Be of Good Cheer; He is Risen

I leave the MTC for Paris on Monday! I have learned so many things in my 5 ½ weeks here. Before one of my classes, our teacher, Frere Nelson (who just got back from serving in our mission), took some time to talk to us about what our first day will be like in France. I was grinning from ear-to-ear, like a 7 year-old on Christmas morning, the entire time he was talking. I love him as our teacher … his accent is incredible and I hope mine ends up sounding that good! Anyway, he talked about the long and cramped flight there and how restless he was to get there. Haha, I’m going to try and sleep though! He said that we will go to customs and get our passports stamped. Then President Poznaski (our mission president) and his wife, along with the two assistants, will pick us up at the airport and feed us. We will then get on a 45 minute train ride to downtown Paris where we will be given a "mother" (another sister missionary) that will take us contacting, or talking to people on the streets, for a hour around Notre Dame and the streets of Paris for the day. Talk about exciting! Ahh! Then we will get back on a train and head to the mission home. He said it is absolutely beautiful and is in a super nice neighborhood with lakes and swans; basically a 19-year old girl's fairytale dream. He showed us tons of pictures and shared some mission experiences and stories with us. I couldn't contain my excitement! It still feels so unreal that I am going there – but it really started to hit me. I can’t wait to get there, but I also know this last week at the MTC is super important, and that I need to study hard and stay focused and learn all I can from this wonderful and spiritual place.

I have been participating in the MTC choir, and guess what?! We have been given an opportunity of a lifetime! The first weekend in April is General Conference, which is the first of two semiannual conferences the church has each year, where messages from our church leaders are broadcast from Salt Lake to the entire world. I have been to those sessions in person, and they are truly inspiring and so spiritual. There are two general sessions on Saturday and two on Sunday. In between the two Saturday sessions, they will be doing a short story on the influx of young missionaries that have answered the call to serve. As we were practicing one night, we were told that a film crew was coming in to film us singing! So make sure you all look for me singing ... I am wearing a bright orange sweater in the fourth row on the left side! We sang a song called "Like Ten Thousand Legions Marching" which will be played in between the conference sessions on Saturday. This song was written specifically for us to sing (and has never been sung before) for the hundreds of new missionaries who are now going out to serve around the world. I feel so honored to be a part of this incredible movement!

The MTC has been like an incubator; a controlled environment with conditions maintained for our growth and development. I have gained strength here to help sustain me in the mission field when things get hard. We have been asked to leave all forms of comfort behind, and come to this incubator, where we must learn to rely more fully on the true comforter … the Holy Ghost. As I have tried to do that I have seen a change in myself. The Lord has humbled me and I am learning that I am going to have to truly rely on him to do what I need to do as a representative of the Savior.

I love the Easter season. Ever since I was a little girl, I remember going on Easter Egg hunts or searching around the entire house for the basket the Easter Bunny had left me. But I also remember going to church every Easter Sunday, wherever we were during our spring break, and feeling the love and gratitude for my Savior Jesus Christ. It truly is remarkable to think that the possibility of eternal happiness was brought about by five words: "Here Am I, Send Me." Our elder brother, Jesus Christ, stands between us and the creditor, willing to pay the debt for our sins. We are debtors, but receive mercy through His sacrifice and through His Atonement. We have been told that we still must rise above the natural man and pay off that debt by doing the best we can by turning our lives to follow Him and His commandments. In church this last week, I was randomly called on to share my testimony of my faith in the Atonement of Jesus Christ ... in FRENCH. As I walked up to the pulpit, I said a prayer in my heart for the words to say and to have the Spirit with me. I feel so blessed to know that all of my prayers were answered. It was neat sharing my love for my Savior and for his sufferings in a foreign tongue, and as I did, I could still feel the spirit so strongly. I testified of the importance of USING the atonement in our lives to receive that peace and comfort, knowing that we can repent for the big or small things we have done wrong. Easter signals the completion of the Atonement. While life is hard at times, we are told to "Be of Good Cheer; for I have overcome the World." I know that the Atonement makes up for my inadequacies and limitations.

