The man kept referring to the Book of Mormon as the Book of Joseph Smith. He repeated it enough times that I understood what he was saying. There are many kind, beautiful Muslims, many vibrant and funny Africans, people from the old French colonies, transplants from Asia, South America, the rest of Europe, and also many tourists. Marlise Dawn Craig Smurthwaite of Castle Rock, Colorado, served in the Hong Kong Mission, 19981999, Cantonese speaking. Always practice the language. (Bryan), One time playing soccer near the Eiffel Tower and watching a bunch of illegal sellers of tourist items running away from police and diving into bushes and seeing all their stuff flying everywhere. We went around a corner and a bunch of soldiers started clapping for us. I even introduced my wife to them on our honeymoon in Paris five years after returning home. Scandinavian languages, Finnish and Dutch, were taught at then Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho, in the late 1960s. Kristi Jensen of Provo served in the Paraguay Asuncion Mission, 19821984, Spanish speaking. Mainly, Portuguese-speaking missionaries lived in Allen Hall until 1976. This is the caption information found on the frame plaque accompanying this photo, one of nearly a dozen historical photos showing the development of the Language Training Mission and Missionary Training Center facilities in Provo since the 1960s. (Roberto), While riding our bikes in Orleans, some guys we rode by spat at and hit us in the shoulder. Youll get rid of the big one quickly of you bring it. If we are here now, what will our race be like a hundred, a thousand, a million years from now even if there is no higher power to interfere with our progress? Mainly humid. I had to make a concerted effort to forget in order to learn Spanish. 13 Days. Dont get discouraged because it will be hard and you will be confused on what to do. (Merrilyn). Pack light. (Jordan), Riding bicycles down the hill from the supermarket with a Christmas tree tied to the back of my companion with her scarf. (Jordan), Culture, food, country is beautiful. We were having our district meeting that morning, so two companionships from out of town had arrived earlier by train and they were stopped and informed by police officers just outside our apartment of the situation. Once learned, they can together create an extraordinary mlange of words! A new missionary in my apartments that had only been out a month or two was having a conversation with a cashier and another American that had been in Hong Kong studying the language for four years and still couldnt speak the language. It about caused her to pull a stitch. To name two, I was blessed to learn to love people, even though I dont directly benefit in any temporal way from those people. (Valan), Dont bring tons of American clothes. It covered eastern France and the French- Speaking portion of Switzerland. (Jeffrey), Kebabs, crpes, coquilles St Jacques. Check out YA Weekly, located in the Young Adults section under Audiences in the Gospel Library, for new, inspiring content for young adults each week. (Anonymous), Getting along with your companion is more important than you ever would believe. One day while we were speaking to a Norwegian, the man turned to me and said, You should teach your American friend to speak better Norwegian. The translator was a new convert too and it was so cool to see her learning as we taught. (Chloe), Investigators reading the scriptures and telling us what they learned. Upon leaving the mission field, my companions and I separated at the airport in New York City. Brittany DeKorver of Orem served in the Illinois Chicago Mission, April 2013October 2014, Spanish speaking. Turns out she loves family history and was full of love towards us and interested in what we did. Missionary Training Center. He knows exactly where to find those who are prepared for His message, and He knows how to touch their hearts. (Or if i msesed anything up!) John Taylor was one of the first missionaries here, but the church is still young. (Doug), Seeing peoples lives change through reading the Book of Mormon with an open heart and mind. Pastries. (Mariah), I wish I had spoken the language better. (Kara), Colombes, Evry/Grigny, Versailles, Melun, Bois Guillaume, Rouens, and Nantes. Contact Us 4856 E. Baseline Road Suite 104 Mesa, Arizona 85206 (480) 633-8000 Follow Us We were thinking the same thing. Remember this when you are off your mission and are in the process of choosing an eternal partner. Fun night! Latter-day Saint Missionaries Can Now Call, Text Home Weekly, First Presidency Announces, Expanded Service Missionary Program Means More Ways to Serve. Other times, it