Week 7 (3/11/19): Violets!

Salut everyone!
I survived another week! 😊 life is crazy, but beautiful.
So I realized that I haven't really explained much about where I'm serving. I'm living in one of the suburbs Lyon, which is either the second or third largest city in France (if you count the suburbs, it's bigger, if you don't, Marseille is). So I'm living a very big city existence. We use buses and metros to get literally everywhere, and we walk a lot. Or run, if we're trying to catch a bus. Missionary life. I've learned that getting caught in metro doors is to be avoided at almost all costs because they're pretty hard to force open, getting caught in bus doors is painful but not nearly as hard to get out of, and the doors at the checking stations to get into the metro don't hurt, but have alarms. Pro tips. The diversity in this city is incredible, like, lots of Africans and middle easterners, and lots of languages! I still use English a lot, though the broken English that Nigerians speak is a bit hard for me to understand... I'll get there.
So on Saturdays, we have this activity we do where we play sports with all our various friends so they can get to know each other better and also see that we're real people too. It was great, this random French teenager volunteered to be our goalie, and he literally scored a goal by kicking the ball from our goal into theirs. Whoa. I hadn't played any sports since I was forced to in gym class... 4 years ago? But soccer is actually pretty fun, even though I'm not particularly good. I had fun anyways, but I'm still sore... ouch.
So I watched an older elder give a talk in sacrament meeting yesterday, and was like, whoa, that looks stressful. I can barely give a ten minute talk in English, much less French. Then I was approached after sacrament meeting... yup, I'm speaking next week. Pray for me, this is gonna be a stretch...
Manon is doing great, she's so cool! She's made so many changes in her life, and she looks so much happier now. Her dad isn't particularly uh... in favor? But she's 18, and he's willing to support her, he just wants to understand what she's doing. So we'll be meeting with him this week too.
So yeah! Life is insane but I'm having a lot of fun learning and growing. And people understand me... most of the time. And I understand them... most of the time. I'll get there.
Also! We had the cutest miracle yesterday. We'd just spent a lot of time inside, and we were going a little crazy. So we're walking home, and we talked to a guy on the street, and we were starting to walk away when I asked him what these cute little flowers were that grow literally everywhere. He gave like, some name I'd never heard of, then suddenly said, "do you want some?" And said, "wait here." And he pulled some out, then went inside and grabbed a pot and some soil, and then gave them to us. Guess what? The next guy we ran into commented on me having "violets." I thought they might be, still not sure, but I love them whatever they are. I have little purple flowers in my apartment now. I actually went by the name "Violette" for my last semester of college because another girl in the French house was also named Rachel, so it just made me really happy. Little ways God cheers us up when it's been a long day 😊
Anyways, I love you all, and hope you're doing well!
Sœur Cate

Week 6 (3/4/19): Does God brush his teeth though

I tried a "taco," which is like, kabob meat and lettuce and tomatoes and onions and sauce and French fries all in a wrap. Definitely recommend. Maybe not the whole thing, and not right before a prolonged sprint. I bought new shoes today, then broke them in sprinting after our zone leader, who accidentally stayed on the bus, so we and the district leader chased it down the freeway... missionary life. They're really comfortable, thank goodness, because we walk a lot here, and I didn't have great walking shoes. It was actually kind of a miracle, I hadn't been able to find good shoes, despite going to lots of different stores, so I prayed and asked God for exactly what I wanted, walked into a store, and found shoes that fit that description exactly within two minutes. Miracles are real, my friends. God has blessings lined up for us, we just have to ask Him. We went to a cute little zoo in the middle of this big park in the middle of Lyon, and it was beautiful!!! It's been a great p day.
Other things this week: one of our new members started a video chat with all the missionaries because one of the missionaries said God didn't brush His teeth. There were many appeals to the scriptures, which were hilarious, and overall, the missionary life is a lot of work, but a lot of fun too.
I've seen the power of testimony this week. We've testified to multiple people about the truth of the book of mormon, and I feel it so powerfully every time we do. I love seeing the light come into the lives of the people we're teaching, and seeing how our Savior really can change people's worlds. I love you all, and hope you're holding out!!!
Love,
Sœur Cate

Week 5 (2/25/29): We email from a weirdly fancy McDonald's...

Hey everyone!

Life has been crazy, but good! I'm slowly figuring out the French transportation system (I can't wait until I get the monthly bus pass. So. Many. Headaches. Will be avoided), and how to talk to random strangers in a language I'm not fluent in, and getting used to the noise and smells of the big city. It's seriously huge, and the diversity is super crazy!

We visited this cute little old lady twice this week. She's a member, and she's been sick recently, so we went and painted our nails with her. She's so cute! And she has 3 canaries: two yellow and one gray and yellow. She's like, straight out of a president Monson talk called "yellow canaries with gray on their wings," from like... the 1970s, but it was so cool! The birds were adorable, and she was so sweet! I love being a messenger of God to bring joy to others. 

