It is the only intelligent way to go."

What else do I need to say?  The scripture that comes to mind is, Ether 12:27

And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

It’s so incredibly true!!

OK, moving on.  We went and stopped by an ami of ours.  It was so enjoyable seeing him. He’s been an ami for a little bit.  He was picked back up from past missionaries. His name is Jacque Lebleux.  He’s 80 and married. He’s so very awesome and funny. I loved visiting him.  We teased each other, and he kept pointing out how adorable I was because I am very young.  He loves missionaries and is so welcoming. They gave us hot chocolate which I’m pretty sure they just melted a bar of chocolate, it was so thick and rich.  They’re very hard to meet with because they have so many doctors’ appointments. Hopefully we can meet with them again soon!  It was such a fun experience.

District Meeting was excellent and different once again. Elder Cheng taught about listening to our amis better.  Well, just becoming a better listener in general because if we listen we can understand them much better.  If you sit there trying to think of a response while they’re telling you a story on what they’re going through, you won’t be able to help them.  I can testify that it’s true.  He had us blind fold ourselves with our scarves and then he paired us with someone random.  We were supposed to listen to them without seeing and really teach according to their needs.  It was hard, but very good.  I tried to apply that in my life here in Calais and I’ve seen some really good results.

We had exchanges on Thursday and I loved it.  It was fun talking to other missionaries, and yes, in a way, take a break from the same routine and learn new things.  Soeur Nielsen is a tender mercy in disguise.  She helped me prepare for the future.  We were able to make plans and figure out how to apply them, so pretty much helping me build armor for battle!  It was an edifying experience and we both learned a lot from each other. She is an amazing example of charity and being a hard worker. she can find people on the street so well.  Conversations with her are so fun.  She’s really good at engaging people. It helps a lot when you’re happy, then everything is so much better.  Not only for you but for others around you as well. We need to be friendly and not robotic missionaries. I learned a lot from her.  Best exchange I’ve had so far!

Let me share one of the most amazing experiences I’ve seen and gone through so far on my mission.  It is a complete miracle.  It started when my comp and Soeur Danes (STL) were on exchanges. They found this woman while porting (door knocking) and when they sonned (rang the intercom) she picked up.  When they introduced themselves, she cried right there on the spot from up in her apartment. They were let in and were able to give her a rundown of all the lessons.  They got to know each other, and it was an amazing experience. This woman, Sabrina, was looking for something like this. They set a rendezvous for the next day and that’s when I was finally able to meet her.  I was so excited because of all the things I had heard.  We got to her place and had the chance to teach the whole Restoration. She loved it, understood it and believed it all!  The spirit was so strong.  Towards the end she was telling her past stories and it was quite sad.  She started to cry and looked so sad like she had been suffering for a long time.  Since I’m a sympathetic crier, I started to cry too.  Basically, she has a husband who doesn’t treat her very well, so she called the cops on him to protect her and her children.  Right now, she wants to get a divorce to get away from him.  Anyways, she’s never even had the Bible before, so we were able to give her something special.  We explained in more detail about the Book of Mormon and she thought the book was so precious.  She told us she would read it every day. WOW! I almost fainted.  As we were finishing, we asked her if she would give the closing prayer.  She was a bit hesitant at first, but she did it. We taught her how to do it and she gave the most perfect prayer.  Absolutely perfect. She sounded like a member saying it.  Immediately once she started saying it, the spirit hit me so strong that I started crying again.  Silently so as not to disturb anything.  It was incredible.  We finished and realized that we hadn’t asked her to be baptized yet. It was the perfect moment to do it, so we did.   I asked her, and she was on board and told us she really wanted that.  We were ecstatic! We set March 31, as the day for her baptism. This is my first real baptismal date/invite and a solid one at that!  Please pray for Sabrina Fournival because she really needs this. I know this gospel can change her life and it’s something I know can help her. Pray she will continue to have a desire to know of these things and have the spirit with her that and she will endure to the end.

Church was wonderful!  We were able to hear from Estelle, a member who has received her mission call.  She has been called to serve in the California, Los Angeles Mission!! (I can’t remember if it’s in the temple visitor center or not) Not very many Francophones (native French speakers) get a chance to leave Europe, maybe it’s because they like to use their francophone (French). It was cool hearing where she’ll be serving.  She was hoping to go to either Japan or America and so it worked out! I’m excited for her!

