Challenge of the week: Preparation Pays off with great lesson on Restoration

Hey mom,

Im so glad everything went well this week I was praying a lot for you and the family. I love you all! I have seen countless miracles this week. First off, after the letter on pday about grandpa i was really sad, and we actually went to Chateau de Vincennes in Paris, but in my area, wierd i have Paris in my area, we can see the Eiffel tower whenever we go south on the RER, anyway I was laying in the courtyard grass at the chateau there was nobody there, just my comp and I, which was awesome, and sat under a chesnut tree with the blue sky and just finally got a moment to think about everthing in life, and family, and it was just some time and space i needed. Then i prayed for a letter from you just a note or something, and the next day I got your card! It was a miracle i think you were inspired to send it because HF knew I would need it. Ok, so something really cool that might sound wierd... I really think grandpa is helping us here, because this is the first week out of weeks of finding and contacting we found 3 new amis!!!!!! Can you believe it! And the baptismal date is progressing, but they didnt come to church, so were thinking we will have to push it back, but still! Its literally the miracle we have fasted and prayed for for so long, all of our prayers are being answered its crazy how life is working. I think its because grandpa is doing missionary work. but thats just me. 

Im so sorry to hear about Gerry Anderson. i will try to write something. But yeah thats rough. Maybe she could help Peter better in heaven who knows. I just know that I have been thinking a lot about life on earth. I have such a strong testimony of Christs ressurection, and just knowing that he lives means everyone else will too, death is such an important part of the plan, and such a step towards eternal progression, why we always associate it with heartache and sorrow, i think sometimes can be selfish. It is sad dont get me wrong, but its so good for them. they are one step closer to eternal life! How cool is that! The sister whos husband just died said if anything the fact that he is gone now only makes me want to live more worthily so i can return to live with him once more too. we should all strive to live so we can be with our ancestors too. I love you so much and thank you for everything and sending my coat. Its taken an odd hot streak and it feels like summer again randomly lol. Im not complaining.!! 

Oh so one of my challenges this week was this one less active single mom with three kids we visited. The first time we visited I didnt say much because im still learning french it was only my 2 weeks in France, well she just insulted me so much for not knowing the language already, and not trying harder to speak, and that i was just a horrible person. THen at the end of the lesson she said you have to come next week and S. Tupai I dont want to hear a word from you , only S Stevens can say and give the lesson. Ok, See you then. 

WELL CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!! yeah so we had to go again the next week much to my utter dissapointment. but i planned an entire lesson, and prayed all day for a miracle that she would soften her heart towards me and not utterly dispise me so much. Well I gave a lesson on the Restoration and how we can build our foundations on Christ, she didnt say a word the entire lesson, and at the end answered my questions, followed up on our privious commitment, and then I told her she needed to come to church. GUESS WHAT! She came to church for the first time in 6 months her and all her kids! IT was crazy then she asked for the  elders number to get a blessing so she can come more often or somthing idk. But it was an utter miracle. I still cant believe it happened! Faith is a power, not just an expression of belief!

LOVE YOU! So happy to finally be settling in here and being ok with missionary life.

LOve you tons

Ashley

Letter to Rob, just updating about everyday life in Paris

Hey dad! I heard it was a pretty crazy weekend for you all! Hope the BYU game was awesome and that we won! Last Pday was fun we went and toured Chateau de Vincennes in Paris, which turns out is also in my area, so I always forget that i actually do have some of the heart of paris in my zone! I think were going to another chateau today and paris! Yay although we go there so often now, it feels normal. I feel like im finally settling into the whole "missionary life" thing and the culture of europe. It was rough at first, but they said it would take at least 6 weeks to get used to the life, so that makes me feel better. I hope Andrew is doing ok with the whole culture of China deal. I just keep thinking of how it was here, and just being so thankful im not in China! 

I bet its wierd not having anyone at home anymore! Im sorry about that, but it wont be long, you'll have Andrew and Court back for Christmas! And me too for the next next one!! I think I will come home Nov. 2015! So i think I will make it to Thanksgiving maybe too! Yay! 

So ive sort of become a fan of the whole baguette sandwich deal they are soooo good, so far my favoirte is called "le Parisien" its a baguette with butter, ham, emmental, and pickles. Pretty good combo. Also ive tried some amazing cheeses here. Oh still havent had a crepe! Can you believe it! I will try and have one today, also finally figured out a good european recipie for chocolate chip cookies! Also did you know how expencive milk is here! its like $10 for a little bottle. C'EST FOU! 

 Miss you a lot though, cant wait to hear you all on Christmas, but finally we have some amis to work with so with the new motivation and work, the homesickness has left! Its finally beginning to get better. Oh also there was a day where we only spoke french... that was hard, becuase i couldnt even use any english to help describe a word or anything, but it taught me how much french i did know and how much i actually am progressing eventhough it sometimes feels like im not. I can kind of pick up on side conversations, and I get the jist of what people are saying to me now which is so nice! I feel even just a little more connected. Its coming slowly, but its teaching me so much. 

