April 30, 2019

Bonjour tous! This week has been SERVICE ORIENTED! And it has been marvelous. There have been a lot of floods with all of the rain and snow melting and it has caused a lot of trouble, even for members in the ward. So we have been helping a lot with that. We picked up trash at a nearby park where the water had brought in a lot of garbage and we also helped a member whose basement had flooded. We went there twice and we will be going back next week as well. There is also another member who has been very sick. We have been going over to her house very often to help her make food and clean because she has been too weak to do hardly anything, the poor thing. It has been such a blessing to help others. It makes me grateful for my own health and safety and home. I am so lucky to be so well taken care of and blessed. The weather is trying to decide whether or not to warm up or not. Some days its chilly and windy, other days it is so pleasant. After this long winter, I am ready for the sun! The longer I am here, the more and more I love the people I work with! The members here are so so sweet and so missionary minded! We invited a member frere. Senechal to come with us to a lesson with Lourdia and Ètienne. We have been working with them for MONTHS to come to church. But they live far out and they just weren't super dedicated so it was hard. But frere Senechal offered to give them a ride to church on Sunday. Their WHOLE family! They came in and all sat on the front row. It was the cutest thing I think I have ever seen!! We were just so so happy!! They had such a wonderful time! The members were so so great and welcomed them and made them feel loved and because of that, they had a wonderful experience! We hope that they will desire to feel the spirit they felt here so much that they will do whatever it takes to get to church. That is true conversion and that is our goal. We had a lot of meals with members this week too which is always my favorite thing! I feel at home with my family when the members invite us over and that is such a sweet blessing. Also, we get tired of microwave quesadillas sometimes so home cooked meals are always much appreciated haha! I feel like I blossomed a lot this week. Some weeks are just better than others and this one was great because we were so busy and focused on good. Nothing feels better and more rewarding than that! I felt a lot of love for our amies.. more than usual. I truly truly love them and I feel like they felt it. We saw some progress with a lot of people. I hope we can keep doing what we are doing and help them to see all of the blessings that are in store for them within this church and gospel. I love my mission! We were in the homes of member and amies representing about 7 different cultures this week! I am working with and teach so many different people and I love it so very much!! We passed by a lady from India, named Kamal. She had some friends over and they let us come in and talk with them and share our message. They gave us this Indian treat called Kihr (I think...) anyway, it was delicious! Kind of like rice pudding but better. She said we could come back whenever we wanted. We talked with and taught a lot of people from Haiti and Guatemala as well. I love the cultures. I love the people. I love that we are all children of the same loving Heavenly Father. I appreciate all that I am learning. I love this work so so much! I love representing my Savior. I read something that struck me the other day in a missionary manuel that said, you are not here to represent yourself, but Jesus Christ. That comforted me because it reminded me that I don't have to worry about what others think of me. I can "make a fool out of myself for the Lord" and not be bothered if people reject me because its not ME. And it's not my problem. I am here as a messenger of truth. The people who are prepared will recognize that, and those who don't will continue to be prepared. This work will keep moving forward and I am so proud to be standing in the ranks! I love my captain and my Savior Jesus Christ. I am so proud to wear his name. I love him. I hope you all are well and happy and seeing the good in the world. As long as God lives, it is there. Love, Soeur Bates

