Mikayla on a Mission: Week 4: Reunions and Rien

So this week Elder Johnson came back and it was the best. We're all so happy and it was absolutely wonderful to have our district whole again because the week he was gone was so weird and strange -- and everything was off, but now it's all good again and flew by!

On Sunday I played in sacrament and also performed a musical number with Soeur Robb.

It was a pretty good Sunday and one of the wives of our branch presidency talked about how many people were praying for us missionaries -- and it was insane because we started with everyone's family and friends and then their family and friends as well as our mission leaders, every temple, all the people waiting for us in France and all the people up in heaven helping us, leading us, and preparing us to meet those who need us and fulfill our purpose of going to France.

It just was crazy and the cute sister at the end was just like "That's Kazillions of people praying for each and everyone of you" -- which is great to think about when it's hard because there's so many people praying for us to succeed:)

On Wednesday I was sitting on a mat in gym getting ready to do a core workout because I have done lots of cardio but not much of that -- when a sister I was next to stopped me and we starting talking, I didn't get her name but she was adorable and asked if she could bare her testimony to me in her mission language so she could practice.

It took me completely off guard -- but she bore a beautiful testimony in Korean and I understood a few of the words from knowing how we're taught to bear our testimonies at first in our respective languages. It was really neat and afterwards I got to bear mine in French and it was so nice because I screwed up really badly and she just sat there smiling because she had no idea x)

Since that very different experience I've tried to find some random person who doesn't know any French that I can exchange testimonies with because it's great practice and they have no idea if I mess up or not! It also helps me meet other missionaries and learn things from them :) Since then I have heard testimonies in Korean, Russian, German, Italian, and Tagalog.

Oh and I never did finish my core workout! haha

I wish I was funny x)

Days are weird here -- all blurring into one, It's really hard to remember what I did this morning and that makes it that much more difficult!

One of my favorite things I learned this week is that I and all the other missionaries here at the MTC are at the time in our lives when we graduate and become independent and are expected to become the most selfish and self indulgent we will ever be in our lives -- where we only focus on ourselves -- and the Lord has asked us to become the most selfless and service-orientated we could ever possibly be. It was a very strange thing to read about and it's very true because for the first time in most college freshmen's lives -- they get to do whatever they want, whenever they want, and instead of that we are asked to go the complete opposite way and give everything up to serve the Lord -- and literally everything from time and communication to our hearts and our minds must be constantly on him 24/7 and ways to serve and share His Gospel.

It's crazy and scary to think about -- but it's one of those things that makes a mission so difficult and rewarding at the same time. I may not be perfect, none of us are here as we try our best to be strictly obedient and do all that we can, but each victory we make over the selfish side of us is so huge in the grand scheme of things and will have such a lasting impact on who we are as people that the Lord will bless us forever for trying with everything we are and everything we have to serve him.

I think that's about it, not much this week. Last week was exceptionally different ha. ;p

Love you all,

Soeur Mikayla Beatty

PS. I hope all of that made sense, still losing my English and not gaining French fast enough!