Macau 5-22-09 to 5-28-09

Hey Everyone!

Thanks Dad for sending me the history of the Dragon Boat Festival! I had no idea this festival existed! I actually went today with the other missionaries to see the dragon boat racing. Today was the last day of racing, and I guess there were international teams. There were four lanes marked out in the water. Each boat had about 20 rowers with 1 person to steer in the back and 1 person in the front to play the drums to synchronize the rowing. It was so neat! I was mostly excited to see what the boats looked like . . . they're pretty skinny with of course a little dragon head in front. They all looked like Mushu from the movie Mulan heeee! Members from the Chinese branch have been giving us a lot of steamed sticky rice dumplings, and I just thought they felt like being generous all of a sudden and didn't realize it was a festival haha! Well good thing I really like them because our companions don't. Sister Pon and I will get to eat a lot of them now.

Last Saturday, we had a monsoon! We woke up that morning and it was just POURING outside! It was black rain, which I think means super heavy rain. Missionaries aren't allowed to go outside during black rain so we stayed in our apartment till about 5 pm. We tried to do everything we could think of and then we got bored, built a fort in our room, made chocolate no-bake cookies, and played scum! It was pretty fun, but we're glad it's stopped raining finally. It's been raining for the past several days, and it's hard to stop and teach people in the rain and distinguish who is Phillippina or Chinese under umbrellas! The weather people sent us a "strong monsoon signal hoisted" text again today, but I really don't think it means anything now since they did the same thing yesterday and it there wasn't even any rain!

We are trying to see if Bhola can be baptized this Saturday! We keep setting appointments to see him, but he hasn't been able to make them. We hope to see him tomorrow and then he'll have his baptismal interview! Dev is such a great support and friend to him, and I am so glad that he has the chance to baptize his friend! I was so happy last Sunday because in the Chinese branch, all 4 our our Nepali recent converts and investigators came! I just love my Nepali friends! Even Sister Godfrey loves them, too, and she's only known them for a couple weeks. We've been calling Dev a lot because he's been feeling sad. His life really is a tough one. We sang "I am a Child of God" to him on the phone, and he even recorded it onto his phone so he could listen to it again later! Ehehe if only my voice were better but oh well! He seemed to like it anyway!

After sacrament meeting in the international branch, Brother Tim and his wife Kookai from Thailand came to talk to me while I was playing some closing hymns on the piano. He asked if we were the ones who send scripture text messages everyday to his wife, and I said yes. Apparently, Kookai received two answers to two prayers last week through our messages! I was so happy and told her that when we pray, that's how we can communicate to God. But when God communicates to us, many times it's through the scriptures!

On Monday evening, we saw this lady named Anny. I guess I'd met her a long time ago but I didn't recognize her at all! She said that she was watching the Da Vinci Code the other night and the movie somehow reminded her that she was supposed to call us LOL! Well whatever works! We taught her the Restoration and committed her to pray. We'll see what happens to her!

We saw Vincent yesterday. We talked about daily miracles since his assignment last week was to look for them and to report to us. We want to help him to recognize God's love for him and see how God answers his prayers. Still . . . nothing! He is trying hard, though, and his desire is no longer a question. We think maybe he has some doubts in the back of his mind somehow. We read 2 Nephi 32 and talked more about the Holy Ghost and the gift of the Holy Ghost. He is going slowly but progressing! :)

Sister Godfrey reminds me so much of Melissa Trujillo. Melissa! Are you reading this?! If you are, write to me cause I lost your mailing address!!! Anyway, their personalities are very calm and happy, and I just miss Melissa so write to meeee!!!

So, yes. I am very happy here in Macau! Mission conference is this Tuesday for us. It's weird that they're still splitting the conference into two halves so the other half of the mission will go on Monday. This will be the last conference with President and Sister Van Dam before they go home to Utah! So strange! In my next interview with President Van Dam on Monday, I will be setting my date to go home because I hit my year mark on June 18! Even stranger! Ahhhhhhh! So I guess in the next email, you'll know what day I'll be coming home.

I love you all!

Sister Chu :)

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Macau 5-15-09 to 5-21-09

Hi Everyone!

I'm glad everyone is getting their letters! Now that Dar has finally sent me her address, maybe she can actually get some, too! :)

Haha I had no idea the mission home would send out letters about being senior companion! You should save me the letter so I can see it later! :)

And don't worry, the swine flu stuff didn't really affect any of us in Macau! The only people I've seen wearing masks are the officers at immigration, and now they pass out health forms on the boat to Macau. When I went to HK a couple weeks ago, I didn't see anyone wearing masks on the street. Mostly, we just keep eating pork and we love it! Yum!

