Busy Week! (and pictures) | 24 March 2015​

Dear all,

Things are still going great, halfway done in the MTC!

This week we taught 11 lessons including two lessons to members (in French still). We're still teaching Victor and Patience, the three of us together. I feel like we're getting better at teaching but it's still hard with three people! We all get along and have a good time planning our lessons and stuff like that. 

Our ami Victor has been coming along well, he asks really tough questions though! For example, "Why do we need more than two commandments, love God and love your neighbor?" and "Why should we just go to one church, the Mormon church, if all of them talk about Christ?" and other things like that. I can't even find a good way to answer those in English! Our other ami Patience is also doing well. She's a bit more reserved and doesn't have too many questions. Even though they're both our teachers, I still want to help them so much! Our teachers here are really great, I love them so much! 

I was trying to think of something specific that happened in our lessons that would be good to share but I couldn't really think of anything haha. In one of our first lessons with Victor we forget to bring a BoM to give him. I gave him mine and said he could borrow it for the night and we'd get him one tomorrow. He asked how we would read scriptures and I said "We have lots more!" He just laughed. Idk it was funnier in person I guess. Moral of the story, be prepared!

We also had a great experience with Patience. At the end of our lesson we shared with her 2 Nephi 25:26. Shereally liked that verse and said that was exactly what she wanted for her family. I love that scripture because it really sums up what we do as members of the church, especially as set apart missionaries!

Wednesday we welcomed in the new district into our zone. They are all awesome and get along super well. They're all very similar as well. If I had to describe all it would be "did marching band in high school"? If that makes sense? It does to me, and I mean that in a good way! Like they would've been the cool band kids. Well cooler. Anyways, they're all fitting in really well and I'm gald they're here!!

The new district consists of

Elder Siedow, from Wisconsin

Elder Long, from Tulsa. He was in my French class at BYU! 

Elder Duncan, from Ogden

Elder Clegg, from Midway

Sister Deakin, from Tremonton, UT

Sister Welter, from Orlando

Sister Hardman, from Cottonwood Heights

Lots of Utahns! All are going to Paris except Sister Hardman who is going to New York New York South speaking Haitian-Creole! She's the only one in her class so I feel bad but she's going to NYC so that's pretty sweet. 

Can't think of much else but here are a couple things I've been thinking to finish up this weeks email:

This week for devotional, the choir is singing a song "Behold the Wounds in Jesus' Hands". look it up, it's really good, I've had it stuck in my head all week! I just wish I was a better singer haha

I would like to apologize to BYU basketball fans because I believed I cursed them for talking about March Madness in my last email. I'm sorry to all (but I mean with that kind of lead at half, come on...). Ok, I'm done!

Other than that, it's just same old same old, in classes all day. It's been great though! Crazy I only have three more weeks here. I'm ready to go but still kind of terrified. Mostly wanting to go! Time goes by strangely here in the MTC. Sometimes it feels like I've been here forever, sometimes it feels like it's been a few days! They say the days are like weeks and the weeks are like days. I find that very true! I've loved every second of it so far though!

Hope you all have a great week! I love all of you!!!

-Elder Rosenlof

Our little district of Sister Calderon, myself, and Elder Paredes

Our first zone with missionaries who left last monday. Elders Smith, Moore, Kendrick, Sisters Allen,Kearney, Wilsher, Calderon, Elder Paredes, me, Elder Turner

​The map picture! Me, Elder Paredes, Sisters Hardman, Calderon, Deakin, Welter, Elders Long, Duncan, Siedow, Clegg. Elder Clegg is going to Tibet and Elder Siedow to Istanbul!

​Not that great of a picture but I look like good so yeah

Week 2! | 17 March 2015

Bonjour all!

Things are still awesome here! I've learned so much in these past two weeks and times starting to get faster it feels like. Not sure if that's good or bad...

I'll start where I left off:

Tuesday evening our branch counselor Brother Downling sent us In N Out through MTC same day delivery. It was great, I already missed real food after 6 days! We brought it into the cafeteria and all the other missionaries were staring at us and everything. It may have been against the rules but oh well, no one told us anything haha.

Tuesday night was devotional given by Quentin L Cook! It was such a good talk, all about the importance of inviting people to make commitments and if we're putting in our best efforts and continually inviting, we're doing the right thing. He said it better than I did just then, I promise. I don't think I've seen him speak before. I've seen about 6-8 apostles speak I think? I'm praying Elder Holland comes here before I leave, hopefully the Tuesday after Easter! Also, beforehand in the choir we sang a rendition of Praise to the Man, it was so cool, made me feel like I was in Nauvoo or something. Elder Cook said it was very good too haha. 

