My first week in Paris!! Pics!!

Bonjour tout le monde!

       Wowww so much has happened this week I feel like I've lived a million lifetimes here. I have like fifteen minutes to write so I'm sorry if I leave something out or this is super scatterbrained oof!

       So I'm in Paris now HA and it is super crazy ah I'm so distracted this keyboard is in French and so it's correcting everything to be French ANYWAY so I got to the Visitor's Center on Monday and it's been crazy since then- I haven't even breathed. We've had nonstop lessons all week. Also, everything I've ever been told about French people is a lie. They are so nice to us and I love them. Just everybody speaks spaghetti. Like I have no idea what people are saying and it doesn't sound quite like the French I learned in the MTC. But that's okay, I can bear my testimony and people understand so that's the most important right now.

       ALSO we had a really fun rendezvous this week (Note from Danette...a "rendezvous" means an appointment). We showed up at this lady's apartment and she was super busy and asked us to come back and teach her a lesson later. And us, being persistent missionaries, asked if we could help with anything and she said she was just cutting chicken. Okay normal. So we come inside, and it smells so strong of dead things and we turn the corner and just... just...full chickens. Like her husband is standing there with a massive butcher's knife whacking away at these chickens that they just killed from the farm. In the sink there's no joke about forty chicken heads and our ami (Note from Danette...an "ami" means a friend, or someone they are teaching) grabs a knife and starts just cutting off heads and breaking bones and me and my comp were just standing like uhhhhhh. There's blood all over the floor...all over the walls. This was my very first rendezvous. It was definitely a memorable one. 

Paris, Reunion, and Barbados. Gonna miss these ones.

Another because I miss the Tahitians too. Our district was the best no competition.

I waited nine whole days for p-day and can I just say it was so worth it. (Note from Danette - a "p-day" stands for preparation day. It's when missionaries run errands, do laundry, write emails home, kind of like a day off). Like every street looks like this. And people are just walking around like it's no big deal. And yes it is like Ratatouille here, people keep asking me that HA!

Sacré Cœur - this is a Catholic Cathedral overlooking all of Paris it's gorgeous. And here's my new district who I also love very much. We were frolicking all around Paris today.

The view at Sacré Cœur

Apparently it had been a year since it snowed in Versailles and my first day it snowed!! 

Just the French mansion of one of our amis. Like, people live in this thing.

Huge blessing. My first day, Elder Neil L. Anderson came and spoke to us. He served in France too, and he taught us a lot about missionary work. It was honestly a little scary because he talked about how difficult missionary work is in France, but we are all sent here for a reason. All the missionaries here are so strong and I've already seen the results of their hard work (and the work of the missionaries before us, like Elder Anderson). 

{Note from Danette: This next pic was shared with me by Jill Brown. We go to church together, and her son, Josh, is in Morgan's mission! He went out a couple of months before Morgan. Also, one of Morgan's best friends from high school, Christian, is also serving in the same mission! All three of them were able to see each other Morgan's 1st day in Paris when Elder Anderson came to speak to their mission...so fun! Here they are, along with Morgan's first companion (I love how Morgan and her comp are color coordinating their outfits😍...girls will be girls!).

HA so the first district meeting I have, our elders whip out these flans and I thought we were gonna eat them with a spoon, right? No. They just lean over and literally INHALE the flan and swallow it in one bite. Without even tasting it. And yes I did it and almost died.

Bonne Semaine!

Sœur McOmber



(From Danette) Here's one more picture that was emailed to us when Morgan arrived in Paris at the Mission Office! Her Mission President, President Sorensen is on the right. The couple in the left is a married couple serving in the Mission Office...so sweet!

I also have to tell you a fun story. So...Morgan emailed us the day before she was supposed to fly out of Salt Lake City to go to Paris. She was so excited because missionaries normally get to call home from the airport before they fly out. She told us her flight was around 4pm, so we were all sitting at home, so excited to talk to her. The next time we would be able to talk to her after that wouldn't be until Mother's Day...so yeah...very excited.

