Week 4ish...

Bonjour!

28 Days of being a missionary, and I can't believe how fast it has been flying by! A little recap of the first month, we had two and a half-ish weeks of full online zoom classes and they weren't that bad. I was able to virtually meet and get to know my district and we all instantly clicked with one another. The only part that wasn't too fun about online mtc was the time zone difference. Since I was in Hawaii and everyone else was in Utah I was waking up at 4am while everyone was chilling at 8am. But preparation days at home had to be one of the highlights. Me and my mom were able to go get lunch together, go on hikes that allowed me to check out the surf and even head to Point Panics to see the last little bit of the swell that came right before I left.

Highlights from the mtc so far:

1. Getting to the MTC:

Checking in to the mtc felt like getting dropped off at Cal Maritime. There were a bunch of people there to help you with your stuff and one second you're seeing your family and the next second they're gone and you are off doing things. That has to be one of the best things ever, no time to be sad all the time in the world to be excited for what the future holds. The dorm room isn't that bad and there was even enough space for me to put up some pictures of home and family and also a Hawaiian flag. These things really make life feel normal and not super dormy/work like. Oh funny thing is we have companions and the day after I checked in I was on a red eye flight by myself to Boston Massachusetts to get a visa for Tahiti. THe visa appointment was long and boring especially when the only thing on your phone is an uber app, the scriptures, and duolingo/another language learning app. But all was good and all went well

2. Speaking French and Classes

Speaking French is hard. Coming from only taking Hawaiian in middle and high school the one thing that really sticks out to me is how every word is actually pronounced differently from what I think it is. R's are basically invisible E's are said in so many different ways so I found that you really just have to memorize sentences and different phrases and from there learn how to say words. Our district likes to talk a lot and one of our teachers came up with a rule that if we are talking while she's talking our whole district has to do 10 pushups so we end up doing a lot of pushups during the 3 hour classes. The push ups aren't that bad because she also came up with a rule that if she says "you guys" then she does 10 push ups so I guess we are all getting swole.

3. Working out

It is so nice to have time set aside during the day to workout. There are indoor gyms with a track, volleyball courts, basketball courts, pickleball courts, four square courts as well as different leg, back, chest, cardio, and rowing machines. They even have a field to play ultimate disc, soccer, and a beach volleyball court. All of these things and having an hour a day set aside to workout allows us to stay physically fit and release some stress and built up energy from being in classes. It is nothing like body surfing or surfing but it still feels great and allows me to not feel too sluggish

4. Helping Others

Me and my companion Elder Hill had our first helping others appointment which was basically a meeting with an investigator where we could practice our french. It was a short 15 minute lesson and although my French is very limited right now the spirit was so strong and I was able to understand key points and bear a simple testimony while my companion was able to carry the majority of the lesson on his back with his superb French skills.

5. Devotional with Elder Dieter F. Uctdorf

Elder Dieter F. Uctdorf was the second counselor in the Church presidency and is honestly one of my favorite speakers to listen to. My district has decided that we would join the MTC choir along with about a thousand other missionaries here and it has been the best experience ever. Not only do you get to sing but you also get to hear different stories from the conductor. We sang Hope of Israel for Elder Uctdorf and then he and his wife shared with us a talk and their testimonies. Some key things he shared were to concentrate on doing well over the things you have control over such as your thoughts, actions, and feelings. By being successful with these three things Heavenly Father will magnify your efforts as a missionary.

6. Lock your hearts...

Locking your hearts was the very first thing they told us as we got here. We're not here for ourselves and to find someone to date but we are here to serve a mission. It is pretty funny seeing missionaries not with their companions or a companionship with another companionship on a "date". Whenever our district sees a date going on we always like to take a picture or a selfie and it has started to become a really fun game.

Missionary work is a blast, and although days seem long this week has gone by fast and the amount of knowledge I have has increased unimaginably. I invite you all to read 2 Nephi Chapter 2 Verses 11-30 in the Book of Mormon as it shares and answers a lot of questions and provides hope for us all. Verse 24 reads "But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things." Everything has been created for a reason and everything in our life has happened and will happen for a reason, it is key to keep your end goal in mind and do your best in whatever you are doing and strive to be the best even when people around you are trying to drag you down.