By "some" chance...

I went to the TRC (Teaching Resource Center) at the MTC (Missionary Training Center) this afternoon, like I've been doing again every week since I graduated.  I've been so blessed because I've been able to be with the group of missionaries that have been there for the past few weeks.  They've been here for seven weeks and have only two more weeks here.  Since I've been taught by several of them more than once over the past few weeks, I've been able to see the growth and change as they've been learning French, their ability to teach the Gospel, and their ability to teach with a companion.

Today was one of the best experiences I've had as a volunteer there.  I was taught first by two elders: Elders Cline and Barker.  Elder Barker, I think, knew French before (I think that because his accent and sentence structure and grammar are very advanced), whereas Elder Cline learned all of it in the MTC.  They taught me a lesson on how we gain revelation by studying the Book of Mormon.  Elder Barker brought up the point that all our questions can be answered as we read the Book of Mormon and listen to the Spirit, but also that many answers are explicitly in the text. For example, the question about why there is suffering and good people are allowed to die or are killed.  We had a discussion about how without the bad, there wouldn't be any good.  As a result of mortality, we agreed to the consequences of mortality: sickness, aging, accidents, etc.  And even in man-made choice-driven situations (like war or murder or other awful things), if a righteous person is killed, then they are sooner in the rest of the Lord.  That really struck me and I told them so.

The those elders left and I was expecting a new set of elders to come in and teach me the same message. However, by some chance, Elder Cline forgot that he had just been in my room, and he had a new companion (Elder McCray) when they knocked on my door ten minutes later. Elder Cline was surprised when I opened the door, but he and Elder McCray made it work by saying they were doing splits. :)  Because Elder Cline had already taught me, he decided to change the message slightly (which was perfect!).  And actually in this situation, Elder Cline was the more advanced of the two elders in terms of the language.  Elder McCray was struggling with communicating in French, though he was able to share the most important things.

As they quickly changed their approach to the message, Elder Cline had me read 2 Nephi 32:3 and share what I thought of when I read that scripture.  As I read it, a new thought occurred to me that I shared with them: In the talk, The Tongue of Angels, Elder Holland talks about how we can speak with the tongue of angels. I elaborated on that point and said that when we have the Holy Ghost and are following His promptings and speaking what comes to us, we become angels to those with whom we interact.  That seemed to really strike Elder Cline.  They finished their message early, so I asked them both to share the scripture that has helped them a lot while they have been at the MTC.

Elder McCray shared his scripture first, Alma 26:12:
Yea, I know that I am ^anothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will ^bnot boast of myself, but I will ^cboast of my God, for in his ^dstrength I can do all ^ethings; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever.
When Elder McCray elaborated on this scripture, the Spirit came so strongly.  He bore his testimony of how he knows that all his strength comes from God.


Elder Cline shared his scripture first, Ether 12:27:  
And if men come unto me I will show unto them their^aweakness. I ^bgive unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my ^cgrace is sufficient for all men that ^dhumble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make ^eweak things become strong unto them.
Then Elder Cline shared a simple, yet powerful testimony, of how hard it is to learn and communicate in another language. He shared how he feels so weak, yet he testified that the Lord will and does help him everyday.

As the elders were leaving, Elder Cline turned back and thanked me again for coming.  I think he and I needed each other today: I needed to learn from him and he needed learn from me. By "some" chance, he ended up in my room twice, he taught me twice.  Thank goodness for the Lord guiding our lives by His tender mercies.

Lindsey, Lori & Sam

I received three letters today: Lindsey Herde, Lori Lund and Sam Bhagwat. I just sent Lindsey and Lori letters this morning too so that was pretty fun to get their letters this evening. And Sam sent his letter probably a month and a half ago.  It was SO great getting his letter. He sent pictures and he'll be coming home December 27 and I go home December 28 so we'll be able to see each other before he leaves for Stanford and I go back to BYU. YAY!!

