Sœur Anna the Amazing

Sister Anna K. is the newest member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints. She was baptized by David Babin on Saturday, 26 September 2015 in Paris, France. Best. Day. Ever.
This week has been great. A bit stressful, but there have been so many blessings and help from on High that have made everything work out.  We have been a 6 man this week and an 8 man apartment for two of the nights. Lots of Sœurs. Haha but lots of fun. Sœur Bond is on her way home, as in Mulhouse, France, and on the road to recovery. She is doing very well. It's been a blast to have her and Sœur North with us. We've gone on splits to try and rotate Sœur North out of the apartment and we've been so blessed with the time we have had outside.

I felt like there was a mountain of things to do this week, and I feel like I typically handle things pretty well. I love lists and such and don't feel overwhelmed. Well, a week without weekly planning due to hospitals trips and trios and exchanges was a bit stressful plus two different exchanges, coordinating the other companionship and preparing for Anna's baptism just about did me in. It brought me to my knees, which is exactly where I needed to be. I just wanted to collapse and sleep and do absolutely nothing. But I couldn't. There were people depending on me and above all, the Lord was depending on me. I prayed with all the energy I had left, and the Lord provided and helped me. It was amazing.

After a few more miracles, Anna was baptized. David was able to make it there after graduate law school and her mom made it too. Such blessings. Prayer works. She was beautiful, all dressed in white, beaming with brightness. It was a short, sweet, spirit-filled service. I was/am so happy.

Anna the Amazing's journey is just in the commencement, and oh how far she has already come. She asked if you celebrate your baptism every year like a birthday. It made me think a bit, and of course it's like a birthday! It is the day of our spiritual rebirth. It was a special day and one I will never forget. It was a beautiful sight to see her immersed in the waters of baptism, twice actually, and create her first covenant with her Father in heaven. That is true joy.

Avec amour,
Sœur Kate Simpson

Hillary at Le Parc Montsouris

She showed up at church last week. Super cute girl from Cali. Her family is from the Philippines. She met with some missionaries in San Diego, but is studying abroad in Paris for a semester! We met with her while I was on exchanges with Sœur Morris, who is serving in Caen, and talked about the Book of Mormon. She has already started studying it and has been taught a lot about the gospel already. She is so prepared. We set a baptismal date for November 8!

SŒUR KING CAME TO PARIS

It was awesome. I love that Sœur. This week, October 1, marks one year from when we met, became companions and began this awesome adventure of a mission. She is currently in her second transfer training a cute bleue from Washington up in St. Quentin. They came down for our 2nd year Legalité. A fun little adventure to the Sous-Préfecture (like a DMV + immigration place) of St. Germain-en-Laye to renew our visas to stay legal in France!

Singing in the Rain - 14 September 2015

The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain.

It was a rainy week in Paris, but it was beautiful quand même. We are both a bit sick still, but hopefully on the upswing. We had exchanges in Mulhouse and then Toul soeurs came to Paris at the end of the week.
I was with Soeur North and then Soeur Clements, both just adorable. We had a great time and saw many tender mercies of the Lord.

It's going to be more of a pic-email due to time. Here we go.

Sister Hall, the bishops wife and YW president, asked us to teach the YW the missionary lessons. This week was the first and we taught the Restoration of the church of Jesus Christ. It went very well. A few random questions and irreverence by cell phones... But it ended strongly with the spirit as everyone shared how the Holy Ghost speaks to them no confirms the truth. It was beautiful. I love the Young Women program and the good it does in helping grow testimonies of this
wonderful gospel.

Sœur Tippett and I

Soeur North + me + 

fresh mint from an investigator's garden

 Mulhouse, France

 

Soeur Clements + I

 Arc de Triomphe

 Paris

The Paris Sœurs

 Sr. Nelson, Sr. Ellis, 

Sr. Simpson, Sr. Tippett

 Le Comptior Crew

Ibrahim, Delphine, me, Ahmelle

Our cute little hot cocoas!

Anna and the two of us
with my little gift, the orchid, Penelope. 

Château Rouge, north east Paris

Basically Little Africa

Our Côte d'Ivorian sewing crew.

St. Denis, Paris 

CACHARELLE. ❤️ literally ran into her crossing the street going to Bishop Hall's home for the YW night. She was baptized when I was in Nogent and she just moved to Paris! Just down the street from the Bishops family! So fun to see her! 

The Paris District

YW selfie. 😘

So Saturday was going to be another giant Book of Mormon activity but it was down pouring... So they would get soaking wet. What do you do when it's raining in Paris? Go underground. So we did like a flash mob hymn singing contacting on the métro. It was awesome. Not a ton of outward success, a few missionaries got yelled at as they were contacting as we kept singing, a few haters...but some people accepted a Book of Mormon and contact cards!!! It sure did pump up all the missionaries and fill us with motivation and energy. Zone Activity back-up plan success.

The Paris Zone.

All wet. None of the elders had umbrellas...

Sœurs are always prepared.

Come to Zion, come to Zion!

Apparently Zion is in the ghettos of east Paris.

Our amie Dan Feng from China moved here from Lyon two weeks ago and didn't know what neighborhood she was getting herself into. It was sketchy. The literal hood of Paris. It's in the Paris-Lilas area (Elders only), but because she is a single lady and we are given the permission, we get to teach her. The buildings were falling apart, like planes had crashed into them, super rusty and dirty, and graffitied everywhere. It seriously looked like zombie apocalypse aftermath. No worries, we were safe. And Dan Feng was taught the gospel. So all is well. All is well.

It was a great week and the work is moving forward. Anna was supposed to get baptized this past weekend and was not, but we are still praying and working to help her be baptized in two weeks. She's got this! Thank you for your prayers and support. They are being answered. Little by little, Paris is growing in the faith.

I know this work is true. I love it. Thank you for your examples and efforts in all you do. Keep up the great work. Happy week!

Sœur Kate Simpson