Week 52 - So many happy things!!

BONJOUR!!

Well this was another super happy week down here in Guadeloupe! We had exchanges, so the sisters in Guyane (a trio-- Soeur Cooper, Soeur Watling, and Soeur Vogrenic) came to stay with us for a couple of days! That was a blast-- we're all really good friends and getting to see each other again is such a fun and happy reunion :) 

On Monday night, we felt like we should go stop by the house of someone Soeur Christianson taught here a few months ago. We were only there for a few minutes, but as we talked to him we felt a strong impression that he's ready for the Gospel! He talked about how God is so important in the life, how he already has avoided smoking and drinking because he doesn't see any good reason to do it-- and he said HIMSELF that he needs to find time to read in the Book of Mormon, so we're super stoked to see how he progresses! :) Soeur Christianson and Soeur Watling saw him again later that week and it apprently went super well, so we're excited!

On Tuesday we saw our friend Alex again, who just continues to impress and amaze us. The member we brought with us to the lesson told him that she sees him as a branch president one day-- he was a little caught off guard haha but we really do see this kind of potential in him. He has a way of working with people, and has such a solid, loving family-- basically just a super awesome family man, which isn't always the easiest kind of guy to find in the Caribbean haha :) I think he sees this potential in himself as well, and he talked about how he wants to start slowly introducing his family to the church so they can one day be all together in the Gospel. And then, on Thursday, Soeur Christianson saw him again with Soeur Cooper and Soeur Vogrenic and set a baptismal date with him June 15!! We are SUPER excited for him too!! :)

On Wednesday, I got to see Junie with Soeur Cooper and Soeur Watling!! It was SUCH a wonderful lesson! Junie knew Soeur Cooper from like a year ago and it was SO sweet seeing them reunited haha :) We finished the Plan of Salvation with her, and she continues to ask the greatest questions and truly understands what we teach. She has seriously been preparing her whole life to receive this Gospel! AND there was a HUGE miracle with finding a car seat for her young son, so that means that she got to come to church for the very first time on Sunday! It was absolutely incredible. It was Mother's Day here in "France," which made Junie feel really special as well. Her kids loved church too and we're hoping that her, and her kids will be baptized in June :)

On Thursday we got to do some contacting, which was really fun because Soeur Cooper knows just about all the Caribbean fruit trees and was pointing them all out to us as we were walking-- I walked past most of them without even realizing what they were haha!! We found cashews, bananas, mangos, bread fruit, guavas, and cherries. It was also fun getting to chat more with Soeur Vogrenic and Soeur Watling! They are both SO fun and have a really strong spirit with them too.

That night we went to see our recent convert, Albie! It was SO fun seeing him. He's still doing super well. He shared several things with us that he read in the Book of Mormon relating to what we talked about and has truly been learning a TON from that. It was really wonderful to see :) We brought the Elder's Quorum president, who's this cool young guy who got off his mission in Quebec a few years ago. Him and Albie hit it off super well and were exchanging so many good thoughts about the Gospel, and I was just so happy seeing Albie connect with the branch and to be able to hear how strong of a testimony he has-- really brings joy to my heart :) 

On Friday we dropped the soeurs off again at the airport () and did a lot of contacting! We talked to a couple of cool older men who were interested to learn more about the Book of Mormon which was awesome. We also stopped by Richardson, Isneider, and Miradelson's house to drop off a talk we printed off for them-- we're hoping that will help them receive the answer they need concerning baptism :) 

Saturday was super fun! We had a really awesome morning contacting in the rain and eating delicious cherries off of cherry trees (sooo good). And that afternoon, we got to go to a baptism in Abymes!! Marie-France, a woman I taught while I was there a couple months ago, got baptized and it was SUCH a happy day! She has a seriously incredible testimony of the Book of Mormon-- she bore it at the meeting and it was so powerful. She has come leaps and bounds over these past couple weeks and I'm just so proud of her and happy that she made the choice to open the gate to the covenant path :)

We got our transfer calls too!!! Good news-- I'm staying again with Soeur Christianson here in Sainte Rose!! It'll be our last transfer together since she is going home () but we're gonna have a blast and work super hard! :) 

Sunday was super incredible!! It was Junie's first time at church, and Mother's Day at church is always one of my favorite Sundays. There were some really great talks about the importance and divine role of mothers that really touched me. Lots of treats were handed out to all the moms-- and it was sweet because they gave me and Soeur Christianson treats as well as "futurs mamans" haha :) We also got to hear an ADORABLE song from the primary, AND all the men in the branch sang for the women! That was just about the cutest thing I'd ever seen. Seeing all those husbands and sons singing to their wives and mothers seriously brought tears to my eyes and warmed my heart. I love families SO much and I know they are inspired of God. 

That evening, I felt like we sh



ould go to this apartment complex. So we go, and we meet an INCREDIBLE woman from Dominica who invited us in, accepted a Book of Mormon, and has been searching in lots of different churches for the truth. We have a really good feeling about her!

And then Monday was NOT P-Day, hence this letter coming to you on a Tuesday haha! We had district council, did some contacting, and saw Junie. Also bought a sno cone, which I hadn't had in a super long time-- it really hit the spot haha. It was great seeing Junie-- we talked about baptism, and it was so cool because as she was talking and reading some verses in the Book or Mormon (2 Nephi 31:5, 10-11), she talked a lot of her concerns through herself and found solutions based on her testimony of the Savior and what she learned in these verses. It sounds like she's going to decide this week on a date in June!! So I'll keep you posted! :)

So voilà, another wonderful week! Hope you're all doing well as the school year wraps up, and the high school seniors are freed!!! Congrats to all the grads, and hope you all have a happy week.

Gros bisous,

Soeur Gardner