So many people have asked about Jordan. Her time is very limited for writing letters in the MTC. So I'm passing on a little update...done by her mama!
Two weeks in the MTC now!
(It seems like its been a month to her family L)
"... I am doing great here and although it is hard, I can't help but love it! It's so amazing focusing only on missionary work and the gospel! I have never felt the spirit more!"
Companion:
“My companion, Soeur Liufau, is from Hawaii and is Tongan. We get along great! She is way laid back & accommodating and super happy. We laugh all the time! I love her so much! She comes from a family of 5 and is the only one to serve a mission so far. Her brothers never went….they kinda struggle. She hasn’t had the highest standards her whole life either….but she is happy to be here and so loving and humble. She will do well in Tahiti.”
“Its funny because I have had to call her out on swearing several times a day haha, but she is getting better.”
“I’m shorter than my companion if you can believe that!”
“It is easy to get lazy when working with Elder Raihauti and Soeur Liufau...they are polynesian...waaaaaay laid back and lazy and easily distracted. So this week, while they are socializing, I have my flash cards and my scriptures and preach my gospel out. It's amazing how much I have learned this week and how much I have picked up from working so hard. The Lord definitely blesses you for your hard work. I am so blessed!”
Zone:
“My zone is awesome….funny story! The missionaries that were in our temple session the Friday before I went into the MTC? when we were with Grandpa and Grandma Harline, well, they were totally all in my zone. All the Elders remembered me, even though I can’t remember seeing one of them haha!”
Elders:
“well….some of them are weird. But a lot of them are hysterical and so fun! One of them I was really hoping to get to know more because I think he is way cute and I wanted him to write Kenzie, but he is leaving tomorrow and I can’t ever talk to him because his companion is weirdly obsessed with me so I’m staying away. So sorry Kenzie! Haha! Guess he can’t be your soul mate!”
“All the sisters say that after being here for a couple of weeks my missionary goggles will go on and I will find the elders attractive….I haven’t done that yet and I find it hard to believe because they all seem sooo young….like Kenzie’s age haha!”
Physical:
“At the gym...I have been RUNNING!! My goal is to be able to run the whole gym hour by the time I leave. It is hard, though, because there are so many people on the track that get in my way... I can't wait until it is warm enough to run outside. My roomies and I do pilates too. Soeur Chadburn has a pilates, pilates cardio, and kickboxing workout memorized so we do it together...Let me tell you, it works you OUT! My abs, butt, legs and arms are so sore!!! I have played volleyball a few times, but no one is that good...and i have massive bruises on my knees!”
“I am staying skinny! I refuse to get fat on my mission.”
Language:
“We taught our first lesson on monday...entirely in French. We taught Victor Iosepha (Iosepha is "Joseph" in tahitian...pronounced "yo-te-fa". weird huh?) and it totally bombed...like bad! I was so embarrassed! I could not understand one word that our investigator said. I couldn't communicate back and Elder Raihauti (who used to be fluent in french) had to translate for me... and I didn't know how to answer. It was awful because he would ask questions and all we knew how to say was what we had planned. We didn't answer any of his questions. To make matters worse, I got your dearelders right after the lesson and you all were like "you are doing so great!" and I just felt like coming home. On Wednesday, we went to the TRC where a whole bunch of volunteers come in and they pretend to be investigators and we teach them. THAT was frustrating because when I could pick up things they were saying and asking, I wanted to respond with a story or my testimony about something, but I didn't know how to say it! It was so frustrating because I had so much in my head to say that would help them but nothing could come out. I pretty much was on the verge of tears the whole entire time. We went to teach Victor again right after....didn't go any better. But, don't worry, the story gets better. Yesterday after praying my heart out for the hundredth time, we went in to teach Victor again. It was the first time that I could begin to understand what was going on without having Elder Raihauti translate for me and I could actually start to form sentences by myself!!!! I was so happy! It felt awesome because I was actually contributing! I immediately, after the lesson, ran to the bathroom and prayed to Heavenly Father and thanked Him for His hand in the lesson and in my missionary work. i need to conquer doubt and fear...through Heavenly Father all things are possible! Yeah it's not going to be easy. It's going to take hard work but i can do hard things!!!
Testimony:
“ As hard as this is, I am so glad I made this decision to serve a mission. It’s an incredible opportunity for me to rely completely on the Lord and to grow closer to Him. J’aime mon Pere celeste et mon Sauveur! L’Evangile de Jesus-Christ est vrai! Je sais que c’est vrai grace au Saint’Esprit et grace aux benedictions que j’ai recues!”
