Elder Grant Orchard: Preparing for NC

Bonjour!

Comment va tout le monde aujourd'hui?

Well, I said that I would try to send out an email at least every other week, and I failed at that. There just hasn’t been much to write about that’s new, with the same things going on everyday, but I’ll write what has been going on.

So, since I’ve been preparing to go to North Carolina, there have been some things that I’ve had to get that I wouldn’t need in Africa. For example, we had to get me a new suit. I’ll add a picture down below, but I really like it, and it fits me well. They recommended two suits, but only required one. We figured, since it’s just a reassignment, we’d get me just one suit, and send me out with one of Coleman’s old suits, which fits me well enough. I also had to get a smartphone, which is unfortunate, since my Africa mission did not require me to get a smartphone, and since North Carolina is only (hopefully) a reassignment. Plus, they have all these requirements with the specs, storage, make, model, a whole bunch of stuff. However, we did end up finding one, for a pretty good price.

So, this last weekend was General Conference. For those of you who don’t know, General Conference is basically when all the general authorities of our church meet to address the members of our church. It is held on the first weekend of April, and October every year. Normally, people can go watch the conference in Salt Lake City, but obviously due to Covid, that didn’t happen this time. However, it was still a great experience to hear from them! I’ll share some of my thoughts/favorite talks. Dieter F. Uchtdorf shared probably my favorite talk of the conference. Basically, he talked about how God has prepared us to live in this time, and that he hasn’t forgotten us. That really resonated with me because of my reassignment, and being a missionary for Covid. It really made me realize that God has planned on me going to North Carolina, and that there are people there who need my help.

I could talk all day about what I learned from General Conference, but I’ll just share one more insight. Another talk I liked was by Gary E. Stevensen. He talks about how we can be blessed, even if we are facing afflictions. He shares the story of Nephi from the Book of Mormon, and how one of the first things he says is “having seen many afflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days” (1 Nephi 1:1). The first thing that Nephi writes is that he endured many hard things, but he has also seen many blessings. I think this can be applicable to anyone, knowing that we can go through tough times, and see many hard things in our lives, but that doesn’t mean that we are stripped of God’s blessings. Those are just a few of my thoughts.

As most of you know, this past week was my last week in the MTC. Just yesterday, Friday, was my last day of classes. I am definitely not fluent in French, but I am getting better quotidien (everyday). Plus, I am going to an English speaking mission first, so that will give me some more time to polish my French. These past six weeks have definitely flown by, and I did not think they would. I still remember my first day of classes, and how stressful it was. I remember thinking that these six weeks would drag on, and I would never leave the MTC. One reason it has flown by is definitely because of the people I met here.

Now, you probably don’t know these people, but I’m going to say why I am thankful for each and every one of them. Starting off with Elder Ward, for being my companion, and being an awesome friend. Elders Comer, Albertelli, and Wright for always goofing around, and making me laugh. Elder Woolston for sharing jokes, and talking about Avatar, Lord of the Rings, and other cool stuff. Elder Weyand for being basically fluent in French, but not rubbing it in our faces, but using his skill set to help us out. Elder Woodbury for his wit, and for his epic photoshop skills (I’ll attach a photo below). Sister Schnebly and Sister Howard for their infinite wisdom, and helpfulness for when it comes to French. Also, Sister Schnebly put together this awesome video of all of us bearing out testimony that I shared on my Facebook page. Sister Royall for having an amazing testimony, and always inspiring for me to become a better missionary. And finally, Sister Reed, for always encouraging me when I am down, and for always making me laugh. Like always. Also, my teachers, Soeur Sorena and Frere Lerohl, for always believing in us, and for just being great teachers. I love and appreciate everyone in my district, and these six weeks would have gone so slow if they weren’t here.

Now, I am just ready to hop on that plane to North Carolina on Tuesday, and get ready to teach the gospel to those who need it. I can’t wait to get out there and meet my new companion, mission president, and everyone else there. It will definitely be an interesting experience, and I’ll try to keep up on my emails. Hopefully, I’ll have more to write about once I get out there, and I can keep a weekly email. I feel bad for not including much, but like I said before, it’s been more or less the same thing everyday. I’m certain that will change here soon.

Au revoir,

Elder Orchard