Sunday, December 21, 2014

Joyeux NOELLLLLLL

JOYEUX NOELLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!

Yikes I almost logged off without sending my big email. So caught up in thoughts of my cute family.

Well this week is a blessed week. The week we get to think of our Savior and all He does and is for us.  I am so grateful for a simple Christmas this year that gives me more of a chance to focus on the things that actually matter. The things of importance. To think about my Savior Jesus Christ. To think about my sweet family. To serve all of the diverse people who surround me. To invite random people on the street to think about Christ. To sing songs of the lord for the old lady who lives behind us. To remind others of the hope that comes from faith in Jesus Christ ( Moroni 7:40-42) . Oh it is truly a blessing!

Amid all of the Noel things we had a really sweet week too! Ok honestly it is Noel here now but it doesn't really feel like it so I have to work hard to remind myself it is. All of the classic "Christmas" things are stripped away- hot chocolate, decorations, being with the family, carolers, being cold, sweaters, Christmas parties or events. Noel on an island is something else. But as I said, all good.

Anyway among the delightful things of the week are:
We went to the tribe of one of our members. And did the tribal custom offering to the tribal chief to get accepted into the tribe. I handed the costume (manou, money, a book of Mormon and a brochure all wrapped together) to the man, about sweating to death of nerves and heat. I said the little ritual presentation of the costume. Then, all without smiling or telling, he takes it and walks back into his house. Then he walks out with a roll of fabric and money for us. He accepted!! And plus he gave a costume of thanks, which isn't always required. Yes yes yes! We shared a thought about Christ and the true meaning of Christmas. Then we drank sweet hot milk together. Then he gave us lychees from his tree. Then we left with him smiling and waving goodbye. We can do all things through Christ!

We also finally got to do service this week. Showed up to our recent converts house and asked what we could to. She tapped a tree in the middle and goes, "cut it there." hahahahahaha uhhhhhh. So we cut a tree down. Us two soeurs. With our machetes and arms. Proving to Bourail that were not pansies. Thank you father for raising me right. 

Loooove you all. HAPPIEST OF CHRISTMASES TO YOU!!! Please take a moment in all, the busyness of Christmas to have a quiet, sacred moment with the Savior. 

Talk to you soon family!
SoeurEvans

Sunday, December 14, 2014

The Little Noel

Bonjouuuuur et joyeux fetes!

This week was much slower than the past. We're down to the very last people in Bourail who don't know us yet. Literally everyone knows us. And almost none of them are interested. Which means we basically walk around talking to people, greeting them by name and casually trying to ask if they're interested to learn more yet? Hahahahah basically in our heads, "bonjouuur estelle! ca va? You interested yet? How about now? Nope? Ok, we'll stop by next week. Maybe you know someone who would be interested? Can we do anything else to help you? Anything at all?"

Hahaha it sounds desperate but we're much more tactful in real life.

We have a few SUPERB people were teaching. They need it so bad. They need the Gospel of Jesus Christ so bad. They flood us with questions and we want to answer them all, cause we can, but we have to help them build the bade first. If you build a house without the foundation it will fall. So much as we want to we lay foundation and try to answer enough questions to help them recognize that the true, widespread answer is the Gospel. We wish so much we could just download the gospel into people. Probably doesn't make sense. But we meet these people with such deep aching needs and questions and it is SO clear that they need the gospel. They need the Lord. And we just want to press a button so THEY can realize that too and be healed and filled and fed all at once. But the Lord works little by little so we keep praying and studying and fasting and praying some more that these people will hold on long enough to see how happy and joyful their lives can and will be with the gospel and Christ at the center.

Me and Sr Gunn organized a Christmas activity for our ward yesterday. Oh my it was a heart melter. We acted out the nativity and sang as we went to fit with the story line. Almost everyone present played a part in the nativity, leaving our audience smaller than our actors, but it was so joyful! All of these precious people that I love so, dressed up as shepherds and wise men, singing and miming the story of Christ's birth. The cutest. Then we showed a short film of Christ. And we finished with everyone testifying of Christ. The Spirit was there. It was so simple and small; maybe 15 of us, but we all remembered the true meaning of Christmas. The greatest gift in our lives. The Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who came to this earth and LIVED for us and then died for us. He lived the example. He showed us the way and made the way possible. My gratitude for Him is infinite and unending. I love Him so. 

May you all feel the Saviors vast, encompassing love this week,
loooove,
Soeur Evans

Monday, December 8, 2014

This is the Lord's Work

Dearest family! Chere famille! And friends too of course,

Well the Lord just blew us away this week. Miracle after miracle.

Our elderly couple who just got baptized have changed drastically. They used to be a little on the grumpy side and quick to complain at times. Well since their baptism and confirmation they have been glowy, happy and sweeeeeet as can be. They are lit with the light and love of God and of their Savior. They have made many comments on the change they have felt in their home since they received the Holy Ghost. The testimony of the man this week at church was one the simplest most sincere testimonies I've ever heard. It made my heart tingle and my eyes burn with emotion. It is all so real. So true.

