Guess where I'm going????

We got to talk with Braden yesterday on his way to the West Indies.  He sounded so excited to finally get there.  He said that his travel plans said he was going to Martinique on Wednesday, and he was super excited about that.  But... things may not always be what they seem!  So excited to hear all about it next week!


Hey Mom/ rest of the family!!! hahaha

I'm here, or at least half way here I guess... I'm in the mission home right now and they let us send you a message to let you know we're doing well and send you a picture of us in the mission home!

So it turns out I'm not going to Martinique!  Well, I will be going there, I have to fly there first and then I'll fly from Martinique to French Guiana! That is my first area! There are only 4 missionaries there in the whole country but there will be 6 once Elder Fraley and I get there!  I'm super excited and can't wait to get there.  My first companion will be Elder Mohoni (not quite sure if that's how you spell it) but he is from Tahiti and is a native French Speaker.  I think he speaks English, but I guess I'll find out!

It's weird that I'm here, but not yet to my REAL mission area... but I can't tell you how excited I am to get out there, this place is so cool.  I love you so very much and can't wait to tell you how everything is going on Monday, unless I get time to do it earlier!

Je vous aime!!
avec amour,
Elder Call

Last week in the MTC and travel plans!!

Bonjour ma famille!

Comment allez-vous? J'espaire vous étés bien! There wasn't too much that happened over the week other than our travel plans getting here.  We will be leaving next Monday at 6:20 a.m.  We will be leaving the MTC at 2:30 a.m.  We have a layover in Houston, before flying into Port-of Spain, Trinidad.  We arrive there at 8:04 p.m.  I'm so excited I can't stand it!

We did have Richard G. Scott come on Tuesday to the devotional in the Marriott Center which was way cool. He talked about prayer and ways we can receive revelation through prayer.  We listen to a lot of talks and watch a lot of videos of talks, but as a missionary I get so much more out of the talks, it's super cool.  Since we sing in the choir we get to go early to the Marriott Center and we always are trying to guess who's going to speak.  When we got to the door there was a security check, which we never needed before, they also didn't show who was speaking on the T.V.s, which they usually do.  So we were all going crazy,  "It's gotta be a general authority!"  Well when I say we, I mean me. The other Elders didn't think it was as cool because they said they've been to General Conference a lot but I don't think I ever have, so it was cool for me at least.

My favorite part of the week was actually yesterday, I told you about Brother Robinson the old mission president, he came and talked to us again and boy did he get me excited!  He asked us if we had any questions and we couldn't think of where to start, so He just started talking about the mission.  The first thing he said was to make sure we get a waterfall baptism.... AHHH!!!  He said there are ponds with big ol' waterfalls that we can go baptize people in!  Holy cow!  We saw a picture of one in the main building because he told us to go look for it, it was awesome!!  I'm so excited I may just have a heart attack before this week even finishes...  Then he went on to tell us how we are for sure going to spend the first 6 months in Guadeloupe as we apply for visas to the other islands and French Guiana.  ALSO he said that Guadeloupe is just like a miniature island version of France and that they speak perfect Parisian French and there are French patisseries on every corner where we can get pain de chocolat (chocolate bread).  We spent the rest of the day looking at the islands on Google Earth...  Have you seen the lake inside St. Martin?  There's an island inside an island!.....  This is going to be a long week...

I did see Sister Edwards for about 5 seconds, we said hi then she just kept walking, she looked pretty happy as far as I could tell.  I haven't seen Sister Peterson but I saw Elder Chapman Walk and he said that he saw her.

Elder Eshiet left this morning at 2:30 a.m.  Elder Erickson is leaving tomorrow at 3:30 a.m.  It was weird going to sleep with Elder Eshiet in the room and in the morning he was gone.  I tried to wake up in the morning to see him off, but I couldn't make it out of bed.  I remember waking up, but the next thing I knew it was 5:45 and time to get ready for the day and he was gone.  We celebrated a little last night for him, busted open some of the snacks we've been saving for special occasions and some glow sticks you sent me haha.  It wasn't sad at all because we were all jealous of him for leaving, but it's weird with him gone, it'll probably be more so tomorrow when we go to class and neither him OR Elder Erickson are there.

On Wednesday the new shipment of WI Elders get here but they'll be part of the other French branch and I'm not sure where their room will be because all the rooms are full in our residence.  All the other Elders know someone that's in this new group except for me, but it's fine.

We just found out that you can no longer wear backpacks as a missionary so I may need a shoulder bag of some kind to carry things around, but I may just get one there but I don't know.  I can't think of where I would put one in my luggage if you did send one so I think I'll just get one there. Other than that I can't think of anything I NEED but odds are I'm forgetting something

We did get to go to the Temple again today, the last time for the next two years, well 23 months now haha. I was really tired though, BUT I didn't fall asleep so that was good.

