So, I will start with the fun questions! The food is great. The bread is amazing, even the Sacrament bread! Haha. The pastries are to die for, but it's fine... I can refrain! I had my first macaroon the other day... yeah... you guys have never had a real macaroon! They are so GOOD here!! I have had one meal from the members after a family night, but other than that, we eat the most random food we can find in our apartment. So... Ça va!! (It's okay!)
The ward here is AMAZING!!! It is a ward of about 150 members! They are all so supportive and awesome! It's just a big family!!
Everyone here in France gives the "bises," (a greeting kiss). You think it would be more personal than a hug, but it's not! There is this one member who really just loves Soeur Whisler and me! We were supposed to have a lesson at her house, but our investigator canceled last minute, so we still went over and visited with her! She was showing us all these fun pictures, and I think I just kind of put my head on here shoulder like, "Oh, you are the best. I love you," head on the shoulder thing. She was so happy and was like, "Oh, will you hug me??" (in French). I was like, "Yeah, of course." She was so happy because she says that her daughters won't let her hug them! So, now every time she sees me we both get SO excited to give each other a BIG HUG!! It's my favorite. She is my favorite. She tells me I'm her favorite, so it all works out! Haha.
On a more spiritual note! This week has been full of miracles again! First: Elder Cook came to our mission and the whole mission gathered to hear him speak! It was the coolest meeting I have ever been a part of! He shook all of our hands! Elder Wilson, (Zac's brother), and 2 other Elders played Danny Boy! It was one of the coolest musical numbers ever! The Spirit was so strong! Soeur Whisler and I just both felt that the meeting was directly for us! I think that is how the whole mission felt! Elder Cook talked about everything we had been talking about the past week! It was very reassuring! It was like our Heavenly Father wanted us to know that we are on the right track!! But, of course, there is always room for more growth!
One of our transfer goals is to have Faith and Gratitude, and to see them work hand and hand together! This week we have seen exactly that! We see so many miracles each day in the people we contact on the street, in our studies, in the bus schedule, and just in all these things that I know Heavenly Father is doing for us! After each time that happens, we say a prayer of gratitude because everything good comes from him!
Back to faith! So, I think I called Awen on Tuesday morning! She didn't answer, so I left her a message! I knew she would call us back! Friday came and we still hadn't heard from her, but we still didn't doubt she would call us back! We had so much faith! Then, we were sitting, waiting for one of our amies (Investigators: friend of the church), and we got a text from AWEN! She invited us over the next day for tea. We went and taught her all about the plan du salut! (Word of Wisdom). She is awesome. She might have a long way to go, but I know she can do it! Heavenly Father is giving her all these signs. She just needs to realize they are from Him! In fact, we ran into her again right as we were walking into the email cafe. She said, "I can't wait to see you this week again!" YAY!!
But my favorite miracle this week was with Sara! We had just finished our meeting with the Ward Mission Leader, and Ward Council was right after. One person from each companionship was supposed to stay, so we were like, "Okay, let the ones who actually understand what's happening stay, and the Blues (Greenies) will go on a Blue exchange!" So, Soeur Ellis and I headed out to go contacting!!! Keep in mind, we do not speak French yet!! Haha. So, we just started walking! We finally ran into a women! We talked to her... it was a struggle... We asked her if we could pray with her, and she was like, "No, I have to go.." So, a little discouraged, we kept walking around! It was later, and not many people were in the area, so we decided to head back! As we were walking back, I saw a shadow in the distance! I turned to Soeur Ellis and was like, "If this is a women, we have to talk to her. It will be a struggle but we have to!"
It was my turn to contact this time! She got closer, and I got more nervous. I even began to doubt. Honestly, I don't even think it was me who stopped her. I know I had help from someone else! We talked to her for a minute and told her God loved her! Then, she stopped us and said, "Wait, where are you from again?" "The United States," and she was like "Oh, so we can speak English?" We were like, "YES!!!!" We continued to talk, and she stopped us and said, "Can I give you my number so we can talk about this another day?" We were SO EXCITED! She gave us her number and then we asked if we could pray together! She said "Of course!" I asked if there was anything in particular she wanted us to pray for, and she simply said, "Happiness!" I said a prayer and asked Heavenly Father to help her feel His love and to bless her with happiness!
