Lead Kindly Light

This last week at the MTC has been an adventure. I've been moved to visitor's center training, with new companions and 9+ hours of class daily, all in English, but I've also been learning and using what I've learned in ways I never would have thought of on my own.

I've been studying the story of Martha in scripture study, and I've used her mural a few times. The Lord told her she was "careful and troubled about many things" and to "choose the good part." One thing I've been working on at the MTC is to relax and let the Lord guide what I'm doing, which can be harder than expected. Luke 10:38-41. 

Preach my Gospel went back to "How to begin teaching" with a heavy focus on visitor's center. "Our message, which is centered on Christ, is of great value and importance" is the point we've used every single time, even on short chats. We've also practiced how to respond to people who want to fight. We need to respond with love right off the bat, every time. 

In the Visitor Center online chats we need to be extremely careful in our word choice, even more so than usual. Bringing the spirit into a conversation without seeing someone's face or giving a prayer can be a challenge. "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers." Ephesians 4:29

Yesterday I was a little down because I realized the timing wouldn't work out to thank my French teachers, because they'd both be gone before I was out of class. I put it aside and focused on the tour and gave a lesson to our investigator on the love of our Savior, and how he can answer our faith and prayers in ways we don't expect, but as we actively look for them and have faith we'll find our answers. As soon as our investigator left I saw one of my teachers walking through T3, I'd never seen him outside of class before. We were able to talk and then a few minutes later I saw my other teacher walking down the hallway. She spoke to me in French for 20 minutes and she bore her testimony to me and I got her email. It was a little thing I didn't even ask for, but it was answered so specifically and the advice she gave was exactly what I'd asked for guidance on. I know the Lord knows us and wants us to succeed, and I'm so grateful to be reminded of that and get to teach others about it too."

I'm pretty excited to be out of the mtc after almost seven weeks here, and I'm not going to miss Utah valley air. I'll miss the mountains, but I think it'll be easier when I'm not so close to everyone and still can't see them.

We've sung a few times this week "Lead Kindly Light." With everyone getting nervous and homesick the last week, I've been reading the words more. The first verse especially! "Lead Kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom, lead thou me on, the night is dark and I am far from home, lead thou me on. Keep thou my feet, I do not ask to see the distant scene, one step enough for me." 

Sundays make for frozen sidewalks under the snow. We all know how skilled I am at walking on icy surfaces. I'm not the only one, either. RIP, tights, I hardly knew ye before the ice won. 

It's been an interesting week and I'm about to take off to pack! I'm getting everyone to buy phone cards and whatnot. I still need to pack and polish my shoes before the end of the day, and helping the other sisters pack too. Good times! Six sisters packing in one tiny room gets a little chaotic. 

I got the letter from Grandpa P. And Sister McKee! Thank you! And the Dear Elder letters!

There are only three of us in Visitor Center training so I'm in a trio. So many classes!!! But really good!

Lead Kindly Light

1. 
   
2. 1. Lead, kindly Light, amid th’encircling gloom;
   Lead thou me on!
   The night is dark, and I am far from home;
   Lead thou me on!
   Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see
   The distant scene—one step enough for me.
3. 2. I was not ever thus, nor pray’d that thou
   Shouldst lead me on.
   I loved to choose and see my path; but now,
   Lead thou me on!
   I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,
   Pride ruled my will. Remember not past years.
4. 3. So long thy pow’r hath blest me, sure it still
   Will lead me on
   O’er moor and fen, o’er crag and torrent, till
   The night is gone.
   And with the morn those angel faces smile,
   Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile!

And: random pictures with Madeline, Alyssa's one chosen stuffie to bring with her. :)  Ana brought it with her from NIH hospital and gave it to Alyssa so it has a special meaning, besides being French.

The Great Handshake Ban of 2018

(Art by Soeur Amott)

PME study this week has been focused on baptism, prayer, and reading the Book of Mormon with prayer for a stronger testimony of everything we teach. It's been more specific than the last few weeks, and, it's been great. We had a lesson last night that was focused on asking a question and praying and searching the scriptures for an answer. 

(Art by Soeur Amott)

Putting my spiritual experience here instead of at the end since it's connected to that. I thought I'd received an answer to my question, and felt calm and quiet when we returned to class, then during the class discussion I got a different answer to a question I'd thought I wasn't asking. The same scripture I'd been reading took on a new meaning. 

Handbook study this week had our physical health and safety. That seemed even more appropriate when the notice about flu season and no handshakes came out. 

Scripture study highlight this week was John 13:34-35, the Love one another scripture. The devotional about 3.3.3. drove that in, too. We also need to allow others to love us. "

Explanation of the title: Due to an aggressive flu outbreak mowing down the MTC forces, we're under a total contact ban. No handshakes, fistbumps, elbow bumps, hugs, bisous, or cooperative interpretive dance allowed until we're told otherwise. Sister Todd is pretty thrilled, as our "investigators" can't give the bisous (French cheek kisses) anymore, and I don't have to try not to laugh at her speedwalking down the hall away from said invasion of American personal space. (Love ya, sister Todd!) 