April 23, 2019

Bonjour mes amis! So a lot happened this week! Lots and lots of lessons including two new finds! We had a missionary from the ward come home from her mission in New York! Sister Lucas. She is so awesome! We got to go to her homecoming party. It was really revitalizing to see her with her family so happy. I am so looking forward to that! But until then, I have a work to do! And man is it going by fast! We were supposed to have transfer calls on Saturday, but for whatever reason, they postponed them to last night! Sister Atwood and I will be staying together here in Laval! I am so happy! I love it here. I love the members, I love our aims, I love my sister! I am so excited for another great learning transfer! I learned a lot about myself this transfer and what I am capable to do. I am finally beginning to be comfortable with understanding French. It still takes some concentration, but it's coming quick! I have had to exercise a LOT of courage and faith this transfer. It has been downright hard sometimes! But my Savior was there. He gave me tender mercies, and strength to continue on more times than I could count. I felt such a great appreciation for him and his suffering and atoning for me. I don't know how he did it. I crumble so easily under pressure and trial, but He didn't. I am so grateful that he didn't. In the beginning of Preach my Gospel, there is a part where it says something along the lines of "whether they understand it or not, people NEED the peace and healing that comes through Christ's atoning sacrifice" They NEED the hope. So many people I talk to brush off this invitation of the restored gospel so quickly, without stopping to consider how it could change them. It can change everything. I know that because I have seen it. The people who take that tiny step of faith to just listen, and then act find joy unlike anything they have ever experienced. And it changes them. It changes their lives. It changes everything. People don't realize it, but they NEED the gospel. So that is the question that I have been really pondering this week. How can I help people to see why they need it? I was reading this talk that elder Uchtdorf gave at a missionary conf. He told the story of an elder who was fearless. the elder said, "we are told to be bold, but not over bearing. Over bearing is to be bold without love. But if people can truly feel that you love them, you can never be too bold." I LOVE that! It all starts with love. When we love them, they will be more likely to listen and also to act. So I want to encourage you this week, pray for the help to love people. ALL people. And then, go do something about it. The love you feel for someone won't do them a bit of good if you don't effectively show it. As we do this, I know that opportunities will arise that you never expected, from people you would never expect. I know that my Redeemer lives. I know he gets me. I know that he loves me personally. I feel it strongest as I am serving and loving God's children. I sure love my savior so much! I hope that all of you had the most wonderful Easter! I love you all! love, Soeur Bates

April 16, 2019

Bonjour a tous! This week was busy! We had a new trainer trainee meeting so we got to go to Montreal and sister Atwood got to see her MTC district altogether with their trainers so that was super cute! President and sister Phillips message was so wise and inspiring. I love them so much! We also had exchanges yesterday. We have the best STLs! I got to go to Montreal with sister Ellis and it was so much fun! That was my first time serving on the island! It was different but I loved it so so much! We had a miracle where we went to pass by a guy who wasn't there, so we tried a pass by who was in the area named Michelle and she let us in and we taught her about baptism! She agreed to come and watch a baptismal service so that was super super cool! It turns out that sister Ellis had met Michelle before very briefly months ago on an exchange. She had been thinking about her this last week so the fact that we ran into her was a miracle! So so cool! We also taught the cutest family of all time who are on date to be baptized in a week. They are so elect and so amazing. i felt so much love for them and I have only met them once! We had good finding time and I learned so much. Sister Ellis is training too so she gave me some really good advice on how to help my trainee. It was wonderful and much needed. I love learning from these stellar missionaries. They are so wise and kind! We had great lessons this week as well! We had a super powerful lesson with Lourdia and Etienne. We listened to president Nelson's address and it really really touched them. We invited them to be baptized and they said they still wanted to watch a baptism before they committed. There was one the very next day! Unfortunately it didnt work out and they couldn't come so that was sad... But there is one this Friday so we hope to get them there for that one! We feel like they are so so close! We also had a good lesson with Josianne. She is a total sweetheart. She was going through a rough time, so we brought her cookies and had a good lesson with her. She promised us that she would read in the Book of Mormon because she was grateful that we were thinking of her. Nothing else she could do would bring me more joy than that! But the biggest miracle of all was this guy named Bahati. I found him facebook finding last conference, and we have been talking. He told me a week ago that he would come to church which was amazing! Then Sunday morning he asked if we could find him a ride, but it was a little too late for that. We asked him if he would be able to take the bus this time and we would find him a ride next week and just assumed that he would choose not to come, but he CAME! We were ecstatic! When people take a step of faith like that, nothing compares. My joy was SO FULL people! But there's more! The elders are teaching another guy named Issacc who is actually the one getting baptized this Friday and it turns out, they are cousins!! WHA!? They didn't even know that the other was here! He said that he would definitely come to his baptism and he told us that he just wanted to learn a little more about the gospel before he gets baptized.... be still my beating heart... When things like this happen I feel so much gratitude to my Heavenly Father because it is proof that this is his work. He is at the helm and he is preparing people and preparing us for people so perfectly that it could never be a coincidence. I am so excited to see what happens with Bahati on his journey, but I have a feeling that he is ready and that he has been being prepared for a long time. I love this work so much! (lol i feel like i say the same thing every single email, but its hard to know how else i can articulate how i feel about missionary work and my Savior) I love the Lord and I am proud to be about my Father's business, walking a very similar path that he has already tread. I am grateful to have this time to get to know him better. It is worth it. "It's the kingdom of God or nothing!" I love you all dearly and hope that life is treating you well. Much love! soeur Bates

