a time to every purpose.

Famille,

 

When people kept on telling me "just make it to Sunday," "just make it to Wednesday," etc. etc. I would almost start laughing/crying. But guess what? The MTC is going really well! In fact, I actually really have been liking it. I LIKE THE MTC. Okay okay, I said it. This past week was great. There are still ups and downs, but I am getting the hang of this and finding a lot of happiness in what I am doing. That being said, with each day, the MTC becomes a little more stifling as well. There is just something about being in the same few square miles every day all day that makes you go a little crazy. The other day we were conjugating sentences into French and our teacher said, "How do you say 'I'm freaking out in French?'" Without missing a beat Elder Barr looked up and said "Je suis au MTC?"  10 points to Gryffindor. Or the night where we were waiting to be done with class and Elder Oliverson was pacing the room saying "Gotta get back to the residence, gotta get back to the residence . . ." (Quebecs babies babies anyone?) We might be going a little crazy, but at least we are having fun doing it. And only . . . six more weeks to go!

 

But the most exciting thing this week is that we get to go to San Francisco to get our visas on Thursday! We leave Thursday morning at 3 a.m. and then we will spend the day there. Our whole district is going, and we have been planning the whole trip this past week. Even if we have to walk over the whole city, we are going to do as much as we can. Cannot wait. Apparently the visa only takes a few minutes, and then we have the rest of the day until our plane leaves. Maybe I'll just ride around on buses and get to know people, right Mom and Dad? THE IRONY! Ha. That trip was such a classic.

 

Our days are starting to kind of blend into one, as we have class and the same schedule most of the time. Right now we are practice-teaching our teachers in French almost every day. It has been good, but also hard as you realize how much there is to teach and say all in another language. But it is neat also to see how we will go into the lesson with one plan, and then it will turn into a totally different discussion about faith, or prayer, or eternal families depending on their needs. I am working on memorizing a lot of vocab right now as I realize how many simple words I don't know. Like battery. Or bandage. Who would've thought that that would come in handy? And I got the first vision memorized last week which felt great. On Thursday we did TRC teaching, where people volunteer to come in and be taught by us. It was my favorite teaching experience yet, because it was a discussion. I loved it. It made me so excited to just go talk to people about this message we have. We watched a video about the atonement on lds.org and it just interviewed people who had converted to Mormonism about the Atonement. I loved what one guy said. He said, when talking about Christ, "Wherever He has taken me, it's always been a better result than if I hadn't chosen to follow Him." One thing I know that I can promise people as I teach in France is that I know that this gospel brings only good things, and so what does it hurt to search and ask and pray about it? I love the scripture in 3 Nephi 9:13 when Christ says to come unto Him and be converted, "that I may heal you." I want people to have that in their lives.

 

Another thing I have thought about this week is how sometimes things are just hard. But it is important to live them anyways. I was reading in Ecclesiastes 3 where it says "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven." I have always loved these scriptures, but had only read to verse eight. This time I continued reading and found verse eleven where it says, "He hath made everything beautiful in his time." Time. Sometimes that is what it takes to learn and grow and understand what we are experiencing.  Life isn't always easy, but it isn't supposed to be. And everything will be made beautiful in its time. Dad said something in a letter that I loved. He said that even when things are hard and you are taking it a day at a time, don't miss the opportunity to see the beautiful things in it. We will often look back at our roughest times as the times of the most growth. And then as Mom says, which I love, "Do hard things." And this isn't even really hard yet I bet. France will be an adventure.

 

So there are my thoughts for this week. I'm sorry this is rushed and not very eloquent, but know that I think about you always and love you. Sho sho much.

 

More next week. I'm sure San Francisco will provide many stories to tell and mix up the daily grind. Man I love that city. I'll send a wave and some love your way as we drive by SLC on our way to the airport.

 

I'm outta time, it goes too fast. Gotta get back to the residence, gotta get back to the residence . . .

 

I  love you.

 

bisous,

 

Olivia