FAMILY!

Sorry I never get creative with the titles of these letters.... maybe someday....

well another week has come and gone! Holy crap. It goes by so fast. I cant believe it is practically November. I have to start saying now that I have been in Hong Kong for seven months. Well thats poopy. The longer I am here, the more people expect of my language. Seven months is along time. Blast. But some days my language is better than others.

 

We had one investigator that we had met last week say when we called her that we should just have our member call her cause she doesnt want to deal with our awful Cantonese. So that kinda made us feel crappy. But it is cool... she said she didnt want to meet with us again or learn more anyway. She is just not quite ready. One day she will get it. :)

 

But alot of other people are still really nice to us about our Cantonese. Alot of people ask if we were born in Hong Kong, and then they find out how long we have been here and they are blown away. That is always kinda fun.

 

But this week has been great! Every week there is so much stuff that happens I feel like I have to choose very wisely what to share with everyone....

 

On Wednesday we were out finding for a really long time. We had decided that morning that we should go to this one park down in Tai Kok Tsui. Usually parks here are hit or miss. Sometimes they are chalk full of moms and children and other times it is just full of a bunch of grandma's and grandpas. But we got to the park and there was NO one there. there were a few yehyeh's (grandpas) doing exercises... but thats it. I was really frustrated cause we hadnt had any success the entire day. I sat down and turn to Sister Wilcox and said... well, what do we do now? She said that we should stay in the park for a bit longer. So we stayed there and talked to anyone that was passing through the park. Soon we only had 15 min left before we needed to head to the chapel. We were talking to this mom whose kids were playing on the playground, and I see someone behind her that looks familiar. It looked like someone that Sister Choi and I had taught 2 or 3 months ago, but whose phone broke so we lost contact with her and she fell of the face of the earth. So I ran over to her and stared into her little Asian face and said "Leih Jimuih?" sister lee? and she started smiling and told us that her phone is still broken. She was there with her 4 year old daughter and husband. So we got to meet her entire family! We didnt have much more time to talk, and she was busy playing with her daughter, but we got her husbands number and scheduled her for Saturday. :)

 

Saturday we met her in the same park. Her daughter came too, but was just crying the entire time cause she didnt want to leave the TV at home. So sister wilcox played with her on the playground while I talked with Leih Jimuih. Apparently she doesnt have much interest to learn more cause every time she tries to learn something it puts her to sleep. But she wants her daughter to go to church and learn about Jesus christ.

 

So they ended up coming to church on Sunday... it was kinda crazy. Leih Jimuih tried to leave her daughter with us and leave for most of church. During sacrament meeting it was the primary program so I ran outside to try and find Leih jimuih only to find her across the street looking at the temple. So we yelled at her to get back over to the church so she could watch her daughter sing. She loved it. The entire time she was just giving Si sa (her daughter) thumbs up and waving to her.

 

You know... even though she doesnt really want us to teach her, and she said she only wants to see us on Sundays.... I still think it is a fantastic start. Soon she will learn that she needs to be an example for her daughter, and one day she will love learning about Christ. :)

 

Also! Saturday night Yip Jimuih finally answered her phone!!!! We pretty much scream of excitement. We were right... she was in mainland. Apparently her father in law has died so now her and her husband need to take his body up to his hometown, which is like in Northern China... so they will be gone for another two weeks or so. We were really sad. She was really sad as well. She has alot of challenges to overcome right now. Hopefully she can work everything out soon so that she can have a bit more stability and time in her life.

Her son King is still happy has ever. Apparently saturday he had to write 3 sorry notes for things he did at school. Gam chahm. He is a good kid. :) Just has alot of energy.

 

So things are still fantastic! Still loving Cheung Sha Wan. I wouldnt mind staying here for the rest of my mission. :)

 

I love you all and miss you!

Shea

 

                               Finding with Tin Ngoi!

 Toby (an LA) invited us over to her house for her birthday dinner!!! her husband bought her a bundle of like 6 dozen roses.