We also saw a member that talked with us about 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, which was an incredibly inspiring conversation. We talked about how weaknesses keep us humble, and how without them, we wouldn't learn to seek Jesus's help. We also talked about the come follow me program and the miracle of turning water into wine. The wine Jesus made was the best wine of the entire feast, but they would never have tasted it if there hadn't been a need for more wine. And the water wouldn't have become something better. So sometimes weaknesses- a lack of something- can be a real strength. 

We taught several lessons this week, mainly to Manon and Djodjo. Manon has a baptism date for halfway into March, which we're really excited for. Though she has to stop smoking, which is hard. Unfortunately a lot of French people smoke though, that stereotype was not a lie. So that's something we'll run into pretty often. Djodjo is making progress, but he wants to make sure he understands everything before committing to it, so that might take some time. He loves the bible though, and he has such a great testimony about the love of God.

We just went and saw the confluence, which is where two big rivers in France (the Rhône and the Saône) converge. It was super beautiful and peaceful!

Love y'all, and until next week!

Sœur Cate 

Week 4 (2/18/19): (first week in France)

Hello everyone!
So I lived. I made it to France! The ten hour flight was a new experience, and hauling luggage through metros and buses and cobblestone roads gets you abs and arms real quick (pain beyond pain, my friends), but I lived!!!
France is amazing. It's so old- like, just ancient buildings casually hanging out. The people are super diverse, which is super interesting! I need to learn pigeon/ broken English (Nigerian) and Portuguese stat. But my trainer said that the mission president would have her head if she let me start studying another language in the first week of my mission. Speaking of which, five years of high school French, three semesters of college, and the French house paid off. They understand me!!!! And I understand... most... of what they say. Most. Some people have hard accents. They're all really impressed though when they find out I've been here for less than a week, so apparently I'm not bad! Yay!
Culture shock of the week: faire la bise. Girls in France greet each other with a kiss on each cheek... but it's not really a kiss? More like just the sound? It's weird. But I'm getting used to it. The food is amazing, pastries are divine, and public transportation is ridiculously efficient here.
My trainer is the best, her French is great, and she's super dedicated and motivated and brave. Her name is sister Turner, and she's amazing! We're in Écully, which is a suburb of Lyon. Also, for the CA Cates, Elder Goldberg is my district leader (Jess, can you tell Debra? He's her little brother), so I see him all the time. He says I look and sound like a Cate, and it's weirding him out a bit. What a small world.
Today we went to la Fourvière de Lyon (I think that's spelled right...). Google it, it's gorgeous! Also, ice cream. Yay!
Sorry this is short... p days are insane!
Sœur Cate

Week 3 (2/12/19): Safe arrival of missionary

Dear Parents,                                                                                      12 February 2019

We are happy to let you know that your missionary arrived safely in Lyon this afternoon.  The missionaries were met at the airport by President and Sister Giraud-Carrier then taken to the mission office to drop off luggage and enjoy a bag lunch with an authentic French baguette sandwich.  They will have an individual interview with President Giraud-Carrier and visit with Sister Giraud-Carrier. Dinner will be with the Giraud-Carrier family at the Mission Home. Tonight they will stay in Lyon. Tomorrow they will receive instruction from President Giraud-Carrier and the Assistants to the President, visit the mission office and complete some paper work.  They will also meet their new companions. Those from Europe will go to their first area.  Those from North America will have chest x-rays which is a requirement for legality here in France and will stay in Lyon one more day to complete the rest of their legality requirements.  They will then head to their sectors.

Your missionary will share with you soon where they are serving and who their trainer is.  Thank you for sending us such fine missionaries. We will take good care of them.

SoeurSteenblik

(note from Mom, we did get to talk with her while she was at the airport and while she was excited to get to France, she was really sad to leave her MTC district because they had developed such a bond and wouldn't likely see each other again any time soon if at all because they were headed all over the world.)

The new France Lyon missionaries and the President and his wife

Madelyn (cousin) ran into Rachel after Rachel had been at the temple

Madelyn and Rachel the night before she left the MTC

Robert (another cousin) saying goodbye the morning she left the MTC

Week 2 (2/8/19): A study in the correlation between ice cream consumption and stupidity

Salut!
Oh my goodness, next time I email, I'll be in France. How insane is that???
Life has been good here. We had the... privilege? of helping herd 17 newly arrived Sisters through the snow, across the MTC campus and to the dining room, with all their luggage, at like, 7:30 in the morning. Stairs and poor traction due to exciting weather complementary. But we all made it!

