a ora na.
I couldn't be more excited. These weeks are flying by and I leave in 2 weeks from today! We get our travel plans this Friday, and I am praying that all of our visas came through. It is so hard because Argentina, Australia, and Brazil are almost impossible to get visas for currently so there are so many reassignments. And as good of an experience as that would be...lets be honest...I really just want to go to Tahiti.
We are still learning Tahitian and it is still so fun. I get a little too excited when we have Tahitian grammar lessons. The language is just so simple and so interesting. Except this week those who are singing in the choir have to miss an hour and a half of class each morning, so I feel like I need to catch up on studies. Our district has been trying to be more on time this week to activities, because lately after being here for so long we've become relaxed. I usually go to the exercise classes in the morning where this super pregnant woman teaches us yoga and stuff. It is super fun, but it means I have 15 minutes to get ready, so I want to make sure I start making it on time to class.
This Tuesday Sister Derrick and I were chosen to be interviewed for a video on the Gift of Tongues, so that should be interesting. I am not really sure what to expect, but I know that I have seen the gift of tongues so far, so I have some things to say about it. I guess I am excited, but I don't really like the thought of being on camera. Sister Derrick and I had a great chat this past week too. We both just told each other what we loved about each other and how the other person was an example to us and it was really great. Sister Derrick is really spiritual and a sweet girl. It is fun to be around her.
So I discovered that my French has actually been kind of declining because of my focusing on Tahitian, so I made a new plan for these next two weeks called " learn and memorize everything ever". I am hoping it will be effective. We watched a movie in French last night and I kind of freaked out because I still can't really understand it. When people talk slow, I can basically understand everything, but when they talk fast, my mind just kind of panics. I really need to work on comprehension. To work on this, I have been listening to a lot of talks in French, and I really like that. One of the talks I most recently listened to is from President Monson on seeing people as they really are. I felt like I was meant to listen to it. President Monson talks about the importance of us seeing people as they can become, not their weaknesses or faults or even sin filled life. I think it is just so important for missionary work, because I never want to "skip over" someone I could've talked to because I thought they were too far off the path. Anyone can return to Christ no matter where they are in their life, and I intend to even help the hardest of hearts. The Atonement is so powerful and makes us new people.
Soeur Buswell told us about a convert she had that was like this. She taught this old Papi who lived on the side of a mountain and didn't want anything to do with the missionaries. She said his heart was so far from where it needed to be. He had children from five different moms living in four different countries and didn't see God in his life. Needless to say, through the spirit, Soeur Buswell and her companion were able to say the right things that helped him grow towards Christ, and he was baptized!
So crazy, but such a good lesson for all of us. We should never never give up on anyone.
Well my p-day is waning to a close. But I love you. Thanks for the package mom. Filled with all my favorite foods. You know me too well.
Ua here au ia outou. Ua ite au e, e ekaretia mau e ekaretia o Ietu Metia. Ua ite au e, ua here Te Atua i te au ra ia tatou.
-
Tuahine Kimball
PS, this week we got the Doctrine and Covenants in Tahitian and in it it has the name of Heber C. Kimball which is (Hebera C. Kimibala), So Dad just so you know that is your name in Tahitian. Except Tahitian doesn't have the "k" or "B" sound so it is actually pronounced (Heepera Timipala). I really hope they call me Sister Timipala in Tahiti! Well Nana!
Sunday, September 29, 2013
MTC 9-16-2013
Hey this week went great, and there are so many things to say!
First off, basically all of our zone left to their missions this morning. They are all going to either Paris or Leon France, and we are so excited for them. We were here when they came him, and still here when they are now leaving. But really, being in the MTC for so long is actually a blessing. We get so many good devotionals. Speaking of devotionals, I have a story for everyone about last night's devotional. So every Sunday night devotional, there is an opening musical number, and last night some girl sang an intense solo. It was really good, except I ruined it...kind of. Everything makes me laugh here. I can't really explain it, but where the camera angle was on the soloist, I could see myself on the camera because I was sitting behind her, and it was just so funny. So I was laughing the whole time and everyone could see on the TV which made me laugh more. Then I did this awkward thing...I apparently looked straight into the camera. After wards our Elders wouldn't stop laughing at me. They kept saying they almost felt the spirit from the song, but then they would look at me and just bust up laughing.
