Sœur McKenna Soffe: Week 4-MTC July 16

Bonjour mon famille et mes Amis!!
It's super crazy that I have been here for more than three weeks! I
have officially made it past the Hump Day of the MTC! Here it feels
like the days are long, the weeks fly, but overall I feel like I have
been here for forever. It really is great though I realize how much I
am learning! We had a really great weekend, Sunday's are the absolute
best in the MTC, it's kind of a spiritual overload... But in a really
good way:) Me and ma collegue taught our district lesson after
sacrament, and it was about recognizing the spirit and its promptings.
I seriously love my district we have defiantly all become like family
and have the best discussions! It's awesome how much we all help each
other, and ha we laugh ALL of the time! So four of the elders are
going to my mission (Thornlow, Mason, Graff, and Tuescher) and the
other two are going with my three soeurs to Paris (Marrion, and
Eyring) I seriously love them like my brothers. And whenever I think
it'll be hard for me, I just think about Elder Thornlow who is
allergic to Gluten and Dairy... I seriously cry a little when I think
about his poor soul! Because I think we all know how excited I am for
the French Bread, seriously I am so excited to get to France!
This week has been pretty standard Lots of learning lots of
teaching! We have had some really great lessons. We had a really good
lesson with Pamela (our teacher acting as an ami de l'eglise) we had
planned to teach her about baptism and repentance and commit her to be
baptized but when we asked about our follow up commitment we learned
that she didn't understand prayer. So our lesson completely changed
and we taught her how to pray and after some convincing she prayed
during our lesson. The spirit was so strong and helped me so much, I
hardly used notes at all and we were simply able to teach her what she
needed! Le don des langues is real people and I know that if we have
faith in Christ he will provide the rest! We have had other lessons
and TRC's this week, and I have learned that as I focus on people and
the spirit I can understand them and communicate what they need! When
I think about it in retrospect I realize how much I have learned and
how much I have progressed! And I know our lesson could have defiantly
been worse, because when Elder Eyring and Marrion were teaching
Rachelle, they were trying to teach her to pray so one of them prayed
first to show her and she got up and tried to leave the room! Ha we
laughed a lot at that:) On Monday as a district we did an English fast
and only spoke French until dinner at night. It was hard, but we did
it and as we continue to speak French I know we will be able to Parle
Francais! I really feel that I have grown so close to my Frenchies
here, I feel like I have three companions sometimes because me and my
Soeurs are always together, but it is the best because I feel like
they are my sisters! One of the best moments of the week was when the
four of us walked outside and as a group of Elders passed us they said
to each other "You can literally smell the spirit coming of them!"
That's right France you can literally smell the spirit, we are coming
for ya! :)
I have learned a lot of great lessons this week. On Monday me and
ma collegue were chosen to be part of a focus group with one of the
men who oversees missionaries in the field. We were able to be part of
great discussion and I realized that missionary work is so important
because we have the authority to bring the Atonement of Christ into
people's lives! The atonement is so amazing, because as it enables us
to become the divine sons and daughters of God we are meant to be, it
literally heals us and makes us pure. I know that the atonement has so
much power and if we let that power into our lives we will change and
feel the love of God!! So your little frenchie's challenge for this
week is to search and ponder about the atonement, and think about how
you can apply it in your lives.
So on Thursday the 14 it was Bastille Day, which is the French
National Holiday! My AMAZING family sent us the funniest package and
you will see in the pictures how us Soeurs celebrate! I don't know if
all of you have heard but actually on the 14 there was an terrorist
attack in Nice, France. I haven't heard much but what I think happened
is there was a parade and a semi came through and a lot of people were
killed or hurt. This is absolutely tragic and it broke my heart;
Please please keep the people of France in your prayers! I want you
all to know that I feel a lot of peace and I am not worried at all
about going because I know I am going exactly where I need to go. I
just want to go help the people of France and teach them that they are
not alone and that they have a loving Heavenly Father. We had a really
great devotional Tuesday night, and one of the quotes I wrote down in
extremely applicable to what is happening.
"We go through trials in this life to come to KNOW God, and it is a privilege."
I loved this quote, because it is so true! Our Heavenly Father is
going to give us all trials so we can grow and ultimately come to know
him. I know that during my hardest moments that is when I really feel
my savior, and just understand a small taste of what he experienced
through the atonement for us! I feel very privileged to be able to
represent him, and I will gladly endure anything; because he truly has
endured all. I know with out a doubt that my Savior lives and loves
each of you so much! Turn to him and he will give you true joy and
rest!
I love you all so much, thank you so much for your support and prayers
I feel them lift me everyday!
J'taime tout ma coeur!
Soeur Soffe
Me and ma Colleague!
This is my favorite spot to study
We finally got to go to the temple this morning! It has been closed for two weeks for cleaning and we were all so excited! I love the temple so much it was exactly what I needed today!