At the end of the prayer, Sara had tears running down her cheek and said " Thank you so much! You guys were my Angels tonight!" We had another lesson with her yesterday! She is so prepared for this gospel! I know Heavenly Father is placing people like Sara in our path every minute of everyday! It is just up to us to BE BRAVE and talk to them! Despite the language barrier, Heavenly Father will find a way for them to feel His love! I love being a missionary!
I feel our Heavenly Father's love every minute! I know He is guiding this work!! I love you all!!
Soeur Back
Whitney's weekly letter to her Mission President:
Bonjour President!
This week has been amazing! We have seen so many miracles each day! I love it here in Rennes. The ward is AMAZING! There are such awesome members. I am learning new things each day from my trainer, from the people in Rennes, from our Amies (investigators), from the other Sisters and Elders, and of course from the Spirit! Yes, the language is hard for me, but I have faith. I know if I study and just open my mouth, my Heavently Father will help me.
President, it makes me sad. I feel like the people here in France just don't smile as much as their Heavenly Father wants them to! So I have made a goal each day to make at least 30 people smile!! Soeur Whisler and I count all through out the day! We have found that it engages us in everyone around us, brings joy to our day, and hopefully brightens other's days as well! I know we will see success here in Rennes, but I also know I am here to brighten people's days just by a simple smile! We have a Light that we need to share, and a smile is a great place to start! We are really just trying to focus on "BEING THIS MESSAGE," like Elder Cook said!
The Cook conference was amazing!! I loved every second! I felt like it was directly for me! Thank you for your remarks! Also, will you thank Soeur Babin! You two are truly amazing disciples of Christ! Thank you for all you do and for your love!
Much love,
Soeur Back
Monday, November 24, 2014
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Area - Rennes
Hi so much to tell you and no time and also a new keyboard, so this will be fun! Bear with me my friends!!
First off, I LOVE it here!!! So, I will try and start from the beginning! We landed at the airport in France at 10 am! The 10 hour flight maybe felt like a flight to California to me! I took a little pink pill and was out! I also didn't have anyone sitting next to me, so that was nice! We started to descend, and I happened to be sitting right next to the bathroom. There was a 19 year old boy waiting for the bathroom, I said, "Hi," and began to talk to him. He was from France and was totally awesome! I made him sit down next to me and I told him all about the Book of Mormon. That was my first BOM give-away in France! I was pretty excited about it! He gave me his number, so we want to get the Elders over there soon!!
We landed, and President Baban, Souer Baban, the AP's, and the office Elders were all waiting for us! We then were handed our Metro ticket and a Book of Mormon. We were then told to hop on and give away our BOM's... We tried our hardest... We then got to the church in Paris, and the very first person I saw was LAUREN ANN ANDERSON!! So exciting! (Lauren is Whitney's friend, with whom she played soccer for many years). We had our interviews with President, and then I was sent with a Sister to contact the streets of PARIS!! It was so fun!! We talked to so many awesome people and prayed with a few! It was kind of scary but I was having way too much fun to care!
We then had dinner and some awesome food, and spent the night at the mission home! We woke up, and the AP's picked us up and took us to the Hill of Consecration! It was so beautiful!! While looking over Paris, we took time to set individual goals and remember our purpose as set apart missionaries! It was very cool. I will write more about it when I can send pictures and explain the symbolism. We went back to the church, and then we went to Notre Dame. It was so cool! You guys - there are the coolest things here! You have to come! Ha-ha
We then went back to the church and received our trainers!!!! YAY!! My trainer's name is Soeur Whisler. She is from Nevada and her dad's name is Doug, and she has a sister named Angie! So, we are also soul mates! I feel so blessed! She is truly amazing! We are opening another ville (area) in RENNES! Life could not get much better! We are living in an apartment with 2 other Sisters. In fact, Soeur Ellis, one of my roommates in the MTC, is here with me. It’s the best deal and it is so fun! My companion is amazing I am learning so much from her! The Babans are amazing. I feel so blessed! Life just couldn't get much better!
You guys, miracles are real and they are everywhere! Soeur Whisler and I are opening this new ville, so we didn't have any appointments or anything, but we received a phone call on the train ride to Rennes. The Elders wanted to pass along a lady and her daughters they had taught once before! It was so amazing and humbling to see how other people live! We have met with her one other time and she came to church with her girls this Sunday! So awesome!
But on top of that, we have just seen miracle after miracle! All your prayers are being felt, so thank you! I don't have time to share all of them, because there are way too many to count, so I will just share my favorite story of the week!