This week we also changed classrooms, which has been hard. We each have approximately 30 books that we use every single day, and there is no storage space in our new classrooms. We don't even really have desks, just rolly chairs. so everyone's stuff is EVERYWHERE. It is a nightmare to do any studying in there because there are people's things everywhere. I go crazy looking at it sometimes, but class time is still great. It is all because of our teachers. They are seriously so good, and they know exactly what we need to hear.
Just so everyone knows, the gift of tongues is a real thing. This week I totally understood Tahitian for an instant while we were teaching a lesson to a return missionary from Tahiti. He shared an experience of when he prayed to know the church was true, and I understood him. He bore his testimony of the feelings of peace he received as an answer, and the spirit was so strong. It was so weird, because it is not like I knew every word that he was saying, but I could still understand him. Tahitian is so hard to understand and usually I can only pick up 1 or 2 words, but this experience gave me hope.
We found out that maybe in Tahiti sometimes I won't get the opportunity to email home on P-day. One teacher said that he didn't email home for 4 months. So just be warned.
Well, I am running out of time, so I will say good bye! I still love you all. Continue to obey and do the good things!
NANA
-Tuahine Kimball
First off, basically all of our zone left to their missions this morning. They are all going to either Paris or Leon France, and we are so excited for them. We were here when they came him, and still here when they are now leaving. But really, being in the MTC for so long is actually a blessing. We get so many good devotionals. Speaking of devotionals, I have a story for everyone about last night's devotional. So every Sunday night devotional, there is an opening musical number, and last night some girl sang an intense solo. It was really good, except I ruined it...kind of. Everything makes me laugh here. I can't really explain it, but where the camera angle was on the soloist, I could see myself on the camera because I was sitting behind her, and it was just so funny. So I was laughing the whole time and everyone could see on the TV which made me laugh more. Then I did this awkward thing...I apparently looked straight into the camera. After wards our Elders wouldn't stop laughing at me. They kept saying they almost felt the spirit from the song, but then they would look at me and just bust up laughing.
This week we also changed classrooms, which has been hard. We each have approximately 30 books that we use every single day, and there is no storage space in our new classrooms. We don't even really have desks, just rolly chairs. so everyone's stuff is EVERYWHERE. It is a nightmare to do any studying in there because there are people's things everywhere. I go crazy looking at it sometimes, but class time is still great. It is all because of our teachers. They are seriously so good, and they know exactly what we need to hear.
Just so everyone knows, the gift of tongues is a real thing. This week I totally understood Tahitian for an instant while we were teaching a lesson to a return missionary from Tahiti. He shared an experience of when he prayed to know the church was true, and I understood him. He bore his testimony of the feelings of peace he received as an answer, and the spirit was so strong. It was so weird, because it is not like I knew every word that he was saying, but I could still understand him. Tahitian is so hard to understand and usually I can only pick up 1 or 2 words, but this experience gave me hope.
We found out that maybe in Tahiti sometimes I won't get the opportunity to email home on P-day. One teacher said that he didn't email home for 4 months. So just be warned.
Well, I am running out of time, so I will say good bye! I still love you all. Continue to obey and do the good things!
NANA
-Tuahine Kimball
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
MTC #2 09-09-2013
Hey, tell mom I love the package she sent me and I am so happy you found popcorn flavored rice cakes because they are my favorite, and the peaches were so good, and technically I am not allowed to recieve any fruit, so they threw away my raspberries : (, but I still got everything else. I loved her letter and I am glad you liked your Big Hunk. Those brownies are my favorite so thanks. Mom wrote me a letter where she told me about that cool new missionary app. That sounds so cool! Except she said you weren't going to keep up my blog because of that. If it is at all possible could you still post all my big family friend emails I send every week on my blog, because that is connected to my facebook and I told lots of people I would have that. Pretty please? Thanks
There is a tongan girl going to Tahiti with me and she says that Tongan is really similar to Tahitian, so yes. Also I am going to be at conference, not sure which session yet, but look for me on the TV. And I leave in less than a month now.
