Week 4 - Marjorie Pay was one smart lady

Ed. note: Maren's email is below, but I thought I would add a preface to add some context to a couple of the things she refers to. 

"Comment dit-on..." means "how do you say...". 

"Souviens-toi" is a wonderful French hymn which I wish existed in the English hymnbook. It means "Remember" and it is set to music from the New World Symphony by Antonín Dvoràk. It has the feel of a tender lullaby being sung by a parent to a newborn child. I love the doctrinal aspects of the hymn, as well, particularly the reference to Heavenly Parents. Here are the French lyrics, followed by my feeble effort to translate them:

Souviens-toi, mon enfant: Tes parents divins
Te serraient dans leurs bras, ce temps n'est pas loin.
Aujourd’hui, tu es là, présent merveilleux,
Ton regard brille encore du reflet des cieux.
Parle-moi, mon enfant, de ces lieux bénis
Car pour toi est léger le voile d’oubli.

Souviens-toi, mon enfant des bois, des cités.
Pouvons-nous ici-bas les imaginer?
Et le ciel jusqu’au soir, est-il rose ou gris?
Le soleil attend-il la neige ou la pluie?
Conte-moi, mon enfant, la couleur des prés
Et le chant des oiseaux d’un monde oublié.

Souviens-toi, mon enfant : A l’aube des temps,
Nous étions des amis jouant dans le vent.
Puis un jour, dans la joie nous avons choisi
D’accepter du Seigneur le grand plan de vie.
Ce soir-là, mon enfant, nous avons promis
Par l’amour, par la foi, d’être réunis.

Remember, my child: your heavenly parents

Held you in their arms, not long ago.

Today, you are here, a marvelous present,

Your gaze still shines, with the reflection of heaven.

Speak to me, my child, of that blessed place

For the veil of forgetfulness is thin for you.

Remember, my child, the forests, the cities.

Can we imagine them here below?

And the evening sky, is it pink or gray?

Does the sun wait for snow or rain?

Tell me, my child, the color of the meadows

And the song of the birds of a forgotten world.

Remember, my child - at the dawn of time

We were friends playing in the wind.

Then one day, in joy we chose

To accept the great plan of life from the Lord.

That evening, my child, we promised,

Through love, through faith, to be reunited.

Fam:

Its PDAY!! I love me some p day.

Honestly don't know how to even tell you everything that happened this week because I feel like its the same stuff that happens every week. We eat, go to class, eat, go to class, eat, study. Its super exciting.

We didn't have an apostle last week, but they're broadcasting this devotional to all the MTCs so we think it's this week... we'll see. I think they just enjoy faking us out.

My district continues to be the BEST. I love my elders so much. We set a bunch of goals last night and I'm just so impressed with them. They want to be so righteous. Sometimes we forget and get distracted but overall I lucked out to the extreme. Yesterday we sang "Souviens-Toi" three times. Its a hymn thats only in the French hymnbook and we love it. The elders always sing it to incoming elders at the top of their lungs and its been stuck in my head all day.  Love souviens-toi.

We've been trying to speak French for chunks of each day. We're not very good but we try. 

I just love my district -- I treat them like little brothers. When we tease each other during French speaking time or any other times pretty much instead of just saying what ever it is we say "comment dit on ..." and then whatever comeback we want to use. It sounds lame trying to write it out but its so funny to us. Or another favorite is "Allez-vous shut up" because allez-vous is like "will you", its our commitment phrase for investigators. Haha I love them so much. Don't worry mom I don't say shut up. I just laugh at the elders who do. 

We moved from building 8M to 10M yesterday and we've all been complaining about it because its Ben E. Rich and his picture is terrifying. He looks like a zombie. It's so scary. Now instead of having the rolling chairs with desks we can fold down we have GIANT stationary desks that take up the entire classroom. There are 10 of us. To get in my desk I have to either climb over Sr. Walker or move the entire desk forward and slide in around it. I'll send pictures. Its ridiculous and my worst nightmare.  We call it spirit prison.

I love my teachers so much. Sr Coleman and Frere Pistorius. They're hilarious. Or at least we think they're hilarious because we're a little starved for entertainment around here. 

Except for the films they show on Sunday nights. Please for your own sakes go watch "Legacy", its about the early saints and its really sad because it shows a lot of the trials and persecution. But it is also hilarious. and terribly made. and hilarious.

French is coming okay, we've learned 4 tenses and we have 2 more to learn. Usually during language study I read the Book of Mormon in French and then conjugate verbs on the chalk board. I love writing on the chalkboard. 

Tying back to my subject line, on my journal there's a quote from Marjorie Pay Hinckley that goes something like, everything you are now learning is preparing you for something else. I'm trying so hard to learn the lessons the Lord is trying to teach me.

I love you guys so much thanks for all the letters and all the love.

You're the best.

soeur hansen