April 9, 2019

Bonjour mes Amies!! SO much happened this week! At the beginning of the week, the weather was beautiful! All I needed was a light jacket!..... But this very moment it is snowing again.. C'mon Canada, really? I HOPE it is the last time!! I am so ready for no more snow! Haha. On-t-que (anyways) We had a lot of lessons this week and I learned a lot from them. We did some service, helping a friend of ours sort her pantry. It was a lot of fun! And then conference! Oh my Lanta! Conference this week completely blew my mind! There were a lot of themes that I noticed that really stuck with me and touched my heart! The first was temples! There is so much missionary work to be done and most of it, we cannot even see! Just think about how many people have lived on this earth and have died without ever hearing the truth! There are so many people on the other side that are prepared to hear it and many more that are waiting to be taught. I have had this reoccurring thought these past few years that there is a reason why so many good and godly people are being called back home. Heaven needs missionaries! There are millions of generations that need missionaries. I felt like this conference solidified that in my heart. That brought comfort. I know where my dad is, I know what he is doing, and I love that we are both doing the same work at the same time, very much in the same place (since his mission is soon to be mine) the second theme that i got is that there is absolutely no time to waste. These are the last of the last days. There is much to do and we can either choose to be a part of the winning team and live, or choose to remain normal and lose what could have been ours. There are no fence sitters in this game. I especially loved elder Anderson's talk about how we need to be a people ready to receive Christ. He can't come until there is a righteous enough people ready to receive him. So, the best thing we can do as members of the church of Jesus Christ is to become true disciples personally. I felt the urgency in his message and it inspired me in a very real way to be better and to be more focused in my preparation and personal development. I know through elder Bednar's talk that I can do that by using the Come Follow Me program and through daily scripture study and prayer. There is absolutely no way to truly know our Savior than by any other way. We could read every piece of information that was ever written about Christ and not know the smallest part about him. It is though prayer and scripture study through the power of the holy ghost that we know Him. That is a promise from the God that has existed since the beginning. The means and the right way has not changed. It won't change. I see too often in people that they don't truly believe that they need to read and pray every day, but they don't understand the danger in that. Time is running out and we all need to figure it out if we want our judgement day to be a glorious experience, not a shameful and guilt filled one. I am so beyond grateful for our prophet president Nelson and for the apostles and all of the speakers that pricked my heart and made me want to do and be better. We don't realize how lucky we are to have direct revelation straight from God. I know that President Nelson is our prophet today. I know that he is inspired and I know that he is preparing us to be prepared for Christ's second coming. I know that it is soon. And I know what side I want to be standing on when he does. I love him. I am honored to serve him for this short time. I hope that conference for all of you was as inspiring as it was for me! I encourage you to go back and study those talks again. We forget too easily and we need that spiritual nourishment chaque moment, chaque jour! I love you all, and you are in my prayers. Much love, Soeur Bates