Saturday night Soeur Whistler and I were about to go and drop by this girl's house we had met on the street! But, we both just didn't feel good about it, so we decided to go and visit a less active! We had a list of 3 the other Sisters had given us, so we said a prayer to know where to go! We both had a strong feeling to go to this one less active's house. We pulled out the map, and figured out we had to go all the way to the end of the Metro. We hopped on the Metro, got off at the last stop, and then realized that we didn't have time to go to the less active's house if we wanted to make the last bus home!
This area was kinda sketchy... but we just both knew we were supposed to be there. We kept saying over and over we both felt so strongly to come here there has to be a reason. We said a prayer asking for direction and faith. We walked down the road and talked to everyone we saw. We finally turned back around and hopped on the Metro. We get on the Metro and there was this girl standing there. She looked like it had been a rough day. I smiled at her, and then she approached us. She was taking surveys. She took our survey and then we just kept talking to her! While we were talking to her I had this strong feeling that we came all this way just to talk to her.
As we were getting off the Metro, we handed her a Pass Along Card, and just thought "Well, you know what, we left her smiling, and that's exactly what we are called to do. Share God's love and brighten people's day!” We left the Metro feeling accomplished even though we didn't accomplish anything we had planned.
But, listen to this!! Sunday night the Elders wanted to pass us another investigator! (They are the best and so awesome. We are so grateful for them.) We were supposed to meet them at a bus stop we had never been to, so we had to figure out our bus times. We had decided on the later bus, but for some reason we decided that maybe we should just leave and catch the earlier bus! We walked to the bus stop, get there right as the bus is pulling up, and guess who we saw?!! AWEN, the girl from the metro! She got this big smile on her face, and then just started talking to us in English when we got on the bus! She was so excited to see us, she even said “This is a once in a million chance!" We continued to talk to her. She is so awesome! She has traveled the world and is just super cool! We talked for awhile, and she asked exactly what our job was. We shared our purpose, and then we gave her a BOM!
Our stop was coming, so I was just like, "Awen, I want to see you again. Can we get your number?" She gave us her number, and then even said how she was very interested in reading the BOM!
I KNOW HEAVENLY FATHER IS GUIDING US!!! We just have to have faith! He placed Awen in our path twice now! She needs this message, and I cannot wait to share it with her!! I HAVE NEVER FELT SO MUCH JOY AND EXCITEMENT as I did in that moment! I feel so blessed to be a missionary and feel the love of our Heavenly Father every minute of every day! I'm sorry I don't have more time! I love YOU all so much! Have the best week!
Soeur Back
First off, I LOVE it here!!! So, I will try and start from the beginning! We landed at the airport in France at 10 am! The 10 hour flight maybe felt like a flight to California to me! I took a little pink pill and was out! I also didn't have anyone sitting next to me, so that was nice! We started to descend, and I happened to be sitting right next to the bathroom. There was a 19 year old boy waiting for the bathroom, I said, "Hi," and began to talk to him. He was from France and was totally awesome! I made him sit down next to me and I told him all about the Book of Mormon. That was my first BOM give-away in France! I was pretty excited about it! He gave me his number, so we want to get the Elders over there soon!!
We landed, and President Baban, Souer Baban, the AP's, and the office Elders were all waiting for us! We then were handed our Metro ticket and a Book of Mormon. We were then told to hop on and give away our BOM's... We tried our hardest... We then got to the church in Paris, and the very first person I saw was LAUREN ANN ANDERSON!! So exciting! (Lauren is Whitney's friend, with whom she played soccer for many years). We had our interviews with President, and then I was sent with a Sister to contact the streets of PARIS!! It was so fun!! We talked to so many awesome people and prayed with a few! It was kind of scary but I was having way too much fun to care!
We then had dinner and some awesome food, and spent the night at the mission home! We woke up, and the AP's picked us up and took us to the Hill of Consecration! It was so beautiful!! While looking over Paris, we took time to set individual goals and remember our purpose as set apart missionaries! It was very cool. I will write more about it when I can send pictures and explain the symbolism. We went back to the church, and then we went to Notre Dame. It was so cool! You guys - there are the coolest things here! You have to come! Ha-ha
We then went back to the church and received our trainers!!!! YAY!! My trainer's name is Soeur Whisler. She is from Nevada and her dad's name is Doug, and she has a sister named Angie! So, we are also soul mates! I feel so blessed! She is truly amazing! We are opening another ville (area) in RENNES! Life could not get much better! We are living in an apartment with 2 other Sisters. In fact, Soeur Ellis, one of my roommates in the MTC, is here with me. It’s the best deal and it is so fun! My companion is amazing I am learning so much from her! The Babans are amazing. I feel so blessed! Life just couldn't get much better!
