18 October 2011

Hi my lovely family!!! Ooo, I love you all!

Thanks for every wonderful note you send. I love hearing about the details of your lives. I feel like, with the people you love and care about, it's important to get to share details, be that similar interests, just ideas, or small day to day happenings. I mean, that's sharing life! So, thank you for letting me in on it all. I wish I had time to share more of my details with you.

So, what have I been up to? Well, for the first time ever, one of our progressing investigators committed to baptism! Tina (who is actually our teacher Sister D. but who cares), who is 17, agreed to be baptized, which immediately led to the question, what's next? Hee hee. We haven't ever gotten that far yet. So, we are happy and learning lots as her missionaries. Actually, as a companionship, I really feel like we're learning an awful lot together, and having a great time too. I may say that every time, but I just really feel lucky to be with these sisters, and this District for this whole 11 weeks. They're stellar folk.

For example, during weekly planning, we overheard our elders making goals to help us, the sisters: "We're going to get EVERY door, got it?" It melted our wee little hearts. I mean, they're only 19! Very mature people for that.

Speaking of Districts, though, the older district left for Hong Kong/Toronto yesterday! It was tres surreal. I mean, soon that will be us! When we came in, they were where WE are now! It's crazy. We'll miss those 3 missionaries a lot (they're amazing and very different people), because they brighten our group and they've helped us a lot, but soon it will be our turn to do that for the new group. Eek, right? Well, we've been trying to step up the maturity and the SYL-ing (speak your own language-ing), and it's been helping. You'd be surprised how far you can get if you spend a good chunk of time every day only speaking your mission language. Takes a lot of pantomiming, but it's been really useful. It's hard to remember to always SYL, but we've been making goals as a group, too, and that helps. Dad, I have a feeling that if you had 5 other people trying to learn Cantonese with you, it'd go faster for you too. :)

So, along with this older district leaving, this meant that Sister M., specifically, was leaving to Hong Kong, which means that she could no longer be Coordinating Sister here. Which means that I got called to be Coord Sister now. Per every branch there is one coord sis, and that is now my job. It's kinda like Zone Leader but the female equivalent and I don't get to have any companion work with me. Though they will have to be very much involved. Needless to say, I have been feeling overwhelmed because this involves a lot of meetings that will take me out of class every week (which is something I've never liked. Remember GT?), and lots of getting to know people and orienting and taking care of them, and helping them move out when they leave....But, after a lot of praying and lots of companion support, I'm feeling better. Because I know that the Lord will help me. In fact, quick story on this subject. I got this call on Sunday, had to attend meetings, then check leaving sisters our of their rooms, etc. so I was busy until 10 o'clock. My companionship taught the next morning at 7:30 am (teaching Tina). We were also planning on teaching about the Word of Wisdom* which takes a lot of new vocab. We had absolutely no time to personally prepare for this lesson, though we did have time to write down some vocab, plan who would say what, and then just pray. Lots. I mean, we just had to go for it a little blindly, because we hadn't had time to prepare as much as we had for every other lesson. It was intimidating. But, we went and taught, and lo and behold, we did not better nor worse than usual, Cantonese-wise. In fact, it was a pretty ok lesson (we were able to address her concerns alright, and she committed to following the WofW), though we obviously didn't have all the words we wanted. We were able to remember most of the words we needed, though. And some of them we'd only looked at once. Miracles and blessings, I'm telling you. Also, faith takes you really far. We were extremely grateful and I felt really, truly blessed.

Family, I know this work is important. I know that this gospel is true and that it brings so much happiness in this life and salvation in the life to come. I'm so happy, here, on this mission.

I love you all! More than tongue can tell.

Love,
Sister Nielsen
*Note from Kaylene: The Word of Wisdom is our Church's code of health. It was received by revelation by our founder, Joseph Smith. The Word of Wisdom includes guidelines for healthy eating and moderate use of the earth's resources, but it is best known for its prohibitions on tobacco, alcohol, and "hot drinks" which are interpreted as coffee and tea. This has been expanded to include illegal drugs as well. Church members strive to live by the Word of Wisdom,and people who decide to join the Church agree to give up things that are contrary to the Word of Wisdom.