Keep asking questions and Mandarin Woes

June 2 2010

Hi folks,
It’s good to hear from you. I am enjoying my new area, I think I am the Mandarin missionary who is the least familiar with the island. All the others, including greenies know it better than me. I remember in Macau the large amount of Nepalese (or Nepali?) people there. We even had an eternal investigator who faithfully came to all three hours of church every Sunday for about two years. For some reason I feel if we spoke Nepalese he would get baptized. For some reason he was reading the Hindi Book of Mormon, but I thought I saw a Nepali copy in the church basement? Anyway, I really hope that my fathers effort could eventually help brother Sen get baptized. (Stephen is referring to a new assignment Dion has translating Nepali scriptures)

I really want to make a triumphant return to Macau. I know exactly how to do it, and that is by learning Cantonese. I love the Mandarin branch, but it is just not cutting it missionary wise. The Mandarins made zero baptisms last transfer and so President Chan cut another Mandarin companionship. Out of the thirteen Mandarins now, five are in international work, including Elder Kershisnik and Elder Ngai. I am told that me going to international work was the first time that ever happened to a Mandarin. Now we all have the threat of going to teach Indonesians and Filipinas hanging over our heads to motivate us to baptize more. I thought that love was enough to motivate me.

I feel like this companionship will baptize. Have I ever told you that I have a blessing of baptizing with every companionship; even the companionships that only lasted one transfer.

Having baptized quite a few people, I can say that baptisms aren't everything and by no means proves if a companionship or missionary is successful. I just wish some people out here knew that... I miss my mandarin brethren who are in international bondage. that missionary who went home was my friend and Elder Kershisniks MTC comp, I think that psychology is a stupid science and that Satan is attacking Mandarin work. The brethren likely know this because they keep sending more and more mandarin missionaries. Too bad only four companionships are open to receive them.

I love the work and think that my companion and I teach well together. I found out that I probably played in football games against him, he is from Springville. My Mandarin didn't suffer a huge blow by being in English work. I hope that I am still improving daily, although sometimes it’s hard to tell.

I think that I will write my best friend and Katy Seely today. They both have written to me tons of letters and I have only written Elder Dodge once and Seely maybe twice. I have receive a letter about one every week from both of them. I am such a terrible friend. I also love my sisters who write me emails and snail mails. I hate snail mail and wish I could just email Elder Dodge and Seely. And I wish that just casually mentioning my beloved older sisters Tatiana and Laura could count as writing them back personalized letters. I type so slowly and struggle to think of subjects to talk about, please forgive me, this letter alone took almost my whole hour to write.

God is good. I like how he sent his son to the earth to atone for our sins. The ability to repent as a result of Jesus Christ's atonement is really comforting and amazing. I am glad that it is basically never to late for me to improve myself, and while I will miss out on certain opportunities and receive the consequences of my poor choices, I am not hopeless as long as I don't give up. I still have one whole year on my mission to push myself and get better and a whole lifetime to work on being like Christ.

I am sorry to hear that some of my brothers and sisters are having a hard time learning sometimes, but I know that they will eventually get the point because of their goodly parents and their Father in Heaven.

Thanks for being so supportive and being such a good family that I can show you off to everybody.

I love you all,

Hua Zhanglao, Wah Jeunglouh, Elder DingDing, Elder Wall

Please continue to ask questions and constructively criticize me.