September 26, 2018 Safe and sound in Canada!

Bonjour mama! I just wanted to tell you that I am here in Montreal! It is beautiful! I already love president and sister Phillips. I feel so safe here. Know that I am in safe hands<3 I will talk to you on my p day on Tues. I love you to the moon and back! Love, your daughter, Soeur Bates

Week 6! (mtc) September 21, 2018

Bonjour! This week has been so busy! With everything winding down so quickly and preparing to leave and start my mission in the real world, my emotions have been everywhere! Sometimes I feel so ready to go! Other times I feel utterly under-prepared and scared. But I know that I am here for a reason and I am so excited to go and teach the people of Montreal! I know that the Lord and the spirit will make up for where I lack and that He didn't send me here to fail. There have been so many testimony builders this week. On Tuesday, Elder Anderson came and spoke to us. He was the sweetest! The spirit was so strong! Afterwards, he came out into the crowd and started shaking hands with people. I didn't get to, but I was only about three people away from him! The spirit he had about him was tangible. And something truly remarkable happened. All 1000 of us missionaries began singing along with the postlude music , we thank thee oh God for a prophet and Called to serve. It was not planned. I have never before felt such a spirit of unity and power like I did that night. It was miraculous. It brought me to tears and I felt such a strong feeling that this was right. I was exactly where I needed to be, doing exactly what the Lord wanted me to do. This church is true. I know that because the things I have felt the spirit testify to me that are true, could not be of man. They are not. They are of God and I have felt that witness. I know that this is the only true church on the earth. I know it. I have felt so much joy in this work this week. We have been teaching this fake investigator named Miriam. She agreed to be baptized this week. I felt so full of joy. I can't even imagine the joy that I will feel when bringing real actual people, God's children back to the fold. I love this work. I have been studying a lot in 2 Nephi this week, with Jacob talking about Isaiah. He said that the Gentiles will carry the people of Israel on their shoulders. I never really understood what that phrase meant until just recently. We are the Gentiles, and carry them on their shoulders- that's missionary work! We are carrying people back to the fold. My choir director told a story about when he was helping at a girls camp. Thus little girl didn't know how to swim, so he let her hang on his back. He wasn't strong enough to swim back to shore and the current kept pulling him in circles. The bishop at the time through him a rope and pulled him back to shore. We are carrying people, but without Christ, our lifeline, we will drown. This is HIS work. I have a testimony of that. And I am so grateful to be a part of it. I love my Savior. I am so grateful that He is always there, constant and strong in this whirlpool we are living in. I know that He can help us through anything and everything. I am a walking testimony of that. I love Him so much for that. And I am so excited to do His work. This gospel is true. The book of Mormon is true and because it is true, everything else is true too. I love being a missionary! Next time, I write, I will be in Canada! I hope you all are doing well. Thank you so much for you kind words of encouragement. I love you all so much! Love, soeur Bates

