Jordan has been in the MTC 7 1/2 weeks now. Four weeks left until she leaves for Tahiti!
After being in the MTC for six weeks and focusing on learning and speaking French,
Jordan started learning the Tahitian language. Interesting fact,
it is an indigenous language only spoken in a few remaining islands in French Polynesia.
Less than 100,000 in the world speak the language now.
It has 5 vowels and only 9 consonants.
TRC was...difficult. I didn't understand one word the person we were teaching said. However the woman was extremely nice and GORGEOUS!!! She won Miss Colorado a few years back! Crazy huh? And she is like fluent in Tahitian. It was cool hearing a white girl speak Tahitian and it made me want to work hard so that I can be cool like her too ha! We had a few things in common and got to talk about my very short experience running for Miss Colorado. I told her I wasn’t at all a “pageant girl” type and, after talking to her, I’m soooo glad that I was stubborn and didn't let them talk me into doing it again last year. First and most importantly, I wouldn’t have gone on my mission! Anyway, I don't think I have prayed more in my life asking for divine intervention on my behalf so I can wrap my brain around the Tahitian language!! And right now, I feel like I am focusing so much on Tahitian and now I mix it up with French. It was funny,… in TRC I found myself translating the things I wanted to say into French rather than Tahitian! Funny. Oh hippy, hippy days! Haha!
Fr. Poulson had us start translating the Book of Mormon in Tahitian yesterday. He said that that is how he learned Tahitian. So I spent 30 minutes on translating 1 Nephi 3:7, looking up every word in the dictionary. Weird but you know what? That actually made learning Tahitian more enjoyable for me. So I’m gonna keep that up. Oh! I can pray in Tahitian now….while looking at my notes haha! It’s a BEAUTIFUL language. I’m just going to have positive thinking….I CAN DO THIS!"
She continues to speak French as well:
- "E. Temaroherani (the tahitian) holy cow I just adore him! He has such a big heart and a strong testimony! He is a seminary teacher in Tahiti and was SUCH a big help to me! He let me practice my French and Tahitian on him! Speaking of French, I only speak French now to my zone outside of the classroom in an attempt to be fluent hahah! and I will speak in Tahitian on Wednesdays."
- "I love speaking French! The Lord has blessed me and I have been able to pick it up without much struggle. I still have a difficulty understanding it sometimes but I love speaking the language!
Jordan's primary assignment in Tahiti is as the medical/mission nurse. She has used her profession in the MTC already and has received some training on that as well.
"So….let me tell you about my medical training. We learned about diseases we might encounter, how to treat them, and a whole bunch of preventative disease stuff. It was super helpful and good information that I can bring and use in the islands of my mission. Mainly it is triage stuff. Pretty much found out that I will be taking care of the missionaries…in fact, that will be ONLY who I take care of. Not gonna lie….I’m freaking out! Going to a foreign country hardly speaking French or Tahitian and trying to diagnose people with maybe weird things going on and having very little nursing experience as of yet. However, the thing that comforts me a little. Dr. Wooley (the one that did the medical training) said that there will be times on my mission that I will get a call at 2am from a sick Elder with some random disease with random side effects…..something that I learned about maybe once in nursing school or maybe not at all….but the answer will come to me “out of a small, hidden corner in my mind.” He talked about that story that Elder Nelson told when doing a heart surgery he performed. Do you remember that one? The one where he didn’t know how he was going to fix that man’s heart but went into surgery with faith and a blue print of what to do popped into his head. Soooo cool! So that comforts me."
"So….let me tell you about my medical training. We learned about diseases we might encounter, how to treat them, and a whole bunch of preventative disease stuff. It was super helpful and good information that I can bring and use in the islands of my mission. Mainly it is triage stuff. Pretty much found out that I will be taking care of the missionaries…in fact, that will be ONLY who I take care of. Not gonna lie….I’m freaking out! Going to a foreign country hardly speaking French or Tahitian and trying to diagnose people with maybe weird things going on and having very little nursing experience as of yet. However, the thing that comforts me a little. Dr. Wooley (the one that did the medical training) said that there will be times on my mission that I will get a call at 2am from a sick Elder with some random disease with random side effects…..something that I learned about maybe once in nursing school or maybe not at all….but the answer will come to me “out of a small, hidden corner in my mind.” He talked about that story that Elder Nelson told when doing a heart surgery he performed. Do you remember that one? The one where he didn’t know how he was going to fix that man’s heart but went into surgery with faith and a blue print of what to do popped into his head. Soooo cool! So that comforts me."