There have also been many great quotes.
"Oh, that's why you take the sacrament like a shot." One of our elders is a convert, so he drank before he joined the church. He was explaining that he used to drink, when another elder interrupted him. Oh dear.
*After hearing an explanation of a Swiss dish* "Oh. We do that in Honduras too, but we give that to the dog."
"This is disgusting" said in the most monotone, simultaneously indifferent and resigned bass voice with a heavy German accent while drinking powerade that was blue enough to glow in the dark.
"I hated it" a very blunt response from that same elder about a teaching exercise we did.
"Ice cream makes me stupid"
After the Swiss Elder demonstrated the Spanish he's learning from two other elders in the district, the teacher asked if the Spanish elder was learning German. "Ja" (but he pronounced the J...)
We also debated whether or not the word naive applied to the Swiss elder getting a full glass of chocolate milk, and then somehow being surprised at how sweet it was after trying American food for the past two weeks. Pro tip: try foreign food in small quantities until you're sure you like it. Or can handle it.
Ubermensch and Papacito. Don't ask.

Honestly, life has been hard, but great. I've never prayed so hard in my life, but I'm really growing as a person. I understand God's plan for His children much better, and how much He loves us. I'm a bit terrified to go to France after not speaking much French for a few weeks, but hopefully I'll adjust. I just wish I spoke French as well as the rest of my district speaks English.

My companion and I have definitely improved as teachers, as we allow God's spirit to direct us towards what we should say and what they need to hear. And I'm slowly learning to talk at a more reasonable pace. We'll get there. With lots of help from God. Seriously, the more time I spend here, the more shocked I am that we entrust proselyting to a whole bunch of teenagers and young adults. And somehow it still works out? If that's not evidence that God is real, I don't know what it.

Thanks for all your prayers and support, I love you!
Sœur Cate

Week 1 (2/1/19): I survived my first week!

Great quotes:
"I'm offended and I don't know why" - Elder Lkhagvadorj
"I know how you thought this [the missionary handbook, which contains a whole bunch of rules] was written. Some grumpy old guys like me and [the MTC President] took a swig of pickle juice and said, let's write this thing!" - Elder Holland

Hello everybody!
Life has been insane! I'm pretty tired most of the time, but I'm told this is normal for missionaries. Especially at the MTC. Being in a international district is like, the best thing ever. There are so great language misunderstandings, fun accents, and the best part: the cafeteria. Watching all these internationals try to figure out American cafeteria food is hilarious. A few great moments:
"are the eggs like, actually eggs?" "Heck if I know, you'll notice I'm not eating them."
"How was your 'taco'?" "What taco?"
"why is everything so sweet????"
We have an elder from Honduras and an elder from Costa Rica, and they switch into spanish fairly often. The reason is actually slightly sad for me, but it won't be a surprise to anyone: half the time, it was one of them asking the other what I said, because I talk so fast. Literally all of the internationals have trouble understanding what I say. All the times I've studied French and been like, "what is wrong with these people who talk so fast???" and lo and behold, I'm one of them. Oops. Yesterday the teacher said, "In lessons, I tended to talk more when I was nervous." I said, "Me too" and the two spanish speakers immediately turned towards me and said, "We noticed!!!" Oops. I showed them a demonstration of me really talking fast, and the horror on their faces... oh dear. Anyone have tips for how to talk slower?
We also tend to devolve to trying to pronounce our Mongolian Elder's name: Lkhagvadorj. However you're pronouncing that, I promise you it's wrong. Unless you're Mongolian. It's great to watch his face when we try.
I got the opportunity to be in the MTC choir this week, and it was such an incredible experience! I couldn't even sing for half of it because of my cold, but it was still amazing! We sang Nearer my God to thee, and talked about how it was actually a poem written telling the story of Jacob, right after he had to flee home so Esau wouldn't kill him. Wow, I love that song even more now. The arrangement was incredible, and I had fun singing an interesting middle soprano part. Music is the best! Then we found out that we were singing for a devotional for Elder Holland, and we were so excited! For the people who aren't members of the church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints, Elder Holland is one of fifteen men in our church that we believe to be a prophet, and he's a super powerful speaker. It was incredible! He talked a lot about obedience and diligence, which are really important to missionary work. I got several great pages of notes from it, but alas, I don't have a ton of time to type them up.
We practiced teaching a lot this week, and though I'm still miles from where I wish I was, I'm starting to understand what they want us to do, even if I can't produce it by myself yet. Baby steps. We practice teaching almost every day, which is kind of terrifying, but it's good to be able to get feedback.
I just want to thank people for prayers and for emailing me. It's great to hear from you guys, and I hope you're all doing well! Also, for those asking, I'll have a tablet for my entire time here, so I can read emails whenever you send them, I just can't respond until Friday. After I leave the MTC and get to France, I'll have a phone, so it'll be the same situation, it'll just be a different day that I can respond on (probably Monday).
Love,
Sœur Cate

All of us pointing to where we're from. Truly we are a global church!

My district! (pretty much like my family here at the MTC.) The short girl next to me is my companion, Sister Johnson