Everyone says after week 3, the MTC time just flies by. And I can feel it starting to happen already. It seems like just a couple days ago I was emailing! Also speaking of which, everyone should use DearElder to talk to me!!! I actually don't know the real website but it's something like that and it's basically like sending me an email but they print it out and I get it the day you send it and I don't have to wait until Tuesdays to read them. Then I can reply with snail mail sooner. It's the best!! So yes, I would LOVE if you all wanted to partake in this great opportunity to tell me about your life through DearElder because receiving mail in the MTC IS SERIOUSLY THE BEST. Everyone always said it but now I fully understand.
YAYAYAYAY 4.0!!!! Thank you dad for diligently checking. Julianna and other siblings: I can testify that the the minute you decide your grades don't matter that much, you will succeed and get straight A's. Kind of like those who lose their lives in the work will find it, those who spend time searching for their life will never find it. Haha. Congratulations Juna on getting a great grade in chemistry!! It's a hard class and now you don't have to take it again.
Sister Christensen and I have just been made Sister Training Leaders for our zone/branch. We're not entirely sure what our responsibilities are haha but it's a good opportunity to lead and serve the Lord some more. Basically we just take care of the sisters in our zone andtomorrow we will be with the zone leaders in welcoming three new French speaking missionaries to our branch. Also, we get a cell phone, which is programmed to only call the front desk, so it's about exciting as going to the mall and not having a penny to spend.
Last Sunday we had a really good devotional with the Director of all the MTC Media. He showed us a bunch of the things the church is doing right now with technology to make things easier for missionaries AND church members to spread the Gospel. It was way cool! It's definitely an exciting time to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, especially a missionary. Tonight we have another devotional with a general authority and I'm excited to see who it will be.
One of the highlights of the week: I got new pens!!! I know, it sounds pathetic. Never have I been more excited to buy pens but I was pretty happy about it and they're all different colors and it's just great. I was really needing some. Also I have officially recited the First Vision twice perfectly in French in a lesson with an investigator. Yay! The language is coming along. There are still a LOT of things I have to learn but we've set goals as a district to speak only in French in class time and each week we increase the times we speak it. The last two weeks we're here we should be speaking only in French. It will be a lot harder than we think, probably, but I know we can do it. Speaking of which, we leave four weeks from yesterday for Lyon! So excited. Also scared.
Interesting fact about the MTC that my companion and I learned at our training meeting: Missionaries are not allowed to give members of the opposite sex high-fives or fist bumps. ONLY handshakes. Also apparently rubber rain boots are not allowed. So that's interesting but exact obedience is important so we have been trying to uphold that in our district/zone.
Another Interesting fact: Someone gave me a kiss at the MTC. You can calm down, mom, it was chocolate. This little missionary also going to Lyon but in a different zone (he's in a district of many short missionaries--they're like 5'2" so we call their classroom the Shire cause they're all hobbits) came up behind me in the cafeteria and when I turned around he said, "Sister Hurd, I have a really strong feeling right now that I should give you a kiss." And I was like aahhhhhhhh back up!!! So I had this terrified look on my face and started backing away cause he started leaning in and I was like NOOOO and then he stopped and held up a little chocolate kiss. And I just busted up laughing and that was that haha so yeah, that happened whether it was allowed or not.
Today we got to go to the temple and do a session!! It was sooo nice to go and feel peaceful and not have to worry about the next lesson we're planning or anything like that. Also every time we go outside the gates into the real world it's the best thing ever. Now that school started back up in Provo I'm always looking around for anyone I know that happens to walk by!! So pathetic!! But that is life in the MTC.
I will be sending another letter home by snail mail in the next few days so look forward to that! I forgot to email some things about Christmas the last couple weeks so I'll just send them in a letter. Thank you for the letters you have sent to me thus far!! They REALLY brighten up my day when I get them. Also mom, I didn't miss the "n'est-pas?" scribbled out at the bottom of the page in your last letter haha. Good work! Dad, you should write a letter to me in French to help me practice!
Little Hurds: this is me following up with you about the invitation I extended to you in my last email! Have you set goals for the new year? How have they been going so far? Have you rededicated yourself to reading your scriptures and praying to your Father to strengthen your relationship with him? I'd love to hear about it :) I'm embarrassed to say that in my first letter I totally said the wrong thing in French--rather than "Send me letters" I said "See me letters" so that doesn't work. Duh. But here I am repenting of it. "M'envoyez des lettres s'il vous plait!"
Je vous aime beaucoup!!
Soeur Melissa Hurd
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