was just having a conversation with the man in the park about death, and what he was going through. Boots for rain. To this day, he recalls how miraculous it was to meet missionaries in Arizona who could speak his language. (Kara), French (study a second language early). Do your best to communicate in a loving way with your companion. Beautiful. Full-Time Senior Missionaries. (Zakarias), Its like regular mainland European weather- we have both a lot of rain and sun. Learning a new language was not easy. Remember that youll be effectively living out of your luggage sometimes, and transfers happen unexpectedly sometimes. This sub is dedicated to faithful discourse on church topics. I should have just tried and learned rather than being worried about being embarrassed. My advice is to rely with all your heart on the Lord and you will make it. (Drew), I was on splits the first night of my mission with two elders. Summers, you need to organize your time so that you arent in the sun for too long of a period. My first city was Prato, just north of Florence (Firenze). The church and the work of the restoration will go forward and we can be a part if we choose. (Kara), Love every minute and never stop praying! It was just awesome. (Alex), Language bonus, people skills, being able to carry on a conversation, cooking. Later missionaries entered Quebec City where a branch was organized in 1969. French Language Called to Serve LDS Mormon Missionary design for sister or elder missionaries serving in Paris or Lyon France, Belgium, Switzerland, Montreal Quebec, Benin, Cote d'Ivoire, Congo, Madagascar, or any other French speaking missions. I knew at that point that the Holy Ghost would be with me as I continued to learn Italian and He would be with me when I testified of the gospeleven if I didnt know what to say or how to say it. My last companion started training Elder Whitman the day I went home. RussellM. Nelson, opening remarks in Children and Youth: A Face to Face Event with Elder GerritW. Gong, Nov. 17, 2019, broadcasts.ChurchofJesusChrist.org. A lot more humid than the desert I grew up in. They do provide sheets, but I suggest bringing your own haha. I had a unique experience. I chalked all of this up to the gift of tongues. (Nicholai), I walked around for the first 6 weeks saying that Jesus Christ is my flavor because the words for savior and flavor are really close. Then they asked me if they could visit my home because they had a message for me.. (Merrilyn), Our mission extended from Paris to Tarbes and Pau. Even though I studied Japanese three years previously, I still struggled. I was in Amanda Knight Hall and love to go by it every time Im in Provo. Scott Hinrichs of North Ogden served in the Norway Oslo Mission, 19801982, Norwegian speaking. The people who remember you most are often the companions you serve with so be good to each other. Rain gear a must. But it doesnt take much time to catch up and understand. Here are survey responses from France ParisRMs, to give you a snapshot into what its like to live in the mission. It was a great experience! 2002, Belgium Brussels Mission renamed to Belgium Brussels/Netherlands Mission. Talking to people. (Valan), Never snowed. But all of the skills and leadership traits and work ethic I received from the mission is allowing me to excel after my mission. Its nice to have some high quality tights/nylons and deodorant and stuff. I Had Left the Church. It was amazing to see someones life lifted up and to receive joy through the Gospel. we just taught a lesson about Jesus Christ to a friend in the neighborhood but he then asked if he could have some of our hair. France Marseille Mission. Many of the things I learned from trying to get the award helped me to understand the gospel better. (Anonymous), My companion and I were beat up by three Arabs about a month after 9/11. One of the most amazing miracles is that the two-month learning process is the strongest and solid foundation youll ever build before heading out into the world and preach that language. [1] By country/territory [ edit] List of missions within each country, territory or dependency. