April 21, 2011

Well here it is...my final words from the MTC!!!! Wahoo!!!! Can you believe...I've been within the same 1 block radius for 8 weeks straight...and now I'm headed to PARIS!!!! You know what that means...send me all the dearelders while you still can! haha

 

This week has been one to remember. This week we finally had an apostle come and speak to us! Richard G. Scott came it was amazing! I don't know how to describe the spirit that was in the room while he spoke to us. He first gave us his written talk and then he put the papers down, took off his glasses, and said "I've been impressed to say some things..." and I was just thinking alright! here comes the good stuff!! haha (yes...i am officially a spiritual nerd) Anyways, it was amazing. First he had everyone in the crowd who was going language-speaking raise their hands. Then he said "I use my apostlic power to give you the gift of tongues" It was so powerful. He did warn us that we still need to study... but it was such a comforting blessing. He promised us a lot of things and it definately felt like he was speaking directly to our district and me because he addressed alot of the fears and worries that come when your facing the field in 4 days (eeeeeek!) He ended with his testimony which was so powerful because when he says things like "I KNOW" you can just feel that he really does KNOW...he doesn't just believe. The spirit was so strong at the end of the meeting that everyong was just silent as we walked back to the classrooms. It was definately a good way to end our time at the MTC.

 

As well my companion and I had the opportunity to particpate in a training meeting for new missionaries. We had to conduct a lesson with a paid actor while a room of newbies watched. When we were first asked to do it I was terrified, but then we found out we were reccommended by our teachers and it gave me alot of confidence. It turned out to be an amazing experience. It made me feel so excited for the field because I can't wait till I'm sitting in the living rooms of REAL investigators. It also made me reflect alot on how far we've come in the MTC, because I remember watching those missionaries 9 weeks ago and thinking they were so calm and knew what they were doing (LIES) but at least I can appear that way.

 

Today we had our last temple trip. It was so amazing. The most spiritual experience I've yet in the temple. The spirit was amazing while in there, the wierd part was leaving. I felt as we walked out the front doors the spirit leave. Just a little bit, because I just had this image of us walking out into a Babylon of sorts. We are leaving the comforts of the MTC where everyone loves us and is so proud of us, to a city where...well Babylon is the best word I can think of. But an elder in our district put it the best way I think. He said "we are sacrificing our time with the temple and these blessings to go and give it to others." Makes me so excited for France!!!

 

I don't have much else to say. I'm so excited to leave, because I know this gospel is true. I know it is the source of all happiness and joy I have felt in my life. I know that the Savior lives and loves each one of us. I know that the atonement can help us overcome every trial in our life. I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet and that he restored Christ's church on the earth. I know he translated the Book of Mormon, and through that book we can learn how to follow Christ. I know the Lord is with the missionaries every step of the way and will help us! Now I just need to learn to say all this in french haha...

 

Love you all!

Soeur Smith

April 15, 2011

BONJOUR!!!!

 

Guess what!? I can officially count how many days we have left in the MTC on two hands (no toes required!) Can you believe it! We are officially the oldies in the MTC!!! We kind of sound like we know what we're talking about when people overhear our french. Really we are just saying the 10 words we know really well over and over again. haha. But for reals, this week has been difficult to concentrate as we all start to feel the affects of leaving soon. At the same time though I think I've started concentrating more because I realize soon I have to ACTUALLY speak french...I can't get away with attempting to say something and then repeating myself in english. I'm not going to lie...I'm excited! We had 3 days of english-fast in our district this week. They were so hard...but also reassuring because it wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be...but those were definately headache nights.

