Tres tres - Home MTC, Mesa AZ

 Bonjour mes amis!

This week was packed with new concepts both French and with things of the spirit.

I'm gonna be honest. French is getting really hard. It's a miracle that I'm able to keep up at all and I know that that is only possible through the lord and the gift of tongues. This Thanksgiving, I am especially grateful for that gift and for my MTC teachers who push us hard enough to use it.

Earlier this week, Elder Card and I taught another TRC in English. I've come to realize just how much joy teaching brings to my soul. For those of you who don't know, I'm planning on, after my mission, going to school to become a choir director. Teaching is something that has always been very fun for me and I love being able to teach something as important as the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving was great! One of the greatest benefits of attending the MTC from home is that I could spend Thanksgiving with my extended family. Being able to play hours of card and yard games with my cousins brought me the greatest joy. I am so grateful for my family, every day. (And for Thanksgiving dinner, of course.)

Last week, President Nelson gave an invitation to make social media our own personal gratitude journals. He was absolutely correct when he said we would be happier by the end of the week. Making a post every night about a different thing I was grateful for made me realize just how many things I have to be grateful for. Far too many to fit into only seven posts. I am thankful for the Prophet and his inspired invitations.

I'll close off with a picture of my district and the craziest accessories we could find in under a minute :) 

Bonne semaine!

Tout Va Bien - Home MTC, Mesa AZ

 The MTC continues to be a rollercoaster. What I said last week about "strong feelings of peace amid world-shattering stress" rings ever truer for every week I progress. In the best way possible, I am drained of every energy I have. I love missionary work and have latched onto it easier than I ever expected before the mission. I am looking forward to being out in the field after these last three weeks of the MTC.

I love French. While difficult, it is such a beautiful language. In the last couple days I have been more motivated than ever and have been really diving into this language. The more I learn about it, the more I fall in love with French.

Elder Card and I taught our first French TRC this week. While it might not have been any A+ lesson or anything of the sort, having that experience has boosted my confidence in the language tenfold. I know that as I continue to devote my time to missionary work, I will continue to be blessed to pick up this language.

I love my district. We take quite a bit of time to just hang out and it's so much fun. The experiences I've had with my district over the last three weeks squash any concerns of loneliness I might've had coming up to the mission. We never cease to make each other laugh. 

I've been using a good amount of my free time multitracking some of my favorite hymns in French. It's been a great way for me to keep singing while also learning some extra French. At the bottom I'll attach the first of many tracks I've recorded these last few weeks. It's a French translation of "It Is Well With My Soul" I recorded on my first P-day. (Fair warning for any French speakers, my pronunciation is exactly what you would expect from a fourth day French student.) 

We talked a lot about the true nature of repentance this week. The main takeaway for me was that repentance is ANYTHING that brings our personal path closer to Christ's path. When somebody says that they need to repent, it tends to carry this negative connotation. But repentance, while important, does not need to be made into this big ordeal. Repentance is in the little things, be it going to church, reading your scriptures, remembering to say your prayers. There is no limit to the frequency or form of our repentance. 

Yesterday, our dear Prophet, President Nelson, shared a fantastic message about gratitude that made me shed many a tear. If you haven't already, please take a few minutes to watch it here.

Au revoir!

Video: "Tout Va Bien" or "It Is Well With My Soul" (CLICK HERE)

A Gumball Machine of Blessings - Home MTC, Mesa AZ

Welcome to week two of my weekly emails. I promise to be on time from now on :)

This week was a blast. This was my first full week as a missionary and I am loving it more than ever. The language is super difficult but the spirit is so strong. That's kind of been the theme for me this week. Strong feelings of peace amid world-shattering stress. 

But before we get into all of that, I received some super exciting news earlier this week! I have been reassigned to the New Hampshire Manchester Mission! I'll leave the week of December 16th. Which is perfect because I packed for two years on the equator with an average low in the 70s and average humidity of 87%. But jokes aside, I'm super excited to serve the people in New Hampshire (and some parts of Maine and Vermont). 

My Companion, Elder Card, and I started teaching TRC's this week. For anyone confused, TRC stands for Teaching Resource Center and it basically provides us missionaries-in-training opportunities to teach real people about the gospel. We did two of them and they were both super cool experiences. We got some feedback and it seems we did pretty well. Hopefully we'll be able to say the same when we start teaching in FRENCH later this week. 