Well, I don't have much time, but I am jealous you are hiking Timp. I love the mountains, and I really want to hike sometime. Also I am jealous that you had such a good time with Marisa. It sounds totally fun.
Yes, Tahitian is very difficult, but it is so fun. It sounds like I am trying to be a caveman. Also, you should read Jacob 5 again because a general authority told us that the last part about the last gathering is talking specifically about the missionary age change. So cool huh? I am so grateful to be apart of this day to gather Israel. It is so exciting!
Well, I g2g, but
ua here au ia tatou!
There is a tongan girl going to Tahiti with me and she says that Tongan is really similar to Tahitian, so yes. Also I am going to be at conference, not sure which session yet, but look for me on the TV. And I leave in less than a month now.
Well, I don't have much time, but I am jealous you are hiking Timp. I love the mountains, and I really want to hike sometime. Also I am jealous that you had such a good time with Marisa. It sounds totally fun.
Yes, Tahitian is very difficult, but it is so fun. It sounds like I am trying to be a caveman. Also, you should read Jacob 5 again because a general authority told us that the last part about the last gathering is talking specifically about the missionary age change. So cool huh? I am so grateful to be apart of this day to gather Israel. It is so exciting!
Well, I g2g, but
ua here au ia tatou!
MTC 9-9-2013
Ia or ana!
Hey family! Hey friends! Thanks for the love and the packages mom. Haha, except I kind of got in trouble for you sending me berries because apparently they leaked and you are not allowed to send fruit to me, but they let the other fruit slip by. I ate the peaches within like 2 hours and I was so happy to get normal apples because apples here are scary. Really, I bit into one last week and it had an alien inside of it. I almost died. It has happened to another girl here too, so real fruit makes me so happy. I basically ate the whole bag of grapes as well. Oh yum.
So, I have lots to say, and so short time. Truly this week was awesome. We had the coolest devotional with someone from the seventy. I forgot his name already, but it was awesome. I guess that is a perk for being here for 12 weeks, we get so many devotionals. Two apostles already have visited us, and we are just always being spiritually fed. Anyway, this speaker was telling us how in Jacob chapter 5 (you know the olive tree allegory)?, it talks about missionaries now. If you notice the last servant of the Master of the vineyard (President Monson), for the last dispensation goes to call more servants to gather the house of Israel in the last dispensation. Apparently the missionary age change was that prophecy being fulfilled, of asking for more servants. I just thought that was so cool. So you should totally read over Jacob 5 sometime and pay attention to our dispensation in the last part of the chapter. It is really neat to see that prophecies are starting to be fulfilled.
This week was also great because guess what...? I am totally probably going to sing in general conference. We leave the day after general conference, and the girls MTC choir got invited to sing, and I am in the choir. I don't know what session it is yet, it might even be the relief society session, but look for me on TV!! We have to "try out" for it, with telling how much choir experience we have taken, but I took like 4 years, so it should be good.
So language wise, this week was a little difficult. We totally switched to Tahitian, so my French has been suffering, and Tahitian is so hard. I absolutely love it, but it is so confusing, and we are not allowed to say "um..." when we are thinking of what to say, because in Tahitian if you say filler noises like " um.. or aaaa", you are saying words in Tahitian and changing the meaning of your sentences. Also Tahitians say yes by grunting and moving their eyebrows. Yes! my kind of people. I seriously sound like a man when I speak Tahitian. It is quite entertaining. I can't actually say much yet though.
