Monday, February 11, 2013
Happy New Year!
February 11, 2013
Happy New Year! According to the lunar calendar, February 9th was "New Years Eve" and the 10th was New years! Here, New years is a HUGE deal. People keep feeding us EVERY DAY! It's so weird. People we don't even know invite us to eat with them.Anyways, more on guonian (new years) later.
Monday I was a thief. We went to a bookstore to buy red paper and a calligraphy pen so my companion could write fancy letters to put on people's doors (I don't know how to say what it really is in english... but its way cooler than it sounds) anyways, and I was like, hey I need a new pen, so I grabbed one. We were super rushed because it was almost our time to email so my companion handed me her money and asked me to help her buy a part of it while she ran and got some other stuff. I quickly checked out and waited by the door for her. We then ran off to email. Then you were all graced with an email from me. Then we went out to eat. Then I had this weird feeling to look in my bag. Then I found that pen. At first I thought, hmm weird. Did I buy this? Of course I did, I would never steal anything in my life. But I kept having this weird feeling... Did I buy this? Xiao JM, Did I buy this pen? She said she didn't know because she wasn't there... I eat a little more and the feeling won't go away. We dig through our bags to find the receipts and lo and behold I AM A THIEF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I STOLE THAT PEN! I was a wreck!!!!!!!!!!!! First, I've never stolen anything in my LIFE. Second, I'm a MISSIONARY in a foreign country where police can beat you up if they feel like it. I was a mess. I ran to my bike and rode as fast as I could back to the bookstore. The whole way there I was a wreck, torn in a thousand pieces. Here I was, a FELON on foreign soil. I asked my companion about a dozen times if I would be killed... She kept laughing but wouldn't say what would happen if they found out! Of course, it was an accident, but how am I supposed to explain that in chinese!? I kept rehearsing how to say "I accidentally stole this pen. I'd like to pay for it now" while freaking out and feeling ultra GUILTY. My companion kept laughing and laughing. Longest 10 minute bike ride EVER. We pull in and I throw the pen on the counter and say I'm so sorry! The check-out girl blankly looks at me and says, "oh did you forget to put this on the counter? No problem. 40NT." I pay and promptly leave. GEEZZZZ all worked up about nothing. However, I will be much more cautious about merchandise from now on haha.
That night we went out to eat with Chen JM (who went through the temple this week!!!) She was really excited and left Tuesday afternoon. After she went through, she was able to attend a sealing/wedding Thursday morning. She said there was such a special spirit there, and she is SO happy she was able to go and so are we!!! Tuesday we had a wonderful district training meeting.I was asked by our zone leaders to share with them my experience with crazy people lately and how to deal effectively but lovingly with them. To make a really long story short, there are a few people with mental problems that find their way to the church because we accept everyone. There is no problem with that obviously, but on a few occasions they have acted inappropriately (it just took me 6 tries to spell inappropriately... wah!) and we've had to escort them out. Many missionaries have been concerned about the balance between love and safety, President Chen came and talked with us and gave us some advice. We were all really grateful for his help and are looking forward to keeping the chapel a safe and peaceful place. Afterwards, we met with Zhang JM. She is progressing wonderfully!!! She had some questions about the plan of salvation that we were able to help her understand. Sometimes we feel that life is unfair because of things that have happened in our lives, but once we see the big picture and understand our divine potential, we are able to realize that these things are for our good. The longer I'm on a mission, the more I am grateful for all my life experiences that have been able to help others overcome adversities in their lives. God really does have His hand in everything.
Remember how 2 weeks ago we had that fancy english meeting and got lots of new things to make our class more professional? Well one of those things included this big fancy banner to put up at the doors when people come into English at night. As english leader, they trusted it into my possession. We left Wednesday morning with it in hand so we could take it to the church before we went to our lessons that day. After a few random unexpected visits to people's houses, we found ourselves at the chapel a few hours later, but without the banner! Those things are ultra expensive and my companion is freaking out because she was the one who grabbed it that morning. We quickly said a prayer to know where to go to find it. Both of us had the feeling to go back home, so we raced there. In a country where things are often stolen, we were so grateful to find it sitting against a tree by our apartment! Yayy!!! That day happened to be "practice english day" so Xiao JM said she would offer a prayer of thanks that we were able to find it. "And thank you can find big... fancy... tube..." hahahha it was the cutest english ever. Days where she speaks english take a lot of patience, but her english is really improving! I'm so proud of her. Every time she says a prayer in english I feel like a mom who's kid just tied his shoes for the first time. Atta girl!!!
Thursday we had interviews with President Bishop which happens about ever 3 or 4 months. I never really know what to say in interviews, but they always make me so grateful for President and Sister Bishop's love and dedication to this mission. It is not an easy task to be mission president, but they do it really well. I'm grateful for all that they do. They go home this June, and we will get a new president. Today it was announced who they are. President and Sister Blickenstaff. I'm excited to meet them and of course will tell you more when the time comes. Friday we had a crazy service project... We helped one of our investigators clean her house... more correctly, her clothes. She has more clothes than our whole family COMBINED probably. Her house is not a house, it is a closet. She has not washed clothes nor worn something more than once or twice in several years... and she doesn't throw any of it away. I was absolutely shocked. We were able to help her get a good start and hope we can continue to help her break this crazyyyyy habit. She shops daily (except sunday, which is a great start!) Saturday we had a really wonderful lesson with another sister who was treated poorly as a child. Boy verses Girl is a big issue for some families, and in hers it was really bad. She still feels a lot of hatred towards her family and doesn't understand why we all want families, especially for eternity. We shared with her about the plan of salvation, and Enos 1. At first, Enos wants to change himself. As he repents and helps himself become a better person, he has a desire to pray for his family and brethren. The Lord can truly help us change the desires of our hearts if we let Him. Just like coming on a mission. I was set on Italy for the longest time, but once I started to pray for the Lord to help me make the right choice, my desires began to change and serving a mission became the priority for me. I love how the Book of Mormon is filled with stories and examples that can bless our lives and help us understand why things happen the way they do. I love getting to testify of its truthfulness every day! Sunday we had some new friends come to church, so that was really fun! The streets were empty, but we were able to visit some families and "bai nian" with them, or celebrate the new year. I love these people so much!
