Good luck dad. It sounds like your already busy life just got about as busy as it could possibly get. Try and take it easy will you. Watch your blood pressure and stuff.
I am kind of excited actually to go back "home" to a new ward. I am totally willing to do whatever ridiculous calling my father is inspired to give me. Who knows, maybe I'll stay up there and go to U of U. I as of now have no idea what to do with my life after the mission. That is a good thing no? I think so. I am so caught up in the work that it doesn't seem to matter what happens in my future.
We can probably get four baptisms this transfer. We have one for the 28th and two for the 5th. And probably a miscellaneous will get in there too. There is this eighteen year old girl named Sister Wang who has an atheist eight year old brother. I think the brother could probably get baptised too eventually. Brother Xia finally quit drinking. I hope you can meet him one day. He might not be in hong kong when you get here. His baptism will go through on the 28th. That will make me feel pretty satisfied because I was the one who originally found him and I will get numbers from him. His beloved "Ai Ren" as he calls her will come this sunday and then on his baptism will come too. I hope to one day baptise her and his daughter "Ma Fan" or "pain in the neck" as he calls her.
I am still with Yu this transfer and Kershisnik is training. LIfe cant get much better. except if I go back to macau. Speaking of which, AP LI went to macau. His Little brother got his call to be a mandarin in hong kong. I hope I can train AP LI's brother; I will totally trun him against his brother if I do. AP stole Sister Zhao and Macau. I will totally get him back by training his brother.
So thats about all I have to say, I love you all.
Hua Zhanglao
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Monday, November 15, 2010
November 11, 2010
We went to 10,000 Buddhas (if that's how you spell it). there were way funky buddhas, like one with super long eyebrows and one with a super long arm just like that dude on street fighter who is really stretchy, I think his name is Dhalsim "yoga fire!". So anyways also there is this leprechaun looking buddha see if you can spot him on the hill. he has a red beard. After we went there we ate Ikea food and got to drink soda at the only place in Hong Kong with free refills - all for ten bucks although I think that Costco wins hands down. The Ikea dog was lame. I hope to maybe experience this with my family perhaps depending on how long you want to visit.
Actually I think that I wouldn't necessarily want to visit Hong Kong myself if I didn't serve here. It is just way to hot and sweaty all the time.
So everything is going pretty well. Our investigator Xia has completed the no smoking plan and has quit his addiction of forty years. Now all we have to do is get him off his dependancy of alcohol. He says he needs it to go to sleep and that's because his daughter gives him so much to worry and stress about. His daughter seems to have the opposite problem and is able to sleep through everything, including really important exams. We still haven't met her but Xia tells us that we are probably her only hope and that Jesus is what can help her if she would give Him a try. He is so powerful. He has like no Christian background and he still has so much faith. He totally relied on God the entire time he was quitting smoking.
I have a good chance to train next move because two new Mandarins are coming in. I don't want to, I wish to remain with Elder Yu and selfishly improve my Mandarin and rely on his language strength. Mandarin numbers don't look too good this year and President Chan seems worried about adding two more to the Mandarin pack. I found out something really upsetting today, I feel slightly betrayed. AP Auduong, who is a great friend and mentor of mine, quite inspiring really, is actually a dirty rotten no good Mandarin stealer. Not even the APs respect us enough to give us their investigators whose mother tongue is Mandarin. Not to play the blame game, but I think the declining success in Mandarin work is because of people who are number hungry and don't want to do what's best for their investigators.
Sorry to tell you that, but I really need someone to understand and feel the frustration I have had pretty much my whole mission.
On a lighter note we just had a mission tour and It was so great. Elder Perkins the Asia area president who speaks Mandarin and frequently attends our branch talked with us. I really love that guy. I received alot of personal revelation on how I can change and better myself and how I can utilize Mandarin after my mission.
So there's this really cool electronic dictionary, that has touch screen so you can write characters into it and study radicals and pronounciation and a dictionary in like 13 languages including Hakka Shanghainese Cantonese Sichuanese and taiwanese that I think I really want. it has a whole ton of dictionaries on it including the oxford advanced learners Chinese-English dictionary. I think I want this really bad. The best part about it is that it has no internet acess so I can have it on my mission. I have looked into it for some time and I have come to the conclusion that if I hadn't bought a airsoft gun and so many language learning books I would have enough to purchase it. Maybe I can get it for my birhday slash christmas or something. I should probably get the brand name so my father the linguist can look into it. its like four hundred fifty US dollars and I have 388 in my account right. But I have probably never wanted any physical object more. After Christmas it will probably be way cheaper, I can wait patiently though.