We went to In-field orientation already and were the only ones there that weren't leaving this week. We went because that's when Elder Eshiet and Erickson had to go so they just had us tag along too.  It was cool and kinda got me excited to get out there, mostly they just told us how to use members and ward mission leaders, but I don't think it'll be like that in the West Indies, but what do I know?

Man I am so excited to head out to the West Indies!  I love all of you so very much! I'll try to get some more in my hand written letter.

Tell Bri good luck with tennis, pet pepper for me haha!

Avec amour,
Elder Call

 My translation of the French hymn Souvines-Toi

The apple tree we're growing in our residence

Picture of the waterfall baptism in the West Indies

First trip to the temple in the MTC

Bonjour ma famille!

Cette semain a été trés bien! There wasn't too much that happened though... Haha, well done with the French! I understood it but it used a lot of weird words that are one thing but aren't really used in that way but I got the idea!

Did Kaitlin not get a letter? I could have sworn I sent one to her because that was like the first day and I could send letters the first day! that's dumb, maybe it got lost in the mail or something, or I'm just a terrible friend and completely spaced out on sending it, which is just as likely haha. Tell her she should be getting one this week! Also tell Mindy that I did get her package and that those cookies were amazing! They did even last a whole week!

 Also, something that Grandpa Call would appreciate! I've seen about 10 other Elder and Sister Call's, each time we are all trying to figure out how we're related and which wife of Anson we're from and what not, it's kinda funny. On Dimanche (Sunday) I saw two senior missionaries, one of them was a descendant of Grandpa's uncle Irvin (I think that was it) and he told me to tell him.

We do have some Sister missionaries in our zone since 2 weeks ago, but I don't talk to them all that much. There's 3 of them.  I think we may have gotten some Tahitian sisters but I didn't notice. According to the Elders that have them in their district, they're pretty nice but they don't like it when they get out of control.  Our district with only Elders can get rowdy at times but I like it, it's funner I think.  hahaha.  Elder Eshiet is always talking to sister missionaries and it's kinda funny, we joke with him a lot. The only time I ever really talk to sister missionaries is as we walk back to our residence hall we try to bear our testimonies to people in French as much as we can, it's pretty cool. I also saw Amy Finlayson's cousin who is here, she's going to Thailand and she was super excited when I said that I knew her! So if you can let here know that I talked to her, that would be cool.

The new missionaries aren't as fun as all the old one's were, there are a couple really cool guys but they are mostly way too serious and don't enjoy it that much when we are joking around, which isn't bad but it's hard to have fun with them. The new Tahitians don't know what they're in for with their 12 weeks here at the MTC, I kinda feel bad for them...

So on Wednesday I went to the orientation thing for the newly arrived missionaries. They have a big meeting where they have two missionaries come in and meet with an investigator and once they start to delve into a lesson they let some of the newbies have an opportunity to teach, so Elder Lewis and I got volunteered by Seour Wilson to be the two that come in and start it. It was actually really cool because the investigators are volunteers that are converts that act out the story of their conversion and their meetings with the missionaries, but most importantly, I saw Elder West. I've seen him just about everyday and he looks like he's doing fine, so you can tell his mom that I got my eye on him. haha. His P-day is on Thursdays and he's coming to choir so I see him a lot. It's nice having someone else I know here again! haha

We went to the temple today for the first time on our mission, and next week might be the last, which is weird. We had to go at 7:30, it's too bad I don't have one in my mission, but oh well... So I don't have AS much time to write today because I actually had something to do today!  Besides laundry!

It's super weird thinking that Brandon just got married, good for Joe steppin' up on the bachelor party, haha sounds like a blast, haha what movie did they see?

Oh something cool we did was that we were taught how to sing this French hymn that's not in the English hymn book called Souviens-Toi (which means "Remember" in command form) and it's an amazing hymn. I translated the words to English and it's super deep about a child that has died and is in heaven. I took a picture of my translation of the first 2 verses that I'll send to you. I suggest listening to it, I love it.

We are the only French speaking West Indies missionaries left. I guess we'll see on Thursday if there are others going there too.  And since we are 7 weeks randomly, we overlap with the next shipment of French West Indies Elders so we'll see them for a week before we take off like we did with the ones before us.  I told you about the old mission pres. right?  He was the one that told us that we go to Guadeloupe for the first while as we try to get visas for St. Martin, Martinique or French Guiana.