Well this was my week! Sorry not sorry that I wrote a novel for my weekly email, it was just too good to leave out the details ;) Love you all and make sure you try to always have a good attitude because it’s just so much easier to live life when you’re happy. I promise! It will not only help you, but also the people around you too!  Anyway, thank you for all that you do for me!

Have a great week!
Soeur Hunt

Our new ami Sabrina who is getting baptized!! 
(ami means friend, which is what they call investigators)

 District Meeting

Exhanges with Soeur Nielsen

Catching the train

Trying out the new smartphone

Map of Calais at the Lace Museum

Fashion and Lace Museum, Calais

The International City of Lace and Fashion is arranged in one of the last and largest lace plants dating back to the1870s. To display the modernity of the project, the architects chose to associate a construction that evokes contemporary lace by undulating glass and silk Jacquard boxes representing the “Leavers” trades.

According to Sarah, you can watch the lace being made as you walk through the museum.  

Bonjour a tous

Bonjour a tous, this week has been about the same, but still very good. I don’t have a lot of news, but nonetheless still good.

We had district meeting in Dunkerque and that place is so cool.  It’s fun and quaint.  We had district meeting with the STLs and the ZLs who are awesome. I'm grateful to have leaders who are always doing their best to help us. Elder Cheng, our district leader, always comes up with the most interesting lessons.  They’re cool and inspiring! He talked about balance.  The part I thought was great was meditating before you pray. I never thought to do that. So, during our meeting he had us all meditate on the floor in complete silence.  It was quite fun.  He said it was a time to contemplate and regain composure and to just think before you pray. I agree.  We need a time to think before we pray because then you know what you’re going to say and its more meaningful. The bonus is that you also have a few minutes of silence and a moment to regroup.

We went to L’Auberge on Thursday to volunteer again.  It’s that warehouse run by British people where we sort clothes.  There weren’t a lot of people this time so, we were able to get to know some people better. They play background music that echoes throughout the warehouse. It reminds me so much of the Bergstroms, especially Lucy ha-ha. I don’t know, it just has this vibe that screams Lucy! It’s funny, I love it. Just thought I’d mention that. One of the guys volunteering with us was from California.  He’s here with a friend for a while and he was asking us all about us Mormons. It was a new experience telling him about the church while sorting clothes instead of in an official sit-down lesson, it was fun and good.

We went to a Chinese buffet with a member couple.  IT WAS SO GOOD! I love Asian food. The members help us a lot with our French and they go with us to teach our amis.  It was a nice moment for us to be able to just spend time in a different way with members.

We visited Serge again on Sunday.  This time his daughter was there, and his health seemed a lot better for the moment.  It was wonderful seeing him. He's such a cute old man. His daughter is not a member, but she absolutely loves seeing us and talking with us. Her husband won’t let her be baptized or join the church.  He’s atheist, so yeah.  She's also such a cutie and so kind. They shared fun stories of the past with us.  Serge talked more this time! He's such a jokester. I love to see him and his family.

We also visited Sœur Ruffin who is 93 and in the hospital.  She was the first person to be baptized here in Calais. She's really old and spends day and night in the hospital in her bed. She was having a rough time when we visited her because she says she's done.  She doesn't want to be here anymore. She loves the Lord and knows why things happen, but she's just so exhausted. She was so happy to see us and extremely grateful that we came to visit her. I'm truly glad I get to know and see her and help her with anything that she might need. She's such a cute old lady.

Well, that’s kind of it.  My days consist of finding for a while.  It’s especially hard because there are not a lot of people out, so we find ourselves just walking and walking for a long time.  When we find someone, we sprint fighting over who gets to talk to the person first.   I’m kidding.  There are people here I promise, it’s not a complete ghost town.   We fare well and it’s all dandy.  We also get very good amounts of time to study. I love my study sessions. You can never stop learning more about this gospel. There is soooo much to learn. I'm very happy that Calais is a historical place.  There’s lots to see.   I count my blessings!