The time came when we were expecting her call, and she still hadn't called and I was getting worried, so Mark suggested I call the Salt Lake Airport and have her paged. I did that, but she never answered the page. Then I got online and started looking up flights to Paris, trying to figure out when her flight would be leaving, since we didn't have any exact information about her flight. Turns out the flight was leaving at 4:50 PM, so we gave her a little more time to call us. When she still hadn't called, I tried paging her again...no answer. So then I got worried that maybe there was something wrong. That's where our minds go as mothers, right? So I called the number for Missionary Travel in Salt Lake City. They were closed since it was a Sunday, so I called the emergency number for Missionary Travel. The sweet lady who picked up, said her daughter had also gone to Paris a few years ago on her mission and had not had a chance to call. She figured Morgan had just gotten caught up in lines and just couldn't call. But she offered to check to make sure Morgan was okay, and had actually boarded the plane, which she had.

I was very glad she was okay, but depressed that we hadn't been able to talk with her before she left.

The next morning at 6:30am I had just gotten up and my phone ringer was still off. I happened to be looking at my phone when it showed somebody was calling. I didn't recognize the number, and the place it was from was definitely in another language, so I knew it had to be Morgan! When I answered she immediately exclaimed, "Mom! I'm so sorry! I completely forgot to call! By the time I remembered we were over the ocean!" Yeah...I gave her a pretty hard time. I told her, "Seriously! You forgot to call your mother! How in the world do you forget that!" We both had a good laugh. She said she had even heard the page we had done for her at the airport, but figured it couldn't be for her since they didn't call her sister McOmber. Ha! She was also all by herself, with no companion or any other missionaries, so it's not like she had the reminder she would have had if there had been other missionaries calling home. She said her mind was on leaving the MTC, and everything she had to do when she got to Paris. Silly girl!

When she got to Paris, and an hour had passed at the airport, and no one had come to pick her up, she had to figure out what to do. Here she was in a different country, barely speaking any of the language, and no phone. She said she looked at the itinerary and saw a phone number, so she found a phone and called that number, which turned out to be the Paris Mission Office. They told her they hadn't been expecting her until later, and they were really glad she had figured out how to call!

It's a good thing Morgan is so independent and able to handle things like that. She said she was never worried. She just did what she needed to do and it all turned out. Our family got to talk to her for about 30 minutes that morning…I added Mark to the call from work, and Bryan and Madi to the call from Utah. Loved connecting with her!

Last week a la MTC!

Hey everyone!

       So this email is a little bittersweet because it's my last week at the MTC :,) I've met some of the most amazing people here and from countries all over the world (very different than Gilbert, Arizona). But I'm also so excited because on Sunday I'm flying to PARIS!!!! This feels so unreal. I've been hearing so much about it for the past six months and now it's actually about to happen?? Wild. 

       Yes I did play the piano this week and it was wayyy scarier than playing the organ. There were 320 new missionaries and I was feeling great until I got up to the front and they shined a massive spotlight on me. Then, they took it a step further and projected a mega close up of my face to all the missionaries HA. So that made me a little nervous. But I played "We Thank Thee O God, For A Prophet" and it went pretty well. The Presidency said I really brought the Spirit and I almost cried. Love them.

(Note from Danette: Here's a recording of Morgan's musical number:

CLICK HERE)

      This week, I've also just been appreciating the things the MTC has to offer before I leave for Paris. I don't know how to cook without a recipe so I don't think they'll be a whole lot of Texas Sheetcake and Chicken Cordon Bleu once I get out of here HA. If anybody receives revelation that they should send me recipes, please follow the prompting. I'm also going to miss my cute little teachers. If anybody can teach me to speak French in six weeks, they deserve a medal. I can't sit still for more than 5 minutes. Lastly, I'm going to miss all the incredible missionaries here. These missionaries have left a lot behind, some more than others. But they bring a spirit and happiness with them that the world needs right now. I've loved everyone I've met here and I'm really gonna miss the MTC (don't cry for me though because PARIS!!!!). 