We also were walking back from trying to followup on someone we had met the other day. They weren't there, so we were walking back to town, because they live in a raaaandom side of town with no one around. Well we see a woman sitting on a bench so we go over and talk to her and before long she says that she was just in the middle of thinking about baptism. I'm sorry, what? BAPTISM? Well, we can most certainly be of service to you with regards to this subject. We proceeded to share a brief message with her and teach about the importance of baptism. She set up another appointment without hesitation.

THEN. This was my favorite one. We are about 45 minutes away from home or town or anything doing porte a porte. And all of the sudden out of NOWHERE it starts to downpour. Like DOWNPOUR. Within 10 seconds we were completely soaked. We're running along the side of the road holding our bags and splashing in 6 inch puddles and just dying laughing because it was so unreal and we were soooo far away from anything. And this woman pulls over and offers us a ride. Long story short, her mom took the lessons 20 years ago and she's now older and has started her family and is going through a rough time. She wants to get back to the fundamentals and asked if we could come by. She lives at the end of an inaccessible road by foot, so we never would have found her. 5 minutes after she dropped us off in town it stopped raining and the sky cleared up. God made the storm for her.

We got a call the other night from a mother asking for a blessing for her daughter in the hospital. We show up and it's a woman who has been inactive for 35 years and who isn't even in the directory. The elders drove down from Kone to give a blessing. We stopped by yesterday and her fever broke and she will be leaving the hospital today. We now know her and her family and they said we van visit them. Miracle. Lost sheep are not lost to the Lord.

So many more. So many more. God is just raining them upon us.

Cute Soeur Gunn's Mom sent us a make your own Christmas tree kit, SHOUT OUT THANNNNK YOU!  So we have a Christmas tree made out of lights on our wall covered in pictures of our families. We are getting in the noel spirit.

looove you so!
Soeur Evans

Notice the miracles in your lives this week!
If you don't see any, focus extra hard in having faith worthy of miracles

 

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Happy Thanksgiving....

Joyeux Jour de Remericements!  Happy Thanksgiving!

Soeur Gunn and I had a delightful little thanksgiving. We ordered a pizza, made some stuffing, age some lychees and had a dessert of cookies. We called it our rolls, stuffing, cranberry sauce and pies hahaha. Twas not quite the same, but still fun :)

First of all, me and Soeur Gunn are staying in Bourail! Ehich means Christmas, my birthday and New Year's with someone I know and love in a secteur I know and live. Blessings! Hahahaa it will be a slightly isolated holiday season, but nevertheless. We are pscyed to have the Christmas spirit all month long and share it with these people!

God is so kind and He gave us a little pre-Thanksgiving present. Around 10:00 on Wednesday night I was sitting journaling when I look up and see tins thing the size of a hamburger scurrying across the ceiling. It was a SPIDER. No JOKE the size of my HAND. Ok if anyone knows me they know that spiders are my thing. They're my one big thing that I CANNOT do. I cannot. And suddenly there was an enormous one in our apartment in the middle of the night with no one close by to help us. Oh. And if that's mot enough, it had a GIANT EGGSAC under it. UNREAL.  Me and Soeur Gunn spent a solid 2 hours chasing it around our house trying to catch it cause we didn't want the smash the eggsac and have millions of baby spiders crawling around our house. Well finally around midnight we were exhausted and so tired of this evil thing so we just smashed it. And all the babies went running and then we had to smash them all too. It was horrific. And terrifying. And stinking hilarious. Hahahahahahahaha God must have been laughing so hard. Grateful for dead spiders.

Walked 30 minutes to a less actives house in the pouring rain. Then he was asleep so he didn't want to hear a message. Hash's so we walked back in the pouring rain..hahaha it was pretty fun

I have now officially read the entire Livre de Mormon en francais. Highlighted and all. And what a glorious book it is. What a blessed experience to read it in another language that I know the Lord has chosen for me to learn and know. My project for December is to now read the whole Book of Mormon in English. I'm going to try to make it my birthday gift to Christ.

Got to give a talk on Sunday. I felt impressed to talk about the family. I read the Family Proclamation to the World. I testified of the family. Satan is attacking the family so hard. He knows how precious it is. I know that it is only through the light and love of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that our families can stay united and protected from all of life's tempests. How blessed I feel to have been raised in, and to continue to be taught and uplifted, by a family of faith and love and laughter. I do so love them.

With all my love! May your days be merry and bright! How grateful I am for each of you and how you have touched my life personally.

Loooooooove,
Soeur Evans

Sunday, November 23, 2014

And then they were baptized in the ocean

Salut salut salut.

God lives. And He is glorious and miraculous and GOOD. 

This Saturday I got to be a part of the baptism of two Amis of 15 years. And what a beautiful, sacred experience it was. 

We prayed all week for there to be good weather because the man is very ill and has lots of aches and pains and said if the weather was bad he might not get baptized. Not to mention bad weather means rocky ocean waves which mean no baptism either. We also prayed for the wife to be able to be ready on time because she has a hard time with punctuality. And we also prayed that their less active children would be able to mot only come, but be on time (they were also the ride for our amiss.) 