You guys, miracles are real and they are everywhere! Soeur Whisler and I are opening this new ville, so we didn't have any appointments or anything, but we received a phone call on the train ride to Rennes. The Elders wanted to pass along a lady and her daughters they had taught once before! It was so amazing and humbling to see how other people live! We have met with her one other time and she came to church with her girls this Sunday! So awesome!
But on top of that, we have just seen miracle after miracle! All your prayers are being felt, so thank you! I don't have time to share all of them, because there are way too many to count, so I will just share my favorite story of the week!
Saturday night Soeur Whistler and I were about to go and drop by this girl's house we had met on the street! But, we both just didn't feel good about it, so we decided to go and visit a less active! We had a list of 3 the other Sisters had given us, so we said a prayer to know where to go! We both had a strong feeling to go to this one less active's house. We pulled out the map, and figured out we had to go all the way to the end of the Metro. We hopped on the Metro, got off at the last stop, and then realized that we didn't have time to go to the less active's house if we wanted to make the last bus home!
This area was kinda sketchy... but we just both knew we were supposed to be there. We kept saying over and over we both felt so strongly to come here there has to be a reason. We said a prayer asking for direction and faith. We walked down the road and talked to everyone we saw. We finally turned back around and hopped on the Metro. We get on the Metro and there was this girl standing there. She looked like it had been a rough day. I smiled at her, and then she approached us. She was taking surveys. She took our survey and then we just kept talking to her! While we were talking to her I had this strong feeling that we came all this way just to talk to her.
As we were getting off the Metro, we handed her a Pass Along Card, and just thought "Well, you know what, we left her smiling, and that's exactly what we are called to do. Share God's love and brighten people's day!” We left the Metro feeling accomplished even though we didn't accomplish anything we had planned.
But, listen to this!! Sunday night the Elders wanted to pass us another investigator! (They are the best and so awesome. We are so grateful for them.) We were supposed to meet them at a bus stop we had never been to, so we had to figure out our bus times. We had decided on the later bus, but for some reason we decided that maybe we should just leave and catch the earlier bus! We walked to the bus stop, get there right as the bus is pulling up, and guess who we saw?!! AWEN, the girl from the metro! She got this big smile on her face, and then just started talking to us in English when we got on the bus! She was so excited to see us, she even said “This is a once in a million chance!" We continued to talk to her. She is so awesome! She has traveled the world and is just super cool! We talked for awhile, and she asked exactly what our job was. We shared our purpose, and then we gave her a BOM!
Our stop was coming, so I was just like, "Awen, I want to see you again. Can we get your number?" She gave us her number, and then even said how she was very interested in reading the BOM!
I KNOW HEAVENLY FATHER IS GUIDING US!!! We just have to have faith! He placed Awen in our path twice now! She needs this message, and I cannot wait to share it with her!! I HAVE NEVER FELT SO MUCH JOY AND EXCITEMENT as I did in that moment! I feel so blessed to be a missionary and feel the love of our Heavenly Father every minute of every day! I'm sorry I don't have more time! I love YOU all so much! Have the best week!
Soeur Back
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
OH MAN MY LAST WEEK IN THE MTC!!!
November 4, 2014
I'm kind of sad to leave! I have loved it here, but we are on a the direct flight to Paris! We leave the MTC Monday afternoon at 11:30 and our flight leaves at 5:30 PM!! I'm travel leader, so hopefully it isn't too crazy and I have plenty of time to call you all!! We land in Paris the next afternoon at 11:30, so a full 24 hours of traveling. I'm so excited to be out in the real world! Plan on phone calls some time between 12:30-4:30 on Monday!! Hopefully I will be able to call all of your cute little families individually for a few minutes! Mom and Dad, I guess I'll call you and bother you on your exhausting vacation in Hawaii... You little bums!! Catch some rays for me, alright Dad??? lol
This week has been SO AWESOME! It is amazing here at the MTC. Sometimes a day could feel so long, and sometimes you could have many doubts running through your head throughout the day, but by the end of the day, you somehow can only remember the good things and remember exactly why you are here and how much you truly love it. I was kind of having a hard time this week because I felt as though I was so focused on myself. I was kind of bugged at the MTC because I was like, "I left on my mission ready to serve others and just forget about myself, but then I get here in the MTC and I'm focused on ME. How am I going to learn this language? How can I become a better teacher?" Then I realized after much thought, "How selfish am I?... I'm not here for me... I'm here for my Savior! I'm here to learn of Him. I'm here to learn how to love and teach as He did for HIM. So He can use me to help others." I hope I can never lose sight of that that. It is not about ME. This is NOT MY mission! This is His mission. I am only His feet, His hands, and His mouthpiece.