Well my time is coming to a close. I just ate a ton of food, and tonight will eat even more. Guonian is terrible for my desires to look halfway decent by the time I get home, but tastes REALLY good. Oh well. The atmosphere around here is really exciting with the new year. It will be celebrated all this week, so that's fun. I hear fireworks ALL the time, but can never see them because there are too many skyscrapers. One downside is that mail is shut down for a few weeks.. GAHHH. I sent a few letters to some people, and I apologize that they won't get them for a long time. SORRY but I still love you all. I am so happy we were able to surprise skype!!! Thank you so much!!!
Keep being wonderful!
Love, Sister Song
Happy New Year! According to the lunar calendar, February 9th was "New Years Eve" and the 10th was New years! Here, New years is a HUGE deal. People keep feeding us EVERY DAY! It's so weird. People we don't even know invite us to eat with them.Anyways, more on guonian (new years) later.
Monday I was a thief. We went to a bookstore to buy red paper and a calligraphy pen so my companion could write fancy letters to put on people's doors (I don't know how to say what it really is in english... but its way cooler than it sounds) anyways, and I was like, hey I need a new pen, so I grabbed one. We were super rushed because it was almost our time to email so my companion handed me her money and asked me to help her buy a part of it while she ran and got some other stuff. I quickly checked out and waited by the door for her. We then ran off to email. Then you were all graced with an email from me. Then we went out to eat. Then I had this weird feeling to look in my bag. Then I found that pen. At first I thought, hmm weird. Did I buy this? Of course I did, I would never steal anything in my life. But I kept having this weird feeling... Did I buy this? Xiao JM, Did I buy this pen? She said she didn't know because she wasn't there... I eat a little more and the feeling won't go away. We dig through our bags to find the receipts and lo and behold I AM A THIEF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I STOLE THAT PEN! I was a wreck!!!!!!!!!!!! First, I've never stolen anything in my LIFE. Second, I'm a MISSIONARY in a foreign country where police can beat you up if they feel like it. I was a mess. I ran to my bike and rode as fast as I could back to the bookstore. The whole way there I was a wreck, torn in a thousand pieces. Here I was, a FELON on foreign soil. I asked my companion about a dozen times if I would be killed... She kept laughing but wouldn't say what would happen if they found out! Of course, it was an accident, but how am I supposed to explain that in chinese!? I kept rehearsing how to say "I accidentally stole this pen. I'd like to pay for it now" while freaking out and feeling ultra GUILTY. My companion kept laughing and laughing. Longest 10 minute bike ride EVER. We pull in and I throw the pen on the counter and say I'm so sorry! The check-out girl blankly looks at me and says, "oh did you forget to put this on the counter? No problem. 40NT." I pay and promptly leave. GEEZZZZ all worked up about nothing. However, I will be much more cautious about merchandise from now on haha.
That night we went out to eat with Chen JM (who went through the temple this week!!!) She was really excited and left Tuesday afternoon. After she went through, she was able to attend a sealing/wedding Thursday morning. She said there was such a special spirit there, and she is SO happy she was able to go and so are we!!! Tuesday we had a wonderful district training meeting.I was asked by our zone leaders to share with them my experience with crazy people lately and how to deal effectively but lovingly with them. To make a really long story short, there are a few people with mental problems that find their way to the church because we accept everyone. There is no problem with that obviously, but on a few occasions they have acted inappropriately (it just took me 6 tries to spell inappropriately... wah!) and we've had to escort them out. Many missionaries have been concerned about the balance between love and safety, President Chen came and talked with us and gave us some advice. We were all really grateful for his help and are looking forward to keeping the chapel a safe and peaceful place. Afterwards, we met with Zhang JM. She is progressing wonderfully!!! She had some questions about the plan of salvation that we were able to help her understand. Sometimes we feel that life is unfair because of things that have happened in our lives, but once we see the big picture and understand our divine potential, we are able to realize that these things are for our good. The longer I'm on a mission, the more I am grateful for all my life experiences that have been able to help others overcome adversities in their lives. God really does have His hand in everything.
Remember how 2 weeks ago we had that fancy english meeting and got lots of new things to make our class more professional? Well one of those things included this big fancy banner to put up at the doors when people come into English at night. As english leader, they trusted it into my possession. We left Wednesday morning with it in hand so we could take it to the church before we went to our lessons that day. After a few random unexpected visits to people's houses, we found ourselves at the chapel a few hours later, but without the banner! Those things are ultra expensive and my companion is freaking out because she was the one who grabbed it that morning. We quickly said a prayer to know where to go to find it. Both of us had the feeling to go back home, so we raced there. In a country where things are often stolen, we were so grateful to find it sitting against a tree by our apartment! Yayy!!! That day happened to be "practice english day" so Xiao JM said she would offer a prayer of thanks that we were able to find it. "And thank you can find big... fancy... tube..." hahahha it was the cutest english ever. Days where she speaks english take a lot of patience, but her english is really improving! I'm so proud of her. Every time she says a prayer in english I feel like a mom who's kid just tied his shoes for the first time. Atta girl!!!
