#5 - Learning Tahitian

Family!

Yesterday was day one of Tahitian!  I am so excited to learn it and also quite overwhelmed.  When our teacher walked in and started speaking Tahitian yesterday, my heart started beating a little fast.  Day One.  Again.  And for a few hours I felt a bit stressed, but here’s the good news: A) It is SO beautiful.  It is unlike any language you’ve heard of.  Tahitian describes things in a totally different way.  We learned how to pray yesterday, and a prayer in Tahitian is the way a prayer should sound.  I’m so excited to learn this beautiful language.  B) I’ve been praying for some faith with this whole two-language thing, and this is what I’ve learned, “The Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save He shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which He hath commanded them.”  And I’ve been asked to learn two languages.  So I’ll just do it.  And it’ll work out fine.  I would like to give you all your Tahitian names!  I’ll write out your names how a Tahitian would say them if she just read them out loud: Luke = Rootay, Amelia = Ahmayreeah, Jill = Reer (hmm, that one doesn’t translate too great), and Roger = Rotayr, maybe just Rotay.  L’s = rs, B = p, and whole bunch of stuff turns into t’s . . . it is crazy!  And wonderful. Keep praying for me.

 

I love my companions to death.  We have truly become good friends, and I am so thankful I got both of them.  I had a funny moment with Soeur Green the other day – she was humming a Faith Hill song, so I chimed in singing.  Turns out I’ve been singing that song wrong my whole life.  Cuz I was definitely not even close to the right words.  When I realized how dumb I looked, I felt so embarrassed, and I grabbed her in a hug and buried my face in shame, then we realized how funny the whole situation was, and we just stood in the hall and laughed and laughed.  Did I tell you that Soeur Green is six feet tall?  Some people call her Sister Barbie.  She is beautiful, and tall, and thin, but one of those cool people who’s beautiful and extremely smart and kind, too.  And I love Soeur Barker so much.  One night this week I said something snappy to her, and when I got in bed, I just couldn’t sleep.  So I croaked out, “Soeur?  I’m sorry I was mean.”  And we all laughed, but truly it felt good to say sorry, and I’m so lucky to have a companionship where we learn together and forgive each other when we mess up.

 

The French elders (“The Frenchies”) are a hoot.  It’s been fun having real-deal French-speakers with us.  Can you imagine what our little classroom sounds like?  Some people learning French, some learning English, all learning Tahitian – it’s insane in an inspiring kind of way.  They are nice boys, and quite funny.  Today I got to endure twenty minutes of teasing in French because my breakfast concoction of cottage cheese, yogurt, and pineapple apparently “looked like baby throw-up.”  But ya know what?  That stuff’s good for ya.  And I like it.

 

I love being called, “Soeur.”  We don’t even pronounce it right, we just say, “Sir.”  And it’s become quite endearing.  “Excuse me, sir!”  Ha ha!  I like being Soeur Mann.

 

We did get to watch the Brigham City Temple dedication, the third session.  I loved hearing from Pres. Packer.  What a genuinely good, sweet man.

 

We counted the steps up to our classroom: 96.  Three words: Calves. Of. Steel.

 

Here is the main thing I want to tell you, and I am not even sure how to say it.  I want you to know that I am so happy.  The more I study the gospel, the more I realize that truly, men are that they might have joy.  I’ve had many beautiful moments where things about the gospel have clicked for me, and it is like a light goes on.  Here’s what I’ve been thinking about:  All you really are is a chooser.  The only thing that makes you real and gives meaning to you is your ability to choose.  And the only reason we’re here is so we can become.  We’re supposed to become something great.  Here we are on this earth, by our own choice, and we get to make something great of ourselves if we choose to.  The thing that’s really beautiful is that you get to do this with Jesus Christ, the Creator of this world. God’s sole purpose is “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man”.  Think about that.  Here we are with this big task in front of us, but we have God, the Ruler of the earth, on our side and His only interest is our success.  If you come to Christ, you honestly can become the person you want to become.  He will clean you from your flaws, He will heal you from your sorrows, He will inspire you, encourage you, and control the elements around you in a way that will best develop you.  I’ve been thinking so much about the phrase, “All things testify of Christ”, and I really believe it.  The autumn weather is one example – it is getting cold, and we know that everything is going to die.  But we know that in the spring, all the dead things will miraculously come to life and live again, just like the Savior.  The more you look around, the more you see Him, and my testimony is that a testimony of Christ is a testimony of “you can do it”!  We have a  Savior!   He really did conquer sin, He really does live.  And if you start aligning your path with His, He will do every possible thing to help you.  The only thing you need to do is choose.