I'm switching to visitors center training on Wednesday! Wish me luck! The motto of the schedule they tentatively handed me seems to be "personal study? What's that?" So, we'll see what happens. I'm excited, though. 

Hey, they're taking us on a field trip to SLC temple square! So... we'll see how that goes. As far as I know I'm the only one who lives within half an hour of it who is going... I'll count the number of missionaries who recognize me.

(Origami by Soeur Amott)

Oh, the room next to us has bedbugs so they heated it a ton to try and kill them, and made all of us unpack our bags so they could treat our bags, beds, and rooms. I got to repack the suitcase I gutted. 

Dad and Nana, thank you for the letters! And Sister McKee!! 

We just got our travel plans! Leaving morning of the 29th for Paris, layover in Atlanta, and... guess who the travel leader is? It's gonna be a good time. All 8 of us are going to the same mission so we should hopefully survive, 4 elders and 4 sisters total. 

We're doing an English Fast tomorrow! Pas de anglais! Exclusivement français pour 24h. Bon courage, tout le monde. 

I love you all, be safe, and reminder that I can read emails any day here even if I can't respond so don't feel bad about sending me a scripture or Bucky picture or a missionary meme. Really. I won't be shaken up about it at all. Dear Elder is also great, as long as it doesn't get long and reformat weirdly. 

Love you all! Be safe! Say your prayers! 

Never thought I'd miss spinach.

(rainy day)

Well, we've gotten really good at getting to bed at 10h32, so I know what I'm working on this week. 

In my personal scripture study I've been enjoying the doctrine and covenants sections on temples and temple work lately. I want to learn more about what were doing there and why we have them, and I feel like it made a difference today when we went to the temple. I want to try and do baptisms for the dead again before we leave for France. 

Preach my gospel study has been extending commitments. We're not just extending commitments, we're asking them if they want blessings, and when we remember that we're helping them find happiness they can see our joy and excitement about it. It helps me remember the purpose behind my commitments, too. Will I read scriptures and study preach my gospel diligently? Well, do I want blessings and greater UNDERSTANDING? I don't know why google insists on capitalizing that, but I'm going to take that as encouragement, and say YES, I do want that, so I better keep my commitment to study.

We've been working hard on ettiquite,  even at mealtimes and learning minor grammar differences that can make a very important difference. We've switched to using all the formal phrases and not the casual ones I'm used to, which has been tricky, but it's starting to stick. I don't want my table manners to negatively affect the French perception of missionaries. It may be minor, but id rather get in the habit now.

I loved the stories told by Kenneth Cope in the devotional. The image he helped us see of a loving and affectionate father in heaven was an answer to a prayer I'd had for help loving and understanding the sisters in my district. I'd been fasting that day for help knowing how to serve them and get closer to my companion and our investigators, when naturally I'm a little more inclined to be prickly, and that's when we got that devotional. I felt a difference when we taught the next day, and I'm even more grateful for the sisters in my district who are constantly so supportive of each other. We've had the blessing of being able to host for New missionaries two weeks straight and I wouldn't mind a third. (hosting is when they get to welcome and help the new missionaries who are coming to the MTC.)

This week we learned some inappropriate French phrases in the hopes that we won't use them. The difference between vulgarity and discussing the weather is one verb conjugation. Duolingo says I'm 63% fluent, my grasp of passé présent says otherwise. 

Also, I remember a lot more Spanish than I thought,  and the gift of tongues is real. We were the happy candidates for a few Spanish speaking elders to bear their testimonies to, and I was able to understand all of it. Still can't pronounce it, but I can understand most of what I hear in Spanish here. Keep getting asked if I can speak German yet... I'll plan on that after the mission. 

This week we had elder David A. Bednar surprise us for Tuesday devotional with a lesson on Apostalic Interignum and succession of prophets in our church. It was awesome, and exactly what we all needed to hear. I already knew how it worked but getting to enjoy the peace and order of it and hearing from an apostle again was awesome. 

We also got to watch President Monson's funeral and my favorite quote was "How would you like to paint a bright spot on your soul today?". It was great how peaceful it was, though. I'm grateful to know what we know about peace and the Plan du Salut parce que je sais que le mort n'est pas la fin. 

I love you all, be safe and have fun and write me. Dear Elder is formatting long letters reaaaally weird but I if they're under a page they work and I love THEM! And, as always, more pet photos are requested. Also photo evidence of the chickens. 

And tell Andrew to be nice to my books.

I love you all!

Tasty Cinnamon Moon Sand and Missionary Lessons

Mom note:

P-Day (preparation day) is once a week and you get an hour at the most for emails so, I think it's pretty funny when the majority of pictures are laundry room selfies, haha, their email hour is typically spent in the laundry room while their clothes are running. :)

First off, I'd like to say that the new protein bars are AWESOME, so thank you mom, and also everyone else thinks the cinnamon roll one tastes like moon sand, which isn't wrong, but I still enjoy them and I don't have to share. Soeur Johnson says they're a lesson on sin. Looks good, smells good, tastes good for a second but then you get this weird taste that covers everything and just wont leave until youre filled with regret, looking to change, repenting, and going back to pure water. Soeur Todd is voicing her agreement as I write this, and questioning my sanity.