Sentence structure is totally flipped around. And yes, dad, it is just like Tongan where there are actually only a few letters they use in the alphabet, so you just add "faa, or haa" at the beginning or ending of words to make them different words. It is crazy. We also taught our first Tahitian lesson in the TRC on Thursday. Basically all I know how to say was the phrases I copied out of preach my gospel and other supplements to read off of, and so I had no idea what was happening. We taught a return missionary that had served in Tahiti, Bora Bora, Moorea, Tahaa, and I think somewhere else, so his Tahitian was so good, and I had no idea what he was saying. He basically just corrected our grammar. It was bad because he was pretending to be an investigator so when we tried to commit him to pray and use the Atonement to repent, he asked us " Well how do I repent" in Tahitian. Using the 5 words I knew in Tahitian, I tried to explain you pray for forgiveness of your sins and God will forgive you through Christ's Atonement. Except I accidentally told him " God will forgive all of Jesus's sins". His face was shocked, and then I realized what I had accidentally told him and I was so embarassed, but it was so funny so it didn't even matter.
We have less than a month now, and I am counting down the days. I cannot wait to actually leave. Thanks again utuafare (family) for the packages. They were magnificent and I loved them dearly. I love you guys!
-Nana,
Tuahine Kimball
Hey family! Hey friends! Thanks for the love and the packages mom. Haha, except I kind of got in trouble for you sending me berries because apparently they leaked and you are not allowed to send fruit to me, but they let the other fruit slip by. I ate the peaches within like 2 hours and I was so happy to get normal apples because apples here are scary. Really, I bit into one last week and it had an alien inside of it. I almost died. It has happened to another girl here too, so real fruit makes me so happy. I basically ate the whole bag of grapes as well. Oh yum.
So, I have lots to say, and so short time. Truly this week was awesome. We had the coolest devotional with someone from the seventy. I forgot his name already, but it was awesome. I guess that is a perk for being here for 12 weeks, we get so many devotionals. Two apostles already have visited us, and we are just always being spiritually fed. Anyway, this speaker was telling us how in Jacob chapter 5 (you know the olive tree allegory)?, it talks about missionaries now. If you notice the last servant of the Master of the vineyard (President Monson), for the last dispensation goes to call more servants to gather the house of Israel in the last dispensation. Apparently the missionary age change was that prophecy being fulfilled, of asking for more servants. I just thought that was so cool. So you should totally read over Jacob 5 sometime and pay attention to our dispensation in the last part of the chapter. It is really neat to see that prophecies are starting to be fulfilled.
This week was also great because guess what...? I am totally probably going to sing in general conference. We leave the day after general conference, and the girls MTC choir got invited to sing, and I am in the choir. I don't know what session it is yet, it might even be the relief society session, but look for me on TV!! We have to "try out" for it, with telling how much choir experience we have taken, but I took like 4 years, so it should be good.
So language wise, this week was a little difficult. We totally switched to Tahitian, so my French has been suffering, and Tahitian is so hard. I absolutely love it, but it is so confusing, and we are not allowed to say "um..." when we are thinking of what to say, because in Tahitian if you say filler noises like " um.. or aaaa", you are saying words in Tahitian and changing the meaning of your sentences. Also Tahitians say yes by grunting and moving their eyebrows. Yes! my kind of people. I seriously sound like a man when I speak Tahitian. It is quite entertaining. I can't actually say much yet though.
Sentence structure is totally flipped around. And yes, dad, it is just like Tongan where there are actually only a few letters they use in the alphabet, so you just add "faa, or haa" at the beginning or ending of words to make them different words. It is crazy. We also taught our first Tahitian lesson in the TRC on Thursday. Basically all I know how to say was the phrases I copied out of preach my gospel and other supplements to read off of, and so I had no idea what was happening. We taught a return missionary that had served in Tahiti, Bora Bora, Moorea, Tahaa, and I think somewhere else, so his Tahitian was so good, and I had no idea what he was saying. He basically just corrected our grammar. It was bad because he was pretending to be an investigator so when we tried to commit him to pray and use the Atonement to repent, he asked us " Well how do I repent" in Tahitian. Using the 5 words I knew in Tahitian, I tried to explain you pray for forgiveness of your sins and God will forgive you through Christ's Atonement. Except I accidentally told him " God will forgive all of Jesus's sins". His face was shocked, and then I realized what I had accidentally told him and I was so embarassed, but it was so funny so it didn't even matter.
