Oh yeah I'm a missionary...

OH MY GOODNESS I LOVE THIS!!! It's seriously just so much fun and so exciting.

It's honestly not as hard or busy as I thought it would be (thank you all for your tips and advice). It's like EFY or college just with a spiritual typhoon. You have a full day, but we have down time and freedom to choose when we do things.

The first week was awesome! I said my first prayer in French so WAHOO! Missionary life is seriously just normal life with the spirit helping you accomplish a specific purpose. The first two days I'd be walking with ma collegue (companion) and I'd see to elders with name tags and thing 'Wow look! Missionaries!...' then remember that we're all missionaries, including me. Haha good times... I love finally being here and wearing a name tag and learning the gospel en francais. I still feel like me though. Just regular old Shaustia wearing cute dresses and saying #worthit and 'je ne sais pas' too many times to admit. So far French isn't too bad, just some new vocab. But in about 3 days I know we'll be past everything I know... c'est la vie! 

French is still hard and confusing but it's like there's someone pulling be through all the boundaries just a little more than usual. Nothing drastic by any means, but everything comes a little more naturally. God helps His servants!

My district is amazing!!!! There all ready to work and learn and they're hilarious and honestly a little basic #millennials. There's 8 of us (4 elders and 4 soeurs). The boys and distinguished as the British one, the Poly, the red head and the house wife (he called himself that because he loves cooking, cleaning, crafting, etc.) Haha so we got a good bunch. The soeurs are my bffs. My companion is from Georgia and is studying Theater at BYU (PARLEY IT"S BELLA LUNT FROM THEATER SHE LOVES YOU AND THINKS YOU"RE AWESOME), one lived in France for 2 years so she's our go-to dictionary #blessher and was going to BYU, and the other is so cute and lives in Boston but is coming to BYUI after the mish!  We're more like a 4-way companioship cuz we're always together. 

All the peeps that were in my insta group are in my district so when we saw each other we were like "Bella... I mean soeur Lunt!" and "Sha... soeur Isaacson! Haha we're so smart.

MISSIONARY TIPS:

• I still miss my fam, but it was only tear-jerking for the first hour of being here. I talk about 'all all the time but God helps us not to miss our people.
• It's as hard as you make it! If you take it easy, focus on little pieces of the language at a time, don't go too above and beyond, and focus on the Lord and the joy you're feeling it REALLY isn't that hard. I feel like sometimes I have too much free time. There's a lot to do but it's ok. 
• JUST BE HAPPY: the Spirit comes through our joy and happiness so just be positive and make jokes. We joke all the time about our mistakes. It's so fun! 
• DON'T YOU WORRY, ABOUT A THING... seriously don't. just keep doing what you're doing to prepare, it's so much less scary once you're out here. You're not alone with God and all the other new greenies and honestly everyone else here. It's all ok. Just come with what you have to offer and the Lord will build from there. 
• BREATH!

Btw, the word 'zut' is NOT a swear word but it is really old fashioned. The equivalent to saying "Golley Gee!" or something that you would hear in thee 60s... so instead I use "mince (mayhnce) and oh la vache (vash) for oh my gosh. Just fyi.

I just learned this but in D&C 90:11 it says that God promised everyone the opportunity to learn the gospel in their native tongue through those called. THAT'S ME!!! I'm fulfilling a promise given by God hundreds of years ago. I'm answering the prayers given and covenants made by learning this language and teaching it. I am the way God is making his promise to these Tahitians. That's so cool and exciting!!! It's just like in the BoM when it says God's word or promises spoken of by ancient prophets are fulfilled. I'm a part of that!! WHOOO

I just love this. I've prepared and I've come and I'm ready. Everyone is so kind. Everything is just ok, it all works out and is easier once you're out here. Scripture study, working hard, learning the language, it's nothing major or diferent with me but that I'm committed and surrounded by it. Mostly the Spirit is just giving everyone a little extra nudge. 

LOVE YOU ALL SO SO SO MUCH!!!

(pdays are on Friday, oui. Didn't know that before)