Thursday we had interviews with President Bishop which happens about ever 3 or 4 months. I never really know what to say in interviews, but they always make me so grateful for President and Sister Bishop's love and dedication to this mission. It is not an easy task to be mission president, but they do it really well. I'm grateful for all that they do. They go home this June, and we will get a new president. Today it was announced who they are. President and Sister Blickenstaff. I'm excited to meet them and of course will tell you more when the time comes. Friday we had a crazy service project... We helped one of our investigators clean her house... more correctly, her clothes. She has more clothes than our whole family COMBINED probably. Her house is not a house, it is a closet. She has not washed clothes nor worn something more than once or twice in several years... and she doesn't throw any of it away. I was absolutely shocked. We were able to help her get a good start and hope we can continue to help her break this crazyyyyy habit. She shops daily (except sunday, which is a great start!) Saturday we had a really wonderful lesson with another sister who was treated poorly as a child. Boy verses Girl is a big issue for some families, and in hers it was really bad. She still feels a lot of hatred towards her family and doesn't understand why we all want families, especially for eternity. We shared with her about the plan of salvation, and Enos 1. At first, Enos wants to change himself. As he repents and helps himself become a better person, he has a desire to pray for his family and brethren. The Lord can truly help us change the desires of our hearts if we let Him. Just like coming on a mission. I was set on Italy for the longest time, but once I started to pray for the Lord to help me make the right choice, my desires began to change and serving a mission became the priority for me. I love how the Book of Mormon is filled with stories and examples that can bless our lives and help us understand why things happen the way they do. I love getting to testify of its truthfulness every day! Sunday we had some new friends come to church, so that was really fun! The streets were empty, but we were able to visit some families and "bai nian" with them, or celebrate the new year. I love these people so much!
Well my time is coming to a close. I just ate a ton of food, and tonight will eat even more. Guonian is terrible for my desires to look halfway decent by the time I get home, but tastes REALLY good. Oh well. The atmosphere around here is really exciting with the new year. It will be celebrated all this week, so that's fun. I hear fireworks ALL the time, but can never see them because there are too many skyscrapers. One downside is that mail is shut down for a few weeks.. GAHHH. I sent a few letters to some people, and I apologize that they won't get them for a long time. SORRY but I still love you all. I am so happy we were able to surprise skype!!! Thank you so much!!!
Keep being wonderful!
Love, Sister Song
Monday, February 4, 2013
THISWEEKWASTHEBESTEVER!!!!
February 4, 2013
Haha I laughed SO hard when you told me Dad looked up "whipplets." You're right, it's not a word, but there are not very many W words to go with weekly so I had to improvise.
THISWEEKWASTHEBESTEVER!!!!
We had a 19 year old "duanchuan" or short term missionary with us for the week. She is INCREDIBLE and brought so many miracles!!! I will try to go through many of them, but just know that this week was seriously the besttttt. Tuesday we had some great lessons, one with Chen JM (our investigator) went really well as we talked about the Holy Ghost and following its promptings. We played a game where we hid something, and she had to find it by following our voices singing I am a child of God (closer louder, farther away quieter) Just like following the spirit, we have to act in order to find what we're looking for. At the end of the lesson, Heavenly Father gave us a really cool opportunity to practice what we preach!!! Chen JM was about to walk us to our bikes to say goodbye but she couldn't find her keys. She started to look all over and Sister Xiao and I looked at each other with a little sparkle in our eyes. PERFECT! "Chen JM, how about we say a prayer and let Heavenly Father help you find your keys through the Holy Ghost." She thought it was a great idea and said a humble prayer. Not even 10 seconds later, BAM found those keys. She was so happy and we were too!!! It doesn't matter if it is small or large, our Heavenly Father loves us and wants to guide us if we let Him and listen to the Holy Ghost's promptings.
Thursday was SO NEAT. First, one of our friends that missionaries used to meet with but stopped having interest called us up and asked if we could go meet at the church that day. We said sure! Turns out she met up with one of her high school friends from a long time ago and was super impressed with how much her friend has changed. Her friend said it was because Jesus Christ and His loving influence in her life, so Zhang JM decided she wanted Christ in her life and called us up. Lin JM (our duanchuan) was able to really connect with her and testify of forever families and Christ helping her overcome many adversities. Lin JM has a beautiful way with words and Zhang JM was truly touched. She was willing to start praying everyday and also came to church yesterday and loved it! We are so excited we can continue to help her find the light and happiness she is searching for. We later went tracting and again, Lin JM was a pro!!! We were able to meet some wonderful prepared people! Including a family, and a cute ama. So wonderful! That night we also found out that our lovely Chen Ming Zhu JM is going to the temple this week!!! She was baptized a year ago today, and is going to make more covenants with Heavenly Father this week!!!!! WE ARE SO EXCITED!!!
