Be the Best Bat!
This week was so amazing and even though it has been a little overwhelming with the switch to Tahitan it has been amazing to see the Lord’s hand in helping me learn more and give me strength to push myself! Tahitian is such a beautiful language and has so much more meaning to things than in English and in the same way as French does. It is so hard to balance these 2 languages but it’s been amazing to see that I am not learning these languages alone and that with the eyes to see God is walking hand in hand with me pushing me and helping me to work hard to get these languages. I have also seen that I have to be continually patient with myself and have little celebrations that I know just a little bit more than I knew the day before! But anyways the Highlights for this week:

Tuesday, we had an amazing devotional by Bishop L. Todd Budge 2nd Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric. It was also cool because I was able to say the opening prayer in front of the whole MTC and got to sit on the stand with my companions and two other sister’s in our district, Soeur Hansen and Soeur Lines, because Soeur Lines then said the closing prayer. It was a super cool experience! But his talk was about being an instrument in God’s hands and he made an analogy about a baseball game that happened years ago and how this team won the game and he said I wonder if the baseball bat could talk what it would say. He said how it would say I was able to hit the ball exactly where it was supposed to hit and he threw me on the side and I watched the whole team cheer and have this amazing front row seat of being in the game. He then related that to us as missionaries that we aren’t the one’s playing the game but that this is God’s work and how we are the instruments (or the bat) in His hands helping accomplish this Great work. It was such a cool analogy and that it’s so true that it isn’t about us but how God uses us in His hands to go about doing this amazing Great work!! And so we all as missionaries need to strive to Be the Best Bat!! It was an amazing devotional!

Wednesday, I got my first haircut in the MTC and it actually wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be but I also miss my mom’s haircuts! I just had to accept the fact that these next two years are going to be unusual haircuts and honestly it is the least of my worries! Also the lady that cut my hair was so nice and I had a good talk with her about the devotional and how I loved the analogy that he used and she loved it too! So it was cool that I was able to share that with her because she was like I have never thought about it like that before and she loved that idea. It all worked out great and started my journey of crazy haircuts!😂 We also got a surprise class with our French teacher Soeur Wilkey and it was so good to see her again! We also got to see our other French teacher Frere Lancaster and it was such a great day to see both of them!

THEN TODAY I GOT MY VISA!!!!! SO I AM GOING TO TAHITI!! IT IS SO EXCITING AND I CAN’T WAIT!! There was a part of me that thought I would get reassigned to Mom and Dad’s mission in Spokane Washington but God knows that that would have been really hard to see them. Even though I was praying to be able to go to their mission God knows that I need to be in Tahiti now! Without a doubt in my mind I know that God is so aware of me and sees the bigger picture. Even though I am a little (a lot a bit) nervous to go, I know that I will be ok and that I need to put all my trust in the Lord and in Heavenly Father since they called me here and they see what I can’t. I need to trust and everything will work out. So Tahiti here I come!!! Beaucoup d’amour! Ua here au ia outou!💙
-Elder LeBaron