Saturday arrived and I woke up to see a blue blue blue sky with NOT A SINGLE CLOUD. I almost burst our crying. 
We got to our amis (they're an old couple of 60 or so) about 30 minutes before we were supposed to start the service and R hadn't even showered yet. And then she got ready faster than she ever had and got ready in time to be perfectly on time. 
As she was getting ready, her less active daughter walks in to check on her. Then her less active son walks in. We have never even met him. 

Miracles already in abundance. 

We held the service at the church and member from both Noumea and Houailou (both at least an hour or three away) had shown up to support them. The family of our amis was all there in the back. Oh glorious day.

I got to give the talk on the Gift of the Holy Ghost and felt the Spirit guiding me so strongly. My French was definitely getting some divine help. What a tender moment to describe thesis sweet gift our loving Heavenly Father has given us to not only our amiss but also to their entire family.

After the first part of the service we drove over to the ocean. We were nervous it would be crowded on the beach and that the waves would be big. NOT A SINGLE PERSON was on the big. Not one. And the waves were tiny. This sweet, newly married couple were baptized. Their children stood on the beach with tears streaming down their cheeks. The elders got soaked up to their waists in their normal suits acting as witnesses and helping each ami to make it safely in and out of the ocean despite their weak bodies. They bore testimony and the whole family was bawling. The Spirit was blanketing the entire beach. It filled my heart and my soul and testified of not only the truthfulness of this alliance but also the GOODNESS.

God is a God of MIRACLES. How grateful I am to have been able to witness this beautiful day. 

Love you all!
Soeur Evans

Sunday, November 16, 2014

Greetings from across the Deep Blue!

Bonjour et SALUTTTTTTT MES CHERS AMIS,
Greetings from across the deep blue! 

This week we met a really awesome man. We yelled at his house until he came outside (ahahahaha once again in a part of this country where knocking is joootnpossible). He came out and invited us to take a seat on his patio. Well after talking with him for 20 or so minutes and testifying and sharing our personal stories of conversion to the gospel, he agreed to read the Book of Mormon and pray about it. He goes, its reason enough to read this book if you came from so far away to bring it to me. Just the fact that you're inviting me to read it and that this book has made enough of a difference and impact on your lives to make you come here makes me convinced I need to read this book....And you could feel his curiosity to see what lay between those blue covers and to see if this book would impact him as much as it has us. What a sweet moment to get to testify and share directly WHY I am here with a stranger. To get to share my process of getting to this point in my life. How sweet to look back over my life and see all the little culminating moments that sum up to the testimony I have today. Each choice to be like Christ, each leap of faith to follow His counsel. If we aren't willing to give the Lord a CHANCE to change us, how can we ask to change? How can we ask to know? We have to do the work, of that I am sure.

Walked and walked and walked this week. All. Over. Bourail. I have a serious tan line on my feet. And a seriously brown neck.

Had a moment of utter perfection. We were walking in this neighborhood of government housing and we see a family moving in. So we go over and help them move in. A few loads later, a few kind words exchanged and they told us we could come back. AND they have FOUR SONS. Helloooooooo priesthood power for Bourail.

We've definitely been feeling the responsibility of our calling and of being up North. Sometimes it feels like the Lord just dropped us alone up here and said, "Ok. Go start the church. " hahahahshshahshs Uhhhhhhh ok easier said than done. But were doing our best. Praying a lot.

Love you all!
Soeur Evans

also totally made a classic new cal meal this week all on our own- meatballs, canned peas, cabbage, potatoes and maggi. Yummmm!

Monday, November 10, 2014

Mango & Miracles

Bonjourrrrr tout le monde!

Oh la la qu'est-ce que c'est passe cette semaine? Well. We have two baptisms coming up. Completely no thanks to anything i did. They have been investigating the church for ~15 or more years and finally after all that they set a date! When we got to Bourail we already had a baptismal service to plan, how cool is that?! Hahaha blessings! They will be baptized the 22 of novemeber in the ocean (soooooo excited about THAT detail). Wish i could send pictures but ill describe it really well when that happens. Weve been spending lots of time preparing everything for that and its been really cool to see how it all works since i havent had any baptisms yet. God is good. 

Tidbits
Had easily one of the coolest moments in my life this week. Probably the epitome of an experience ive been imagining since i got my call. Were walking along this back street with jungely trees all over us.. And we walk next to a mango tree loooooaded, i mean LOADED, it was absolutely heavy, with mangoes. We walk up and each pluck one right off the tree and just bite into it as were walking. And  it was an orange color like ive never seen. My new favorite color. Dripping with this thick juice and so sweet and i just about died in the perfection of the moment. Our faces were covered in mango and our hands were all sticky, so we rinse off in a puddle from last nights storm amd wipe our hands on our very well worn missionary skirts and keep walking. Oh my it was such a beautiful  moment. That is real living. 

Sang for this really grumpy 92 year old woman. Not everyone is happy when you try to be kind to them believe it or not hahaha

Contacted a man and told him that we had a message of Gods love. He said he prefers the love of women. Then he complimented our beautiful eyes. Then we left. Just a normal contact in a normal day. Yikes.