Yeah, that's my way of begging.
I love you all and hope that this letter wasn't me sounding like a spoiled brat who complains. I really have changed alot that way on my mission, I promise. The gospel of Jesus Christ has been doing its work on changing my heart. I love you again.
Wall Zhanglao
Actually I think that I wouldn't necessarily want to visit Hong Kong myself if I didn't serve here. It is just way to hot and sweaty all the time.
So everything is going pretty well. Our investigator Xia has completed the no smoking plan and has quit his addiction of forty years. Now all we have to do is get him off his dependancy of alcohol. He says he needs it to go to sleep and that's because his daughter gives him so much to worry and stress about. His daughter seems to have the opposite problem and is able to sleep through everything, including really important exams. We still haven't met her but Xia tells us that we are probably her only hope and that Jesus is what can help her if she would give Him a try. He is so powerful. He has like no Christian background and he still has so much faith. He totally relied on God the entire time he was quitting smoking.
I have a good chance to train next move because two new Mandarins are coming in. I don't want to, I wish to remain with Elder Yu and selfishly improve my Mandarin and rely on his language strength. Mandarin numbers don't look too good this year and President Chan seems worried about adding two more to the Mandarin pack. I found out something really upsetting today, I feel slightly betrayed. AP Auduong, who is a great friend and mentor of mine, quite inspiring really, is actually a dirty rotten no good Mandarin stealer. Not even the APs respect us enough to give us their investigators whose mother tongue is Mandarin. Not to play the blame game, but I think the declining success in Mandarin work is because of people who are number hungry and don't want to do what's best for their investigators.
Sorry to tell you that, but I really need someone to understand and feel the frustration I have had pretty much my whole mission.
On a lighter note we just had a mission tour and It was so great. Elder Perkins the Asia area president who speaks Mandarin and frequently attends our branch talked with us. I really love that guy. I received alot of personal revelation on how I can change and better myself and how I can utilize Mandarin after my mission.
So there's this really cool electronic dictionary, that has touch screen so you can write characters into it and study radicals and pronounciation and a dictionary in like 13 languages including Hakka Shanghainese Cantonese Sichuanese and taiwanese that I think I really want. it has a whole ton of dictionaries on it including the oxford advanced learners Chinese-English dictionary. I think I want this really bad. The best part about it is that it has no internet acess so I can have it on my mission. I have looked into it for some time and I have come to the conclusion that if I hadn't bought a airsoft gun and so many language learning books I would have enough to purchase it. Maybe I can get it for my birhday slash christmas or something. I should probably get the brand name so my father the linguist can look into it. its like four hundred fifty US dollars and I have 388 in my account right. But I have probably never wanted any physical object more. After Christmas it will probably be way cheaper, I can wait patiently though.
Yeah, that's my way of begging.
I love you all and hope that this letter wasn't me sounding like a spoiled brat who complains. I really have changed alot that way on my mission, I promise. The gospel of Jesus Christ has been doing its work on changing my heart. I love you again.
Wall Zhanglao
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Hotdog Oatmeal with Barbeque Sauce?
Dear family, I just watched other side of heaven and pretty jealous of Kolipoki. My missionary experience could never make an interesting movie. Maybe that is why I don't write in my journal. We will be having a pretty big typhoon on Saturday though. Its all on the news and we got a special letter from the mission telling us about what precautions to take and stuff:
Elder Rickertsen,
Please give me the latest weather report of this typhoon Megi.
Please alert all missionaries to secure all windows in their apartments. They should have identified a safe place in their apartments in case the windows are broken by the strong wind. They should ensure that they have sufficient food and water storage. They should remain indoor if Typhoon Signal No. 8 or above is hoisted.
Warm Regards,
President Chan
So its kind of like a terrifying storm will come and destroy the village of Hong Kong. Its supposed to be the biggest one to hit Hong Kong since the 70's. I am so excited. If my windows break, I will get a video of it.
Wow mom, you sound like you are working your tail off (literally). My goodness you guys. First you say how Jerrica is so small then you say how much you have lost. You are all little people now. Laura has almost lost an entire Jerrica. I am finally back down to 220 where I started my mission at.