Friday we had a meeting in Gaoxiong about our english program and how we are going to change it and make it more professional. We got new textbooks, tools to teach, training, advertising materials, and so much more. As english leader of our chapel I got a lot more responsibility, but I think it will make english class so much better so I'm really excited! I also got to witness something really cool by another sister. There are some sisters that really love to gossip and know "all the scoop." Most of us just kind of stay out of it and don't worry about it, however, I got to see Sister Taylor be a perfect example of how we stop it. A sister came up to her and said, "Ahhh how are you doing? I know alllll about your companion, you can tell me how you really feel" At this point, Sister Taylor could have easily complained or kind of ignored it, but instead she just simply said, "Sister Chen is a rock-star, so amazing. Seriously, I am so glad I can learn from her and be her companion." She said it with complete sincerity and then changed topics. The other sister just kind of shrugged and walked off. I don't think Sister Taylor knows I heard the conversation, but that really impressed me. One of the things I love about being on a mission is all the things I get to learn from other people. Ways to make me a better person, bless my family, stop contention, and so many more that will be invaluable for the rest of my life. Sometimes I feel like we think we have to change everything all at once, but through the gospel of Jesus Christ, we know that we just need to take it day by day. Start with humble prayer and a desire to do better, and the Lord will help you change a little bit each day.
Saturday was crazy too! The elders had a baptism that morning we went to. As Lin DX (guy who got baptized) shared his testimony afterwards, he said as he went into the water, he could really feel the Savior's love enfolding him. He knows it was a new start and he is excited to have his own eternal family one day. It was really wonderful! We went over to Chen JM's house after (one who lost her keys) and were able to sit with her for a while too. She said that she's been starting to really feel the Holy Ghost influencing her life and several different ways. She is really starting to connect the gospel teachings to her life and that is the best thing a missionary could ever be a part of! After another lesson later that day, we were pulling out when a woman came up to us and asked if we represented Jesus Christ. Well in fact we do! She said she wants to find a path she can guide her family on to be happier and have more peace... Came to the right place!!! She wanted to see our chapel right then so we went over and had a lesson with her. She also came to church yesterday and loved it!!! Miracle after miracle keeps us going and I love it!!! Later we had another wonderful lesson with Zeng JM who had some questions about how to better study the Book of Mormon. We were able to help her see that it helps answer all the questions of life and showered her some wonderful scriptures. She is so excited to continue reading. I think that day we had 3 or 4 people come up to us themselves saying, hey, can I give you my number so I can learn more about your church? jaw drops to the floor........... WAh!!! Miracles up the wazoo.
We had a wonderful Sabbath day. We had a wonderful week. We are truly lucky to be here and even though things get crazy sometimes, it is all worth it. I love you all!!! I miss you all!!! Ekjflaksjeflawsikejf;laskjeflaksejf <-- that's how I feel. Crazy good.
Love, Sister Smart
Haha I laughed SO hard when you told me Dad looked up "whipplets." You're right, it's not a word, but there are not very many W words to go with weekly so I had to improvise.
THISWEEKWASTHEBESTEVER!!!!
We had a 19 year old "duanchuan" or short term missionary with us for the week. She is INCREDIBLE and brought so many miracles!!! I will try to go through many of them, but just know that this week was seriously the besttttt. Tuesday we had some great lessons, one with Chen JM (our investigator) went really well as we talked about the Holy Ghost and following its promptings. We played a game where we hid something, and she had to find it by following our voices singing I am a child of God (closer louder, farther away quieter) Just like following the spirit, we have to act in order to find what we're looking for. At the end of the lesson, Heavenly Father gave us a really cool opportunity to practice what we preach!!! Chen JM was about to walk us to our bikes to say goodbye but she couldn't find her keys. She started to look all over and Sister Xiao and I looked at each other with a little sparkle in our eyes. PERFECT! "Chen JM, how about we say a prayer and let Heavenly Father help you find your keys through the Holy Ghost." She thought it was a great idea and said a humble prayer. Not even 10 seconds later, BAM found those keys. She was so happy and we were too!!! It doesn't matter if it is small or large, our Heavenly Father loves us and wants to guide us if we let Him and listen to the Holy Ghost's promptings.
Thursday was SO NEAT. First, one of our friends that missionaries used to meet with but stopped having interest called us up and asked if we could go meet at the church that day. We said sure! Turns out she met up with one of her high school friends from a long time ago and was super impressed with how much her friend has changed. Her friend said it was because Jesus Christ and His loving influence in her life, so Zhang JM decided she wanted Christ in her life and called us up. Lin JM (our duanchuan) was able to really connect with her and testify of forever families and Christ helping her overcome many adversities. Lin JM has a beautiful way with words and Zhang JM was truly touched. She was willing to start praying everyday and also came to church yesterday and loved it! We are so excited we can continue to help her find the light and happiness she is searching for. We later went tracting and again, Lin JM was a pro!!! We were able to meet some wonderful prepared people! Including a family, and a cute ama. So wonderful! That night we also found out that our lovely Chen Ming Zhu JM is going to the temple this week!!! She was baptized a year ago today, and is going to make more covenants with Heavenly Father this week!!!!! WE ARE SO EXCITED!!!