Had a total MIRACLE. President Brewer counselled us tto pray for find old amis, or people who knew about the church from past missionaries. Well we did and the next day we found the most amazing woman. She took the lessons with the elders in 2004 and had to stop because she got sick. When she saw us she was overjoyed. She told us to come back that night. When we showed up (buzzing with joy and graittude might i add)  she had an old copy of Le Livre de Mormon on her table and began to tell us of how much she loves the gospel and how our message gives her hope in Gods love and in the world. She was overcome. And she was so grateful we were back in Bourail and that on top of that, we were women, because she feels much more comfortable with women. We are definitely here in Bourail for a reason. How sweet it is to have such a sure confirmation of that. 

The other day I realized that soon well have 7 active members in Bourail after the baptism. And immediately go, "thats a LOT"! Funny how perspective changes.

Bourail is great. We are feeling so blessed. I am feeling so blesed. Im an AUNT and am overjoyed. The Lord lives. He loves us. He is a perfect example. Im getting to know Him on a whole new level.

Looooove a jamais!
Soeur Evans

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Bonjour from Brousse. In the Bush Now.

Le bonhomme
La Roche Percee  (courtesy of Google images)



McKay in Magenta , NC August 2014

Bonjour from brousse! In other words hello from the bush!

Well we finally made it and we even found a way to email for a second. We are currently in the tiny office of tourism borrowing their tablet to send this but send it we will! 

Where to even begin? 

Church. Easily my most spirit filled Sunday thus far on my mission. There were only 11 people at church on Sunday. 4 missionaries, the branch presidents family, the one other active woman in our branch and her granddaughter and an ami who has been investigating the church for 17 or so years. The elders drove an hour and a half down from Kone to bless and pass the sacrament for us because there are no other active priesthood holders. Words cannot express the sacred sweetness of two young worthy priesthood holders kneeling across each other at a tiny tiny table, breaking a little piece of bread and then blessing it with the poower and authority of God so that a handfulnof people could renrw their promise with God. And then doing the same for the water. I was so overcome. THAT is why we go to church. To take the sacrament. And how sweet it is.

After church we all ate together in our kittle church room ( its jst a storefront in Bourail in village that the church rents). A true church family of love and kindness, strengthnamd faith.

Other highlights
Talking to a man on the street who was just casually walking with a cow on a leash, as his other cow moans from down the street because he is tied to the fence and doesn't want to get left behind. Hahahahazh real life.

Miracle! We are a walking secteur as you know. 'Ill mention that later. But we're walking along on our first day. We had just finished introducing ourselves to the above mentioned ancient ami and they gave us directions to a less active member. Mind you, we know no one else in this town. So were walking along this back road trhough some farmland and see a woman walking down the road about a kilometer away. As we get closer she smiles at us. Then she stops by us and asks, oh were you looking for me? ...No actually hahah uuhhhhh who are you? We're looking for.... Ahhh yes I'm  his daughter-in-law. I know the other, missionaries.... She then introduces herself and points us in the right dirction to go see the less active. What are the chances?? The ONLY other person on the road. 
Then walking back from there this random guy yells across a field, Bonjour les soeurs missionaires! Hahaha uhhhh bonjourrrr who are you? And then it jst happens to be this same mans son.The Lords hand is definitely guiding us.

Well Im gonna let Sr Gunn write her family and president now too. Sending all my love!  We are happy and safe!

ps google La Roche Percee and Plage de Poe. We drove by there when we got shown around our xecteur the other day. It is ACTUALLY that blue and that beautiful. God worked many masterpieces over here.

Looooooooove and bisous! (hahaha everyone does the bisous here and its the best)( Bisous is the French kissing thing)
Soeur Evans
Plage de Poe ( courtesy of google images)













Sunday, October 19, 2014

My Mission Just Got Wild.


The District-- transfers to remote areas





Bonjourrrrr and BRACE YOURSELVES.

Last Friday we got transfer calls. And I am leaving Paita. So is Soeur Gunn. Where might we be going? To the NORTH. Ok, I realize the rest of the world does not understand mission lingo, so I will try to fill you in on what exactly that means.

Delicious Roasted Bananas... MMMMMMm
The DUO




















Me and Soeur Gunn both got transferred to Bourail. The last time there were missionaries there was 4ish years ago. And we are the first sisters to ever be sent farther north than Paita. 

Bourail is the branch for the whole north of New Caledonia above Boulouparis. Aka, before, I was in the Tontouta ward with Tontouta elders and us in Paita. After that, if you go any further north, there's just the Bourail branch. Which means that the branch is spread out all over the north half of the island. We don't really know that much, but we've heard there's 10-15 active members, 2 of which live in Bourail. Hahahaha unreal. 

Also we will be a walking secteur. 

WE ARE FREAKING OUT A LITTLE BIT. But in all the best ways!!!! 

That all being said, we're not sure when or if we will have internet. We'll go up next Tuesday or Wednesday we think, so hopefully we'll get to email next week. But after that we literally have no idea if we'll get to send emails. The Lord will watch over us, so don't worry about us if you don't hear from us. 
Mango season has arrived.. Breakfast of Cake & Mangoes-- Living the Dream.

