6/17/11 Stephen Comes Home!

Hello All,
Stephen's letters have gotten smaller and smaller and I have decided to combine the last two and take out some personal comments.

6/1/11
Hi family,
We had mainland visitors this week, it was a mother and her nine year old son from Shanghai. It just so happened that the baptismal font in Kowloon Tong was being worked on. The font that is in the temple (the part that used to be a chapel) couldn't be used because the floor the chapel used to be on was being used for Mongolian overflow ordinances of some sort. Anyway, we had to go all the way to Hong Kong Island just to baptize those two. I guess it wasn't too bad for those two because they had just come down from Shanghai. The poor boy was dying from boredom and asked to used the bathroom a billion times when we taught them. He was totally good though and gave amazing answers when we asked him questions.

I am so glad that I can go to family reunions when I get back. I want to go to a barbeque too. Is that possible?

I am starting to get that feeling that I will totally miss my mission. Sometimes I am discouraged and feel like I don't really like Hong Kong. But when I stop and analyze what I am doing over here, I realise that I have THE very best mission call in the whole world. That isn't me bragging or being prideful, its just fact. I know that some people absolutely love their missions and FEEL like their call is the best in the world. I KNOW my call is the best (just stop and think about it) and I take it for granted sometimes. I am helping the Lord's work go on in Mainland China for goodness's sake. I tell myself this when I am down. If I am lucky enough to get called to this place speaking Mandarin, I darn well better enjoy every minute of it while I still can.

That is basically my misison experience in a nutshell.
I love you guys,
Hua Zhanglao

6/9/11

Well I guess this is my last time to write you on my mission, I don't know if I will have time on the Thursday before I go home. It doesn't matter, talking face to face using my mouth is way easier than writing.

I sure hope I have changed myself a little since going on a mission. In other words, I hope I used the atonement enough. Probably not, I still have personality flaws that need to be worked out.

I think I am kinder and more patient. I really hope you guys can see differences when I get back. I also hope I can relearn how to tell stories in interesting ways. If someone asked me to tell them a miracle or hilarious story from my mission I think I would draw a blank. Anyway, I'm sure I can be able to recall or be reminded of certain occurances in my mission from time to time. I will have basically all my mission friends coming to BYU. I'm sure they will be more than happy to remind me of embarassing things that I may have said or done.

I am basically planning on having mission reunions at our house in Salt Lake. Its totally a place to come and hang out. I hope this isn't the end of missionary work and that my new bishop can be inspired to give me a suitable calling not in Boy Scouts.

I think I will be purchasing things for people but there is just too many people to think about. I just want to buy Chinese movies and then watch them at our party house with everyone and then we can all learn Chinese. I guess I can try to look for some souveniers, but Hong Kong gifts are basically mainland gifts for a lot more. If I will go to mainland then I will totally go crazy gift shopping. Chu ko nus (chinese traditional semi-automatic crossbow) for everyone! I want to study abroad. I guess I will try and look at classes now.

I love you all
Hua Zhanglao