The other day I was eating oatmeal with hot dogs and barbaque sauce in it. It was way good but gave me gas. My companion is constantly amaized at American food. Then I tell him that nobody would eat barbeque sauce and hotdog oatmeal but a missionary.
I definately need to talk to my companion in Mandarin more. He is so bright eventhough he is just eighteen. Quite mature; more than me. He is way ready to get up and go to do the work. He tells me to hurry up at least fifty times a day. fireball. I tease him about him not shaving, I tell him he needs to be obedient and shave everyday. He probably will never need to shave his entire life.
We don't have many good investigators right now, except this old dude named Brother Xia who is here looking after his college student daughter. Also a Lady named Susan and her daughter Jessie. Her daughter is twelve and attends school here in Hong Kong, but can't speak Cantonese and almost definately has no friends. She simply MUST go back to Shen Zhen every weekend to look at her huge collection of pets. I wish she could just see that if she came to church she could make friends with girls her age who speak Mandarin. We are praying that she will get the desire to make friends with people. Other than that, she is way good. Jessie and Susan are totally willing and ready to follow Jesus and read the Book of Mormon and pray. I just need them to forget their pets on sunday morning and come to church. I guess we do have pretty good investigators. Its a shame church attendance seems to be whats holding people back.
I want to do something amaizing, like Kolipoki, but that will take alot of faith and effort. I wish I could do that. Maybe I will just start writing a really embellished journal instead.
I love you all,
Hua Zhanglao
Elder Rickertsen,
Please give me the latest weather report of this typhoon Megi.
Please alert all missionaries to secure all windows in their apartments. They should have identified a safe place in their apartments in case the windows are broken by the strong wind. They should ensure that they have sufficient food and water storage. They should remain indoor if Typhoon Signal No. 8 or above is hoisted.
Warm Regards,
President Chan
So its kind of like a terrifying storm will come and destroy the village of Hong Kong. Its supposed to be the biggest one to hit Hong Kong since the 70's. I am so excited. If my windows break, I will get a video of it.
Wow mom, you sound like you are working your tail off (literally). My goodness you guys. First you say how Jerrica is so small then you say how much you have lost. You are all little people now. Laura has almost lost an entire Jerrica. I am finally back down to 220 where I started my mission at.
The other day I was eating oatmeal with hot dogs and barbaque sauce in it. It was way good but gave me gas. My companion is constantly amaized at American food. Then I tell him that nobody would eat barbeque sauce and hotdog oatmeal but a missionary.
I definately need to talk to my companion in Mandarin more. He is so bright eventhough he is just eighteen. Quite mature; more than me. He is way ready to get up and go to do the work. He tells me to hurry up at least fifty times a day. fireball. I tease him about him not shaving, I tell him he needs to be obedient and shave everyday. He probably will never need to shave his entire life.
We don't have many good investigators right now, except this old dude named Brother Xia who is here looking after his college student daughter. Also a Lady named Susan and her daughter Jessie. Her daughter is twelve and attends school here in Hong Kong, but can't speak Cantonese and almost definately has no friends. She simply MUST go back to Shen Zhen every weekend to look at her huge collection of pets. I wish she could just see that if she came to church she could make friends with girls her age who speak Mandarin. We are praying that she will get the desire to make friends with people. Other than that, she is way good. Jessie and Susan are totally willing and ready to follow Jesus and read the Book of Mormon and pray. I just need them to forget their pets on sunday morning and come to church. I guess we do have pretty good investigators. Its a shame church attendance seems to be whats holding people back.
I want to do something amaizing, like Kolipoki, but that will take alot of faith and effort. I wish I could do that. Maybe I will just start writing a really embellished journal instead.
I love you all,
Hua Zhanglao
Friday, October 8, 2010
10/7/2010
So there is always so much that I cannot remember to tell you. Our apartment has a ton of roaches and two guitars, I have been trying to figure out how to play the melody to "la cucaracha" and I got it stuck in my Taiwanese companion's head, I don't even know the words myself but it is the funniest thing to hear him sing and try and pronounce the word "cucaracha". I think someone must write me the lyrics so that I can sing it properly and serenade all the creatures that share our abode with us. I just remember about the roach being drunk and cant walk and how it doesn't have marijuana to smoke. Burracha? he zui jiu? caminar? zou?