Evening Planning Prayer with Baguette.  We love Baguettes.
Yep, that's pretty much been the central focus of our minds for ooooohhh the past week or so hahahah. Can't really focus on anything else. We are so happy to be going up together,
because me and Soeur Gunn I swear are the same person just 6-months-on-mission apart. Aka we have the same goals and drive and work ethic and everything and can't wait to work ourselves silly up there. 



Other highlights of the week:
-Ate my first New Caledonia mangos!!! Everything I've been dreaming of for the past 10 months. It's finally mango season at long long last.


Had a ward activity watching "Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration" and it was just absolutely wonderful. That film is incredible and makes me teary every time. It is the truth. Some of our amis and less actives came too and all left saying how touched they were. By the mouth of many witnesses.

-Got served some cinnamon tea yesterday. She literally took cinnamon leaves and boiled them and then gave it to us, but it was deeeelightful! So yummy. 

Good Bye Paita.. It's been delightful making your acquaintance.
-Been experiencing some heartbreak over some amis this week. It just KILLS me seeing people come so stinking close to fulling accepting the light of Christ and the joy of His gospel in their lives and then turning their backs to it. I can't even comprehend it. I learn a little better everyday how the Lord and our Heavenly Father must feel watching us make mistakes over and over. Watching us be disobedient. He literally gave us the RULES OF HAPPINESS. So simple. And over and over we DON'T DO THEM. Why do we do that??? Well, all I can say is God is so incredibly loving to give us a million second tries and  to love us despite all the disappointment and heartbreak we cause Him. 

-Found out Paita is being turned into an Elders secteur. That will be different. 



Basically this was the most wild transfer call of all time. He sent us up North. He opened up another part up north. And He OPENED UP THE ISLANDS. There are two native sisters in Mare, elders in Ouvea and elders in Lifou now. WILD. This mission is progressing and expanding faster than I ever imagined it would . What a blessing to be a part of all of this progress and growth and hastening of the work. 

Be good by good people! Give God something to smile about this week. Multiple things to smile about. Hope you feel my love radiating across the oceans because I'm sending it as strong as I can :)

Much loves,
Soeur Evans 

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

French Keyboard and Conference

saaluuuutttt!!!!

ok. just a little discloser or whatever that english word is ahahah. This keyboard is french and for time's sake i'm gonna type like its english. so: q is a, z is w, and , is m. and : is a period: ok here i go::::

zqqqqhooooo ze hqd qn AWESOME WEEEEEKKKKK!!!!! (McKay's Mom has  tried to make it easier to read)

We got to have Zone Conference with President and Sister Brewer and it was just divine: They are such inspired; incredible servants of the Lord and it is truly an honor and a blessing each time we're with them, We love them so much, and oh ,my goodness , her stories are unreal: Their lives are out of this world: You want  to hear some crazy stories; talk to the mission president of this mission with 3 countries; tens of islands; at . least 7 languages and living conditions from  shacks and chickens to fancy French city::::such as  Noumea: haaahhahh unreal: 

We had an ami and his friend come to General Conference!!!! Quelle miracle! What a beautiful thing to know they were hearing the Prophet and Apostles' direct counsel and words: Can't go wrong with that :)

Taught the Word of Wisdom, to our 72 year old sweetie ami: At the end she just goes "before I didn't know about this: Now I do: So I guess that, means  I'll stop drinking tea and coffee and alcohol" Mind you that she drinks coffee once a month; tea once a week and a beer once every "5 to 10 years" Well easiest Word  of Wisdom, lesson of all time: True humility: True obedience:

Had the most absurd dinner appointment: It was t with a French couple; who speaks some  English; us; and their Fijian friendswho speak some English: So all of us are together speaking English (none of us very well ,I might   add) and eating past: It was just one of those surreal ,moments  only on a  mission when I realize  I can speak another language: We even shared a  spiritual thought in English and afterwards  Soeur Gunn said I talked so funny: Hahahahah oops: Losing my  touch with the English language; pas grave ahahaha

sorry this email is so hard to read. hope you can decode it. I'm out of time now, but next time I'll  try to talk a little about conference because oooweeeee i was just eating it up! Our leaders are so very very inspired. I'll follow them happily! ( McKay's mom tried to decode it for you to make it easier)

Love you all to a million miles and back!
Soeur Evans

Monday, October 6, 2014

I Believe

Bonjour tout le monde!!!

Well there's a cute little boy waiting to use the computer so I'm gonna keep this brief. 

Paita has been doing GREAT lately. We've been finding finding finding and knoooocking (actually knocking!) doors up the whazzoooo and it's working! We've got some new amis that I"m so excited about. And we've been teaching more lessons than ever which feels so stinking good. 

Had an interesting lesson yesterday. We were talking to a woman and she proceeded to tell us all the flaws in her church and her religion because there are loads of things in the Bible that they don't do. We proceeded to testify of the truthfulness of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints and how we really truly follow the teachings in the Bible and the organization that Christ set up-apostles, quorom of the seventy. prophet, priesthood power and authority, preaching the good news, respecting our bodies. It was a powerful moment for me to realize how much I believe in these things. That our church is truly the same church that Christ established on the earth, with the same teachings and the same power and authority and the same blessings for living His teachings. 