Friday we had a meeting in Gaoxiong about our english program and how we are going to change it and make it more professional. We got new textbooks, tools to teach, training, advertising materials, and so much more. As english leader of our chapel I got a lot more responsibility, but I think it will make english class so much better so I'm really excited! I also got to witness something really cool by another sister. There are some sisters that really love to gossip and know "all the scoop." Most of us just kind of stay out of it and don't worry about it, however, I got to see Sister Taylor be a perfect example of how we stop it. A sister came up to her and said, "Ahhh how are you doing? I know alllll about your companion, you can tell me how you really feel" At this point, Sister Taylor could have easily complained or kind of ignored it, but instead she just simply said, "Sister Chen is a rock-star, so amazing. Seriously, I am so glad I can learn from her and be her companion." She said it with complete sincerity and then changed topics. The other sister just kind of shrugged and walked off. I don't think Sister Taylor knows I heard the conversation, but that really impressed me. One of the things I love about being on a mission is all the things I get to learn from other people. Ways to make me a better person, bless my family, stop contention, and so many more that will be invaluable for the rest of my life. Sometimes I feel like we think we have to change everything all at once, but through the gospel of Jesus Christ, we know that we just need to take it day by day. Start with humble prayer and a desire to do better, and the Lord will help you change a little bit each day.
Saturday was crazy too! The elders had a baptism that morning we went to. As Lin DX (guy who got baptized) shared his testimony afterwards, he said as he went into the water, he could really feel the Savior's love enfolding him. He knows it was a new start and he is excited to have his own eternal family one day. It was really wonderful! We went over to Chen JM's house after (one who lost her keys) and were able to sit with her for a while too. She said that she's been starting to really feel the Holy Ghost influencing her life and several different ways. She is really starting to connect the gospel teachings to her life and that is the best thing a missionary could ever be a part of! After another lesson later that day, we were pulling out when a woman came up to us and asked if we represented Jesus Christ. Well in fact we do! She said she wants to find a path she can guide her family on to be happier and have more peace... Came to the right place!!! She wanted to see our chapel right then so we went over and had a lesson with her. She also came to church yesterday and loved it!!! Miracle after miracle keeps us going and I love it!!! Later we had another wonderful lesson with Zeng JM who had some questions about how to better study the Book of Mormon. We were able to help her see that it helps answer all the questions of life and showered her some wonderful scriptures. She is so excited to continue reading. I think that day we had 3 or 4 people come up to us themselves saying, hey, can I give you my number so I can learn more about your church? jaw drops to the floor........... WAh!!! Miracles up the wazoo.
We had a wonderful Sabbath day. We had a wonderful week. We are truly lucky to be here and even though things get crazy sometimes, it is all worth it. I love you all!!! I miss you all!!! Ekjflaksjeflawsikejf;laskjeflaksejf <-- that's how I feel. Crazy good.
Love, Sister Smart
Monday, January 28, 2013
Weekly Whipplets of Wonder
January 28, 2013
Like that subject title? I've been working on it all week. Today I'm feeling slightly nostalgic as it was pointed out to me that I have just recently hit my half-way mark. WAHHHH! I had no idea. I still can't believe it. I will be really honest with you... my first few days here I thought I'd never make it to this point. It was literally 100+ degrees with humidity up the wazoo. I kept getting yelled at in a language I did not understand, and that sounds like you're angry even if you're not. I was riding up and down and all around mountains and rice fields, getting 50+ mosquito bites just on my legs alone. I felt utterly inadequate to give the most precious truth to the most precious people. Here I was, a foreigner trying to teach others how to have eternal life with their families when all they wanted was to pull off or slam the door. I was exhausted both spiritually and physically and didn't think time could go much slower. Of course, I was still happy and loving my time as a missionary, but it was hard. Well... I'm here. I'm at the half-way point and have 9 months left on my mission. How did I make it? When I wanted to die I was so hot, He gave me extra strength, sent a cool breeze or a red light. When I got yelled at, He gave me the charity to keep smiling and lovingly inviting them to church or english class, which sometimes they would even accept. When people say words I have never before studied and technically should not know, He helps me understand what they are saying. It's a miracle I still get to experience every single day. I still get tons of mosquito bites... there's really just no way around that one I suppose hahaha. When I mess up words or disrupt the flow in a lesson on accident, He still helps the people feel the spirit and eventually progress towards baptism. I am still inadequate, but that is what keeps us humble and receptive to the Lord's help. That's why we see miracles every day. We try our best, push through the hard times, and trust the Lord. He lets us meet these wonderful people in spite of our weaknesses. He loves us THAT much! I've worked hard every single day of my mission, and know that the Lord is happy with my efforts. Even when it was hard and I thought I couldn't do it anymore, He broadened my perspective and reminded me how eternal this work is. I will never ever ever EVER regret the decision to serve a mission. I am so happy here and love these people with my whole heart. I will work harder than ever these last 9 months right up until the moment I take off my tag and probably cry a whole bunch haha. But the work will never stop. I will always share the gospel with those I love and help them partake of the blessings that come from living the gospel.
