(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!
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