Fifth week I think?

Date: Tue, Jan 22, 2013 at 4:42 AM
Subject: Fifth week I think?

Good morning everyone! The deal is that I get thirty minutes in total on my email so if you don't use all of it the first time you can finish up later. Not a lot happened this week. I'm getting used to a French keyboard though so it's feels bizarre typing on an English one. The only differences are in the "a" and "q" placement are switched as well as the "w" and "z" and then the "m" and ";" but it'll be fine. I realized the other day that in four weeks from right now I'll be having my first full day in France. That is absolutely crazy for me. I don't know if I told you this but the people that came in three weeks after us are leaving the same day that we are. That is super crazy too. Especially when I see how far I am and then look at how far they are. They still don't quite understand me when I speak too quickly and we've been helping them out with memorizing stuff like our purpose and the first vision. But yesterday there were more moments when I started to talk about stuff that happened the day before that was actually only a few hours ago. Super crazy. So I decided that when I get home I want to take a violin class or a cello class (whichever one is suggested to do first). On the page I can go to to watch Mormon Messages the first thing to pop up is the song "O Emanuel" I think it's called? But it's played on cello and it's one of the most beautiful things you've ever heard. While I'm here I've realized how important music is to me and what music does to people. Another thing to have helped that is that we got a new MTC presidency and when he got up to speak he talked about his daughters a lot and then his daughters played a couple songs on violins and it was just so awesome. I discovered that on the top floor the people are speaking Russian and so if ever I'm feeling down on myself for the language I go up there and look at that alphabet and listen to them speak and then I feel much better about my French. ;) I still want to learn that language though, as well as German too. And probably Italian. Yah that's my list of first ones to learn for now. However I imagine I'll start to add more on to that over time. I can feel myself growing each and every day and it is the greatest thing. I love when I feel as though I'm learning a lot. I was given a good idea for my personal study too, I bought a journal that I'm only going to use for study purposes and as I read I can write down things that pop out to me so that in the time of need when I'm searching for a scripture I know I've read then I can flip through that and then find it. I'm really excited to go to France but when I get there I'm afraid I'll get a native trainer or something that speaks maybe ten words of English or that it's going to be exactly like "The Best Two Years" and the MTC taught me the wrong language or something. I know that I'll be ok though. I was watching a talk that Elder Bednar gave to the MTC and he said that "The Lord loves everyone equally but His missionaries he loves a little more equally." That made me laugh and so I know that no matter what happens I'll be fine in France. I am so excited to find the person there that I was always meant to find. To say exactly what they need to hear in their life. I love the MTC and how much I learn here and then all the people that are here too. Our district (the Elders anyway) have a tradition three times a week and that's that we get a bag of chips and a jar of dip for all of us and at night we work on just destroying it. We timed ourselves last night, three minutes and we had an empty bag and an empty jar. If you don't know about the power of getting something done when you put your mind to it that is an excellent place to look for it. I've also grown a love for Four Square. You may think it's just a game to play in the elementary schools but no, it's a viscous (not how you spell that) game where only the strong survive. It's fun though. If you do it right you also get a workout from it as well. All the islanders on my floor have left now so the only people up there are my district and then two Elders from the other French district that leave the same time as we do. It's a little bit strange. In a couple weeks I'll get my travel plans. I looked at a paper that had the times and stuff in the French Embasy but I can't remember the times that everything is and so I'll make sure to email about when I'll call from the airport. I am really excited for that. Even though that means that I'll be on a plane for thirteen hours all together I'm still really excited. Well I love you all and just want to wish you all the best.

Elder Nicholas Davis.