From the land of no snow, but lots of blessings!

SOMETHING BRIEF:

So, I got another new job. And I'm not talking about Apple. The contemporary art gallery I've been interning for this fall hired me about 2 weeks ago and I took the position. It's pretty much the best situation ever. I work Tuesday through Friday 9-5pm and some weekends and evenings for gallery events. Not to mention it's a salaried job with benefits in my field of choice. Yep, it's a miracle. Especially when your field of choice is working in nonprofit arts organizations. So, my brief affair with Apple was exciting, but not very career-oriented. I do have to say that it was one of the best months of my life though. I've never learned so much in such a short amount of time. I'm pretty much addicted to Apple for the rest of my life now, too...:)

SOMETHING SIMPLIFIED:

Now that I'm only working 1 job, my life has been greatly simplified. I love it. No more running to 3 different work locations and keeping track of a zillion different agendas, events and TO-DO lists. I think I will actually have time to start doing the things I want to do. Like reading and painting. My salary is not a large one, but it's enough to survive on in California if I am frugal. I like cutting out all the excess stuff and just focusing on the basics. Having a small budget makes that happen, but I think doing less also makes that happen. If I have a new year resolution, it will be to do less. choose one thing. and then really do it.

SOMETHING NEW...AGAIN:

My family just keeps growing! November brought the birth of another nephew. This time from the Nick and Jessica Bird family in Utah. Welcome James Randal Bird - Grandchild #4!!!! He was born November 11 at 7 lbs 9 ounces and 20 1/2 inches. Way to go Jessica! I've yet to meet James in person, but several ichat sessions have given me the feeling he's a real winner.

SOMEONE NAMED ALEX:

I figured I could either sneak him into my blog somewhere or I could just come out and say it. So, obviously I chose the latter. Yes! His name is Alex Cheung and he's amazing! We've been dating for...uh, I don't know, long enough to put him on my blog, I guess. He's pretty much the coolest thing in my life since I discovered cheese. I'm not going into a full length biography here, but just thought I'd give him some front page news coverage..;) If you want more of the details, you'll have to actually pick up a phone and call me. I know, it's rough...

From the Land of Lists and Baseball

SOMETHING BASEBALL:

For those of you who have been keeping up with the world of baseball, you will know that the World Series just took place. And that the San Francisco Giants won it! Rusty is the one that got me watching the games and turned me into a fan when I moved here a few months ago. I haven't been into baseball since the Mariners golden years, so this has been a great revival. I feel like I moved to the Bay Area just in time for the good stuff. So many things to celebrate! I mostly like the Giants team because they have so many great characters on their team - Lincecum, Wilson, Buster, Panda, etc. None of them were superstars, but they all contributed and worked together to make a great season. Misfit underdogs. Love it.

SOMETHING APPLE:

After several weeks of a much more intense interview process than I expected, I have been hired by Apple! Don't be too impressed. It's a part-time thing for me right now to pay the bills, but I am so excited! It's actually a great job and they sure know how to treat their employees. It's great to be a part of such an innovative and progressive company, too. I only just started training, so we'll see how it goes!

SOMETHING IN THE NEXT 25 YEARS:

Since I turned 25, I've been putting together a list of 25 things to do in the next 25 years to keep myself from taking life too seriously. Here is the finished product in no particular order or priority. It will be fun to read this in 25 years and see how I did...:)

1. Run 50 marathons in all 50 states
2. Ride in a hot air balloon
3. Learn Chinese (Mandarin)
4. Live abroad
5. Marry my best friend
6. Write/publish a book
7. Get a speeding ticket
8. Own a pet turtle named Murtle
9. Get a masters degree
10. Learn to play the cello/ukulele/harmonica
11. Brake a bone
12. Adopt an Asian child
13. Grow a huge, unmanageable garden
14. Ride an elephant
15. Have a bunch of kids
16. Go skydiving
17. Give up snowboarder pride and learn to ski
18. Do family history work
19. Spend the night on a rock wall
20. Revive my love for oil painting
21. Find a 4 leaf clover
22. Climb mountains that make my mother nervous
23. Learn to wink
24. Start a tradition
25. Keep a record in words and pictures of all the above

From the land starting to feel like home:

SOMETHING ARTSY:

Although my job is nothing like Night at the Museum, I have to say it is quite unique. I get to spend my time researching contemporary artists and participating in all the fun projects/events that happen in connection with the museum. I've already helped with an art festival, still life banquet and now we're gearing up for the museum's 30th anniversary live auction event. So excited! Contemporary art is not something I really studied in college, but I'm finding it grow on me more and more because it encompasses so much. It definitely makes going to work more enjoyable.