 

Life in the MTC remains same old same old. We are progressing with our investigators little by little...maybe they will get "baptized" by the time we leave. As well my companion and I had a really cool experience with the TRC this week. The TRC is where volunteers from the community come in and volunteer to be taught by missionaries. For the past 4 weeks my companion and I have concidently had the same 2 volunteers. One is a BYU student who is 19. She wants to go on a mission really bad and is mostly just waiting till she's old enough. She grew up speaking french and has studied it in school. The other is guy who served his mission in Tahiti...so he has a funny french accent (Tahitians roll their Rs and use the 'tu' form fore everything...Parisian french is in the back of the throat more and uses the 'vous' form) Anyways...the guy who served in Tahati always corrects my french...which I really appreciate but I think he thought I was bugged by it. So once our lesson was over he gave us a pep talk. He shared some experiences with us about the times he followed the promptings of the spirit and the times he didn't. It was amazing as he told us the miracles that happened when he would use his priesthood power to heal and help people and wasn't scared to say the things the spirit told him. He told me to not be scared to speak french, because he was a lot worse than I when he left the MTC, but as long as you are on the Lord's errand then the spirit will help me speak it and help the french people understand me. He told me about some of his lessons where if people really felt the spirit they would understand everything he said, while if someone else was sitting right there and not feeling the spirit they had no clue what he said.

 

I've thought alot about this and here at the MTC they keep telling us that we are going on our missions to find the elect. We are going out to find those who have been prepared by the Lord and are ready to hear our message. I am getting so excited to go. Yes there are feelings of fear and inaquadcies with the languages. But if there is such a thing as trusting in the Lord too much I think I'm there right now. I know I have to continually work to improve my french and have the courage to talk to people. But if I do those things then he will help me every step of the way. I think the scripture D&C 84:88 that describes perfectly how I feel right now.

 

Anyways, I love you all and miss you! Thank you for your words of support and prayers!

 

Soeur Smith

April 8, 2011

Bonjour!!!

How is it going?! Thank you for all of the letters this week...I felt tres loved!!! Sounds like everyone is doing pretty well...Mom I am so excited for your fridge!!! Truly.. although I may have laughed out loud when I pictured you sitting in the kitchen hugging it haha. Oh and Chris...thank you so much for writing me!!! I'm going to write back but I'm going to send it to Canada because I don't know when your break is between semesters. Kaila...I'm sorry you have strep! I can feel your pain!!

This week at the MTC seemed really long. Not because the time dragged...just because conferance already feels like it was SO long ago haha. This week has been fairly eventful. We recieved 20 new missionaries in our zone! Which is quite wierd because it means we are the oldies...which means we are leaving soon...which means I should probably know french by now...haha jk but still it is getting a little intimidating that we will soon be in the field. But having newbies have also made me aware of how much I have learned in the past month and how real the gift of tongues is. I swear I've learned more here than I learned in 4 years of high school (of course I can only really talk about gospel subjects...I'm assuming normal french will come when I get there haha) As well this week my companion sprained her ankle...we've been moving very slowly around the MTC...but she is healing quickly. I'm just grateful it didn't happen closer to our departure date and it could affect her departure date. As well, two other soeurs and I have found a great little secret on our floor. We like to call it the Room of Requirement (please tell me you picked up on the Harry Potter referance) but in reality its just a linen closet that serves a very good purpose of being able to get away from all the noise and write letters and in our journal. We call it RR...its our code for "I need a break...meet me in 10 with chocolate!" haha just kidding...but its been great having Soeur White and Soeur Woodward as friends and having our little getaway at the end of the day.

General conferance was amazing in the MTC! I think just being around all the missionaries and striving so hard to feel the spirit made conferance a very special experience. Our teacher challenged us to only write down spiritual impressions because we get the talks in the ensign a month later...but those spiritual promptings only come once. So I tried it and it was such an amazing experience. I still had as many notes at the end of the day, but they meant so much more. One of the strongest things I felt (especially when President Monson was speaking about the Rome Temple) was that we are preparing France for a temple. I know that there is no way one will come while we are there...but speaking with other missionaries in our zone we all had similar feelings. That it is France's turn...and we are helping to prepare the way. Maybe we are all just really pumped for our mission and we are getting our hopes up...but Elder Benar said in a devotional at the MTC a few years ago that missionaries need to stop worrying about whether their thoughts are promptings or their own thoughts because when if your doing the right things it doesn't matter! If your righteous then your thoughts will be alighned with the spirit. I especially loved President Holland's talk at the end. It was very different but so powerful. I wish everyone we are going to teach could watch conferance and be able to feel the things I did...because then how we they not want to be baptized!!!.....can you tell I've been in the MTC for a while now??