We were also able to watch two videos that really touched me: The YouTube clip, "Atonement: How it Applies to Missionary Work" and the film, "The Testaments". It was incredible to see the resurrected Lord and Savior Jesus Christ visiting the Nephites and healing them of their sicknesses and blessing the little children. One of the girls in "The Testaments" reminded me of my sweet and littlest sister, Sophia. She had incredible faith in Jesus Christ and had such a sweet smile. Aw, I miss you Sophia! Anyway, as my time to depart for Paris comes closer and closer, I have noticed that I have become a little anxious. But knowing that Jesus Christ REALLY did come to Earth, and that died and suffered for MY sins, changes everything. I don't know what I would do without that knowledge, and not only that , but the knowledge that Christ LIVES. He was resurrected and leads our church today. I know that we can all come to know the life of our Savior as we continue to study his words and life in The Bible and in The Book of Mormon (Another Testament of Jesus Christ). I would encourage you all to remember the Atonement in your life, and to USE it. It is a gift … and something that will truly lift us up from our burdens if we recognize the powerful influence it can have on us in our lives.

I love this gospel and I am so excited to serve the people in France and get on that plane next Monday. My faith in Jesus Christ and the Atonement makes this overwhelming task seem doable, as long as I put my faith in Him. Thank you for your support and for the way you each live your Christ-like lives. I would encourage you to remember our Savior during this Easter Season and find a way to implement the gift of the Atonement in your everyday life.

I love you all … have a wonderful week! Just a reminder not to use my MTC address anymore after this week … send any mail or packages to France! Also, you can e-mail me now at madeline.vance@myldsmail.net!  I look forward to hearing from you!

Take care! Happy Easter!

Love,

Soeur Madeline Vance

France Paris Mission

23, Rue du Onze Novembre

78110 le Vésinet - FRANCE

madeline.vance@myldsmail.net

Fortifying our Faith in Jesus Christ

In a couple days we will get our travel plans to leave for Paris on April 1^st, the day after Easter. I look forward to calling my family from the airport and flying to France with the group of missionaries here that I have really come to love. Soeur Linton’s mom recently sent us a bunch of blankets and fun stuff for a "missionary slumber party"; it was so much fun and we were all eating popcorn and just being goofy.

Congratulations to one of my closest friends, Nicole Smith, on her mission call to Reno, Nevada! I am so excited for her, and I have family there, so hopefully she will look for the Manning family and my cousins will look for Sister Smith this summer! I learn more and more every day that lowering the mission age was so inspired and that so many lives will be blessed because of the hundreds of young men and women who have answered that call to serve. When we all gather in the auditorium/gym for a devotional, I get the chills as I look around and see thousands of missionaries, especially the tons of sister missionaries! It is truly incredible.

Every week, I write down a few quotes from Elder Kochel in our district. He is the one that reminds us all of Nacho Libre; haha. He's hilarious and his stories from the farm are just too funny. He told us this week that, "One time, one of our cows fell into the splits on the ice ... so we had to shoot her." Come ON! hahaha Another time he told us that when he was 12 he accidentally wore his mom's white blouse to church with a tie instead of his white shirt! It's hard to describe, but he just makes me bust up laughing sometimes. We've all decided we want to have a mission reunion at his ranch in Canada after we all get back.

This past week I have really come to understand how important it is to have strong faith in Jesus Christ. In one of our devotionals, the speaker asked us to take a moment and think about the end of our missions, 17 months from now, in Fall 2014. He asked us to think about what we want to be like and to set goals for ourselves. In my journal, I wrote the following:

"At the end of my mission ... I want to be fluent in the French language. I will be completely changed and converted to the Lord. I will have overcome many difficult trials and will have put my trust in God during those times. I will have fallen in love with the country of France and the culture there. I will have made eternal friendships with the special people I have taught and helped baptize/convert. I will be determined to apply what I learned from my mission to the rest of my life and feel satisfied knowing the Lord accepted my missionary service. My weaknesses will become strengths. I will be more like the Savior and will continue working on being a powerful servant of the Lord."

