A New Pillow June 10, 2010

Hello family,

I am so happy of the success we are having. We could probably get seven baptisms next transfer period. Seven investigators baptised is way better than most get their whole mission. In fact an awesome miracle happened.

So my companion was inspired to have us go to the japan home center to buy me a pillow so that I can sleep good. I couldn't fit a pillow in my bag when I left Macau and the sisters took everything when they left the apartment. So, being the responsible junior companion that he is, he reminded me that I needed a pillow. Its wasn't p-day mind you, but it was pretty much an emergency; just like the necessity of getting a slurpee throughout that sweltering hot day. So we went to the store and found a really good pillow (one that didn't have green tea inside of it) but it didn't have a price tag so I went up front and asked the lady how much it costed. The thing is, I could have chosen to ask her in English or even Cantonese. But for some reason I asked her Duo shao qian? instead of Gei do chin? and this one dude in the store over heard me and exclaimed "wow very good! mandarin is well", We talked to him after I bought this extremely cheap pillow which provides excellent comfort while I sleep. He was in the store with his wife and ten year old daughter. They are all from shanghai. So anyway, I told him that we had a free English class and he started practically having a seizure. Then I said that we could even tutor his daughter and help her with English homework. I think it was a miracle because nobody ever finds a mandarin family, especially not a mandarin missionary. most investigators are single mothers or students (female students). We scheduled them for Saturday and I hope we can schedule them for pretty much every week and set up a regular "English tudor day" and we will proceed to convert them by degrees. HAHAHA. They'll never see it coming...

What we can learn from this miracle is that we need to follow the spirit where we should be led. And we always need to be speaking our mission language. I would probably give up our other awesome investigators who are students and single mothers just to baptise a fully functional family. Is this sin? If that's what it took I would do it in a heartbeat.

The gospel blesses families. Families are forever. If we do what we are supposed to do in this life, we can see our family again. Relationships are strengthened and disagreements are resolved when true doctrine is applied in the home. Of course you all know this, but nobody outside the church does. I really hope we wont blow this one. I have high hopes for the zhu family. The reason is because the father practically scheduled us and was so jittery and shivered so much when we told him about teaching his daughter English. Apparently he must love his daughter, which is better than most of china who only want sons. I really hope that they can become a forever family.

Of course I am totally counting my chickens before they hatch. I really feel like we can harvest soon though. Last transfer period no mandarins baptised an investigator, so the mandarins were downsized. Did I tell you this already? It really upsets me. Anyway we will show them how fruitful the mandarin work can be.

I will for sure write Elder Dodge this week. I have only wrote him once. Poor guy.

i like how my older brother can speak Chinese now. I only really know like 1000 characters myself. I really think that the twenty questions game in Chinese is helpful I should purchase it for gifts. I cant write to save my life, my awful English handwriting carries over into Chinese and its pretty frustrating.

What are some of your favorite scriptures as a missionary? Ether 12
When you did international work, did you do service if so what kind? Cleaned mold off out of the Fely's restaurant and painted a house
Did Elder Oaks go to Macau?I dont know
Did you know your way around Macau?Not really
Are you a senior missionary?Yeah
What was a typical daily routine in Macau? Wake up, study, proselyte, eat some time, baptise, sleep.
What is a new typical daily routine where you are now?Study, eat, leave, fruitless finding attempt, decide the most effective way to waste our time, maybe teach a lesson that day, eat, return home.
Can you send some pictures? I'll see what I can do.

I love you all,

Hua Zhanglao