That night we also had a really good speaker for our Sunday night devotional. His name is Vai Sikahema...he played for BYU and played in the NFL. Now he is a news anchor in Philidalphia (SP?) Anyways...he started telling us stories about his mission. And he started telling us about one of his investigtors...then he said well let me introduce you to him. Then he brought his investigator from 20+ years ago up on the stand. It was so powerful as they told his conversion story together. After, he had his whole family, kids and grandkids, stand up and show how one conversion has now spread the blessings of the gospel throughout generations. It made me think of my own family history. How Gram and Papa's decision to be baptized changed my life...and how the pioneers on Mom's side would have had to have so much courage to leave everything they knew for a strange religion in the Americas. I am so proud to come from both families and so grateful that I have been a recepitant of those eternal blessings and now have the opportunity to bring that the families of France.

Well, those are my thoughts from the week! hah I love you all and I hope this week has been great!!

Soeur Smith

Week 6- Christmas at the MTC!!

Bonjour! Bonjour!

 

How are you?? Is the second week of Spring Break or is everyone back in school? I'm glad to hear that Silverstar was so much fun!!! Hopefully the snow was the glad...but I appreciate the editing of exactly how good it was lol. Has spring come yet to the Okanagon? Its been fairly nice here the past coupled days...its great when we can do our studies outside...its a nice break from sitting in the classroom.

 

This week has been full of the same old same old. But I've tried to think of some highlights. First- there were some definate French breakthroughs this week. I bore my testimony on Sunday...and I'm sure it was horrid french...but it was a big step from last month when I sat there with my jaw on the ground, a confused look on my face, and thinking what the heck are they saying! As well, in our lessons things have going much smoother! There have actually been circumstances when my companion has been at a loss of words and I've jumped in and given a coherant explanation! haha its a great feeling! To actually know what I want to say and in a very caveman fashion be able to say it! A big improvement from hearing our investigators answers and just being able to respond with "Je sais que (I know that...)" and respond with only a testimony. I'm sure the process with begin again in France...but I'll take my victories when I can! We also learned an amazing grammar trick in which you JOIN sentances...I know crazy right!? We are sounding less and less caveman by the day!! Tres super! We have also been attempting to go on a English-fast...its very difficult! Usually I end up forgetting as soon as someone tells a story and I want to add in my two cents, but everyday is getting better. My teacher told me that a complete English fast is really hard in the MTC...but as long as I'm attempting Franglais in all circumstances that will help. So once again the power of franglais is used! Mostly I just think to what Uncle Gordon told me about getting a headache in France from thinking in French. Everyday at the end of the day I gage how successful I was at working that day by how exhausted I am. Does my head hurt? Check. Am I dead tired? Check. Can I barely form English sentances? Check. Well then its been a good day in the MTC! haha

 

Our district has definately had some spiritual highs as well. We've had alot of experience baring one anothers burderns this week. I've had a relatively easy time in the MTC. No extreme difficulties...but I think I've been blessed with that because then I can use my time and energy helping others. All of the sisters and several of our elders have had an especially difficult week in one way or another. But its amazing how we were all brought together with different backgrounds and experiences that somehow help and support one another. Its been a testimony builder as we have born our testimonies to each other of the healing power of the atonement and its makes me that much more excited to share that with the people of France. One night we spent two hours (yes I realize we skipped language and companionship study) telling each person what we like about them. It was an amazing experience to realize how well we know each other already and how essential everyone's personalities have to been in helping our district to grow. You'd be shocked that they all told me they love how happy I am...and I laugh all the time. I told them about how you all count my laughs when I'm the phone and you never quite get to five before I laugh again. Anyways...I think the lesson from this week has been that yes hard times will come. But if you use those hard times to pray and come closer to Christ, then Satan's plan is foiled because you end up stronger in the end. So naturally, he'll try and get you from another angle. But then if you continue the process and come closer to Christ again. The process repeats over and over until I'm sure the enemy is quite frustrated, and you feel quite uplifted. It sounds like a good deal to me. Not that I'm asking for trials, but I'm grateful for them in the end.