We have less than a month now, and I am counting down the days. I cannot wait to actually leave. Thanks again utuafare (family) for the packages. They were magnificent and I loved them dearly. I love you guys!
-Nana,
Tuahine Kimball
MTC 8-26-2013
Ia ora na.
This week was great. Also family back home are you even actually reading these emails? I have no idea, but it sounds like you had a lot of fun in Idaho. I had no idea school even started. If the world became at war and there were terrorist attacks I would probably still have no idea what was happening. I tell you it is another world here in the MTC, but it is a pretty great world, full of blessings and the love of God.
We were informed this week that we are actually moving to Wyview (make up your mind), so I was kind of sad, but its all good because we start Tahitian this week! Also, I bought some air freshener for my closet because my shoes smell so bad. Seriously, my feet already smell bad, but in Tahiti, it will be disguisting. Also everyone in my District keeps getting sick with a cold and cough and I don't want to be sick so today I bought some vitamin C. But please mom, if you love me, send me some chewable airborne. Today I also took a nap because I did my laundry at 5 am so I could get it over with.
This last week 2 of our lessons got canceled with our progressing investigators, but we still had to teach in the TRC. In the TRC, you basically go into a random room with your companion and teach a real French person ( or just someone who speaks French), a 20 minute lesson. Our lessons are pretty good, except that they are so awkward, because I don't know how to small talk in French. Whenever somebody says something ( and my French comprehension is like 20%), I just say "bien", and keep talking and nodding my head. So this week, I am really working on actually conversing in French.
Sometimes our teachers (Frere Roney and Soeur Buswell), eat with us during lunch or dinner, and we just ask them questions about Tahiti for a straight 45 minutes. We found out that 95% of our investigators and people we will teach will be between the ages of 14-20. The old Tahitians are too stubborn and set in their ways to listen to our message. Also we found out that 90% of the people we will teach will need to be married before they can get baptized. Basically how they explained it was that Tahitians pair off at 14-16, and by the time they are 18/19 they already have two kids with someone they are not married to. It is actually really sad, because the French government gives them incentives to not get married. Their taxes actually increase if they do get married, so no one gets married. I'm going to have to give the chastity lesson all of the time. What fun.
Frere Roney told us stories this week about dog attacks and bike crashes. He said one time on Bora Bora he had to cut through a jungle for P day (I don't know why), and he accidentally cut his leg and infected it with a machete ( i don't know how to spell that). But don't worry, I won't ever be using a machete. He also got bit by a diseased dog.
There are actually lots of Tahitian elders and sisters here (from Tahiti) as I have already told you, and they come to talk to our class and our teachers all of the time. They are quite funny, and they are super friendly. But sometimes, they like to scare our class. Last night they told us all of the Tahitian elders serving in Tahiti are looking through the pictures of the list of girls going to serve in Tahiti from America. Super creepy. Our teacher wasn't very happy to hear that one. Also they told us there are a lot of transgenders in Tahiti? um what? I hope they were joking but I am not really sure.
As to spiritual things, I still have a testimony and I still love the scriptures. Our district made a goal to get through the Book of Mormon once before we go to Tahiti, so I am reading about 15 pages each day. As I read each day, I learn so many new insights I never noticed before. The Book of Mormon is seriously stuffed full with the Doctrine of Christ (Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Holy Ghost), and I cry almost every day I read it because it is just so good. We learned this week that the Book of Mormon is they key to the conversion of our investigators because of its power. If the Book of Mormon is true, then the church is true, and Joseph Smith did see God and did restore the true church of Christ. And anybody can gain a knowledge of its truth if they just ask God. It is so simple, and that is why I love the church. The way is so simple.
Anyway, I hope school is going well for everyone, and I hope you check the mail. I hope mom had a good birthday and I wrote her a card. I love you all, and thank you thank you Karey and family for the Rice krispie treats. Oh yum. I almost forgot what real desserts tasted like. I basically cried eating them because they tasted so good. And thanks Marisa for the Dear Elder!
