Sister Kofford in Tahiti: Week 6

10/28/14

The sixth week here at the MTC was another success. I cannot believe that it has already been six weeks since I was dropped at the curb. I have learned so much and have definitely changed as a person. I have worked harder in these last six weeks than I ever have in my life. But the work has already begun to pay off. Along with working hard, I am extremely happy. I am more happy now than I have ever been before. Alma 36:24-25 pretty much describes how I feel. It says that joy is found when we are serving our Lord and laboring for Him. I have found this to be so true. I have experienced minor trials and many great joys. I know that as the mission progresses, so will these trials and joys. We will experience some of the happiest, most uplifting times in our lives and at the same time, some of the hardest. But it is in our extremity that we come to know God. I am so excited to see what lies ahead. In our devotional on Tuesday night, we learned about how to be the best missionary possible. The speaker said that if we want to return home from our missions worthy, we need to repent. If we want baptisms on our mission, we need to work hard. If we want the spirit to be with us, we need to pray continually. And if we want miracles, we need to repent, work hard, pray continually, and have faith. I loved this talk and have already been trying to apply it to my mission here in the MTC. D&C 31:3 talks about how we need to rejoice when the time of our mission comes. For me, the time is here. I have had the last ten months to think about my mission, I have 18 months to live my mission, and I have all of eternity to think about my mission. I will make the most out of the mission experience and strive each day to be the best person that I can possibly be. Along with the wonderful spirit that has been felt and the inspirational things that I have learned in the past week, we have also had some very good times. I have come to know that laughing is a universal language. We have lots of fun with the French Elders and laugh a lot. Our classroom got moved from 10M to 4M which has been a pleasant change. Our classroom is twice as big, the building is super nice, and lots lots more! It was Brother Honey's birthday this week as well. We got him this hilarious card from the book store along with some fuzzy gloves and candy. It was a good time. I try to play the piano for at least 20 minutes a day! I have really been enjoying this and regret not playing the piano more in my pre-mission life! The French language is coming along really well. I can already speak better French than Tahitian and its only been a week haha! Sister Erekson continues to rock my socks. She is seriously so good at everything and pushes me to work even harder so I can keep up with her. Our district is doing well. We have all grown so close and it is going to be a hard day when we have to say our goodbyes when we head out to Tahiti. I also love my teachers. I think it would be the coolest thing to teach at the MTC when I return. I love the MTC and I love being a missionary! I know that I am in the right place at the right time and that this mission will carry through the rest of my life! Keep enjoying life! Remember to smile and look for the tender mercies in every day! God gives us so many blessings, we just need to be mindful of them! I love you all!

Love, Sister Kofford