I am kind of jealous of how Mexican the family is. There are legit Mexican food places here actually, but what I really crave is the fake Mexican food, give me some Taco Bell and grade D meat. It will probably be one of the first things I will eat when I get back. That and Panda Express or some Chinese buffet. I need the fake Americanized stuff. But KFC is so awesome here. I eat it way too much, they always have the best deals and special offers and the bucket is so cheap. I think I have eaten KFC maybe twice in America and like a million times over here.
Mooncake? Yeah I have eaten my fair share of that. What an experience. egg yolks surrounded by a thick paste that can only be eaten in the smallest of portions. It is also way expensive, so there is almost no point other than for the experience of trying something new.
I have baptised maybe ten people from Chengdu Sichuan. They like to eat way spicy stuff, usually boiled in a pot in front of you. I also hear that the most pretty Chinese girls are form Sichuan. They call them "la mei" or "spicy little sisters" in reference to the unnecessarily hot food that they eat. Does the lady who lives in Grandma's basement cook well?
I am so jealous of the world's missionaries. I bet half of the investigators in the world are Chinese people. Everyone can baptise one, except me; someone who is actually in China. The training videos we watched had a Chinese student baptism too. Tatiana can baptise one in Lithuana of all places.
We have taught alot of visitors that we baptise in one day, but I really don't get any satisfaction out of it. Me and my companion had to do it twice this week because everyone else has real investigators with scheduled appointments. This gives me stress because everything that can go wrong does just like Brother Murphey said. I always jack up the paper work forget a signature, write unclearly, don't fill up the font, and about a hundred other things. Its not as easy as you think, you should see how bald I am now, all thanks to mainland baptisms. The one we taught yesterday was a girl who got baptised in England who brought her mom over to hear the gospel and get baptised. Those England elders baptise Chinese investigators too.
Anyway, sorry to be so negative. I know the gospel is true and everyone is a child of God even if they are also a baptismal statistic. I am so glad that I have a chance to repent and get better everyday. The atonement of Jesus Christ is truly the best thing ever.
I love you all,
Hua Zhanglao
I am kind of jealous of how Mexican the family is. There are legit Mexican food places here actually, but what I really crave is the fake Mexican food, give me some Taco Bell and grade D meat. It will probably be one of the first things I will eat when I get back. That and Panda Express or some Chinese buffet. I need the fake Americanized stuff. But KFC is so awesome here. I eat it way too much, they always have the best deals and special offers and the bucket is so cheap. I think I have eaten KFC maybe twice in America and like a million times over here.
Mooncake? Yeah I have eaten my fair share of that. What an experience. egg yolks surrounded by a thick paste that can only be eaten in the smallest of portions. It is also way expensive, so there is almost no point other than for the experience of trying something new.
I have baptised maybe ten people from Chengdu Sichuan. They like to eat way spicy stuff, usually boiled in a pot in front of you. I also hear that the most pretty Chinese girls are form Sichuan. They call them "la mei" or "spicy little sisters" in reference to the unnecessarily hot food that they eat. Does the lady who lives in Grandma's basement cook well?
I am so jealous of the world's missionaries. I bet half of the investigators in the world are Chinese people. Everyone can baptise one, except me; someone who is actually in China. The training videos we watched had a Chinese student baptism too. Tatiana can baptise one in Lithuana of all places.
We have taught alot of visitors that we baptise in one day, but I really don't get any satisfaction out of it. Me and my companion had to do it twice this week because everyone else has real investigators with scheduled appointments. This gives me stress because everything that can go wrong does just like Brother Murphey said. I always jack up the paper work forget a signature, write unclearly, don't fill up the font, and about a hundred other things. Its not as easy as you think, you should see how bald I am now, all thanks to mainland baptisms. The one we taught yesterday was a girl who got baptised in England who brought her mom over to hear the gospel and get baptised. Those England elders baptise Chinese investigators too.
Anyway, sorry to be so negative. I know the gospel is true and everyone is a child of God even if they are also a baptismal statistic. I am so glad that I have a chance to repent and get better everyday. The atonement of Jesus Christ is truly the best thing ever.