He then told us the way to get there is by turning our will over to the will of the Lord and accepting that, which is NOT easy, especially when things get hard. The world often looks at humility and submission as weakness, but God sees it as power. He uses that time to strengthen us and mold us into the person we can BECOME. In order to do this, we must turn outwards. When we search for what OTHERS need, we end up finding what WE need. Fear and faith do not exist in the same person at the same time. Whenever things get hard or I am uncertain of what the future holds, I must make that decision to have FAITH instead of FEAR.

We also watched a Mormon Message this week called, "Mountains to Climb" by President Henry B. Eyering. It was INCREDIBLE. I strongly encourage you all to watch it (attached below).

"You never realize how strong you are until being strong is all you have left." I know that if I really trust Heavenly Father, it doesn't matter what I don't understand. "Being brave is just acting on faith". I would encourage you also to read Matthew 14:22-32 in the Bible. It's the story of the apostles of Christ and the amazing faith Peter had to step out of that boat and onto the water to meet the Savior. Peter didn't know he could walk on the water until he DID it. How strong are WE? Do we have that faith to step off that boat and make those changes in our lives? I often wonder if I would have had enough faith to REALLY BELIEVE and have enough faith to trust God and step off the edge of that boat. Would I have taken that step, or would I have doubted and plunged down into the depths of the sea because of my lack of faith?

One of our teachers, Frere Wilcox said, "Don't limit what the Lord can do by the lack of YOUR faith." His lesson was life-changing for me; I felt the Spirit so strongly and things were making more sense to me than they ever had before. It was one of those "defining moments" in my life when I really reflected on where I stand with my testimony and conversion to Christ.   

In my journal that night, I wrote:

"Tonight I had one of those 'defining moments'. Tears come to my eyes and the Spirit fills my heart as I reflect on the feelings I have and the Spirit I felt while in that class with Frere Wilcox tonight. Up until this point, my life has been relatively easy. I grew up in a wonderful family, with righteous parents who taught me the gospel. I've had my share of trials - ones that have shaped me into the person I am today - but none that have been ridiculously hard or where I didn't see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I'm on a mission for the Lord now. I know this next year and a half is going to be the hardest 18 months of my life. Trials WILL come, but after sitting in that class tonight, I KNOW I will be able to get through them if I truly rely on my Savior Jesus Christ and, as I learned tonight, He will NOT forsake me.

I don't know what I am going to face on my mission or during the rest of my life, but tonight I felt a deep conviction and strong confirmation in my heart that I will not give in when things get hard. No matter what happens or what mountains I have to climb, I will be able to endure them well through my unshakeable faith and complete conversion to Christ. We are instruments for the Lord. He is building us. I know I must change and become more Christ-like, and I am extremely excited for the opportunity I have to serve others around me in France soon. It's exciting, it's scary, and it's a daunting task, but I know the Lord has called ME to serve there, and He will not forsake me. He is aware of me, and will bear me up when things get hard so I can serve people around me and bring them unto Christ."

I love this gospel. I know it’s true and that you can find out that it is true for yourselves. Those of you thinking of serving a mission … DO IT! You will never regret it. I am so blessed and am so grateful for each and every one of you. I would encourage you to develop and strengthen your faith in Christ this week by TRUSTING him and accepting him as your Savior. Take care, and God bless! Have a wonderful week ... I am thinking and praying for you all!

Love,

Soeur Madeline Vance

 

We Can Know For Ourselves

I absolutely love the Missionary Training Center! If I were to go home right now, it would still have been worth it just to come here and have the MTC experience. There have been so many things I have learned about the gospel and about myself. I am so excited that my friends are getting their mission calls and am anxious to hear where they are going! There is no greater calling than that of a full-time missionary.