 

And naturally, many funny times have come from this week. Our french continues to be quite entertaining for all. We were learnng reflexive verbs...and one elder instead of saying "I shave my self tonight" said "I shave all of the sisters"....soeur=sister, soir=night...you can see where the confusion comes in haha. But we are all learning, one of my favorite elders here is from China. I love waving at him on campus and helping him with his english. This week as we were all heading back to the dorms he came up to us and yelled "good morning!" and turned away...then turned back and went "Good night!" haha...I hope the people in france will just go with what I say like we did with him. Made me feel better to know we are in the learning process here at the MTC. Finally...you all appreciate this story because you understand my hate for feet!!! Well I lost my planner this week...and the other sisters may or may not have learned about my hate for feet. Well one sister found my planner and made me give feet-high fives before she would give it back!!! FEET HIGH FIVES!!! EWWWWW!!!!

Oh the things we do for entertainment at the MTC haha

 

Anyways- thank you so much for the package!!!! The elders loved the candy (the part the loved the most was when the next morning I said "the candy was good eh?" without even thinking that I was playing into every canadian stereotype and saying eh haha) and the LOVED the letters from Shannon...I think a couple have written back already. The flips flops are a life saver...I don't have to worry about getting some nasty disease anymore. And Pooski I'm loving the dark hair!!! Oh and tell Jeff and Camille congrats on the announcement!!

 

Next we are looking forward to getting 4 new districts in our zone! Which blows my mind because that means we are the oldies...which also means our time at the MTC is coming to a close! So crazy!!!! But I won't get ahead of myself...we still have four weeks! Which brings me to this weekend...Conferance! I can honestly say I think I'm more excited for that than I was for Christmas this year! And that is why I feel like its Christmas at the MTC haha. The best part is that we don't have anything scheaduled between sessions....which means...yes we may get to take a nap! I don't know how to explain my excitement! haha

 

Well love you all, Can't wait to hear from you!!

Soeur Smith

Week Five

Bonjour!!!!

 

This week we officially celebrated our one month anniversary! I can't believe its gone so fast...or that I've survived this long on MTC food. Jk Jk...its a blessing...just makes me that much more excited for French food! haha. Its wierd to look back and think of how shy our district was...and how little french we understood... or that I had any sort of life other than being a missionary. It seems a times like we've been here forever...in a good way. haha Now with one month left till we leave all I can think about is...how freaking excited I am to get to France!!! oh and that I can barely speak french. I think the most frustrating thing is I'm starting to understand what people are saying (I had a magical lesson this week where I actually understood everything our 'investigator' said), but I don't know how to respond to what they say. I guess it will all come with time.

 

Let's see...highlights for the week:

- yup its that time of the month when all the elders hair is getting too long and they have to get really funny haircuts at the MTC barbar...its been good for laughs for us sisters

- This week at our District's "FHE" that we've created on Monday nights, the elders created a questionnaire that we all had to fill out. The best question was finding out who everyone's "type" was. Some guys in our district like asians...some like midgets...and one guy put that he "generally likes white"....we're still trying to figure out exactly what that means.

- I continue to love being a companion with a convert. The only bad thing is when she starts to teach things in french like the Holy Trinity or other catholic doctrine...and I don't realize what she is saying for a few minutes, when I do, I proceed to go into a panic and start waving my arms back and forth and attempt to explain what we actually believe.....she's learning :)

- As we become VERY familar with every hymn we have now resorted  to singing Disney songs everywhere we can. The shower...during study time... in the dorm rooms...c'est bonne!

- We officially celebrated one sister's birthday out of a vending machine. We bought her all sorts of goodies...hopefully she didn't notice that the only place on campus to buy scooby doo snacks was out of the vending machine...and she got like 4 packets of them.....

- The elders have opened up for us and shared their lovely talent of rapping...we've sat through many raps about french, the mtc food, getting letters from girls, etc etc. Tres amusant! Some of the sisters have been sharing their special talents as well...we've heard an "elmo voice" the "bat from anastasia" and many other accents and characters....I may or may not have demonstrated the Smith-lips.....

