Hello world! Greetings from this wonderful country known as
the Missionary Training Center! Seriously though sometimes this place feels
like it is a whole different world, you only see people in a certain culture
and the time moves so strangely. Sister Hill has put it very well, "The
days feel like weeks, but the weeks feel like days." There have been many
a moment when we turn to each other and ask "remember a couple of days ago
when sister Jeter got 13 letters" and it had just happened that morning.
Speaking of Letters. I love you guys but I only have one hour to email, only
one day out of the week, however I can receive and respond to letters every day
of the week during my hour of free time before I head to bed. Please either
snail mail me or Dear Elder me. Not only does it make things more efficient but
then I get to feel that lovely feeling of being loved when a letter comes my
way.
As many know it was Fourth of July this past Friday. We were
dismissed from classes around three hours early and shepherded into the
auditorium for a devotional, (I think this was just a tactic for us Elders and
Sisters not to hear Carrie Underwood perform at the Stadium of Fire 400 metres
away from the MTC.) It was the most lovely devotional I have ever experienced.
The speaker spoke on how being a hero is not something just found through
firefighting or police work. In fact we can all be heroes, the greatest hero
was Jesus Christ, he suffered our sins for us in the garden of Gethsemane so
that we could return to our Heavenly Father and still have our agency, or our
ability to choose. After this beautiful talk we were surprised with a viewing
of the amazing movie "17 Miracles" which is a beautiful story of LDS
Pioneers trekking across the West to Utah. We were then conveinently let out
after "Sister Underwood" had finished singing (President Nally, the
MTC President, actually said this at the pulpit and you wouldn't believe how
many Elders gasped with happiness at the idea that she had perhaps gotten
baptised, but twas not so.) They gave us this beautiful thing called a Magnum
ice cream bar and told us that we could watch the fireworks. So those of you in
the Provo, Utah area. We were totes watching the same fireworks. I have never
been more proud of my heritage than at that point in my life.
I have gotten to see Elder Garrett Hawkins, who got here
last Wednesday, we share the same meal times and P-days and Gym time so I
literally see him everywhere. And I have also been blessed on seeing Elder
Taylor Graves every time the West campus MTC dwellers join us main campus
dwellers. We enjoy giving each other high fives and see the other elder's and
sister's reactions, little known fact, sisters and elders can't high five or
fist bump. I know. Its sad. I've seen Micah a couple of times mostly though its
out the window and I see him accidently trip over his feet as he walks to his
car. For some reason he has yet to smuggle me in some pizza, I think he should
work on that ;D
French sayings of the week. #lalutteestvrai (hashtage the
struggle is real), "tous le temps chaque jours" (all day every day)
and "comment osez-vous" (how dare you). The language is going very
well. I have been able to carry on conversations at a quick pace, as well have
been able to get off book for lessons (meaning I don't read the script I've
written before hand and just teach with the spirit.) Sister Hill, Sister Jeter
and I have taught six lessons. Five of which were to our investigator Em, who
turned out to be our second French teacher. We sort of knew it would happen,
but at the same time it was very very strange to see Frere Laguan in a suit and
tie speaking English occasionally. My teachers are great as I said Frere Laguan
is one of them, he is the most sassy French speaker I believe I have ever met.
He also has one of the best testimonies I have ever heard, or at least from the
parts I could translate to English. The teachers here are suppose to speak
French the entire time, so then we can have a full immersion experience.
Considering we are in our class rooms 11 hours of the day, compared to our 9
hours in our residents halls, this seems to be working quite well. I believe
the class room my cousin Brandon Slade was in is in fact in our Zone, we have
Haitian Creole speaking missionaries as well as Tahitian missionaries on our
floor (the poor Tahitian missionaries have to learn 5 weeks of French and then
6 weeks of Tahitian. a.k.a 11 weeks in the MTC.)
I have only been here two weeks, which is really rather
strange to think of that but its true. Sister Hill, Sister Jeter and I have
been given the assignment of Sister Training Leaders. Our sister training
leaders just left yesterday to serve in Lyon France. And we are in the quiet
before the storm. Tomorrow the two French zones receive 47 new French
missionaries, next week 6 international missionaries come in who only speak
French (which should make interviewing interesting...) But hey this will be
fun!
Looks like that is all the time that I have for today,
seriously people write me letters. I never thought I'd say this but goodness.
Email is a hassle.
Until next week!
Souer Cummings
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