The Last Stateside Missive

22 November 2011 - The Last Stateside Missive

 Hello All!

It's finally here! I have my official travel plans to Hong Kong!!!!!!!!!! I am leaving in less than a week to China! This is crazy, in case you haven't noticed. I'm so excited and overwhelmed.

So, what have I been up to? This week has been full of a lot of learning and preparing. Leaving next week to Hong Kong is obviously the Biggest Brave Thing I have ever done, so it's humbling and faith-requiring, but also exciting. Also, it's nice to realize that my entire mission won't be spent in the MTC. Anyway, I'm trying to get myself ready to be used in Hong Kong. I mean, it'd be one thing to be learning everything here to just kinda spend some useful time in Hong Kong, but it's an entirely different thing to be learning Chinese so that you can land in Hong Kong and start talking to absolutely as many people as you possibly can. It's really something beyond myself. Which is exciting. But, again, would you imagine young, shy Sarah doing this on her own? The grand thing is that I am NOT doing this alone, a fact that I have noticed right away when I came here, and which I have been reminded of (sometimes the hard way) time and time again. So here we go! Wheeeeeeee!

Secondly, this week we had a baptismal service for Soren! It was lovely. We went over the top and made programs and used a fake flower centerpiece and everything. Our investigators are really our teachers, so this was Chan Hingdaih getting fake-baptized, if that makes any sense, but it was still cool. We took a picture afterwards. I shall send it. Speaking of baptisms, our other investigator, Tina, will be getting baptized tomorrow. Yay! This took a miracle because she is only 17 and had to get her parents' permission first, and they were none to cool with it. Which obviously took a lot of faith from Tina's part. Yes, Tina is also our teacher Ding Jimiuh, but it's been a really good learning experience.

Also, it's been really nice getting to go to the temple every week here. I will miss that in Hong Kong, though I think we'll get to go every transfer still, which is awesome. Everytime I go, it brings me happiness and peace of mind about my family, among other things, because I know I can have you for eternity. Let's keep to that plan, yes? Good, good.

Also, this week we met this amazing senior couple, the Chans, who grew up in Hong Kong and spoke such lovely (aka patient and slow) Cantonese with us. They just left yesterday for Hong Kong, where they will have more training, and from thence to Mongolia. They were so wonderful. Very blunt but loving people (that is often the Asian way, I am told, which makes me happy). We will get to see them in Hong Kong when we arrive, which is wonderful. It will be nice to have a familiar face when we get there. Our mission president and his wife will pick us up at the airport, too, which is likewise nice. They are expecting us :)

Well, that's really about all for now. I hope you all have a good Thanksgiving this week. The MTC apparently treats us pretty well on the Thanksgiving, so don't worry about me here. I shall send you my love.

Well, I'm excited for Hong Kong. I know that, crazy as this is, this is the best thing I could ever possibly do.

My family, my loves, I'll write you from Hong Kong!

Love,

Sister Nielsen