Our lessons this week were amazing!! They all went so well!! We taught all about the Plan de Salut (The Plan of Salvation), loi de la chastete (The Law of Chastity), et la parole de sagesse (The Word of Wisdom)! Not even mad about it! We planned the best we could, but for the most part we kind of went into each lesson with the faith that the Spirit would guide us. That is exactly what he did!
Our TRC this week was so fun! We Skyped with a 19 year old member in Paris!! It was so fun!! I am so excited to finally be in Paris and interacting with members, investigators, and, of course, the randoms on the street! I'm so excited to talk to everyone, with my really great French. Haha! It’s coming along though, and I'm very happy about it! Chaque jour (daily) learning new things!
This week we have infield orientation! Also, the MTC asked Soeur proudfoot and me to be the missionaries in People and our Purpose, which is this roleplay thing they do for all the new missionaries! (Sorry, that was a bad description.) So excited about that... No, it really will be fun! It's kind of crazy though! Our time is so short here!
We probably won't teach any more lessons with our investigators. I know they are just my teachers, but it is so fun to teach and see their progress! I really am going to miss my teachers so much! They are such amazing people with such a strong spirit and light about them always!
Yesterday, Frere Pistorius had the quote of the day, and yes, it was when he was making fun of me. As we all know, I say "Riddle me this," every once and awhile. So Frere and I were talking about this evaluation I took one of the first days and then again a few weeks in. My scores the first week were super high, and then the next week, let’s just say I was humbled. So, Frere and I were just having a little conversation about my humbling experience, and he just starts yelling, "Riddle me this. I dont even need to be in the MTC. I'm perfect 5,5,5" So it’s the joke of the week.I'm always everyone’s entertainment here! Not even mad about it!
This week we got all the new missionaries! They are all amazing! We did our orientation and it went very well. I am so excited for them! We had the chance to interview the sisters all individually and it was so fun to get to know them and learn a little bit about who they are and where they come from! Awe man am I so grateful for all of you!! I have the best FAMILY around! You see families that are broken and hurting, and this week I saw some of that heartbreak. So thank you! Thank you for being my number 1, my A team! You are all truly amazing individuals, each with qualities I have tried to emulate ever since I was just a little one following you around in all your big kid activities! So, thanks for being you!
It’s been so fun to see Brother Justice up here on the main campus! He hooked me up with a SUPERFOOD Odwalla! BEST DAY EVER!! He also informed us that Elder Holland was supposed to come today but was reassigned... saddest day ever!! ELDER HOLLAND!!! You know how great that would have been! But, it’s fine. I'm not dwelling on it! I'm sure whoever they got to replace him for tonight’s devotional will be awesome! We had an additional devotional today at the Marriott Center. It was fun to exit the gates of the MTC and see BYU students! Kind of made me feel like a real person again. Haha exit one bubble to a little bit bigger one! I kind of like the bubble! It’s not that bad!
Today was our last trip to the temple for a little while! As I was walking into the temple this morning at 5:15, I was feeling pretty sad that I probably won't be able to attend the temple for a whole 17 months! I continued to think about it as we sat in the chapel, but I realized it was going to be okay! I get to spend the next 17 months of my life striving to be unspotted from the world, striving to make MY body a TEMPLE where the Spirit can dwell, where I can feel the constant love, direction, hope, joy, and knowledge the Spirit and drawing closer to our Heavenly Father bring! I hope I can truly make my body a Temple where the Spirit will dwell chaque jour (every day), so I can share that love, peace, and joy with others.
I am so happy to be a missionary! I love it! I cannot wait to finally be in PARIS!!! This gospel gives us so much hope, so much joy, and all I want to do is share it!! I feel my Savior’s LOVE each day!I am so grateful for it! I am never alone! He will never leave me comfortless! He will never leave you comfortless!!