Tomorrow is the 6 months left for Jamon anniversary and the 1 year left for Lindsey anniversary. Of course I won't tell either of them that I am counting down (sorta) the months they have left because that isn't what they should be focusing on.  Goodness I love my missionary friends. I am so blessed to have them.

I am so blessed to have such wonderful friends in general. I love Lindsey so so much! She is just always constantly being an answer to prayers. And Lori is just fabulous! And Sam, Sam is Sam. :) I can't believe I'll get to see them all soon!

TRC volunteering

The past three weeks I've gone and volunteered in the TRC (Teaching Resource Center) at the MTC (Missionary Training Center) in French. It has been such an amazing experience! Not only do I get to practice speaking in French myself, not only do I get a little confidence booster that I really do know more French than I think I do, but I also get to feel the Spirit and I get to have my testimony strengthened of the reality of Jesus Christ, His mission, and the mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

This past week I was able to be there for two hours (usually I'm only there for one but this week my career strategies class got out early). The first hour I was with more experienced missionaries (they'd been there for eight weeks) and so they taught the lesson in French. They taught me about the Plan of Salvation and the Word of Wisdom. Did you know what the Word of Wisdom translates as in French? La perle de sagesse. The pearl of wisdom. Basically the same thing but the change from "word" to "pearl" really stuck out to me.

The second hour I was with missionaries who had only been there for one week. They did their initial contact and setting up an appointment in the first fifteen minutes (like the more advanced missionaries had done) but they were so nervous! I felt so bad for them. The last pair that was in the room with me, I heard them talk in English once they left the room and they were talking about how badly it had gone. I said a little prayer for them while they were out in the hall preparing for the lesson they would teach me in English. They taught me about the church and Book of Mormon. I know that I've read the scriptures they had me read countless times--Joseph Smith History 1:16-17 and Moroni 10:3-5. But this time both of those scripture accounts really impressed themselves on me. The fact that just at the moment when Joseph was going to surrender to the adversary, the pillar of light descended and he saw the Father and the Son. The fact that the Lord has been merciful unto the children of men from the time of Adam even down until the time that we read the words contained in the Book of Mormon. Those facts really struck a chord within me. They're true.

The Lord truly does love us. God will be there for us, even if it isn't until the last hour, He will come. Sometimes we need to see what we can do and what we will do in a certain situation. Sometimes our faith is tried. And probably many times we just don't see the hand of the Lord guiding our lives.

I'm so grateful I get to go to the TRC and have my testimony strengthened.

Day 15: A not-so-related-to-Paris post

My best friend in the whole world reported to the MTC today. It probably seems a little silly that I say I'm going to miss her because it isn't like I've been her roommate the past two years that she's been at BYU or that we've had classes together or been in the same ward. In essence, we haven't seen each other every day, we haven't talked every day, yet why do I say I'm going to miss her so much?

It's like I told Jamon, "I've loved our spontaneous phone calls or texts or when we meet up. She truly is one of those forever friends, a thought that helps me as I realize that I won't be able to call or text or meet up with her for the next 18 months. Also, we've already gone through the drill of writing each other for years on end, so we know we can do that. :)"

It's that ability to call her up or stop over at her apartment or send her a text that has been so wonderful these past three years that I've been at BYU. It's also a strange sensation for me to know that she's going to be a missionary because she and I have talked about it for so long. I kind of feel like Anne Shirley in Anne of Avonlea when Diana Barry is going to get married and Anne knows that it's good and that Diana will be happy but it's also strange because she and Diana had talked about finding their "true loves" since they were little...and then Diana found her's. Linds and I have talked about missions for a long time, and now she's going on a mission.

I truly am extremely excited for Lindsey. She and I are both on different adventures, growing up a little bit, and yet we both know that when she and I meet again after her mission, it'll be as though no time has passed between us. That's how it's always been. Even if Lindsey didn't write me once on her mission, I know that we would still be able to talk about everything and anything when we see each other again.

So that's my ode to Lindsey. :)