April 2, 2019

Bonjour mes amis! This week has been very out of the ordinary! We got to go to Montreal twice for zone conf and stake conf! Both were so incredible! We got lost driving to Montreal the first time for zone conf and so we were late, so that was stressful. But it ended up being such a truly uplifting and motivational conference. We talked a lot about how powerfully the Book of Mormon testifies of Christ. It does! We did this exercise where we looked at Mosiah 3. We only read about 4 verses but already we were able to fill a blackboard of how many things it testifies of about Christ. It was so amazing. The Book of Mormon truly is the strongest testimony we have on the earth. It testifies of truth and I know that the honest seeker who reads and prays about the Book of Mormon with a sincere heart WILL know truth for themselves. Truth is the same yesterday today and tomorrow and I know that the Book of Mormon is true. That was Wednesday, then on Sunday, Elder Hamilton from the 70 came to speak to us and it was incroyable! He is so awesome! I found a lot of answers to my questions and concerns from his talk and from zone conf too. I know that we are lead and guided by truly inspired men of God in this church and I am so beyond grateful for that. Speaking of which, General Conference is this weekend and I can' wait!! I know that there are some truly incredible things coming. I can feel it! The rest of this week has been good! We invited a lot of people to baptism! Like 5! Haha. we got one yes, and like 3 maybes so that's awesome! We had a lesson with my favorite person ever, Saphira. She is the one who wants to be baptized. We taught her the gospel of Jesus Christ and by the end we asked her if she would be baptized and without hesitation she said "yes of course, I know its what I need to do." This girl is 13 years old people!! All we have to do is make sure her mom is okay with it and she will be on date. I love this girl with all of my heart. She is just so so ready!! My joy was sooo full! After the lesson soeur Atwood and I went to the car and just squealed! Haha we couldn't keep it in! Moments like those make all those really hard days okay. I love that Satan has to push us for days before we break, but Christ only needs 1 minute to fill us with more joy than we have room to receive! That is how joy works and how sweet it is! I love my mission! I am so excited for the days to come! I know that the future is so bright and that there are great changes taking place to prepare us for the great day that is to come when our Savior comes again in all his glory and with all his peace and healing. The world is so ready for Christ to come back. Now its really time from the people to be. I know that this church is true. I KNOW that. I know it is true because Christ is at the head. HE directs this church through prophets, through president Nelson. I am so so excited to hear from him his weekend!! Come with questions, come prepared. I know that you will be as edified as you prepare yourself to be! I love my Savior! and i love his work. Soeur Bates

March 26, 2019

Bonjour mes amis! This week has flown by! We had a DA with fr. Labarre and it was delicious! It was so much though! I don't know where I put it. I am convinced that the ability to eat a large amount of food without throwing up is a spiritual gift given to missionaries. haha! My trainee is doing so darn well! I am so proud of her and her desire to work hard! She loves the Lord and it is apparent in the ways she serves others. We had a lot of lessons this week! Most of them fell through and then were replaced with other unexpected miracles which was so very cool! I am always amazed at how the Lord can take a very busy day and rearrange everything so that it all works out better than we could ever have planned. He is seriously the master planner. We saw that a lot this week. There were many days where I was stressed that we wouldn't have time to get everything I thought we needed to done. But He showed us what his priorities for the day were and gave us the means to make it happen. I know that this work is in very good hands. We had exchanges yesterday and it was seriously so awesome! Sister Garcia is the most amazing missionary! So hard working and humble and kind and down to earth! We found two new people to teach and rekindled a former, a family! It was so exciting! We taught the restoration to them on the spot both times and the spirit was so strong! We went to an area a little farther out than we normally go and i loved the feeling there. I want to go back to knock it sometime. I had felt like there was someone that we needed to find, and we found a woman named Josianne who had been taught several years ago by missionaries. Her friend Robert was there and they were very receptive to us teaching them the restoration. We will be seeing them again next week. It was so exciting! My favorite part of missionary work is the teaching part! I love sharing what I know to be true with people that will listen. It makes all of the many long, hard finding hours so worth it. We have another busy week coming up with zone conf and stake conf in Montreal! I am beyond excited! They are always so empowering and inspirational! When President and sister Phillips speak, the spirit is so so strong! I can't wait! I found a lot of solace in the Book of Mormon this week. I have realized that it really does contain all of the answers for our day. Even if it is not explicitly stated in the words, the answers come from the feelings I get while reading it. That works because the power and the spirit of the book of Mormon is one of the most powerful things on earth. I love the book of Mormon and I am so grateful that the Lord made sure that it was prepared for us in our day to help us with our very specific difficulties. I am grateful for all of the tools that he has given us to help us find joy and peace in a very confused and hurting world. This much I know, there is solace in the Book of Mormon. I love you all so very much! Love soeur Bates

