Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Letter #9 July 28, 2015

Bonjour,

Je vais vous ecrit en friancais seulement je blague. Ya, I'm just kidding. I'm not going to write you all in french. Well how goes it back in the middle of nowhere? I'm not in the states for very much longer. I've been working hard these last few weeks and I'll work even harder these next two. T minus thirteen days. We get our travel plans on friday and I'm sure we'll about jump out of our skin. I'll tell you next week when I'm going to call.  And also I don't have a time limit! Infact I can call from SLC and LAX so I probably will. I just can't call from Tahiti.
 
     As for the week, It really has been a great one. It hit us all that we will be in Tahiti in less than two weeks and so we kicked it up a notch. I'm way excited but also realize how much I still need to polish up before hitting the streets of Tahiti. I've actually been running the last couple weeks. I've decided that I really think that it's a thing I enjoy now...not really, It sucks but I'm just trying to get in shape for Tahiti. I ran a mile in 7:51 the other day which was my goal to get it under 8 minutes. I about keeled over dead! But I did it and narrowly escaped passing out so I guess that's good. I really am not in shape.
     
Funny story of the week. Sister Johnson, one of our teachers, told us about a time her and Brother Hapairai went to the library together, cuz He'd never been to the Provo library I guess. She says they were just sitting there, Sister Johnson studying whatever and Brother Hapairai getting bored because it's a library. So he leaves for a bit and comes back with the human skeleton that sits by the door and proceeds to disassemble it right then and there! I guess he asked but still weird. He's an 8 year old stuck in a 25 year old 250 pound polynesian body. He's always doing weird stuff like that. Picking up Elder ruff and shaking him around as he's walking down the hallway, singing I am a child of God very softly in tahitian as he waddles around the building, making fun of us in all languages, the works. I love my teachers, they're the meilleur (best). 
 
     We had an english fast the other day, and yes, it's what it sounds like. No english, or Tahtian for that matter. Just French. That was absolutely exhausting but it really helped a lot with my french. Oh ya, Sister S did go home. 
 
Oh ya, could you send me some stories about our ancestors? I never got any and I watched a thing that helped me realize how I can use those, so that'd just awesome if you could. Well good  luck everybody, I hope you're all strong in the church back home and becoming more so! It's all true, and not only true but it changes lives or the better everyday, I've seen it. Au revoir.

Amour,
Elder Clements

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Letter # 8 July 21, 2015

          8 weeks in.... sanity levels low

Ia ora na, Bonjour, Previat, Ni hao, and Hello. I don't know what language to use. Well It's been another good week here in the MTC but kind of a long and crazy one. Sister T I told you all about was transferred to Las Vegas and she is already in the field. We were pretty sad to see her go but we're way happy for her. I guess she's already had miracles happen and I'm even more excited to be in the field. Evidently Sister S is going home we found out yesterday. Anxiety and OCD I guess. I'm not exactly sure what the deal is. She was put with a different companionship yesterday because of some serious tension in her companionship and announced later that she was going home. It's a little weird and I personally think it will change but for now, I guess she's going home.

As for me and my companion, we're finally getting along really well. We had a couple weeks that we were just tollerating each others presence but we've woken up this last week and we get along really well. Our lessons build on what each other says, we help each other with the language, our testimonies grow, It's great, I LOVE it.

 ... I'll take missionary models for $500 please. BING. What is Elders Garff and Clements?  That's correct!

 I don't remember if I told you but the temple breakfast is excellent. We have it every week. I really am starting to feel like a missionary finally (wierd huh?). I look at my name tag and just realize that I am actually one of those young'ns walking around in the suit and tie and the black name tag. Also we had a couple sweet kids stop us on our temple walk and with wide eyes ask where we were going on our missions, we told them where and their parents explained that they were from Florida and have never seen so many missionaries in one place. That just made me remember again why I'm here.

 We performed a song in devotional on sunday in front of the entire MTC. All 1,997 of the missionaries. Almost exactly the amount in Helaman's army, which was just the coolest thing to be singing about fighting in God's army, which we are doing, whilst looking out at the same number that did the same a couple thousand years ago. Tonight We'll be singing Praise to the Man in the choir and it is a beautiful arrangement that starts off with the men singing softly and stacatto like and then every one joining in and all that good stuff. I can't wait, that's one of my favorite songs!