 

      Quick spiritual thought: there's this picture of Jesus and his disciples that I LOVE and I walk by it every day on the way to class. Jesus is with his disciples on hill and they're all sitting down like they're having a lil picnic. In the picture, Jesus and the disciples are just dying of laughter about something. I love how even though we often think of Jesus relating to the hard things in our lives, he also relates to the happy times. If Jesus was with us as missionaries, I think he would laugh with us and be so excited about this work. I know he is smiling in heaven when we teach other people to come unto him. He's not just an abstract figure, he is our brother. He's our friend. I'm grateful to have a friend like Jesus who knows everything I have felt - even my happiness.

"Sister McOmber! Sister McOmber REGARDEZ (look)!! I am not..." *points to okay* *dies laughing* Je l'aime. 

Elder Foley found this scarf on the ground. Yes it is a women's scarf. Yes he wears it everywhere. Yes he has been airdropping me pics of him wearing it all week. 

Elder Gogarty describing his 2 day journey to Madagascar. Note how Texas, London, and South Africa are all islands.

Regardez!!!! My scriptures now have Soeur McOmber on them!!! I am officially a real missionary.

My favorite New Zealanders (AKA kiwis). 21A was a good one. (had to choose this pic because Elder Randell said "it's a mood" HA).

Love you all! Bonne journee!

Soeur McOmber 

**NOTE FROM DANETTE (Morgan's mom):

I got a message from a friend this week that was so fun to get. She was driving by the MTC and spotted Morgan! She said, "There was a big line of cars so I forgot to get her picture for you till after we started driving away haha "

After I got the message, I forwarded it to Morgan and she said, "HAHA that’s hilarious. We were running because we were gonna host the new missionaries! Lol"

Big piano performance coming up! A whole day with no English😳. I know stuff, I don't know stuff, but with God I can do all things.💕

D'accord allors cette semaine a ete mouvementee! (this week has been eventful, sorry French readers for my lack of accents)

So I had a thought this week, "I think maybe my mom would want me to play the piano or something." So I picked a song and played it for the Presidency's wives and they're letting me play for a new missionary devotional! Which is super exciting because I thought I would never get to play here! When I walked in they said, "Do you need to do some scales or something?" And I guess I didn't hear them (my comps told me later) because I just went straight into it. My hands were shaking so much because the women in the MTC Presidency are living legends, and when I play at the devotional I am playing in front of the whole Presidency again. I am so afraid. Just being in their presence I am automatically unable to speak. So now I guess I am playing for the new missionaries yayyyy (pray for me).

Update: We had an English fast yesterday and a lot of things happened. (Note from Danette, because I didn't understand this the first time I read it. An "English fast" is not speaking English all day...she had to only speak French the whole day.) One, I almost died like three times playing volleyball. Two, I realized I know a lot more than I think. Three, I realized I know nothing. So, when we play volleyball, we're mostly with the Italian zone and a few French elders play. But I would call the ball "C'est la mien!!" and the Elders would just run me over because they had no idea I was calling it. Even the French Elders instead of speaking French just resorted to using body language or animal noises. So meal time was pretty quiet HA. However, I made it through the day and realized wait maybe I actually know some stuff here. Then for study time, I decided to watch a Mormon (Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) Message in French and was quickly brought down a peg. The French speak at the speed of light and I have to turn up the volume and focus super hard on the words if I want to understand. But if I look back at where I was a few weeks ago, I know I can get there.

So every Sunday, they call somebody random from the branch to give a brief talk (in French) on a topic chosen the week before. In the past, I never planned one because statistically, it was not likely for me to get called on (Bad idea, because if I got called on, I would have literally nothing to say HA). Anyway, I decided to actually plan one this week because since I've been here a while, I might get called on. The topic was faith in Jesus Christ and in His Atonement. I said:

Avant la mission, j'ai prier pour mon ecole et mais amis, ma famille et les benedictions. Mais, j'ai n'ai pas cherche pour ses benedictions. Quand j'ai recu les benedictions, Jai dit, "oh, il est parce que j'ai etudie ou parce que de ma oeuvre." Ici, j'apprends, wow il n'est pas moi. Il n'a jamais ete. Il ete Dieu toujours.

Translation: Before the mission, I would pray for blessings. But I never really searched for the blessings in my life. And when they happened, I would say "Oh it's because I studied or because of MY hard work." But here, I have a greater understanding; it was never me. It was God always.

