Bonjour Ma famille!!!
Things are going pretty good here. Its crazy being thrust into everything so fast. Elder Lewis and I taught out first investigator on Friday, yes that was our second day in the MTC. We taught a man named Christopher who is from France and is in Provo for an internship (in Paris he played soccer for Paris Saint-Germain, which you don't know, but is one of the best club teams in Europe. They were in the Champions League final actually, but he broke his leg and can't play soccer anymore...) He can only speak French so we had to teach everything in 100% French. We were so nervous going into it because we just got here and didn't expect to be teaching an actual investigator so soon! When we got in there we started to talk in our broken French trying to understand everything that he was saying and asking. We talked about Christ and his Atonement and at the end we asked him to say a prayer. After we asked him he looked at us all nervous like, and muttered that he didn't know how to pray, and Elder Lewis and I were able to teach him in French how to pray. I felt so incredible and the Spirit was so strong when he began to pray and asked Heavenly Father that he could be a good example for his daughter. Oh man, that was the moment that really hit me, right then I realized that I'm actually doing it, I'm teaching someone the gospel in French. We saw him again the next day and Elder Lewis and I had a plan to go in and talk more about prayer, knowing how powerful it was the day before, but at the last second we ditched the plan and decided to just ask him if he has any questions. Immediatly he asked about the pre-mortal life and why he can't remember it. We were actually able to teach him about the plan of happiness and how we are here to be tested and that he can be with his family again. I really gained a firm testimony (un temoignage) of the gift of tongues because there is no way I could have ever done that with out a divine means of help.
Also on Sunday we watched a video devotional that David A. Bednar gave at the MTC at Christmas called "The Character of Christ" and it was amazing. I suggest you look it up and watch it for a family home evening or anytime that you have time to sit and ponder and take in everything he says. That night was so powerful.
Well on to the questions cause I can't think of much more....
1) So how are things going with your companion?
Elder Lewis and I are like best friends, honestly he is EXACTLY like Brad, sometimes that's a little weird because when he does something I'm like, "Oh my goodness, Brad is my companion..." but I'm glad to have him. When we were teaching Christopher we just combined so well, we were on the same track and whenever I stumble on the language he's there to pick it up and I for him!
2) How are you sleeping? I've been worrying!
I am sleeping great! I'm so happy because I was really worried about sleeping!
3) Who have you seen there?
I've seen everyone! I saw Ryan and Bretton and Joe and Caden, Trevor, Connor and just about every other person I know going on a mission! I'll send pics when I can I'm not sure if I'll have time to or not this week.
4) How much time to you get to email? Jordan only got 30 min. but I've heard they're giving you longer now.
Right now the clock is on 2 minutes left after giving me a half an hour so it's kinda scaring me so I'll rush
5) Tell us your schedule.
Our schedule changes from day to day but usually we get up at 6:30 and get ready, go to breakfast, then to class around 7:30 and we basically are in class or studying for the remainder of the day. Except for today on P-day, with the Temple closed we can't go to the Temple so we have basically nothing for the whole day. We usually have two main "Classroom instruction" sections a day that last three hours or so, and in between is lunch at 11:00 and dinner at 4:00 (that's right, 4:00 I'm starving from about 6:00 till the end of the day but the other Elders are always pulling food from out of there pockets and are always ready to share haha) Other than that we just have personal study time or companion study or language study.
Oh by the way, my time reached 0 and I found out I have more than a half an hour so I'll continue... haha I've been told I can go for another half hour.
6) I can't believe they got 6 Elder's in one room! Send some pictures!
Oh man I can't wait to show you pictures, I'll try to put some on now that I know I have more time. But I had a host kinda like Jordan when I got here, he showed me the room then took me to the classroom so when I went back to the residence I got the last pick on the bunks so I got the very back top bunk haha. But it is so much fun in there with 6 Elders, we are the whole district and we just have so much fun together.
7) Tell us about your zone.
Our zone is half French and half Tahitian( going to Tahiti) and sorry to distract... but Connor just sat down next to me at the computer, haha. But the Tahitians come and learn French for 6 or 7 weeks then they have to learn Tahitian IN French... yeah, pretty crazy. But our zone leaders just left this morning and there was quite the party last night. There was also a French West Indies district that left this morning at 2:00 am.
8) Have you gotten letter from anyone?
I got a letter from Randi Jewkes, that kinda threw me off, but then I realized that the sisters all wrote letters at LTC so it made sense. It was really nice though. Other than that I got one from Josh Worley and then your plethora of Dear Elders haha!
9) Do you want me to forward your friend's letters to you?
I would love to have you forward their letters but I suggest you tell them that if they want to write they should send handwritten or Dear Elders because I don't want to waste internet time, haha.
Oh and also I hear I'll be leaving for San Francisco some time to get my visa. Not quite sure when I yet, but it should be soon maybe this week. Hopefully I'll get a chance to tell you before but it sounds like you only get around two day's notice.
So I got some photos on here. There's the one with Me and Ryan, that was the first day and I saw him sitting on a park bench while getting the tour of the MTC. Another is with me an Elder Lewis (Louis en Francais) on a bench. Then there's the "glamour shot" of our district at the temple and they are (from left to right:) Elder Fraley, Lever (Lee-v-air), Erickson, Eshiet (pronounced like "a shirt"), Lewis, and me of course. Then there is our room mine is the bunk behind the one you see Elder Eshiet sitting on and I'm on the top.
Well I hope my letter satisfies you and lives up to Jordan's haha!
Je vous aime!
