This week, as every other week for Soeur Holt, was really busy. For Wednesday through to Saturday she went to Lamentin while Soeur T stayed in Abymes: I would go to Baie Mahault whilst Soeur Needs would be in Guyane for exchanges and Soeur Reep would stay in Abymes. This is because because Soeur T and I are the only ones who have a driving licence.

Being with Soeur Hootini meant that we got a number of photos from some very beautiful places.

This was secondary to the efforts that they undertake in finding and teaching. We got straight to work going out to meet with Soeur Gamiette to have a little companionship study in preparation for our lesson with a young lady who works on their ranch.

We had a really great lesson about the atonement of Jesus Christ- we were able to go in depth actually because she asks loads of questions. We used the image of the 2 pits separating us from God and how Christ builds a bridge for physical death and lowers a ladder for spiritual. She told us that she has the feeling of butterflies when she prays and reads the Book of Mormon!! Later in the week they were able to meet again with this lady: Friday we met with her again and talked this time about the spirit world-she was really interested. She asked the question about why it is said in the Bible that only 144000 people will dwell with god. I didn’t know the answer but I knew that that is actually one of the things that Jehovah’s Witnesses often tell us so I studied it. It is found in Revelation 14 and 7- I also read Doctrine and Covenants 77.11 which is the Lord saying that the 144000 are High Priests who during the Millennium will be called to proclaim the restored gospel and administer the ordinances. Once again thank you Heavenly Father for modern revelation!! They talked a little bit about baptism, the challenge of living the Gospel of Jesus Christ means that sometimes it seems insurmountable.

Contacting and food!!!! Soeur Hootini made me steak and rice and roquefort sauce so so so good!! Take me to Tahiti now!!!!

We contacted in the shopping centre and shared a milkshake. We found that there was a music festival in Baie Mahault centre and so we did some contacting there. We met a journalist who had met the missionaries whilst studying in France but asked us questions about baptising the dead- we explained and bore testimony that it’s evidence of a God who loves each and every one of his children and is fair in his judgment. She told us that she would like to meet with us again and that we seemed to know more than the other missionaries in France. Not sure what I make of that compliment!!

They were also able to visit one of the people I used to teach in Baie Mahault- Veronique. She’d had a car accident the day before and so we brought some brownies; we had taken them out of the packet in the hope that she would assume that we made them but she asked us who made them and so we couldn’t lie!! Sneak peak she came to church this week!!

Occasionally things happen that are a complete faff: Thursday morning we were leaving the house and Soeur Hootini turned to key only for it to break in the lock. We told the landlord who lives above the Sisters in Baie Mahault who told us that he only had one spare and we had to make a copy as soon as possible. So that resulted in an entire morning of trying to find a key cutter who could make a double of this key because it wasn’t just any key it was super fancy and only a specialist could cut it!! Eventually we found the guy and bought an okebap for lunch only to return home to find that the key didn’t work!! We tried to do some swing bys but eventually we went back to the man and he made another copy for free!! We then has a lesson with Soeur Kasongoi about charity and love and how that applies to missionary work. We did this lesson in English to help her practice and I know I have said this before but everything spiritual sounds silly to me in English!!

It was a sad time this week as the Nestor family said goodbye to Guadeloupe. We had a beautiful lesson- one that I will never forget as the family left for france to live there Sunday evening; Soeur Nestor told us how much she loves us and what a blessing we have been to her family over the past few months and Coeurby told us that he loves us too, and that Soeur Holt makes him laugh even though he doesn’t always get my jokes.  It has been really hard to seen them leave but I know that they are going on to bigger and better things and I can’t wait to hear the news when Coeurby will recieve his mission call!!

Soeur Holt studied Acts this week- I loved the scriptures- specifically 1.8 which promises power through the Holy Ghost to be witnesses of Him to all the world, YES!!

“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judæa, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

Also Acts 6.8-10 where the people could not resist the wisdom and spirit with which Stephen taught- I want to teach like him:

“And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people. Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen. And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake.”

We will end this week with a lesson Soeur Holt heard from one of the Elders who shared a story that he read in a Liahona where God tells a man to push a boulder and after 3 years the man turns to God and says, I give up because this boulder has not budged. God tells him I didn’t tell you to move the boulder just to push and so the man looks at himself and realises that he has become really strong. Our missions are hard and sometimes we feel like we are making no progress but at those times our missions are making us into the people and adults that our Heavenly Father want us and needs us to be in the future.

Love you all miss you all so much have a great week xxx