Love you and miss you all the time,

Ashley!

Baptism! & Grandpa's passing

I really wasnt sure what to write to you, I mean with Grandpa passing, I wish I could just give you a great big hug, and tell you how much God loves our family, and how much he is blessing us right now through our trials. We taught the plan of salvation this week, and everytime I read it, thats what makes our church so true, and the temples so amazing. I love you so so so much and pray that you and the family recieve strength through this difficult time. I just think the Holy Ghost is so amazing, on Thursday night I remember i was thinking about grandpa and I was going to ask you how he was this week becuase I had a strong impression that he was leaving. I prayed that i could just give you a hug. Its so amazing that the spirit works like that. I kind of knew he was gone, so when i read it, it was not a huge shock. He is done suffering now, and is so happy to be reunited with his family up in heaven. I just finished reading all of his ancestorys histories. Sounds like he has wonderful family to welcome him home. 

I just want you to know how much I love you, and how perfect Gods love is for all of us. That though times may seem hard its because he loves us- perfectly, and though we may see something as too hard to bear or too difficult we just have to remember that he sees us in our Godly potential. He knows exactly how much we can handle, and how to help us grow and progress to become like him.

I recently found this really good talk by Elder Holland, "An High Priest of Good Things to Come" 

“Don’t give up. Don’t you quit. You keep walking. You keep trying. There is help and happiness ahead. You keep your chin up. It will be all right in the end. Trust God and believe in good things to come.” I testify that this is Their true Church and that They sustain us in our hour of need—and always will, even if we cannot recognize that intervention. Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don’t come until heaven; but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come.Of that I personally attest,

I really like that quote, no matter how hard we may think life gets God always has blessings waiting to pour out upon us. It may not be today, or tomorrow, maybe not even until heaven, but they will come. I know they will. I thank God that they do, I dont know how I would survive if not. But I am so sorry that it had to happen. I feel very close to you all, and know that I am thinking of you always and my thoughts and prayers are at the funeral. 

This week was really hard for us too in France. All of our amis dropped us, and we are contacting over 50 people a day and nobody wants to hear the gospel. Its very hard, and getting harder. We fasted and prayed for new amis, and then Mary called and is back from vacation. We went over and she said she wanted to be baptized! We fixed a date Oct. 4th!!! So we are praying that all goes well until then! It will be my first baptism! YAY! But other than that we have nobody. Sad. There are days that feel like I just want to go home, I cant do it any more but then I remember Gods promises and blessings and it keeps me going just one step more until i think i can make it home. Im realizing the harshness of missionary work, I have been yelled at and almost spat on, almost run over a few times (european drivers man haha), and insulted countless times, but in the end i remember that we are literally "angels" according to the mission president and scriptures. And God will not be mocked. I just wish they would soften their hearts. Its ok though. I love sundays! We get to sit for 3 hours straight! YAY! haha and i listen to hours of french talking. if you ever though church was boring then, try doing it in French... haha jk. I love it. The ward is so nice to missionaries. 

We went over to a member families house from Argentina like straight up. they have a daughter 16 and son whose 18 preping for a mission. We ate dinner with them and they are just the sweetest people ever! For dinner though she wants to make us authentic Argentinian food so we had rice, then a stew on top that had who knows what in it all i could make out for sure though was a chicken foot... oh man i said some prayers that reached heaven to get that meal down. The family is getting sealed in the Madrid temple in December!! YAY!!! were so excited for them. She invited us over next week because shes going to make us this course meal of Argentinian food. Yikes... but theyre so nice ill shove down some wierd food if it means I get to be with that family. 

Mary our only ami is from Nigeria or something.. i cant remember she only speaks english and its very poor, she and her three boys all little lives in a one room apartment with mold all up the walls and celeing, There is one bed and one suitcase. Mom, i've never seen such poverty as this before. I could barely teach the lesson it was so crazy. But i did, and she is extremely humble and wants so badly the blessings of baptism. I am very excited for her! It makes me so so so grateful for the home I grew up in and the family I have. WOW.

So today I am going to go see a Chateau in Champs-sur-Marne. yay.