"One night I got woken up by Sister C. She was like “Sister Harline wake up! something is wrong with Sister R!” I jump out of bed to go see what was going on. She had collapsed in the bathroom. She was having intense pain in the right side of her face and ear and was weak and numb all down the right side of her body and her muscles were spasming. I did a neuro check but everything looked fine. I did vitals and everything was in range. I had no idea what was going on with her. I guess the same thing had happened the night before and they took her to the ER but they just said the pain was from a tooth ache and that the numbness was from running around the track? yeah, crazy doctor. Sooooo I sat up with her for a while until she fell asleep and said we need to take you in tomorrow. I wanted her to go to the ER but I was comforted that she would be okay through the night. The next she was doing better but the next night I got woken up at 130 am because she was in so much pain she was almost screaming. She took some pain meds, finally (she is against medicaton hahah) and was able to sleep. Her roommate woke me up again at 530 am and said she had been having a heavy nose bleed since 4 am. Only coming out of the right side of her nose. I sat in her room with her for the next hour trying to make that thing stop bleeding (this is on Sunday morning by the way). We tried everything. She was so anxious….I felt so bad. All I could do was roll up tissues and scratch her back. Anyway, I told her we had to go call the doctor asap. It’s not okay to have a bloody nose for 3 hours. She finally consented and we went down to the front desk to call. He told us to go to the ER. We went to the ER and sat waiting for an hour….nose STILL bleeding. Finally the doctor came in and diagnosed her with Trigeminal Neuralgia. I SO wish I had my books with me! I just think of possible brain tumor or possibly MS. I have felt so bad the past several days because I can’t answer her questions or tell her what she should do. It’s so frustrating, but she told me that just having me there has been a real comfort to her. She asked me to go the ER with her because she feels better when I am with her. I really think I was meant to be in the room next to her because, even though I'm not sure what’s wrong or what she can do, I care for her. I comfort her when she is in pain or anxious and I check on her all of the time. I’m staying on top of her pain meds. I feel so much love towards her and I want nothing more than for her to get better. I know it’s a blessing that her visa didn’t come through. She was supposed to be in the MTC in Brazil by now. I’m so glad she is here! Anyway, after we came back from the ER (which was at 9am when EVERYONE was just getting out of sacrament meeting….SOOOOO embarrassing because we were in our pajamas…and that would be my lovely capri pj’s that I brought for Tahiti weather. She started getting extremely weak and I told her to go rest. She had hardly had any sleep the past several days. But no, she is stubborn like me. She doesn’t want to put anyone out and she wanted to attend all of the meetings. We are so much alike it’s crazy. Anyway, she could hardly walk. The elders who are with her (she is a solo sister) were so sweet and helpful but they were so worried…really cute! Many of them came up to me asking what they can do. They gave her a priesthood blessing that night. I was amazed at how much concern and love the elders had for her and I really felt the spirit. I know it must be scary for them because I am sure they haven’t given many blessings. I believe in the power of the priesthood! Haha! No but seriously, I walked into her room later that night and she was 100 times better! Her strength was back and her pain was minimal. That night I had her set an alarm to take pain meds to keep up on her pain and that was the only time she woke up during the whole night. I have to repent because I have been saying so much about immature 19 year-old boys here, but I’m amazed how much power they have! I feel so blessed to be surrounded by all these priesthood holders. I never will take it for granted again. I definitely need to show more respect for these boys! Haha!
Following week's letter:
"On Wednesday she was diagnosed with mutiple sclerosis and trigeminal neuralgia by the neurologist. The doc wants to send her home, but the mission pres said that for some reason he thinks she should stay for a while and hold out a bit. I am heartbroken for her. I know it is going to be a tough life for her and I don't want her to go through it. I feel like I have known her for years eventhough it has just been a few short weeks. I love her so much! Anyway...her whole entire zone got their visas to brazil, but the pres wants her to stay here for a while. so guess whose roommate she is going to be....MINE!!! YAY!!!"
She is LOVING the MTC...
She is LOVING the MTC...
"This week has been a really humbling week. I have had some incredible spiritual experiences and have really felt the Lord's awareness of me. I have turned my heart and my work and effort and everything over to the Lord. And I couldn't be happier. And I have just known that the struggles and trials are going to only make me a better person and a harder worker. I know that the Lord provides miracles and I know that the Lord loves me! I KNOW He does! I can't tell you how happy I am that I chose to serve a mission! Best education. This is the best thing I could have ever done! I just want to be the best most effective missionary I can be. I want to have no regrets...EVER!!"
"It's amazing how much I can feel the spirit here. I feel so sheltered and so close to the Lord. I can't explain how awesome it feels to have the Spirit teach even during role play. Last night Elder R. and I were role playing and I was pretending to be Nikki (the investigator) when she was going throught the conversion process. This was the first time that I was role playing and actually felt like I was her! I felt the concerns and I felt the spirit so strong when Elder R. was teaching me. I felt like I was going through it for the first time and I just wanted to jump off of my seat and say BAPTIZE ME!!! It was so incredible! I crave the spirit everyday....it's kinda like the most wonderful high! I have been humbled so much here and I pray more fervently than I ever have before. I love being a missionary!!"
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