Also let me just say that my testimony of keeping the commandments has skyrocketed on my mission. We see firsthand the pain of so many people that comes because of their disobedience to commandments. Really hard family situations for breaking the law of chastity. Crippling addiction. Satan and sin truly makes us a slave. It holds us captive. And oh how sweetly does obedience make us FREE. The commandments are NOT boundaries. They are God's secret to happiness. Why do we make it so hard and unpopular to follow God's secret to eternal and earthly happiness? You would think that was pretty straightforward. 

We had a inactive member talk to us about his situation. And he continued in pleading with us to repent immediately when we mess up. Begging us not to make the same mistakes he did. It hits so deep. How grateful I am to know that through the Atonement of Christ these people can find hope again. THAT gives me hope too. We can ALL come back to the pathway to eternal life. That's the gift of our Savior to us. 

We are beyond excited this week to listen to CONFERENCE GENERALE!!!! And ZONE CONFERENCE. Spiritual highs all around! 

Summer has finallyyyy arrived and I think this super white missionary is finally bronzing a little. Sweet praises. 

My new favorite pasttime is reading Gen Conf talks and the scriptures. And then having the most delightful insightful discussions about them after. It is seriously so good. 

I feel like so much of me has changed. The things I care about, the way I think, the way I react to things. I'm still me, but at the same time I'm not at all. Everyday I thank my Heavenly Father that He told me I needed to serve a mission. I had no idea how much I did. But man I needed this. 

I love you all to pieces!!!
We're so happy! 
Soeur Evans

Photos:  Typical breakfast, chocolate bread, chocolate/almond croissant with MILO 
Me doing my BOM Thing
My house--in Paita

Monday, September 29, 2014

Photos of New Caledonia...finally--This is my life.


Me & Soeur Gunn

Me and Soeur Pulsipher


This is how we go.. with our companions
Me & the Local Totem

My District


Traditional New Caledonia Meal with Root Vegetables

Me in my Manu outfit handmade just for me

The beautiful clear waters of New Caledonia








Porte a Porte Adventures and More Miracles

Well hello hello hello!!!!

Ok, this is gonna be a wee bit more brief than usual because fiiiiinally I sent pictures! 

Highlights of a spectacular week:

We've been really trying to find new amis this week. I realized something crazy the other day. Out of my whole mission, I've never found someone and then had them stick with it. The ones I've found have puttered out, and all of our other progressing investigators at this point were found about a year or more ago. So. That is definitely a need in our secteur. 

Well we found a whole new apartment complex neighborhood! And we're siked about it because instead of just yelling at their gate "BOOOOONNJOUUUUUURRRRR!!! NOUS SOMMES LES SOEURS MISSIONAIRES.....", we get to legitimately knock on their doors and share a testimony face to face in real person volume levels where the Spirit can actually testify too. Hurrah! 

We've been seeing some huge blessings too! The other day we were sitting at the pizza place waiting for our pizza when a woman walked in and goes "bonsoir les soeur missionaires!" Oh. So I'm racking my brains trying to see how I know this woman, when she continues to introduce herself as an inactive woman who lives in the booooonies of Paita next to the ocean in a neighborhood I've only been to once with Soeur Pulsipher. We never would have found her if she hadn't introduced herself. Just another friendly reminder from Heavenly Father that we're missionaries ALWAYS. You never know when someone is watching or observing or listening. Friendliness works wonders and miracles.

Had some delightful run-ins with people on porte a porte: man still wet from the shower answering his door in a towel, door slammed in our faces (first time on my mission, happy to say that. But usually we're not by people's doors either so that may be a factor), man in just his underwear yikes, and the classic, running through my head on rerun at this point, line, "deeeesoleeee! J'ai vraiiiiment pas le temps, je suis vraiiiiment desolee". Porte a porte is fun :) Always a new face and a new story and a new need behind every door, and we have the one-size fits all solution for all of them!

We were contacting the other day and having no success. Lot's of no's. Well about 40 houses later we were about out of time. We're walking back to our house and are a wee bit drained from talking to everyone and trying to help them see how much they need the Gospel in their lives. But we walk past a house with a family playing outside and a man in the yard. And I feel like we should go talk to them. Families here are extremely difficult to find. But so precious. So we start talking to them and long story short they are married, super faithful and really interested to learn more. MIRACLE. And the HUSBAND is interested which is seriously like almost unheard of here. It was so so happy walking away from their home. 

Alrighty loads more fun stories, but not loads more time. Suffice it to say the Lord's hand is 100% in HIS work. If you're doing His will and His work, He will give you His help, and there's no better help out there. Definitely feeling blessed this week. 

Love you alls! Hope the photos work so you can see a little bit of what my life is like enfin.

loooove,
Soeur Evans

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Smoke Truck and Miracles Encore

Well boooonjouuuuur tout le monde!!!

