Sénégal!

Yes, that's right. Tomorrow morning, I'm getting on a plane. Destination: l'Afrique. For the next 5 weeks, I will be here:
I'll be keeping this blog to post pictures and share what I'm up to. While there, we're going to be reading a lot, meeting with lots of famous authors, having classes with guest lecturers, traveling all over, going on a little safari, visiting some awesome places, meeting college students, talking to everyone (hey, it's just like the mish!), learning about the culture, visiting villages and orphanages, speaking French, going to the beach (I know, I know, I won't leave my bag unattended), and eating mangoes. Lots and lots of mangoes.

I'm so excited!!!

Love Sunday birthdays!

It's funny how when you're little, having your birthday on a Sunday was like the worst thing ever. Now it's totally the best, and I sure had a great one this year. I am very blessed to have such an amazing best friend who was willing to spend the day with me. And yes, I do mean all day-- we definitely logged some miles (and ate some delicious homemade bread! By the way, the recipe from my last blog actually works. Try it!). Some highlights:

Soeur Chugg's homecoming. 1- I can't believe she's home already! It seems like yesterday that we were walking around Magenta sweating our brains out, trying to contact some crazies and avoid getting chased by drunkards. 2- Is this not the cutest picture in the world? It is missing a certain Soeur Hurst to make it complete.

Back down to Orem for Elder Bradford's homecoming! 1- I can't believe he's home already. It seems like yesterday we were closing the door to our MTC classroom extra hard to wake him up, and sitting outside to work on our lesson plans. And now he's home! He had some amazing experiences on his mission, and it was so wonderful to see how much he's grown and changed, but he's still himself :) Just a better version. 2- Go on a mission!! Best thing ever.

TWO years ago in the MTC. Our tiny little district:At Elder Bradford's homecoming after a great mission to Washington D.C. north:
After that, we headed back up to Sojo to hang out and reminisce with Soeur Chugg a bit more, and then have a party at my house.
I think that's Logan's behind in the picture...Any guesses as to what Cohen was saying here?
Linda and the grandmasI really tried to get their attention for this one.
I made a really good wish this year.

Pretty much how I feel: especially now that finals are done and school is over for the semester!

.... and in 10 days:
The "Door of No Return" at Gorée island, where millions of Africans were shipped off as slaves to America:

MANGOS:La mosquée in Touba, one of the largest Mosques in Africa:

Last day of class!

Today was the last day of my first semester back. I had many a discussion today about how the last day of class in college is the complete opposite of the last day of class in high school-- there are tests left to study for and take, and assignments still to finish. Not quite as exciting as those lazy high school days, but at least it was a beautiful day :) Plus I took two of my finals yesterday, so I only have two more tests, a project, and a paper left to do.

That being said, it was a bizarre kind of day. To start off, in French class, our teacher showed us this clip about making no-knead bread. He was very serious about it, and seemed very concerned about us making it correctly. He's a really funny guy, so I kept waiting for him to tell a joke, or to relate it somehow to French or tie it into a funny story, but that was all it was. How to make no-knead bread. Strange... Anyways, here it is. Enjoy!

Recipe: No-Knead Bread

The Minimalist: The Secret of Great Bread: Let Time Do the Work

http://video.nytimes.com/video/2006/11/07/dining/1194817104184/no-knead-bread.html

Time: About 1½ hours plus 14 to 20 hours’ rising

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Yield: One 1½-pound loaf.



Next up, the History of the English Language with Professor Oaks. He's so funny and always goes off on random tangents. Random, knowing his dad... Anyways, we were talking about acronyms, and he read this little poem, kind of funny:

My son's a CTR, I go to PEC.
I work for CES, I study the TG.
I read the B of M,
I probe the D&C.
I search the KJV, I ponder the JST.
Today at BYC,
we planned for EFY,
I stayed a little after and had a PPI
The YM and YW are putting on a play,
it's one that I remember
from when I was in MIA
Before our oldest son went into the MTC,
He helped the BSA
complete their SME.
Soon our oldest daughter is headed for the Y,
soon our oldest clothing will be going to DI.
Now if you understood this alphabet mess,
The chances are quite good that you are LDS.

Later on, I was walking back to campus, and I just happened to be there as they were lowering the flag. Everything froze and everyone stopped (except those awful people who have no respect for our country, apparently) as the national anthem was played over loudspeakers, and I loved it! It reminded me of Girl's State and the patriotism that it helped instill in me.

Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

Got to the library, and checked my email from Madame Thompson. One of our hotels in Senegal had fallen through... something about the owner and drugs and the police...? Haha, anyways, she emailed us the info for our new hotel in Saint-Louis, and when I opened it, I just started laughing out loud to myself. It looks so awesome! Take a look:

View from the hotel:
So, last day of school, yes, but then in 17 short days... l'Afrique!! :D And then you'll be seeing these same pictures, but instead of that guy in the street, it'll be me!

Oh, church. You're so great.

