Transferred to Macau!

3/4/10
HAHA! It happened. The Mandarin zone was abolished and the Mandarins
were all desegregated into Cantonese zones and districts. Three
Mandarins went to international, Elder O'Neill who came in with me but
has poor Mandarin, Elder Mills who is new and rad but could use the
boost of international work where finding and tracting is effective
and me. They both are still living in Wan chai on Hong Kong island
and pretty much do all of their work there.

I, on the other hand, am in Macau. I was told that I should teach
everyone, Mandarins included and my companion is to study Mandarin
with me. He is a really tall Hawaiian named Elder Lindsay, he studied
Mandarin for three years at BYU Hawaii, but got a call to Hong Kong
speaking Cantonese. I like him, I think he is probably also about as
old as my brother and yet I treat him as a peer. Missions are weird.
The amount of languages here is intense, the housemaids speak
Ilicano, Tagalog, Cebuano and Indonesian but we will teach them in
English. We will probably teach Cantonese lessons as well though.
The other crazy thing is the Portuguese, all the street signs and
businesses are written with Portuguese and Chinese characters
underneath. It’s insane. I don't know how I will get around this
place, there is almost no English. We have like eight different
languages of the book of Mormon in the chapel and the sign on our
building is in English, Chinese and Portuguese.

I hope I can grasp Cantonese and intensify my Mandarin. I am so
excited I cannot even try and explain it over an email. I guess I
will call on Mother’s Day from over here so it’s all good.

I will miss the Mandarin branch though. There is pretty much no such
thing as a International primary, because all the Philipinas and
Indonesians are over here working and their kids are still in their
native lands. But I’m sure their children are way adorable.

The thing about Macau is that it is like twenty million times better
than Hong Kong. The only two Mandarins ever to go besides me were
Zone leaders because they both had pretty good Cantonese and did
mostly Cantonese work. The entire mission is jealous of anyone going
to Macau there are only ten missionaries here. Needless to say I
never even had a glimmer of hope that I would get here but, my wildest
dreams did take place here from time to time. Mandarins also have
never been to international work ever before. Everyone is so jealous
and they all told me that I was going on a vacation mission.

I have a call to literally talk to everyone and teach everyone. I
don't have to turn anybody over. The only problem is that the sisters
in Macau international don't either.
I still don't know all that's going on over here yet, I've only been
here one day.
This is maybe the coolest thing that has ever happened to me.
Probably will be the best time of my life.

Man, I don't know what to say really. I promise to take pictures and
actually write in a journal. You won't miss a beat.

Some times I wish I had my father's talent, because I'm sure that he
would pick up all seven languages that Macau offers other than
English. I didn’t understand what he wrote me about animal Abkaz.

I am the Mandarin "go to guy" over here. I can't wait to get to work.
At first it kind of seemed like an accident, but now I'm starting to
feel really special.

My suitcase wheels got jammed and turned into erasers and left two
black trails behind me as I painstakingly drug my suitcase grinding the
wheels on the cement all the way. I have so much literature in my
suitcase that I brought. I was way sweaty when I got home.

I don't even know all the Mandarins in the mission now and I only know
like three of the people here in Macau, so bear with me as I get to
know people before I talk about them.

I think that was probably a sporadic letter I hope you captured a
little of my excitement.

Love,

Hua Zhanglao

PS If I ever decided to write a letter it would probably never get to
is destination. Packages would take months to obtain.