Hey Mom and Dad!

It sounds like Kirtland is going so well. I would LOVE to be able to go with the youth one day. Those youth conferences are alwyas incredible. I'm glad that you got to go drive up with the youth and are now touring like crazy. (Dad, how was the driving? Did you have to do any late night face slapping? ca fait peur!) How come you're not staying in the marriott residence?? haha are you sleeping in bunk beds? It's more fun to be at the dorms with the youth. It's a party! I've forgotten a lot of the history already, I'll have to go back soon. I should have taken notes! I want to go to nauvoo as well. We went before the temple was built so I think its time to go again.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY HADLEY! I hope that it is way too much fun and that you eat lots of ice cream cake! I love you so much and can't believe you are turning 14! You are getting to be so old! Are you as tall as me yet?
Gma wrote me a letter and told me that she and grandpa are coming to paris in the fall? Is that true?
Ok, so i have to share this miracle with you. So we saw N every day this week! He is such an incredible man. He has a lot of trials in his life but he has such an incredible desire to know the truth and to serve. He keeps saying that he wants to find out how he can serve others despite not having anything. So we went to see him on wednesday and he said, 'you know I'm not finding work here. I'm just sitting here not going anywhere. I need to progress! I talked to my brother in Germany and he has a friend in Marseilles who can get me a job. I'm moving to marseilles this weekend.' Well, of course, we were devastated. He is so perfect BUT at the same time we thought this is going to be a good thing for him. He needs to get a job and he needs to keep moving forward so of course this is oging to be good. Well that same day we get all the info for the elders in marseilles and we were told just to call the elders there so we could give them all the infor and explain what weve taught and tout ca. SO we call them that night and we hear the message, 'hi this is the missionaries in marseilles, elder BIRK and elder something?, we cant come to the phone right now but please leave a message and well call you back.' NO WAY! elder birk was my district leader in the MTC. i couldnt believe it! so then we left a message and told them all about N. we had exchanges this week and i was up in villaneuve d'ascq (right next to lille) and it was perfect because we were able to meet nelson at the gare to get him on the train and say goodbye! so THEN that night we got permission to call the elders again to make sure everything worked out ok and elder birk said that they met him, found him a place to stay AND he is going to start work next week! so perfect. apparently he got off the train and said, 'i want to be baptized! i am here to be a member of your churhc!' hahah i love him so much. it all worked out so perfectly. we know that we can trust elder birk to take care of him and we are so excited to get pictures of his baptism. OK so the other increidble part about this whole story is that the only reason we were even in the park to meet N was because we were worried about J(he lives just up the street). We hadn't heard from him and that was really unlike him. he was always on time and always in contact with us. so we went to pass by his house but he wasnt there. anyhow we were really depressed about that but then we went to the park where we were able to find nelson. THEN the day before N leaves we get a text from J telling us that he had a family problem and he had to go to germany very last minute to work things out. not excited that he had a family problem BUT we have been in contact with him and are going to be able to start teaching him again! isnt that incredible! sometimes things dont work out as expected but we know that heavenly father always knows! jacob 4:10. i love it so much. C is also doing really well. we are trying to figure out what is going to help her recognize how much she already knows so we decided to challenge her to read the book of mormon in 59 days! that is how many days it took joseph smith to translate it! unbelievable. we are doing it with her and it is definitely pushing us too. she accepted and is excited about it. she is leaving for a couple of weeks for vacances but i really think she can do it and it is going to make a big difference for her! the exchange was good but it was national greve(strike) day so almost all of the transport was cancelled. we did a lot of finding! i got to work with sr houtz! she is super cool and we were friends inthe mtc. she was really good firends with todd and dustin and danny as well!
hey sarah got home this week! you should give her a call and tell her that i love her. i hope that everything is going ok with her family and that the adjustment is going ok!
today has been incredible(HOT)! we went to the family babin last week for dinner and they asked us what all we have seen here in paris. weve seen all the big things but they wanted to take us to the lesser known spots in versailles. of course we couldnt refuse:) they live right by the vallee de cheuvreuse. its this huge national park that is GORGEOUS. they took us to a chateau and then to a 12th century abbey. it was beautiful and not a place a lot of missionaries get to go because its not accessible by public transport. it was a perfect day. we are so blessed!
ok something that wasnt so cool about my week...i was messing around with my camera and i managed to delete all my pictures from my last transfer in brussels and since i have been here in paris. it kind of felt like i had died inside BUT as sister gifford reminded me, president hinckley tells us were supposed to come home with 10 things and none of them are pictures:) hahaha its true. im going to try and scrounge sp? from other missionaries but if you could try and make sure and try to keep safe the ones i already sent i would appreciate it! thanks

still havent bought new shoes and luckily it hasnt rained much:) im still on the hunt. as far as bdy presents i think ill just go buy something cool and french? any ideas? maybe some art? jewelry? i dont know? do you all want anything? dad, i picked up lots of brochures at the tourist center today. i want to send them your way. ok time to go i love you tons and am excited for your summer plans. tell everyone in the stake i say hi and am grateful for their love.

