1/6/10 and 1/13/10 "A Two for One"

1/6/09

I apologize for not writing last week, actually I did but I recently had to change my email as some sort of church procedure so I sent your email not too my mom.

I am excited for all the baptisms, although I think I’m winning the numbers game over here.

I brought my camera but I didn't bring the cord to attach to the computer, plus I don't have very many photos anyways.

We are having a mandarin zone chess tournament today, I will win. I think maybe my mandarin is improving. I am definitely getting better at making friends with people I have never seen before. Many people read my "Wo hui Putonghua" badge and start conversations because they think its hilarious or probably impossible that I can speak mandarin. I pretty much can't speak mandarin, but I can fake it and people think that I’m a genius if I don't try to say too many things.

Chinese New Years is on Valentines Day.

Funny names: I can't think of very many, Im pretty sure I already told you Coco, Angel, Candy and Ocean right?

A typical day is like wake up and eat, exercise somewhat, shower, study for forever, get dressed eat again and then go to appointments and do some finding when there are no appointments. I have heard that no Mandarin has ever "found" a person that became a progressing investigator who got baptized. There are plenty of referrals from Cantonese missionaries that turn into baptisms though.

I feel my Savior's love every day. I planted the seed and it grew, it is beginning to be delicious unto me. I am so glad that this life has a purpose and meaning and that I was fortunate enough to get to know that my whole life.

I love you guys and hope that this letter was okay even without any interesting photos.

Hua Zhanglao (Elder Wall)


1/13/10
I feel just like Daniel. I can't keep up good habits for more than three days. Any sort of new years resolution that I attempted was definitely killed by the first week of the year. I don't exercise very regularly, study consistently or bring my camera around or write in my journal. You know that I have been this way all my life. I thought that somehow the mission would automatically do that for me. But no, God still gives me the gift of agency everyday.

I am happy for dad, I brag about him all the time. My mother can definitely learn Spanish. After my mission I think I might pick it up in a day or two.

I threw up this morning, then I went to the temple. I think it was food poisoning. I like to see my temple. I might get a picture of it someday.

I just wonder why the Lord wants to send in four more mandarin missionaries so soon. All of our experience and natives who can also speak Cantonese are probably toast and are going to canto work. I secretly hope to go to the international zone when the new ones come. I can mess my English up really well over there (not to mention my Mandarin). If not, I could be training pretty soon.

All I know is that I need to do my best, or at least strain myself and put forth a bigger effort. I love missionary work and love my mission.

I am so upset that I miss all the babies. I am starting to appreciate them a lot more. Elderly people too. I recently helped an old lady walk around and she sang like three songs in Mandarin to me, the old lady also spoke Russian which was way tight. She is sister Zhang, we probably can't baptize her though because her hip prevents her from going to church. We also have an investigator who is going to get baptized in march, she has a really cute daughter who is really shy and only really opens up around me. The daughter is three and a half and talks half mandarin and half Cantonese (all of our primary is that way). In fact our branch president's two year old son speaks Japanese all the time with his mom and speaks mandarin to the members but his best language is English. Musashi is a genius.

I didn't see any picture of Thomas.

I love you guys,

Hua Zhanglao (Elder Wall)