So this week! We have been working super hard to find more investigators to teach! We are out every day trying to contact and pull them back to the church. The members are AMAZING at helping us! Like with Brother Warren last night, we had 2 pullbacks in 30 minutes! As soon as the Phillippinas realize that they speak the same dialect (which is a big deal since the Phillippines has tons of dialects!), they are easy to persuade to come to the church with us. Brother Warren has been a member for about a year now, and even though he can't serve a mission at this time, he always helps us go finding when he can! Not only that, but he is BOLD and unafraid of meeting new people! :) Going back to Chinese work will be very different after this!

Last Sunday, I translated for the Chinese branch sacrament meeting. There is a new family from Kentucky in the branch, and the mother served a mission in Taiwan so she already speaks Mandarin. Now, they all want to learn Cantonese so they come to the Chinese meeting! I translate for their little girls and for our investigators. We have this nice translator so I just sit up in the stands with a microphone and everyone who wants a translation gets to put on these wireless headphones to hear moi! Last Sunday, President Zenos Chow came to speak to the Macau Chinese and international branches as a representative of the China Hong Kong Mission. That was the last time he will ever come in the capacity because now President Van Dam will be released and we'll be getting a new president soon! I got to talk to him a little bit after the meetings and he seems to be doing well!

Yesterday, Sister Godfrey went contacting in the rain. It was POURING but we found many people to talk to! I especially like this man we met from the Phillippines named Boyet. He was sitting on a bench under this overhead thing in Top Seak (the square where we go running every morning). Anyway, we were talking to him when all of a sudden, he pointed to my tag and said, "I like this! Can I have one? I am willing to preach the gospel!" I almost started laughing, and I told him that he would have to come to church and have us teach him some lessons first! :) He said last night that he would come at 7:30 tonight to learn and I made him promise he would. I got a text from him today, and he said, "I will go there later PROMISE" so we'll see what happens!

Oh yeah and I randomly saw Sister Slade, my MTC teacher! She came to visit Macau last Tuesday. At first when I saw all these white people sitting on the couch, I thought they were all investigators waiting for us haha but reality was pretty good too! I just love Sister Slade! She taught me so much in the MTC so if she's reading this, email me and give me all the updates on your life and your new job! :)

Another man we met the other day was Steven. He is American (LOL Sister Godfrey is terrified of contacting white people but I love it! She is getting so much better now, though, hehehe!) and was very open and friendly. We talked for like 20 minutes and wow this man THINKS a lot! He has not yet prayed because he said by praying, that would imply that you already believe in a God, which he isn't convinced of right now. We actually loved talking to him! I haven't had a conversation like this in English in such a long time! Phillippina English is very different! Anyway, we invited him to open his mind more, and try to imagine the world with a god and to pray. That was 3 days ago, and we have seen him somewhere randomly everyday since then! He is actually at the same internet cafe right now! I hope this is reminding him of the message we're sharing with him!

We went to Taipa, an island by Macau, to go finding last Tuesday and the place is GORGEOUS!!! It looks very European (or what I imagine Europe to be like!) like with lamp posts and flowers hanging everywhere. And stone steps and colored walls! I love it! We were successful in teaching several Phillippinas who work in Taipa but live in Macau so we hope to see them in Church later!

I am lucky to have Sister Godfrey as my companion! She is so nice and is willing to try anything! Even contacting white people! I tried to encourage her so I said,"Well they are all children of God! But then she was like, "They're scary children of God!" haha! It's true that it's very different contacting those of your own nationality but it makes life very interesting! I am now teaching her all the Tagolog I know.

Later today, I'll take the new sisters to the St. Paul Ruins so we can take pictures and try all the cookies and jerky! :)

Have a wonderful week!

I love you all!

Sister Chu :)

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Macau 5-8-09 to 5-14-09

Hello Everyone!

As you can see from the subject line, I am still serving in the Macau International branch! This is my fourth move in this assignment, and I am so excited! I kind of knew that I would stay, and I prayed that if God wanted me to stay, then to please provide a way for me to stay. I just love our investigators so much that I don't want to leave them to two new sisters who don't even know them! I know if there needed to be new sisters, they would be fine without me, but I really want to be there for them! So I'm super happy that I can stay!

I won't be serving here for much longer, though, because my visa is almost expired again. I will be here for at least 30-40 more days, I think. Then, I will serve somewhere in HK again in Chinese or international work.

