Bonjour from the Home MTC!

Hello! Bonjour! 

On Wednesday, I started the MTC live from my basement. Other than a power outage on Friday which moved me to the basement of a store in good old K-town, the online MTC has been running smoothly. 
My companions, Soeur Staker and Soeur Livu, are AMAZING!!! Soeur Staker, from Alpine, has the most beautiful long curly blonde hair. It is seriously GORGEOUS. She is so kind and loving and has the sweetest testimony. She is an amazing listener!
Soeur Livu is adorable, with the biggest, most radiant smile and the cutest laugh. She is very kind and diligent and is from a small island in Vanuatu.

Now, my dear friends, you may be thinking:
"Hmmm.... Vanuatu. Isn't that another country? Another country that is very far away from Kaysville?"

Congratulations! You thought correctly! Vanuatu is east of Australia, between Papua New Guinea and New Zealand. There is a SEVENTEEN HOUR TIME DIFFERENCE between Soeur Staker and I and Soeur Livu. (Right now as I write this at 10:45 am Saturday morning, it is 3:45 am Sunday morning in Vanuatu.)
On Thursday at 8 a.m. Utah time, we had a workshop on zoom with all the new missionaries in the MTC. The instructors asked people to write in the chat what time it was for them. 
7 a.m.  
9 a.m. 
10 a.m.

All of a sudden, 1:01 a.m. appeared in the chat! It was none other than the beautiful Soeur Livu, who woke up at MIDNIGHT in order to study and prepare for the workshop.
Did I already say that her diligence amazes me? I know for a fact that I would be asleep at that point, snoring and drooling away, but not Soeur Livu. 
W
The time differences made scheduling companion studies daunting at first, but I prayed that we would be able to find a time within our small window of shared awake-time to study. And we did! As a trio, we study from 10-10:20 pm. I was worried that I would be so exhausted that I wouldn't be able to contribute, but I am energized by the testimonies and light of my companions. We have amazing study sessions, and then I jump right into bed.

Speaking of wild time differences, the time zones for our district are wild. Our classes go from 1:30 pm to 8:30 pm. In other words, our classes go from 6:30 am Vanuatu time to 10:30 pm Virginia time for the wonderful Soeur Sudweeks. 
Our district, the scheduling NIGHTMARE!

But I love my district.
Our district is all girls and we are all going to the same mission. Isn't that wild? I love it. We will be together for the long 9-week haul of stumbling through French and Tahitian and I couldn't be more excited. They are kind, loving, compassionate, and understanding. I have had many questions answered in the last 3 days as I have learned from the incredible knowledge of these amazing sisters. Something that I felt this week was the impression that when I speak, I KNOW it is all true. When I speak and share my testimony, I have no doubts or hesitations. I cannot stay silent! Doubt not, fear not, and know that you are encircled about ETERNALLY in the arms of God's incredible and individual and perfect love. 

I am trying to figure out WHAT to play on my violin. I know that I should play hymns, and I do, but I just miss Tchaikovsky and Dvorak and maybe even Bach? Just kidding I don't miss Bach. Send me links to fancy free sheet music! Maybe I will send you a video back! I have always felt incrediblY enlightened and uplifted when playing the music of the Romantic composers! Someone listen to the Dvorak American Quartet for me because I used to listen to it multiple times a week and I MISS IT. 

And now, a brief moment to show appreciation for poppies and May flowers.
Our front yard is absolutely gorgeous during April and May. We have these big bushes of purple soapwart that grow over the cement walls and poppies run wild. 

Don't these flowers just make you feel happy? They are full of sunshine and smiles and bring me so much joy. When the poppies are still in bloom, I must go outside to thank them for their sunshiney loveliness. 

That is all! Maybe I will have more pictures next time? Who knows! (could be......) Send me your pictures. Right now what I really want is for someone to watch lots of Yoga with Adriene videos then write down her routines. 

LOVE YOU ALL! God loves all of you! Jesus loves you! I love you! The poppies love you!
Have a wonderful week!
Love,
The number 1 poppy fan.







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