Bonjour tout la monde! Comment Cava? Je Suis bein. So here is the deal. I wrote you guys a big ole long letter in my notebook, but I ended up leaving it in a supply closet (long story) and now it is locked in there, and I have to find someone to open it so I can get it and send it to you... sigh. It honestly feels like I just emailed you a couple days ago. Certanly not a whole week. And everything that happened that was of any interest is in that letter, and i honestly do not want to write it all again.
Nothing much new has happened here... actually that is a lie, this will all be in the letter, but I want you to know now and not in a few days. On Tuesday one week ago, our devotional speech was given by Elder D. Todd Christofferson! How cool is that? Then on Thanksgiving we had the opportunity to hear from Elder Nelson. Two of the Lord's appostels in one week. It makes it even cooler when you realize that these people really do hold the same power and have the same responisbilities as Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John. They were both great and inspiring talks.
Je pense que Je parle Francais cava mantinent. I think I am speaking French pretty well now. I am understanding all of what the teachers are saying, or at least what they are trying to say if i don't understand every word. Je comprend tout de quoi les prof me enseigne, ou a moin quoi ils essayent montre si Je ne comprende pas tout mot.
Thank you so much for the package mom! The summer sausage was divine, and the nerf guns were really fun... at least until the party poopers took them. They didn't get mad at us, they just quoted some corinthians scripture (something about putting away childish things) and asked for them. Though I ligitimatly forgot to tell them about one, but we only use that to shoot Elder Tulley at night when he snores. Do I want anything for Christmas? Well, it would be cool if you sent me a couple of my blank journals. Don't worry about the weight, I am probably going... no i am going to send home the black suit, and I think I am going to send the boots back as well. They are huge and heavy, and everyone I have talked to-including some RMs who went to Touluse or Geneva-said that i would not need them if my shoes are semi-waterproof which they are. Plus they just look bad, and if worst comes to worst, i am sure that ther are boots in Europe somewhere... maybe none that will fit my feet, but we'll see.
I know that the MTC is somthing that is good for me, and the better i study here the better i will be out in the field, but i really really really just want to get out there and start talking to real people, not just these roleplays. Now don't think i'm getting all depressed family, because i am enjoying my time here, and the spirit is sooo incredibly strong. Just it gets incredibly repetitive here. Same quazi gross food, at the same time, same everything. I do hear that there is a tree that smells just like cream soda here, I should try to find that, thought it is probably just a story to make missionaries go around sniffing trees. I swear this place is going to make me bi-polar, because you just have the highest highs, you feel on top of the world and you want to just shout haleluia! Then other times you go in low...long... boring...down times. But the down times aren't too bad, they will probably be worse when you get in the field and real people aren't following there commitments, and real people just had a brother die and are begging you to know why.
that last paragraph was all over the place and oddly specific. that's because our latest "investigator", albert, (yes he is really just my teacher) "lost" his brother last week. it is weird to write like this about a personality, but it is weird when you are in these roleplays because when you genuinly have the spirit with you, you genuinly care about the person you are teaching and his trials. Albert is someone that my teacher is pretending to be, but he is a real person that my teacher taught on his mission, so what we are doing is pretty similar to what he actually went through with him.
Well, my time is up, so let me finish by saying that i love being a missionary, and it feels so good to help others. That is why i want to get out there now, even thought my french is only decent, even though there is a lot more that i have to learn. I believe that there are people in France being prepared for me now, I hope that I will be doing the right thing so i can help them when opportunity arises. A quick shout out to those about to go on their mission, Kevin, Peter, Chase, etc... i love you guys and I am sure you will love you mission experience, here is something that my teacher F. Howarth told me that i think is important for all missionaries... well a couple things.
1. A good missionary is a bloody happy missionary! (bloody apparantly isn't a swear word according to my european teacher) Try to find the joy in sharing the gospel, it is there.
2. A missionary who baptizes people is a missionary who asks people to be baptized. Granted I know that i have not actually been in the field yet, but our teacher gave us a challenge that in our very first discussion that we teach we will invite our investigator to be baptized. it is a scary thought, but he says he knows from experience that a large reason people are not getting baptized is because they are not being asked. Our teacher was getting at least one baptism a month in Germany, so there is probably truth behind those words.
Any way, I realy got to wrap this up. i love you all and miss you. write me letters? yes? please? ha ha , you don't have to, ... but you should.
I love you momma llama, papa san, and JJ!
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