I am a little over halfway through my stay here in the MTC. I cannot believe I will be in PARIS, FRANCE in a little over two weeks – it is so exciting! Time is such a blur here … it's true when they say that days feel like weeks, and weeks feel like days. It has been great to meet so many young men and women from around the world, learn about who they are and why they decided to come here, and come to know how they have set aside their lives to serve. Some people have sacrificed so much for this opportunity to bless the lives of others and it is so inspiring to me.

Last week was Soeur Wynn’s 21^st birthday. She is part of our district and we did our best to make it a special day for her. I think she was really touched, and said she had never had such a wonderful birthday. I was so happy when my companion and I were making cards for her and decorating her bed with candy, food, and chocolate. After working out and running with Soeur Wynn every day, I have really grown to love her and respect her unwavering testimony of the gospel, even through the many challenges she has been through in her life.

While there is so much to learn about missionary work at the MTC, perhaps the most important thing we are taught is the importance of service. Even the most boring or difficult service can be fun. For our service project this week, Soeur Wade and I cleaned the water fountains on each of the five floors in the gym building.  It cracks me up every time we do it, because we just go in there with a smile on our faces, even though its 6am in the morning! We end up having a blast together and making so much fun out of our cleaning. We had to use this "acid cleaner spray" to disinfect the water fountains and we were required to wear a pair of goggles. I don't know long they've been here, or where they've been, but wow, they reeked! Hahahaha! Soeur Wade and I were laughing so hard as we put our faces into those masks that they began to fog up and seemed to smell even more! Gotta love it!

We had the opportunity to watch "Music and The Spoken Word" on Sunday, which was so nice. It's a program with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and they just sing a bunch of beautiful songs; nothing touches me more than a beautiful piece of music. I am always able to feel Heavenly Father's love for me and I always leave feeling a desire to strive a little harder to be a little better.

This week we have been role playing with our two teachers (Frere Nelson and Soeur Sandoval), who are both French speaking returned missionaries, as though they are investigating the church. Even though I've always known it was important, I have really gained an insight into the importance of having charity for those we teach and those around us. Charity is having the pure love of Christ for someone else. How often do we have that kind of love for those around us? I know I don’t always have that kind Christ-like love for others, and that I need to constantly be praying for the gift of charity in my life. It makes all the difference in the world when those we are teaching KNOW we care about them. No one will care how well I can speak the French language if I am not able to connect with them and show them that I care for them. My love for those the people in this world is why I have decided to serve as a missionary; to help those people who are lost … whether they have questions about who they are, where they came from, why they are here, or where they are going, I can help them FIND those answers for themselves! I feel so blessed to know that I came to this earth after from living with my Heavenly Father for the purpose of  gaining a physical body and to be tested; to see if I would follow His commandments and use this time on Earth to become more like God. That is WHY we are here. It is such an amazing opportunity for me to know that I have the opportunity to help people discover that for themselves. I am also grateful to know that we will also have the opportunity to return to live with our Heavenly Father and our families FOREVER after this life on earth. It isthis wondrous plan of our Heavenly Father’s that we call the Plan of Salvation, or the Plan of Happiness. When I really think about it, tears come to my eyes and my heart is so full of gratitude to know the answers to the questions so many people search for their entire lives.

The incredible thing is that we can find answers to all of these questions and more in The Book of Mormon. I have learned more than ever that if The Book of Mormon is true, then everything we believe is true! I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God and that it really IS true. The most amazing part of the restored gospel is that each us can find out if these things are true for ourselves. As missionaries, we are only going out to help others seek the DESIRE to find out if these things are true for themselves. This is not a "convincing" matter; I do not know the scriptures inside and out by any means. I am sure that I will meet many people on my mission and in this life that know the scripture far better than me, but I DO know one thing. I have a testimony and I KNOW that Christ lives. As the Only Begotten of the Father, He really is my elder brother and my Savior. This isn't just a Christmas or Bible story. He really did come to earth; and He came for YOU and ME … to save us. I have prayed with all of my heart to know if these things … the things I have believed my whole life … are actually true. Confirming answers have come and I know, beyond a SHADOW OF A DOUBT, that they are indeed true. I wouldn't be out here on my mission if I didn't REALLY know.