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has had a presence in France since 1849, and the first Latter-day Saint convert in the country was Augustus Saint d'Anna, in Le Havre. (Kara), Being there when the first stake was formed in Versailles. I recall joking with them, I guess we know who passed the test! I was also at the LTM over Thanksgiving and Christmas of 1973, which included the funeral of President Harold B. Lee. What was the worst thing that could happen? Dont buy more than you need. In the Book of Mormon, King Benjamin prophesies, And moreover, I say unto you, that the time shall come when the knowledge of a Savior shall spread throughout every nation, kindred, tongue, and people (Mosiah 3:20). The ones Ive found stateside just arent the same. The other three came shortly thereafter. The Divine Gift of Forgiveness. The claires chocolats there were really good, too. I remember when I buckled down on my mission, and really devoted energy to speaking, reading, and writing, how I was blessed for my efforts and how my ability to remember and retain vocabulary multiplied, and my language abilities really improved. The shirts make great gifts for pre-missionaries, returned missionaries and missionaries currently serving. When I received my call to serve in Norway, I quickly discovered that I would be speaking Norwegian, a language about which I knew nothing. (Matt), Being threatened numerous times and actually being punched in the face. However, my visa took a long time to get approved, so I ended up going to the So Paulo Missionary Training Center, with no English classes. (Jacob), We had an investigator who was searching for something better in life. I served on La Runion for my full 2 years. They are amazing men and their wives are incredible and strong. Tartiflette. (Dennis), People, natural vegetation, culture. Cheeses. I tapped him on the shoulder after we crossed the street and started talking to him. I learned how to say yes and no before I left. And I loved hearing peoples stories. After a week there we went to the Provo LTM to start learning French, which was also taught there. (Matt), We have 3 countries in our mission, Paris has the best public transit in the world. (Matt), Let your mission be a compass for the rest of your life. Paris is awesome. (Aaron), Resilience, hard work, language, friendship. Church units will be given new sacrament cards that include the change and are asked to destroy any existing cards. (Douglas), Crme brle, lapin la moutarde, crpes, couscous algrienne, une bonne quiche, et un sandwich baguette pour quelques euros sur la rue. There was no dictionary available for us at the missionary training center. Loved eating escargot just so I could tell everyone back home that I ate SNAILS. Goat cheese salads. I didnt feel overwhelmed until I got out in the field. A knowledge of Gods love and His involvement and interest in my life. The temporal/secular history of the Church is often many individuals only exposure to the Church, but intelligent discussion of such is often an amazingly positive and readily accessible way to reach people about the Gospel. (Jeffrey), Have a young punk kid saying ta mre and I laughed back at him because I realized he had just said youre mom which doesnt translate as a bad word into English. Photo provided by the Provo Missionary Training Center. (Paul), A second language. Avoid accumulating things on your mission. (Michael), Once, my companion and I were waiting for the mtro (subway) when a homeless man came up to us to ask for money. The Gift of Tongues is a very real and very beautiful thing, I can testify to that. After a week there we went to the Provo LTM to start learning French, which was also taught there. We will have mastered all of the elements and planets and will have made our race immortal. That was always a good spiritual experience. By November 1, the foundations of several buildings were above ground. This is the caption information found on the frame plaque accompanying this photo, one of nearly a dozen historical photos showing the development of the Language Training Mission and Missionary Training Center facilities in Provo since the 1960s. (Drew), I was a little nervous as plans fell through again with my first blue (trainee), and I was afraid she might be mad or frustrated that we werent teaching quite as much as she probably expected. (Drew), Teaching the lessons and seeing the baptism of a young refugee from the Ukraine. The Provision of Language-Learning Support for LDS Missionaries . Life will go on without you back home, but you can make the most of other peoples lives in your mission because they need you. I wish I wasnt so self-conscious about not speaking French. (Kara), Finding ourselves in the middle of an anti-war protest. George Potter of Goshen, Indiana, served in the Thailand Bangkok Mission, 19931995, Thai speaking. They asked me if I spoke French. At the end of my mission I was speaking fluently and English was the hard language. (Jordan), Riding the bus at night in Mauritius. See DieterF. Uchtdorf, God Will Do Something Unimaginable, Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2020, 54. The very first one!? 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