Hello Family Dear!
I love you all! Aren't we
all excited for Christmas? I really am. I can't believe that it all
comes so quickly. Time flies. And I really know that this last little
bit of my mission will continue to fly. I am treasuring it, and I'm
really grateful for getting to train. It's helping me end on a good,
busy note.
So, attached is a photo of my new companion! Her name
is Sister Ashley Palmer, and she's from Pleasant Grove, UT. She is a
wonderfully capable young lady, with a great attitude, and patience for
the general craziness and confusion of coming to Hong Kong. She's a
trooper. No matter how much I try to plan it out well, every day has new
surprises, and she takes them well. Well, she went to BYU Provo and
studied Communications, just for a little background. She is basically
just a blast to be with.
Also, I'm glad I got to train once with Sister Lau and
prepare myself to train again. It helps. Especially because now we add
the learning-a-language thing to it all. Sister Palmer is really
prepared and worked hard at the MTC, but I am realizing how there is no
way to learn a whole language in 3 months in the USA. I think it is
humbling for everyone involved (especially investigators) to see someone
working hard and talking DESPITE all the difficulty. It's inspiring.
So, maybe I should go back and do this a little more
chronoligically. So, last Monday when I emailed all of you, I was really
concerned about Sister Lin. Well, the good news is that she seems to
have finished her mission on a better note. This is a miracle and a
blessing. I think she was really conflicted and frustrated and stressed
before, but finally found some peace about the decision she made, and
was able to leave that way. I really don't want her to have to play the
wouldda-couldda-shouldda game, and instead to be able to work hard on
the next thing. I think she'll be able to. I realized that the thing she
needed the most was unconditional love. That's what the Hawks, Sister
Nelson, and I did our best to provide.
So, how everything went down: on Wednesday, we managed
to get her all packed up and take her to the mission home, where Pres.
Hawks and Sister Hawks met us and took us to the airport. We sent her
off together, then I went with the Hawks and basically got to spend the
evening with them. It was so nice. They are amazing people. I got to
stay at the mission home, too, where the new sisters were staying, so I
got to meet them without knowing who was going to be my companion. And I
also got to sleep in a huge queen bed in a big, comfy room. Ahhh, it
was nice. But it was a lot harder to get out of in the morning than my
little bunk bed in Tolo Harbor :)
So, one other funny thing that I've noticed since
getting a companion straight from the States is how Chinese I've become.
I can't speak proper English. Really. That doesn't mean that I can
speak proper Chinese either, but there you have it. And I love Chinese
foods that my companion thinks are weird, etc etc. But I guess that's a
good thing, right. I love this place, and it will be hard to leave it
one day.
So, here's a little news about the work this week, too:
So we saw Ammon twice this week, and he's amazing. The first time we
saw him, we noticed that his countenance has changed a little bit: he
looks a little bit 'brighter' for lack of a better word. He's really
changing :) Also, when asked how he thinks he's changed, he says that
he's not so worried what others think of his decisions, just about what
God thinks. I'm so happy for him! The only thing is that he sees no
urgency in preparing for baptism or in finding time to go to our church.
He wants to wait till after the busy holiday season. Sigh.
Also, in the news, we have had lots of potential
investigators coming up lately. There's not time to tell you about all
of them, but I will let you know how things turn out! I think this comes
from the new fire that my companion is bringing to things :) This area
really needs her.
Well, I'm out of time, but there are endless stories,
etc. I could tell you. I'll write them all in my journal and be sure to
tell you later.
Well, I love you so
much. I'm so grateful, at this special time of year, to get to represent
our Savior and His Church, and to serve my brothers and sisters. I know
that Christ really IS our Savior and Redeemer, and that only through
Him can we find true peace and joy. The thing is, everyone CAN find
these things. It's just up to us if we want to follow Christ or not.
There is no happier work than getting to invite others to have these
things. Beth, I am so excited for you.
Love!
Sister Nielsen
P.S.
My mission president knows Grandpa Garner :) He worked as the director
of the BYU school of technology, is why (his name's Val Hawks). Small
world, right?
No comments:
Post a Comment