Anyways, love you all and have a fabulous week! Next week I will have to share a bit of what I’ve studied in personal study, because it’s pretty darn cool ;)

Love, Soeur Hunt

Visiting Serge and his daughter

District meeting in Dunkerque with the ZLs and STLs

When the Dunkerque sector has a car and you don't

Soeur Hunt and her comp, Soeur Hacker

The Christensens are the senior couple from Belgium.  They fixed the girls heater since it wasn't working.  I sure hope they have more than a space heater to heat up the apartment. 

The white Cliffs of Dover can be seen on a clear day from the beach in Calais.  Here's an up close and a distance shot of the cliffs

Two ships on Dunkerque harbor

Standing on a German bunker on the beach in Calais

The following photos are of the interior of the Town Hall building above. It's considered one of the most beautiful buildings in France.

On top of the Town Hall building

 The view of Calais from on top of the Town Hall building

We're upgrading

The tree that never had to fight:

For sun and sky and air and light,
But stood out in the open plain
And always got its share of rain,
Never became a forest king
But lived and died a scrubby thing.

The man who never had to toil to live,
Who never had to win his share
Of sun and sky and light and air,
Never became a manly man
But lived and died as he began.

“Good timber does not grow at ease,
The stronger wind, the stronger trees.
The further sky, the greater length,
The more the storm, the more the strength.

By sun and cold, in rain and snow,
in trees and men good timbers grow.
Where thickest lies the forest growth
We find the patriarchs of both.
And they hold council with the stars
Whose broken branches show the scars
Of many winds and much of strife.
This is the common law of life.”

—Author unknown

I really like this poem. My companion gave it to me. It helped a lot whenever we'd get frustrated that we couldn't find anyone, but again, I say this a lot, we learn from EVERYTHING we experience. I know I'm here for a reason and I don't expect things to be easy or even to come right away. One of my favorite scriptures for right now is, 3 Nephi 5:13 which I just read in personal study this week. It says,

13 Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life.

I read that every once in a while, whenever I forget my purpose.  To obtain everlasting life is not easy. To be God's and Goddesses isn't easy. We must work for it! And when we work, we grow and become the people He wants us to be! I can testify that its true, no matter the hardship, you learn and grow from that experience. 

To start off my wonderful weekly email we had District Meeting on Wednesday morning in St. Omer It was way fun catching up with old friends and getting to know new ones. Our district leader is Elder Cheng from Toronto Canada but he’s originally from Taiwan. He’s here speaking Mandarin and French so he’s awesome automatically. I really like him as my DL. His companion is a francophone and his name is Elder Danjou from Montreal. He’s really cool too. Elder de Geus you all know him.  It was fun seeing him again! Elder Shenkal his comp. is from Alpine Utah and he’s dying this transfer, he’s cool! 

For District Meeting Elder Cheng had us play Telestrations because his formation was about analogies. Kind of talking about how Christ talked in parables to help people understand from different perspectives.  It was fun and funny. Mine was about receding hair line... so with this game whatever our subject was we had to incorporate into our principles and we had to talk about faith, repentance and baptism. IT WAS HARD. Especially in French lol. I’ll give you an example: Today we are going to talk about repentance... let me give you an analogy, there is a man who has a receding hairline and he doesn’t like it.  He’s very, very sad.   So, he decides to change something about it.  He decides to shave it all off and start over new.  So now his hair is starting to come back in full all better.  That is like repentance for us.  We can start all over fresh by asking our Father for forgiveness and help to face our trials and he will help us grow back with full strength ready to face challenges with a clear conscience, no matter what comes our way.  He’s waiting to forgive us.

Zone Conference was really good too. Very long as usual, but I always learn a lot. It was different because now we have smartphones. Yeah, we share it between the equipe (companionship) so from now on missionaries coming in will not come in with tablets, but with their own phone. So soon we will be getting our own phones and well keep our tablets (having both), but from here on out the tablets are going to die and there will be just phones. weird I know. but I’m sure new and better things will come from it!

Hope you had an amazing week! love you all very much and I’ll talk to you next week! Work hard and stay awesome! 