I love you all,
Hua Zhanglao
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Sept 28, 2010 and Sept 23, 2010
yay! I am off of the dismal island now. I just got moved to the area that is closest to the mainland in the mission. My area got whitewashed and the previous AP took my spot along with elder so who was my companion and Elder Kershiniks companion and Cowsers trainer and Kershisniks trainer. They are both zone leaders too. It kinda sucks since I just gave out the first legit baptismal date I have ever given on the island. So now elder AP Li can baptise Sister Zhao for me. I don't want the glory, don't get me wrong, I just want to be with an investigator from the beginning to the end, and I was denied. President Chan will totally think his whitewashing idea was genious once those two instantly get a baptism. I was also fired from my job as district leader. My previous district leader is my district leader again, I love him, his name is Elder Macallister. I wasn't that great of a district leader anyways.
I am not to bitter though. I am way excited to be companions with a native speaker of Mandarin. His name is Elder Yu. He is Elder Bendalls trainee and he is from Taiwan. What is funny is that he is only eighteen. He has to serve in the military once his mission is over. AP Li also served in the singapore army too. So powerful. I call Elder Yu the secret weapon. I am getting those crazy ideas that I can find a family again. I will totally take advantage of this opportunity to learn good mandarin. It is the Lord giving me a second chance, because I never SYLed with the Malaysian Tiger. He was just too intimidating for me to speak to in Mandarin. SYL means speak your language.
So anyway, Fenling is so far away form everything. I am excited to not be five minutes away from the church's Asia area headquarters and be somewhat free in a somewhat remote place. Goodness I miss macau.
Anyway, I have a bright outlook for my mission. I might even start exercising regularly. I like the Mandarins now, there is so much power if you exclude me. This has potential of being a blast. I only have eight months left. Elder Cowser was always correcting me when I told people that I have been out about a year. Now I have to say I've been out more than a year. I have that terrible dream where I haven't made much of a difference in the field but my mission is already over. It terrifies (if thats how you spell it) me. I do miss you guys and think it would be cool to spend like a weekend with you, but my real home is probably somehwere in the mainland. Mainland is two stops away on the train from Fenling. I have a huge desire to just go over on pday. It is so smart of the mission to keep my passport so that I can't.
Elder Yu is such an adorable teenager. I like him, I think we will hit it off. I really hope I don't squander the blessing of having him as a companion. The only two native mandarin speaking missionaries that have been in the mission since I have been a missionary have both been my companions. I am reminded of the parable about talents. AP Li was given many talents and he multipied them, and then maybe like elder Kershisnik didn't have as many talents as AP Li but he still multiplied what he was given. And then there is me, that wicked and slothful servant who was only given one talent, and then I buried it because I was nervous. And then President Chan takes my talent and gives it to the one who has ten talents. Or in other words gives my baptism to AP Li.
I hope I can get a baptism as a senior companion one day. Maybe this is why I was fired? This next transfer will be seven weeks instead of six, which will give more time to build up this area and find a family and investigators.
Was this letter long enough? I tried to write everyone who wrote me last week a little letter back. This week only mommy wrote me, but thats fine. I liked hearing about all the craziness with Spanish Immersion school. I liked reading a missionary spanish book and laughing at how all the words were english with an o at the end. It was great fun. I hope I can get in on the action when I get back home. Arriba!!(if thats how you spell it) (Harriba?)
Anyways, I love you guys.
Hua Zhanglao
9/23/10
So I got so many letters that it took a lot of time to read them and so consequently I have little time to write. I appreciate it, thanks:) We met an Elvis impersonator on the bus the other day, He is a member actually. He is the source of legends. Can you imagine teaching a guy in an Elvis costume the gospel? He sang way good and was intensly entertaining. It lifted my spirits so much to run into him on the way home.
Since today was the day after Mid Autumn Festival, it was a holiday and employers were forced to give their Filipina workers a day off, so we helped out the international elders to try and pull back sisters to the church. It was fruitless but pretty funny. I like Filipina English, it is interesting.
So we are just trying to keep track of the many investigators that we have. Not many people seem to have time to come to church on Sundays though - that makes me sad. I feel like that's the only real obsticle between us and having success. We have enough appointments throughout the week and enough people to teach, but we just need something more I guess.
