10-19-14

Hello peoples,

So, this is a little late because the time I typed it all before it didn't send it because the internet went out and the draft wouldn't save. But, got it anyways, so, here goes.

The MTC is pretty awesome. There's a lot of really good things about it, and I love that we get to learn all the time. We, that is, District 30 C, have learned so much in the last six days, both about the Gospel and Cantonese. Honestly, from speaking with other language speakers and the older Cantos, I feel that we've learned more, and faster, than just about any other group. We can already pray and bear our testimonies without the book, and they aren't just short memorized one liners. Hopefully we'll learn all of the greetings and such soon, so that our meetings with Yihp Jimuih, our "investigator," won't be so awkward.

Speaking of Yihp, we just met with her for the third time and...yah, it was pretty crazy. I felt we did good in answering her questions, until she asked one that I just couldn't understand. I tried so hard, and thought she kept asking what God's name was, but that wasn't it, of course, so after a while I managed to discern that she was asking what God's commandments are. It was pretty dang hard to answer because the book we use doesn't have any answer for that. Then we made the mistake of opening a Cantonese hymn book and reading "I Stand All Amazed" as out testimonies. She asked us to sing it. After half a verse, she said "Mh hou!" which is "not good" and laughed and said we should just pray. Other than that, though, it went well. 

So, being District leader has been fun. I get to organize meetings and such, which I'm good at. We'll set some District goals soon, but I have no fear that it will be easy to complete them together, as we all get along. And I continue to realize that, even though my calling is simple and not really that "important," it is of the most importance to the other eleven people in the District. A District Leader can help their District do good and be good. A dedicated District Leader will help their District to go above and beyond. That's what I want to do, so, we'll see. 

Us four Elders that stay in the same room are easily the most obnoxious on the campus. Others will be goofy and crazy, but we definitely take the cake with our wild singing and screaming, trying to hit our heads against the lights, animal noise making and movie quoting. We find it a bit hard to sit still for a long time and to get to bed on time, but we do the work, and I feel that's what's important. I know we need to follow every rule here at the MTC, being that exact obedience brings miracles, but I don't feel like we've done anything bad or wrong. I really do know that God is allowing us the blessings we earn, not because we're the most exact or the most humble, but because we're the most dedicated to the work. I know that just about every other missionary here is a good person and has a testimony and will be a good missionary, but, to be honest, we twelve who are going to Hong Kong are something special. We really do have the power to change the world.

And that's what we'll do.