SOMETHING/SOMEONE 25:

Yes, that would be me. I am now a quarter of a century old. That just sounds old when I say it! Whatever, I feel young and have so many great things planned before I hit the half a century old mark!..:) To celebrate my bday, I ran the Palo Alto Moonlight Run with some friends and it was perfect. Running events are always energetic and you can plan on them having the party there for you. Definitely not the typical way, but it worked. Lately I've been feeling like I'm suppose to take myself more seriously now that I'm 25. To counter that feeling, I started making a list of 25 things that I plan on doing in the next 25 years so I don't take myself too seriously. It should be done by next month's update, so coming soon!

SOMETHING EDIFYING:

This last weekend was one of many reunions with friends and family. I returned to my college stomping grounds in Utah and had the strangest sensation as I traveled the streets that are still vaguely familiar. That sensation was - "I'm so glad I'm just visiting and don't actually live here anymore." I loved my BYU experience, but it's definitely a thing of the past, and I felt a lot of confirmation in my decision to move to California and spread my wings a little. The time I had in Utah was short and sweet, but crammed with friends, family, activities and miracles. People I didn't even plan on visiting because I knew I didn't have time randomly ran into me or made special efforts to see me. Not to mention I was given 3 tickets to General Conference for the Sunday morning session. It's always something special to me to hear our prophet speak in person. All I can say is, my plane ticket was the best birthday present ever - thanks mom and dad!...:)

SOMETHING NEW:

So, the newest thing in my life is my NEPHEW - Henry William Mahler. He was born October 6, 2010 @ 7:25pm (EST). He's 7 lbs 5 ounces and 21 inches long!!! So long and skinny!!! First of all, I have to say that his name is perfect because it is so entirely British (well, "Henry William" anyway) and very typical of Natalie. She secretly wishes she were British I think...:) Now I get to think of all sorts of great ways to reference the kings of England and history to tease him and talk to him with a british accent. so great. And props to my sister for a 3.5 hour, epidural-free delivery. That's the way it's done, my friends. Let's hope I have those birthing genes...:)

CHEERIO!!!

From the Land of Sunshine

SOMETHING THAT HASN'T HAPPENED IN A LONG TIME:

Over six years ago, our family all came together for Nate and Tiffany's wedding. I was 18 years old. Life has been an endless flurry of comings and goings since then, and it wasn't until this last month that several of us all came together again. Well, 5 out of the 8 kids were there, but we'll take what we can get...:) Mom and Dad, Nate and Tiffany and their two girls, Nick and Jessica, Matt, Michelle and Me - party time! We missed Natalie and John and the twins, but were thankful to have a week of as much familyness and craziness as we could. It was a classic week of early morning wakeup music, sunrise breakfast, boating, swimming, playing croquet and basketball, birthdays, trip to Leavenworth for summer theater and a good whip cream fight thrown on top. I love my family and there's nothing more to say about it, except I wish we didn't all live a zillion miles away from each other. As of right now we span from Connecticut to Georgia to Utah to Washington to California to Honduras to Chile. Good luck with that mom...:)

SOMETHING AT LONG LAST!:

On May 26, 2010 I sent three boxes from Hong Kong, China on a slow boat to my home in Washington. These boxes were filled with precious things like journals, books, gifts and pictures that I couldn't bring with me on my trip to mainland China. On August 7, two of those boxes arrived and the third came on August 12. All things are safe and sound. whew! All I have to say is those slow boats are sketchy and I really want to know where my stuff traveled to before it got to America...

SOMETHING OF A LONG DRIVE:

So I bought a car. Then I drove it 1,000 miles. Thank goodness my good friend Cary let me crash at her place in Portland before heading the rest of the way to Palo Alto, CA. My legs and bum were numb by the time I arrived. Thank goodness a second time for the Hancock's warm welcome and a yummy meal at my new home. It was worth the drive and numbness.

From the Land of New Horizons!