Wednesday we taught Jhonny for the last time because he was "going back to France." He really is becoming our second teacher! I was really bummed when I found out that we wouldn't be teaching him anymore, even though we knew he was a member! It was so cool to see him pray with us and ask sincere questions about the Gospel. And to try and help him with those questions. And all in French! I'm really glad he's our teacher though, and we'll keep "teaching" him as a different investigator. He and our other teacher, Sœur Echols, are both going to be playing as amis for us. Frère Dicou is Victor and Sœur Echols is Patience (PAH-see-onse). The teachers here base their characters off of real people they taught on their mission, it's really cool

On Sunday I blessed the sacrament and gave a talk, both in French. Each week they have everyone in the branch prepare a 3 minute talk and then during opening announcements they say who's speaking. I didn't think I would be speaking since it was the last Sunday for the other district. But luckily one of the Elders in the other district caught a glimpse of the schedule that one of the counselors had and told me I was speaking. I had prepared a talk, don't worry, but I added a little more to be safe hahah. I'm probably off the hook for next week luckily

Yesterday the other district left for France. Elder Paredes and I are now zone leaders. We're getting a new district tomorrowwhich should be fun! Our little district has to show them around and everything. I'm glad the other district helped us know how everything works here! It's been pretty quiet around here yesterday and today and I miss those other missionaries already! Although they're probably seeing cool chateaus and eating actual food right now...

Yesterday we taught Victor and Patience for the first time. The three of us are teaching together now so that's kind of tough but I think we did alright. With two teachers, two amis, a new district, and being zone and district leader, we've got a pretty busy week ahead! But that's alright because the more you do in a day, the faster it goes and the more accomplished I feel!! I like having stuff to do haha

More update on how awesome my Branch Presidency is:

Brother Downling (who brought us In N Out) played basketball for BYU (speaking of which, how is Ole Miss in the tourney? Marshall Henderson isn't still playing is he? Also Xavier's a 6 seed? If BYU beats Ole Miss and Xavier then they'll play a 5 or 12 seed right? That shouldn't be too bad. I feel like 12 over 5 upset is pretty common so I don't know. Hope they go far!) and his wife was like a professional dancer and some of his daughters are or have been Rockettes!

Sister Newell is from Chesterfield, MO! How fun! Forgot to ask her what high school she went to, it might be too late now. I'm guessing Parkway West though. Maybe a private school, idk. Also, when she and her husband were embassadors, she was voted Best Dressed Woman in Europe by some European Magazine. Bro Newell said she was kind of a celebrity in Sweden.

And seriously, google "Greg Newell" he probably has a wikipedia page

Our branch presidency are the kind of people I want to be like when I'm older haha

So this week I've had this cantique stuck in my head. It's called "Souviens-toi" and it's like the best hymn ever maybe. I've memorized the third verse which goes: 

"Souviens-toi, mon enfant, à l'aube de temps

Nous étions des amis jouant dans le vent

Puis un jour, dans la joie, nous avons choisi

D'accepter le Seigneur du grand plan de vie

Ce soir-là, mon enfant, nous avons promis

Par la foi, par l'amour, d'être reunis"

Which roughly translates to

"Remember, my child, in the dawn of time (in heaven)

We were friends playing in the wind

Then one day, in joy, we chose

To accept the grand plan of life from the Savior

This night, my child, we have promised

By faith, by love, to be reunited."

It sounds better in French but it's so cool. After we sang it in class for the first time our teacher said something like "this is the hymn that ever French missionary says they'll sing to their children" Which is exactly what I was thinking haha. I'm so grateful for hymns and the power that music has. I'm also so grateful for families and the Plan of Salvation. I'm so glad I can live with my family forever because of this Plan! I love all of you, je vous aime! 

-Ross

Bonjour! | 10 March 2015

Hey all, first week at the MTC is over and it's been great! I have so much I want to tell all of you but not that much time so I'll see where I get!

My companion is Elder Paredes. He's from Petaluma, CA. He's the first missionary in his family, his parents are converts who moved to CA from Mexico. He's fluent in Spanish as well and in his mission call he was called Spanish and French speaking. He took some French in high school but nothing too advanced or anything. We're about the same with our French level. He's pretty quiet like myself but we get along and everything which is good! I'd say the hardest part so far is having to be with a companion ALL the time. It's not that I don't like Elder Paredes, it's just that having to do everything and stay in sight and sound of someone pretty much 24/7 is pretty hard! But I know companionships are for a reason and I've learned a lot already from him. 

