Mikayla on a Mission: Week 3: 2 Down, 6 To Go

So last Sunday we were all sitting in our desks in our wonderful classroom (not being sarcastic) and were just sitting there when Elder Johnson bolts straight up and goes -- I kid you not -- "I can't breathe," calmly, but still scary.

So Elder Lutu and him go straight to the Infirmary on campus (the MTC campus is a little city -- we have stores, seamstresses, a hair salon, a mail building, a dentist and doctors on campus, and then the main building -- so you basically need for nothing on campus -- which is kind of funny and weird because it makes it a little more cut off from the rest of the world -- but anyway back to my story).

They go straight to the Infirmary, but because it's Dimanche (Sunday), it's closed. So the security guards rush them to the ER at the Utah Valley Regional Hospital and after some tests and Elder Johnson throwing up -- they took an X-ray and the top part of his lung had collapsed spontaneously. Apparently it's normal -- so they gave him some serious pain meds and sent him back to us at the MTC where we were all freaking out, but thinking it's all good since they sent him back. They gave him orders to go back around four and make sure the lung had re-inflated itself -- because apparently this happens a lot to tallish, skinny males at the MTC.

They went on their merry way. And all of us Soeurs (Sisters) in the District were trying not to freak out and justifying it's okay until he went back for his checkup and never came back. Our Branch President had to go to the ER after all of Sunday's activities had finished to find out what was going on because the MTC forgot they had dropped off our two Elders at the hospital. They had just assumed the Elders had come back (wonder how though because the staff is in charge of transportation -- but yeah -- the staff hasn't been on top of things this week) .

Anyways, Elder Johnson's lung had collapsed even more and was immediately admitted into the hospital. He had a surgery on Monday and had drainage tubes put in. He finally got the last two taken out yesterday and is supposed to be released sometime today -- but because it's Pday we might not know if he's back or not.

There actually was a scare yesterday when the MTC travel office called us to ask where Elder Johnson was because they dropped off an elder and didn't get his name. They assumed it was Elder Johnson and had us all freaking out that he was wandering campus alone and still needing recovery! After all the elders searched for him - they called the travel office, who called the hospital and made sure Elder Johnson was still there. Not sure if they ever figured out who they dropped off onto campus though -- but that's nothing compared to the other things they did this week. We all love the MTC -- except for the travel office, but I can't get to that part yet.

Elder Johnson spent this week in the hospital and everything seemed great until two days ago when my companion's cold went from getting better to like a thousand times worse -- so we went to the infirmary where I got to fold origami dinosaurs while I waited -- that part was fun. haha

They prescribed her like ten medications so we had to take this creepy van -- with tinted black windows driven by Tino -- to the Pharmacy and then came back. She took the medicines and then about an hour later she started having side effects and thought she was going to pass out -- so we had to go to urgent care where we spent a good four hours only to have them tell us we just had to let the medicine wear off. That was not fun but -- in the words of our district leader Elder Lutu "2 down 6 to go." haha

I really hope it doesn't work out that way but one of our teachers has come down with something and she can't leave her bed so now it's just like -- ah crap.

This week we moved from our wonderful building 4M to les cahots (the dungeons) of 9M or -- the telestial world -- as it's known to the rest of the building. haha. It is so dank and muggy and tiny and not fun, but were trying.... we also don't have much choice in where we live, because we basically live there. oh, and no snacks in any of the buildings because the MTC has mice >< so it's even more fun being in les cahots. But we are closer to our favorite district -- the Tahitians -- who have had a very wild ride this week as well.

The travel office hasn't been the French branch's favorite because a few weeks ago they sent off the last batch of Lyon missionaries a week late because they -- and I quote "just didn't buy the tickets."

The Tahitians were scheduled to be here for 6 weeks but then it got switched to 9 weeks by their mission president because they are learning French and Tahitian -- but the travel office still bought them tickets for 6 weeks and they got their itineraries and everyone was freaking out because they hadn't even got Tahitian -- and then finally someone went to the travel office (I think their mission president) -- so then the travel office postponed their tickets to March 9! They went from 9 weeks to 6 weeks and then to 12 weeks total in the MTC and a few of the Elders were really upset because they never thought they'd be here 12 weeks -- but finally yesterday they got it confirmed that they'd only be staying what they should have been all along -- 9 weeks, and they will leave the same time as us. Which I'm okay with because when we get the new ones in a week and the Canadians leave, I don't want to be the oldest and the Tahitians are lots of fun :)

I think that's most of the eventful stuff. Oh, I met Elder Miller from the Haymarket ward on Sunday and I see him literally everywhere now! So If you see his parents he says hi. ;p

Sunday night, Janice Kapp Perry came for the devotional and it was wonderful. She is the sweetest little woman:) She talked about the power of music and her missions -- serving others through music and it was wonderful. :)

Everyone got to sing a medley of her primary songs together and it was beautiful. She also talked about the power music has to bring a family closer and sang her family's song for us -- which was so funny because apparently her sons can't sing -- so the song she wrote has them singing "We're mama's boys we're the back up singers" in the background -- which is just awesome. It was a song about their family's history -- which was just beautiful and I loved it. :) She also talked about how on our missions, even if we don't baptize anyone, it's totally okay and good if we're the ones who come back more converted and sanctified, which I thought was a wonderful thought:)

After her devotional, we went and watched Elder Holland's MTC devotional called "A Mission is Forever." It was so strong -- as Elder Holland always is. He said a mission isn't hard because we are doing what Christ did and what Christ did was hard. We get a little taste of his suffering because we are His representatives -- he said we shouldn't waste it. We are here for Christ, for a short period of time, and we must always have a testimony of Christ on our lips to be shared with everyone we meet, no matter who they are -- which I loved.

We had a worldwide devotional on Wednesday and my favorite part was the teaching about inactives and members, because we are supposed to share the gospel with them and help them learn and grow and remember the spirit they have already felt when they got baptized -- that is what I think I'm most excited about in the field because there are so many opportunities to remind someone of this -- and personally its not as daunting when they already know what the spirit feels like and, as missionaries, we just need to remind them. :)

That same afternoon we had TRC -- I'm not sure what that stands for -- but we meet with members and give them member discussions in French and it was wonderful to have the spirit and talk with someone who was being themselves. We could ask real questions and they could give us real answers or even just sing hymns with us. :) Granted, I only know Je suis enfant de Dieu in French and only the first verse -- but the memorizing French is coming along :)

French is difficult and the hardest part for me is R's because they roll them in the back of their throat -- so this week I only worked on one word and variations of it, I have it down (I sound like a little french child though because apparently they accent their R's when they're learning to talk), but I have it down for the word prendre. This week my goal is to be able to say tres so I'll let you know how that's going next Pday.:)

I think that's it, it's really long so desolee (sorry) for that!

Love you all.

Soeur Mikayla Beatty :)

And here are some of my favorite quotes from the past few weeks:

God's timing is not always immediate, but it is always on time.

Satan knows your name, but calls you by your sin. Heavenly Father knows your sins but calls you by your name.

Ce n'est pas possible lumier un feu dans un autre ame si il n'y a pas un feu dans votre ame. (It is not possible to light a fire in another soul unless there is a fire in yours.) Harold B Lee

You know if you have faith by your desires to do good.

The knowledge that someone is listening is sometimes all we need.

and my branch president always says "God will never use a strobe light when a flashlight will do."

At different points during the week all of these made a big impact on me and I hope each of you finds one that helps you a little bit -- maybe in a different way than me, but when you remember it -- it will help you and remind you of me. :)