SOMETHING IN THE WORKS:

As much as I love my dear hometown of Wenatchee, the time has come to move forward. I've been home for about 2 months now and getting anxious for something new and something adventurous. My full time job this summer has been to find a full time job. So I've been researching and applying like crazy. The "hard" thing about my situation is that I can really do whatever I want, go anywhere I choose and tackle whatever I would like to tackle. So many options! So many things I want to do and learn! My interests could take me abroad to Europe, back to China or anywhere in the US that has Chinese speaking populations and a good museum. So I narrowed it down to "good, better, best" options and all things pointed toward one place - Palo Alto, California. Strange destination? Yes, but only because it happens to have everything I could possibly need.

SOMETHING INSPIRED:

Approximately 5 months ago, my mission president gave me the responsibility to train a new missionary named Sister Hancock. I don't think he quite understood the impact that responsibility would have. Needless to say, serving with her was an experience that I will never forget and we became the closest and dearest of friends through our experiences together. After returning home from China, I was in contact with her family and mentioned my interest in the San Francisco Bay area. They live in (can you guess?) Palo Alto and invited me for a visit to check it out and see what I thought. I didn't need to think about it. I loved it. I don't even remember ruling out the other options at a specific point in time. It just came out of my mouth in an interview that I would be back at the end of the month and that was that.

So there you have it. Apparently, I am moving to Palo Alto, California at the end of the month. Not only does it have this fabulous family who has taken me under their wing, but it has museums, Chinese speakers, runners, the great outdoors, fabulous people, universities and it's not too far from family and home (in comparison to NY or DC). Yes, everything I could possibly need. My visit to the area opened several opportunities that never would have happened if left to my own efforts from home and I can't wait to get started! Much of this is due to the dear Hancock family. I would also like to take a moment and say thank you to my mission president, President Chan, for being so inspired.

SOMETHING ABOUT PEOPLE:

This recent event has caused me to reflect and look at the events in my life as the result of meeting certain people. There's just something about people that influence my life to take certain turns and directions. Let's start at the beginning of my freshman year at college...

I showed up to my humanities class on the first day of school. I saw two girls sitting together and decided to introduce myself. These girls (Noelle Tanner and Lauren Leavitt) became my dear friends. Lauren inspired me to major in humanities: art history, and travel abroad. Noelle invited me to live in a place called the FLSR (foreign language student residency). I lived there and loved it for 2 years, meeting some of the most incredible people of my life, learning Spanish and turned into an avid outdoor enthusiast. Carolyn Strege was my roommate there. I ran my first 1/2 marathon with her and have never stopped running since. Through her I met Aden Williamson and Eric Parks, two of the most ridiculous and memorable people I have ever met. Because of them I became addicted to rock climbing, the outdoors and all it has to offer. At the FLSR, I also met Tony Stepp, who was crazy enough to travel to Alaska with me after graduation. Through Tony, I met Marko Moreno, who taught me how to live life with passion...and yoga. In Alaska, I met Erika Ewing, the sweetest soul on earth and another avid marathon runner (we have a goal to run 50 marathons in 50 states before we’re 50). Alaska was where I put in my mission papers and found out I would serve in Hong Kong, China. My mission led me to Channing Hancock and her family, which is leading me to Palo Alto, California and the next phase of my crazy life.

I would like to give a shout out to all these people for shaping my life in so many meaningful ways. They probably don’t realize it, but much of who I am and the things I’ve accomplished are because of these people. There are many more who are not listed here, but only because this post is ridiculously too long and I can’t justify adding more to it. I think you get the idea. There’s just something good about people.

From the Land I Call Home

Something in fast forward:

Here is a brief rundown of what's happened since I left Hong Kong.
-Reunited with my parents after 18 months! Wahoo!
-Traveled through China and other places (visiting Macau, Shenzen, Guilin, Yang Shuo, Shanghai, Beijing, and Seoul)
-Highlights: really having no clue what we were getting into, being the only white people on all our train rides, boat ride down the Lijiang River, bike riding, river rafting and light show in Yang Shuo, randomly finding people that spoke Cantonese, Shanghai World Expo, cheap but tasty food, almost dying multiple times because of crazy drivers, ghetto hotel with the perfect location, yogurt flavored popsicles, catching a pick-pocket red handed, hiking the Great Wall, visiting where my Great Grandpa served several missions in Korea, meeting people that knew him and seeing the legacy he left behind (for more, see picture slideshow)
-Returned home to Wenatchee, Washington
-Happily bombarded with real life, visiting family and friends
-"Surprise" visit from my sister, who got married and pregnant while I was gone! (still haven't met her husband yet...)
-Got sick...:(
-Called to substitute teach Relief Society, Sunday School, be a ward missionary, teach health workshops, assist in a Young Women activity and play the piano in Primary
-Promptly started looking for work more diligently!...:)
-Went hiking and motorbiking with good 'ole college friend Cary