I am starting to love the mission again despite the difficulties. My second companion is going home next week, his 2 years are up. The last two days we attended a leadership training which was quite possibly the most boring thing I have ever encountered from 830 to 530 two days in a row. Leadership has its rewards. The content of the lectures were good but easy to grasp and probably didn't need quite so much time spent on them. I did score some awesome training dvds that are pretty much done in a reality tv style with "real" missionaries using the training principles that we learned in "real" situations. So hilarious, I hope to show you them when I get home. they are hysterical.
Umm, maybe nest week I won't get as many letters so that I can have enough time to send you photos and a longer letter. just kidding I love you guys
hua zhanglao
I am not to bitter though. I am way excited to be companions with a native speaker of Mandarin. His name is Elder Yu. He is Elder Bendalls trainee and he is from Taiwan. What is funny is that he is only eighteen. He has to serve in the military once his mission is over. AP Li also served in the singapore army too. So powerful. I call Elder Yu the secret weapon. I am getting those crazy ideas that I can find a family again. I will totally take advantage of this opportunity to learn good mandarin. It is the Lord giving me a second chance, because I never SYLed with the Malaysian Tiger. He was just too intimidating for me to speak to in Mandarin. SYL means speak your language.
So anyway, Fenling is so far away form everything. I am excited to not be five minutes away from the church's Asia area headquarters and be somewhat free in a somewhat remote place. Goodness I miss macau.
Anyway, I have a bright outlook for my mission. I might even start exercising regularly. I like the Mandarins now, there is so much power if you exclude me. This has potential of being a blast. I only have eight months left. Elder Cowser was always correcting me when I told people that I have been out about a year. Now I have to say I've been out more than a year. I have that terrible dream where I haven't made much of a difference in the field but my mission is already over. It terrifies (if thats how you spell it) me. I do miss you guys and think it would be cool to spend like a weekend with you, but my real home is probably somehwere in the mainland. Mainland is two stops away on the train from Fenling. I have a huge desire to just go over on pday. It is so smart of the mission to keep my passport so that I can't.
Elder Yu is such an adorable teenager. I like him, I think we will hit it off. I really hope I don't squander the blessing of having him as a companion. The only two native mandarin speaking missionaries that have been in the mission since I have been a missionary have both been my companions. I am reminded of the parable about talents. AP Li was given many talents and he multipied them, and then maybe like elder Kershisnik didn't have as many talents as AP Li but he still multiplied what he was given. And then there is me, that wicked and slothful servant who was only given one talent, and then I buried it because I was nervous. And then President Chan takes my talent and gives it to the one who has ten talents. Or in other words gives my baptism to AP Li.
I hope I can get a baptism as a senior companion one day. Maybe this is why I was fired?
Was this letter long enough? I tried to write everyone who wrote me last week a little letter back. This week only mommy wrote me, but thats fine. I liked hearing about all the craziness with Spanish Immersion school. I liked reading a missionary spanish book and laughing at how all the words were english with an o at the end. It was great fun. I hope I can get in on the action when I get back home. Arriba!!(if thats how you spell it) (Harriba?)
Anyways, I love you guys.
Hua Zhanglao
9/23/10
So I got so many letters that it took a lot of time to read them and so consequently I have little time to write. I appreciate it, thanks:) We met an Elvis impersonator on the bus the other day, He is a member actually. He is the source of legends. Can you imagine teaching a guy in an Elvis costume the gospel? He sang way good and was intensly entertaining. It lifted my spirits so much to run into him on the way home.
Since today was the day after Mid Autumn Festival, it was a holiday and employers were forced to give their Filipina workers a day off, so we helped out the international elders to try and pull back sisters to the church. It was fruitless but pretty funny. I like Filipina English, it is interesting.
So we are just trying to keep track of the many investigators that we have. Not many people seem to have time to come to church on Sundays though - that makes me sad. I feel like that's the only real obsticle between us and having success. We have enough appointments throughout the week and enough people to teach, but we just need something more I guess.
I am starting to love the mission again despite the difficulties. My second companion is going home next week, his 2 years are up. The last two days we attended a leadership training which was quite possibly the most boring thing I have ever encountered from 830 to 530 two days in a row. Leadership has its rewards. The content of the lectures were good but easy to grasp and probably didn't need quite so much time spent on them. I did score some awesome training dvds that are pretty much done in a reality tv style with "real" missionaries using the training principles that we learned in "real" situations. So hilarious, I hope to show you them when I get home. they are hysterical.
