Surprise!! I'm In France!! Well...
Hi guys!! I made it to France! Surprise! 😁 I'll be serving in Luxembourg!!!!!! 🇱🇺😊
Buckle up, this one is going to be a long one. Long as in it might come in a few separate emails type of long. I have kept this secret from you guys for a while now and I can't wait to tell you everything!! If you want the best part you😊 can skip to November 15th ;)
September 20th - I received an email saying I could start my visa work for France ON MY BIRTHDAY!!
I was sitting playing games with my district and after we finished a game I glanced down at my phone and saw an email so I opened it up and it said "Visa Process for France Paris Mission". When I saw it I immediately started tearing up. I booked it to call my dad to tell him about it.
It had been on my mind for the past few weeks before that and I couldn't stop thinking about France. Then ON my birthday I got the paperwork to go.
There's no way God didn't have a hand in that.
It was the best birthday gift I've ever gotten.
I get emotional just thinking about it.
September 24th - I got my consulate appointment for October 6th in Miami! This was really fast actually. Grateful for my parents who got my documents and things lined up super quickly 🥰
October 6th - Hung out in Miami for a day! I got on a plane by myself to go to Miami for the consulate!! This was an hour flight. For some reason everyone I was sitting by was suuuuuper stressed. The guy on my left, Javier, was doing the cross thing a bunch and then the girl to my right was crying. I was like ".... do yall know something that I dont???" Then everyone started clapping when we landed? It was weird. Javier and I had a good convo about his personal beliefs though.
Then I hung out in the airport for a while, got some food. Then I got an Uber for my first time, shout out to Alan and Enrique 😎 I didn't see much but from what I did see, Miami is beautiful!
The consulate appointment itself was like 30 minutes and they were really cool. They got all my info and finger prints and they were awesome! Then I ubered back to the airport and got some souvenirs which fun fact: souvenir is French for REMEMBER. So when you get a souvenir you're getting little remembrances. Am I the last person to figure that out? So sweet!
Then I flew back to Orlando and met Sophie and Alex on the flight!
It was such a crazy weird experience but it's one I will never forget :) Being without a companion and navigating things I've never done and places I haven't been to was so weird but fun.
My mission isn't what I expected at all but I wouldn't trade it for anything. It has been such an awesome and unique experience.
I am becoming this person that pre-mission me would not recognize, and I kinda like that.
Something really cool about the whole Miami trip was the entire time I was seeing so many Paris things. Paris themed bags, Paris shirts and signs, a France flag, the whole time there were little souvenirs (reminders;) of why I was doing this trip. If there's one thing that taught me it is that Heavenly Father is aware of me.
October 7th - We were at a relief society activity and Sister Bascom told me to tell everyone my news and the lady I talked about in one of my emails back in July (the one who told me that I was going to get there) started beaming with the biggest smile and said "Sister Beck I told you!!! I told you, you were going to make it!!" :,)
She did tell me.
October 14th - I got my visa for France! In one week I went to the consulate and got my visa back to me which was insanely quick!! This part was a little stressful though.
#1 I set the return address as my mission office rather than the church offices but that was an easy fix.
#2 the FedEx people didn't feel like putting any effort into finding the right building so they sent my passport back to Miami! 😳 We had to call FedEx a million times and finally we found out that it hadn't shipped yet so the best person in the world Sister Bascom drove us an hour down to Orlando and we picked it up :) I love her.
October 27th - I got a call from President around 8:45 am and he told me I would be leaving to France on November 15th! Sister Belnap and I freaaaaked out. I called my parents and Sister Bascom to tell them the exciting news!!🤍
November 15th. Flight to Paris.
