2/22/10
So Chinese New year wasn't as special as I thought it would be, everybody seems to leave Hong Kong to party somewhere in the Mainland or Taiwan. I did get a lot of Red Pocket money, which kind of weirds me out when I think about it. It seems pretty strange to me to hand out cash for a holiday. We got treated to several meals by the few members who stayed. We didn't see the fireworks. The whole mission went to the largest outside buddha in the world named "Big Buddha" or "Da Fo" in mandarin or "Dai Fut" in Cantonese which I think is pretty funny. It was super cold.
I got zero pictures because my battery was dead. I guess there's always next year. I heard the package is at the temple but I haven't picked it up.
I thank my mother for the letter on hymns. I enjoy hymns and that method of singing a hymn mentally to ward off bad thoughts works pretty well. I just actually feel my mind melting from all the Mormon Tabernacle choir and EFY. But it is great incentive to leave the apartment as soon as possible, maybe even early.
So there are three Mandarins coming in now; one missionary is moving up early because his parents are Chinese. There are at least two Mandarins now that will go into International work. I have a not so secret desire to go.
The work was pretty slow during the holiday but it will pick up here pretty soon with a baptism next Sunday and another two weeks later into the branch.
My Mandarin is not progressing much and an elder who came in with me who had no Mandarin background before the mission seems to understand and say a whole lot more than me. I'm not jealous, I just know that I could definitely be doing a whole lot better especially with about five years under my belt. It kind of seems like band all over again. I had an advantage of playing the trumpet since fifth grade and by the time I was a senior I was last chair trumpet with about three freshman above me. At first, because I could work less and obtain the same results as everyone else, I did. Eventually people who were working harder than me who were not as blessed initially started passing me up. Don't fall into that trap, especially if you have the advantage of being born into the only true church on the face of the planet. Work hard, strain yourself in all that the Lord has blessed you with.
I don't wish to harrow up any body's soul now. I know what I have to do. All I have to do is do it. Its a whole lot better than not knowing what to do or only knowing sort of what to do. And that is why I’m a missionary.
That is my message for the day, I hope James can get something out of it.
Hua Zhanglao
Monday, February 22, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
Hulk with Green Skin
2/11/10
Actually, I have my camera and cord but I can't reach the USB hole because its with the CPU several feet above my head. Do you know what kind of chip I have for my camera; its kind of a special one that nobody really has I fear you purchased the wrong one over there. Plus all things computer are way cheaper here than in America.
Do I still have to pray for Ezra or is he okay? That really scares me. He is pretty much adorable. I definitely have to pray for Peter right? I guess Kevin as well. I learned tricks in the MTC to avoid the time limit. One is through notepad; just write your letters in the notepad application and when you're done, log in to the email and copy and paste the letters. This saves all the time spent on writing letters and then gives you a ton of time to read letters. Another way is to type the days date as a password instead of your birthday, for some reason the time limit never pops up. I incorporated a strategy of both while in the MTC, which is the only way I could avoid my mom calling leadership to scold me.
I wish I could do that now, I only have twenty minutes left after reading all the traumatizing (if that's how you spell it) letters about Ezra. I also enjoyed deciphering the Spanish letter that was sent to me, about mocos in a nariz aftecting respirar. Kind of scary though.
Right now is the holidays so the work is pretty much slow, especially for Mandarins, everybody is back in the mainland with family. So on Sunday I predict only missionaries being at church. I hear pretty soon Hong Kong becomes a ghost town on the streets and nobody is out trying to receive the gospel. But I heard that in International zone, all the domestic workers get off and so they just roam the streets on Hong Kong Island and a ton of missionary work gets done over there with Filipinas, Indonesians and Thai ladies. I think I might get sent there next transfer.
My breakfast always includes an egg ham and cheese sandwich and a high potency multi vitamin. When I eat ramen I place "choy" or "cai" (in mandarin) in my noodles, which is just like vegetables and sometimes I place awesome frozen dumplings in the water too while its boiling. I am pretty dang healthy, although still obese, and one day I will come back looking like the hulk with green skin from all the choy that I eat every day. And we actually do pretty well with members and investigators feeding us, we call this occurrence a "chang out" or "qing out" in Mandarin. And I have only been sick twice, probably food poisoning both times because of the suspicious way in which they handle and prepare their chicken over here. But that which doesn't kill me only makes me stronger right?
I just doesn't really know what to write one. That's the way my trainer spoke English although his English was pretty dang powerful.
Maybe that’s all I have to say,
I love you guys
Actually, I have my camera and cord but I can't reach the USB hole because its with the CPU several feet above my head. Do you know what kind of chip I have for my camera; its kind of a special one that nobody really has I fear you purchased the wrong one over there. Plus all things computer are way cheaper here than in America.
Do I still have to pray for Ezra or is he okay? That really scares me. He is pretty much adorable. I definitely have to pray for Peter right? I guess Kevin as well. I learned tricks in the MTC to avoid the time limit. One is through notepad; just write your letters in the notepad application and when you're done, log in to the email and copy and paste the letters. This saves all the time spent on writing letters and then gives you a ton of time to read letters. Another way is to type the days date as a password instead of your birthday, for some reason the time limit never pops up. I incorporated a strategy of both while in the MTC, which is the only way I could avoid my mom calling leadership to scold me.
I wish I could do that now, I only have twenty minutes left after reading all the traumatizing (if that's how you spell it) letters about Ezra. I also enjoyed deciphering the Spanish letter that was sent to me, about mocos in a nariz aftecting respirar. Kind of scary though.