 

I love this gospel with all my heart.  I’m so grateful to know what I know.  I’m thankful for the chance to express my gratitude to Heavenly Father by sharing it with the people in Tahiti.  Life is so good.  All my love, Soeur Mann

 

P.S.  Thank you, thank you for writing me!  It might take me awhile to respond because my time is limited, but to anyone who has written me – thank you.  I love you!

#4 - Strawberries in the Salads

My family!  My family, I love you!

How is everybody? I am sending you lots of hugs, too!  I love that Berns is a true band man!  Tell him that I love him so much!  Today has been really great- running outside under the stars at 6:00 AM because we don’t have gym on P-days, so we went as a companionship- I loved it!  I am having no problem waking up on time, which is a miracle!  Then we went to the Temple, and that gets more interesting and meaningful every time.  And then we sat outside and wrote letters.  I wrote you one!  Tonight is a devotional we have a general authority every week.  Every week people think it's going to be Pres. Monson.  :) Tahitian will start next week, and we will have the same teachers.  It really is SO crazy!  I don't feel stressed, because I know it will work out, but it is a tiny bit overwhelming.  I still love the French, though!  And having my new companion has been a huge blessing!  It was so hard before, because we had hours a day to study French, and we haven't gotten our French grammar books yet.  So it was the blind leading the blind.  But now we have Seour Green, and I love her! We are getting along great! 

Yes, my teachers served in Tahiti!  It's very nice, because they can tell us about the actual place.  And I love that I constantly have a goal.  I really have strengthened my relationship with Heavenly Father because I depend on Him a lot, and I have a goal that matters to Him.  It has been wonderful.  And I love when they put strawberries in the salads.  I love you all SO much!

Love,

Seour Mann

#3 - Goodness Around Me

Bonjour!!

Thank you all for your letters! I was so happy to hear about the Tony Grove hike.  Never think that you shouldn't tell me stuff like that because it might make me homesick or something.  I am doing the exact thing I want to do, and I am so happy, and I just love hearing what you are all doing.  I know I'll do the hike again in 2 summers, so it's fine.  I love hearing all the details.

I realized I haven't really explained what I'm doing over here, like what the schedule is.  Here's my schedule: Study, eat, study, eat, study, eat, study, sleep.  Repeat for 3 months.  Ha ha :)  Uh, but really. I was so surprised when I got here to find out that there is SO much study time without a teacher.  It's kind of a weird feeling here, cuz it's kind of like you're super-over-supervised, and yet you have no supervision.  Like there are many hours in the day where you are just responsible for studying with your companion, both gospel and language, and no one helps you.  I imagined we'd have more teachers, but it's good.  It's helping me learn many things.  So many things that I don't even have time to explain them.  But sometimes we do have teachers, and I love that part because it's very effective and we learn quicker.  I have two teachers- Frere Lindsey, and a sort-of new one, Frere Coulson.  The big joke at this place is this: Your third day here, they have you start teaching an "investigator" in your mission language.  Then a week and a half later, you find out that your investigator is actually your second teacher.  Anyhoo, these days both teachers spend time teaching us throughout the day.  And now both are playing the role of investigator, so Soeur Barker and I have two "investigators"- "Tom" and "Jake."  At first I thought this was very cheesy and weird.  But now I can see that it's a brilliant idea.  The main goal of missions is to teach lessons and bring investigators to Christ, and we have to practice that.  It's not like there are actually a ton of French speakers wandering around wanting to take lessons from people who speak at a kidnergarten level, so we have to role-play.  So yes, that is what I do.  I teach my two investigators and study.  And I like it!

