5/26/11 - More Trunky for the Mainland than for BYU

Hello, Ni hao

My family I will only write to you two more times after this. I want to do a semester in Salt lake so I can be Elder So's roomate. When Tatiana chose classes for me I did take into consideration all of the cute girls that would be taking those classes and decided that I want to put off marriage for at least a year after my mission.

When Elder Holland visited and he punched me in the arm after he shook my hand. He hugged Elder Kershisnik. He went on to say that shaking our hands was basically a personal interview with each of us. Did I pass my interview?

I think way to much about the future, but my companion is very patient with me. he rocks man. At the begining of the transfer I was sick and while everybody was trying to convice me that I was "sick" he stuck with me. I really hope I don't seem like elder Wall's dying companions to elder Wyatt. I got my flight plans from the mission today as well as from you, I am totally trunkified.

I will have to pass on the silk. This is a pretty modern city, so silk is insanely expensive and ordering it on the internet would be way cheaper. I do have a hello kitty on my backpack though to remind everyone that I served in Asia.

I realised that maybe the most righteous desire of my heart at this point in my mission would be to someday have the opportunity to do the Lord's work while in Mainland China with the people I love. Instead I am stuck in a different place among people I don't serve. I am more trunky for the mainland than for BYU, that's for sure.

Congradulations Tatiana.

Anyway, I'll see you all in about three weeks. Keep me posted if any more babies are born between now and then.

I love you all

Hua zhanglao

PS got packages from laura and family. The comic book laura rodriguez sent me is funny. The candy was gone the day I opened the package.

5/18/11 - Liu Jiemei, Powerful Lawyer Baptism

Hey, Tatiana,

Thanks for signing me up for classes. I hope it wasn't a hassle as a result of you having a baby any second now. Good luck, I am totally praying for you and the baby, I hope all goes as smoothly as possible. Um but why did you sign me up for sissy classes? I guess that I need them so I can function in a society that is fifty percent ladies. I kinda don't want to dance or sing. I think elementary education sounds kind of interesting. Thanks for everything though, I suppose I will just endure those classes with a positive outlook and be really open and a good sport about it.

I wish you signed me up for body combat or ultimate fighting or mixed martial arts or something. Then I can lose weight and train to be a cage fighter. Whatever.

We have a baptism on the 29th of a really cool Mandarin lady who was a headquarter referal. Somehow her grandpa was a member. So strange, her name is Liu Jiemei and she is a widow with a son about our age. She is so powerful and is a lawyer. She also sings really well. I think she thinks I'm cool.

Anyway, I can't wait to come home. I am suprised how much I can still accomplish with so little time left. Holland will come and visit next week on tuesday. I feel slightly nervous for some reason. He is probably the most passionate and vicious one out of them all.

So I don't have much to say still. I'll see you in about thirty days.



Hua Zhanglao

5/11/11 Can we Keep Him?

Dear Mom, You could have just asked me my password for BYU and I could have told you instead of making me change it and then tell you. Its okay though it inconvenienced (that's not how you spell it) me for like five seconds.

I will not be ready to go shopping when I get back home. Least of all for any items or articles of clothing that can be obtained at Mr. Mac. I will do my best only to wear a white shirt and tie and perhaps a suit, depending on the temperature, once a week.

I thank you for all that you do for me, I will only write home like four more times after this. Pretty crazy, but I'm not counting down.

Really short email okay this week? The mission is just same old same old only its really hot and I wet my pillow by night with all the sweat, kinda like Nephi only without tears.

I love you all
Hua zhanglao

P.S. Also acutally, Elder So did get accepted to LDSBC and is coming in September. I am pretty sure he wants to try and live with us. I will get the details this week. I totally want to be his roommate somehow. Maybe I can just go to the BYU center in Salt lake, or skip a semester of singing and dancing and just like work and stuff.

Please mommy can we keep him? I am sure you would love him and think that he is so cute in a chinese way.

5/5/11 - Ka Dixiong Peter's Neighbor?

Dear Family,

So I guess that nine thirty pm is fine for you to call but I just got transfered from Macau so my new number is XXXX-XXXX. I'm in Tun Mun, just like I called it. Elder Edwards new companion is Filipino and is a Cantonese missionary. I predict Mandarin work will die over there. But before that they will baptize Julian, who is a stud (Mandarin). His date is for the 15th.

