I'll do my best to type in good American english but honestly my english is going downhill. It's pitiful. You see my sweet companion and I have spoken little to no English in let's see---- 3 weeks. Yep so sometimes I'll be praying in English and I can only think in Chinese so it just switches over to English. So moral of the story. I can't speak my mother language... (: (: It's a beautiful gift that God has given to me.
So tonight I'm super super super super (x1023980592835) nervous because we starting a kids English class besides the beginning, intermediate, and advanced class that we have. And I'm the teacher. The curriculum is whatever comes to my head. And the age group well I won't know that until they show up tonight so it'll be hard to plan for the class because I don't know what games and things to use. So scary. So hopefully tonight will go well. And after tonight next week will definitely go better. I'll learn a lot and hopefully all the things I learned at BYU will kick in again. Eeek.
Also remember that creepy old man from Xin Zhuang who loves me? Well I got 3 more letters from him this week. Moral of the story? I'm emailing president to see if someone can stop it because it's ridiculous and so creepy.
This past week we've been looking at our ward member list and going to people's houses and hoping that they are home so we can find out who the less active members are (which unfortunately is most of our ward). We've actually found some really cool people that way and some people that we think can make it back to church. My companion found a really good scripture about less actives too. 2 Nephi 29:32. I know that is true. God's hand of mercy is always extended to those who have wandered and He will welcome them home with a warm embrace.
This past week we also had a specialized training that was wicked fun. We had to take the train to Xinzhu to get there and had to leave super early in the morning. But it was so worth it. We learned a lot about finding new investigators. And I learned something that I need to be better at. I need to be more bold. It's a new attribute I'm praying for. I need to not be afraid to talk to anyone and everyone about the gospel. Sometimes it's hard to be bold. It's hard to talk to strangers or even your friends about the gospel. But you just have to do it. Why? Because the Lord is hastening his work. He needs us to open up and share. Why? Because there is no other way to gain exaltation and eternal life than through the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Why? Because in order to receive the ordinances that are necessary for exaltation in and out of the temple we must have priesthood authority. So it's time to get out there and be bold in proclaiming this message of great joy. I love Mosiah 3:4-5 (which by the way Mosiah 3 is my favorite chapter in the whole Book of Mormon). After the angel declares to Benjamin the tidings of great news, he tells him to tell other people that they too may be filled with great joy. You don't have an angel to come tell you the gospel-- but whoever taught you the gospel (mother, father, teachers, friends, missionaries) is your angel. Good enough for me. Then your call is the same. Go and share it with others that they too may be filled with joy.
This past Sunday, President Day and his wife came to our ward. So great. Thank heavens we have a translator for the church in our ward so I didn't have to translate Sister Day's talk... but I did have to translate all of relief society into English for her. That was a very interesting thing to do. Also-- it's a skill that I don't have yet and I hope to refine.
My companion and I often find ourselves biking about 30 minutes to Yingge (just another city that is in our area). There is no one around while we bike there so I always take that time to pray. I think I mentioned this last week. This week when I prayed my way to Yingge, I learned something new. We often tell people that the gospel helps bad people become good and good people become better. It's true. So I decided to look back at the last 2.5 years of my life and see if I've changed at all. Well it's inevitable. I have changed. I've come to the conclusion that I'm not the same person I was two years ago. And I'm definitely not the same person I was in high school. I wasn't a bad person, but I wasn't who I am now. It's been cool to look and the areas where the Lord has helped me grow and become better. I feel truly blessed to have Him in my life. I feel like I have become much more patient and charitable and I hope to continue to grow in these areas. I hope that I can develop all my Christlike attributes. Moral of the story is that it's true-- People can change. And with God's help we change for the better.
Okay on to my area:: I love BaDe and I love my companion. Enough said. Our investigators are doing well and my companion and I are working hard. This transfer is going by so quickly. I hope to stay in BaDe with Sister Lin next transfer too. We'll see I guess.
Oh please note-- I have mentioned that dogs and missionaries don't go well together. Well two days ago I told my companion that I'm officially not afraid of dogs anymore. If you ignore them, then they ignore you. No big deal. Yay! And then yesterday we were biking to an investigators home and out of no where this dog pops out in front of me and starts chasing me... except I was heading toward him with no way to turn so I had to pass him before I could get away.. .but he was charging. So scary. He came super close and I was getting to a dead end (and you can imagine the end of my life too). But I said a super quick prayer that he would stop. And then suddenly he just stopped and turned around and went to lay on his porch. It was the craziest thing. Moral of the story-- God answers all prayers no matter how dumb we think they are. Double moral-- when a dog chases you, the best thing to do to help yourself calm down after is to eat a sweet sweet circle (donut). Done.
Since this past Monday we didn't have P-day we headed down to visit HM-- an investigator that we found in the middle of nowhere. On our way back we knocked on a Less actives door. They weren't home. We sat down for a minute on her porch to drink some water. And a man pulled up and asked if I was from Germany. False. But he was interested in English class. Before he left he gave me and my companion some bananas that he had just bought. And they were delicious!
Also did I mention that my companion haven't eaten at the same place twice our whole time together? Whoever said there wasn't any good food in Bade was wrong. You just have to be willing to try new things.
Last two things. Yesterday we got lost and while we were lost a boy came up to my companion. He called her name. As it turns out-- it's her cousins kid. We ended up talking to her cousin and his son for a minute. Her cousins wife died just a few months ago. When he realized we were missionaries he asked us-- "where did my wife go? She's buddhist and I don't know where she ended up." We briefly answered and then asked if we could find a time to have a meal with them. It's a super special experience to be with Sister Lin while she has the chance to tell her family member that he'll see his wife again. I know the church is true and I know that he really will see his wife again.
Also-- I studied 2 Nephi 31:20 for about 20 minutes the other day. I can't possibly explain what I got out of it, but I want to share it with you so I'll send you a picture of my notes next week.
Well that's all this week. I love you all.
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