Hey Everyone!
I am now at Grandma's (Dad's mom) in Kwai Chung! How strange! Her apartment is like the typical apartment in HK . . . lots of stuff piled everywhere, bunkbeds with MORE stuff piled on top, a wooden worship shrine with a little red light, and clothes hanging to dry outside the window. This week has been the strangest week ever with packing, seeing investigators for the last time, and trying not to be sick for the ump-teenth time!
I packed all Wednesday after moves calls in the morning. Our zone has gotten so small! This mission has gotten so small! Members will just have to step it up in missionary work! Sister Kwok and Sister Bird will now be serving in Kwun Tong together. I am so glad because they are such great missionaries! We've finally got new, high-potential investigators so they'll be in good hands.
The mission home was so crazy on Thursday with everyone coming to meet their new companions and say good-bye to the leaving missionaries. There are now 24 of us because because Elder Jackson (from my MTC group) was also with us . . . he has to go home early for knee surgery. Our schedule was all planned out already by the mission home. Poor Sister Chan had to try her best to make us leave all the other missionaries to go downstairs to eat lunch! They also fed us dinner too . . . they've been giving us a lot of American food (like sandwiches, cream cheese, mayo, salad?!) all of a sudden. I think they want to help us adjust back haha!
After lunch, we went to a temple session, and after that, President Goo led us up to the sealing rooms of the temple. It was such a beautiful room! President and Sister Chan also came . . . they decided to make this a tradition or something for all dying missionaries after one missionary requested to go up to the sealing room a couple months ago. And then for the next hour they talked about marriage haha! I've never seen everyone look so uncomfortable and resigned and yet so calm and peaceful! Sister Chan made each of us nod and promise her that we'd all have a temple marriage, and President Chan pounded in how we must have a desire, set goals, and take action LOL!
After the temple, we had a testimony meeting on the first floor of the temple with just the dying missionaries. President Chan started talking first, but eventually, Sister Chan dragged him away (literally!) because we had so little time LOL! Everyone bore a powerful and simple testimony, and I'll never forget how strong the Spirit was! Elder Tau was the first to go; his flight was booked a day earlier than the rest to go back to New Zealand. Everyone cried when the APs came to take him to the airport!
We all went to the Peak after with a copy of the Book of Mormon to give away, just like how we started out. Hong Kong has never looked so beautiful! As we're walking to the Salvation Army hotel, Elder Bloomfield saw his parents randomly on the street. His mom like screamed really loud haha! And so we saw our first missionary reunite with his parents! They looked so happy and that's just how it's been this morning too! Dad was the last parent to come haha because he got lost coming to the temple. I was so nervous thinking he wasn't going to come afterall! But he did and now I understand his Cantonese! Yaya!
It's so interesting to listen to Dad speak in Cantonese. I understand him a lot better now because I can see how his English comes from Cantonese! It's so great! He IS Hong Kong people! :) He got to meet Sister Bostwick (my MTC companion) and the rest of the dying elders and sisters. He also met some people in his home ward and got to talk to someone who served at the same time as him in HK when he was a missionary! Oh and he got some help on his family history stuff and learned how to type Chinese characters into the computer.
I'm not sure what I'm going to do for the next couple of weeks except that Dad's second sister is coming tomorrow, we're going to the mainland, and we're going to eat dim sum in Kwun Tong at 9:30 a.m. this Monday with Brother Jung and Kwun Tong missionaries. Yay! Besides that, I have no idea! Before, we missionaries scheduled every MINUTE! Last night and tonight has been so calm . . . I've only made three phone calls, and I didn't have to call investigators, do numbers, or plan with my companion before bed. If we have extra time, I want to help the missionaries! I'm not released yet anyway!
Well this email is monstrous, but to close, I want you all to know that I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true church on the earth! Jesus Christ is the head of it, and He is our Savior and Redeemer. The Book of Mormon is true! Reading it gives you power to gain eternal salvation. Joseph Smith is a prophet of God, and we have a prophet today named Thomas S. Monson!
President Chan said that we full-time missionaries have to die, but he said not to worry because we'll just resurrect tomorrow! :)
I love you all!