Speaking of French, we are moving through the language super quickly. Sometimes it's really hard to keep up honestly. Luckily, I have my district mates struggling by my side. I've gotten to the point where I'm decently comfortable praying in French. I can hold a very basic conversation and I'm right at the brink of being able to form my own original sentences. Luckily, I love the language and am motivated by the fact that I'm not learning it for me. I'm not learning French so I can have a cool party trick, I'm learning French to be more able to share the gospel. What a fantastic motivator that has been.

The district is becoming more and more tight-knit every day. Twice this week we spent our (extremely limited) free time on a zoom call just hanging out together for 2-3 hours and we've committed to do so at least 3 times a week for the rest of the MTC :)

The other day during class we were told to grab the most random item we could find in a minute. So naturally I ran upstairs to grab the gumball machine we keep in the corner. After we all returned with all of our random items (pic below) we were told that we had to relate our items to the gospel somehow. My analogy was that, just like a quarter in a gumball machine, we have to put in some effort and faith in order to receive "those sweet, sweet gumball blessings."

Spiritual thought: In 1st Corinthians 12:27, it says "Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular." In class, we talked about how, no matter what shortcomings we may have or what spiritual gifts we long for, we each have a specific role to play in our Heavenly Father's plan. I can testify that this is true so long as we make the effort to fulfil His vision for us. 

My district with some random objects (feat. the aforementioned gumball machine)

A photo taken on my dad's birthday 6 years ago and 3 days ago in the same Outback :)

And So It Begins - Home MTC, Mesa AZ

Here we are. Email numéro un of my mission! I'm so happy to be able to share this experience with you all. 

This week I started the At-home MTC. I was set apart on Tuesday evening and started class on Wednesday. And let me just say, the MTC is so much more fun than I expected! Between my district, teachers, and companion it has all amounted to a perfect first few days of missionary service. 

District: My district is fantastic! Everybody is so kind and full of the spirit. After just our first round of classes, I already felt that I had nine new best friends. (eleven if you count our teachers, which I ABSOLUTELY do). Genuine conversations are so easy and so flowing with my district and it is a fantastic spirit and a fantastic energy. Every member of my district is an amazing person and is becoming an equally amazing missionary. 

Teachers: Our teachers for the week were Sœur Holt and Frére Miller. Unfortunately, they were only our teachers for this first week because our regular teachers had to finish week six with their last group of missionaries. Sœur Holt is so fun and full of life. Right off the bat when I hoped to zoom for our first class, she was there to welcome us so kindly. Frére Miller is a fantastic person and an equally fantastic teacher. Through them we were able to learn what Frere Miller described as the equivalent of first year French class in only three days! They will both be missed very much. Their next district is extremely lucky.

Companion: Mon Collégue Missionnaire is Elder Card. He's from Mapleton, Utah and has such a bright spirit about him. He makes our comp meetings so fun and I enjoy talking and just hanging out with him very much. We've quickly bonded over the fact that we are two of the four missionaries in our district that came in as blank slates in regards to French. But we are both working diligently to be ready to converse with our prodigy district members. 

Speaking of français, I love it! It can be a very strange language but it's so beautiful. I'm beginning to be able to understand a good amount of words without subtitles but, obviously, I still have a LONG way to go before I'm ready. For those of you who don't know, my grandpa Farr served in the French speaking mission way back when all french speaking countries were a single mission. I am both his namesake and the first of his grandchildren to serve their mission speaking french. When I got my call letter, I was ecstatic to know that I would be carrying on the french for him.

The MTC, even from my little room in the basement, has such a strong spirit to it. My days are lighter just from wearing the badge. As one of my district mates said in their email earlier today, there's something about having Christ's name so close to your heart. I love being a missionary. In only three days I can already tell that this is going to be the most fulfilling two years of my life thus far.

Thank you to everyone reading this for supporting me as well as you all do. Remember to stay strong in the spirit. The church is true. 

Au nom de Jésus Christ, Amen

the district with Soeur Holt and Frere Miller

the district with Soeur Holt and Frere Miller

the district with Soeur Holt and Frere Miller

My MTC setup. I'm quite proud of it. Especially the side table which I've reserved for food :)

Me writing this email. Very happy to be a missionary