So this is the crazy lady in our ward that is obsessed with obama and white people. everytime we see her she gets out her camera and tries to take pictures with us and then the next sunday she has all of them printed out ready to give to us. she always talks to us to... but I have no idea what she says cause she speaks mostly in manderin. but this photo is fantastic. that man in the back is our mission coordinator, the girl in the back with a sassy face is Jacquline and I hope that you notice half of Elder Allens face on the left side of the camera. I dont know if this is a very good picture, cause it is a picture of a picture. when I get home I will have to show you the really life picture. It is hillarious.

hola familia

ha. Spanish. That's about all I can remember. BreAnna sent me a letter in Spanish and I could only understand about half. Sad. But it is ok... Chinese is much more useful. I thought this week I might as well start off with yet another Cantonese mess up. This week when we were contacting this girl sister Wilcox commented, "Leih se dak leng. (Oh you write really nicely)" and then I comment "Ngoh se dak fei.(I write really fat)" What I meant to say was chau yeung (ugly) but the Spanish word started coming out first. Feo. So they it just got switched in my mouth to fat. fei. Hahaha... that might just be funny to me... but i dont really care. The lady we were contacting laughed and so it was alright.

 

But this week as been a fantastic week! It has been chalk full of finding, but every time we were tired and feeling down the Lord rewarded us with awesome and prepared contacts. This week we met Stanley a dad who wants us to share with his family, Kabby a mom who is just not happy with her life right now, Ivy a christian that wants to find truth, Ms. Lee a high class Chinese from mainland that has no idea what religion is but wants to learn and so many others!!! We were able to give Eva her baptismal date for Dec. 8! We also ran into some people that we had taught a lesson or two to and then they stopped answering their phones. I feel like if you run into someone twice... especially in Hong Kong, God is definitely umpi ing (bah! chinenglish. i cant think of the translation.)... like setting up the thing to happen. The only bad part of the week as been that Sister Yip has not answered her phone and her baptism is planned for this upcoming Sunday. As of right now there is no way that she can make it, but it just makes me nervous when she does not answer her phone. We are pretty sure she has just gone back up to mainland for a bit, but she didnt tell us ahead of time... MAINLAND!!! the biggest mahfaahn (bother) ever. But really though, when that place opens the church will double in size. They are just so prepared and humble.

 

This last Sunday we had stake conference. Whoever planned general conference and stake conference to be back to back was not thinking. Normally I love stake and general conference. I think that it is great for the ward members and we are able to receive alot of revelation about how to better serve others. But when you are trying to get people to come to church for the first time and you are trying to explain what it is like... you explain everything and it sounds great. Kids class, learning, singing, 3 hours. Ok. But then... oh wait this week is a bit different. It is two hours of you sitting and listening to people you dont know talk about how you can share this gospel, of which you know nothing about, with your friends. Not to mention it is at a different place and different time than usual. ...... well thats just poopy. So we didnt invite to many people to come to church this week cause I was kinda afraid that they would never want to go back. I dont know if that is bad or not... but during stake conference half the ward members were asleep. So I actually dont feel that guilty. Next sunday will be SO much better.    

 

Ok la... well... things are still super great here. sister Wilcox and I are still loving Cheung Sha Wan. We decided that we are going to become the first sister AP's. we are trying to teach a bit more excitingly and becoming more creative with teaching and finding. If you think of any good object lessons, or ways to get attention, without seeming insane, email them to me. We are pretty willing to try a number of different things. :)

 

I love you all!

Keep doing the work there!

Shea

While you were sleeping...

Ha! This entire time that you have been sleeping... I have been all around Hong Kong and be able to go to a Chinese BBQ with our ward! :) Can I just tell you how freaking awesome our ward is, and how awesome Hong Kong is?! 

We left our chapel on 2 huge buses this morning at 9:00 to head out to Sai Kung, which the natives say is the countryside... but it is still not really. But I love riding on buses here. Unlike Utah where there is pretty much nothing surrounding the freeways, here the freeways go right through the city, but they are raised up above the regular streets. So when you ride a bus it is like you are flying through these really tall buildings, or flying over the water right next to the bay. It is an amazing experience. Sai Kung is out by the waterside. It is just a bunch of jungle hills next to the water. Our ward reserved 6 fire pits and everyone got to roasting things right away. 

It is not just hot dogs and marshmallows, but sausages, fish, chicken wings, beef balls, steak, fish balls, and bread just to name a few. They cover everything they eat in a BBQ honey stuff that makes everything taste super good. Everyone was really excited that today was mine and Sister Wilcox's first Chinese BBQ. and I must say... it is super fun. One day I will teach you all how to really have a BBQ party. :)

But this week as been great. Conference was awesome. I am so grateful that we have an opportunity to be spiritually fed like that. I am sorry... I think that my letters are getting worse and worse. I find myself using more and more Chinese grammar... and it doesn't really make that much sense in  English. You all just have to deal with it. 

