Belgium by Christmas!!!

2009-09-25T09:58:00.000-07:00

Before I went to work at the most magical place in the world...Target yesterday afternoon, I decided to go through the virtual tour of the MTC one more time since I'm just so excited that I only have 54 more days left! So, I was looking under the FAQ section and saw that they added a new one since the last time I checked. It was "IF you are fluent, or speak some of the language that you are assigned to learn please call this number." I took four years of French, granted it was over 3 years ago when I took my last class, but I had been refreshing quite a bit since I got my call and really had no idea what calling them would do anyway.

So I called the number and was transferred to an RM from Paris who was in charge of evaluating all those who had French experience. He started out by asking me just my history with french and then he said 'Okay, let's just talk in French.' My heart dropped and immediately I was sitting in Soeur Geddes' French class my freshman year of college where she would pound on my desk shout my french name at me "Vit Vit, Claudine Vit!!!" When I didn't answer the questions fast enough. I never did like the name Claudine anyway...and then I remembered Frere Taylor's class, two hours every single day, taught on a summer block and taught completely in French. Horrible memories of me staring at the chalk board for the entire 2 hours, hoping I would understand a word. I knew I wasn't at the same level as the other students, but I just wouldn't give up. He used to make me the score keeper when we'd play games because no one wanted me on my team since I would end up being the opposing teams MVP.

But putting my tortured French experience aside, I breathed deeply and prayed that I could hear the RM through the static of the phone. It was pretty difficult, because a lot of times in french, so many words sound the same and I hadn't spoken to anyone in french since junior year of college when I had a Home teacher who wanted to return to the Glory days of his miss. and just speak French to me...another story.

I was surprised at how much I remembered, and also embarrassed that I didn't have a higher vocabulary when it came to the church. We talked for about 15 minutes and then he said "Okay, are you ready for an evaluation?" He then explained that there is an accelerated track in the MTC for missionaries who speak well enough in their assigned foreign language, so instead of being in the MTC for 9 weeks, they'll only be in for 3...I held my breath!!!!!

He said that my accent was great!!! Yay! My accent was great! He then said that I need to work on my church vocab and verb tenses. He explained what the missionaries learned in the 9 week program and said that I would be at the top of the classes and very bored since I have already mastered the basics. I was still holding my breath when he said that he would leave the decision up to me, but that he would okay me to go through the accelerated track!!!!

Whew! It must have been the gift of tongues! If those other kids in Frere Taylor's class could see me now! They'd all want me on their team! So I told him that I definitely want to do the 3 week track and promised that I'd work on my vocab and verbs. So last night I made about 300 vocab cards and dusted off my book: 501 French Verbs. There is also an RM from Toulouse who I am going to solicit help from so I can perfect my conversation and maybe learn some of the discussion in French by the time I leave!

I'm so excited, and feel so blessed and grateful that I let myself be the weird one in high school and take French instead of the 'cool Spanish' classes! I'm going to be in the MTC for Thanksgiving and Belgium for Christmas!

Receiving My Mission Call on July 9th 2009

2009-09-02T23:56:00.001-07:00

The longest 16 days of my life, waiting for my call. I had such a hard time sleeping! Every night I'd be up until 2 or 3 in the morning researching all the different missions! Looking at member and baptism statistics, ward buildings, and specific cultural traditions!!! I was driving myself crazy and just about everyone around me! I would stalk the mailman and sit in classes making my "top 15 mission list" on where I wanted to go. Here were my top ten from a paper I found in a notebook sandwiched between my notes on Bernini Sculptures and some pointless rock information for my Geology Lab:

1. India 4. Palmyra 7. Baltic 10. Italy 13. Mexico
2. France 5. Brazil 8. Nauvoo 11. North Carolina 14. Haiti

3. Africa 6. Norway 9. Temple Square 12. Greece 15. Georgia

I ran home from my 1 o'clock class on Thursday July 9th and rushed to the mailbox where I saw a big white envelope and I screamed at the top of my lungs in the parkinglot of my complex "IT'S HERE! IT'S HERE! MY MISSION CALL IS HERE! OH MY GOSH!!!!!" I had grabbed it so quickly out of the little mailbox that I ripped the corner and my first thought was "Oh no! My mom is going to be so mad that I ripped the envelope, she's going to want to save it!" (Oddly enough, that was the first thing Sydney said too when she saw it!)Can I just say that trying to get a member of my family on the phone is a nightmare...Sydney had a feeling it would come that day and actually answered her phone during a lecture and
not so quietly whispered something like "I'm leaving class, DON'T OPEN IT UNTIL I GET THERE!!!!" of course, I couldn't wait. I also couldn't wait to chase around three voicemails to get my parents. My fingers were trembling so much that I couldn't even make half of the calls I should have. So it was just me, my roommate, and my call...Do you want to know what I'm saying here? I'm saying "Please, Please, Please! Not Russia!!!"
Russia is the only place in the free world that scares me, it's so cold and everybody has guns andsmells like soup! Scurry!

I had waited for this moment for so long, but I just couldn't bring myself to look at the stinkin' second line of the first paragraph. I kept my hand over it, looking away, completely nervous

and almost sick to my stomach. Where in the world was I going to go?!?! My roomate started

screaming at me, so I finally removed it, and through peeking eyes read the second line:

BELGIUM BRUSSELS/NETHERLANDS!!!!

Yes this is a real picture, it wasn't staged and a split second after this was taken I started jumping up and down screaming "I'm going to Belgium! Belgium! Belgium!" Then just a few seconds after I stopped hyperventalating I got in touch with my parents and siblings, I was so flighty that I think I remember telling my little nephew that "I'm going to the place where they make waffles!!!" Wow, after the initial shock wore off, I read it through again and couldn't stop crying. My mom wanted me to call my great Aunt right away because she went to the same mission, as did my former Bishop and good friend Bishop Bradshaw. My parents were so excited and I am just so thrilled that I will be speaking French, and not only serving in Belgium but Northern France as well! I guess if it couldn't be India, then this is the place for me! Haha!!!

Soeur Steffaney Clark

Belgium by Christmas!!!

Receiving My Mission Call on July 9th 2009