Heyhey it's Soeur Carter!
Weeks passed: 6. Weeks left: 5. Woah. I'm implementing the philosophy of stoicism and I acknowledge all humor and tragedy with a simple nod. :)
How am I doing? Well, I absolutely love praying, it's my new favorite. Thank you for any and all prayers, they're helping me keep it together. :) Tahitian is cool but it's humbling me even more than French. I know approximately 50 words and there are 2000 words total in the language so I aim to memorize 500 more in the upcoming 5 weeks at the MTC.
I can pray, bear my testimony, ask like 3 basic questions, introduce myself, say the full name of the church, and sometimes I can count. We taught our first Tahitian lesson yesterday and it's so difficult to understand that I actually had a mini giggle fit IN THE LESSON. Oh my goodness, not good. We placed a Book of Mormon though, so our investigator has something to answer his questions while we continue learning the language. So far, there have been a few tiny similarities to Arabic, which was unexpected!
The MTC continues to receive missionaries, I've been AMAZED by how many people I see around here that I actually know! (S Jarvis is here!) Our teachers love us, we're playing a language game called "Vrai Francais" to reward the people who speak the most French (and Tahitian), we have been studying outside in the SUNSHINE and I immediately got a sunburn (so worth it), and we went to the temple today for Preparation Day.
There was an actual, real-life Tahitian here and he just left today, but he's the tall/tan one in the picture I'm sending you! Also, I've been keeping a pretty darn good journal where I write "I'm grateful for..." at the top. Also, the MTC is probably the best-dressed I've ever been in my whole life, thanks again Mom for helping me get together a bunch of clothes!!
Spiritual things: we saw the film "Character of Christ" by Elder David A. Bednar and he invited us to study the "Character of Christ" by searching the Book of Mormon and finding evidence for places where 'when others turned inward, He turned outward.' No way in heck I have time to implement another study topic right now, but I plan on doing this in the field!
Gym time is now study time (flashcards while I run on the ellyptical), I just can't afford to not be thinking about the languages all the time. Ok, nerd moment: it is so fun to translate our prayers from Tahitian directly into French, we do it during companionship prayers and it's our new favorite thing! For all you people out there wondering, NO I haven't been dreaming in my languages but sometimes I say things in French before I say them in English. Our book club for Jesus the Christ is sooo great, we're a pretty brainy bunch of kiddos.
I can't say this enough, but I totally lucked out with my district and the other Tahitian district. We are all seriously so dynamic and different enough that we all have something to add to the conversation. So glad, because we're together for so long that it would otherwise be grating!
Soeur J is so talented on the piano and she's helping accompany an Elder for the song "Oh, That I Were an Angel" which is a pretty song and coincidentally is the song that is on my missionary plaque! Soeur F is hillarious and takes the coolest notes, I'm kind of obsessed. She does all of these little sketches in the margins and whatnot and it's so artistic and visually-charming. I aspire to take notes like Soeur F and play the piano like Soeur J.
So much love in this club.
I hope all of you are doing well and please write if you haven't already, letters are so incredibly fun. :)
love, Soeur Carter
MTC Mailbox #184
2005 N. 900 E.
Provo, UT 84604