Like that subject title? I've been working on it all week. Today I'm feeling slightly nostalgic as it was pointed out to me that I have just recently hit my half-way mark. WAHHHH! I had no idea. I still can't believe it. I will be really honest with you... my first few days here I thought I'd never make it to this point. It was literally 100+ degrees with humidity up the wazoo. I kept getting yelled at in a language I did not understand, and that sounds like you're angry even if you're not. I was riding up and down and all around mountains and rice fields, getting 50+ mosquito bites just on my legs alone. I felt utterly inadequate to give the most precious truth to the most precious people. Here I was, a foreigner trying to teach others how to have eternal life with their families when all they wanted was to pull off or slam the door. I was exhausted both spiritually and physically and didn't think time could go much slower. Of course, I was still happy and loving my time as a missionary, but it was hard. Well... I'm here. I'm at the half-way point and have 9 months left on my mission. How did I make it? When I wanted to die I was so hot, He gave me extra strength, sent a cool breeze or a red light. When I got yelled at, He gave me the charity to keep smiling and lovingly inviting them to church or english class, which sometimes they would even accept. When people say words I have never before studied and technically should not know, He helps me understand what they are saying. It's a miracle I still get to experience every single day. I still get tons of mosquito bites... there's really just no way around that one I suppose hahaha. When I mess up words or disrupt the flow in a lesson on accident, He still helps the people feel the spirit and eventually progress towards baptism. I am still inadequate, but that is what keeps us humble and receptive to the Lord's help. That's why we see miracles every day. We try our best, push through the hard times, and trust the Lord. He lets us meet these wonderful people in spite of our weaknesses. He loves us THAT much! I've worked hard every single day of my mission, and know that the Lord is happy with my efforts. Even when it was hard and I thought I couldn't do it anymore, He broadened my perspective and reminded me how eternal this work is. I will never ever ever EVER regret the decision to serve a mission. I am so happy here and love these people with my whole heart. I will work harder than ever these last 9 months right up until the moment I take off my tag and probably cry a whole bunch haha. But the work will never stop. I will always share the gospel with those I love and help them partake of the blessings that come from living the gospel.
Well... that was a bit longer than I expected... haha. Last week was great! We had some cool miracles on Tuesday. Every Tuesday we have district meeting, and the topic last week was on asking inspired questions. We had a really great discussion on how to really get to know people and their needs through asking inspired questions. We practiced and then went about work as normal. One of our lessons afterwards was with Wen JM. She was baptized last year, but has a harder time coming to church each week. She is divorced and feels really lonely. She usually doesn't open up with us very much, but last week was different. My companion and I prayed before the lesson that we would be able to really get to know what her needs were and how we could help her become happier. The lesson came and we really tried to ask simple but inspired questions, and it worked! She truly opened up and shared with us some of the trials that happened after baptism and how they affected her faith. We were able to think of some ways she could find the happiness she once felt again. When we left that day, we saw a new light in her that comes from the hope of the atonement and the desire to improve. We were so happy and have seen many similar miracles as we've tried to ask more inspired questions.
We made some new friends last week that I am also really excited about. One, Chen JM is in her 20's. We met her as we were pulling out of a 7. She seemed really interested, so we asked if she would pull over and sit with us for a few minutes. She was really willing and we ended up teaching her about prayer and how it can bless her life. Geez, I love prayer. Anyways, she was super excited to learn, and we will continue meeting with her! Another, Li JM, is also in her 20's. I called to set up a time with her and she seemed really excited. We set up for Saturday at 3 at the church. 3 rolls around and she's not there. We try to call, but she doesn't answer. 15 minutes pass and we realize that we are getting stood up... Drats. There was a baptism at 4 that we wanted to go to, so we started calling phones while waiting. Miracleeeee, she calls us! She originally had a ride from her lame boyfriend (later she told us about him, and he sounds lame and treats her real lousy) but he didn't show up, so she had to work out a different way to come, then she got super lost and called a few times for directions. At 3:55 she came, and we quickly introduced ourselves and then asked if she wanted to watch a baptism. She was really curious, and stayed for the whole thing. Zhong DX (the man getting baptized) had a really rough past. Through the gospel, he was able to quit smoking, drinking, drugs, and overcome feelings of same-gender attraction. He is absolutely incredible and shared a really powerful testimony of the atonement. Li JM was touched by the baptismal service and afterwards said that she too wants to be baptized. She told us of her family and boyfriend troubles, and we were able to share with her how the simple teachings of the gospel could influence her life and help her find the direction she needs. I love meeting these wonderful new people and am excited to continue to share the gospel with them.
I got my hair cut! My chinese vocab for hair cutting is really poor... and a lot more hair got chopped off than was expected, but oh well. It's just hair and it grows back really fast. I will try to send a picture, but my camera is being weird today.
Wednesday we had our english party! It was so much fun. The topic was families! We had an angry bird pinata made by the elders, made these cool chinese door decorations, hung up our new year wishes japanese style, and had a few members share how the gospel has affected their families. It was so much fun and I want to send pictures! but I think it will have to wait till next week. Silly camera. Oh well.
Well, I really love you all. I'm sorry today's is a little bit shorter, I reminisced too much about the past haha. I hope you're all doing well! You're in my prayers!!!
Love, Sister Smart
Monday, January 21, 2013
Week 30
January 21, 2013
Wahhh! 30 weeks guys. I've been here for 30 weeks! I feel like I've been here way longer, and also can't believe it has been that long. But I guess no matter how you look at it, it's been 30 weeks. Let me tell you all about it.
Tuesday morning we went to see Bao ama, a dear elderly woman who belongs to another Christian church. We met her through her grandson, Elder Bao, a missionary in my mission who asked us to start visiting her a few months ago. Normally her husband is always there too, but this week he wasn't sitting where he normally does. We sat down and as we started to chat, she broke down and told us that her husband passed away a few days ago. We were sad, but were able to help her feel comfort through prayer and explaining God's love for her and her family. We were asked to go to the funeral on Saturday and sang 2 hymns as a district. How grateful I am for the knowledge that we can see our loved ones again as we live righteous lives. It helped reaffirm how truly important the work of helping others come to a knowledge of the truth is. We love Bao ama and her family and will continue to help her build her faith so she too can see her dear husband again.
