 |
| The Singapore Zone |
Hi Family!!!!!!
I love you guys!! I was sitting outside yesterday looking at the blue sky and thinking that I should be playing catch outside or something...but I know this is where I'm supposed to be.
I want to start off and thanking all of you for your letters, packages, prayers and example. I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!
Mmkay here we go...
 |
| A Little Light Reading |
So last Tuesday was awesome!!! We said goodbye to Elder Roundy and a few other Singapore and Taiwan Elders who were leaving. I really looked up to them, and they were really friendly as well, so the quiet is somewhat awkward back at our little residence now. At the devotional, we talked about repentance. I was thinking that all of the prophets in the Book of Mormon seemed to have times where they really needed to repent...that's not a coincidence. If we are to have joy we need to repent everyday, multiple times a day. I also realized that we never really wrestle with God...it's a wrestle within our own minds about whether we are willing to change and allow God's will to be done. I also got a Mandarin Chinese hymn book!!!
Wednesday was another unique day because I got to host for the first time! I saw Elder Jowers and a few others from Bountiful and Woods Cross. It made me feel good to try and be positive as I helped show Elders around who had just left their families. It made me even more grateful that I had Abel to host me when I first arrived. I also received a package from my family with new scriptures and some sentimental things that reminded me of home and made me laugh (Buzz Lightyear ring in my old scripture case). It was an awesome day! We kind of got reprimanded for not studying diligently that night, but we repented and have made it a goal to work harder! No more jokes and uncontrollable laughter as a result of exhaustion!
 |
| Missing their Brother Who Flew to Singa |
Thursday was tough because we taught two lessons back to back. Our first investigator was super stubborn, won't pray, and is stuck on the question why do I need God if I'm already happy...it's a tough question to try and answer in English let alone Chinese!!! We've done our best and pray for guidance each day. Our second lesson went really well, and we shared the first vision and committed our investigator to read the BofM and pray to know the truth. Good lessons make my whole day a million times better!!! We also learned how to teach about the Sacrament this day...it made me feel so grateful for the knowledge of the Atonement and the Savior.
Friday was awesome!! We worked super hard to find scriptures on prayer for our tough investigator and I really like 1 Nephi 15:11. We also met a teacher from Singapore! His accent is super weird, and he's really quiet, but it was incredible to ask him a few questions. He said that every Asian loves Americans and will tell us we have great Chinese if we are able to say Ni hao haha. He said after living there for fifteen years the heat never got better....uh oh for sweaty T Lloyd. It was also a sad day for our district because nobody got any mail friday or saturday...we jokingly said that we need to remember who we are and what we stand for because after three weeks on a mission, nobody else will! That joke cheered us all up and got us laughing for a bit.
 |
| Ahh ... Best Brothers! |
Saturdays are wonderful because we have TRC. We taught someone who had just received his mission call the day before, and his Chinese wasn't great either. As a result, we both laughed at each other, and we finished by sharing our testimonies. It was super powerful to hear his conversion story. I also loved sharing Alma 37:36-37 and Enos 1:2-8 ish. Both scriptures talk about prayer. I know that we need to pray in order to progress and have a relationship with God. We also taught our more willing investigator later and he told us he'd come to church with us. That made all of us very happy, and once again, made the day even better!!
Sunday might have been the best day in the MTC yet. We watched the District movies and Mormon Messages in the morning while we wrote our talks in Chinese. In the middle of studying, our Branch president called me out and asked if I would accept the calling of district leader. He complimented me and gave me a lot of confidence. He also told me how important it is to lead by example and pray specifically for people and blessings. I've made it a goal to do better at being completely obedient and more in tune with the Spirit so that I can help others.
We had the coolest devotional ever that night too! Jenny Oaks Baker, Elder Oaks' daughter, was the speaker. She's a Juliard graduate and played the violin better than anyone I've ever heard. She would talk for a bit and then play a song with her children http://youtu.be/9e3ckk1q9sQ. She shared multiple testimony building experiences, and her music made us all cry. She smiled the whole time, and she just emanated the love of Christ. It reminded me of Ali so much!! I'm so grateful for a wonderful sister who is a great example to me. One of the last songs Sister Baker played was Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring... http://youtu.be/NBrCa6GXzrU it reminded me of guitar and Christmas and family. It was just an incredible night. I was absolutely speechless.
No comments:
Post a Comment