Kwun Tong 6-19-09 to 6-25-09

Hi Everyone!

My new area is . . . KWUN TONG!!!

Tada! :)

Just in case you're wondering like I was, Kwun Tong is the eastern part of HK. My area is HUGE! My apartment is also huge and is the prettiest apartment in the mission and the second largest (my apartment in Macau is the largest!). My new companion is Sister Black from Idaho. She is super nice, way taller than me, and has been out in the field for 4 months. She helped me lug all my luggage up all these hills to get to our apartment for a half hour! I think I'll have to buy new luggage AGAIN because some of the wheels broke apart. We live with Sister Kuta from New Zealand and Sister Vance from southern California. I am so exhausted from packing and moving! I took my last boat ride for the next while and have stayed awake till now. I will definitely miss Sister Godfrey and all my friends!

I was lucky and got to see everyone before I left--all except for James and Bhola! James left for Vietnam a couple weeks back and hasn't come back! We have NO IDEA what happened to him and worry . . . I know he will find his way to the church someday. Bhola had overtime guard duty. I will miss them!

I got to see Dev, Ram, and Ben at the same time yesterday. I felt so sad! Sister Godfrey said she felt like she was a third wheel to a BIG break up hahaha! She still isn't used to teaching men, and I forget LOL! It's so true, though, . . . I have been teaching men for the last half year, and have loved every minute of it! We read Moroni 7 together out loud and then sang all the verses in "I Am a Child of God." Dev and Ram wrote me letters and gave me some things to remember them by. I will treasure them forever. I read the letters several times while on the boat going back to HK. I am going to visit them in Nepal someday . . . I promised! Dev was like, "Say promise!" and I did because I really do want to go. They will take me to climb mountains, see tigers, and ride elephants. I can't wait! :)

Ben returned back to the Phillippines last night. He hung out at the church all afternoon, and tried to give us all this Phillippino money--pesos--as a remembrance of him. We spent a half hour refusing and trying to make him see that we couldn't take his precious money! He kept insisting that it had no value compared to Macau patacas, but still! People are so poor where he is from! He isn't even used to taking pictures because he couldn't look at the camera flash. It was like watching a cute horse being startled by the flash. So, he is not looking straight in any of the pictures! Anyway, we will miss him so much! We wrote our testimonies in the Tagalog Book of Mormon we'd given him. In our last lesson with him, he'd brought all this paper with him so that he could give us a Tagalog lesson. I think it was his way of saying thank you for teaching him the gospel and English. He will find the church in the Phillippines!

Last night, my Phillippino friends (Penny, Warren, and Medie) made me dinner! We brought Vincent over, too, to read scriptures, and then we ate ADOBO! Mansarap!!! :) Vincent is in good hands . . . he has many friends in the branch and Sister Godfrey will be in Macau for probably a long time! She got her visa yesterday and can stay till November 24!

Actually, the whole visa thing was really a miracle. Sister Godfrey, Elder Crowder, Elder Hagloch, and I went to immigration last Monday to get Sister Godfrey and Elder Hagloch's visas, but they were denied! Something about a missing form that really wasn't required! Sister Godfrey was a little frustrated and I accidentally left my precious mini Book of Mormon in the waiting area! The immigration people told us to come back on Wednesday so we did. After talking with a nice immigration guy, Sister Godfrey got her visa, I got my Book of Mormon back (hurrah!), and Elder Hagloch realized that he had overstayed his visa by accident! Luckily instead of making him exit Macau and come back, they just made him pay the fine of $220 haha and gave him his visa. Everything was really sahn ge on paaih!

So I was way shocked when they put me here . . . all I know about this place is that there are a lot of crazies and fish markets LOL! There are about 900 less active members here since they updated all the ward list last week so we will reactivate!!! I am way excited! We have a cheng-out tonight so things should be fun.

I love you all!

Sister Chu :)

P.S. Thank you so much Peter and Chan Family for the letter! I was so happy to read them and to see the pictures! :) Could you please send me your new address?
P.P.S. Mom and Dad . . . do I have relatives in Kwun Tong or nearby?
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Macau 5-29-09 to 6-4-09

Hi Everyone!

Yeah so I'm so happy I am FIANLLY somewhat on the same page as you all and finally know Dar's proposal story! :) Congratulations!

Happy news of the week! Brother Bhola was finally baptized last Saturday!!! Halelujah! We'd started to think that he wouldn't be baptized till next week, but then, he suddenly showed up early to his appointment with us on Friday so we were able to prep him for the baptismal interview. He was so nervous about it because of his English, but Dev was there, being such a wonderful friend and support to him. Dev told him that if Bhola got nervous in the font, Dev would just pick Bhola up with both hands and drop him in the water hahaha! It almost seems surreal that Bhola is already baptized . . . we had worked so hard and so long for the moment! We gave him a pretty tie and asked him how he felt. He said this one word, "Happy!"

So I had my final interview with President Van Dam last Monday. It was weird to think that it's my last interview with him! He just told me to keep being a blessing to the mission and keep being obedient and enthusiastic. I will miss him and especially Sister Van Dam! She is definitely the mother of the mission and all the missionaries love her! I ended up crying twice during mission conference while she was speaking, and I'm not the crying type. Anyway, she gifted with the gift of knowing how to show love to others. President Van Dam is great, and we all know that it is because of Sister Van Dam. The missionaries know her as the one who makes cookies and as the poet who gives health tips every conference. I will miss them both so much! Their last day in the mission is June 31.

I was surprised that President Van Dam didn't mention anything about picking my date to go home! I suppose he wants to give President Chan that job next time around, and that's fine with me! I'd rather not think too much about it anyway even thought the time is getting closer!

Mission conference was focused on our Savior Jesus Christ. It was such a spiritual conference! "We prophesy of Christ, we preach of Christ, we rejoice in Christ!" We learned more about the second coming of Jesus Christ and the Atonement. No matter where we are in life, when our hearts are depressed (Alma 26:27), God will comfort us! We just have to go forth with enthusiasm, come to the Savior, and know that if we stretch our comfort zones, we will be just fine!

I had to go through immigration again yesterday. I have 18 days left in the beautiful Macau! I'll have to leave for HK on June 22, which is 3 days before moves. Sister Godfrey is getting a 6-month visa to stay in Macau and I am so jealous! I guess I've already had my fair share of time in Macau International hehehe! :) I just wish I could stay and be with my Nepali friends and watch James and Vincent learn more about this wonderful gospel and progress. You find your true friends on the mission, people who love God, work hard, and do good.

I love you all!

Love,
Sister Chu :)

P.S. Thanks for filing my tax returns for me Dad! If you want to email me pictures, please make sure the file size is small because my mailbox only allows up to 50 MB! :)
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