Training

Hello All,

So I'm just going to come out and say it: this has probably been mentally the hardest week so far of the mission. I'm a trainer! The new girls arrived this wednesday and it has been really really different - and pretty tough. Luckily, they brought back my best friend (Sis Gardiner) to my area and she is also training so we are in it together. Training is hard! My new trainee doesn't speak French and so now I'm carrying the load mostly by myself. I think the hardest thing though is the pressure I put on myself, because I don't want to let her down and I feel a lot of responsibility for making sure that everything goes peaches and cream for her mission. Which I know isn't realistic but doesn't stop me from trying. Mostly I'm taking it one day at a time.

So in coordination with training, our area also got split so now I'm working about half the area...and have half the amis. Like I said it's been a tougher time and period of transition. 

My new trainee is named Soeur Isham and she is American. She studied french a little bit in highschool and then for 6 weeks in the MTC. She is super enthusiastic and positive which is great and she really loves Disney. She is really great - I'm the one struggling with training because I feel so insecure in what I'm doing. Before there were always two other companions to back me up or give ideas or add to lessons - and now it feels like there is just me. And that is hard. 

We have known for quite a while that the HEaps would be leaving. We helped drop them off at the airport. It was a pretty emotional night because the Heaps have essentially been our grandparents out here and saying goodbye was hard. To add on top of that with all the changes we were already feeling unsettled and unsure of ourselves but now to know that we can't turn to the Heaps everyday for advice, was a pretty big blow. A new senior couple is getting here this wednesday and we are excited but know it will be different. Plus it will take them a while to learn the swing of things and most likely WE will be the ones giving THEM tips. 

I did another musical number collaboration with Sr Gardiner and her violin in church yesterday. We sang/played this hymn called "Souviens-toi, mon enfant" which means "Remember my child" and is about living in the premortal existence and accepting God's plan and then sharing the gospel here on the earth with those we knew before. It's really beautiful, and the melody comes from Dvorak's New World Symphony. Unfortunatlely I didn't film this one but I don't think I'd be able to figure out how to send it anyway. Maybe next time.

Love,

Sister Stewart

Where to even begin...

Hello ALL,

Seriously the title says it all. Where to even begin?! I have no idea. So the beginning of this week was the New Year and New Year is big on La Reunion. On the 31st everyone is running around and getting food ready for the big fete (party) during the evening. Then people stay up till way late - like 4 in the morning to party in the New Year. And they shoot off tons of fireworks at midnight. We were invited to eat with some of the families in the ward at one party on the port, which was so nice. It was pretty being right next to the ocean and the company and food was great. 

Then on Thursday...a CYCLONE hit the island! It was pretty crazy! They had warned us that one was coming our way but originally they thought it would miss the island and just send us some rain storms but then a couple of days before they confirmed it would directly hit us. Then as it got closer and closer the storm was getting worse so they warned everyone and told us to go out and make sure that we had food and water. Ultimately the cyclone ended up being a category 3, which means that it had winds up to 150mph. When it first hit in the morning, I was like "this isn't bad, this is just heavy rain why is everyone making a big deal about it?" And then suddenly the wind picked up and it became a real storm out there! We have a huge sliding glass door that looks out over a balcony in our living room so we saw the whole thing (and slightly feared for our lives lest something be thrown by the wind and break our door/window and we be sucked out into the cyclone). You would have thought that someone was dumping bucket from the sky with the heavy rain we had while at the same time these incredibly strong winds that were breaking trees. I always thought a cyclone was like a water tornado. I suppose mainly from the advertising found at waterparks. But I was dissapointed. Just an incredibly heavy storm. We went on red alert at 10am on Thursday so even if we wanted to (which we didn't) no one is allowed to leave their house and be out. It is literally against the law. So we couldn't leave ALL day long. We stayed in our house. And we cleaned. A lot. Which was alright because it had been on our to do list for that week anyway. We also were able to take a nap which was phenomenal. It was nice to have a break. And then our power went out that night so luckily we had 72 hour kits with candles and flashlights. Then when we woke up the next morning the storm was STILL going. It literally rained and stormed all day for over 24 hours. So yeah, we spent nearly 44 hours in our apartment. But then we were able to go out that afternoon. And there wasn't too much damage but tree branches were everywhere and the lights weren't working. It was pretty wild. But luckily, a big cyclone only comes around about once every season. Cyclone season is October to January so we should be in the clear now!

Last exciting news. We got the news of transfers. My two current companions are both leaving me. My trainer, Sr Packer is going down to St Pierre and Sr Hurst is going to St Paul. Meanwhile, Sr Gardiner has come back up to join me but is NOT my companion. Because I am training. AHHHHH! That's so scary! Sr Gardiner is also training and her companion and mine will arrive off the plane straight from the MTC this Wednesday. We are both pretty nervous. I'm fairly stressed because in addition we are all living in the same apartment and sharing a car and splitting the area. Living together will be awesome, sharing the car is going to be pretty tricky and splitting the area has been pretty sad for me. Because it means not only that now half of what I used to know I can no longer port or find people or contact but also any amis that live in the other area are now Sr Gardiner and her companion and I won't teach them. That is rough. But I know they're in good hands. It's just hard to feel like suddenly we have nothing! Our space feels incredibly tiny. I know that this is going to help me grow so much but unfortunately that means it is because it will be tough! And uncomfortable. So pray for me because I will need the strength and the Lord's help. 

This week alone is going to be full of changes and incredibly crazy! But this year is going to be full of adventure and miracles. I'm just waiting for it. So I love you all and thank you for your support! I've survived one cyclone so everything from here should be downhill right?

Love,

Sr Stewart