Week 5! (mtc) September 14, 2018

Bonjour Mon amis et famille! It has been such a great week! We did another TRC on Monday, only this time, it was a videochat to a member in France. Her name was Doria and I love her. She was so sweet and fun and the spirit was so strong. Even through a screen! I had such a string feeling and realization that these people are real! They are real and waiting for something great in their lives! My Sunday was also very good. My sweet companion was asked to give a talk in sacrament meeting. Here's the thing, they ask that everyone prepare a talk in their mission language and then during sacrament, they randomly call on two missionaries to get up and talk (so it's kiiind of important to be prepared cause ya never know) She was! And she did SO well! I love her and I am so proud of how far she has come in just five weeks. The language is getting a little better. I am starting to feel more okay with where I am now, because I know that the spirit will make up for where I lack. In fact that is one of the major things I have found this week. I may be called to preach, but the Spirit is called to teach. It is incredible to me that the spirit can take my broken French and give understanding to the minds of those who hear it. I love the Holy Ghost. I think that sometimes we forget what a truly amazing gift it is. This work would be literally impossible without him. It truly would. But God wants this work to move forward so by golly it will! Haha. It's a testimony to me that this IS the TRUE church. God would not give that kind of power to us if this wasn't true and right. But He has, and it is! And I so love testifying of that! (Partially cause that's the bulk of what I can do in French at this point haha) But honestly being able to teach is always just so great! It's always scary, but I can feel myself stretching and growing every time I do it, and that is a good feeling. I love my district more and more each day. The maturity and reverence displayed by the elders is so amazing, (especially compared to other districts I have seen) They're a lot of fun, but whenever they talk about their Savior, a special spirit enters the room. And my soeurs are just incredible! I love them each so much! Their insights are profound and their hearts are just so pure and full of love. I truly feel so blessed to be placed in this district at this time, with these wonderful people. I only have a little over a week before I head out to Montreal. It's scary and exciting! I am so honored to teach people about Christ and serve them for these next 17 months. I know it will be hard and there will be a lot of rejection and frustration with the French and all, but right now I feel so peaceful. I know that the atonement of Jesus Christ covers everything, my frustrations and my shortcomings. I had a really sweet experience this week. soeur Nelson and I were practicing for teaching a lesson and I was getting suuper frustrated with myself because I couldn't speak the language. The day before I had told her that when I was feeling frustrated she needed to remind my Christ because He is the opposite of chaos. She asked me to bare my testimony of Jesus Christ. I did and then the waterworks started because the peace that comes whenever I think about or talk about Christ is not of this world. Instantly I felt peace and comfort and I knew that he would make up for everything, in fact, He already has. Literally in the space of five minutes, my mood went from completely frustrated and angry at myself, to completely joyful and at peace. The lesson went great and I felt calm before, during,a and after. I love this work. I am so honored to be a part of it. I love this church. I love my Savior. Everything I do is for Him. Much love, Soeur Bates PS... One more thing, I Chopped my hair off! I LOVE it!

Week 4! (mtc)

Bonjour! It has been quite a week! My companion and I had the opportunity to teach in Relief Society and in in our District meeting. It went to so well! I loved teaching and leading , it felt very natural, which normally isn't like me at all! I definitely feel the spirit changing me in those ways. The language has been really hard for me this week. I definitely feel like I am at a standstill and that is frustrating (prayers are welcome and appreciated!;D) Yesterday was especially frustrating, because we did this online exam called LSA. It was the most awkward thing I have ever done (and I have a done a lot of awkward things here!) We had to respond off of the top of our heads to prompts in the computer and record ourselves. Later we listened to them with our teacher frere Brooks. THAT was awkward! But it really helped me figure out what I need to work on, which was the point. Anyway, it really threw my confidence out the window. Luckily I have THE most amazing sisters/ roomates of ever! soeur Weeks shared a scripture with me that brought of peace, Alma 37:6-7. It made me realize that even though I feel like I am completely failing at French sometimes, the Lord knows that I can succeed, because he doesn't need me speak beautifully, or even fluently right now. He brings to pass His work through small and simple means. It was a very humbling experience and I feel a renewed sense of hope and desire to work hard and put in as much effort as I can to accomplish His work. At the Tuesday evening devotional, we heard from elder Kyle S McKay from the seventy. he talked about how the calling of a missionary is near apostalic. That was pretty incredible! He said that properly preached, WITH the spirit we can bring to pass miracles because that is the nature of our calling. I was extremely humbled by that. That the Lord calls these kids, eighteen and nineteen year olds to be the vessel of all of the converting power of the spirit of God. I always want to be a worthy vessel of that power, because I couldn't do a single thing without it. I am so grateful to be a part of this church. It is true and the most beautiful thing I know. I love my Savior. I am so thrilled and humbled to be doing His work, in His name, and on His behalf. It is all for Him. I love you all so much and I hope things are well! Much love, soeur Bates