Something in slow motion:

Wenatchee must be in some sort of time warp. The last two months have been a blur in time, yet so many precious moments seemed to be slowed down just for my enjoyment. For that I am forever grateful. Transition is one of life's greatest challenges, but really teaches us something about ourselves and our adaptability. I'm still feeling out what move to make next, but when my priorities are straight, everything seems to slow down and I see more clearly the path ahead. I'm excited to find out where it leads me next!

From the Land of No Time

something bound to happen:

well family, cheers from china. as of late, i have been much occupied with business matters and trifling things such as buying my own insurance and figuring out plans for when mom and dad get here, etc. this does not leave much time to write you all about the things i want to tell you. but, since i will be allowed to email and talk to you all in approx. 2 weeks, i figure i will not stress about it. so, sorry if the mass emails don't happen after this. know that i love you and still pray for all of you and thoroughly enjoy all the emails you've sent with pictures and updates. i love them. mostly because it reminds me of how blessed i am to have such an inspiring and amazing family. i will try to get some pics off next week maybe. it is all coming to a close around here, and although sad and a little nerve racking, i think i am ready for it. my body is dead. it was bound to happen and now that it's happening i'm finding that it's ok. i'm ready for it. bring on the transition and the new adventures! we're enjoying to the end here in kwun tong and hopefully, just like all the marathons i've run, i can dig deeper and find the strength to sprint across the finish line. mainland better have some fabulous massage places. i will need it!...:) cheerio.

From the Land of Scripture Mania!

something surreal:

This last sunday(April18th), the mother of the family we have been teaching was baptized! This is Sister Lam, the lady who we helped quit smoking and drinking coffee. I can't even believe it happened, as we have been through so much with her. It all led up to her baptism, which of course was so simple and so....quick. but just as it should be...:) It's been such a privilege to teach that family and see them grow and change and learn to trust in the Lord and more on each other. And as though I haven't already been blessed enough, the Lord provided even more miracles. Her oldest daughter who doesn't live with the family came to her baptism and decided she wants to start learning about the church as well! this is a miracle, as she has had a rough start to life and made not the best choices, but she wants to do better. On top of all this, Sister Lam's older sister, who lives in Indonesia, happened to run into the missionaries there and wants to be baptized! this is a miracle, as there are barely any missionaries there and millions of people. she also met them and started taking the lessons completely independent of sister Lam. She didn't know anything about it. the problem over there is that, well let's just say that it is more difficult in Indonesia. So, she is actually coming in August to HK and will be taught by the mandarin missionaries (she knows mandarin) and baptized here in HK!!! how amazing is that? If you ask me, it has something to do with Heavenly Father leading some inspired missionaries to a certain place and person in the crowds of Indonesia. I love missionary work and how the Lord knows what he is doing. It all just fits together. So many blessings coming to this family and more to come! we are starting family history with them and plan on going to the temple with them to do baptisms for their family members before i go home. surreal.

Something Soothing:

President Chan has now officially approved the listening of classical music in the mission! Wahoo! I can't even begin to tell you how much of a difference this has made..:) Thanks to natalie putting Chopin's complete collection on my ipod, Sister Hancock and I sooth our souls at the end of the day with his nocturnes and other classical favorites that weren't allowed before, like my yo-yo ma collection. oh the joy in simple things.

Something Book of Mormon focused!

