Ashley is enjoying this area very much, another baptism in the works!

Hey so... guess what!!!!!!!! 

Last monday we went to a soiree famille with the Abbot family and our amie Celine. They live in the country and so we took the bus as far as we could then we waited for them to come get us in their car. While we were waiting at the bus stop Celine turned to us and asked if she could be baptized! WHAT! Literally the second time i have ever met her. And she was like can we do it in March? Well we really think Soeur Ellis will leave after this transfer so March 15 is the last day until she might leave, so she asked if March 14th would work, and Celine was like, yeah totally, I really feel like this is the truth! AH! She has already been taught for the last 2 transfers she comes to church everyweek, and our young adult activity every wednesday! We are so excited! So were planning on that for March 14th! I am just so blessed in this mission to get so many baptisms! After that the week went well, we went and saw our amie Lilly who is actually american but her husband is french. Anyway she told us she had read the intro to the book of mormon and she said,"Im really looking for a religion right now, and after my reading I really want to know more about this!" AHHHHH so we will see her again this week, and hopefully talk about baptism, she loves how family oriented our church is, and she really wants that for her children. Its just amazing! 

Anyway this week we are trying to focus on contacting and finding new amies. We have some solid ones right now, but you can never do enough finding. So I am so excited!

Then I got a call from Soeur Simpson who is in Nogent still with Soeur Tane a tahitian who will leave the mission in 3 months, anyway Soeur Tane got a call from President asking if they had enough room for another Soeur. They did and he said awesome! I have a visa waiter from the south of France you can train together until she leaves! So techniqally Im like a grandma now, but when I told the zone leaders, they were like yeah a grandma to a stillborn.. haha  true, so I dont really know how it will work out, but I just hope good things for her, it would be hard to be in a trio and have two of them be francophones. So yeah... Lots of news, also S. Tupai has called and is struggling with her blue... so my sister haha, anyway I just feel so bad for her, she has a hard life on the mission. So I'm praying for her. Ok this woman we stopped by, she is 94 years old. She basically "founded the Rennes ward. She was the 2nd person to get baptized in Rennes/Bretagne area, her husband being the first. Their first sacrament was held in her living room in 1960. And she still takes selfless! 

So every wednesday we have PPP with the young adults, Its Pingpong, Pancakes, and Penser spiritual. Our amie Celine goes everyweek, so we get to go too! Its really a break from the week we love it! The guy with the blue shirt and the one with his back to you are brothers who are super active with missionary work, they teach with us a lot!

Snippets from our conversation with Ashley and a peek into her life in Rennes now, she is loving it….

Yeah I am loving Rennes! ITs amazing the ville is amazing and everything!

My comp Soeur Ellis is so awesome, we seriously get along great, no problems at all! She is from Boise,ID oh she is freaking awesome!

 Its awesome its so much cheaper every week for groceries, its like Idaho all over again! And tomorrow because guess what Addison is in the ville just south of me ahah again so i get to see her for district meeting!! Im so exicted!!!! 

This is my apartment of sisters!! THEY ARE AMAZING!

haha ok will do i just sent another pic of all of us in the apartment. I dont know if i have time to write an email. but i will try to send a letter, mom I just seriosly love these sisters so much! THey are so humble and so teachable by our heavenly father, its just like a breath of fresh air, I prayed so hard last transfer for some friends on the mission, and I have never seen a bigger answer, I feel like we were all friends before the mission haha. Its just amazing! 

So we have one baptismal date here and a lot of other amies, really Rennes ward is huge and were invited to all the meetings with the ward and oh its just awesome. I will try and write a hand letter, because i can keep it going for a while and then send it. but just FYI, this is the best life ever!!! Dont worry about me because just know I LOVE IT HERE!!!!!! haha 

Hey i found your emial. I have just enough time to reply!

Not much is up other than having the best life in the world. It is a huge change in villes, this one is so calm, but just amazingly beautiful. google maps Rennes, Saint Anne. SO COOL we contact there a lot. Rennes has 1 metro and other than that busses, so its actually big. I have a huge area that land wise convers all of paris plus up to the coast. so that means Mont Saint Michel is in my area, so we are planning on going in a week or two when the weather is a bit warmer. S. Simpson was really sad to leave me, but i knew bigger and better was waiting for the both of us. It was pretty rough to get stuff thorugh all the metros and gares, but we had the ZL's with us who helped me with my bags so that was such a dream. The train ride was 2.5 hours to Rennes. My companion is transfer 3 so she just started her 4th month. I love it here with the other 3 sisters we get along amazingly well. It is kinda wierd being the oldest, I get asked a lot of questions, and also french questions. But its fun. My district is the 2 soeur equipes in Rennes plus the zone leaders here and the missionaries who are in St. Bruiec who is my district leader. The ward does have 150 active members who are more than willing to work with us. ITS AMAZING EVERY MISSIONARIES DREAM. Thats cool about Rennes, I believe it, its so nice here! There is definantly a sense of calmness here you wouldnt find in Paris. Which just makes me feel like I can breath again. Anyway love you tons

Soeur Stevens 

I couldn't imagine a better place to serve a mission than the France Paris Mission...