This was just a letter I had to send to my Branch President so I thought maybe I could share it with you too!
I LOVE YOU ALL MORE THAN YOU WILL EVER KNOW!!!
Have the best week ever!!!
Love,
Soeur Back
President Merrill,
My experience here at the MTC is truly helping me grow and understand the missionary I want to become. The past few days, having a chance to sit down and talk to each sister individually was something I truly loved! In my life, I have come to learn that if you can come to know someone, it is very easy to truly love them! I have loved the opportunity to feel the Savior’s love for these amazing sisters. I have learned so much from their examples. I hope, as a missionary, I will come to know many people and learn to love them as our Savior does. I have seen the Spirit guide me in conversation and in action. I continue to learn each day how vital the Spirit is. I am so grateful for the amazing spirit I feel here in the MTC. I know it will be a little harder in the Mission Field to feel that constant spirit but I know, if I work at it each day and turn to my Heavenly Father in all things, I will feel the Spirit as I have here in the MTC.
I have always had a testimony of this gospel. However, I have not always been truly converted to this Gospel and my Savior Jesus Christ. Before deciding to serve a mission, I came to know how important this Gospel is to me. I came to realize the amazing gift of the Atonement and what it really meant to be truly converted unto our Savior so that he could heal me. I learned that I should be repenting each day, drawing nearer and nearer to my Heavenly Father and Savior. Here at the MTC my conversion has only become more solidified. I have felt more fully my Savior’s love for me and for all those around me! I am grateful for the comfort this Gospel brings. I know I can pray to my Heavenly Father and he will hear me and answer. My conversion to this Gospel grows every day. That is something I want to never lose! It truly is a quest of a lifetime!
Soeur Back
I'm kind of sad to leave! I have loved it here, but we are on a the direct flight to Paris! We leave the MTC Monday afternoon at 11:30 and our flight leaves at 5:30 PM!! I'm travel leader, so hopefully it isn't too crazy and I have plenty of time to call you all!! We land in Paris the next afternoon at 11:30, so a full 24 hours of traveling. I'm so excited to be out in the real world! Plan on phone calls some time between 12:30-4:30 on Monday!! Hopefully I will be able to call all of your cute little families individually for a few minutes! Mom and Dad, I guess I'll call you and bother you on your exhausting vacation in Hawaii... You little bums!! Catch some rays for me, alright Dad??? lol
This week has been SO AWESOME! It is amazing here at the MTC. Sometimes a day could feel so long, and sometimes you could have many doubts running through your head throughout the day, but by the end of the day, you somehow can only remember the good things and remember exactly why you are here and how much you truly love it. I was kind of having a hard time this week because I felt as though I was so focused on myself. I was kind of bugged at the MTC because I was like, "I left on my mission ready to serve others and just forget about myself, but then I get here in the MTC and I'm focused on ME. How am I going to learn this language? How can I become a better teacher?" Then I realized after much thought, "How selfish am I?... I'm not here for me... I'm here for my Savior! I'm here to learn of Him. I'm here to learn how to love and teach as He did for HIM. So He can use me to help others." I hope I can never lose sight of that that. It is not about ME. This is NOT MY mission! This is His mission. I am only His feet, His hands, and His mouthpiece.
Our lessons this week were amazing!! They all went so well!! We taught all about the Plan de Salut (The Plan of Salvation), loi de la chastete (The Law of Chastity), et la parole de sagesse (The Word of Wisdom)! Not even mad about it! We planned the best we could, but for the most part we kind of went into each lesson with the faith that the Spirit would guide us. That is exactly what he did!
Our TRC this week was so fun! We Skyped with a 19 year old member in Paris!! It was so fun!! I am so excited to finally be in Paris and interacting with members, investigators, and, of course, the randoms on the street! I'm so excited to talk to everyone, with my really great French. Haha! It’s coming along though, and I'm very happy about it! Chaque jour (daily) learning new things!
This week we have infield orientation! Also, the MTC asked Soeur proudfoot and me to be the missionaries in People and our Purpose, which is this roleplay thing they do for all the new missionaries! (Sorry, that was a bad description.) So excited about that... No, it really will be fun! It's kind of crazy though! Our time is so short here!
We probably won't teach any more lessons with our investigators. I know they are just my teachers, but it is so fun to teach and see their progress! I really am going to miss my teachers so much! They are such amazing people with such a strong spirit and light about them always!