-Finally, I have taught my district the fine art of Franglais. The most used saying in our district is 'je ne care pas'...or other such useful combinations of french and english. My family would be so proud :) soon they will all start calling their mom's 'c'est la mere' haha

 

I know my letter is short...but my life continues to revolve around being in a classroom ALL the time. I don't know if anyone would even want to sit through a letter of me describing that haha. But I continue to be amazed how loving our Heavenly Father is. Every day has its struggles and difficulties, but our Heavenly Father is always listening. I didn't even know it was possible to feel the spirit so often in one day. I've been wondering why I am so exhausted at the end of every day since all we do is sit and we get 8 hours of sleep...but I thinks its just that the spirit is really exhausting! Trying to constantly be receiving inspiration can be a tiring, but amazing experience! I'm not going to lie...I  wanted to cry a little bit on our one month anniversary...I don't want a month of my mission to be over already! But...luckily I still have many more to go!

 

I love you all and I hope your having a good spring break!

Soeur Smith

Week Four

Bonjour!!!!

Maybe someday soon I'll gain a more varried vocab and make my emails more entertaining! haha So the computers are being dumb and I lost 5 minutes of my time...so sorry if this email is a shortie! Of course the longer we are here the more routine everything is becoming and the less stories I feel like I have haha. The MTC is still amazing. It amazes me all the time how smoothly everything runs despite there being 2000 plus missionaries here at all times. The devotionals are great and are always a much needed boost in the week. This week our "investigators" have been going well. One of our teachers/investigators has a reputation for being very difficult...and the most realistic for a french person. Its tres difficult because although his life isn't perfect, he also doesn't have major problems that would cause him to be searching for something. Its a challenge to find a way to apply the gospel to his life- even though I know it does! But you can't really just tell someone their life will be better because of the gospel...and expect them to accept that haha. But its been great- every day I feel like we grow leaps and bounds. The MTC ( pronounced slightly like you have a southern accent in french...like emm-tay-say)  is truly a wierd time warp in which things move so quickly and so slowly at the same time.

 

The highlight of my week was seeing Gramsie and Grandpa at the temple! (which feels like it was forever ago...) Gramsie emailed me that she was sad she was going to be in the Provo temple on Friday and be so close to me yet so far...and then I was like wait a minute...I go to the temple on Fridays!!! So I emailed her with my last 30 seconds of my time on the computer. It was the best feeling ever to walk up to the temple and see Gramsie and Grandpa sitting on the bench outside waiting for me!!! Loved every second of it! The worst part of the week was that half of our zone left for the field this week. Which is GREAT for them!!! It was such a neat feeling to look around at church and think that within 3 days all these elders would be all over the world preaching the gospel...in french!! And it was great to see how excited they were to leave. But made me sad to think we won't seem most of them ever again...wierd how close you can grow in 3 weeks when you have a common goal. But made me TRES excited for when that day comes for me and we get to head to France!!!! (only 6 more weeks! haha)

 

Other than that the week has been pretty same old same old. Two other sisters and I have become work out buddies. We've been pushing ourselves at gym and it honestly helps give me energy during the day! And we figure we need to prepare for all of those french pasteries awaiting for us! haha We met two elders this week here, one from France and one from Belgium. The one from France was discouraging...he said the French people will never trust or listen to us. But he just made me more determined to love and earn the trust of the French. The one from Belgium couldn't speak much English...but let me tell you if all the men Belgium have dimples like him then I'm moving there permantly haha (maybe you should edit that one out mom lol) Anyways...they both made so excited to be able to speak french because it is so beautiful when people really know how to speak it. And they made me so determined to teach all the people I can! The elder from Belgium is a convert...and although he couldn't communicate enough to hear all of his story I know that if he as a teenager could accept the gospel without his family's support...then there are other people there waiting for the gospel!

 

Oh one other thing this week was that we got a new sister in our district! So everyone in our district is going to France...but this girl came into the MTC all by herself and she is going to Fiji!!! So cool eh!? I'm way jealous ( well you know besides thinking my mission is the best one ever) But we're still trying to get to know her and introduce her to the life in the MTC. But we're excited to have her with us.

 

Oh and I keep remembering little things. Thank you so much for the letters this week! Today I had a record day and recieved 7 letters in one day! I'll tell ya I felt pretty popular! haha It was a nice feeling...thank you (especially my sisters) for writing...really makes my day! Anyways...Sorry if this letter is a little lacking! Life is quite routine here...give me 6 weeks and I promise to have some entertaining stories about my attempts to communicate in French...which hello...I'm so excited for!!! I love you all, I pray for you daily and I know this gospel is the only thing that brings true happiness!!!