So, about 1.5 months ago, just when i started training sister Hancock, i felt like i needed to recenter myself and refocus my efforts as a missionary. I did what i called a "personal window of heaven" - basically i set aside a specific time to pray and think and just talk with my Heavenly Father about what he needs and wants me to do. i prayed for it beforehand for about a week. during my "window of heaven" i felt very strongly that i should focus more on the Book of Mormon more than i had been doing. I can truly tell you now that this was inspiration. This moves, our mission president has decided to focus on the Book of Mormon like crazy. However, before we knew this, sister hancock and i decided to read the book of mormon in 1 week. i was inspired by a missionary, elder kwok, that had done it before and i wanted to try and see if it was possible on a missionary schedule. it has been one of the best things i have ever done on the mission. right after we finished our goal, i received a phone call from the AP's asking sister hancock and i to do a sharing on the book of mormon in zone conference....coincidence?...i don't think so. This book of mormon frenzy has now motivated us to completely revamp our ward mission plan and focus on our members using the book of mormon to share the gospel and strengthen their own testimonies. all i can say is that is has been an incredibly wonderful way to end my last months as a missionary and has brought even more success and joy to our work here in Kwun Tong than i could have possibly planned myself. that is the beauty of personal revelation, inspired mission presidents and willing and hard working companions. It works. period.

Something not as hard as i thought it would be:

Of course, since i am dying soon, we are going big this moves. every week has a different goal and plan to keep us moving and to keep me focused...:) i love it. i need it. so this last satuday we started another crazy goal. ENGLISH FAST for a week! since sister hancock is a very new missionary, i was a little worried, because sometimes it can be tiring and frustrating because you want to say things that you just can't in chinese and miscommunication increases. i don't know why i was worried. we are almost done now and it has gone incredibly wonderful. i remember doing a fast in my 3rd moves and it was what we call in hong kong "san fu!"----frustrating, hard and difficult all put together. sister hancock's chinese has improved so much and i feel so blessed to have a companion that can do these sort of things with me even though she is so new. what a blessing! and just goes to show that sometimes we mentally make things out to be harder than they really are.

that's all for now! cheers from china for only another month!!!...:(

From the Land of Easter and Eagerness

Something April Fools...:)

So, as last year i pretended to break my arm for april fool's day, sister hancock and i had to go big this year as well. we decided to get our elders, who live really close to the church. we acquired various scraps of shredded paper and trash and pulled one of many buckets of oatmeal from our food storage supply and decided to "fill" their door with all of this wonderfulness, so when they opened it in the morning, it would fall all over...:) yea! it took some early morning sneaking and 40 minutes of sifting all this stuff through a small hole in the gate in front of their door, but it worked! wahoo! see pics for results...:) we also got our sister with a few switches of food supplies. sister lew loves her peanut butter and sister black loves her cereal in the morning. so we scraped out all of the peanut butter and made it look like it was full, even though it wasn't and then replaced sister black's milk with water...hee hee hee. let's just say she threw her milk jug at me.....wahahaha! it was all in good fun and so far no retaliations...yet.

Something Easterness:

Our district also put together an easter activity for our investigators and friends and a huge easter feast for Sunday night. Easter doesn't really get celebrated here except that students get school off. So we decided to bring Easter to Kwun Tong! we decorated eggs and had a hunt and even made deviled eggs...? is that spelled right? sister hancock made them and they were dilicious! lots of other good stuff happened this week as well, as we celebrated sister Lew's bday too! so many celebrations! i hope it calms down a little, so we can relax!



Something coming soon:

So, unlike the rest of you, we have not watched conference yet! we have to wait for the translation and all that good stuff, so we are watching it all this weekend! i can't wait! the only stressful part is getting all our investigators there and getting friends and members to watch out for them as we will be watching in english. i hope it all works out! we want to get 10 people there, so we will see what happens!

Something goals oriented:

so, my whole mission every morning i wake up 1/2 hour early to get in more exercise, as the 1/2 hour slot in the morning is never enough. i set a goal to be able to do 100 pushups before i came home and this week I did it!!!!! 100 push-ups in a row!!! craziness! but now i need a new goal! so, sister Hancock and went running the other day and found a pull up bar...:) now we have a goal to be able to do 5 pull ups before i go home in May. Let's just say it's going to be a challenge because i can barely do 1 right now....:) i love having a companion that likes a challenge and doing crazy things to keep us motivated. it makes everyday more enjoyable and exciting! I hope you are all pushing yourselves to do better and be more than you were before! I know you can do it! cheers!

Ether 12:27

From a land seen through new eyes....