Elder Call
Things are going pretty good here. Its crazy being thrust into everything so fast. Elder Lewis and I taught out first investigator on Friday, yes that was our second day in the MTC. We taught a man named Christopher who is from France and is in Provo for an internship (in Paris he played soccer for Paris Saint-Germain, which you don't know, but is one of the best club teams in Europe. They were in the Champions League final actually, but he broke his leg and can't play soccer anymore...) He can only speak French so we had to teach everything in 100% French. We were so nervous going into it because we just got here and didn't expect to be teaching an actual investigator so soon! When we got in there we started to talk in our broken French trying to understand everything that he was saying and asking. We talked about Christ and his Atonement and at the end we asked him to say a prayer. After we asked him he looked at us all nervous like, and muttered that he didn't know how to pray, and Elder Lewis and I were able to teach him in French how to pray. I felt so incredible and the Spirit was so strong when he began to pray and asked Heavenly Father that he could be a good example for his daughter. Oh man, that was the moment that really hit me, right then I realized that I'm actually doing it, I'm teaching someone the gospel in French. We saw him again the next day and Elder Lewis and I had a plan to go in and talk more about prayer, knowing how powerful it was the day before, but at the last second we ditched the plan and decided to just ask him if he has any questions. Immediatly he asked about the pre-mortal life and why he can't remember it. We were actually able to teach him about the plan of happiness and how we are here to be tested and that he can be with his family again. I really gained a firm testimony (un temoignage) of the gift of tongues because there is no way I could have ever done that with out a divine means of help.
Also on Sunday we watched a video devotional that David A. Bednar gave at the MTC at Christmas called "The Character of Christ" and it was amazing. I suggest you look it up and watch it for a family home evening or anytime that you have time to sit and ponder and take in everything he says. That night was so powerful.
Well on to the questions cause I can't think of much more....
1) So how are things going with your companion?
Elder Lewis and I are like best friends, honestly he is EXACTLY like Brad, sometimes that's a little weird because when he does something I'm like, "Oh my goodness, Brad is my companion..." but I'm glad to have him. When we were teaching Christopher we just combined so well, we were on the same track and whenever I stumble on the language he's there to pick it up and I for him!
2) How are you sleeping? I've been worrying!
I am sleeping great! I'm so happy because I was really worried about sleeping!
3) Who have you seen there?
I've seen everyone! I saw Ryan and Bretton and Joe and Caden, Trevor, Connor and just about every other person I know going on a mission! I'll send pics when I can I'm not sure if I'll have time to or not this week.
4) How much time to you get to email? Jordan only got 30 min. but I've heard they're giving you longer now.
Right now the clock is on 2 minutes left after giving me a half an hour so it's kinda scaring me so I'll rush
5) Tell us your schedule.
Our schedule changes from day to day but usually we get up at 6:30 and get ready, go to breakfast, then to class around 7:30 and we basically are in class or studying for the remainder of the day. Except for today on P-day, with the Temple closed we can't go to the Temple so we have basically nothing for the whole day. We usually have two main "Classroom instruction" sections a day that last three hours or so, and in between is lunch at 11:00 and dinner at 4:00 (that's right, 4:00 I'm starving from about 6:00 till the end of the day but the other Elders are always pulling food from out of there pockets and are always ready to share haha) Other than that we just have personal study time or companion study or language study.
Oh by the way, my time reached 0 and I found out I have more than a half an hour so I'll continue... haha I've been told I can go for another half hour.
6) I can't believe they got 6 Elder's in one room! Send some pictures!
Oh man I can't wait to show you pictures, I'll try to put some on now that I know I have more time. But I had a host kinda like Jordan when I got here, he showed me the room then took me to the classroom so when I went back to the residence I got the last pick on the bunks so I got the very back top bunk haha. But it is so much fun in there with 6 Elders, we are the whole district and we just have so much fun together.
7) Tell us about your zone.
Our zone is half French and half Tahitian( going to Tahiti) and sorry to distract... but Connor just sat down next to me at the computer, haha. But the Tahitians come and learn French for 6 or 7 weeks then they have to learn Tahitian IN French... yeah, pretty crazy. But our zone leaders just left this morning and there was quite the party last night. There was also a French West Indies district that left this morning at 2:00 am.
8) Have you gotten letter from anyone?
I got a letter from Randi Jewkes, that kinda threw me off, but then I realized that the sisters all wrote letters at LTC so it made sense. It was really nice though. Other than that I got one from Josh Worley and then your plethora of Dear Elders haha!
9) Do you want me to forward your friend's letters to you?
I would love to have you forward their letters but I suggest you tell them that if they want to write they should send handwritten or Dear Elders because I don't want to waste internet time, haha.
Oh and also I hear I'll be leaving for San Francisco some time to get my visa. Not quite sure when I yet, but it should be soon maybe this week. Hopefully I'll get a chance to tell you before but it sounds like you only get around two day's notice.
So I got some photos on here. There's the one with Me and Ryan, that was the first day and I saw him sitting on a park bench while getting the tour of the MTC. Another is with me an Elder Lewis (Louis en Francais) on a bench. Then there's the "glamour shot" of our district at the temple and they are (from left to right:) Elder Fraley, Lever (Lee-v-air), Erickson, Eshiet (pronounced like "a shirt"), Lewis, and me of course. Then there is our room mine is the bunk behind the one you see Elder Eshiet sitting on and I'm on the top.
Well I hope my letter satisfies you and lives up to Jordan's haha!
Je vous aime!
Elder Call
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