Bonjour!
Hey everyone! It's good to finally be able to write back to you! Thanks for the letters so far mom! And the cookies, and Tyler's specially made box. It's always exciting to get stuff. :)
I hope you guys got my other letter. They wanted everyone in the MTC (new missionaries, that is) to write back home to their parents within a day or so of getting here, just to help with the feelings and stuff.
It's hard to really know what to say know that I'm writing. So much goes on here every day, it's hard to summarize it all into one email. My usual day goes like this:
6:00-Arise and prepare
6:30-Breakfast
7:00-Language class with Soeur Coleman
10:00-Personal Study
11:00-Lunch
11:45-So far it's been some sort of orientation or separate class or gym time until dinner
4:00-Dinner (4 is still super early, but I'm getting used to it)
4:45-Language class for 3 hours (which includes companionship study, teaching our investigator Luc, and just general language learning)
7:45-Language Study (just time to personally study the language how you want)
9:00-Daily planning
9:30-Back to the room for personal time
10:15-Quiet time
10:30-Lights out
It's a pretty constant flow of learning, being busy, eating, and the Spirit here. It's hard, for sure, but so much fun and so rewarding. After being here for only two days, me and my companion, Elder Hendershot, taught a lesson on prayer entirely in French! It was pretty impressive. We taught another lesson, on the First Vision, the very next day and both of us said that we noticed a difference. I've been praying almost completely in French since Friday also.
Language stuff aside, the Spirit is so present here. I don't even really know how to explain it. It's just a constant feeling of a closeness with God and Jesus Christ. Praying all the time, reading the scriptures, and being surrounded by thousands of other missionaries make it hard to NOT feel the Spirit. It's just amazing. I miss you guys so much, but I don't really think it's set in yet. I'm just happy to be here and working hard. Elder Hendershot is too, and he makes a great companion. He's our district leader, and I'm the senior companion, which is kind of good in that it helps avoid power struggles, I guess. We get along really well, although he's a bit distracted at times. He has a strong testimony and a strong desire to serve and I'm actually a little disappionted that I'm not going to get to be his companion out in the field (he's going to Lyon). The food is tasty, but rough on the bowels (you can edit that out if you want), but what can you do?
Last night, after the devotional, we attended a film (just a video of a general authority speaking), and the one we went to was the Character of Christ, by Elder Bednar. I don't know if you guys would be able to find it (he gave it here at the MTC, so it's probably pretty hard to find online), but if you can, you should definitely watch it. For one, seeing a general authority impersonate the cookie monster is pretty great, but the spirit with which he testifies is even greater. It makes you really appreciate how truly amazing Christ was and is, and how much he did and does for us.
I'm going to be heading to San Fransisco on Wednesday at 2:30 AM, if you wanted to be able to keep track of me. :) I'll be back by dinner that night.
Anyway, I have so many more things to say, but not enough time to say it in. I love you guys so much! I'll talk to you again soon.
Elder Bigler
Elder Bigler with his MTC Companion, Elder Hendershot
No comments:
Post a Comment