MTC: The mission is NOT what you expect it
to be. We always have this idea of what a mission is, how it's going to
go, what we're going to do, and who we're going to become. Luckily, it's
much better than what you expect :) Also, it is so important to
remember to pray always. Even in the MTC, when we didn't do actual
missionary work yet, life was impossible when I forgot to pray. Life is
difficult enough as it is, and when you add missionary life on top of
it, no one, not a single person, can handle it on their own. Luckily,
with God it becomes not only manageable but even enjoyable, and I will
admit that I was really sad to say goodbye to the MTC.
Transfer 1-Épinal: Learning
a language is REALLY difficult. Every single day, talking to tons of
different people, not understanding a word they were saying. But, I also
learned that a bleu's trainer can make or break his mission. Luckily,
my trainer pointed my mission in a really good direction :) Even though
it makes less friends, it is good to be strict on expectations. My
trainer set standards that were very difficult to meet up to. If I
didn't reach them, he was genuinely disappointed. But, he loved me and
encouraged me, and at the end of 6 weeks, I was not the same person at
all: I was much better.
Transfer 2: This was
the transfer where I learned early that missionary life changes without
warning. My trainer was transferred to Belgium, and some new guy was
coming in to take his place. Saying that I was nervous is a drastic
understatement: I was terrified. I just kept telling myself that even
though I would be introducing my 'step-daddy' to the ville, he would be a
lot older than me and would be a perfect missionary, with all the
tricks figured out, so I didn't have to worry. Psych! My new comp was in
his 4th transfer, and pretty nervous to be finishing training someone.
At first, neither of us knew how this was going to play out. Turns out,
that transfer brought the most miracles I've seen on my mission! Even
more important, it brought my favorite comp, who became one of my best
friends. Lesson: There are no bad situations, just bad attitudes.
Transfer 3: This is
where the heat got turned up a little bit. I wasn't a bleu anymore, and
Elder Stucki knew it. So, he didn't treat me like a bleu. He gave me 50%
of the responsibility, trusting me to step up my game. It was that
trust that allowed me to step up my game, even when I wasn't sure if I
could. Sadly, this was also the time when I saw a golden ami fall and
drop us. It really was a moment that changed my mission, making me
realize that this isn't a game, these are real people. But, the sun
still came up the next day, and we turned the situation into a huge
blessing.
Transfer 4-Brussels: Life
turned upside down! I was leaving my favorite comp, and my bleu ville!
Not only that, I was going from a tiny ville in the eastern mountains to
the capitol of Europe. So, I really had to learn how to adjust. I
learned that even when you don't have much in common with your comp, you
can become great friends. This is where I really learned how to work
like I never had before. I also learned that agency plays a huge role,
and sometimes that hurts pretty badly. But it's a gift God has given
us!
Transfer 5: This
transfer, I got a couple curveballs! I was put in a 3 person
companionship, with an old bilingual Canadian and a young guy from Idaho
:) This was my first francophone, and also the first time that I had a
junior companion. I also had a senior companion though, so it was a
little weird. Then 3 weeks into our story, things were shaken up! Sunday
night of Week 3 I got a call from President Poznanski saying to pack my
bags and move across town with the Zone leaders, and to pick up my new
companion the next afternoon. So I got my second francophone and the
responsibility to open a new équipe, knowing it may be closed down again
in 3 weeks. This was where I was pushed the most, where I was the most
stressed of my mission. Not gonna lie, it was tough. But, God knew what
kind of missionary He needed me to be, and I wasn't going to become that
missionary any other way.
Transfer 6: Le Mans! Not
unexpectedly, our équipe closed down and we both went back down to
France. I was headed to a town I'd never heard of, with a missionary I'd
only met once, in a train station, on my way to Brussels. I was told by
lots of people that our personalities would be too different, that we
weren't going to get along very well. Good thing I'm way too stubborn for
my own good! Turns out, our personalities were VERY different. But that
didn't change anything. We were both determined to make this équipe
work well, and we did! I ended up making another really good friend, and
having so much fun. Lesson Learned: Missionary life should always be
fun! More Fun=More Success. I will vouch for that.
Transfer 7: I
learned some valuable lessons this transfer. First off, I learned that
selfies do, in fact, improve the quality of a companionship. Also, I
started to rediscover some of the faith and hope that I had lost when I
was in Brussels. Looking back, I think that God and President Poznanski
knew exactly why I was going to Le Mans. During my interview with President,
he said that I looked happier than he had seen me in a while. I was! I
also learned what it really means to have an eye single to the work, and
what a blessing or a curse it can be, depending on how focused you
really are.
And finally...Transfer 8: This
was when God decided to teach me everything at once haha. First off,
HUMILITY!!! If there is one thing that I've learned while training, it's
that I am not good enough by myself. I am not qualified for this work
if I'm relying on Elder Martin. Luckily, I've got backup :) Also, I came
to a conclusion... As a bleu, you have this impression that trainers are
perfect missionaries that always know what to do. I'm still half
convinced that this was the case for my trainer. But for the most part,
the call to train is really a call to reevaluate and figure what you're
not doing well. It's a call to get your own act together, because this
new missionary is going to follow you like Simon Says, and you don't
want him picking up bad habits! So with my third francophone, I'm still
learning. I'm still trying to figure out what God's plan is for Elder
Martin.
Obviously, this isn't even close to all of the
things I've learned over the past year, just a rough sketch, some
highlights. This mission teaches you so much, and most importantly, it
changes you. The hardest moments are the biggest blessings in disguise,
and it all depends on your attitude. Being a missionary is the coolest,
funnest thing I have ever done.
This week we meet the Babins, I'm nervous but pretty
excited! They are an awesome couple. He speaks English fluently, he
served his mission in Utah. His wife speaks decently, I haven't really
heard her speak though. We just heard from Elder R's stake president
that the temple is supposed to be finished and dedicated at the end of
2016, so if you're thinking about a trip to France, that's the time to
do it ;)
Right now we're starting the last week of the
transfer. Luckily, I'm training so nothing should change for us. Also,
I'm pretty sure Elder Bates is staying in Alençon, so he'll stay District Leader and
we'll do 4 transfers together haha. Needless to say, we're pretty
tight.
Elder R is doing well. He's working hard and
learning lots, despite his trainer. We're learning every day how to
better live and work together, and he's on track to be an awesome
missionary. I'll keep you updated as far as the Babins, we have personal
interviews with them on Thursday! Have a great week, I love you all so much!
Love,
Elder Tyler Martin
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