We had a neat miracle with Huang JM! She was baptized 30+ years ago, but her husband has not joined the church. He does not support her efforts in the slightest, and is really rough on her. When we visited her a few weeks ago, we talked about our goals for this year. Her biggest one was to be able to go to the temple. Her husband never lets her go, refusing to give her the money and always making her work. We decided to make some plans to help her goal become a reality. My companion is wonderful at chatting with those who don't really want to chat (aka angry husbands who want nothing to do with the gospel) and helping them slowly soften their heart. Her husband has been SLOWLY slowly warming up to us, and even joined us in prayer the last 2 times! Miracle of miracles, the ward is having a temple day February second, and he said she could go!!!!!!!!! She was thrilled and so are we! We know these sacrifices will continue to bless their family and help them have an eternal marriage. So happy!!!
Funny story: We went to Carrefour to eat lunch one day. It's kind of like a mall food court, but WAY better. I stood up to go get some red bean soup and noticed a man sneaking from table to table, eating people who had left's leftovers. I about died of laughter! As we continued to eat, we noticed him prance around, eating this and that. Please try to imagine a tiny asian man, wearing a tight red shirt, hair down to his shoulders, going around eating leftovers in a mall. hehehe
Thursday we had Zone conference! The southern half of the mission got together and had training for several hours. It was so good!!! Every month we have a Christlike attribute that we are working on as a mission. This months is knowledge. Every Zone conference we are all asked to prepare a 5 minute share on what we've learned, and president will randomly pick 2 missionaries to share. As luck would have it, he picked the girl with the last name SMART to talk about knowledge. The gang got a pretty good laugh out of that, and I gave a little talk. I was ultra nervous, and ended up not reading anything I had written down. I just shared the difference between learning and knowing. For example, I have learned that Jesus Christ is my Savior, but it was not until I truly knelt down in prayer asking for help through trials I alone could not face that I could testify that I KNOW Jesus Christ is my Savior. That knowledge is more precious than anything I could ever read or study. I shared a few others truths I have learned and then personally come to know. As we learn truths, we need to personally apply them to our lives and let them influence us for good. Once we gain testimonies of these truths, we can then go and share them with everyone!
Well my time is coming to a close, so I just want to share a few quick funny things. Sister Xiao tried her first twizzler this week. She hated it and I got a really funny picture I'll send next week of her trying it. I also help her with english from time to time and one morning we had decided that she could only speak english! I lost my rulebook and was looking for it, when she said (in a really cute broken accent) "Maybe Lucifer stole your rulebook because he doesn't want you to obey" hahahaha now that is not an exact quote, because that is far too advanced sentence structure, but it was still really cute. I love you all! I love this work! I love the Lord and hope you all know how much He loves each and every one of us.
Love, 宋雨蓉 Sister Smart
Wahhh! 30 weeks guys. I've been here for 30 weeks! I feel like I've been here way longer, and also can't believe it has been that long. But I guess no matter how you look at it, it's been 30 weeks. Let me tell you all about it.
Tuesday morning we went to see Bao ama, a dear elderly woman who belongs to another Christian church. We met her through her grandson, Elder Bao, a missionary in my mission who asked us to start visiting her a few months ago. Normally her husband is always there too, but this week he wasn't sitting where he normally does. We sat down and as we started to chat, she broke down and told us that her husband passed away a few days ago. We were sad, but were able to help her feel comfort through prayer and explaining God's love for her and her family. We were asked to go to the funeral on Saturday and sang 2 hymns as a district. How grateful I am for the knowledge that we can see our loved ones again as we live righteous lives. It helped reaffirm how truly important the work of helping others come to a knowledge of the truth is. We love Bao ama and her family and will continue to help her build her faith so she too can see her dear husband again.
We had a neat miracle with Huang JM! She was baptized 30+ years ago, but her husband has not joined the church. He does not support her efforts in the slightest, and is really rough on her. When we visited her a few weeks ago, we talked about our goals for this year. Her biggest one was to be able to go to the temple. Her husband never lets her go, refusing to give her the money and always making her work. We decided to make some plans to help her goal become a reality. My companion is wonderful at chatting with those who don't really want to chat (aka angry husbands who want nothing to do with the gospel) and helping them slowly soften their heart. Her husband has been SLOWLY slowly warming up to us, and even joined us in prayer the last 2 times! Miracle of miracles, the ward is having a temple day February second, and he said she could go!!!!!!!!! She was thrilled and so are we! We know these sacrifices will continue to bless their family and help them have an eternal marriage. So happy!!!
Funny story: We went to Carrefour to eat lunch one day. It's kind of like a mall food court, but WAY better. I stood up to go get some red bean soup and noticed a man sneaking from table to table, eating people who had left's leftovers. I about died of laughter! As we continued to eat, we noticed him prance around, eating this and that. Please try to imagine a tiny asian man, wearing a tight red shirt, hair down to his shoulders, going around eating leftovers in a mall. hehehe
Thursday we had Zone conference! The southern half of the mission got together and had training for several hours. It was so good!!! Every month we have a Christlike attribute that we are working on as a mission. This months is knowledge. Every Zone conference we are all asked to prepare a 5 minute share on what we've learned, and president will randomly pick 2 missionaries to share. As luck would have it, he picked the girl with the last name SMART to talk about knowledge. The gang got a pretty good laugh out of that, and I gave a little talk. I was ultra nervous, and ended up not reading anything I had written down. I just shared the difference between learning and knowing. For example, I have learned that Jesus Christ is my Savior, but it was not until I truly knelt down in prayer asking for help through trials I alone could not face that I could testify that I KNOW Jesus Christ is my Savior. That knowledge is more precious than anything I could ever read or study. I shared a few others truths I have learned and then personally come to know. As we learn truths, we need to personally apply them to our lives and let them influence us for good. Once we gain testimonies of these truths, we can then go and share them with everyone!