Umm, maybe nest week I won't get as many letters so that I can have enough time to send you photos and a longer letter. just kidding I love you guys
hua zhanglao
Sunday, September 19, 2010
15 Sept, 2010
Dear family,
I enjoy teaching lessons and I enjoy the Chinese language. Can life get better than this? As far as physical things I need, maybe I can just take money out of my account and buy shirts and maybe a suit. It is very cheap over here if you go to the right place.
So recently, no investigators really understand why coming to church is important. Maybe its my fault. There is one pretty cool investigator who just walked in to church one sunday who met with us like a million times in one week and came to a branch activity. She is pretty good, her name is sister Peng, she is super talkative so, although we have met with so so much, we havn't even got to the restoration yet. We just talk about baptism a whole lot. Kinda weird that thats how it worked out.
She is a mother who is nearly fifty and has a daughter who is 23 or so who graduated from MIT. We had the really less active girl named claire who also went to MIT to fellowship for Peng once. It went okay considering that Claire didn't know much. Claire wants us to teach her the book of mormon in english, I really don't want to do that at all. That is definately not what she needs at this point.
Anyways, I feel like I'm accomplishing things other than my purpose to baptise. Its okay I guess. I think hong kong would be a great city if everyone wasn't so unnecessarily stressed all the time and the weather didn't suck. I sent you photos of some sort of like building scenery or something. Its pretty cool being in a relatively big city. I also don't like huge population either actually.
The food though is pretty nice, the branch activity that we went on was to Lamma island and we ate so much delicious seafood and a million clams and a lot of cuttle fish and garlic scallops and schrimp and fish and delicious sweet and sour pork and it was amaising. Then we went on a lame hike in the rain with so many mosquitos. It was amaising.
Lamma island is in my area, I lthink I might so finding there one day.
I still don't write in my journal. i think I will start writing in chinese because then it will be more interesting and people who want to peek at it probably cant understand it, particularly Cantonese Elders. I don't think many people would really want to read my journal anyway though. It would be ten times more boring than my letters.
Anyway, I love the Old Testament student manual that I'm reading, it is way intertaining and helps my testimony and its weird too. I recommend it. I like how Jacob wrestled an angel and wouldn't let him go until he blessed him.
I love you all and miss you and cold weather and snow and mama's cooking.
Elder Hua Zhanglao
I enjoy teaching lessons and I enjoy the Chinese language. Can life get better than this? As far as physical things I need, maybe I can just take money out of my account and buy shirts and maybe a suit. It is very cheap over here if you go to the right place.
So recently, no investigators really understand why coming to church is important. Maybe its my fault. There is one pretty cool investigator who just walked in to church one sunday who met with us like a million times in one week and came to a branch activity. She is pretty good, her name is sister Peng, she is super talkative so, although we have met with so so much, we havn't even got to the restoration yet. We just talk about baptism a whole lot. Kinda weird that thats how it worked out.
She is a mother who is nearly fifty and has a daughter who is 23 or so who graduated from MIT. We had the really less active girl named claire who also went to MIT to fellowship for Peng once. It went okay considering that Claire didn't know much. Claire wants us to teach her the book of mormon in english, I really don't want to do that at all. That is definately not what she needs at this point.
Anyways, I feel like I'm accomplishing things other than my purpose to baptise. Its okay I guess. I think hong kong would be a great city if everyone wasn't so unnecessarily stressed all the time and the weather didn't suck. I sent you photos of some sort of like building scenery or something. Its pretty cool being in a relatively big city. I also don't like huge population either actually.
The food though is pretty nice, the branch activity that we went on was to Lamma island and we ate so much delicious seafood and a million clams and a lot of cuttle fish and garlic scallops and schrimp and fish and delicious sweet and sour pork and it was amaising. Then we went on a lame hike in the rain with so many mosquitos. It was amaising.
Lamma island is in my area, I lthink I might so finding there one day.
I still don't write in my journal. i think I will start writing in chinese because then it will be more interesting and people who want to peek at it probably cant understand it, particularly Cantonese Elders. I don't think many people would really want to read my journal anyway though. It would be ten times more boring than my letters.
Anyway, I love the Old Testament student manual that I'm reading, it is way intertaining and helps my testimony and its weird too. I recommend it. I like how Jacob wrestled an angel and wouldn't let him go until he blessed him.
I love you all and miss you and cold weather and snow and mama's cooking.