Also meeting up with Madeline next monday in Paris possibly the opera house, je ne sais pas. Love you tons mom. I really hope you 

Change of Address - This is correct one and report from first Pday in first area in Paris

Yes my address is 2 Rue du Lieutenant Ohresser 94130 Nogent sur Marne France. Yes were are the only apartment on the street, all the rest is shops. I have to say I hated it here for a couple days, its dirty and gross, not like the places you see in the pictures. Nogent is the nicest area in the district. and we are in the nicest place in nogent, and our apartment was build 1900, the walls are chipping off paint, and there is no heater, and the water never gets hot. so no hot showers in the morning. It took me awhile to get used to waking up here and not in the US, and there were a lot of tears shed this week. But one day I just was praying and asked HF to give me one experience that would make me feel at home here, its so foreign. Well that day he answered it 10 fold. I wont go into details because im on a french keyboard and its super hard to type, but i found your letter that you put in the Family history book and it made me feel so much better, ever since i have been loving Nogent. The people are the uberest french you've ever met. I mean its like hollywood hilarious. I have finally started to appreciate each moment I have here, and since realized its been an extremely humbling experience. To see the way these people live is crazy. i mean it is so dirty and so sketch some of the places we go to teach. like i would not be here without this badge. its the surrounding towns we go into for rendez-vous with our amis that sketch me out. once there was a guy snorting drugs on one side and on the other a huge african that looked so so so scary, but yeah the RER man, its sketch. I met the ward and we've had some Psych worthy stories already my life is full of crazy stuff that happens everyday. My first night we went to the ghetto of ghettos here in Paris, and we all teach AFRICANS mom, ive never seen people so black before its crazy, but yeah thats all we teach. and she fed us african food that was so stinking spicy it was crazy! even the water was spicy! haha i was dying and my compaion was like dont eat the salad dressing... as im pouring it over my salad... ahhh it was the spiciest thing my mouth was on fire.... ahh it was bad, but hilarious. then we went and did service for this family who just had a baby and we iron their clothes for her. oh kay she said that the iron was made in the states, but ive never seen a contraption quite like that. I mean is was like i worked at a factory and was ironing at a dry cleaners and then she told me how to work it all in french, so obviously i didnt understand a thing, ah it was hilarious, so shes from Ile de Reunion. right next to madagascar so she fed us lunch right... no mom it was the worst thing ever, the chicken was chinese for some reason so i could down that, but the dessert was the worst she bought these things specially for us, and i dont know how to explain it except for it was hash brown potatoes with molasses curry blood vessels and sage. that was ligit the dessert... i've eaten some wierd crap here already... these africans mom they will be the death of me.. but all in all we thanked here for the meal and for everything, and went on our way. the next day we did service for this family who moved homes and they were re doing it so we painted windows for her, and shes straight french like frenchiest of french. and we had quiche for dessert that was chcocolat bottom and then egg, then bananas, wierd, but honestly the best thing ive had all week. 

OK, my companion is straight from Tahiti. her name is Soeur Tupai, she speaks French natively obviously. so she went to the madrid mtc for two weeks, never been to the US. the language was uber hard and i have no idea what anyone is saying 1/2 the time, but she does so thats nice. The tahitians have a different accent almost spanish when they speak french though because they roll their "R" not gurgle it so shes trying to make sure i dont start rolling my R because its bad french. but the members complimented my on my french and that uber french woman said i have a really good accent YAY!! i died out of happiness. Oh ok so the people in Nogent are all either Parisian (the frenchiest of french you can get or african) its wierd, but the ward mission leader told me "you know all the cliche french things, that you will soon see come to life in Nogent" hahaha hes right, they have a fresh market every tuesday thursday and saturday here and only one small "safeway" idk what its actual name is. yeah so eveyone is always carrying their bags with all their french produce and meat, with a fresh long bagette in hand. no joke i see it the most here. 

Yes it is super foreign, but i love it our amis are awesome and we are learning a lot every day its like a huge slap in the face from the world what i see. Everyone says they can tell im new because i have a sense of innocence in my eyes, even the members see it. But with time i think it will leave, another blessing that has happened is with the members. i guess before i was here they didnt ever have rendez-vous with members because nobody wanted to , but now weve already had 3 or 4 familys call and set up appointments and the family we did windows for ask if we could come again this week, which has never happened before, s tupai says its because of me, for some reason they actually like me here, i think its just because im american and not from utah.. and i dont know much french so they think im like some faith giant for coming here when im only 19 and so young hahahaha its pretty funny, they all want to teach me french and their ways, ah anyway we are going into paris for pday because we have Navigos we can go anywhere in paris on pday because its raining today we are going to the Louvre. Im goin to see mona. haha love you all so so so much and im always thinking of you and wishing sometimes i could be in clean oregon, but i love it here and there is much work to be done, so i will leave you with this! LOVE YOU!!!!

Love,

Soeur Stevens

Ashley has been assigned to her first area!

This is just East of the City Center of Paris- 

Sister Ashley Noelle Stevens

33, rue Maximilien Robespierre

Fontenay Sous Bois, 94 94120

FRA

P DAY Letter July 29th ( with excerpts from July 25th letter)

     Hi there! This week on Sunday we were finally allowed to watch movies! They play four different church movies every Sunday and you can pick to go to one you want. So this week we went to Legacy which was good. We had an amazing devotional as well, ots of good insights. I finished ‘Our Heritage’ -awsesome book which gave me an extraordinary testimony of the Resoration ( le resstablisement en francais).  