Love,
Sister Chu :)
Read more
I am now at Grandma's (Dad's mom) in Kwai Chung! How strange! Her apartment is like the typical apartment in HK . . . lots of stuff piled everywhere, bunkbeds with MORE stuff piled on top, a wooden worship shrine with a little red light, and clothes hanging to dry outside the window. This week has been the strangest week ever with packing, seeing investigators for the last time, and trying not to be sick for the ump-teenth time!
I packed all Wednesday after moves calls in the morning. Our zone has gotten so small! This mission has gotten so small! Members will just have to step it up in missionary work! Sister Kwok and Sister Bird will now be serving in Kwun Tong together. I am so glad because they are such great missionaries! We've finally got new, high-potential investigators so they'll be in good hands.
The mission home was so crazy on Thursday with everyone coming to meet their new companions and say good-bye to the leaving missionaries. There are now 24 of us because because Elder Jackson (from my MTC group) was also with us . . . he has to go home early for knee surgery. Our schedule was all planned out already by the mission home. Poor Sister Chan had to try her best to make us leave all the other missionaries to go downstairs to eat lunch! They also fed us dinner too . . . they've been giving us a lot of American food (like sandwiches, cream cheese, mayo, salad?!) all of a sudden. I think they want to help us adjust back haha!
After lunch, we went to a temple session, and after that, President Goo led us up to the sealing rooms of the temple. It was such a beautiful room! President and Sister Chan also came . . . they decided to make this a tradition or something for all dying missionaries after one missionary requested to go up to the sealing room a couple months ago. And then for the next hour they talked about marriage haha! I've never seen everyone look so uncomfortable and resigned and yet so calm and peaceful! Sister Chan made each of us nod and promise her that we'd all have a temple marriage, and President Chan pounded in how we must have a desire, set goals, and take action LOL!
After the temple, we had a testimony meeting on the first floor of the temple with just the dying missionaries. President Chan started talking first, but eventually, Sister Chan dragged him away (literally!) because we had so little time LOL! Everyone bore a powerful and simple testimony, and I'll never forget how strong the Spirit was! Elder Tau was the first to go; his flight was booked a day earlier than the rest to go back to New Zealand. Everyone cried when the APs came to take him to the airport!
We all went to the Peak after with a copy of the Book of Mormon to give away, just like how we started out. Hong Kong has never looked so beautiful! As we're walking to the Salvation Army hotel, Elder Bloomfield saw his parents randomly on the street. His mom like screamed really loud haha! And so we saw our first missionary reunite with his parents! They looked so happy and that's just how it's been this morning too! Dad was the last parent to come haha because he got lost coming to the temple. I was so nervous thinking he wasn't going to come afterall! But he did and now I understand his Cantonese! Yaya!
It's so interesting to listen to Dad speak in Cantonese. I understand him a lot better now because I can see how his English comes from Cantonese! It's so great! He IS Hong Kong people! :) He got to meet Sister Bostwick (my MTC companion) and the rest of the dying elders and sisters. He also met some people in his home ward and got to talk to someone who served at the same time as him in HK when he was a missionary! Oh and he got some help on his family history stuff and learned how to type Chinese characters into the computer.
I'm not sure what I'm going to do for the next couple of weeks except that Dad's second sister is coming tomorrow, we're going to the mainland, and we're going to eat dim sum in Kwun Tong at 9:30 a.m. this Monday with Brother Jung and Kwun Tong missionaries. Yay! Besides that, I have no idea! Before, we missionaries scheduled every MINUTE! Last night and tonight has been so calm . . . I've only made three phone calls, and I didn't have to call investigators, do numbers, or plan with my companion before bed. If we have extra time, I want to help the missionaries! I'm not released yet anyway!
Well this email is monstrous, but to close, I want you all to know that I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true church on the earth! Jesus Christ is the head of it, and He is our Savior and Redeemer. The Book of Mormon is true! Reading it gives you power to gain eternal salvation. Joseph Smith is a prophet of God, and we have a prophet today named Thomas S. Monson!
President Chan said that we full-time missionaries have to die, but he said not to worry because we'll just resurrect tomorrow! :)
I love you all!
Love,
Sister Chu :)