March 19, 2019

Bonjour mes amies! Wow this week has been so crazy!! On Thursday soeur Stephenson and I went to Montreal to pick up our sweet new little comps!! When we parked, the van full of new missionaries pulled up right behind us! I hugged all of the sisters, all the while not knowing which one was mine! That was a crazy feeling! I got to see all of my missionary buds! That was so fun! My trainer sister Lawrence and my MTC comp sister Nelson are companions now! I was so excited, and I am so proud of them! I have been so blessed to have had such incredible companions! I love them all so very much! I know that all of them so far will be my friends for life! Anyways haha, after seeing everyone, we went to our trainer meeting. It was awesome. Powerful. Pres and sister Phillips are so amazing and the spirit it tangible whenever they speak. Their words brought me a lot of comfort. And then just like that, they brought in the greenies (we call em bleus here haha) My bebe isssss... Soeur Atwood from Idaho Falls! She is an angel!! And her new missionary fire is as bright as her hair! Haha! I seriously love her so much already. She has such a strong desire to be here and she is so positive and hard working and kind. We are very similar in our personalities. I already feel very comfortable with her. Thats such a blessing! We had a great couple of days! We got lost a few times since I'm still trying to find my way around here, but we have been working hard and have had a few super great lessons! Soeur Atwood is so great at giving people commitments and the spirit she brings is powerful! It is really touching people. She can't see that yet, but I sure can. I am so excited to watch her grow this transfer! I hope i do some growing as well! I have been surprised at my ability to understand people this week! The gift of tongues is very much a real thing! There are still moments of doubts, but for the most part, I am seeing growth and I am so excited to keep growing .Keep praying for me! I feel those prayers, I truly do. There is no way I could be doing this on my own. It would be way too hard. But I know that I am here doing the Lord's work. I am grateful for all that I am learning. I am grateful for all of these people that I get to love. I am grateful for who it is turning me into. I just love my mission so much. Time is flying by so fast and I hope that I can use it in the way He needs me to. I know that this is the only true church on the earth today. I know that God is our Father and he loves us more than we can understand. I know that is why he has given us all of these tools to help us find the most joy in this life. He is the best source for joy and is always ready and oh do willing to give it to us. I love him. I love my Savior. I am thankful that he knows me and understands me. I hope that all of you are fantastic! I love you all so much! Much love! Soeur Bates

March 12, 2019

Bonjour mes amies! Okay this week has been craaaazy! We had transfer calls last Saturday and I found out that I will be staying in Laval and I will be TRAINING. Oh mon do.. Its so crazy! I have no idea who my companion will be, but i am so excited to meet her! I have a lot of fears for this next transfer, but a lot of hope also. I know that the Lord never gives us anything we can't handle. He always makes up the difference for what we can't do. I just hope that I can be what she needs and give her a good first few transfers here in Laval. It is a good place. It has really grown on me and I have done a lot of growing also. I hope that my French skills will continue to improve so that I can do this work with more and more confidence. But I know that the gift of tongues is real. I have seen it so many times and I have felt the help of the Lord. It has been a growing transfer and I know that this next one will be as well. But I am excited and full of hope. This has been a good week. We had a lot of good finding time and gave away a total of 6 Book of Mormons! It was awesome! One guy was like "oh your missionaries! Do you have a book for me?" we were like "uh yeah!" The book of mormon is such a powerful tool! It contains all the truth and it is the best way to know Christ and his true nature. I am so grateful to have it in my life. It has made all the difference. We had a lot of lessons with our ami Jacques too. He is doing great! Really progressing a lot! We had a great ward conference at church too. I love this ward! They are all so wonderful! Sorry for the short email! All is great and here and I I am happy and hopeful! I hope that you all have just the greatest week and find joy!! Much love, Soeur Bates

