July 8th email

Bonjour!!

Yaaay I finally got a normal P-Day!! ;) Haha it feels so nice to take a little break from everything..even if it is just a very short break. I've been so excited to email all week! Seriously one of the hardest things for me is all of these great things happening to me everyday, and it's so impossible to fit it all into one single email a week. BUT I am being very good at writing in my journal every single night before bed, so when I see you all again I'll be able to talk for hours about all my amazing experiences :)
This week has been GREAT!! The first week is just so crazy and busy and overwhelming..but once I got into the swing of things, I just LOVE it so much here.

First off...remember when I told you about my first investigator Nicholas? And how awesome I thought he was? Turns out they totally were tricking me. BUT I knew it the entire time...Haha that's why I said that in my last email. I was pretty sure he was my teacher, because we only had Soeur Echols at the time...but yeah sooo FRERE BLOSIL!!! Oh my goodness I love him. He is THE greatest teacher. Seriously though he totally convinced all the Elders that he was from France. We all knew he obviously wasn't a real investigator but they all totally believed he was from France. But then he walked into our classroom with a teacher badge on. It was the BEST! Haha we spent a while just cracking up over all the stupid things we said in our lessons...
He is such a great teacher. I am so so grateful for him. I realized in my last email I forgot to talk about Soeur Echols..and she is amazing as well. She's so cute and little and loves the French people so much. And she is a great teacher! But yeah...Frere Blosil is my favorite. His French is sooo great. Like, he definitely sounds French. No American accent at all. Which I love so much because I'm so afraid of sounding like a complete American when I get to France...so that was the highlight of my week!! We all have so much fun with him. And he never speaks in English, but talks slow enough in French that I understand everything he says..which totally tricks me because it makes me feel like I can understand. But uh yeah. I'm very far from that. They just talk so fast...but the teachers are great at talking slow to us.

Fast and testimony meeting yesterday was sooo great! I bore my testimony in French!! That probably sounds like a lot more than it actually is...because pretty much the first thing we learn is how to testify. BUT I felt pretty good about it because I said everything I wanted to say..and didn't just follow the outline they give us of how to bear our testimonies. I'm working really hard at the French. It's just still super frustrating that I'm so far ahead of everyone. But I've just been working hard at memorizing lots of scriptures and verbs and phrases and everything. I obviously have so far to go, but I feel really good. I'm not stressed at all. I know that if I work really hard, I will get there!!
I've definitely seen some miracles happening with Soeur Bragg's French...my goodness. She's amazing. I can't believe she didn't know any at all when she got here. She's working really hard and it pays off. Sometimes I feel like she understands better than I do! I'm just so grateful that she is such a hard worker. We push each other to be better and it is definitely paying off. We are seeing miracles everyday. In our last lesson with Nicholas before he was Frere Blosil..we walked out of the room and just started jumping up and down we were so happy about our lesson. We work so well together and it's crazy how Heavenly Father really does help me to know what to say. We are teaching Soeur Echols tonight for our first lesson with her...I'm a little nervous. But I think it will go well! I've improved so much since my very first lesson just a few weeks ago...

Oh also, mom asked this in her letter and I realized I forgot to say it in my last email and yeah so Soeur Bragg is going to Lyon as well, and actually everyone in my district is going to Lyon! Out of our whole zone we have one district going to Montreal, two soeurs and one elder going to Paris, and then other then that it's allll Lyon. It's great! I love that my entire district is going to Lyon. It makes it so it's not going to be as sad when we have to say goodbye! Man because it is going to be sad. I've only known them two weeks and I already know I'm going to hate leaving them...I love all those Elders so much. They have such sweet testimonies and they work so hard! To answer another one of mom's questions, they are a mix of 18 and 19. I think most are 19, except for Elder Baldwin who graduated a week before he came! But he is actually our District Leader and we all love him so much. He is an awesome leader.