Goodness I miss that place. I can honestly say that those were the happiest times of my life

On the bright side, I'm a district leader again right before I finish my mission. Although I have the zone leaders and sisters in my district. I think it will be funny to be a district leader with the worst numbers in the district by far. I guess its probably nothing special to be district leader, but I was pretty hurt after I was fired the first time so I kinda feel a little more loved now. I totally have a lot of wisdom I could share, my district meetings are gonna be way rad, I'm up for suggestions for games and object lessons or spiritual messages.

Anyway, I am pretty trunky. Elder Holland is coming on the 24th and I am terrified that he might want to interview me or something. That's what happened when the Asia area seventies came. I think he seems like he would be intimidating.

I can't wait to call my mama. I think that it is really awesome that Ka Dixiong is Peter's neighbor. I really liked him. He is one of my most favorite Larrys. Their son is seriously weird and naughty sometimes. I am pretty sure he's bit me and spat at me before. Rui Sen is his Chinese name. I don't think I have room for airsoft guns in my suitcase because of all the books I'm taking home. I do remember losing the clip to one of Ka Dixiong's pistols once.

So I don't have to much to say, I will talk to you guys on Mother's Day anyway.

4/27/11 Ferdinand from Camaroon

Dear Family,
Mother's day is the eighth right? I guess you could call so that I can talk in the morning sometime or at night after 9:30. I guess you would call me the day before at night to talk to me on the morning of Mother's Day. You could even call me on Mothers Day whenever. Mornings are good whenever but night is after 9:30 ish.

Anyway, last Sunday Rence and Erwin didn't show up. This week we are doing a undercover Sacrament meeting just for them to confirm Rence because they still can't make the normal time this week. I am wondering how powerful Rence really is. I do understand that employers over here are unreasonable though.

So I will leave way soon and maybe only get one baptism and leave two or three for Elder Edwards to finish up. For some reason the government gave him a lot of days last time. We had a African guy named Ferdinand for our investigator but I am pretty sure that he is a refugee so we can't baptise him. It sure seems alot like dad has baptised refugees in Germany and even in Rose Park. Maybe its just a Hong Kong mission thing. It also seemed alot like Ferdinand wants the church to support him too. he is way cool and completely understands everything and beleives it all too. Too bad, he has to be evading political persecution in Camaroon.

We are going to the all you can eat pizza place again today. James (the waiter) is sick so we couldn't meet with him and he probably won't go to work today. He wants to meet us though. How is James (the brother)? I was just wondering if he has black hair yet or has facial hair or fur. Is he still way skinny or has he any meat on his bones? Can I still run faster than him - of course.

I want technology when I get back home. I don't super regret purchasing a really awesome Chinese dictionary. I don't know if I want to go to BYU again because I can get the Stephen Wall Basement Scholarship. I also haven't registered for classes and it is way past my priority date, I am a junior you know. All the freshman have stolen my good classes so there is maybe no point. I could even take some classes at LDSBC. I wonder where I will work though. Maybe I want to work at Frito Lay moving boxes out of trucks and can live with the Rodriguezes. I don't know, I shouldn't worry about my future.

I am pretty sure that I will go to the most Mandarin free zone in the whole mission once I leave Macau. I did hear one good thing though. My recent convert from TKO, the one that Elder So and AP Li stole from me but still let me baptise moved over there in Tin shui wai so she can help me fellowship maybe. Its just a guess that I will go there, but with only ten Mandarins it is pretty easy to assume. Zhao Jiemei is so awesome, she moved a really far way; TKO and TinShuiWai are about as far away as you can get in Hong Kong from the way southwest to the way northeast. I bet that will be a tender mercy. I don't expect any success over there.

Anyways, I love you all,

Hua Zhanglao

4/21/11 Rence, Erwin, Julian and James

Dear Family,

So many people wrote to me this week that I have hardly anytime to write at all. I don't type fast and I read even slower than I type somehow, and I also have to spend time deciding what to write.

There aren't any cute babies running around doing disgusting things so I think painting a picture of my surroundings would be boring to you guys.