Our district is comprised of the two of us and Soeur Calderon. That's it! Not sure why we have just a small district...There are about 8 missionaries also going to Montreal all learning Spanish. I also got Spanish nametags, I hope they know I don't know any Spanish... I might get Elder Paredes to teach me some. Anyways! Soeur Calderon is from Sacramento! She's a convert to the church so I don't think she'd know Rosenlof's. She lives closer downtown, kinda between Elk Grove and downtown. I told her I used to live right next to El Camino high and she knew exactly where that is! I think she's in Elk Grove stake? I'm not sure. She did a year and a half at BYU-I before the mission. She's also fluent in Spanish and is called to teach in Spanish. She and Elder Paredes are both great and our district is small but we all get along which is good!

We're in class pretty much everyday except for Tuesday. Sometimes we have a teacher, sometimes we just have our own time to divide up however we need to. The teachers all speak in French probably 90% of the time. The French has come pretty easily I feel like, taking 101 really helped a lot! Of course, we didn't learn any gospel terms in that class but they're all pretty similar to the English ones. The first thing they really taught us is how to pray in French. Now every time I pray (which is a lot at the MTC) it's in French and it's pretty cool! I love how the gospel is true, no matter the language! 

On our second full day we had our first lesson! They don't waste any time here! Our "ami de l'église" (what the french call investigators, lit. friend of the church) is Jhonny. (He's really a teacher but we act like he's an investigator. He's a really good actor!) In our first lesson we kind of wanted to talk about having faith in Jesus Christ but we kind of didn't end up talking about that at all. He asks a lot of questions and we try our best to answer in our limited French vocabulary. I know the gift of tongues and the Holy Ghost is real from these lessons because I've been able to say things and express things I didn't even think of until during the lesson. We've had three lessons with Jhonny so far, we've got him to pray with us twice and we challenged him to read some of the BoM and pray about it. He's talked a lot about a problem within his family so I think we'll try and help him with that. It's so important to realize that you may plan a lesson for someone that you might never get to teach, and that's ok! Just gotta listen to the promptings of the Spirit! Which I can feel pretty much all the time here! It's great!

As far the MTC itself goes, it's pretty much the same as BYU in appearance and cafeteria food quality. The other district in our zone (all going to Paris, except two to Lyon) have really helped us a lot to get situated and everything. We'll have to do the same in a week when they leave and a new district joins our zone! Right now I'm district leader and in a week Elder Paredes or I will be zone leader and one will be district leader. All the missionaries in the other zone are really cool, there's:

Elder Smith, from Vermont, Zone leader

Elder Moore, from SoCal, Zone leader

Elder Kendrick, from Toronto

Elder Turner, from Nebraska

Soeur Kearney, from Fort McMurray, Alberta

Soeur Allen, from Sandy, UT

Soeur Wilsher, from U.K.

I'll miss all of them when they leave, hope we get some cool missionaries next week!

Our Branch Presidency is also super cool. 

President Merrill is a religion prof at BYU so he knows everything about the scriptures. He's pretty cool. 

Brother Downling is first counselor, has the most soothing voice ever, updated me on he BYU - St. Mary's game, and promised to send us In N Out in the mail. I'll know if he lives up to his promise in about 45 minutes. Please oh please let it happen!

Brother Newell is second counselor and his is the most interesting man ever. He was ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE! Like of the United States. He's worked with 4 presidents, was ambassador to Sweden in his early thirties, and has also worked with just about all the prophets since he was in his 20s. On time in a lesson he said "When I was with President Reagan the day he was shot..." Like what?! Today he brought in pictures of him shaking hands with all these famous diplomats and attending all these balls and dinners with the Reagan's and Fords. Crazy! And he's only 61!! 

Today was P-Day. We woke up to get there at 5:30 a.m. to get in to the 6 a.m. session. After we did some service folding in the laundry room. Then we had breakfast in the temple cafeteria. It was so good! The other elders talked about how it's like the best part of the week for them and I have to say, it just might be. After we had some free time. I couldn't really take a nap which is probably a good thing. I hope I'm tired at the end of the day, I haven't really been and need to be better about getting on the missionary schedule! 

I've tons of people I know from school. Every time I think, "I think I've seen everyone from my ward who's on a mission right now," I see someone else I know! I didn't see Quincey until Sunday but when I did we had a nice handshake! 

There's so much more I want to tell you! It's been great here and I'm so grateful for this opportunity to serve. Je vous aime! Hope you have a great week, keep me updated in everything you're doing! Au revoir! 

-Ross 

p.s. my address is 

Elder Ross Rosenlof

APR13 CAN-MON

2007 N 900 E Unit 20

Provo, UT 84602

p.p.s. if you don't want to get an email like this every week let me know! 

p.p.p.s. sorry no pictures, I used the wrong computers to write this. I still look pretty much the same though