We don't have any culture classes about the West Indies, haha nobody here knows anything about it.   Frère Mayne can do accents of just about anywhere EXCEPT the West Indies because he only heard it a few times in France.  All we've heard was from the old pres. who said it was just like France but in island form!

Well I'm out of time, tell Brianna sorry I didn't get to write to her more today! I love all of you!  Pet Pepper for me hahaha!  The picture thing isn't working so I guess there's no pictures today.  Sorry!

Je vous aime!
-Elder Call

Apparently hair cutting ISN'T taught at the MTC!

Bonjour ma famille!,

Je vous aime beacoup! This week was perhaps one of the most spiritual weeks I have had in the MTC. At the beginning of this week Elder Fraley wasn't feeling too good, but none of us were too worried about it. He just had a cough and a headache mostly. But on Tuesday night he felt real worried about it and he asked if we could give him a blessing. He asked his companion Elder Lever to give him the blessing but it really surprised me when he asked me, as district leader, if I would do the anointing. I was super nervous because I had never been a part of one before. My hands were kinda shaky when I put them on his head but I felt so peaceful when I said the words that I had to look up a minute before because I didn't know them. It surprised me so much that he asked me because we've all talked before and everyone else has had experience baptizing friends or siblings and giving blessings that I assumed he would ask someone that knew what they were doing, but I'm so grateful for the opportunity.

Another incredibly spiritual thing that happened this week was during TRC, which I found out stood for Teaching Resource Center (it took me a while). We all had planned to be teaching members that volunteer so we planned our lesson accordingly, about how reading the Book of Mormon can strengthen testimony and how we can improve our studies. But when we arrived at the door before we walked in there was a man who stopped us as and said there was a change of plans. Instead of a member, an actual investigator was there! So we had to scrap our entire lesson and prepare for our first (actual) investigator. This time it was no joke though. So we got to teach Arnaud. He is from Shanghai, his mom is Chinois (that's french for Chinese) and his dad is french so he knew both French and Chinese and a good amount of English. He is 14 years old and here as an exchange student, a lady from the host family was there in case we needed help translating. He is probably the funniest kid I have ever met. We were supposed to take 20 minutes but we ended up going about 40 minutes, and I think we were laughing most of the time. He would get all into it and ask us all this questions and he would forget he was supposed to speak French and ask in English. Whenever he spoke in English he would slap himself to remind himself that we were supposed to speak in French. We taught him about the Livre de Mormon and shared with him our favorite scriptures, then right as we were about to wrap up he asked us why church was on Sunday. Elder Lewis and I looked at each other all, "uh.... well you see...uh..." We saw Frére Mayne giving us the "cut it" signal through the window, but we kept going trying to tell him in broken French about the creation and how the 7th day was a day of rest and sacred, it was tough. We left and I told him "Souvenez, n'fapper pas votre visage..." he got a kick outta that haha. The best part of it all was that I could just feel the love that the Lord has for him. It was enjoyable.

 Most of the other zone left today so now we are the oldest French district in the MTC. We're the next one out of here! Well Elder Erickson and Elder Eshiet leave a week before us, but still! We just made over halfway!! It still feels like a long way out though. I can't wait!! The residence is going to be really quiet until Wednesday when about 60 more French missionaries come into the MTC. Our zone is getting 17 and the other is getting 44! it's gonna be packed.

We didn't get to go to the temple yet mais je pense la prochain semain, at least that what the word on the street is. I have heard there is a new movie. It was the buzz of the MTC for a while. Seour Judas (from France) walked in and shouted it. She's pretty cool. We get off topic a whole lot in class when she comes because she's not really our teacher she just comes to help out when we have language study. Sometimes she starts yelling at us in French and we just sit there with blank faces having no idea what she said. She always laughs afterward though so I don't think she's serious about it. She teaches us all the random phrases like "quoi de neuf?" (what's up?) "Qu'est-ce que vous avez?" (what's wrong with you?) "Au vouleur!" (stop thief!) and so on.

French is awesome, I mean. Le francais est trés bien!  Nous partagons nos temoignages avec quelqu'un tout le temps et nous avons appredu tout le tenses. It's great we share our testimonies in French every night and have learned all the tenses.

So far I've gotten letters from most of the girls and emails from Dallin and Ryan

Tell Bri good luck with tennis and I love her!

Je vous aime ma famille!
Also tell Grandma and Grandpa thanks for the package, I don't have their address.

Avec amour,
Elder Call

                     "Where did my curly hair go?"  Tell Sabey the face is for her!

                   
                                                   Elder Eshiet taking a little snooze

                                                   What we do in our spare time

                                         Elder Ruis leaving.  He says thanks for the popcorn!

                                                       The other zone leaving today