Subject: La Prière est comme un Phare!
BONJOUR!
And a good day it is! I like the French version of the hymn 'Did you think to Pray' a great deal. It has been stuck in my head a good 75% of the time lately. The title of this e-mail is from the chorus 'Prayer is like a Lighthouse' - it is so true and reminded me of my sweet mommy and how you like lighthouses too.
Well, there are so many good things to say! Lets start out with the exciting firedrill that we had at the MTC(Missionary Training Center) today. ALL (and I mean everone) people in the MTC had to evacuate, and we walked accross the street to the field. It doesn't sound that exciting, but it was freezing cold, and there were several elders and sisters who obviously weren't ready for the occasion (my personal favorite was the elder who was in his robe and slippers...but don't worry, he remembered to put his name tag on. Elder Jones, going to Haiti. Also, there was an elder with no shoes on, who's companions carried him triage style) and they blocked off all of 9th east for it. Anyway, it was hilarious. I guess we are easily entertained here.
Another funny thing - somehow we discovered that if you put a pass along card right behind the peep hole into the classroom, at just the right angle, all you can see is the face of the person on the card. We also think that is super funny, especially when people get startled by it. Again, this is probably only funny to missionaries who find creative means of entertainment.
I SAW HANNAH ELIZABETH MILLER WALKING TO HER CAR FROM WORK! I frequently see Rita, her trusty steed (car, Sarah's car is named Jerome![]()
), but I was walking up the stairs in one of the buildings at the exact right time the other day and I just stared and put my hands on my cheecks 'HANNAH!' haha. She was wearing her tan/brown striped cardigan. and had her hair in a low bun- it was a great moment. :) (Hannah hasbeen Sarah's college roommate for a long time and is still going to BYU and working near the Missionary Training Center)
wow the time is going fast today!
People I've seen: Elder asnd Sister Halversen! I see them almost daily. My favorite was when I saw Elder Halversen for the first time, he kept repeating how happy he was to see me and how great he thought I looked, then he mentions to my companion 'oh, and you look great too, but Sister Waldron and I grew up together!' Adorable. I love them. I also see Sister Van Vliet often, I saw Elders Curtis and Higbee a while back, Elder Ganschow from Danville too, ummmm, Clark Peterson (teacher) and lots of people from art, and I'm sure there's more but its too hard to think of them all. Yay!
Would you be interested to know what I do every day? The scedule is a bit different each day (order wise, and p-day- -the day we have to write letters and email and do laundry and some other things-- is way different) but, it consists of: Get up at 6:30, ready by 7, unless you have gym or service. Usually the first thing is daily planning session, and then a half hour of personal study. We have a half hour for breakfast, and then either have a 3 hour class or some more personal study. The rest of the day, we will have lunch, another 3 hour class time, more personal study if we didn't already, 2 hours of language study (one on the computer program, one out of the other study materials) and on Tuesdays we have devotional and Sundays are also way different, maybe I will explain that in my next letter :) we have two teachers, Frères Corbett and Starita, and Brother Starita wanted us to MAKE SURE we told our families HELLO! Haha, they are both GREAT teachers, we are blessed. Oh by the way we also get to eat dinner, and we even get ice cream twice a week. I pretty much have the cafeteria down to a science by now. And we also have time to shower, and have companionship prayer, and other things like that. Dad was right - we pray so much! It is great. What a wonderful gift to be able to talk with God! And He listens, and answers us!
I am learning how to be a better goal setter. I am setting some more specific language and personal study goals, and I will be excited to report to you on them next week. (by the way, I love French, and it is coming along fine)
The greatest kind of preparation we do on P-day is preparing for life, both on this earth and after this earth, by attending the temple. Go to the temple. It is wonderful. If you are unable to go inside at this time, just go and sit outside it. Oh I love the temple! And I love families, and I know that God loves families too.
Sometimes as a missionary, you have the opportunity to step back and evaluate what you are doing, and why. Well, one conclusion I have come to, is that we cannot be Christ like and selfish at the same time. Christ's ministry on the earth was for us. In Moses 1:39, it tells us that God's work and glory is to bring to pass the immortality and Eternal life of man. Our eternal lives are of the utmost importance to God. As a representative of Christ, I have the blessed privilege of doing His work here on the earth, 24-7. The more charitable I become, the better I become as a missionary.
God loves us and He knows us even better than we know ourselves.
Our trials allow us to increase in faith and make our weaknesses strong.
Read Kind Benjamin's address in the Book of Mormon, Mosiah chapters 2-6. And know that Doctrine and Covenants (another book of scripture) section 31 is a motivating passage for me, and that I love and miss you dearly, but I am trying my hardest to be the best missionary possible and to devote myself to the work so that we may all be blessed, and I cannot wait to serve the Lord and His children in France and Switzerland.
Families can be together forever, God's plan is for EACH of His children to return toHim, He loves us more than we think he does.
HAVE THE BEST WEEK EVER! Thank you times a million to everyone for you letters, your prayers, and your love.
Don't forget to smile! And don't forget to pray!
Love, Soeur (Sister) Sarah Waldron :)
MTC Mailbox # 82
FRA-LYON 1122
2005 North 900 East
Provo UT 84604