I've learned the importance of prayer in my life. There have been times in my life when I wasn’t as consistent with my prayers. But through some of the trials in my life, especially my two major knee injuries/surgeries, I have been brought to those injured knees in prayer. Whenever I look down at my legs and see those small scars from my surgeries, I am reminded of The Man who carried me through when I couldn't walk. I am reminded of the times when I cried out to my Savior because I didn't think I could keep going. I know Jesus Christ and my Heavenly Father know me personally and are well aware of my needs. They really are there; and they hear and answer our prayers. If you don't believe, try it. I can promise you that if you pray with real intent, whether you are asking for an answer, for peace, for comfort, or any other righteous desire, IT WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU by a loving Heavenly Father.

More than anything, the things I have “learned” on my mission have been reminders of things I have known my entire life. I was raised in a wonderful family, with parents who taught me that I am literally a daughter of God. I feel so blessed to be able to wear my black nametag every day as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and share what I know to be true with those who are searching. I love the gospel and my family so much, and am so grateful for all of your love and support.

Have a wonderful week! Remember to serve and smile! It's the best recipe for a good day.

Love,

Soeur Madeline Vance

I Know Who I Am

This week has been amazing! I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY! Last Tuesday, Elder M. Russell Ballard came and spoke to us. He talked about how we don’t need to stress as missionaries trying to learn everything; and that we've lived the gospel and we KNOW it. He said "The top two reasons why there is such  a surge of missionaries heading into the field right now (there will be between 80,000 and 90,000 worldwide by this summer) is because: (1) The world desperately needs the message we have to offer, and (2) The Lord is preparing YOU (missionaries) for the rest of your LIVES. You will have a great role in leading the church.” I've realized that the Lord is using this time to get to know us and show us He trusts us. I am being shaped into the "better me".

It is amazing to see how quickly everyone in my district (there are 9 elders and sisters) is coming together. I am ALWAYS with them, studying for hours in the classroom every day. I love them all like family, and they are picking up the French language so quickly. I know their diligent efforts in studying and the gift of the Holy Ghost are playing a huge role in their success and progress. The elders and sisters came in here 2 weeks ago knowing zero French, and now they are praying, testifying and teaching the gospel in the French language. The gift of tongues is real! I am really perfecting my accent, and the words are coming faster to me than ever before. I love it and the French people so much already!

I have been trying to memorize a scripture a day in French and I have the account of Joseph Smith and the First Vision down. President Thomas Monson promises anyone who picks apart a scripture, understands the meaning of it, and memorizes one a day will have a PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORY after a year. I want that! Can you imagine? I'm doin' it. Haha

It was my half birthday on March 1^st and yes, I know it's a big deal. That’s why I made sure everyone else knew that I was officially 19 and a half too. Haha!

There's an elder in my district that reminds me of the guy in Nacho Libre. One of the funniest people alive! He's Canadian and, yes, it made me think of my two awesome BYU roommates, Nicole Smith and Jordan Gray. At meals he is always quoting classic lines from movies. He goes on and on and I laugh so hard sometimes that my face and stomach literally ache! He lives on a farm/ranch and has so many funny stories. It makes me think of the "Gueller"/my mom's side of the family. I busted out laughing when he said, "We raise pigs. Most people underestimate them - they're vicious beasts - they'll eat ANYTHING. If you pass out in their pen, they'll EAT ya!!" Bahahhaa

I am doing well - a little sick last week, but even a nasty cold doesn’t slow this sister down! haha. I am doing all I can to be obedient with exactness and I am truly gaining a testimony of it. Even the tiny rules like getting to bed at 10:30pm and waking up at the crack of dawn at 6:30am sharp. I know I will be blessed, and already have for that obedience. I have so much energy and I know the Lord is looking out for me.