Hey family!

Sounds like a crazy fun week for you again. What were the Prices doing in DC? Were they just there for a visit? I can't believe Hadley is going to Oakton! Remember that first week/month/year of your first daughter to go to Oakton? We all know that Hadley's year will be full of joy and no tearing out of bed to get to seminary:) I'm smiling thinking about how awful I was. I'm so sorry!

Weekly miracle! We went over to J's last Sunday but he couldn't make it so we went to a nearby park. We sat down to pray about how we needed to use the time most effectively and we looked up and saw this guy sitting on a bench. I went over and started talking to him. So his name is N and he just moved here from Ghana. He goes, 'I walked past you and saw that you had Jesus Christ on your name tag. I was wondering about that.' Anyhow, we have met with him 3 times this week. He is so incredible. He has been talking about how he wants to go to a church and really FEEL that it is right. He is wonderful and so positive. He has a LOT of trials in his life right now and it is hard to see his situation and be somewhat helpless. He is so positive. It's just like you said mom, sometimes we have to look for the blessings but when it really comes down to it, the fact that we have all our basic needs met is an incredible blessing. On top of that we have the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I've found that a changed perspective allows for increased gratitude. We had zone conference this week and Sister Staheli had us read 'Beware of Pride' by President Benson. It's an incredible talk. I'm sure you have all read it but I think it's worth the reread. Made me realize I have a lot to repent of and a long way to go! There are a lot more faces to pride than just egotism. I'm not suggesting that any of you are proud! The point that I was getting at is that the talk mentions competitiveness as a way we can be proud. The comparison is what makes us want what we don't have or more than the next person.

L and C are both doing well. We had an FHE at the D family home on Monday and they both came! L is Soeur Desirat's friend and they have a daughter C's age. We talked about testimony and it was incredible. Soeur Gifford wrote this hilarious script about the conversion of Alma and the sons of Mosiah. We acted the whole thing out with headdresses and all. It was a lot of fun and so good for both of them to be in a gospel centered home. Mom, Sr Desirat reminds me a lot of you. She dances around in the car just like you and is short and cute:) It felt so good to be with them and have them bear their testimonies.

I still love being a missionary and still love being with Sr Gifford. Have fun in Kirtland and keep reading the scriptures! They keep us steadfast and immovable. I love you!
Soeur powers

Coup de soleil aka punched by the sun:)

That is pretty incredible that Josh has been called as district leader and senior companion! I know the feeling of inadequacy! He will be awesome and help everyone in his district to get fired up about the work. We all know he's qualified and going to do amazingly well.

Things are just chugging right along in Versailles! We met with Jeremy a couple of times this week. He came to the church for a tour and will be there for stake conference tomorrow. He has such incredible faith. He is struggling a bit at the idea of having a living prophet but he is fasting tomorrow for his answer. I'm right on board with Josh about desiring people to be able to receive a testimony for themselves. Thanks for your prayers on his behalf. I hope that Josh's ami was able to feel the spirit and understand for himself.

We had an incredible rdv with C last night. She is still working toward knowing for herself as well. We read Alma 7 with her and asked the questions, why do we need Jesus Christ and what can i do to venez et allez? Her testimony is growing. In the words of Sr Gifford, 'we exhorted her with all the tender feelings of loving missionaries.' I think you're right mom. She may need to take her time and continue to search for herself. She knows that we love her and that is the motive for everything we do. We're going to keep praying and keep meeting with her until she gets there.
We also met with L this week. He is the guy that we met my first night here. We met at the chateau and had a really powerful rdv. I got BURNED thus the coup de soleil:) He had a lot of questions about repentance. He asked about degrees of sin and talked about how there are degrees of forgiveness. We talked about the role of Jesus Christ and how, no matter the sin, we ALL need the Atonement. It can be a small or big but that doesn't change the fact that not a single one of us can be clean without the Atonement, without Jesus Christ. It was cool to see him begin to grasp the idea that he can be forgiven for his past. We read about the anti-Nephi-Lehis and how they went from being the 'most lost of all mankind' to 'they would suffer even unto death rather than commit sin.' repentance is such an incredible blessing. I was reading a talk this morning and Elder Nelson says 'repentance is the lord's regimen for spiritual growth.' We progress when we do all we can and then rely on the savior to change our hearts.
We went to dinner at this member's home this week. She is 63 years and absolutely hilarious. She lived in egypt for 3 years because she wanted to learn Arabic. She told us some unbelievable stories about climbing volcanos and watching them erupt. She goes 'ca fait mal au pied pour duex ans après. mais c'etait bonne!' hahah She told us she wants to try sky diving and learn to fly a plane next. She's my new role model.