March 5, 2019

Bonjour mes amies! Well it was a lovely week. I got permission from president Phillips to call Caroline on her birthday and it was so fun! I love seeing my family! It brings so much more joy to this work and really gives me a boost of energy for the rest of the week! She is such a sweet thing and growing up so fast! All of them are! They say that the feelings you get being around family and loved ones are the closest feelings associated with heaven. 100% true. Family is central to everything and it is the most important thing to our Heavenly Father. I know that's true.❤ The English elders in the area gave us oodles of referrals this week! We had a pass off lesson with them for a lady named Mirphanou. She wasn't there but her daughter, Saphira, was, and we went back to teach them the next day. THEY ARE SO ELECT. They had great questions and a true desire to learn more about this message. We taught them the restoration and invited them to pray about it to know if its true, and also to read the Book of Mormon. They eagerly said they would! We had ANOTHER lesson with them two days later and taught them the Plan of Salvation. Again, super stellar lesson! I have so much love for them! It is also very interesting because Saphira speaks better English then French, so we taught the lesson kind of half and half, French and English. It was soo nice to be able to teach in my first language! That kind of thing doesn't happen very often haha. I really love them so much! Unfortunately they are going on vacation for the next few weeks which makes me really sad, because I really want to keep teaching them! Also, transfer calls are this Saturday (already!!) and so I have no idea where I will be next week or who I will be with! But I am excited to see what the Lord has in store for me! We had exchanges this week, so I got to spend the day with sister Ellis! She is such a ball of sunshine! We met some super cool people while finding and I gave away a book of Mormon at the door to a cool dude named Raoul. We also had a great lesson with Lourdia and this time, her husband Ethienne sat in! We had a member couple join us. They were so great! They both had such great answers to their questions and their pure testimonies were so very powerful! As missionaries, we have so much appreciation for members who join us for lessons. SO so much. Members bring a powerful spirit and are able to befriend our amies better than we ever could. We hope that they will make the decision to come to church this week. If they do, they will have friends to support them and make them feel welcome. Another super cool thing that happened this week was that we had a Facebook finding miracle! Sister Stephenson was talking to a guy on messenger named Norvan. He speaks Armenian! We just so happened to have an Armenian Book of Mormon in our car and he just so wanted to meet that day! So we met him at the nearest Tim Horton's and had a really good conversation (over really good hot chocolate haha)! He said that some guys (elders) had given him a copy of the book of Mormon several months earlier and he had never even opened it. But he promised us that he would read for us. Aw haha. He was very kind and had a cool outlook on life. I hope that he follows through and does read. There is more peace in those pages than he could ever imagine. More answers than he ever thought possible. This Book is powerful. I have a testimony that it is true, and written for us in our day, to help us through these perilous times. I am so grateful that I get to go out every day and testify of it. I want every single person to have the chance to feel of it's peace and power. Nothing else could have gotten me through the hardest times in my life except this book. Read it. read it every day. It has the answers to even our most specific questions. It is true. I know that it's true. I hope that all is well with all of you and that you are finding joy. There are so many things to be joyful over❤ Much love, Soeur Bates