     The Lord is seriously watching over you adn blessing us all. I know that He is blessing you all and it makes me so happy. Last night I woke up like three times, and each time the spirit told me I needed to go to the temple ASAP in the morning to do initiatiories. SO in the morning my companion and I woke up, I told her about it and we got ready as soon as we could, grabbed a granola bar and headed to the temple. When we got there the sign said, “women needed for initatory today”( its never said that, they are always looking for men) So we went in and did a bunch this morning and the spirit was so strong. I really feel like these women were needing it for something, they needed their work to be done. I’ve never had such strong spititual promptings before, but when we do, if we follow them the more they come and the more we learn adn are blessed. This week has been an answer to my prayers. 

     Thank you so much for your support and motivating words, it really helped, my companion is doing way better at the language. She’s really trying and growing tremendously. Its amazing to see someone learn a language. We are learning more tenses and its getting harder. They are slowly taking away our notes, and things and making us speak and rely on ourselves for the French. Its so hard sometimes, but everyday we see improvement and when everyone you surround yourself with is trying to speak it too, you learn and grow so much. I bought a ‘ 333 most common French verbs conjugated in 13 tenses’  book, lol, but its come in handy many times over. I love that stinking book. 

(July 25th letter) 

     Some good scriptures- Alma 26: 11-12, 42:15 We just finished teaching another lesson. It was really good. Today I learned that if you ever pray for a bettering characteristic, the Lord will give you that trial. So through Him, you may grow. Before my mission, I prayed for patience. My companion has been my answer to that prayer. Only with grown patience, and charity could we work together. My faith in God has grown immensely since i've been here. Thank you for your prayers for Soeur Erickson, her growth is insane. She's doing amazingly well!

    Every day here is a glimpse of eternity, and the more I learn the more I know how much I don't need to know. I just need faith. In Alma 26:27, Ammon is about to leave because of all the persecution he's receiving, but the Lord tells him "bear thine afflictions with patience and I will give you success". I know this mission will be very hard with these people, but His  life was not easy and His name I bear everyday. Life was never meant to be easy, but with the Lord we can be happy through it. 

     Loving the mission, love to all, 

Love,

Soeur Stevens

Arrival at the MTC!

Ashley’s first letter of mission: Handwritten July 9th,2014 

Dear Family,

Hey guys! I’m here safe at the MTC! I can’t email until next week so they told us all to write our families. I have no idea where to start! I”ll send pic’s later in the email. But #1- I LOVE IT HERE! Everything about it is just awesome! We’ve already been with and helped teach investigators and its so fun! There’s one guy who we want to go back and teach. His life is very interesting and wants to learn so much and very philosophical. Anyway, my zone is AWESOME! A zone is all the French speaking missionaries. We’re going to Paris, Lyon, New Hampshire, Orlando, New Caldonia?.. ( think that’s it- no Canadians! Weird eh?) My district is awesome, there are 9 of us. Soeur Erickson is my companion. She is so sweet and patient. She doesn’t know any French. So we’ve started with Bonjour ca-va? ha ha. My teacher  who gives us all the lessons only speaks French. Its very hard but he makes sure we all understand. I’m one of the best French speakers here, but I still am major struggs. 

We have our schedules for the next 6 weeks and literally have NO free time besides P- day. Its insane, but I LOVE it. Its also very hard not to be overwhelmed with the language. Its a lot to learn, but through the spirit we’ve already learned tons! Also there are a ton of international missionaries and most are in my zone speaking French. Several are from England and it is fun to hear the accents. So in all, there are about 15 of us going to Paris. 6 girls , oops Soeurs! 

Also what I love about the MTC, its not super ‘churchy” or “EFY” ,its real world and we know that so I think that alone creates such a special spirit here that you can’t find anywhere else. The food here is pretty good! Although I’ve only eaten salad and I was so hungry I went and got a bagel which was 110% amazing ha ha. Oh, the showers are also nice and HOT! Our first gym time isn’t until Friday and there are lots of rules. 

Got all my books in French and there is a ton! Lots of learning but my companion et I are setting goals to be better everyday! Addison wrote me a lettter too!(  Her BYUI roomate). It was super sweet! I’m so nervous to go to my mission field! The french building is shared with the Haitian /Island speakers so there are some weird tags I see. My feet already have about 5 blisters each from walking around! Anyway, I’d love it if you prayed for Soeur Erickson to help her learn French as she is trying so hard. I’m extremely tired and have to get up @ 6:30 am and go straight to breakfast! Yum, I’m already hungry again ha ha. 

I love you all so much, 

Soeur Stevens