Mom-did you get an email from a woman named V? She is a recent convert here and is a quilting FANATIC. She has a long arm in her house! You would absolutely love her. She lived in Naperville for a couple of years and joined a quilting club. Turns out all of the women were Mormon and she started going to church there. She asked for the missionaries when she got back here and got baptized tout suite. I told her about how much you love quilting and she asked for your email address. That was Wednesday so maybe she has already emailed you? Just a heads up! i told her you speak french so she might email you in french. She also speaks English so you can email back in English.
thanks for the addresses!
I'm glad that the race went well. Tell Lizbth hi for me! She is such a sweet heart. Had, have fun at yuoth conference and keep a journal!
Dad, who won the men's side? I could probably ask anyone on the street and they would know:) France played Uraguay last night for the world cup and there were horns/fireworks going off into the night. I'm still not sure who won but it seemed like everyone here was having a good time!
i love you
soeur powers

Ville du roi

How was the race for the cure? Did you win your age group Mom? Did it rain this year?? Remember the last time we did it we were running through rivers? Did gaye run it with you? Does james have a mission call? Barrett? There are actually TWO Donald Stahelis. My mission president is not the lone who was the 70 in philly. President Staheli is amazing nonetheless!

Things are still going really well. We fixed a baptismal date with J! We saw him Monday night and we talked about baptism and how it cleanses us and allows us to start our new lives as disciples of Christ. He said "yea, I would love to get baptized!" The date is set for the 26th of June. He still needs to really gain his testimony but he's going to fast tomorrow. It is ward conference so it should be amazing. When we saw him Thursday night he was at 1 Ne 19 and still going strong. I love it! We also challenged C to fast to know if the 19th of June is the date that she needs to be baptized. We are fasting with/for them both. I don't think I am going to eat for the next 48 hours! Pray that they will be able to understand the answer when it comes!
In response to your question about the gardens, we did go to teach someone a lesson there and then he boffed it. So I did get to see a little bit of them but it was a waste of time. We'll have to go next pday. We went to the Louvre last week and the Orsay today and I think I'm wearing Sr Gifford out:) I think she would appreciate it if we stayed closer to home next week. She really is so much fun. she makes the work easy because it's fun. Heavenly Father has really blessed me.

Miracle of the week! We met this cool guy from M the first day that we were together. There was a greve so the train wasn't coming for about another 40 mins. We taught him all about the Book of Mormon and then the story of Joseph Smith. We set up a rdv with him but he didn't have a phone number so we couldn't call to confirm. So we went Monday night but he wasn't there. We met his brother-in-law and asked him if he was interested. We gave him a Book of Mormon and he said he and his wife would love to come to the next rdv. So we went back and taught them on Thursday and they loved it. They have an awesome family and were excited for us to keep teaching them. The first guy is coming to church tomorrow and told us he would get baptized when he knows it's true. I love missionary work!

We had interviews this week and the zone leaders used a clip from the President Hinckley movie as part of the training. at the end of the clip there was a quote from Goethe, "whatever you can do, or dream you can do...begin it. Boldness has genius, POWER (that's us) and magic in it." Heavenly Father WANTS us to achieve. He wants us to dream and then accomplish those dreams. When our desires are righteous we can see them unfold before us. I know that He loves us. I know everything He has done and everything He continues to do is for us. That love is so real and so evident in our everyday lives. 'God wants to make us men and women of purpose and power. We must yield ourselves to the powers of the Spirit.' When we work with the spirit, we are able to realize all the blessings in store.