 And the truffle popcorn was amazing and gave us a good half hour of comedy as everyone else tried to wash the taste out of their mouths while Soeur Marchant and I enjoyed it. So, thank you, and back to the main point of the email.

This last week in scripture study I've been learning from Nephi. He was patient and forgiving without sacrificing his morals, and I want to learn to pray like him, too. He doesn't just ask God to give him a boat, or to even show him how to build a boat, his first question is "where do I find the ore for tools?" He heard the Lord's command, was ready and willing to go and do, and he also used his brain and his talents to give his best effort. I also have some admiration for his wife, because if my old neighbor's youngest son showed up after disappearing in the desert for a while and told me to pack a bag because God said I should marry him and my whole family should pack up and leave everything, I'd probably have some questions. She had a lot of faith. 

PMG study this week has been a lot of how to teach, and I've been learning about the Plan of Salvation in French. I'm trying to explain it simply, without the big unexplained vocabulary that our investigators have never heard before. Soeur Larson is teaching us how to get the main concept in French down to 45 seconds so if we're on a train or anything we'll be able to teach. Heavenly Father loves his children, and I have faith he'll help the investigators understand, but I'm still grateful for language plans. 

Handbook study highlight was the "Match His Message" portion we got to practice in San Francisco Airport for an unexpectedly extended period of time. We worked hard to stay looking nice and cheerful, keep our volume down, be kind where we could, and generally be good representatives of Christ and not scare anyone. It was our first time out of the MTC with name badges and it was a little strange. People were determined to not make eye contact with us. We split the group of seven in half where we could, still keeping everyone in sight,  and people talked to us more. We met some beautiful people who were incredibly helpful. There was one man I regret not speaking to more, we let ourselves rush to the airport instead of staying to speak with him. I should have listened. We told the elders to look for him, and we'll tell the sisters going next week the same thing. He helped us when we got lost, recognized us as sister missionaries, and gave us better directions to the Consulate.

(train to Consulate)

(Closest to the Golden Gate Bridge we could get...the sign)

(Delayed Flight Pic)

It was a reaaaally bad day in language classes. Like, holy dang. We're learning,  a ton, but conjugating etre is still a bad time for everyone. And, We had the surprise trip to San Fran, weird p-day schedule, it was a mess. A good mess, like cake batter or something, but a mess. We were trying to rush through our laundry and emails and Sister Todd looked down so I went to buy her an ice cream. I was frustrated too but was trying to eat a salad, and praying for some way to chill out and get back to focusing, so... the vending machine dropped a second ice cream. I decided that was a sign and the whole day went better from there. 

San Francisco had a crazy long layover and no real food but they did have all natural cardamom ice cream that made everything good again, and I'd remembered to bring origami paper to annoy the neighboring seats with butterflies (thanks, Liz from England/Park City, Katie from Idaho, Betty from NYC, and Frank-who-realized-he-cussed-in-front-of-sister-missionaries-then-hid-so-we-never-got-his-real-name, for accepting them as I made them.) 

I guess the morals of this story are, don't overlook the small blessings the Lord offers, and also I can get through anything with prayer and ice cream.

(morning after the LONG SanFran day which was up at 3:30 am, flew to SanFran for Consulate, back to the airport for waiting but then flight was delayed 5 hours, got back to MTC around 2AM)

Tell whoever in the bishopric sent me the origami dragons that they made my DAY and everyone else's too. I've been making cranes and butterflies for people and to memorize scriptures. I can teach the missionary purpose with a butterfly. I need more patterns because the cranes are taking over. (Funny mom story inserted, She hasn't gotten it yet but, I JUST sent her a small envelope yesterday that on apparent inspiration had an origami pattern for scriptures and a missionary dress. I'll have to let her know they were sent BEFORE I received her letter.) So, back to the start of that paragraph, the dragons were amazing and made everyone laugh.

I love the letters from the holidays, and a special shout out to Capri Anderson who drew a Christmas picture that is hanging up for the holidays in the residence. And Ana's drawings on the boxes and Alden's emails are also a big hit. Give them hugs for me? 

One for a few people here: lesson we learned was just like on a plane, put your own oxygen mask on first. You're not helping anyone if you can't function, and Christlike looking outside yourself is different from burning yourself out. 

(workout/pday shirt mom found and sent for "Gracie" as Grandpa says)

District 17 is all gone now except sister Maiava and I miss them! Tell the South Salt Lake and Lehi mission family and friends to keep an eye out for the elders going by them, and Phoenix family to look out for Sister Guzman.

I'm almost out of time to email but I love you all and I'm still alive out here. Temple this morning was great and rowing machines are still the worst. I love the emails and letters! 

-Soeur Amott