Hail Attack

Happy holidays everybody! I hope you're all nice and warm wherever you are because the weather here in Tours has been so unforgiving and tricky! The day will usually start out with a blue sky and sunshine everywhere but all of a sudden clouds and rain appear out of nowhere. One day in particular was awful. We had a rendezvous towards the end of the day with an 8 year old boy in the branch who's getting baptized on Christmas Eve. On the way to their house, it started to rain just a little bit but then 5 minutes later, I felt a little sting on my face followed by more little stings and I got the point that it was raining hail on us! My comp and I had to find a covered area to avoid the small ice chunks falling from the sky but there was nothing around so we just ended up running to the house. Once we got there the mother took care of us and made sure that we were warm as we taught her son. The hailstorm stopped for a while and it seemed calm when we left the house but then another hailstorm struck again. I think I'm beginning to appreciate the warm weather back home in Mesa! Today it was SUPER windy! I kid you not when I say that this wind nearly knocked me over! We were with our member Hervé exploring the Tours Christmas market and I was trying to be funny and strike a pose with my hair dramatically flowing in the wind but that all failed when a gush of wind came and nearly pushed me into a bush. Gotta love this weather guys!

V_____ asked if he could meet with us again because he didn't want to be with his friends. He stays away from them so that way he's not tempted to smoke. We meet up with him and see how he's doing. He told us that he finally told all of his family that he's a Christian and one of his older brothers was interested in seeing what the church was like. We have a rendezvous set up with them this week and I'm excited to see how this turns out. V___ has been a missionary to his brothers and has been setting an example for them. I see a future missionary in this guy! He asked us if we could study from the scriptures together which is one of my favorite things to do with V____ because as he learns more about the scriptures, I learn along with him at the same time. We studied from the Bible this time because he's never read it much before. We decided to read the Nativity chapter with him and he really loved it and wanted to keep reading more. We had to set up another rendezvous with him because it was getting late and later on that night he texted us that he now has a better understanding of the Savior's birth.

L_____ was finally able to meet with us this week because he has been so busy with work. We got to know him a little more and man, this guy really likes to talk. His humor is pretty hilarious and he's really fascinated by the fact that I'm Filipino. Turns out that I'm the first Filipino he's met too. We ask him about what he likes about the church and if he'll be coming to our branch. He told us that the church has a very lively environment and when he was going to church with his sister in Rouen he loved how warm and welcoming everyone was in that ward. We were happy when he said all of that but then he told us that he won't be coming to church here in Tours because he feels like not everyone in this branch really gets along and he felt that something was just missing in this branch. Not gonna lie that really made me sad. He did tell us that he will come to the branch Christmas party though but my comp and I are thinking and praying for ways to help Lu_____ come to church. He invited us over the next day for dinner at his friends apartment. He had told two of his friends that he meets with missionaries and they both interested in meeting us. We arrived the next day and they were pretty fun to talk with! He introduced us to his friends A_____ and D______, C_____ was there too so we got to chat with him too. D_____was asking us a lot of questions about the church and we ended up giving him a Book of Mormon! He told us that he would read it along with A_____! We were super happy about that! Dinner was super delicious! There were a lot of things to eat: shrimp, rice, fries, chicken, and some gratin potatoes. They all enjoyed getting to know us and about the church and they hoped that we could all meet up again!

We have been getting referrals like crazy here! It's like getting a golden ticket when you receive a text saying that there's someone interested in learning more about the church. Last week we received three referrals and we contacted them right away. None of them answered which got me discouraged a little but then my comp and I planned on stopping by their places to drop off a little Christmas treat and introducing ourselves. It was towards the end of the week though so we're going to be doing some passbyes with them and hopefully they will be there! It's so exciting to meet new people! When we go out finding it's like a game to us. We both look around at people who are walking by us and when we feel the urge we talk to them. When I stop a person I feel like I'm about to open a mystery box because you never know how they'll react. In most cases the contact doesn't last long but it's ok though because there will be more people for us to talk to and one of them will usually show genuine interest in our message.

Yesterday was a pretty eventful day. I had to give my first talk in French. With this transfer coming to a close I was thinking that I could possibly be getting away with not having give a talk but we got a text from the first counselor of the branch asking the both of us to give talks on Sunday. Sure enough we had to get the text on Saturday too so I spent a lot of time making sure my talk was good and making sure I said words in French correctly (shout out to my comp for being an awesome Francophone and helping me with my French). The topic we spoke on was the role of Jesus Christ in the Plan of Salvation. A boy in the branch was being ordained a deacon and his whole family was there visiting so we had a huge audience. His parents are separated and he lives in Tours with his mom while his dad lives in St. Nazaire. There were definitely more kids running around everywhere. Our talks went pretty well and one of the moms that was visiting came up to the both of us and told us that our talks were something that someone in their family needed to hear. I really love Heavenly Father's timing with everything.

Last week, I studied President Uchtdorf's talk from this last conference. I was lucky to watch that session in English and that talk is just so amazing! There have been several times on my mission where I have felt so alone and like an inadequate missionary. Those moments on the mission are pretty tough but at the same time I've learned from those moments. In his talk President Uchtdorf says, "God calls to you. No matter your history—if you have faltered, failed, feel broken, bitter, betrayed, or beaten—know that you are not alone. God still calls to you. If you will hear Him, He will speak to you this very day." Heavenly Father speaks to us all the time. It's hard to imagine Him not wanting to talk with us. He loves us so much and will help us in the way we will best learn.

This is the last week of the transfer! Next Monday I find out if I stay here in Tours or not! Take your guess on whether I stay or go! You'll know the result next week! Have an amazing week everybody! I love and miss you all!

Love,

Sœur Hopkinson

samantha.hopkinson@myldsmail.net