We had a crazy change today!  We gained 4 members in our district- 3 French elders, and Soeur Green, whom I met on the San Fran trip!  All four of them speak French (including Soeur Green, who is from Utah, but is studying French in college), so they have been working with the international missionaries, learning English.  Soeur Green was helping them.  It's so great to have 4 French-speakers with us!  Hopefully they can help us improve our language skills! And with the extra sister, I am now in a trio companionship.  It'll be another new challenge to figure out the trio thing, but I'm really glad to have her.  She is very obedient and driven, and that's exactly what I want in a companion. 

Some weekly random thoughts:

- Yesterday they had pumpkin soup in the cafeteria.  I was completely delighted.  I was eating in a noisy cafeteria with flourescent lighting and too many boys sweating in their suits, and I still felt cozy, autumn-y.  I love pumpkin food.

- Every night I do something nice.  When the lights turn out, I look around me and think about how I can't see anything in the pitch black.  It's just total darkness.  Then I lay there on my top bunk and think about stuff for awhile.  I know missionaries are supposed to fall asleep instantly, but I'm not to that point yet.  So I sit there and think about whatever I want, and I love that part of the day.  But the best part is that after awhile with my eyes closed, I open them back up and look around.  And I. Can. See.  I remember learning about night-vision and how your eyes adapt to the dark in my psychophysics class, and suddenly the miracle of it has hit me.  I do this little ritual every night, and every night it amazes me that our eyes can actually adapt to the dark.

- We watch these videos sometimes that I want you all to look up.  You would all love them, and I think Dad especially would.  They're not from the church, they're on the New York Times website.  I don't even know how they access them or anything, but I've looked at the top banner when they load the videos, and it says "One in a Million" on the New York Times site.  They are these beautiful little five minute videos about peoples' lives.  Just a glimpse into their lives.  They are so well-done.  We watch them and then plan lessons accorrding to what we think the person in the video would need.  I love it.  So try looking it up, becuase you will probably love it, too.

- We begin Tahitian next week, I think.  Maybe the week after.  It's so insane.  It really is so funny.  Everyone pray for me.  I'm not actually scared becuase I know it will all work out.  But it is a little daunting to think that after all this work in French and though we still barely speak it, we are about to try and learn another entirely different language.  I'm excited for it. :)

I am very happy!  The more time I am here, the more I love it, and the more focus I gain in my purpose as a missionary.  I can't begin to explain the things I've already learned.  The biggest thing I'm learning about is the Atonement, which I can now only think of as the French word, "L'Expiation."  It's everything.  This past week I had a cool moment while I was reflecting on my day, and the scripture Phillipians 6:13 (I hope that's the right reference) came to my mind- "I can do all things through Him which strengtheneth me."  For me, that is a perfect description of the Atonement.  To access the Atonement and become better through it requires action- I can do all things.  You've got to get up and do it.  If something needs to be done, you don't pray that it will be done, you do it.  But the point is that you do it through Him.  And the more I come to know Christ, the more I understand that this is real.  That's not a nice idea.  Christ really lives, and our relationship, our at-one-ment with Him, is the power behind all the things we do. And we really can do all things.  

I love life.  I really love the gospel.  I am so happy to be here doing this earth thing with so much goodness around me.  I'm realizing that all things really do testify of Christ, and the joy we can have here is limitless.  Life is so good.

Much, much, much love, Soeur Mann

P.s. Happy birthday tomorrow, Berns!  I LOVE YOU!

#2 - Be Kind

Hello, Family!  I love you, I love you, I love you!!