Soeur Sarah Hunt

I'm sure she has her share of hard days but she always has a smile and a positive attitude

Calais District 

Elder Shenkal, Soeur Hacker, Soeur Hunt, Elder de Geus, Elder Cheng and Elder Danjou

Out with the old and in with the new

Inside the Calais Church

A building filled with history. Located in the heart of the city, the Town Hall is one of the most beautiful monuments in Calais in the grounds of which lies the work of Rodin, The Six Bourgeois. Its construction was decided in 1888, work began in 1911 and ended in 1925. Neo-Flemish predominant within, this monument stands proudly with its belfry of 75 meters which houses a electronic bell and clock system above the place of the Unknown Soldier. The body of the building offers very slender forms. The beautiful red brick and stone, hides in fact a reinforced concrete structure. The town hall contains a magnificent stained glass windows showing the liberation of the city by the Duke of Guise in 1558 and a canvas of Jeanne Thil representing the dedication of the Bourgeois of Calais and the busts of Henri de Guise and Richelieu.

The belfry of the Town Hall is listed as World Heritage by UNESCO since 15 July 2005.

Calais Pier Lighthouse 

The ferries to and from England

That was my week and I loved every second of it

This seemed like a very long week, but just in the sense that there was a lot to do. The week actually went by very fast because I had lots to do. It was an amazing ride, figuratively and literally. I enjoyed every moment it brought me.

I'll start with my last lesson with Brian. It was the Tuesday right before I left Nancy. It was a short lesson, but we got right to the point and it went very well. I asked him what he wanted to get out of our lessons in the future. He said he didn’t know. Soeur McBride and I knew what he needed to do. Frankly, he knew what he needed to do. He has been reading and praying which is an amazing start.  I was so happy to see him finally doing it. Little by little eventually little things turn into big things. He’s going to continue to do those things and keep working up and up. I heard he came to English class, this last Friday, super awesome! I'm so excited to see what he does with his life. His future looks very bright.  I can already see a change and I'm so happy to see him so happy. 

It was a hard goodbye with my roommates. They're amazing people and missionaries. They will be missed, and I know they will kill it wherever they are. The people in Nancy need them. 

From Paris I took two different trains that took about 3 hours to finally get to Calais. It’s very far up North and incredibly beautiful.  This is a very small ville. There are amazing people here that I can’t wait to meet and talk to. 

My new companion is Soeur Hacker and she’s from Illinois. she’s been out for almost a year and this is her 7th transfer. she studied at BYUI for a year before she came out. She didn’t study French before she came, in fact she studied German. She speaks it very well.  It seems like she’s been studying it for a while now.  I'm looking forward to working with her. 

You know, when I was back home, I always thought that missionaries were so awkward... well, more those who were speaking a new language. I told myself that I would never be a weird missionary. I TAKE IT ALL BACK, I HAVE REPENTED. I'm an awkward missionary and I understand why. I can’t exactly help it.  When you don’t speak the language its harder to communicate; in case you didn’t know. I see the members asking me things and I just sit there and give short answers and sound like a robot. No wonder they look at me weird. At one point the Bishop asked me something and I sat there for a sec and then answered. Then he responded by saying in English, "Do you speek gud Fwench yet?" I answered back yes, he just nodded, smiled and walked away. Boy, sometimes I don't like learning a new language. It’s all good though! I'm in it also for the learning experience. I realized that I got used to my ward back in Nancy when they spoke but here its different because I don’t know them so I'm trying to get used to the way they speak so I can understand them better.  It'll get there. 

There are a lot of Seagulls here. Every time I hear them I think of the ocean and it makes me so happy. I went to the English Channel yesterday and it was cold. BUT it was absolutely gorgeous! You can smell the salt air. If it’s a clear day, you can see England from afar. I also hear that if it’s a clear day, you can see the white Cliffs of Dover. There are so many cool historical sites. I love history.  It’s just wonderful knowing that you're standing where your ancestors stood at one point. It holds a lot of stories and memories. 

Part of this town makes me think of a quaint little beach town. Where everyone knows everyone, and everyone is 40 or older. There’s not a ton of people walking the small main streets, so we end up going porting, but no one seems to be home, or they just don’t answer.  Which brings me to my question, WHERE ARE ALL THE RETIRED PEOPLE GOING?  So, the work here is a little slow, it’s very humbling and it'll be good for me. it'll help me see things from a different perspective. 

