"Soyons fou" - Frédérique Tomasin (Week 67)

Elizabete and Leony got baptized!!!

Okay, prepare yourselves....this email is going to get absolutely crazy. I can't even control myself I'm going to have to start with the best story of the week. This is definitely in my top 5 miracles of my entire mission.

I'm not sure how much I've told you about the Slepcik family (if anything). They are a Slovakian family who have lived here for a little more than 5 years. The wife's mother is actually a member! So this family has always known the church but never wanted to be baptized. I knew just a little bit about them since Fr. Van Tonder gave us the down-low. I decided that I wanted to extend a baptismal invitation and see what they said (even though Fr. Van Tonder knew that Ladislav didn't understand the authority of our baptism). I had prayed about it and I discussed it with Soeur Christensen a bit last transfer so I just went for it in our lesson on Tuesday. It was literally a disaster. Ladislav was super offended that everytime missionaries come the first thing they want to know is why he's not baptized in our church and he kept repeating that he had already been baptized! We tried to calm it down a bit and in the end we just gave him a sticky note with the date we wanted him to pray for and said we would leave it between him and God. The rest of the family didn't really respond to the question.. anyway, it all just seemed kind of like a failure.


Soeur Sutcliffe's family sent her face masks :)

But....

The next day we were walking in ville and for some reason felt like we should go to the church. Fr. Van Tonder was there doing some stuff on the computer. We started talking to him about Ladislav. Ok get ready. While the Slepciks and Fr. Van Tonder were cleaning the church that morning Ladislav had told Fr. Van Tonder that he couldn't sleep the night before because he was pondering about the baptismal date and talking to God. After literally praying all night he heard God tell him that he needed to forget the past and leave it behind him and start new. Before Fr. Van Tonder responded he went to his bag and go out a bible in Slovakian (he hasn't read the bible in 5 years because he didn't have one here in France and hasn't been able to find one.) Ladislav was appparently happier than he's ever seen him. He told Fr. Van Tonder that this was the confirmation he needed to know that he really did need to get baptized. HE IS GETTING BAPTIZED ON JUNE 6TH!!!!! He told us in our next RDV with him that now that God has told him to be baptized that nothing and no one is going to keep him from getting baptized. It's been FIVE YEARS that he's refused to get baptized! God lives and answers prayers! I cried when I heard this and we immediately knelt in a prayer of gratitude with Fr. Van Tonder. Pray for this wonderful family!

So when I first got to Montauban I emailed Soeur Caldwell and asked her who she thought I should visit. She told me that there was a wonderful French family (the Tomasins) who she had taught when she was here. I asked the branch about them and Jérémie told us that he knows them really well and used to take the sisters once a week out to see them! We organized it so we could go together and just drop by and see what happened.... We got there (with his grandma as well) and Frédérique was outside and him and Jérémie had an awesome reunion! (Its been like a year.) In the meantime....they had a new baby haha! I think when they accepted a baptismal date in the past the temptation got really crazy and they let the church go. :( It was amazing in the rdv because I could tell how prepared they really are and that they are most definitely going to be baptized!!! They have 4 children and love each other so much! They are absolutely wonderful! I can't wait to start working with them.


My babies! at mission conference

Subject line: When we got inside Frédérique offered us something to drink and we were going back and forth between different cirops (it makes water flavored) and juices and whatnot and eventually Jérémie is like "ok lets do the raspberry cirop" and Frédérique is like "oui soyons fou" (yeah lets go crazy!) I laughed for so long.

Remember last week how I told you about Patrice?? Well we had a RDV with him this week! It was absolutely amazing.... He has been prepared. He shared some stories with us about meeting missionaries in the past and he says that every time he is having trials in his life he somehow comes in contact with the church! He described himself as a "sheep without a fold" and he came to church!!!!! We'll keep working with him!



We went on an adventure

I just have a quick story that will make mom really proud of me. :) So we were at break-the-fast with the branch yesterday and Soeur Yonnet comes up to me and asks me if she could have some of my water. At first I was confused but then she told me that tap water was undrinkable and she preferred filtered or bottled water. I asked her how she knew mine was filtered or bottled and she said "I know you." Hahaha. I tried to warn my district last transfer but no one will listen to me! I do what I can I guess. :)

Okay, one last story since there's time. :) Let me preface this a bit. So Soeur Sutcliffe is SUPER into health and working out. We work out so hard in the morning and hard at night as well....I'm going to be so buff by the time I get home hahaha. Anyway so last night as we were laying in bed with the lights off we started talking about I don't even know what and then I look over and she is literally doing ab workouts IN BED!! She is crazy!!!! Hahahaha I love her.

Okay, here is my short little spiritual thought for the day.



Soeur Sutcliffe made this single muffin out of thin air

"In the end, the number of prayers we say may contribute to our happiness, but the number of prayers we answer may be of even greater importance. Let us open our eyes and see the heavy hearts, notice the loneliness and despair; let us feel the silent prayers of others around us, and let us be an instrument in the hands of the Lord to answer those prayers." - Dieter F. Uchtdorf

I love this quote!! There is nothing better than being an instrument in the Lord's hands to answer someone's prayer. Let's turn out so more this week.

Have a great week! Can't wait to talk for Mothers Day!

Bisesss

Soeur Ev

It was raining, so we had our picnic indoors