Well my time is coming to a close, so I just want to share a few quick funny things. Sister Xiao tried her first twizzler this week. She hated it and I got a really funny picture I'll send next week of her trying it. I also help her with english from time to time and one morning we had decided that she could only speak english! I lost my rulebook and was looking for it, when she said (in a really cute broken accent) "Maybe Lucifer stole your rulebook because he doesn't want you to obey" hahahaha now that is not an exact quote, because that is far too advanced sentence structure, but it was still really cute. I love you all! I love this work! I love the Lord and hope you all know how much He loves each and every one of us.
Love, 宋雨蓉 Sister Smart
Monday, January 14, 2013
Sister exchanges in Zuoying for the day!!!
January 14, 2013
Dear Family,
WEIRD! I sent a family email last week... but it seems as if you all didn't get it. I have checked my outbox and such though and can't find it... SORRY!!! I really did write you all last week though. Bummer... I wrote a REALLY great detailed email last week and the miracles we saw :/ zaogao (oh drat) I'll try to make this week's good.
Monday was a nice little preparation day, and ended with us visiting a few families that night. Tuesday was SISTER EXCHANGES! Be excited... I'll start from the very beginning. Once upon a time I lived in the MTC. Chinese has a few different districts, each with its set of sisters. While there, I became lovely friends with Sister Goldade and Sister Mack, a companionship from another district who are one movecall younger than me. We hung out whenever we could and I love them SOOOO much! I have yet to serve close to either of them, but we will occasionally write letters to each other. Sister Exchanges came and I was supposed to go to Daliao with Sister Thomas. Sister Goldade was supposed to go to Zuoying with Sister Cole... (Sister Thomas and Sister Cole are companions) So everyone's new companions have come and go, and Sister Goldade and I were left waiting at the train station for a half hour. We called them, and turns out their zone leaders forgot to tell them we were having exchanges!!! We called up the assistants to see what we should do, and they said WE could be companions in Zuoying for the day!!! I was beyond excited! We had SUCH a blast together, caught up on everything (we both have Taiwanese companions so we can't always talk about everything we want to on a daily basis) and worked hard. When we went to their zone training meeting I was able to see one of the reasons I was supposed to go to Zuoying. I had been praying about some things and received those answers at that meeting. One lesson I felt was especially wonderful was with Chen Mama. She has been a member for about 15 years, but her husband passed away last month and she is extremely lonely. We went over and sang with her, shared scriptures that were special to us, and got to know each other better. It was a really neat experience and I hope I can go back to Zuoying one day. Best mission friend reunion, prayers answered, and a chance to see a new area and meet new people! BEST DAY EVER!!!
I came back Wednesday to a package waiting for me! The Cobb's sent me a package, please tell them THANK-YOU THANK-YOU THANK-YOU!!! It really meant a lot to me. I'm excited to eat the food and am grateful to have the pictures!!! It was all perfect. That night I taught English as normal and we pretended we were in a restaurant. I was Waitress Smart and we learned how to order food in english. It was really funny and afterwards we were able to share about prophets and how cool they are! I love teaching english. I think it is a wonderful opportunity to serve and makes me really grateful I grew up learning it... English is so hard haha. Thursday was spent meeting people that joined the church, but then stopped coming. We miss them! So we biked around Sanmin all day going to many of their houses. It was really fun, and really tiring haha, but well worth it. Sometimes people just forget how much God loves them, and we do our best to remind them. That night we went to visit Chen JM, one of our investigators. We were about to start when my companion started feeling really sick. She asked to use their bathroom and didn't come out for an hour. She was really sick, and had the flu... I took her home and sent her to bed right away. The next morning I just let her sleep and sleep. Sleep some more, sleep sleep sleep and she slept ALL DAY! Haha I was bored out of my mind calling phones all day, but she was able to give her body the rest it needed. She woke up around 8 that night, showered, chatted about my day for a bit, and then went back to bed till the next day again. That morning she was a completely new person! She felt completely better and we went out and did the Lord's work with full energy. It was a huge miracle that can only be explained by prayer and sleep :) It was my first time not leaving the apartment at all on my mission, but I was able to call many many MANY people. I'm so glad my little companion is feeling so much better now!
Saturday was wonderful! We started off with lunch at a family's house. They haven't been to church in a long time but brought their friend to meet us. We were able to talk about the gospel and how it blesses families over eating some nice fish, tofu, and wax apples. FUNNY STORY: I was wearing a white skirt. My drink was brown. I picked up my cup to drink, the bottom of the cup completely fell out... yeah... the cup didn't shatter or anything, just the bottom FELL OFF! haha it was really cold, and made my white skirt pretty brown. They all felt SOOO bad, but I just kept laughing and telling them it was no problem. I went and washed out my skirt and it all came out. The only negative was a wet skirt half the day, but I think it was all worth it considering the fact that it is now a story that gets sent home in my weekly letter. Gotta love it!
Well I am off to buy some eggs and fruit. Maybe some green and red beans to drink in brown sugar soup. Sounds good, doesn't it? Haha I love you all dearly! Can't wait to meet Shari's new baby girl! Excited Rachelle is having a baby girl! Have a wonderful week!
Monday, January 7, 2013
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