Living in a Hallmark Christmas Movie. Except for the Pickpocketing.

November 30, 2021

Living in a Hallmark Christmas Movie. Except for the Pickpocketing. - Sister Beck's Weekly from November 22nd.

It turns out jet lag is in fact real. Who knew? I never understood how it worked. But its real. I am so wrecked. I was up for 40 hours from Monday morning at 6 am to Tuesday night at 10:30 pm. I was not okay. France is 6 hours ahead of Florida and 8 hours ahead of Utah. It's weird.

When we drove to the church from the airport in the distance I saw The Eiffel Tower, the Sacre Cœur, the Seine, and the temple in Versailles. All on our DRIVE. I was shocked it's all just right there and real. I was pretty sure it was fake ;)

Also it's exactly what I thought it'd be but completely different somehow. It's so cool, I feel like I'm in a hallmark Christmas movie all the time, AND ITS COLD HERE. Oh man, I LOVE it.

So like I mentioned I'm in Luxembourg and everyone in this mission has made it known to me that I'm very lucky. I've heard it's "The Promised Land" of the mission because it's the only area really progressing (that's just what I was told but I get the feeling there's not a BAD area in this mission). We are pink washing / opening up the area with two companionships. Also our sector is literally the whole country. I feel like that's so cool. My area is the country of Luxembourg, serving the Luxembourgians in Luxembourgish (all real).

I live in the nicest apartment and compared to my last one it's huge. I live with two other Hermanas!! So it's me and Sœur Cameron and then Hermana Picard and Hermana Aviles and they are in the Spanish/Portuguese branch and we are in the Luxembourg ward so I'm actually teaching in French and English right now.

My mission president and his wife are quite literally my favorite people of all time. I've been obsessed with them since November 24th last year when I got my call and they're just as great in person. They are the kindest and funniest people. I feel grateful to have them.

I've never gotten more "Are you completely stupid or just dumb?" looks than in the 2 days I was in France (not just from the French but also a few missionaries too 😂), which is suuuuper funny to me. If you're not fluent you're not competent. But then I got to Luxembourg and these people are just the freaking nicest. I think it's because they don't have to pay taxes, but seriously. So nice.

We met with the ward mission leader and he's awesome. Him and his wife are so nice and they've offered to take us to so many fun places here on our Pdays. IM SO EXCITED FOR THE P DAYS HERE. They are going to be soooooo fun!

My companion Sœur Cameron got pick pocketed on the metro in Paris :( they took her phone with everything on it! I felt sooo bad. It happened so quick, she looked up and the guy hopped off the train then ran to some other doors and hopped back on and she tried to confront him so she hopped back on the train but the doors shut on her so she was half in half out. I was so shook for many different reasons. But most of all, I will be keeping my belongings CLOSE to me and underneath my jacket so if I'm lookin a little thicc in my pictures that's why. Also, baguettes. But mostly my stuff...

We don't have a car in this sector so we have been taking public transportation. I love it and hate it all at the same time. I imagined doing this stuff when I imagined being a missionary but it takes forever and it's inconvenient at times but in Luxembourg all public transportation is free. Can you believe that? We can just get on and off at our pleasure. It's the best. Our first haul of groceries about killed me though. It was pretty far away and we all had super heavy bags. My arms were literally about to just crack off.

All in all I love it here. Sometimes I can't believe this is my life. I thought that I was going to feel like a greenie all over again but the great thing is, everyone is pretty new in this mission because France only started taking American missionaries about 2 months ago. Plus, I'm not learning how to missionary I'm just learning the language which is still hard but I gotta say. There's a big load that's been taken off of my shoulders. My companions keep telling me how surprised they are at how chill I am with everything 😂. That's something I've been told a lot in both missions. I'm very "chill" and "laid back" I guess. I don't feel chill and laid back in my brain but 🤪

We have to walk at night sometimes and it's always so foggy and there's castle looking buildings every where. I seriously feel like in the day I'm in a Hallmark movie and at night I'm in like a Harry Potter movie.

Anyway on Saturday we went to Belgium to go to a baptism Sœur Cameron had to be at and the train ride was incredible.

Since the start of my mission I've been having the same reoccurring dream that I'm in a beautiful place like in Patagonia or the Alps or literally any beautiful place and for some reason in the dreams I can NEVER get out my camera in time to take a picture (so I can remember it forever) and it DEVASTATES me every single time. I wake up so stressed that I wasn't able to take a picture to have and to show people.

Turns out, that dream was prepping me for here. There is way too much to see and way too little time to get it all on camera. I try to just take it all in mentally but MAN. I wish I could just record my life right now. I feel so incredibly blessed.

I have so much to say but I'll stop here.

I'm so stoked to be here. It's really hard but the gratitude I feel has outweighed it.

Love you all!

- Sœur Beck

Pictas