February 26, 2019

Bonjour! This week flew by! Seriously I don't understand how it is already almost March! The time flies when you are hard at work I guess! We had some great experiences this week. Sr Stephenson and I did a special fast for the gift of tongues. And we also did a language fast the same day. So we gave up food water and English all day Saturday haha! It was rough. But it was the best day ever for finding! We found a family who didn't speak hardly any French at all, only Spanish, But with the little Spanish I knew and the little french the knew, we found out that their families are members in Peru! We were able to schedule a time to come back. We passed them along to the Spanish elders. I have such high hopes for them. That was the first house we knocked! Miracles do not usually happen that early on, so we were so grateful for it! The whole night was very good. We knocked a lot of doors and a lot of very kind people answered. We had a lot of contact with people from different countries that didn't speak any French at all. There wasn't a lot we could do except leave our card or a pamphlet behind. There are so many languages here that I have never heard of! One Muslim woman let us in and gave us orange juice. Her little boy translated for us. Sweet little guy. We shared a video with them and even though they didn't believe in Christ as the Savior, they really loved it. It was very special. We had a lot of similar experiences like that this week. It has been bitter cold this week! Last night we had 75 km winds and it was -30. But we went knocking anyways. Everyone was like, what are you doing out in this weather?? Go home!! I love knocking in storms though. It feels like an adventure. We had a beautiful lesson with a woman named Lourdia. We showed her a video of Christ's baptism. I chose the one in English instead if French by accident though. I was so embarrassed. She could not understand what they were saying, but by the end, she was crying. We knew that she felt the spirit so strong. The spirit speaks the universal language and she felt it. We invited her to baptism and she said that she would pray about it and talk to her husband too. We really really hope that she remembers what she felt in that moment and desire to have that with her all the time. She is so awesome. I love being a missionary so very much. It is such hard WORK but it is by far the most rewarding. I find joy in the fruits of my labors. I love tasting of the fruit. I love my Savior Jesus Christ. I love that he never changes in a world that changes so much. I love the feelings of joy I get as I serve my Heavenly Father's children. I hope that you all are doing great! I love you all so very much! Much love, Soeur Bates

February 19, 2019

Salut mes amies! What a week! First of all, CALLING! That is the most exciting news i have ever heard! I just got done talking with my mom and it was such a blessing! This change is so inspired. It was so cool to be able to share my experiences with her about the week. I feel like this is going to help missionaries and families everywhere to really get more and more excited about missionary work! I know I am! We had the coolest experience last night. We were in this neighborhood, doing pass bys and we said hello to this cute girl walking by. She stopped and said, Hey, you're missionaries! I didn't know there were girl ones! Haha. She told us that her brother has been taking lessons with the elders. She told us that she wants to get closer to God. So we gave her our card of course. Then this morning, she texted us! SHE texted us. (That almost never happens people) We are meeting with her on Friday. Her name is Winnie and she is a doll. Such a grande benediction! We have also been very blessed with sunny days this week so we were able to do some street contacting (also, everyone is more friendly when the sun is out). I never thought I would ever feel comfortable going to up to people on the street and talking with them. Now, it doesn't bother me too much. French is continuing to come. I have noticed improvement in my ability to understand. I still have a long ways to go! But its coming. I really can't believe that I am already 1 third of the way done with my mission! It doesn't seem real. The time goes by so quick I cant even believe it. Yesterday, we had dinner and language study with a member and she really reminded me about what a blessing it is to be out here serving a mission. She told us that the feelings she gets when she is around missionaries are close to the same feelings she gets when she is in the temple. That blew me away. There really is so much power in this mantel. I am so grateful and blessed to be here, sharing what i hold so dear to my heart. This has been the best opportunity for me to change and grow. It is helping me get out of my shell, grow my faith and meet new people. My ability to love has grown tremendously. I mean I have met people from, Congo, Cote D,Ivoire, Pakistan, Lebanon, Cambodia, France, Bolivia... There is no way I would have had those opportunities if it weren't for my mission. I have never felt such great joy than from serving these beautiful people. This message saves and it brings a peace to their lives that NOTHING else can, and I get to be the share it with them. wow. I love this work. I know that the field is white and the time is right😉 These are the last days and what an exciting time to be alive. I know that this is the Lord's church, I know that He is the one directing this work. I love Him and I know that He lives. I hope that you all are doing great and finding joy. I love you all so much! Love, soeur Bates