Elder Hua Zhanglao
9 Sept, 2010
I had a pretty awesome day yesterday. I just felt like I worked hard all day and I didn't really go finding at all. I hate finding in the hot sun. I like traveling from place to place on the subway and talking to people on that. I just can't explain it very well but it was probably the best day I have had since I left my Macau.
I feel like we can get someone baptised eventually although it probably won't be a family. The Zhu family is seriously hindered by the dad. He wouldn't schedule us because "Its raining really bad tomorrow". Like we wouldn't be meeting inside the chapel or something and he couldn't use an umbrella for the two minute walk from his home to the chapel. As it turned out, that day it didn't rain a single drop at all. I wish he just told me that he wasn't interested in meeting that day, it would be alot better than saying some ridiculous excuse and blame not being able to come on his daughter. I wish we sould just meet his daughter and wife. He is what makes it a family though, and he could potentially hold the preisthood. I wish dudes weren't such dirt bags over here in China. It gets tiring teaching single mothers and ladies.
I just feel like a small something is missing from my mission. I just don't feel completely satisfied with it quite yet. I had a terrible dream once that my two years were up with the same ammount of experience that I have now. It was pretty depressing. I just reasoned to myself that it wasn't the end of the world to waste my mission and that I could pick up all the skills that I still lacked somehow later in life.
At least I have eternity to develop talents and learn and progress right? I have changed I'm pretty sure. Macau changed me.
Anyways that's boring to just talk about me. I'm pretty sure its essentially the same letter week after week and you might be tired of it. There are so many Chinese students getting baptised in the world. Some people's mission calls are essentially just for those Chinese students. There is a MIT grad who just moved to Hong Kong. She learned the gospel in English and got baptised four years ago in America. I originally wanted to use her for fellowshiping because she is from Taiwan. But sadly because she was taught in not her native tongue, she pretty much knows nothing, so we are meeting with her to teach her about the gospel in Mandarin. She claims that the Chinese translation of the Book of Mormon is terrible but she can't understand the English. That bugged me because my father translates the Book of Mormon for a living. I imagine we will slam her with the word on this Friday. She hadn't even heard of Lehi's dream and didn't know if Lehi was the dad or the son. Anyway, when we're done, she will totally help out the branch.
That took about an hour to write, sorry.
I love you all
zai jian
Hua Zhanglao
I feel like we can get someone baptised eventually although it probably won't be a family. The Zhu family is seriously hindered by the dad. He wouldn't schedule us because "Its raining really bad tomorrow". Like we wouldn't be meeting inside the chapel or something and he couldn't use an umbrella for the two minute walk from his home to the chapel. As it turned out, that day it didn't rain a single drop at all. I wish he just told me that he wasn't interested in meeting that day, it would be alot better than saying some ridiculous excuse and blame not being able to come on his daughter. I wish we sould just meet his daughter and wife. He is what makes it a family though, and he could potentially hold the preisthood. I wish dudes weren't such dirt bags over here in China. It gets tiring teaching single mothers and ladies.
I just feel like a small something is missing from my mission. I just don't feel completely satisfied with it quite yet. I had a terrible dream once that my two years were up with the same ammount of experience that I have now. It was pretty depressing. I just reasoned to myself that it wasn't the end of the world to waste my mission and that I could pick up all the skills that I still lacked somehow later in life.
At least I have eternity to develop talents and learn and progress right? I have changed I'm pretty sure. Macau changed me.
Anyways that's boring to just talk about me. I'm pretty sure its essentially the same letter week after week and you might be tired of it. There are so many Chinese students getting baptised in the world. Some people's mission calls are essentially just for those Chinese students. There is a MIT grad who just moved to Hong Kong. She learned the gospel in English and got baptised four years ago in America. I originally wanted to use her for fellowshiping because she is from Taiwan. But sadly because she was taught in not her native tongue, she pretty much knows nothing, so we are meeting with her to teach her about the gospel in Mandarin. She claims that the Chinese translation of the Book of Mormon is terrible but she can't understand the English. That bugged me because my father translates the Book of Mormon for a living. I imagine we will slam her with the word on this Friday. She hadn't even heard of Lehi's dream and didn't know if Lehi was the dad or the son. Anyway, when we're done, she will totally help out the branch.
That took about an hour to write, sorry.
I love you all
zai jian
Hua Zhanglao
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