i love you all and God loves you more!
Bizou Bizou Sr Powers

Hey family!
Guess what? I'm being transferred! Mom, it's just like you said, big mix of emotions. I LOVE the people here. Isn't that what every missionary says? I never understood it before. Now, when I think about leaving it breaks my heart. It's strange to think that I may never see some of them again. There are some people here who have changed my life and seriously strengthened my testimony. Mom, I think you're exactly right when you say that service to the Lord bonds us more than anything else. I feel that with mission companions and with people that have come to teach with us. There is something that can't really be described or replicated. So I'm headed to.... VERSAILLES! Exciting, eh? Apparently it's one of the strongest wards in all of France. I will be companions with Sister Gifford. She is just a transfer behind me so I knew her in the MTC. She is a sweet heart and I am super excited to be able to work with her. It's the ward with the APs, office elders, Stahelis and Elder Causse. I have talked to some of the elders here who served there and they have said that it's one of the nicest areas in all of France! I'm not so fancy myself so I'm thinking about going and trying to find some cute shirts. I am sad to leave but excited to keep working.
So V and A came to family home evening Monday night and V leaned over and said, "Hey Soeur Powers, i have to talk to you after ok?" So after we sat down and she takes a big breath. I thought she was going to say that she doesn't want to see us anymore or something heartbreaking like that BUT she goes, 'A and I went home and prayed after our last rdv. We have been talking a lot about what you said and we have decided we are going to be baptized in a month and half.' Haha I almost jumped out of my chair. I love them so much. Then on Saturday, they came to play sports and we taught them the word of wisdom. we were talking about respecting our bodies and how they are gifts from God and she said "so, what do you think about chastity? is that disrespecting your body?" So then we got to teach that too. It was incredbile. They both have such an amazing desire to learn and to become the son and daughter that Heavenly Father wants them to become. The elders have started teaching A because he doesn't really understand french and Elder Duarte is Portugese so that is perfect. They came to church again yesterday.

Quick miracle! So on Monday we got a referral from the office for some guy who just moved here from Italy. Well we were kind of in his area and so just stopped by. He lives in this dorm-ish set up so we opened the door and followed the voices. We asked around and nobody knew who he was. They were all these young African guy students. They kept saying "mmm, I don't know him, lets knock on this door and see if he knows." Well we get to the top floor and we haven't found him so the last guy we go, 'Hey, so, I know that we haven't found who were looking for but we're missionaries and...' He invited us in and we started teaching the restoration! As we're talking to him he tells us that when we knocked on the door he had been praying to know how he could get closer to God. Everything in his life has been upside down lately and he decided he needed to realign his spiritual life first and then everything else in his life would straighten out. Right as he was asking we knocked on the door! We went back and taught him with R and she was able to testify strongly of how she changed and the blessings she's seen in her life since. It was beautiful. He came to church and it was perfect. The lesson in the amis class was on the gathering of Israel so...a little bit deep but he had a ton of questions and eventually the teacher said, ' write your questions down and the missionaries will answer them when they come to see you next' :) haha he is so cool. I'm sad I won't be here to see him progress and get baptized.
We played basketball today! Malheurusement I'm not so good anymore. I did win knock out twice and it felt so good to play again. The next email you get will be from FRANCE - crazy and a little nervous:)
soeur powers

Oui un jour nous nous reverrons, dans la paix du seigneur

Hey family! John Rolph got married?! Who did he marry? I still remember dancing to 'getting jiggy with it' at Josh and Kristina's wedding. I'm also really happy for Joel! I got his wedding announcement and he looks really happy! She looks amazing! Way to go.

I'm glad the Book of Mormon activity went well. Did you make the photo background mom?

We had the farewell for the Phairs. They are the senior couple who have been running the young adult center here in Brussels. They are absolutely incredible. About 100 people showed up and it was a blast.' There was so much love in that room! Rachel wrote a song for them and we sang with her and her sister Koumba. Unfortunately us white girls don't have beautiful African voices like they do but it was fun nonetheless. Sister England was up here for an exchange so she was able to sing with us. It was so fun! They will definitely be missed around here. I am so excited for mom and dad to go on a french spêaking mission! I can't even say how much of a difference they have made in the wards here in Brussesls. They served tirelessly and probably worked harder than all of us young missionaries. I hope to be like Sr Phair one day.

I taught the young women yesterday! The lesson was about how we can prepare ourselves to be teachers. It was fun to hear about teaching experiences they have had with their friends. It also gave me the opportunity to reflect on all the pre-mission opportunities I had at Oakton. I remember a conversation i had with Mr Pringle once. He was asking me about some core beliefs and I drew out the plan of salvation for him. Then I told him that America was founded/established was because Heavenly Father needed a place for the gospel to be restored. hahah He thought I was absolutely crazy! Missionary opportunities are all around us if we pray for them and then open our mouths when Heavenly Father gives them to us. D&C 100:5-8

Transfers are next week so I'll keep you updated! We find out Saturday. That is kind of nice, then we are able to say goodbye to people on Sunday.

