Herro famiry! (That was from
Elder Chen) Elder Belknap asked me to inform Simon that he thought Simon was
Andrew Slack's brother rather than mine, so I guess that is how much bigger you
are than I am.
This week has been tough but
inspiring even more so. I have gained no more than two pounds, and to Simon,
I'm up to day thirteen and I can do 13 pushups in 10 seconds, so I'm ahead of
schedule. Tell me if you are able to view the pictures I send, because for some
reason I can't view them all on this computer.
The MTC choir is so much fun!
Even though it seems like no one is able to sing in tune around you, you hear
the final result and suddenly the spirit enters the room and you hear the music
of heaven making up for those that don't know the difference between singing
and having a seizure. The camera is working great, and hopefully you get these
pics so that I can empty the card. Whatever works though. Language has become
no longer line upon line, but more like the blessings of heaven are coming out
of a fire hose in the window and we just have to try to catch all of it!
My name is Daai Jeuhng Louh
(meaning literally Elder Big). I'm not sure what the big deal is though with
knowing the name's meaning.
Did you get my letter yet? I
put it in the box on Friday so it should be coming in around today. Tell me how
it works out, but if you didn't get it yet, just know that I need one pair of
large extra support bottoms because one of mine ripped while participating in a
1000 meter rowing machine competition in which I lost thanks to my not so
trusty bottoms. I only lost by 10 meters though. I don't want mesh! It just
seems uncomfortable.
How is school going? Friends?
Crazy people that you saw on the street? Keep me posted.
I am loving the language! I
have struggles, but it seems like there are repeated confirmations of the gift
of tongues in all of us every day. We are all working on our set daily, weekly,
and for me 10 week goals. I have made constant adjustments because I have
surpassed my own goals and expectations by so much. I'm learning more intimate
and heartfelt phrases, testimony, specifically addressing my father in Heaven,
and I even had a dream in semi-Cantonese (it was terribly boring).
In last nights devotional, we
were told to testify to our families and friends instead of simply relaying a
travel logue, so hopefully that will be a positive change in my communication.
This last week was hard in
language class for the first part. I was struggling to say what I wanted
because, you know, I always get caught up in what I try to say and I mix up my
words. I was then approached by Jong Hing Daai (Brother Johnson) and told that
I needed to simplify my message and teach more from the Spirit than from my own
thoughts. I never thought I would have that problem, but I realized that the
reason I was having this problem was because I didn't recognize the fact that
when someone is converted, they will continue learning from others.
There will be church classes, the spirit, the temple, and the scriptures
available for them to learn continuously. I wasn't trusting that if I helped
open the gate for the investigator through baptism and confirmation, God would
guide them to other mouthpieces that can instruct and edify in other ways that
I wouldn't have thought of at the time. I actually got a little teary. I understood more fully the plan that God has
for his people though. I now feel like my job isn't so overwhelming. It's still
important, but I have God and his many servants to help me, not to mention the
magnified Spirit that aids me in my duties. As 3 Nephi 27:20 states, I
have gained a fresh view of myself, God, and my surroundings.
I hope you are feeling the
blessings, love and strength that I send to you every night. My testimony is so
much stronger, and though I keep thinking that there isn't any more to learn
about something, I am always humbled by how much I don't know. Joseph Smith was
truly a prophet of God, who through the power given to him by his Heavenly
Father restored this Gospel with all the require keys and ordinances of the
priesthood, as well as the full and undeniable doctrine of our Savior Jesus
Christ. That he willingly Atoned for our sins and overcame the bonds of death
and misery so that we could return to Heaven is a fact and a privilige that
will never cease to fill my heart with wonder and gratitude. I am sent as a
representative of Jesus Christ with a purpose of inviting others to come unto
Christ through Faith in Jesus Christ and his Atonement, repentance, baptism,
the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. I am more and more fully
consecrating my efforts to his will and the consequential blessings of doing
this are endless. So I leave you this testimony in the name of my Savior Jesus
Christ, Amen
P.S. I challenge you all to
come up with a question every week to send to me so that I can study them and
answer them the following week. Sound good?
This is my companion Elder McGrath
This is a lot of guys
from my district, but not all of them.
Also me at the temple.
Me with Elder Hale.
Name Tag and my Chinese name.
Everyone is obsessed with their pointers. I don't have one
(yet).
Temple again. I figured it out! This computer is so
difficult to find things on.
Hopefully you got all
of those. So difficult to navigate through these computers. Plus I have to get
into quite a few files to get into the camera memory. Love ya!