Sister Benton is now back as a Chinese-speaking missionary in HK. I now have a new companion as of today, and her name is Sister Godfrey. She is from Iowa and seems really nice. She is also the oldest in her family and has served in HK Chinese-speaking for 6 months. This is my first time as a senior companion so I am excited to serve with her!

Before Sister Godfrey came today, Sister Pon and I were companions for about 2 days, and we served both the Chinese and international areas in Macau. It's lots of fun being with her and she has such a great attitude about everything! She said that it's hard for a native HK person to contact other Chinese because then, you know exactly what they are thinking and you know their culture. She wants to serve international for a move sometime. She's taught me a lot of Canto in just 2 days, and also how to be a good teacher. She inspires me everyday.

We had a miracle pull-back yesterday, a man name Jacky. He was a Chinese contact, and his family lives in Holland. Sister Pon was so shocked that he stopped when I talked to him, but I know that God always blesses us if we are obedient in contacting everyone we meet! He came with us to the church, and we taught him the first lesson, the Restoration. He had many questions, like why isn't Joseph Smith in the Bible if he is a prophet? I am glad we got to teach him, and I can't wait to see how he progresses in the Chinese branch!

We also met with Vincent last night again. Elder Woo from Gon Tong came, too, to fellowship. Actually, he finished his mission last move but is back to visit. Elder Woo shared his conversion story with Vincent, and I thought it was interesting that he said that when he was investigating the Church, he little by little got used to feeling the Spirit all the time so by the time he really wanted to know if the Church was true, he didn't recognize the answer because he was used to feeling the Spirit. Just like in the beauties of this world . . . the trees, mountains, ocean . . . when we are used to seeing them all the time, they don't stand out as much as the first time! I know that Vincent knows this Church is true but right now, he has just been so used to seeing and feeling that he doesn't recognize that it's true! The Spirit is always present the strongest in his lessons than in any other lessons that I teach with other people. I know that God loves him and is doing His part to help Vincent know so we'll see what happens!

Dad and Mom, if you have any suggestions, let me know, because you both have had that conversion experience! From the beginning time of meeting with missionaries and investigating the Church, when did you have a desire to be baptized? I don't want to give up on Vincent, but I just have to make sure he is progressing and prepared for baptism.

James has set a baptismal goal for May 31! :) I am so excited for him, and I know he is prepared! He asks us about baptism often and knows the things we teach from this church is true. He came to the FHE activity we had for Mother's Day last Saturday, and he recorded us using his new video camera. He recorded us A LOT so now I have some footage to send home sometime haha!

Last Sunday was Mother's Day (Happy Mother's Day Mom!) . . . in the Chinese branch, all the girls got this mini bouquet of flowers so I took a picture of it since I can't send it to Mom! Then, the elders took the leftover flowers and tried to give them out to mothers on the street, but they wouldn't take them. Oh well! I sat behind the piano for several hours again playing the piano for meetings and musical numbers . . . I hope Sister Godfrey knows how to play because if she doesn't, there won't be a pianist for church in the international branch! We just need to baptize someone who can play the piano! I think it's so funny that in America, the stereotype is that Chinese people are all smart and play the piano. Well, the first part could be partly true, but the second is definitely not! There's always like only one person in the ward who knows how to play! There are many who want to learn, though.

We always send out a scripture text every day to investigators and some members. Today's text was Alma 26:2 . . . Can you tell what great blessings God has given you? No one ever has an ordinary life if they look for blessings!

I love you all and pray for you all everyday!

Love,
Sister Chu :)

P.S. Tiffany . . . feel better soon! :)
P.P.S. Justin . . . I can't believe you fell asleep on the one time I can talk to you all from Macau! Oh well. Congrats on your orchestra performance, and good job making Mom a Mother's Day breakfast! Send me an email sometime so I know you're alive! :)

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Macau 5-1-09 to 5-7-09

AHHH!

NO time to write! Thanks for all your emails! :) And for the pictures Dar of the NC trip!

This week:

Swine Flu: I've heard that there are a ton of people in HK wearing masks! No one seems to be affected or worried here in Macau though!

James (Vietnam) knows the Book of Mormon is true! We had a Why I Believe Fireside in Macau for the departing missionaries and after, he pulled us aside to say that he's never felt so happy! We told him it was the Spirit! Halelujah! He's coming back tonight to learn more!

One of our best fellowshippers Maribel finally got her visa to HK but now she is gone! She was so good at finding with us and was never afraid of rejection! I miss her!

I love you all!

Sorry so short!

Will be sending another letter with more PICTURES!!!

Moves calls is next Monday!

I will talk to you all on Mother's Day! (the day before your time!)

Sister Chu :)

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