 

Je vous aime ( see my practicing my pronouns... you could probably care less...but to me its proof of me understanding French vocab bit by bit haha)

Soeur Smith

Week Three!

Bonjour!!!

 

How is everyone! I hope good... because you all must be praying very hard out there for me or something because this week has been really good! I don't have anything exciting to report like San Fran...but its been a good week. I don't know how to explain it, but although every day is a roller coaster of emotions, frustrations, and laughter, underneath all those emotions there is underlying feeling of happiness and peace. I can only say it comes from the Spirit and knowing we are donig the Lord's work.

 

This week our district continues to grow closer and closer as we spend more and more hours studying in one tiny little room. The language is still difficult..but things are starting to click! I can actually form a full sentance once in a while that makes actual sense. As well, I'm understanding most of what our teachers are saying, which is encouraging. We've now come into the stage in our program when our teachers become our "progressive investigators". Its a little bit encouraging because both of them are pretending to be people who have no concept of God (one is agnostic and one is buddahist) and one teacher pulled my companion and I aside and asked us if we were ok with it. We said sure, and she was like oh good I thought you too were up to the challenge. That gives me a little more confidence in our teaching abilities. As well, we taught our other teacher and he acted like he couldn't understand a thing I was saying, so of course I walked out of the lesson really frustrated. But later I was talking to him and I said I felt like he didn't know what the heck I was trying to say. But he said no, he understand, he was just trying to get me to elaborate on what I was saying, rather than just the simple french phrases I know. So that was a boost in confidence as well. Basically I've really gained a firm testimony in the gift of tongues because somehow, by some miracle I remember things from high school french I'm pretty sure I never learned in the first place. And things I bombed in tests then, are all of the sudden making sense. Its a miracle! haha but really....

 

This week we've joked that the MTC is some sort of wierd twilight zone. Time here is irrelavent. The days seem to go on forever...yet before we know it its another P-day and a week has gone by. Its hard to keep track of when things happen. Lots of times we'll be like "remember that one time...", then we all pause and we're like wait...that was this morning! We are also under the allusion that we are ALWAYS eating. I think its because meals are our only break from studying. But honestly...your not even hungry and its already time for another meal. Quite strange. Basically the only break we get is gym time (which since you asked mom) is actually one of the best part of the day. Its feels so nice to move after just sitting all day, and its fun to hang out with all the missionaries in a different setting. I have yet to brave the infamous MTC four-square...the elders are much to aggressive for me.

 

This week my companion and I have had the opportunity to teach someone in English. They have a volunteer center here where people (members and non-members) can volunteer to be taught by missionaries...and missionaries can sign up if they want extra practice. We were just walking down a hallway one day when and MTC employee asked us if we would like to teach someone in twenty minutes. And since it was in english we were like well sure! Its been a really good experience. The first time we taught him was mostly just talking about his life. But it was nice because I actually felt like I could! Rather than in French when we can ask the very basic questions. The second time we taught him was amazing. I really felt the spirit...which is a miracle because I rarely feel the spirit teaching in french because I'm so concentrated on the language. It was just a good experience to know like ok I can feel the spirit while teaching...it will come in time with the french. It also made me so grateful for my call. Honestly after teaching in french, teaching in english felt so easy. I knew that the Lord knew I could handle the teaching part just fine, and that He knows I can handle the language as well.

 

Anyways, sorry if my emails are slightly random/boring. Honestly not much happens around here (other than lots of studying) and when I sit down to write my emails its like a race against the clock to remember what has happened in the past week. But when I write personal letters I try to include more stories since I can look at my journal and stuff. But just know I pray for you all every night. I love hearing from you and it makes my day when I get a letter, so thank you for writing! Also (this is mostly for mom) but I really am happy and loving what I do every day! The hard times are just part of the experience...and once I conquer something that I'm really struggling with...its such a good feeling! Totally worth the struggle and the experience of kneeling down and praying for help- and then recieving that help!!! I love you all!!!!! Hope you all had a good week!!!

 

Love, Souer Smith