As disciples of Christ, we have to have faith that God can bless us and help us with anything we are going through. If we can't trust God, how can we teach other people to? Jesus Christ IS the gospel. Having faith in Christ has been everything for me here. Without him, I could never learn the language or have the Spirit with me. I'm thankful for His help in my life because I know Christ is the reason we can do all things.

She's off to Chicky Cog Cog!! Be safe mon petit papillon (my little butterfly).

(Note from Danette: This is one of Morgan's best friends, Savannah, & they got to be in the MTC {Missionary Training Center} at the same time! So fun! Savannah is now headed to Chicago!)

Another, because we love each other.

Okay this is so cute; this is a mini French hymnbook. There's some songs in here that don't have an English equivalent and we sing those on Sunday. My favorite is Souviens-toi. (Remember)

Just a foggy day in provo. And me also. 

I do photography now.

We go to attend the Provo temple every P-day and eat breakfast there (okay did anybody else know that some temples have breakfast???? Nobody ever told me this and I feel lied to)

Appreciate this because I've been trying to take a picture with Elder Leterme (in the blue) all week! He is the first French person I met here and he is so funny. He always comes to say hi to our district and we love listening to his accent (he's learning English here). We always say we love it, he says "oh no you can ave eet." So cute HA we love him.

(Side note from Danette: Mark and I didn't understand that last part until Bryan explained it to us, because apparently it's a very French thing to say? When someone says they love their accent, the French person says, "You can have it." 😜)

Desole pour le long email, bonne semaine :)

Soeur McOmber

I totally got this French thing....oh wait.😳 What I'm learning about enduring to the end.💕Never take Target 🎯for granted.

Bonjour les gens!!

        So before yesterday I might have actually said I'm getting the hang of this French thing, but yesterday we had a speaking test and...not my best work. First question: "What is it like where you are from?" Me: "Uhhhh il est tres chaud. Il est tres tres chaud parce que le soleil." (It is sooo hot. Sooo so hot because of the sun) I guess that's all I can think to say about Arizona hah. I was tresssss stresse. However, everybody in my group says I've grown so much in my French this week and I can teach entire lessons now in French! We're Sister Training Leaders so we don't have a ton of free time, but I practice in the shower and that helps HA. We went from memorizing phrases to actually being able to converse with people...in a week. The gift of tongues is real.

       Jesus thought: This week, we talked a lot about enduring to the end. For amis de l'eglise (friends of the church), this usually means helping them keep their commitments and covenants. I was thinking though...what does enduring to the end mean for me? The definition is to choose righteousness always, even throughout temptation and adversity. The first adversity I thought of here is all the rules. Everything you can think of, there's a rule about it. And if I'm honest, it's super hard to follow all of them. We're not allowed to say "guys" and I've said it about 47 times this week. But enduring to the end means doing my very best so I keep working at exact obedience. Everybody has different challenges, and if it was easy to endure and be like Christ, we would have all reached perfection by now. Fortunately, Christ doesn't ask us to be perfect right now, he just asks for our best. I hope someday I can meet Christ and say "I did my very best. I did exactly what you wanted me to do even when it was hard." And that is enduring to the end.

My comps left for San Fran to get their visas on Friday so I got to hang out with the Paris district!! They're so cool I love them. We played Uno for approximately four hours.

Just us...drinking lake water.

Somebody (confidential) brought us donuts and Martinelli's for New Years!! I didn't know how to say donuts or Martinellis in our prayer so I said "Nous te remercion pour le vin et le pain sucre." (thank you for the wine and sugar bread) and my teacher lost it...he was the only one who understood. 😂😂😂 

Our New Soeurs!! Soeur Tigno and Talibran (left) are from the Phillipines, and Soeur Opperman (right) is from Logan, Utah.

Soeur Jacobs hurt her finger playing volleyball and we were very sad...for about two seconds until we realized we got to go on an adventure out of the MTC!!! We beat an iSpy book in the lobby (we're children) and then they let us go to Target to get some new clothes. Never take Target for granted people.

Hope everybody had a good week! Thanks for the love and memes.

Soeur McOmber