San Francisco was such an awesome experience! I have never been to California before, so I was grinning ear to ear as we landed there on that sunny day. I was close to my brother's mission but we weren't able to arrange things to see each other. Oh well, I know he is working hard and I’m looking forward to our phone call when I leave for France! We got our Visas at the French consulate and then went to Pier 39 - sooo awesome! A shout out to Rebecca Malmrose, my best bud, for living in the Bay Area (and all the other people I know from there – like the wonderful Baeza family)! Anyway, I started to squeal with joy when I saw the adorable sea lions basking in the sun. Everyone in my group was making fun of me, but I didn’t care - they were precious! They made me think of my family and all the shows I’ve watched on Animal Planet with them! We ate at Boudin and got to see the Zig Zag road and the Golden Gate Bridge! What an awesome day trip … and of course, I grabbed Cafe Rio on the way back - it was a nice change from the glorious MTC food.

This past week I have really strived to find ways to strengthen my faith in Jesus Christ. Our French teacher, Brother Nelson, is a return missionary who also served in Paris only 8 months ago. One day he scratched the lesson he had initially prepared for our class and answered all of our questions about the mission ... and the spirit was so strong. I can tell by the way he speaks about his mission that he absolutely LOVED it. He gave it his all and accepted the Lord’s will throughout his time there. Sure, he had hard days and disappointments, but he LEARNED from them. I can only believe that my brother, Elder Vance, is serving with that same level of diligence, charity and obedience. What a great example to me. The spirit was so strong in the room - I could NOT deny it. I had never felt that much joy discovering new gospel truths, such as how free agency and choices in our premortal existence have affected our lives here on earth and those things that we have been foreordained to do. Christ also made choices … He chose to give up his life and die. He inherited mortality from his mother and that's why His sacrifice and the Atonement is so incredible!

He also talked about how we must not get discouraged in the face of disappointment. He said "We must not get discouraged. If you get discouraged knocking on doors and getting them slammed in your face, how STRONG is your faith?? You have to have FAITH in the restored truths you know and act upon them. … when it gets hard, hit your knees." I will never forget that lesson.

My prayers are constantly being answered here. I know yours can too. BELIEVE it.  I have seen answers to my prayers throughout my life, but I am realizing, now more than ever, that Heavenly Father really does hear and answer our prayers.

I watched the devotional by Elder David A. Bednar called "Character of Christ." It has changed my life!! "The work is more about who you ARE than what you say." So all of you out there who are thinking of serving a mission, DO IT! Get your life in order, live the gospel and be worthy to do it. I can promise you, you will be ready to do so and will not regret it!

Elder Bednar also talked about the Character of Christ and the concept that He turns OUTWARD when we, or the "natural man", turn inward. We are often very self-centered and worry about what WE want and look over the needs of those around us. It’s something we all do. We are encouraged to try and overcome the "natural man" and act as Christ would … turning OUTWARD. This is not MY mission. It is the LORD's. Elder Bednar talked about how it's not about US. Who cares about what I want? Who CARES if I get doors slammed in my face? It's not about ME. It's about OTHERS. He encouraged us to "quit worrying about how we want things to play out and whether or not my mission will be a success. It's not about ME.

I love this gospel. I love the knowledge we have and am grateful for the temples on this earth that can SEAL our families together so that we may be with them for eternity! Who wouldn't want that? We had the chance to go to the Provo Temple this past week, and there was such a profound feeling of peace there. I love my own family and appreciate their support and examples to me. I know I must strive to obtain the character of Christ and TURN outward when I want to turn in. On those days when I need comfort or peace, I need to get on my knees and pray for OTHERS to have comfort and peace.

Thank you for all of your support. I know why I am here and I am so grateful for all of you and for the support and examples you are to me! Have a wonderful week!

Love,

Soeur Madeline Vance