It's amazing how much I have grown in just two weeks. All the devotionals we get around here are so great. I'm uplifted every single time! Sunday's are so fun around here. They are such a treat for us! Except scary moment when you put the equation of fast Sunday + buffet food...I even scared myself with how much I ate yesterday. But the Elders were terrifying. Haha. It's hilarious. But the Sunday night devotionals are always great! And then we get to watch a movie after. Last night I went to the movie that everyone around here raaaaves about so I knew I had to go. It's like always soo full of missionaries because everyone talks about how life changing it is. And oh wow is it. It's called Character of Christ by Elder Bednar. It's a talk he gave when he came to the MTC on Christmas Day a while ago. I really have no idea if you can somehow watch it...if you can, do. It seriously is life changing. I felt the spirit so strong while listening to him talk. I wish I could explain it to you..but it's practically impossible. I just love my Savior so much. And he truly is the most amazing example we could ever ask for. He consistently turned outwards when the natural man would turn inwards. That was the entire theme of the talk. Is that even in the MIDST of his anguish,.the Savior never, EVER thought of himself.

The Atonement has been a big theme of my week. And I guess really it should be a theme for everyone, all the time...but I've been learning so much this week.

I've always had a testimony of The Atonement and I know that it is real, and that our Savior suffered for our sins. But I always looked at The Atonement as what we use when we messed up. When we need to repent. And OBVIOUSLY that's a big part of it...but this week I've really come to realize how much The Atonement can truly strengthen me.
Every single day I'm doing things that are beyond my own capabilities. And every day I'm AMAZED and how I'm able to do so. But it's because it's not me doing it. It's not my own strength. One of the best things I though Bednar said in the talk I was just talking about, is he said "If you think you can't do this alone, you're right." There is literally no way I could do this alone. I am literally FORCED to turn to my Savior and to utilize His Atonement. And he will literally heal my pains, and turn my weaknesses into strengths.

I'm in a situation where I no longer have the things I used to to turn to. To have all of you to talk to when I'm down. Or to be able to listen to music. Or watch a movie. All of these things that helped me cope with life.
The literally absolute only place I have to turn to is my Savior. And it's just a beautiful thing. And it was at first weird to realize, and it was hard to cope without all of these things I used to use.

But I turned it all over to my Savior. I got on my knees and told Him I needed his help. And I couldn't do this without Him.
And in turn, He has truly lifted me up. And helped me. I'm so far from getting to where I need to be, but this week the biggest lesson I have learned is just HOW real and readily available The Atonement is to each of us.
He suffered all of our sins. How silly are we to ever think we could ever get through life without Him. We can't. Turn to Him. I promise He is there for you.

Other then that...I'm just have a great time here!! Great companion. Amazing district. Wonderful teachers. I'm smiling all day long. And sometimes I'm so exhausted beyond belief. But it is so SO worth it. I'm so excited to go teach the people of France. I feel so inadequate. But I know I can do it. This is such an amazing opportunity.

Yes, I am really homesick at times. Especially on the 4th of July. Oh! I forgot to mention that. So they did let us do something for the 4th! We got to go outside and watch the Stadium of Fire fireworks! AND we watched 17 Miracles!! Although...wow. That was an emotional movie. Emotional movie AND emotional missionaries...everyone was bawling. SO much fun to watch a movie though! And the fireworks were great. AND they let us stay up past our bedtime!! Haha isn't it hilarious how the little things mean so much? Although me and my companion hated going to bed late because we have to wake up at 5:30 every morning...we eat breakfast at 6:30. Yeah it pretty much sucks. But we get through it!
Anyway, it was a fun day. But I was pretty homesick. I missed the simple things of spending the 4th with you guys.

But. I couldn't be happier, and I never EVER consider not doing this.
I love you all so much. Thank you for your prayers. I miss you and think of you everyday.
But don't ever worry about me! I'm doing so great!

Je t'aime!!

Love,
Soeur Magleby