Rence got baptized last Sunday by her husband Erwin. I got to conduct the baptismal service which made me way nervous for some reason. Everybody laughed at me when I was telling them not to take photos and to silence their cell phones. It was so spiritual though. I cried when she bore her testimony, it was so powerful and her two little boys were running around like little hooligans. It turns out she had been investigating for four years! I had no idea. Anyways I don't feel like it counts too much as a "family baptised". It made me feel so good that I got to give the final last bit of support when she decided to get baptised. She was way ready, Im not judging but in someways I feel she is a little more prepared than her husband who is already a member. I mean he had to wait four years to get the Aaronic Priesthood for goodness sakes! It meant a whole lot to her for her husband to baptise her. A highlight of my mission!

Anyways, we have a Mandarin dude name Julian who is so powerful and handsome. All of our branch missionaries seem to be Mandarin college girls so he'll be running the show pretty soon. I hope he can be a branch missionary after he's baptised. He reads the Book of Mormon every day like twice, the part we assign him and the part that he's in by reading straight through. I like him.

Last p-day we went to a really good Italian restruant for its all you can eat lunch special and contacted our waiter James who is from Xi An, the place were the Terracotta Warriors are from. He met with us last Sunday and brought his girlfriend I guess. She's way interested - he's not so much. But they both with probably continue to meet with us. I think the restruant was so delicious. I want to go again. I will eat like a million calzones and have James grate the entire block of parmesan on top of them. It was totally legit italian too except for the Mandarin waiter.

I am loving my mission although I kinda wish I went to
Lithuania mandarin/russian speaking [like his sister did]. The gospel ought to be taught in communist languages because the law of consecration is just communism with God involved. But I am technically not allowed to write political things in my letters home to you guys.

I hope that I can avoid being trunky, I am pretty sure you guys will only get like seven more emails from me....
But I'm not counting down till I go home, Im counting down until I am kicked out by the Macau Government, I have 29 days to do all the damage I can. I am planning for three more baptisms by May 19th.

I am so jealous that all my older siblings have babies though. I don't even have one. Filipino and Chinese babies are way cute too. I can't wait to come home and be "Uncle Stevo". I hope I can learn Spanish one of these days so I can chit chat with Levi and Ezra [Laura and Job are teaching their children Spanish first].

Stop going on any more vacations before I get home okay? or at least stop telling me about them.

I love you all,

Hua Zhanglao

4/13/11 Happiest Time in My Life

Hello my family how are you?

I am feeling like this is the happiest time in my life again.

We are having a baptism of Rence this Sunday, her husband will finally get ordained and immediately after Sacrament meeting will baptize her, if all goes well. While, my missionary skills aren't so amaizing, Elder Edwards and I are still gonna get like four baptisms together in the approximately sixty days that the Macau government will allow us to stay.

We just gave out a baptismal invitation to a Mandarin guy named Julian. he is so rad. I gave him the invitation using the scripture in Mosiah 18 at the Waters of Mormon speech that Alma gives. I asked him how he would answer Alma's question "what have you against having his Spirit poured more abundantly upon you?" or something like that I only sort of remember the Chinese. His answer was "lai ba!" something like "bring it on". Probably the best answer to a baptismal invitaion I have ever heard. He will get baptised on the eighth of May.

I enjoyed conference. I think it was aimed at making me ultra tunky. A million talks about marriage and how awesome women are. President Monson telling me not to have so much fun being single. My goodness. I am suprised that I can still get stuff done for the Lord out here.

Julian was a turn over by the Zone Leader companionship. They say they have a Japanese dude that they have ready for us too. I think that would be sweet to baptise a Japanese man. I only wish that I could speak to him in his native tongue. I get so uspet when people teach Mandarins in English. especially when there are actually Mandarin speaking missionaries available. Even though there aren't any Japanese missionaries in the mission I would feel kind of bad because my father could teach the investigator way better and that would be ideal.

Anyways, I love my mission. I wanna have you call me for Mothers Day, because the phone situation here in Macau is ridiculously expensive. I droped 200 patacas on the 40 minute phone call last time. thats like 30 US.


1. Are you taller? No, James is taller than me probably
2. How are your suits, shirts, ties shoes and socks?Nasty, but my mission is almost over, so don't worry about it.
3. How are your teeth. I made you an appointment in June for your teeth. Yellow, but I assume relativly cavity free
4. Do you hear anything about Noah anymore? He's a powerful zone leader and gets a good birthday present of me leaving.
5. Do you take pictures anymore? Maybe no, I am lazy and my camera never seems to have batteries.


Anyway, I love you guys

Hua Zhanglao