Wow. This day was hectic. I woke up, finished packing. Drove to get a 7/11 hot chocolate and a chic fil a breakfast as my last meal in America 😂 pretty patriotic if you ask me. Then I said good bye to my favorite people. Flew to Atlanta. Met the nicest lady on the flight. And when I got to Atlanta I RAN. I had 8 minutes to get to my gate. And if you don't know, that airport is absolutely huge. Picture me, in a pilgrim looking dress. Hair flying. Face sweating. Running to the tram and then from the tram to my gate. I was going lightning speed and by the grace of God, and God only, I made it. There were about 10 or so other missionaries waiting there all from the Louisiana mission. The plane was HUGE. I've never been on a plane like that. I had an aisle seat and no one next to me. Are we seeing a trend here of how God has taken such good care of me?
Also, bad news: I don't know French. I flew Air France and the flight was full of French speakers and things and I did not pick up on anything. All the announcements were in French and I was just like.... "okay.👍🏽" I'm gonna say that was just because I was stressed and not focused right? Right.
Also I RAN INTO A HIGHSCHOOL FRIEND AT THE ATLANTA AIRPORT. She was literally with her husband. HUSBAND. I was so shook. I guess people my age are getting married now? That should be illegal. I still feel like I'm 15.
Anyway. That being said, the terminal right next to mine was going to Salt Lake. What if I just "accidentally" went home..... just jokin.... 😏
Everything in the airplane was super fancy. Even the food was way better than what everyone was telling me it'd be.
I can't even begin to describe to you all how thankful and full my heart is.
God knew I needed Florida. He knew I needed Lake Mary, and the two companions that I had. He knew I needed the experiences and the learning that happened there. He knew I would become someone I really love there, with the help of Jesus Christ.
It's such a cheesy thing to say but I'm gonna say it: a big chunk of my heart is in Lake Mary, Florida. And even though I'm so excited about this next chapter, it was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do, leaving it.
If you would've asked me before my mission if I would've rather gone straight to France or be reassigned first I would've said go straight to France. But knowing what I know now and getting to experience both, I would have never skipped this. I'm grateful that even when I don't get the full picture that God always does.
He gave me my bestest friends in Florida.
He gave me confidence and knowledge in Florida.
He gave me the chance to experience living in Jurassic Park while teaching in English.
He taught me how to trust Him and align my will with His. Which I'm thinking is going to be even more vital for me now, because I know even less French and Spanish than I thought 😂
But most of all God taught me that it's not about me. Something I've been seeing everywhere lately is the phrase: "It's the people"
I had no clue what that meant until this last week. I don't love Florida because of Disney World or because of its cool landscape (although that is a plus).
I love it because of the people.
I love those people so much.
I met the craziest, the kindest, the most interesting, and the most amazing people I have ever known there.
I can't believe God has allowed me to experience this. I thank Him every day.
When I chose to serve a mission I did not and could not have comprehended the amount of miracles and life changing things I would do and see. I want you all to know that I know with a surety that there is a loving Heavenly Father. More loving and involved in our lives than we even know. I know that Jesus Christ atoned for YOU. For me. Because of Him we can live again. We are redeemed. We can be freed from all the things that plague us. I've seen the atoning power of Jesus Christ heal and strengthen people. Strengthen and heal me.
I also want you all to know that reading the Book of Mormon is vital. There's no ands or buts about it. That book holds more power and guidance from God than anything else. Read it.
I promise these aren't just words. It's not just a classic Sister missionary testifying. It's real and it's truth. If you don't know it for yourself or you knew at one point and don't anymore please figure it out now. Make the time to know it for yourself. It's more important now than ever.
So anyway, yes, even though I'm scared out of my mind and it feels like the beginning of my mission all over again. And it broke my heart into a million pieces leaving it all behind in Florida...
I'm embracing the hard. Because God has yet to fail me.
Thank you for the support and the love. I love that I can share this with you all. 🤍
¡¡ Así que adiós a Florida y adelante con Francia (y Luxembourg) !!
🇫🇷 🇧🇪 🇱🇺
I'll send pictures soon. I LOVE YOU GUYS.
