Well, hello all! As you can imagine, this has been quite the week here for us. First of all, Soeur Wynn and I had an awesome week, and managed to cram-fill our week with lessons. We even invited one of our amies to get baptized yesterday, she didn't say yes, but now we have a good understanding of what it is that will be her stumbling block (authority). It was weird fixing rdvs, knowing that I wouldn't be there to actually have them. I said goodbye to so many of the families that have affected my life so greatly over the past few months. I almost cried (and I NEVER cry when I say goodbye) when we visited the family Lasa the other day. I love Frère and Soeur Lasa SO much, but I know they will be in good hands here with Soeur Wynn. I said goodbye to the Kusselings, Lethuaires (I'm still thinking I may have a child with the middle name of Franck because of Frère Lethuaire), and Fatoumia, some of the members that I love so much. Christophe Kusseling, our Ward mission leader got mad at me the other day for already telling people that I was leaving, when I didn't know for sure. I told him, "Christophe, I'm LEAVING". I'm so sad to leave Nogent, but I know that my time is done here. Soeur Wynn and I have seen some amazing miracles over the past couple of weeks, but it's time for me to pack my bags (literally). So, where is it that I will be heading? Who will be there? What will be there? What will be the big surprise? Who will be my companion? Well, I guess I'd better just tell you, I'm going to Belgium!!! I really wanted to serve in Luxembourg, I guess I'll just have to settle for Belgique! I'll be going to a place called Charleroi, in Belgium. I should tell you, I wasn't completely shocked when I saw my name in Belgium. I had a dream last night that I got called to serve in Louise, in Belgium, so I was kind of close. :) I plan on having much success there, in helping to develop my own personal spirituality, and also those of the people around me. It's crazy, there are THREE equipes (companionships) there (Quimper- 1; Nogent- 2; Charleroi- 3). At first I was like, "Man, Belgium?! Really?" But I'm actually getting more and more excited. And my companion is named Soeur Hunsaker. I have no idea at the moment who she is or where she's from, I only know that she has been here only 1 transfer, so I will finish training her! I told Soeur Wynn the other day that I have NEVER met any of my companions before the day when they actually became my companion. That is apparently still true. I am sure she is a good girl, I just hope she's ready to work hard! This is going to be absolutely fantastic. Serving in the Paris area was great, but I'm definitely ready to not be surrounded by apartment buildings all the time. Although, really, I have no idea what Charleroi will be like. And guess what? Last night, we got a phone call from the assistants, which meant only one thing... Soeur Wynn will be having her own baby bleu on Wednesday. She is absolutely terrified to train, but I know she'll do a great job. Whom the Lord calls, He qualifies. She'll be amazing. I'm so excited for her to continue to see the miracles in Nogent. All of this will be happening Wednesday. I'm so excited to take a TGV or TER train again, I'm totally done with all the metros and RERs here in Paris (although I know in just a few weeks, I'll be talking about how much I miss them). I hope there's a little bit more country in Charleroi. Ok, back to regular news. Tonight we finally have another RDV with Khadia. I love her so much, and I really think that someday she'll join the church. The thought of getting baptized again just seems to hard for her right now, but I know that she'll accept it someday. It might be a little hard for the missionaries to stay in touch with her after I leave, because the Mengolli Family is also moving to a different ward, but I have faith. Soeur Wynn went up to do Belgium Legality last week, so I got the chance to spend the day with my Beloved Soeur Barrero, and my new friend Soeur Allred (who hails from Providence, Utah, don't worry, I quickly told her about my love for Willow Park). We had a great time serving on the west end of Paris. I love exchanges, even just little ones, because it gives you the chance to get to know someone else learn new ways of doing things. I studied Alma Chapter 5 this morning. Soeur Wynn just laughed when I said I'd studied it. She knows it's one of my absolutley favorite chapters in the Book of Mormon. There is so much to reap from this chapter, I encourage everyone to read it. Afterwards, as I prayed, I fervently asked our Heavenly Father to help me to have a change of heart. The ability to repent and change has to be one of the most phenomenal gifts our Heavenly Father has given us. The ability to say, "No, not anymore", and stick to it, is such an amazing capacity that we have as humans. Seriously, ponder Almas words? Our hearts are always changing, but the question is, are they getting harder, due to pride and eating too many fatty foods, or softer, thanks to exercise and the exercise of our faith? Well, I love you all, thank for for tuning in this week. Next week our presentation will be broadcast from Charleroi. Love you,
Avec amour,
Soeur Bracken
PS, I seem to always fail at obtaining a nice french accent, but maybe I'll be able to pick up a nice Belge one?
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