February 12, 2019

Salut mes amies! Wow what a week! Time really seems to be flying by! I can't believe that I have been in Laval for 2 weeks already! This place is really growing on me. It was hard at first because it is very different from Quebec, but the ward is solid, the people are kind and the work is moving forward! We have been teaching this great lady named Lourdia . We had the most amazing Plan of Salvation lesson with her. We drew it out and and explained to her what the true meaning and goal for our lives is. She was so excited and wanted to know how to get there. I have literally never seen her so excited! We told her we would come back and explain it next time. She was so excited that she wanted us to come back the very next day! (Then she cancelled on us and we had to reschedule it haha, mais c'est la vie;) They had the lesson with her yesterday, but we were on exchanges so i wasn't there. Apparently it went very well and she knows now that her next step is to come to church. She committed to come on Sunday! We are so excited! Shes seriously so awesome! Very elect. Exchanges yesterday were so good!! I was with sister Garcia in Mascouche! I really loved that area. It had a great spirit about it. I learned oh so much! We tried a new approach to knocking and it went very very well! A couple people said that we could come back and some said that they would come to church! It was so cool! I gained a lot of insight with how to better and more effectively learn French. It has been hard because both sister Stephenson and I are still so new and don't speak as well as we would like. It has made the work a struggle sometimes, but the Lord has blessed us with very patient people. We have been working a lot with members. In the lessons that are really hard to understand, the members make up the difference. It has been a huge tender mercy. The Lord blesses us in so many ways that seem ordinary but are truly miraculous. (Go and read the bible dictionary under the word miracles. It really changed my outlook on things today) I had a gift of tongues experience on exchanges. We were having dinner with this family that was VERY Crois. And they spoke very fast, oh mon do. I didn't understand a whole lot when they were talking to each other, but when they said anything directly to me, i understood it completely and I was able to respond to some harder questions in a way that actually made sense! I definitely surprised myself! I know that it was the spirit helping me. The Lord gives us what we need not what we want. I want to be able to understand everything everybody says, but instead the Lord helped me understand and say only what i needed to hear and say, in the very moment that I needed it. It was incredible! I know that this is the Lord's work. I say it every time. but i am so grateful to be a part of it! It is so many people! I love my Savior! Love, Soeur Bates

February 5, 2019

Bonjour! comment ca va mes amies? This has been a week of change and it has been so great! I love Laval! Its super different from Quebec but that's okay. i am excited to be here and the ward is amazing! It's actually notorious for being like the best ward in the mission!. Every single person is so kind and welcoming. And very involved with working with missionaries. It is SO nice! There are a lot of cool people here. Most speak a little English since its so close to Montreal so that has been very nice. Last night we went to a member's house to have dinner and language study. It was very nice to have firsthand help! My new comp is sister Stephenson and she is stellar! Such a hard working missionary and so ready and willing to do whatever the Lord asks. I love her already. She is just one transfer younger than me so we are both very much on the same level with French, but I have already seen improvements. More than i would have seen if I were with a fluent companion. The Lord has a way of really forcing us to grow sometimes, and man its hard, but man i am so grateful for it. its like the story of the little bush. When the gardener cut his branches down he cried and said. "how could you do this to me?" But in a year when he was laden with fruit, he said "Thank you gardener, for loving me enough to hurt me." That's one of my favorite stories of all time. Its so in our Heavenly Father's nature to do what he knows will be the very best for us. I have been studying his nature a lot this last week. I am so grateful for the knowledge that he is my literal Father. To understand that one doctrine changes everything. It changes the way i serve and the way i look at people. It has actually changed my whole outlook on life. I love him and i want to live my life every day to make him proud. I am grateful for this time to be a missionary, to grow and develop. Im grateful that he is letting me help others do the same. It is a joy indeed. I hope that all is well with you all and that you are happy. I love you and am so grateful for your prayers and support and love. I feel it. Love, soeur Bates