Have I told you about JP and family? I met him on the metro last week and I gave him a pass along card. He asked how he could get the Finding Faith in Christ movie and we told him we could bring it over that night. We have been back to teach them again and they love the Book of Mormon; they have so many questions! I love it when people really want to know! They have 5 kids all under the age of 8. Their house is a party and I can't wait to go back this week.

V and A are doing well...she had to work Sunday so they didn't make it to church but they are still progressing.

F has been reading. I stopped the every night thing because I think it was bugging her but it has helped her to get started. We should see her tomorrow and we'll be able to talk more about it. She's awesome.

We have exchanges and Soeur Thompson is coming from Liege on Wednesday and I'm excited to work with her. Unfortunately I'm not going to be able to stay in Liege. I love that city.

Ok time to go. Love you bunches. Have an excellent week and keep praying for chances to share the gospel. People are all around us and they ALL need what we have!

Soeur Powers

so good talking to everyone yesterday! it is just like you said chels, it didnt even seem out of the ordinary to be chatting with you all. dad even asked about the weather:) everything was just like normal! jill's song was adorable. hows the house buying coming? is the lady selling still pretty crazy? is it looking like youll be able to move in when you hoped? when is kevin finished? was he at work when i called? tell him im sorry i missed him and i love him. what an excellent brother in law! i am so happy to hear that grandma is doing ok. i am going to write her a letter today. when will she be able to walk again? how is grandpa doing? is he still working at the office or has he finished yet? i bet he is taking good care of grandma!

V and A are still doing really well. They were able to see S receive the gift of the Holy Ghost and Celia (member who is helping us teach them) said they have a bunch of questions about how to have the same thing! The lessons in church yesterday were all about the temple and exactly what she needed to hear. They are coming to fhe tonight and we're teaching them before french class tomorrow. It was really cool last week. We were supposed to teach them with a brazilian recent convert but then she couldn't make it at the last minute. With the Phairs leaving they are transitioning to have member couples take over the young adult center. Well, there is this couple in the other ward named the Fernandezs. They were there early and the wife is from Cape Verde! She had time before so we asked her if she wanted to teach with us. It was excellent! I love member testimonies. It makes all the difference in the rdv. I feel like I am being taught every time we are able to have a member come with us. Their experiences fortify my own testimony. Do you remember me telling you about a girl named F? We met her at a metro stop a couple of months ago. She is from St Martin and her mom is the primary president there! She hadn't been to church in a long time and when we contacted her she was like 'mmm yea I've heard of the church, I'm a member.' We have been trying to fix a rdv with her since then but it hasn't worked out. We finally got to see her on saturday and challenged her to read the Book of Mormon with us. I told her I was going to call her every night to see how it is going/what her thoughts are. I called her last night and I think she was a little bit surprised that I actually meant what I had said! Hopefully she doesn't start avoiding our calls:) No, i doubt it, she is really cool and is giving me another reason to feast upon the words of christ.

The point of that is to share something cool that I learned in my studies. I got so much out of 1ne2 this morning! First of all, I was thinking about how Lehi names the river and the valley after his sons. They clearly aren't exactly righteous or firm or steadfast but Lehi sees the potential in them and tries to help THEM see it. I think sometimes we get in our own way. We don't develop to become what we can because we don't see it as possible for ourselves. When we have someone else who is there to point out what we CAN be, we reach for it and are able to get where we maybe wouldn't have alone. Mom, you're really good at that. I've always felt pushed to be better because you believe I can. That goes back to seeing people as God sees them. That being said there is a stark contrast between Laman and Lemuel and Nephi. When they hear about their father's dreams, instead of trying to figure out if they are right or wrong, L&L stay where they are. 'they knew not the dealing of God who created them' and they didnt try to know them. Then you have Nephi. in vs. 16 he says he had great desires to know the mysteries of God. He gets to understand because he wants to understand. Someone shared proverbs 3:13 with me, 'Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.' not only does he get to understand truth but he is also HAPPY. Doesn't it seem like L&L are always angry or mean, never really happy. So we are blessed when we seek to know truth like Nephi did. Then in vs. 20 the Lord talks about the land that he has prepared for Nephi. I was thinking about how that blessing came only after nephi sought but also the fact that it was prepared for as soon as he was ready to ask for it. Cool eh? Same is true for us. As soon as were ready to ask/seek/knock, we are blessed with the things that have already been prepared, they're waiting for us! Anyways this has turned into quite the mom-email:) I better stop! I love you all! Happy Mother's day again! Is there a grandmother's day? Or is it all clumped into one? I think gmas deserve their own day. Talking with everyone sure did remind me how fun you are to be around. I'm glad we have a funny/fun family. Not sure if it's a rare thing but I'm glad Heavenly Father blessed me with one! I love you!