MTC Week 6 - September

September 25, 2017

MTC Week 6 - September

Nimen hao! I hope no one is dizzy from how quickly the week went by. The weather went from delightfully warm to I-always-have-goosebumps freezing. And I only brought clothes appropriate for the heat of Taiwan, lol. A few prayers from you all will do just fine. We're still attending class, teaching our "investigators," studying the word of God (a LOT), and strengthening relationships and friendships. I gave a talk about obedience and agency in sacrament meeting, too. Hopefully I didn't get up there and preach false doctrine in Chinese. Also, my companionship was just assigned to be the new Sister Training Leaders! Basically our role is to take care of the sisters in our zone by conducting personal interviews with each of them every so often, helping them to feel loved, etc. This coming Wednesday, a new group of missionaries will arrive at the MTC and join our zone! We'll do all we can to welcome them. I'm so, so excited. The MTC is still treating us all very well, even though we've eaten the same food three times over. :)

A quick, cute story for you all: every Sunday night after Devotional, each companionship is to go to another room and watch a film of our choosing. These films include past Apostle addresses to the MTC, Mormon-made movies in English, or talks/movies in foreign languages. Last night, my trio and the two other sisters from our district chose to watch the movie Legacy, but in Mandarin! I grew up watching Legacy, and let me tell you, it's already hilarious in English. Imagine how it sounds in Mandarin, especially if you don't really understand much of what they're saying! Watching it was definitely an exercise in listening comprehension, which is extremely valuable. BUT, the best part of the experience was that we, five blonde girls, were gathered in the room with at least a dozen Chinese and Taiwanese missionaries. They were all practicing their English, and we're trying to practice Chinese, so it was so cool to talk to them. One elder from Taipei lit up with absolute joy when I told him Sister Zentz and I would be serving in Taipei, and he wants to take a picture with us to send to his mom. Another Taiwanese elder noticed my name tag and asked, "Is that really your family name?! Wow, I love it!" I, or course, expressed my thanks. At the end of the movie, he said in his accent, "May I become acquainted with you?"

What does that even mean? Hahaha, obviously he was using good grammar and I could understand him, but Americans don't actually talk like that. So I had NO idea what to say. I just stared blankly, mouth open, cheeks the color of blush. Sister Westover had to come to my rescue and say "yes, you can!" Then he, his companion, and two others continued to converse with us about where we're serving our missions, where we're from, the usual. It was so, so funny. Ah, I just love Asian people. They're seriously the best.

Also, I'd like to update you on our new (though she's not so new anymore) teacher. She is a gem. She has pushed us to work harder, be better, use our time more wisely. Bo Laoshi, our other teacher who we love, told us that he's seen remarkable improvement in our district. We can all feel it. I can testify that when you make a decision to push yourself and have a good attitude, you can accomplish all sorts of dongxi! If God tells you to do something, He's already prepared a way for you to be able to accomplish it. My favorite scripture currently is 1 Nephi 17:50, and I encourage you to read it. "You xinxin, you banfa!"

Lastly, our district attended the temple this morning like we do each Monday. As we exited the temple, we walked down a pink flower-lined pathway. The sweet, poignant scent of flowers drifted toward me through the crisp air. This is the life, I thought. God loves me. I know that our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ created this beautiful world for us to live in. We are free to do things such as hike, ski, swim, play, explore nature, feel the cool grass beneath our bare feet. How special is that? I invite you to look outside. Take a moment and ponder. What is your favorite of God's creations, and why? Then say a quick prayer of gratitude to Heavenly Father for all the things he's blessed you with.

Wo feichang ai nimen. (I love you very much!)

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Korean heart (Haha this is supposed to be a heart that apparently Asians use in pictures haha)