Mission Update #3

Bonjour Mes amies!!!

      Life here at the MTC is great! I heard before I came that the days here go by so slow but the weeks go by so fast. Its very true. We wake up everyday and literally study for a good 14 hours and have the 2 others hours of our day to eat and go to gym. It sounds like its pretty hard but I have actually been really enjoying myself! I have and INCREDIBLE comapanion and such an awesome district.  I leave in a little less than 3 weeks! Crazy right!? Time really has been flying! Even though my French isn't the best right now, I am so excited to get out there and start preaching the gospel to those who do not have it! This work truly is miraculous and is of God.

     This week was very eventful but so much has happened and I have very limited time to write so I won't be able to fit it all in. I guess I will start with some comical stories.  Ok so first, a good friend of mine from work sent me a caramel apple! My 5 others roommates and I (yes there are SIX sisters in a very small room) were so excited to eat it so we had to cut it open that night. All we had was a plastic knife.  So naturally I try to cut it and what do I do? Oh yes cut my hand open. Awesome.  Its not super bad but its a pretty decent size cut right on my left palm.  Everyone got a good laugh out of that one. Another funny story! So for daylight savings everyone loses an hour of sleep.  So the four other roommates we have told Soeur Hafen and I that because of daylight savings that lights out was at 10 pm. Naturally, we believed them haha so we were running around trying to get ready really fast and were all in bed and lights out at 10. We never even thought twice about it BUT they fabricated the whole ordeal! haha we had a good laugh about that. Ok now that I am writing that out its probably really not that funny but humor definitely changes on the mission. Last story.... So we were eating lunch as a district like we normally do and we heard some sisters (4) talk about doing the jello challenge. We watch them walk up and all of them get like 5 bowls of jello and then they sit down and without silverware or hands they just start going at the jello like beastules with their faces.  Literally 10 seconds later...guess who walks in?? Oh yes... The MTC Mission President, President Nally.  He walks over to them and pats one of them on the shoulder and they look up with horror on their faces.  He then says to them, "Now are you Sisters missionaries and representatives of Jesus Christ? Let me go get my wife and lets chat."  Yeah...all I have to say is DONT DO STUPID THINGS! haha I am really glad I was not the one doing the jello challenge.

   This letter isn't as interesting as the others. Sorry. We literally just learn french and the gospel all the time and sometimes everything blends together.  But OH YES!! I forgot to mention how awesome the MTC volleyball is!!! The court that I play on is always the French districts and Tongan districts so it gets way intense but it is seriously sooo fun!  I should run or something but I figured I won't get to play volleyball everyday out in the field like I do here. Seriously I look forward to Jouer Au Volley CHAQUE JOUR! Its the best! :)

    Something in French that I think is really cool...."Investigators" in French is Les amies de L'eglise. That literally translates to Friends of the Church. I just really love that and its a really cool perspective to have when viewing investigators.  My french is coming right along.  Its difficult at times and a bit frustrating when I cant say what I want to but it forces me to humble myself and keep it simple.  Simplicity really is the best way to go and the Spirit always does the rest of the talking when I don't know what to say or even when I don't make sense. Learning a language isn't easy but it has been so humbling and I have really seen God helping me through this.  The gift of tongues is real people. Believe it.

    Last week at devotional Elder Aidukaitis from the seventy spoke to us. It was awesome! He talked about the three degrees of glory and how when we get to the kingdom we end up in, we won't be surprised.  He challenged us to choose now what kingdom we are going to. When you choose what kingdom you want to get to then all other decisions will be easier to make because you know exactly what you need to do to make it to whatever kingdom you choose.  I have chosen the Celestial kingdom and I will work towards that everyday! He also challenged us to right it in our journals in BOLD lettering so that we can remind ourselves what we have chosen.

    The last sunday/day that I will be in the MTC is Easter! Everyone keeps talking about that its going to be a very special day with a very special speaker. I hope its President Monson!!! I will keep you informed! Yeah but that very next Monday our plane leaves at 5 ish at night and we should arrive to Paris at 11 am ish the next day! And get this!! First of all they put us on a one way flight there and also there will be THIRTY missionaries going to Paris that very same day! and another twenty to Lyon that same day! This work is truly going forth and I am so grateful I get to be a part of it! And it literallly is half and half with sisters and elders now.  On sunday for RS there were over 1000 sisters in attendance.  Thats a lot of missionaries. I love it here! I love this work! I love my God! I love you all and pray for you often! Write to me if you can! I love to hear whats happening and I promise I will write back!

Beaucoup D'amour,  Soeur Finneran