Can I just say, I love going to church. (Okay, maybe not so much when I wake up with only a half an hour to get ready, and I'm running around trying to get ready. Mental note: set alarm.) Our meetings were especially great today. Here's a little recap:

In relief society, we talked about 1) The Inconvenient Messiah (Elder Holland). True, living the Gospel is not always easy, or convenient, but it is, however, the only way to return to live with our Heavenly Father, and therefore very worth it. "Sacrifice is about giving up something for something better." Amen. 2) We also talked about having good friends, or being around good people and things that make it easier to live the Gospel. I am so blessed to have a wonderful family who believes what I do, and wonderful friends who help me to be better. I read a quote told to me by my beloved trainer, Soeur Carter, when I asked her if it was bad to like TV shows or movies that aren't necessarily good, but not terrible either. I actually came home and found the complete quote, so what I read in relief society is in bold. But here's the whole thing,

In a letter to John Wesley in June 1735, his mother Susanna Wesley wrote these words:

The beauty, pleasures, and ease of the body strangely charm us; the wealth and honours of the world allure us; and all, under the management of a subtle malicious adversary, give a prodigious force to present things; and if the animal life once get the ascendant of our reason, it is the greatest folly imaginable, because he seeks it where has not designed he shall ever find it. But this is the case of the generality of men; they live as mere animals, wholly given up to the interests and pleasures of the body; and all the use of their understanding is to make provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof, without the least regard to future happiness or misery.

I take à Kempis to have been an honest weak man, with more zeal than knowledge, by his condemning all mirth or pleasure as sinful or useless, in opposition to so many plain and direct texts of Scripture. Would you judge of the lawfulness or unlawfulness of pleasure; of the innocence or malignity of actions? Take this rule: whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, or takes off the relish of spiritual things; in short, whatever increases the strength and authority of your body over your mind, that thing is sin to you, however innocent it may be in itself.

Bam. I remember saying to my companion, "well, you just slapped that like (of that TV show I was thinking of) right out of me." So, if you have that same question that I had, take this rule. It's a good one.

Okay, on to Sunday School. I am so dang lucky to be the Temple Prep teacher in my ward. I'm obsessed with it. Today the lesson was about ancient temples, and also the blessings that we can receive when we go to the temple worthily. Most of it was taken out of D&C 109, and we just talked about all the amazing blessings listed there. I LOVE verse 76, where it says,

"That our garments may be pure,
that we may be clothed upon with robes of righteousness,
with palms in our hands,
and crowns of glory upon our heads,
and reap eternal joy for all our sufferings."

This kid talked about how the "palms in our hands" can signify those who welcomed the Savior as He rode triumphantly into Jerusalem, and how it must've been a feeling of joy and celebration. But wow, those are some pretty amazing blessings, and I know that the Lord wants us to have those blessings, which is exactly why He has promised them! When we go to the temple, we are blessed. It's as simple as that. Which leads me into one of the themes of the testimonies in Sacrament Meeting, the fact that the Lord wants us to be happy. He asks us to keep His commandments and live the Gospel so that He may bless us. And there are no greater blessings than those that come from the temple. Listen to a prophet of the Lord if you don't believe me!

Go to the temple, and be blessed. :)

Mon nouveau sac-a-dos

Voila my cute new backpack!

They give these backpacks to everyone who does a study abroad/internship/field study, hence the Kennedy Center insignia on the top. I am now officially a member of the club. The backpack is very cute, but it's so huge that it's going to take some getting used to. I've had my other backpack (my pink "BYU cougars" one) for six years now (oh my gosh... is that how long it's been since I started college? kill me), so it's hard to change. Hopefully I don't develop scoliosis or something from the change! All I know is that my snacks are sure going to be cool in Senegal (that's right, that front pocket is an insulated cooler pocker... how cool, right? haha).

"Have a good General Conference weekend!"

Probably my favorite phrase ever, and oh boy did I put it to good use this past week :) I hope everyone had a wonderful general conference weekend, and were touched by the messages that were shared. How blessed are we, to be able to hear the voice and the will of the Lord directly from His chosen servants (D&C 1:38). The night before conference, I always like to do a little study on that subject-- prophets, and what their responsibilities and duties are. That way, I can notice when they say something that falls into that category. It's great. I also read a scripture on Friday night that I really loved, and I think it falls right in line with General Conference, because really, it was one:

"My brethren, all ye that have assembled yourselves together, you that can hear my words which I shall speak unto you this day; for I have not commanded you to come up hither to trifle with the words which I shall speak, but that you should hearken unto me, and open your ears that ye may hear, and your hearts that ye may understand, and your minds that the mysteries of God may be unfolded to your view." -Mosiah 2:9

It never disappoints! Not only was conference wonderful and full of inspired things that I needed to hear, but I got to watch a session of it with my dear friends, the Mautz'. They are such great examples to me, and to all of the missionaries who were privileged to serve with them.

Thought I'd just share a few of my favorite quotes from conference:

"The greatest joy we receive in this life is following the Savior." -Elder L. Tom Perry

"Our faith now becomes part of our posterity's faith later." -Elder Russell M. Nelson

"Let us strive to be among those whom the Lord can rely on to hear His whisperings and respond." -President Uchtdorf

"We may frequently press forward, hoping and praying, but without absolute assurance that we are acting in accordance with God's will. But as we honor our covenants and keep the commandments, as we strive ever more consistently to do good and to become better, we can walk with the confidence that God will guide our steps." -Elder David A. Bednar

"You will receive every promised blessing for which you are worthy." -Elder Richard G. Scott

Oh, and OF COURSE, can't forget the part where President Monson talked about President Mou-Tham in New Caledonia!! What a wonderful example of faith-- I love that guy, and all the members in New Caledonia. A great lesson about sacrificing to go to the temple. So glad that President Monson put them on the map! :)

The members from New Caledonia at the temple in New Zealand with Elder Anderson (with President Mou-Tham to his left) Anyways, great messages from a great General Conference weekend. I think that's enough to work on for at least the next six months...