Another Transfer Gone!

Hey howdy hey! (I'm just getting my Heber Hick fix in, okay? there are NO cowboys here and.... I actually kinda miss it :)

ANYWAY.... How is everyone?! I loved getting all your emails/pictures/news of home from conference. I wish I could have been there! We actually didn't watch conference this past weekend. Due to translation, we are watching it this coming weekend! I'm not sure how the Chinese/English thing is going to work, but Sis Aldana was here for conference last time and she watched it in Eng. So I'm hoping for that :) my language is getting better, but it's FAR from that good yet.

This week was great! Again! What am i saying, every week is great as a missionary. Let me give you a little rundown:

Tuesday: We did companion exchanges! I was with Sister Foong from Malaysia. She speaks perfect Canto, Malay, Mandarin... probably some other langauges too. She's amazing. We went finding all day but it was so much fun. I like seeing how other missionaries do finding and get some new ideas and some new insights!

Wednesday: One of our members, YJ (she's like our mom) invited us over for lunch with 3 of the YM in our ward who are leaving on their missions soon. It was fun! We shared a part of "The District" with them about the purpose of missionary work and I cried. I get so emotional all the time. I just think this is the greatest thing I could be doing in the world. I'm so happy to have such a significant part in helping the Lord's work go forward. Wednesday we also met E! I had contacted her last week on the street and invited her to English class. She came and she's AWESOME! She's 25 and she's adorable. We taught her afterwards about God and how much He loves us and she has interest! So excited to meet with her again! She couldn't come to church this week, but hoping for next week!

Thursday: We helped a LA member clean her apartment. She has this teeny tiny little apartment... it made me feel SO incredibly spoiled, thinking about our beautiful enormous house in America that has a backyard and a shed and three cars. We are so blessed, it's ridiculous. Anyway, her house was really.... horrible. It was really dirty. I was glad we helped her out. I hope it can stay clean! I love doing service. It always makes me feel like I'm doing what the Savior would be doing. Sometimes it's hard to imagine the Savior on the streets, chasing people down and handing out fliers and trying to contact them. But it's never hard to imagine Him helping someone clean or taking someone to the doctor or just seeing a need and fulfilling it. It makes me feel closer to Him and I love it.

Friday: We had Zone Training! Doesn't it feel like we just had it? It does to me. I can't believe how time flies! I love being with other missionaries. It reminds me that I'm not alone in Hong Kong. There are lots of us, having similar ups and downs, and we get to help these people come unto Christ! Anyway, then we went and visited LJ (a LA) and then straight over to see HJ and S! S is so cute. He was trying to teach me Mandarin. So I know a little bit more now :) I wonder if I'll take Mandarin when I get back from my mission.... anyway, the lesson was great. HJ is so prepared and so wonderful! She said she'd come to church on Sunday, but then she slept in :( we were bummed, but not losing faith in her! She doesn't have any Christian background at all, so it's been interesting to teach her. A lot of the people we teach when to a Christian primary school so they know about Christ at least a little bit. HJ is from Mainland and has no idea.

Saturday: We tried to schedule YJ, but she's so busy! These people fill their lives with SO MUCH. It makes me so frustrated sometimes. YJ and K were even too busy to come to church :( I was reading in Moses today about his experience with the burning bush and it made me think of Becca Wilhite's essay she wrote about seeing the burning bushes in our lives. Moses spoke to the Lord because he paused, noticed the burning bush, and then investigated. Do each of us notice the "burning bushes" in our lives? Do we let the small, sacred moments of each day pass by because we're too busy? Definitely something to think about. It made me think. Sometimes I get so caught up in the day-to-day. I want to have more slow moments where I am still and know that God is there and He is guiding this work. He wants a relationship with each one of us. We just have to be willing to be still enough to listen to Him.

Sunday: Church! Mouh mat dahkbiht. (Nothing special)

Today: SISTER TRANSFERS! Sister Aldana and I are staying here! Sad thing is, Sister Tidwell is leaving. But happy thing is, Sister Yeung is coming here to be Sister Pearl's companion! They were companions together in Macau! How crazy is that?! I'm so excited to be living with Sister Yeung again! And to have a bundeih (native) here to help us with our language! YAY! :D

Okay, Dad! I wanted to answer your questions!

The language is coming! Slowly but surely! One step at a time. I feel like my understanding is pretty good... most days. Sometimes I still feel lost, but I can communicate pretty well and I feel really comfortable with most gospel words!

President Hawks in my interview asked me if I had any questions. I asked him how we could better not seem like salespeople. He told us to follow the Spirit more in our finding and teaching. We talked about it for a while. It was really good. He also told me to humble myself and remember that I am junior companion, and follow the counsel of my senior companion. That was also really good for me to hear. I love him so much. He is so wise and awesome!

Weather? Still REALLY hot. But it's cooling down! It's hot now like, bearable hot. You still sweat if you walk fast or if you're out in the sun for too long, but we're not dripping anymore. Yippee! The mornings are really pleasant, but I still sweat WAY more when I run that when I'm at home.

Being in the city is crazy. I'm used to it now! Riding the MTR, being with a bazillion other people all the time, living in a high rise... it's fun! I would never want to live here for real though. Never want to raise a family here. It would be so hard! But the shopping here is AMAZING. Whitney and Melina would go INSANE. Seriously, there are so many things. I'm thinking about slowly getting rid of all the clothes I brought and getting a bunch of new stuff here! Maahn maahn maaih... (slow slow buy...it's a saying. hard to explain)

Welll..... looks like I'm out of time. Hate that. I love emailing you all and telling you all about the adventures I'm having here. I love this mission so much. I love what changes I am making in myself. I wish I could do this forever. I love the Savior. I love the neat opportunity I have to represent Him. I hope I am doing a good job.

I love you all. Did you know that? I think the world of ALL of you. You're the best family and friends in the entire world.

Love always,
Sista Gwok
xoxoxoxo