But I really really enjoyed conference, it was exactly what I needed to hear. It is hard to keep going for so long when everyday people just shut you down. So this weekend it was like an Extra super boast of spiritual gas. I was going to right more, and ask you all a few questions, but I dont have my notebook with me cause we just barely got back from the BBQ. We had to change at the church, and we are now emailing at the apple store cause the library already closed. So my letter this week might be a bit short. sorry. I will write more next week. But here are some pictures as well!

Love you all!!!!

Shea

3. the ward! but not really... there were so many non members! :)

 1. some of our awesome young women

2. the kids in our ward are SO cute!

Cheung Sha Wan

How is everyone?!

Cheung Sha Wan and our companionship is still doing wonderfully. Dad, I had that same fear for the next upcoming Tuesday (Transfer announcements), but this last transfer has been super weird and then moved all the sisters that were moving this morning. So that means Sister Wilcox and I will be staying together in Cheung Sha Wan for another 9 weeks!!!! HURRAY!!!! I was super stressed out all weekend, cause things are just starting to get great. Everyone else said I was silly to worry cause sister Wilcox and I have not yet been together for an entire transfer. But I no longer have need to worry. :) I love Cheung Sha Wan and working with sister Wilcox. 

I was just companions with Sister Ainge for a day. It was weird. She works in a crazy area. But it was fun. We played volleyball together for exercise in the morning. :) some old people got mad at us.

You all already watch conference?! Sometimes I forget that we are a week behind... yeah, we will watch it this upcoming Saturday and Sundayin our chapel. Last time they set it up in English so that we could watch it, so I will assume that they will in Kowloon Tong as well. I am super excited! Can you believe that a year ago... I started working on my papers. Holy Freak! I feel like it was just yesterday. Time goes by so fast. I dont know what I am going to do when this is all over... weird. Actually... I had a dream about that the other night. I was at home, and all the new to Hong Kong missionaries were staying at our house. Dad was going to make breakfast for them, and wanted me to help but I could only cry, cause my mission was already over, so Dad thought he would comfort me by telling me to go buy some Asian fruit. Then I woke up and was super happy that I was still in Hong Kong. :) 

We have started working with some awesome people this last week, and we are going to work with some more new ones this week. On SundayWuh Jimuih was able to come to church with us. I had contacted her walking through an apartment estate. She had just said that she is Christian and that she would try going to our church. I didnt get a chance to teach her or anything, just got her number and gave her the church address. Last week she couldnt come cause she was going out to eat with her husband, but then this week she said that she would. So we waiting at the MTR (train station) and we were able to walk to the church together! She stayed for all 3 hours, even though she had just worked all night cleaning for her job. After she said that she wanted me to meet her daughter sometime this week. She kept asking me why our church is different and why are there so many other churches, so we taught her the Restoration and she loved it. The Sisters in our ward love her, so she already has awesome fellowshippers. She is super golden. The only problem is.... she came from Mainland 10 years ago and her first language is Mandarin. Super poopy. So we have to turn her over to the Mandarin sisters. Man. People from mainland are so prepared it is ridiculous. Alot of mainlanders do have pretty darn good Cantonese, but President Hawks wants everyone taught in their native tongue, so that means the Mandarin sisters have to be pretty darn busy. It is good. Just sometimes frustrating. It is cool though. 

One of our wards recent converts A-lan said yesterday that her only wish is for Mainland to have a temple. A-lan said that if she had good legs (which she doesnt, in fact she is missing one...), if she had good legs, she would go around to every house in mainland, knock on their doors and say "Help us build a temple!". 

We are so blessed to have a temple here in Hong Kong. Even more blessed at home in Utah. Keep doing those temple names!:) 

I love you all! 

Gai yauh!

Shea

PS. the cookies turned out wonderfully. I little weird cause we used red sugar instead of brown sugar, but still super tasty. :) That cheese was like the best thing ever. It made it just fine! If you put more of it in that Christmas package I wouldnt complain. :) 

I want Luna.