Staying or Leaving?

Hi everybody! It's Monday today which means that it's P-Day! Whoop whoop! Also it's a special day, the day we receive the repertoire for transfer decisions. This morning I found out if I'm staying in Tours or not. It was nearly a sleepless night for me because I was just so anxious about this next transfer. I managed to get in a few hours of sleep, woke up, cleaned the apartment, and finally went to the church to receive my fate for my fourth transfer here on my mission. The wait was agonizing and I could not stop pacing back and forth until finally the repertoire was sent out. I opened the document and searched for my name. I found it and I'm going to...

Tell you guys at the end of my email because first, I wanna tell you how my week went! I know, I know, that's a mean trick of me but hey, I had a pretty good week and I'd like to share it with you all! Je vous promise that you'll know at the end of my email so KEEP READING ON! Don't be that person who skips to the end!

We saw C_____ twice last week and guess what?! She finished reading the Book of Mormon! We asked her what she thought of it and she said that she loved it and that it made sense to her. It was so cool to hear all of that from her! She is so amazing and progresses so well! She then set out some painting materials and we sat around her table and she said that we can paint something about baptism or the sacrament, more specifically the bread. So we spent about an hour and a half painting together. It was very enjoyable and at the end she asked who was leaving and we told her we didn't know yet. Between Sœur Gallant and I it would be most likely that I would be the one to leave so she said that if this was the last time she would see me, she gave me one of her paintings and I was super touched by it. Then she wished me luck and hoped to see me again.

We did some service for Maricel, the Filipino lady, and she enjoyed having us over. She used to have the missionaries over a lot before she started working, so us being there with her made her super happy! It was super cute because right when we got to her house, her husband and two little girls were getting ready to go do some grocery shopping. We were invited in and started to clean when the girls came in and begged their mother to stay and be with us! The dad tried to get the girls into the car but they just wouldn't let go of us haha! I love this little family! We helped Maricel with laundry and organize the girls toy room. She told us about her conversion story and how much the gospel has been a blessing in her life. Her husband is a non-believer and she tells us that the girls always ask their dad to come with them to church, but he tells them it's not his thing. He does like having the missionaries over though. Maybe one day the right soeur missionary will come along and help Maricel teach her husband. She made dinner for us and did a little family home evening with them. SœurGallant and I shared a little spiritual thought about faith. We explained how faith is like a little seed and when we nourish and take care of that seed, it will one day grow into a magnificent tree. They all loved that thought so the girls started drawing little trees of their own. Before we left, Abigail and Elyssa (the little girls) come up to me and say "Votre nom c'est pas Shopkins! C'est Hopkins!" It was so funny when she pointed that out hahaha! They both make my heart melt!

Yesterday was fast Sunday and at church there was an American couple from Utah visiting, so my comp and I sat by them and translated what was being said. Fast Sunday also meant that people go up to bear their testimonies so we had to translate all of that for them. Towards the end of the meeting, after a speaker went and sat down there was that awkward moment where no one went up. Then something bizarre happened to me, I found myself standing up and walking to the podium. At this point I was thinking in my mind, "What am I doing?! I'm not fluent in French yet and I'm going up to bear my testimony". That didn't stop me though so I kept walking and once I got up there, I started speaking. I bore my testimony to this small branch for the first time in the 5 months I've been there...IN FRENCH! At first I was super nervous, but then when I saw how everyone was smiling at me and impressed with my French, I felt a little better. It was a pretty neat experience to go and bear my testimony here. It may have been super short, but I could tell that it touched everyone. I love this branch!

Ok now the news that you all have been waiting for. Am I staying here in Tours or will I be leaving to another ville? SURPRISE SURPRISE I'm staying in Tours! I guess this area just can't get enough of me! But in all seriousness I'm happy to still be here in this wonderful ville. The branch is amazing, the people are great, and I can visit more castles now! My companion is still the same which means my French gets to improve even more these next 6 weeks! I love being a missionary and being able to share the gospel with the people of France!

I love and miss you all! Have a fantastic  week!

Love,

Sœur Hopkinson

samantha.hopkinson@myldsmail.net