I am writing this from the laundry room in the MTC, because this is the only place with computers you can send pictures on- so hopefully it works!  It better work, because this place (the laundry room) is basically like Satan's house.  It is hot.  People are angry.  There are not enough washers.  Not every place in the MTC is a bunch a roses.
So I wrote down some things I wanted to tell you about this week!  Here goes the list, we'll see if we can get it all down!
- Every single door here has to be opened with these little card keys, and you can buy these little holder things to clip on your clothes.  They are all the rage.  Our elders call them "batman utility belts."  So we all just walk around being superheroes!
- I kept up a family tradition this past week and got sick at the MTC.  Sweet lil' Elder Gervasi got some nasty cold/flu thing, so we all got it.  It was not fun.  But I'm feeling better, and I was glad to carry on our treasured family tradition.
- Soeur Barker and I actually had the weird opportunity to escape the MTC last Thursday!  Her foot was bothering her, so we took a shuttle to the podiatrist a mile away.  I'd only been here a week, and it was already weird to leave campus.  They had music going in the doctor's office, and that was super weird.  There is no music here, only the hymns you sing.  So a little Michael Buble was strange and also very wonderful.  Maybe that's bad to say, but it really was nice.  And Soeur Barker just needs to buy better shoes, so no worries.
- We are teaching two "investigators" right now.  The big surprise of the MTC is that you start teaching an investigator your first week, and then the second week you find out he's actually your second teachers.  They're all a bunch of sneaky moms over here.  So I have two great teachers now!  I really am so, so grateful for both of them- they're very patient and kind.  Teaching is extremely hard, seeing's how it's in French, but it's great.  
- Gym time is the greatest thing in the world.  In my previous non-missionary life, I would never want to just up and go running in the middle of the day because you get all sweaty and nasty.  Here, I don't even care.  Take another shower.  Doesn't matter.  It really is super important to use gym time so you can burn off some of the stress and energy.  I've mostly just been running laps around the track every day, and it's very nice.  I got to run with Sister Thompson, my roommate from Freshman year the other day, and that was SO great!  A little reminder that this is still real life.  

- I had a huge realization this week.  We were talking about baptism, and one elder made the comment that getting in the water is not the important thing.  The reason the ordinance of baptism is important is that it's a commitment.  The water and clothes and whatnot- those are beautiful symbols of what we're doing.  They're important because they remind us of things and make it formal and authorized, but the point is the promise.  It changed the way I few my purpose as a missionary.  Baptisms do matter, because baptisms are covenants, people coming closer to Christ.
- Can someone please let me know what the nutrition facts are on cottage cheese?  I'm eating a lot of it these days, and I'd like to know what it's doing to me.
- The other day in mission conference, one of the mission presidency members got the hiccups in his talk.  He was embarrassed, but I thought it was kind of nice.  Even people as wise and respected as MTC presidency members get the hiccups.  And it's okay.
- Preach My Gospel is THE BEST!  My testimony is growing so much from reading it and looking up the scripture references.  It is such beautiful writing.  It really is inspired- the way things are worded are so concise and understandable, but they leave room for pondering and learning.  And when you look up scriptures in the BOM and Bible, it really testifies that the doctrines of the gospel are true and eternal.  I am learning to love scripture study.

- Here is an important thing I've learned here, something I hope I remember the rest of my life- never, ever judge missionaries who come home early.  This is not for the faint of heart.  Absolutely every priesthood holder should make every effort to go on a mission, but if you run into someone who's come home early, you know what you should do?  Be kind.  Just be kind and loving, and don't spend another minute worrying about why they came home.  I can now see that there might be very valid reasons, and it would be harder to come home than to leave, so let's all be kind.
- I am beginning to learn what it means to rely on the Lord.  This past week I was kind of a freak, stressing out about everything.  Really, really stressing out.  And I prayed for help, and then I got an overwhelming answer from many different sources:  Calm. Down. Calm down and stop thinking you have to do everything on your own.  You can't do anything on your own, so enjoy and rely on that at-one-ment you have with a loving, all-powerful Savior.
- Pictures: Temple walk on Sunday, outside "The Map," inside our classroom/home, and some companion lovin'! 
-I love being a missionary!  Life is beautiful, love you a lot!