Right now is the holidays so the work is pretty much slow, especially for Mandarins, everybody is back in the mainland with family. So on Sunday I predict only missionaries being at church. I hear pretty soon Hong Kong becomes a ghost town on the streets and nobody is out trying to receive the gospel. But I heard that in International zone, all the domestic workers get off and so they just roam the streets on Hong Kong Island and a ton of missionary work gets done over there with Filipinas, Indonesians and Thai ladies. I think I might get sent there next transfer.
My breakfast always includes an egg ham and cheese sandwich and a high potency multi vitamin. When I eat ramen I place "choy" or "cai" (in mandarin) in my noodles, which is just like vegetables and sometimes I place awesome frozen dumplings in the water too while its boiling. I am pretty dang healthy, although still obese, and one day I will come back looking like the hulk with green skin from all the choy that I eat every day. And we actually do pretty well with members and investigators feeding us, we call this occurrence a "chang out" or "qing out" in Mandarin. And I have only been sick twice, probably food poisoning both times because of the suspicious way in which they handle and prepare their chicken over here. But that which doesn't kill me only makes me stronger right?
I just doesn't really know what to write one. That's the way my trainer spoke English although his English was pretty dang powerful.
Maybe that’s all I have to say,
I love you guys
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Dear loved ones,
I spent half an hour reading all the emails that I received so it might be hard to write a good letter or even make an effort to respond to them.
I just got back from my temple, which I still haven’t taken a picture of. I couldn't think to bring camera attachments to the temple with me so no pictures today. Sorry.
I actually really want to go do international work, when the new Mandarins come in. International work is basically for the domestic helpers who live in Hong Kong who are almost exclusively all Filipina and Thai ladies. And they go to church like every day.
I don't recognize the Elder Gu, but I bet I'll be friends with him one day. All the mainlander missionaries pass through these parts so I saw some who went to Vancouver too. Did I tell you that before?
A temple missionary that used to be father's coworker is going to feed me and my companion on Monday. Elder Bishop. I like him, he speaks Mandarin well too. He knows Elder Ngai's father. Elder Ngai's father is the Branch President of the Calgary Mandarin Branch and Calgary Canada Mandrin speaking is where my MTC companion Elder Stewart is. I don't think I told you this yet. I just am not really good at talking about anyone else but myself. Did I even tell you my companion's name when I was in the MTC.
I have a list of people to send snail mail to that include Katy Seely and my cousin Kevin Wall who is in the MTC on his way to Madagascar.
I actually am still not that good at being social with strangers yet. Those new investigators that I found took about ten minutes of my companion urging me before I sat by them and offered to help the boy do homework.
Actually mainland people are way nice. A ton of Cantonese missionaries' baptisms are just mainland people that they should have turned over, I would say probably a majority of the Cantonese baptisms are. Hong Kong culture is just not so receptive to enthusiastic foreigners trying to talk you about God on the street.
One day the patience and persistence of my parents will pay off with my little brothers and sisters. I know one day it will pay off for me too.
I can't wait to talk Chinese with my one brother and see him go to China on his mission.
I am almost out of time so I will wrap up with some righteous thoughts I guess. Families can be together forever. I guess I like my family more on my mission than before. It's actually not because of the usually reasons; I am not homesick one bit, this is my new home now. There is a quote from one prophet that they really like over here and put all over ties and bumper stickers, it says "No success can compensate for failure in the family" or "Meiyou renhe chenggong keyi mibu jiating the shibai". It's true, I hope to be able to be a better family member when I get back home and finally move out of the house.
I love you all,
(Hua Zhanglao)
I spent half an hour reading all the emails that I received so it might be hard to write a good letter or even make an effort to respond to them.
I just got back from my temple, which I still haven’t taken a picture of. I couldn't think to bring camera attachments to the temple with me so no pictures today. Sorry.
I actually really want to go do international work, when the new Mandarins come in. International work is basically for the domestic helpers who live in Hong Kong who are almost exclusively all Filipina and Thai ladies. And they go to church like every day.
I don't recognize the Elder Gu, but I bet I'll be friends with him one day. All the mainlander missionaries pass through these parts so I saw some who went to Vancouver too. Did I tell you that before?
A temple missionary that used to be father's coworker is going to feed me and my companion on Monday. Elder Bishop. I like him, he speaks Mandarin well too. He knows Elder Ngai's father. Elder Ngai's father is the Branch President of the Calgary Mandarin Branch and Calgary Canada Mandrin speaking is where my MTC companion Elder Stewart is. I don't think I told you this yet. I just am not really good at talking about anyone else but myself. Did I even tell you my companion's name when I was in the MTC.
I have a list of people to send snail mail to that include Katy Seely and my cousin Kevin Wall who is in the MTC on his way to Madagascar.
I actually am still not that good at being social with strangers yet. Those new investigators that I found took about ten minutes of my companion urging me before I sat by them and offered to help the boy do homework.
Actually mainland people are way nice. A ton of Cantonese missionaries' baptisms are just mainland people that they should have turned over, I would say probably a majority of the Cantonese baptisms are. Hong Kong culture is just not so receptive to enthusiastic foreigners trying to talk you about God on the street.
One day the patience and persistence of my parents will pay off with my little brothers and sisters. I know one day it will pay off for me too.
I can't wait to talk Chinese with my one brother and see him go to China on his mission.
I am almost out of time so I will wrap up with some righteous thoughts I guess. Families can be together forever. I guess I like my family more on my mission than before. It's actually not because of the usually reasons; I am not homesick one bit, this is my new home now. There is a quote from one prophet that they really like over here and put all over ties and bumper stickers, it says "No success can compensate for failure in the family" or "Meiyou renhe chenggong keyi mibu jiating the shibai". It's true, I hope to be able to be a better family member when I get back home and finally move out of the house.
I love you all,
(Hua Zhanglao)
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