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

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

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