12 January 2012

12 January 2012

Hello my wonderful peoples,

I count myself so lucky to be in your family. Really, you are the best. Your encouragement and your constant care and your emails mean the world to me. You're just all completely wonderful! I hope that life goes well for you this next week.

As for me and my comp and our investigators, things are going well. This time of year is right before Chinese New Year, which is a big deal, and a lot of students have very big tests that they need to take, so everyone is very busy and it's a little harder to schedule people to see them, but that also means that we've gotten to do more street contacting, which is actually very exciting. I mean, I definitely have a lot to learn about the most effective way to contact people, but I've noticed that every time we go contacting with faith, expecting to find people that have been prepared to hear what we have to say, we will. Every time. For example, we went contacting for 5 hours yesterday, and still weren't finding very many people who would stop and listen, and then it started raining and we were just kinda wondering if we should find other things that needed doing, like making phone calls. But, we pressed on and I contacted this one girl with a bright neon green umbrella, and taught her a lesson right there. Wheee! Heavenly Father definitely wants us to encourage us and to have us keep going despite the difficulties. Because that's when you have miracles. Yessir. In fact, despite the fact that it's harder to schedule our current investigators, since they're mostly students, we've found 4 new investigators this week! Yeah, I know! One of them is a middle-aged woman from Mainland China and I don't understand her Chinese, nope, not one bit. One is a mother and another her 11 year old son - they are very nice and humble people. And the last is the daughter-in-law of a member. Weehawken! So, we're excited to teach them.

Speaking of these big tests that everyone is having, schooling is taken very seriously here. I mean, they even have this radio show that's basically just lectures on various subjects to help you prepare for tests. Schooling is the Key to these people, and they will focus on it to the exclusion of a lot of other things, for better and for worse. Speaking of that, though, the kids here are pretty well-behaved. I think the thing about the Tiger Mother is kinda true, but it's also a cultural thing, where your entire family is very invested in you (and you might disgrace the family if you don't do well, no pressure). So, it's interesting to see. Families are very important here. In fact, in the language, there are different words for older versus younger brothers/sisters/ cousins/uncles/aunts/grandparents plus which side of the family they're on. It's tres confusing and annoying but also very handy because you can figure out exactly how these people are related to each other.

Well, this week has also been good because my comp has been feeling loads better and we are indeed having a good time together. It's taken us a while to get to know each other, but I think we are very grateful for each other. We just started our second transfer together (6 weeks = 1 transfer) and though other people have moved/changed companions, we knew we wouldn't since she's my trainer and we will be together for 12 weeks. After that, we'll see where I go/who I'm with.

Well, on a Cantonese note, things are slowly and steadily getting better. I very much recognize that I am getting Heavenly Father's help. Also, there are some funny phrases that I'd like to take note of: "leih seung sei me?" means "do you want to die?" and it is a response some large-personalitied people (my comp included) like to say in response to teasing. It basically means, "you're silly." Yes, I live in an intense but wonderful culture. Also, side note, our mission president allows us to watch certain movies on P-day, and I want it down in the record that the absolute best way to watch Kung Fu Panda is in Cantonese. It is much funnier. And yes, it's weird to watch movies on a mission, and I don't know how I feel about it yet. And, yes, I am also surprised I can understand so much of the movies in Cantonese. Really, let us take a minute to note that I have been in Hong Kong for a month, only. So I am very very very grateful for the help I've been given in the language (native comp really helps too), and should not get frustrated if I don't understand everything yet. I just need to keep working harder. In fact, my comp gently told me the other day that I could have passed off all of the lessons by now (we have to do language pass offs of the lessons) and that I should have (I haven't). So yay and work harder!

Also, and this is really the last note, I've noticed that my MTC group has really been progressing a lot. They're very impressive people. I got to see a lot of them at a My Conversion Fireside the mission held, and it was really uplifting to see them and to see how well they've been doing. It's really easy to decide to merely be decorative when you don't know a language, but they have clearly decided not to be, which is good.

Well, I've got to go. Know this: I love you immensely! This gospel is true and it changes lives! That's why I'm here in Hong Kong.

I love you all so much!

Love,

Sister Sarah