Week 5

Wednesday, August 14, 2019 2:19 AM MST

Saluttttt  (Hiiiii)

This past week was probably my best week here.  We didn't do anything different, we still just were in the classroom all day every day like before, but I just feel like I'm feeling a lot better about being here and being here for 2 years.  This first month I was pretty stressed out about it at times, so I have't really been able to be myself at times.  But this week is the first time I can really say I've been feeling like myself again.  Being able to say I've had a month under my belt now felt good.  I've gotten back to joking around with people like I would at home and just being happy, so it's been good.  I'm grateful that the Lord has blessed me and allowed me to adjust because it's definitely been a big subject in my prayers since I've been here.

Other than that, I'm out of here in less than a week!  I'm a little nervous to get out of here, because life is really shelter in the MTC and not too much different from life at home, but it's about to be a lot more different for me in a week.  I'll be fully living the African lifestyle, and I'll have to do it while speaking French.  It will be an adjustment for sure!  I just pray that my trainer will be ready for me, and I work hard every day to try to make my French as ready for the field as possible.  For me, the anticipation of doing something is always more scary than actually doing it, so I just want to get out there and see what it's like!

There's so many fun little African customs here and I'm excited to bring home.  Whenever it's someone's birthday here, after you sing to them you run up to them with some random piece of food on a fork and have them eat it off the fork to celebrate.  I love the little things like that haha, and it's always funny.  Before it was only the African doing it, but us Americans have started joining in on it and it's fun.  I'm definitely going to bring stuff like that back to the US when I return.

We had a devotional from Elder Marcus Nash, who I think they said was the president of the Africa West area.  He said something that really hit me.  He said: "If your emotions are stirred and you're wondering why you're here, welcome to life and learning to rely wholly upon Christ."  That hit me, because it's definitely thought those things before.  And it made me realize it's become my life has been so easy up until this point!  I've really gone though nothing crazy hard in my life, but that's just how life is.  And I'v come to rely on my Savior here, and if I can bring that home with my after my mission, I can do anything in life.  So I'm grateful for him to have said that, and I encourage you all to learn to rely on your Savior!

Thanks for all the emails and prayers like always, I love you and miss you all!  Have the best week

Elder Goddard

This is what they do to get everyone's attention when it is someone's birthday.  They then sing to them and give them the piece of random food off the fork.