Hey mom. I think I've already sent you a bunch of stuff, but yeah im going to Rennes, France my comps name is Soeur Whitney Ellis, she is the same transfer as soeur simpson! They were together in the MTC. The other soeurs are on their 3rd and 4th transfers as well. I have heard some stuff about them, but I just can't wait to meet them all! I actually know Soeur Back one of the sisters in the apartment because on her first day in the mission I took her out contacting in Paris for like an hour! So I know she is really cool already which is awesome. I know that Rennes has 150 active members that go to church everyweek too! I guess they are one of the best wards in the mission! YEAH! Im so stoked to work with them! I just really feel like President wants me to lead with love these younger missionaries, and help them with the language. But, I know it will still bring its challenges, living with 4 sisters... wow.... new adventures here I come. Oh I cant believe I am leaving Paris, part of me doesn't want to at all, and I just feel really confused, but I know its what the Lord wants, and I know he is by my side. I still don't know why I keep getting these leadership positions, but shoot thats why I choose to come on a mission, to climb mountians. "The harder the trial the more glory in the triumph" its very true. Paris has captured my heart and I will be forever greatful for all it has taught me. I couldn't imagine a better place to serve a mission than the France Paris Mission. 

New baptism! and new area- Rennes!!

Ok this week has been amazing for me! I'll go by days at a time: 

Tuesday: my last district meeting with these missionaries and it was really hard to say bye! I love them so much! AHHHH But soeur simpson couldnt breath she was so sick so we had to stay in for like 2 days

Wednesday: Had our last meeting with our ami Cynthia and I gave her the form that needed to be signed by her mom to get baptized and her date was this week, but nobody thought it would happen because her mom is SO against the church. But, Soeur Simpson and I have been praying for so long and fasted that her moms heart would be open and she would accept that her daughter wanted to be baptized, and on Wednesday Cynthia came into the church with a smile and gave me the paper and it was signed by her mom!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! She said she was really scared but said a prayer before approaching her mom about it, and told her why she wanted to be baptized and everything. She said her mom just kinda was silent for a bit, then said very calmly, if its what you want. You can be baptized!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHH Then she asked me if she could be baptized on FRIDAY! In just two days!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We actually had an all day conference in Paris so we couldnt and it was too short of time for the ward, but then she asked for Sunday, which was possible. So we set the date for Sunday!

Thursday: Went and did regular missionary work, and service for a member, but she actually said I would be doing more service for her by playing wii sports with her kids while she just got to relax.. kinda against the mission rules, but the woman has 5 kids under the age of 5, give her a break. So i played wii sport :) those darn kidos beat me at bowling too... Then we went to go pick up the Soeurs from Lorient! Soeur Erickson got to stay with us for 2 nights because of the soeur conference. So that was super fun to get to talk to her!

Friday: Went to Paris for the Soeur Conference and it was so good to see everyone again! Oh and the training was really cool! I LOVE SOEUR CONFERENCE! haha too bad its only once a year... but then we came back and cleaned the church with the elders and soeurs of Lorient and then hit up some homes for porting :)

Saturday: We were called last minute to help out with a young adult activity in Paris so we had to go again all day in Paris and they had all the youth come into the church and it was like a mini MTC and I got to teach the class, like I was an MTC instructor. So that was super fun and a really spiritual experience, but really hard to stay focused because the only other missionaries there were the Zone Leaders of Paris, Paris STL's, and Mandrin Missionaries, all of which were getting calls from President about next transfer! AHHHHH Then finally at 12 we got the news of where we were going. Elder Utahia called me and told me I'm going to Rennes!!!!!!!!!!!! YEAH Britany France So the West Coast!!! YEAH BUDDY!!!! (Soeur Simpson is staying in Nogent with Soeur Tane who is tahitian, and Elder Utahia is also staying in Nogent with another tahitian comp, Elder Maono!!! Beaucoup des Tahitians! Im a little jelly)

Sunday: We got up and went to church and got everything ready for the baptism, it went awesome everyone was there and helped out so many people brought food, and it was so nice to say goodbye to people, and even though I know it was the last day of the transfer, I knew I would have a baptism. I made it a goal to have a baptism these 2 transfers training with Soeur Simpson, and we did everything to make it happen, and the Lord made up for the rest. I know with assurity, when we do all we can, the Lord will always give us blessings, might not be in the time we thought, but it will always happen. I can promise you that.