This is my last P-Day in the MTC before I go to France, so next time I email, I will be typing on a crazy French-ish computer. :D
Here is how my week has gone since you last heard from me:
Wednesday, Feb. 19th -
We taught a lesson over Skype to people on Wednesday. It was an interesting experience... We were actually supposed to be teaching someone who lives in France, but they were all at work when we tried to teach them, so instead my companions and I taught Soeur Chard's (our teacher) dad. He spoke French really well because he'd grown up in France and gone on his mission to France. Then he took a picture of my companions and me and sent it to our parents, which was awesome of him.
So... Soeur Ridd decided it would be funny to highlight a random verse in Elder Teh's scriptures while he was gone. When he found out, he and Elder Wallace decided to get back at her by highlighting a verse in her scriptures with rainbow colors while she was in the bathroom. She was not very happy about it. :D
I'm not sure if I've mentioned Elder Pichon before, but I feel I must now. He is one of the Elders who came from France to learn Tahitian at the MTC. He likes to use his French accent to his advantage and tends to have many girls around him wherever he goes. Page 33 in the mission rule book talks about relations with the opposite sex, and how we're not supposed to flirt, so every time we pass by Elder Pichon, we hold up the number 33 on our hands. :D He either glares or smiles and tells us that it's not on page 33 in the French rule book.
This probably won't be relevant to anyone but the people I was friends with in high school, but I taught Soeur Ridd the fishy handshake, and she loves it. That's how we congratulate each other now.
Thursday, Feb. 20th -
I liked Thursday. Verily, 'twas a good day. :D
We taught Siliane about families and about how the Atonement can help us love our families and forgive them even when it's hard. Siliane has problems with her family and hasn't talked to her mom in a really long time. I was able to share some experiences and I really felt the Spirit during that lesson. My companions asked inspired questions and helped Siliane soften her heart and feel the Spirit as well. Soeur Chard says that was one of our best lessons.
However, Siliane said she couldn't go to church on Sunday when we invited her, because she had work. So we needed to figure out how to help her understand that it's important to go to church, and that it will bless her and help her grow.
Soeur Ridd was really sick on Thursday. She kept throwing up and was really pale and weak, so we stayed in the residence area during gym time, even though Soeur Ridd was stubborn and kept trying to get Soeur Rasmussen and I to go to the gym, insisting she was fine. Silly Soeur Ridd.
I'm actually glad that we stayed in the residence, because that was when I got some of the clearest inspiration/answers I've ever gotten. I decided to jog around our residence hall area since it was gym time, and as I did so I pondered about what we could say to help Siliane go to church. As I thought and jogged, I realized that going to church could be related to running. No one can run forever. We need rest in order to have the energy to run more, to build up our strength. It's the same with church. We get worn out, physically and spiritually, throughout the week. The Sabbath day is provided for us so that we can rest and be recharged spiritually and physically, and that energy lasts throughout the rest of the week until the next Sunday when we get to go to church again. I also received more inspiration as I ran toward the picture of Christ hanging in the residence hall. I realized that we need to go toward Christ so that he can help us. He won't be able to help us as we need if we don't come to him and allow him to help us. I was so happy after receiving this help for my lesson from the Lord that I skipped down the hallway instead of running. Yep. I'm strange like that. :D
Friday, Feb 21st -
For our service project, we put up the 32 flags in front of the MTC. They didn't have the French flag for some reason...
A really awesome experience on Friday was when our elders gave a blessing to each one of the sisters. Soeur Ridd was still sick, so Elder Bigelow gave her a blessing. Soeur Rasmussen is still having troubles sleeping, so Elder Nez gave her a blessing. Then the elders decided I needed a blessing too, so Elder Wallace gave me a blessing of comfort (I've been getting nervous a lot lately) and it was an amazing, powerful blessing, one of the best I've had. I felt so much better after that, and I didn't even know I was feeling that bad before. :D
Even though Soeur Ridd was sick, she decided she wanted to teach Shuang-Bai on Friday evening. It was a really good, simple lesson about the 10 commandments, and Shuang-Bai seemed to enjoy it. I really liked it because he testified of how much his life has changed, how much happier he is, and how much more loved he feels in his life since he's heard the gospel. I know he's not a real investigator, but I loved seeing how much he's progressed, and how happy and at peace he is now. Frere Kellett said he was happy we decided to teach, because he likes our lessons and knew we would all feel better after teaching.
Also, I talked about the good ol' days in Syracuse with Elder Bigelow. It's funny how we knew of each other, but we never really talked to each other before our missions. Apparently he's even driven past our house, and didn't even realize it.
Saturday, Feb 22nd -
Saturday was another wonderiffical day. We taught a lesson to a "less-active" member (played by Frere Kellett) named Jean Michel. It. Was. Amazing. The Spirit was so strong as each person in our companionship sought to simply listen to Jean Michel, love him, and help him with the things he was struggling with in his life. We shared our favorite scriptures, scriptures to give him comfort and help him know that he can turn to God in all the struggles in his life and know that the Savior will welcome him and give him peace no matter what he's done.
Soeur Chard told us a story about how when she was on a mission, she and her companion went and taught this creepy old lady who had 17 cats that were hanging all around her teeny apartment. She had a raspy voice and she looked like a witch, apparently. After she told them she didn't want to hear what they had to say, Soeur Chard and her companion left, and as she left she took a picture of the old lady in the window of her apartment, staring at them, with cats gathered all around her like evil minions. If I can get the picture from her, I shall send it. :D
We taught Siliane again. We'd had her read the 10 commandments as a commitment, and she bought up a question about honoring her father and mother. She was wondering since she wasn't talking to them because of the things they'd done to her if she was breaking that commandment. We were planning on teaching about keeping the Sabbath day holy, but instead we mostly taught about how Heavenly Father knows she's trying and will help her as she tries to follow him, that he knows the desires of her heart. Also, she said she'd go to church. Yay!
I saw Tayzia and Annie after lunch! Huzzah!
Sunday, Feb 23rd -
The devotional on Sunday night was really good. It was about baptism, and why we should be inviting investigators to be baptized. We shouldn't be doing it for ourselves. We should be doing it because it will change their lives, bring them greater happiness and peace, and help them grow closer to the Lord. An interesting question he asked that helped me understand how to better teach investigators (about baptism and other things) was : If you weren't a member, and the missionaries had taught you, would you want to be baptized? And why?
I said goodbye to Tayzia on Sunday. She was a bit crazy... :P I think she scared my companions a little by her sheer awesomeness. I know she'll be an amazing missionary.
Soeur Ridd made Elder Teh try a peanut butter and banana sandwich because he'd never tried one before, and he started choking on it a little bit. Soeur Ridd said, "Yes! My plan worked! It is the end of Dictator Teh's reign of terror!" His last act was to make Elder Bigelow the new dictator in his place. Elder Wallace was offended that as his companion he wasn't chosen to be dictator. Thankfully, we avoided conflict with such things because Elder Teh survived the sandwich. And he said it was delicious, so all is well. :P
Monday, Feb. 24th -
Um. Not much happened. The French people started comparing everyone to animals. Apparently I'm a bat. I like bats, so I'm good with that. Soeur Ridd, however, was not happy with her animal - a pigeon. Pauvre Soeur Ridd...
I'd like to share a scripture that helped me a lot this week, in Isaiah 41:10 -
"Fear thou not; for I am with thee; be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee ; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness."
Apparently people are actually reading my letters. That's exciting. Thanks everyone, for your support!
A bientot!
Soeur Williams
In the picture... I stuck my camera underwater in the fountain at the temple and took a picture.
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