Monday August 4, 2014

Nimen hao!!!

It's already August!!! I can officially say that I am leaving next month! This saturday is our "hump day" so we're having a party for that ;)

Last Monday we did sealings in the Temple and it was super exciting.  As missionaries we can only do children sealings, and the ordinance worker told us that he got a couple of kids the week before that needed to be sealed who had the last name of Lord. Their first names were Bless Me and Remember Me...I'm not sure what else to say about that ;)

I've realized that missions are hard because they make you think and question things.  When an investigator asks you a question you've never thought of because you've taken it for granted or don't know how to answer, especially in chinese, it's really hard.  Most of the questions I know how to answer, just not in chinese.  Also, I feel like their are lessons I'm meant to learn each week.  For example, this week the lesson I learned is how we are hand picked by the Lord.  One of the speakers that talked to us was an institute and seminary teacher and he did the math and found that the chances of you being chosen as a Latter-day Saint Restoration missionary is 1 in 100,000...that's from Samuel Smith to now! To narrow the field, the chances of being chosen as a 'hastening the work' missionary is 1 in 1,000,000!  We were saved for over 6,000 years to come forth in this time. Then last night the devotional speaker (Elder Worthlen, BYU President) said something similar.  He told us that we need to have confidence in the one who gave us the call.  We might have decided to go on a mission, but He decided where we went.  He knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows what we are capable of. I just know that HE KNOWS that I can learn Chinese, I am capable. I just need to have faith in His trust in me...if that makes sense

This Wednesday our district got to host.  It was way exciting!! It was like reliving the first day with ALL the excitement and WITHOUT the pain and sadness.  The only downside is some Sisters have SO MUCH STUFF!!! and their luggage is SO HEAVY!!!

Our lessons have been going pretty well.  They never go as expected, but you can always feel the spirit and we somehow fumble our way through.  Last time we had a lesson planned about Christ's ministry, Apostasy, and the Restoration.  As we were heading in I had this thought that we were going to be talking about the plan of salvation.  I was like, oh no...and I didn't tell my tongban because she probably would have shot me down.  After the prayer I had the same thought, but I still didn't say anything.  I didn't even make it to the resurrection of Christ before she started asking question that would have been answered if we talked about the plan of salvation. silly me.  so we started on that and we're going to finish it next week.  

So Saturday night it was abnormally cold in our sushe (dorm room).  So we all curl up into a ball and sleep like that ALL NIGHT LONG! then the next day (sunday) it was an ice box in pretty much EVERY building we went into.  We almost died...almost.

We watched the Joseph Smith: The Restoration movie last night and I was asked to say the opening prayer for about 500 people, so naturally I say it in Chinese. I don't think I've said very many english prayers here... when I get back I probably won't remember how to say a prayer in chinese.  

Some interesting things though:

the word for hungry and the word for evil are the same word and tone...we thought it was very fitting and wildly funny :)

also, the word we use for Elder (Zhonglao) is the same word they use for Jedi Master... I'm a bit jealous of that one 

I hope everyone is doing great! I love you all! I know the gospel is true :)

LOVE 

YU Jie Mei :)

At the Temple

Sisters Jenkins and Fisher

Selfie attempt

Elders Vaughn and Wheeler, Sisters Lew, Jenkins and Fisher