I guess that is all. I have to go but I love you as always.
-Soeur Kimball
This week was great. Also family back home are you even actually reading these emails? I have no idea, but it sounds like you had a lot of fun in Idaho. I had no idea school even started. If the world became at war and there were terrorist attacks I would probably still have no idea what was happening. I tell you it is another world here in the MTC, but it is a pretty great world, full of blessings and the love of God.
We were informed this week that we are actually moving to Wyview (make up your mind), so I was kind of sad, but its all good because we start Tahitian this week! Also, I bought some air freshener for my closet because my shoes smell so bad. Seriously, my feet already smell bad, but in Tahiti, it will be disguisting. Also everyone in my District keeps getting sick with a cold and cough and I don't want to be sick so today I bought some vitamin C. But please mom, if you love me, send me some chewable airborne. Today I also took a nap because I did my laundry at 5 am so I could get it over with.
This last week 2 of our lessons got canceled with our progressing investigators, but we still had to teach in the TRC. In the TRC, you basically go into a random room with your companion and teach a real French person ( or just someone who speaks French), a 20 minute lesson. Our lessons are pretty good, except that they are so awkward, because I don't know how to small talk in French. Whenever somebody says something ( and my French comprehension is like 20%), I just say "bien", and keep talking and nodding my head. So this week, I am really working on actually conversing in French.
Sometimes our teachers (Frere Roney and Soeur Buswell), eat with us during lunch or dinner, and we just ask them questions about Tahiti for a straight 45 minutes. We found out that 95% of our investigators and people we will teach will be between the ages of 14-20. The old Tahitians are too stubborn and set in their ways to listen to our message. Also we found out that 90% of the people we will teach will need to be married before they can get baptized. Basically how they explained it was that Tahitians pair off at 14-16, and by the time they are 18/19 they already have two kids with someone they are not married to. It is actually really sad, because the French government gives them incentives to not get married. Their taxes actually increase if they do get married, so no one gets married. I'm going to have to give the chastity lesson all of the time. What fun.
Frere Roney told us stories this week about dog attacks and bike crashes. He said one time on Bora Bora he had to cut through a jungle for P day (I don't know why), and he accidentally cut his leg and infected it with a machete ( i don't know how to spell that). But don't worry, I won't ever be using a machete. He also got bit by a diseased dog.
There are actually lots of Tahitian elders and sisters here (from Tahiti) as I have already told you, and they come to talk to our class and our teachers all of the time. They are quite funny, and they are super friendly. But sometimes, they like to scare our class. Last night they told us all of the Tahitian elders serving in Tahiti are looking through the pictures of the list of girls going to serve in Tahiti from America. Super creepy. Our teacher wasn't very happy to hear that one. Also they told us there are a lot of transgenders in Tahiti? um what? I hope they were joking but I am not really sure.
As to spiritual things, I still have a testimony and I still love the scriptures. Our district made a goal to get through the Book of Mormon once before we go to Tahiti, so I am reading about 15 pages each day. As I read each day, I learn so many new insights I never noticed before. The Book of Mormon is seriously stuffed full with the Doctrine of Christ (Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Holy Ghost), and I cry almost every day I read it because it is just so good. We learned this week that the Book of Mormon is they key to the conversion of our investigators because of its power. If the Book of Mormon is true, then the church is true, and Joseph Smith did see God and did restore the true church of Christ. And anybody can gain a knowledge of its truth if they just ask God. It is so simple, and that is why I love the church. The way is so simple.
Anyway, I hope school is going well for everyone, and I hope you check the mail. I hope mom had a good birthday and I wrote her a card. I love you all, and thank you thank you Karey and family for the Rice krispie treats. Oh yum. I almost forgot what real desserts tasted like. I basically cried eating them because they tasted so good. And thanks Marisa for the Dear Elder!
I guess that is all. I have to go but I love you as always.
-Soeur Kimball
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