Yesterday, Frere Pistorius had the quote of the day, and yes, it was when he was making fun of me. As we all know, I say "Riddle me this," every once and awhile. So Frere and I were talking about this evaluation I took one of the first days and then again a few weeks in. My scores the first week were super high, and then the next week, let’s just say I was humbled. So, Frere and I were just having a little conversation about my humbling experience, and he just starts yelling, "Riddle me this. I dont even need to be in the MTC. I'm perfect 5,5,5" So it’s the joke of the week.I'm always everyone’s entertainment here! Not even mad about it!
This week we got all the new missionaries! They are all amazing! We did our orientation and it went very well. I am so excited for them! We had the chance to interview the sisters all individually and it was so fun to get to know them and learn a little bit about who they are and where they come from! Awe man am I so grateful for all of you!! I have the best FAMILY around! You see families that are broken and hurting, and this week I saw some of that heartbreak. So thank you! Thank you for being my number 1, my A team! You are all truly amazing individuals, each with qualities I have tried to emulate ever since I was just a little one following you around in all your big kid activities! So, thanks for being you!
It’s been so fun to see Brother Justice up here on the main campus! He hooked me up with a SUPERFOOD Odwalla! BEST DAY EVER!! He also informed us that Elder Holland was supposed to come today but was reassigned... saddest day ever!! ELDER HOLLAND!!! You know how great that would have been! But, it’s fine. I'm not dwelling on it! I'm sure whoever they got to replace him for tonight’s devotional will be awesome! We had an additional devotional today at the Marriott Center. It was fun to exit the gates of the MTC and see BYU students! Kind of made me feel like a real person again. Haha exit one bubble to a little bit bigger one! I kind of like the bubble! It’s not that bad!
Today was our last trip to the temple for a little while! As I was walking into the temple this morning at 5:15, I was feeling pretty sad that I probably won't be able to attend the temple for a whole 17 months! I continued to think about it as we sat in the chapel, but I realized it was going to be okay! I get to spend the next 17 months of my life striving to be unspotted from the world, striving to make MY body a TEMPLE where the Spirit can dwell, where I can feel the constant love, direction, hope, joy, and knowledge the Spirit and drawing closer to our Heavenly Father bring! I hope I can truly make my body a Temple where the Spirit will dwell chaque jour (every day), so I can share that love, peace, and joy with others.
I am so happy to be a missionary! I love it! I cannot wait to finally be in PARIS!!! This gospel gives us so much hope, so much joy, and all I want to do is share it!! I feel my Savior’s LOVE each day!I am so grateful for it! I am never alone! He will never leave me comfortless! He will never leave you comfortless!!
This was just a letter I had to send to my Branch President so I thought maybe I could share it with you too!
I LOVE YOU ALL MORE THAN YOU WILL EVER KNOW!!!
Have the best week ever!!!
Love,
Soeur Back
President Merrill,
My experience here at the MTC is truly helping me grow and understand the missionary I want to become. The past few days, having a chance to sit down and talk to each sister individually was something I truly loved! In my life, I have come to learn that if you can come to know someone, it is very easy to truly love them! I have loved the opportunity to feel the Savior’s love for these amazing sisters. I have learned so much from their examples. I hope, as a missionary, I will come to know many people and learn to love them as our Savior does. I have seen the Spirit guide me in conversation and in action. I continue to learn each day how vital the Spirit is. I am so grateful for the amazing spirit I feel here in the MTC. I know it will be a little harder in the Mission Field to feel that constant spirit but I know, if I work at it each day and turn to my Heavenly Father in all things, I will feel the Spirit as I have here in the MTC.
I have always had a testimony of this gospel. However, I have not always been truly converted to this Gospel and my Savior Jesus Christ. Before deciding to serve a mission, I came to know how important this Gospel is to me. I came to realize the amazing gift of the Atonement and what it really meant to be truly converted unto our Savior so that he could heal me. I learned that I should be repenting each day, drawing nearer and nearer to my Heavenly Father and Savior. Here at the MTC my conversion has only become more solidified. I have felt more fully my Savior’s love for me and for all those around me! I am grateful for the comfort this Gospel brings. I know I can pray to my Heavenly Father and he will hear me and answer. My conversion to this Gospel grows every day. That is something I want to never lose! It truly is a quest of a lifetime!
Soeur Back
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| Halloween! We matched! About as close to costumes as we could get! |
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| Travel Plans!! |
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