Favorite french phrases that slip out whether I'm speaking english or french:
"ca vaaaaa??"
"pas grave" aka no worries, no problemo, don't even worry about it
"bonjour les soeurs/bonjour les filles/bonjour les enfants" Basically
anything "bonjour les..." just warms my soul
" voila quoi" still not sure entirely what it means but our Ward
Mission Leader says it all the time and I just think it's hilarious so
we always throw that into awkward pauses or ends of stories.


MIRACLES. ARE. REAL. PERSONAL. REVELATION. IS REAL. We set ANOTHER
baptismal date!!! Background. This is with an amie who has a lot of
things in her life that need changing. She wants to be baptized so
bad, but has always said its a "long path' for her to arrive at the
gateway to eternal life. Well. Me and Soeur Gunn decided once again
that what she needed was a goal. A goal with her and the Savior
working together to attain it. We decided she needed to set a date.

In my head I was all, "ok, even if it's for July or October of next
year, pas grave, it's still a date"! Well we both took a moment,
prayed, pondered, counted to three and said the month. FEBRUARY. No
way. We had both felt really nervous about saying it out loud, and
both of us had looks of total skepticism like "really???is that really
what He's telling us??" But then we BOTH said it! Wowwww!! Then during
the lesson, the Spirit was crazy strong the whole time. At the end,
Soeur Gunn proposed the date and she said yes without the slightest
hesitation. Oh my the joy was so deep. Is so deep. I've been with this
amie since almost the beginning and to get to be there when she
finally fixed the date of when she's going to make this promise with
the Lord is just too good to describe. God is so good.

Another amie came to church!! She came with her older handicapped son.
We sat outside so that he could play with his cards, but all
throughout church she kept tapping her chest and saying "ca fait du
bien d'etre ici, ca fait du bien". She was close to tears. Every
lesson with her, she's glowing the second we walk in. And by the time
we walk out she's literally dancing and bouncing around with joy. When
she feels the Spirit she says her body feels "fresh". I love that. The
gospel makes us feel like new again. She's 72 by the way.

Soeur Gunn loves bread and says so, so everytime we leave a house
we're holding a baguette. Pretty much. People are givers here.

My current district leader is a Tahitian who trained to be a baker for
6 months in France. He already made us chocolate mousse that was to
die for. And next week he's making us bread from scratch. Elite,
french trained, boulagerie bread.

I've been in the same secteur my whole mission so far (my whole
mission in NC that is), but my love for these people just runs deeper
and deeper. And sometimes it's a love that's just there. Maybe it is
still a little awkward when we're not talking about the gospel. But I
still feel this pure joy being with them and just want to radiate the
love I feel for them onto them cause I know it's straight from our
Heavenly Father.

Have the best new porte-a-porte method! Thanks to Soeur Gunn and her
American mission experience. We just offer to say a prayer with
people. Right off the bat. It works! It's really sweet getting to pray
for strangers.

It's getting hotter and hotter here as the summer approaches.
With that the mosquitoes are out in full force and ooooweeee they love
our white skin.

They have this mosquito smoke truck here. It drives up and down the
streets spewing and i mean SPEWING a toxic smoke out the back end out
of this giant torpedo thingy. It's a smoke that kills the mosquitos.
That's how they fight the dengue here. Hahah kill the mosquitos...that
smoke could kill everything hahaha note to all do not breathe it in.

The stars are brighter and brighter. We can see the milky way by our
house. It's divine in every sense of the word.

Off to go preach some more of the good word! Love you my good sweet
lovely people! When the world gets you down, look UP! Christ can
always pick you back up.

Love,
Soeur Evans

Monday, September 15, 2014

Motherhood

Bonjour ma grande!!

Hahah words of an ami to be. Aka "hello my tall one!!!" It's the
little things like that that all add up to happiness.

Wowza motherhood is an experience. God is hilarious. I really was
pretty convinced He would send me my complete opposite to train.
Someone who's brain works in a different way than me. But ooooh nope
He basically sent me my baby self to train. Hahah it's unreal. Soeur
Gunn is great and such a hard worker. She's already a superb
missionary. She is going places. (shout out to Soeur Gunn's mom, you
did good!)
It's been a huge blessing for me to hear all of her opinions of things
and to reflect on the ways I've changed in the past 6 months. Because
she keeps reminding me of things I thought initially and things that
are hard and things that are new and goals, etc etc. And it is exactly
the thoughts I had in the beginning. And now I can see so much clearer
just how much the Lord has changed me, or tweaked me. How much I've
changed by applying the Gospel of Jesus Christ. By loving these people
and this culture and this country. By feasting on the words of Christ.
Of course, I've got my specific rough patches that needed and still
need sanding, but I'm so grateful that I've gotten to see a little bit
more the hand of the Lord on my heart.

