French Lessons

There are a couple of things that have specifically struck me in lecture, readings, and discussion in the past week or so. I would like to talk about those and relate them to my life. First, I would like to talk about Elder Tingey’s “Three Messages to Young Single Adults” as well as physical and non-physical intimacy in a relationship.

Elder Tingey’s message to young adults talked about 1) attending your own specified church and making sure your church leaders know who you are, 2) prepare today for tomorrow, and 3) be willing to accept the responsibilities of marriage. I have a very strong testimony of not only attending my own ward, but especially making sure my bishop knows who I am. At this time in our lives, we are all transit students moving from one endeavor to the next and one apartment or city to the next. Making sure we attend the correct ward and introducing ourselves to the bishop as soon as possible brings so many blessings and so many opportunities. I lived in France for one year and have been back for about six months. It was a very fulfilling, yet long and somewhat lonely year living with a family of a different faith. I was the nanny of three kids and rarely had to work on Sundays. I was of course allowed to attend church on those days. My first week in church there in Paris, I sat quietly and listened to the French program. After the meeting, I found the bishop, introduced myself, and told him how long I would be in the ward. He immediately walked me through the crowd of members chatting to the Relief Society President—who is now one of my closest friends. She assigned me as her partner for our Visiting Teaching route to visit other women in the ward. This was one of the most fulfilling positions I’ve been able to serve in the church. Soon, the bishop called me to play the piano for the Primary, who previously had no accompaniment. Once people knew who I was and that I was unfamiliar with the language, they were sure to have someone sitting next to me to translate during the meetings. This is why I have a testimony of making yourself known in your ward. Even today back in the United States I am being so blessed with a new calling and enjoying the opportunity to serve those around me.

The other thing I would like to discuss is physical and non-physical intimacy. Speaking of this in class has really brought up some interesting points. Even though you are not physically involved with someone, it is more than possible to build a relationship that is non-physical. In this way we need to be careful with our interactions between members of the opposite sex. I guess I had not considered the spiritual bond that praying together could have on a couple. It makes sense though that when you feel connected in a spiritual or emotional way, it leads to a strong relationship. We need to be careful with how we spend our time together and make sure we are acting appropriately in our thoughts, deeds, and our actions.