We volunteer once a week at L'auberge.  It’s a place run by a group of people from England. They accept donations and distribute them to the refugees in France.  So, we go to sort the clothing or make food or sew or whatever they need at the time just from 9-12.  Everyone around you speaks English, you know, with a British accent, and you would think that it would be no big deal because you’ll be able to understand them, well yes and no.  They have their own set of vocabulary.  They’re very strict about sorting clothes.  I try to sort things properly but it’s hard!  I don’t know what a jumper is!  Then they start yelling at you in their thick British accent and it just becomes a funny situation.  After a while their accent starts rubbing off on you and then you start speaking with their British accent as well and you know you don’t want to be one of those people who starts speaking with an accent when you’re not even from there...  

Every now and then you’ll see a group of English tourists and a few English things hung up around the city.  Sometimes I also think that I’m in a little town in England.  It’s all fun.

Church was an interesting and fun experience. Like I said, there are a lot of older folk in this town, so this ward is older.  It’s quite funny, each person has their own quirky personality. I don’t know how to explain it.  I guess almost like the Andy Griffith show.  You have the quirky, you have the sane, you have the one who always gossips, and you have the one who just does what she wants no matter what.  Each person brings something to the table and I love it!!   Maybe this will help you understand how this ward is a little better.  When we sing, it’s a cappella.  So, imagine singing a hymn in sacrament a cappella.  Especially with elderly people singing.  The ward just waits until they get a missionary that can play the piano, so they won’t sound bad, but all they need to do is just call someone to play instead of waiting! Maybe nobody can play. Anyways, this one sister is the one I would classify as the one who just does what she wants no matter what.  She’s a recent convert as of last June.  While we were singing you have those people who are just flat or loud and off tune it’s just so funny. This particular sister is sitting in front of us and she’s just laughing her head off at the whole situation and the people around her are trying to keep her quiet, but they're all laughing as well.  At the end of the hymn we all had tears running down our faces. I'm already looking forward to next Sunday’s a cappella session. 

Yesterday we visited an older man who I think is 80 and he’s a member.  His name is Serge and he's the cutest old man ever.  He is sick right now and it has to do with something in his lungs.  He's never smoked or drank so it’s just old age health issues. His wife died of cancer a few years ago so he’s all alone, but his family lives really close to him.  They all live in trailer homes right next to each other. So quaint :) He really is struggling with health and he really misses his wife, so he doesn’t exactly want to be here anymore, but he loves the Lord and he knows he’ll see his wife again. Every time we go over there he gives us a snack to take with us and he said he always prays for us. I got so emotional being in his little trailer home. Just seeing him struggling to breath and walk and yet still trying to do things for us.  It made me so sad, it was just the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen in my whole life. He loves missionaries. I’m so blessed to know him, he’s such a light and I know he’s still here just to strengthen me. 

Anyways, that was my week and I loved every second of it.  I hope your week was amazing and I wish you all another amazing week.  Thank you for your prayers and love. I pray for you all always. Read your scriptures and pray, the little things matter!

Love, 

Soeur Hunt 💙

Sarah's new companion, Soeur Hacker

The beach at Calais

Much colder here than in Nancy

The wind off the Channel is freezing

Calais is a quaint coastal fishing town.  Most of the city was destroyed in the German invasion in WWII in 1940

CALAIS THEATER

The first stone was laid on 9 July 1903 on the site of an ancient cemetery. The theater was inaugurated on 1 October 1905 by the president at the time and ranked 3rd monument of France through its architect, Malgras-Delmas, who copied the facade of the Paris Opera. This work of art has two floors and is decorated with beautiful statues and 930 decorative places in a horseshoe shape around a stage of 100 square meters. The room has great acoustics and scenery.  This is considered one of the most beautiful in France!

LA TOUR DU GUET "WATCHTOWER"

The Tour du Guet is a 13th-century watchtower in Calais. Located on Place d'Armes behind the Hotel de Ville.  It is 128 ft in height, and features a dovecote for carrier pigeons. The tower dates from 1214, when Philip I, built fortifications in the town.  Damaged by a 1580 earthquake, it was used as a lighthouse until 1848, when it became a watch tower.  During World War I, it served as a military post.

You can see the belfry in the distance adjoing Calais Town Hall, which is considered one of the most beautiful in the country.

Ferry landing from England in the distance