We set a baptismal date last week!!!!! FIRST ONE!!!!! Oh my goodness I
am so excited for our ami! I know that if he really turns to the Lord
he can totally be ready by then. Miracle of that. We went into that
lesson with a date in mind that we were going to invite him to aim for
if the Spirit so prompted. Well we get to halfway through the lesson
and he tells us the date that he wants to keep the Word of Wisdom by.
And then casually says, "yes, so of course that will be my date de
bapteme aussi"....SAME EXACT DATE. He picked the same date that we
did! MIIIIRACLE!!! God wants him to be ready by then and so do weeeee
:))))

I now drive a fancy new automatic Toyota Yaris. Which is not important
except for the fact that I JUST got used to stick shift so now my left
foot and right hand are bored out of their minds when I drive. The
first few days I keep trying to shift and hit the clutch only to hit
air and well that was interesting.

Tontouta blessedly received it's Elders once again. So that is no
longer under our duty list and those people will get much more
attention, as they very much so deserve.

Had a deeeeelightful last week with Soeur Pulsipher. And can't
remember any of it because transfers happened and it feels like a
millenium since last Thursday with all the new changes.

It's turning into summer! Which means sweating like crazy, getting
eaten ALIVE and almost lychee and mango season!!!

Tried our first lychees. Texture of a jellyfish. Aftertaste of garlic.
Overall not my favorite flavor experience but not too shabby and
there's loooots more of those to come :)

Still loving Paita and learning gobs.

All my loving!
Soeur Evans​Soeur Pulsipher with Soeur Evans


District Meeting with Soeur Evans

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

I'm a Mother with Island Hair

Bonjour bonjour bonjour!

I'm a mother! Well thought I'd just get it out there! Not a mother in
the same sense as Alex though. I'm TRAINING!!! All the baby
missionaries get here on Friday and we're so intrigued and excited to
see them all!

It's been 5 months or so since our mission has gotten new sisters.
Again. 5 months. And about 2 months since we got new elders. So our
mission is in dear need of some reinforcements. We have definitely
been feeling the weight of missionaries going home and their
replacements not coming in (visa problems). But sweet rejoicing
they're coming! A whopping NINE of them! That's the biggest group our
mission has ever gotten! When I came in there were 7 of us and THAT
was a big deal, but 9 is unheard of. So yes basically everyone is
training in our mission. Hhahaha not really, but a good half of them.
Small mission details.

All I know about my baby is that her name is Soeur Gunn and she's from
Amurica. Enchante. Can't wait to meet her :))))

It is humbling and exciting to know that I'm training. I pray that I
help her have a wonderful start to her mission. It's wild to think
that was 6 months ago for me...feels like yesterday. Seriously time
whizzes by unbelievably fast. Me and Soeur Pulsipher (she's training
too!) do NOT feel like the old kids on the block, but we kind of are
at this point. Strange.

Paita has been seeing MIRACLES with our inactives. One inactive came
back to church after years and blessed her baby last week. Another one
came back out of nowhere and was enveloped by the ward. And another
one this week told us "I'm just being lazy. The Lord only asks 3 hours
of me all week. That's the least I can do for him. I'm coming to
church on Sunday". Speechless with joy. Inactive work has been such a
foreground part of my mission thus far, and the joy of seeing them
come back to church is TREMENDOUS. I don't know what it feels like to
see an ami baptized, but already, this kind of joy is so fulfilling.

One of our amis didn't come to church on Sunday, who we were really
counting on. We stopped by to make sure everything was ok later on
Sunday afternoon. We got to talk to his wife a little bit and were so
touched by the testimony she shared with us. That ever since she went
to church for the first time (only 4 weeks ago), she has seen life in
a whole new light. She declines invitations to go out and party
because she knows now that that's not what life is about. She reads
the Book of Mormon when she's feeling down. She has all of these new
desires and hopes for her life. She feels like a new person already.
Oh my goodness. Her heart has been so touched by the Spirit. What
sweet, powerful words to hear from a woman I love so deeply. A woman
I've prayed for countless times and fasted for. All we do is invite
the Spirit. He does the rest. And once the Spirit is there, once
people let Him into their hearts, the changes happen naturally.

A huge blessing this week was people expressing their gratitude for us
and for the message we bring. Four or five times this week me and
Soeur Pulsipher were thanked for the light we bring into a home, for
the hope people have found, for the Spirit people feel. For these
people it's us, it's the missionaries. But it's not us at all. It's
the Spirit. It's the light of the GOSPEL. It's the message of the Plan
of Happiness. It's the love of the Savior. What a privilege it is to
bring that into a home. To introduce that into people's lives. Into
their hearts. Into their families. Oh how sweeeet are the tidings we
get to bring.

Got our hair braided by a Futunian ami. Never ceases to be cool. She
braided it tight like nobody's business. Then she rubbed baby oil all
over our hair and our faces. Hahahahaahah uhhh.... yes so we showered
that morning, but walked out of that house looking like we'd been
camping for days. It was like Trek or girls' camp all over again
haaha. Either way, stinking cool and so fun to get your hair braided
by an islander :)

Speaking of hair, we now put coconut oil in our hair like the
islanders so that by the time we get home we'll have hair down to our
ankles. That's the goal at least.

Well that's all for this week! Still in Paita! Still loving it!
(unfortunately that means you probably won't get a picture of me until
November or so because that's the soonest I expect to get
transferred).

Loove forever and ever,
Soeur Evans