I completely forgot to tell you that I get to call home the day I fly out to Tahiti from the airport. That will be August 10th sometime in the morning, I'll tell you when I get my travel plans. I might only be able to talk for like 10 minutes but that's still awesome! I can't wait for that day but I really have a lot to learn here still. I want to be the absolute best prepared I can be to teach the people of Tahiti the gospel, and I'm getting there. Alright, I'm going to go send some pictures now. Have a good week everybody, I'll do the same.

Avec l'amour, Elder Clements

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Week # 7 July 14, 2015

Bonjour, te mau taata atoa. There's my frahitian. I get so confused with the three languages I know. I've had lot's of times where I'll start out in french and slip into tahitian and back again in our lessons and our poor investigors get kinda confused. Hirama, Je sais que te ekalesia est vrai. E nehenehe oe sais l'eglise est parau mau...Not only does that look like giberish but nearly no one knows what I am talking about. It's cool though. I'm starting to be able to talk in both languages, especially in lessons.

 We have an elder and three sisters that just got here that are going to Tahiti and they're from Vanuatu and New Caledonia and only speak french. I can kind of help them out a little now that I know some french and am pretty decent in tahitian.

You and Elder Garff's mom send me so much food every week and I try and give it away but I still just have a mountain of it in my room. I'll take a picture of it. It's pretty sweet. Not much has happened this week. Went to the temple this morning for the first time in a while. That was refreshing. The breakfast at the temple is amazing by the way.

  We saw the Character of Christ talk again and got a good ol lecture from Elder Bednar again. That man speaks with fire, let me tell you. I was going to quote him but I figure without the context it might not be as great. Anyway I'm out of time. I'm trying to type faster but I also had a bunch of people to email today. Until next week. The church remains true. See ya.

Je vous-aime, Elder Clements.

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Week #6 July 7, 2015


 
                                             Red, white, and blue Tahitian district


                                          
Bonjour tout la monde! It's been quite the week here at the MTC. We started french, which is legit but I swear I'm not ready in Tahitian but oh well. We all speak a kind of weird frahitian that only our district can understand. I'm glad you finally got the video from the Burnahs. Brother Burnah and his wife sent that. He's in our branch presidency and we thought it would be awesome to send you and all the other families the video of us singing our song. The name of it is 'A Rohi!' which means 'carry on' roughly translated. It's about blessings in heaven and doing God's work and killing evil spirits and that good stuff.
Oh by the way, I'm not sure if you know about 'Dear Elder' or not. Everyone gets letters from that but I don't know how it works. Maybe you should check it out. I am SO sad to hear about Geno Morgan! That shocked me when I read that. He wasn't even very old was he? Anyway, I'll miss him. He was a really great guy. Tell Mrs. Morgan sorry for me. That's a tough thing to go through. Speaking of death, I'm sure you heard about President Packer and a while ago, L. Tom Perry. We will go to the broadcast of his funeral this week I'm sure. That was sad as well and I learned a lot about him right after. Also a loss in our district, Sister T. will have her mission changed because of her illness. The doctors and the twelve decided it was too risky. We'll miss her but she'll be an awesome missionary wherever she goes.
 Oh ya!! 4th of July! That was one of the best days here at the MTC! We sung all the America songs in the hymn book, I studied the foreseeing of the USA in the scripture (read it, 1nephi 13, D&C 87) and then we all had a special devotional and I was in the flag ceremony carrying the Tahitian flag. After that, the entire MTC got to watch the stadium of fire fireworks and stay out till 11:30!!! They let us party. It was legit. I learned so much though about how God foreordained America to be the promised land. I learned that Ezra Taft Benson said that he thinks the American flag will still be flying when Jesus comes again...which is awesome and not something I expected to hear.  I saw the blue plane from Heber by the way!! I saw it friday night walking to the field. It was flying super low and it made my week. That's so cool that you got to see the candy bomber!!! I'm so jealous. I'm gonna quit it now and send some other emails and send some pictures. Je sais que L'église est vrai. Au revoir!
 
 But let me take a selfie first


                          Elder Garff and Elder Clements with the Tahitian flag
       



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