Today week 9

Notes from Mom:  We heard from Ian on Saturday this week.  It was a half P day as they are leaving next Monday so they are taking care of some last minute emails.  There was a lot of back and forth.

This picture was posted on Facebook by another missionary's mom.  Sister Hoxer's mom had a bunch of t shirts made.  We ordered a few extra to wear at home to show our solidarity.

A couple of pictures we wish we'd gotten are Ian's MTC teachers:  Brother Johnson (Jong Hing Daai), and Sister Kuok (from Macau).

From Ian:  I will be checking this a couple times today, so send any questions or final statements and tidbits of wisdom. Love you!

I don't think I have Chrissy's email, but I'm short on time either way, so please tell her I said thank you for them! I also got the pictures. They are great. Also, guess what...I got a 5 out of 7 on my fluency test! 7 is supposed to mean that you sound fluent when you speak, so I'm on my way (hopefully).

Is there any way that they would just be able to skip the morning part of school (Ana should still be able to go to seminary and then come back home for when I'm calling). I don't know if we're using trax. They haven't told us means of transportation to the airport, but We're supposed to get there no later than 8. Maybe what I could do is talk to Simon Ana Adam and Owen for the first bit and then talk to you and dad for the rest of the time while Simon drops off everyone at school (He has driving privileges now right?). This is as specific as I can get as far as itinerary goes other than what I have already told you.

Thank you for your advice that you give so freely. I hope that I can constantly improve myself in every aspect in order to more fully fulfill my calling. Also I sent Art City a few things in a red new balance shoebox (including one of my nametags) for you guys. I would have sent both name tags, but they messed up on our new ones so we won't be getting those until Hong Kong, so until then I will be wearing the other one.

I love you all. I hope that you are able to figure out monday. You always do. I can't wait to hear all of you!

Also, this message is probably my last one I will ever send in America (unless you need me to answer any questions tonight). To Hong Kong!

Nope nevermind. Actually, about being in Seattle, the time I previously sent was Seattle time, so just so you know, I will be calling at 12:30ish seattle time which is, here, 1:30ish Springville time. I think that might be a better time to talk to Simon, Ana, Adam, and Owen since I won't be leaving TO Hong Kong until 3:30 in Seattle which will be 4:30 Springville. Sorry for the misunderstanding! Ask me if you have any questions or if you want to clarify.

Yes I did mean the airport. I'm pretty sure I can only call people once I get in the airports. I have actually pretty much finished packing and have everything at a good weight. I sent the box today. What happens is Art City is supposed to send someone every day to drop stuff off and pick stuff up, but sometimes they "forget" to pick it up because they usually don't have anything to pick up. Otherwise, that is how it should work. I used the MTC on stuff like a Hymn book, study supplies, envelopes (which I will bring with me to Hong Kong), and LOADS of flashcards.

You are all hopefully either having dinner right now, reading scriptures, scripture reading, or possibly just have a bunch of people at sport practices. I'm proud of all of you for having such faith in your lives. I thank you all for the strength you have given me, and for the love that I have felt here. I hope that all of you have success in the years to come. I have a lot more free time than I thought today, so I will just be reading talks here on the computer. If you wan't to say anything, I'm right here.

I'm sorry that I haven't responded to you as far as discipleship. I have every letter I have received in my suitcase (somewere among the 3 dozen other letters you and your sisters have sent). However, I am studying that question in my scripture study: "What are the attributes of a disciple?" I use a blue highlighter because true diciples are loyal and true (and it was the only highlighter I had initially brought with me).

Tell Simon and Jacob hi for me please. Tell them I love them and hope for their success. Also tell them that I invite them to TODAY share their ponderizing scriptures with each other and their testimonies in no more than 10 minutes and no less than 5 minutes. If they don't have ponderizing scriptures yet, tell them to GET ONE! Also, tell them to laminate and/or frame their trig sheets that their teachers gave them. Memorize them like their lives depended on it. I always found myself looking back to that stuff in Mr. Frossard's class because everything always built off of everything else. Sorry I can't be there to enjoy your company, but I hope that my notes are still at least somewhat helpful.

Also, tell your young women group, especially Ana, that I said hi, and that they should have an eternal perspective in relation to their church attendance. What if there was a recent convert in the room? Even better, what if their was an investigator there? Would they be more willing to share comments, or to pay attention? Would their hearts be more turned towards how they can improve their own testimonies? Elder Holland said that we are our first investigators. You wan't your investigators to keep their commitments? God wants you to keep yours! You wan't your investigators to pray more earnestly and study more intensely? God wan't you to that too! You wan't them to fully understand and keep their covenants they make with their Eternal Father in Heaven, the only one that can bring everlasting joy? You must strive every day, every minute, every second (muih yaht, muih fanjung, muih miu), to keep you own and focus on the real purpose life with trust in God that he will provide all other necessities for you if you will do it HIS way.

You can actually find that this is an invitation that Elder Bednar gave in an old MTC devotional: to read the Book of Mormon with one specific question in mind (or two in my case). You'll have to look for it. It might be the one titled "Character of Christ" but I can't be sure.

Note from Mom:  I asked Ian about the other talk.  His response was, 

"How can I become the missionary, husband, and father that I was meant to be?"

He also sent a music file of "Brightly Beams Our Father's Mercy."  It was magnificent.  

"Elder Jensen has a little voice recorder that we used to record the song we performed. It's difficult to hear in some spots because we were in a brick-wall classroom with 7 people singing into a tiny little 20 dollar USB. Hope you like it though. The third verse is a duet with me and Elder Chen. He's got a GREAT voice."