Something simplified:

...or seen through new glasses! yes, glasses are quite cheap here and i'm so tired of wearing contacts that i just went out and bought glasses. i now where them everyday and it makes life so much easier! i also recently stopped wearing make-up except sometimes on sunday. that combined with my very straightened hair that needs no attention at all, i have never lived such a simplified life when it comes to getting ready in the morning. my hair has always been a burden, especially in the humid weather, but now i literally don't have to do anything to it and it looks good. seriously, straightening my hair is the best thing i've ever done. yea! i love it. sister hancock is my inspiration. i have more time now to study characters and do other things, like put durian in sister hancock's bed or swap sister lew's dried fruit for dried squid. which they very much enjoy. ah, the simplified life is always better....

Something amazing in Hong Kong:

Two sundays ago we had stake conference in the wan chai building on Hong Kong Island. To get to Wan Chai on the MTR is a good 45 minute trip. well, sister hancock and i managed to get 7 investigators, 2 less actives and 3 recent converts all there safe and sound. you have no idea how much of a miracle this is. first of all, i've never had that many people at church before my entire mission. secondly, we all got there and didn't get lost amid switching cars and subway lines and kept everyone together. to add to it, our investigator's prayer was answered by one of the talks and she met a member that is in our stake (actually one of my recent converts from the TKO ward) and they are now really supporting each other and good friends. miracle. she set a date to be baptized this last week. another miracle. can i just say that new missionaries are so powerful. sister hancock is so fearless and i feel like i just get to sit back and watch the miracles come this moves. actually, not really, we are both exhaustified at the end of everyday, but it feels so good and we are definitely seeing the fruit of our labors. the great thing is it's not us. It's God. we just get to be instruments in his hands and be apart of all the joy that comes from doing his work. i have the best "job" ever!!!!

From the Land of Miracles

Something more than a miracle:

ok, so for the last month or so we have been teaching an amazing family. the oldest daughter was just baptized about 2 weeks ago now and we are working with the mom and other daughter right now and getting them ready to be baptized. i love them to death. seriously. i feel like they are my family here in Hong Kong. The mother (sister Lam) has smoked since she was very young and so we decided we were going to help her stop. this is no small task. i have never helped anyone quite smoking before. people who smoke have a different way of life. it literally revolves around smoking. to stop is nothing short of a miracle. well, we are missionaries and we see miracles everyday, so we figured with God on our side, we could do it. the church has a smoking plan that goes for 7 days where they follow 15 steps everyday to help them learn how to be a "nonsmoker." it gets rid of the cravings and desire to smoke instead of focusing on just going cold turkey and using your will to stop. you need more than your will to stop smoking. you need desire, faith, patience, trust, self discipline and many other things. well, sister Lam has all these things and more. i studied the plan for a good 2 weeks, making sure that i knew how to present it, teach it in chinese (which was no small feat) and prepared to help her every step of the way. we also made sure she was ready to take it on. on top of this, i had a brand new missionary as my companion, who speaks beginner chinese. however, this didn't matter because sister hancock is amazing! well, we started the plan last week and finished this last saturday. Let's just say that with struggles and miracles every day, sister Lam quite smoking and has now been smoke free since she started the plan on March 6th. not only that, but the plan also helped her to quite drinking coffee which she has drank since she was a little girl. nothing short of a miracle. we are still working with her and making sure she is going strong, and she is set to be baptized on April 18th. God is truly a God of miracles. I can't believe it all happened. but it did, and it is all because of faith and the gospel of Jesus Christ. With God, so many things are possible. I'm so grateful i've had sister hancock with me through it all as she has been such a good foundation of faith and motivates me to do more and be better. she keeps me on my toes and i love it! We are loving this experience of being instruments in the Lord's hands, bringing our dear friends closer and closer to Christ, overcoming their challenges and finding true happiness and peace. it is the most satisfying thing i have ever done in my whole life.

From the land of straight hair vs. humidity

something identical:

so, my trainee is just like me. or i am just like her. it doesn't matter. we are the same person. practically everything we did in the past or like is the same. we both love to travel, eat, run, rock climb, learn languages, laugh, share the gospel and the list goes on and on. most importantly she loves cheese. she also studied at BYU and loves to learn. she is amazingly teachable and willing. she is also tough. she can handle hard things and is fearless. our first time out finding it was raining and an old lady whacked her with her umbrella and told her she didn't need to teach them because she is buddhist. she just laughed. she has a hurt ankle, but she will still run the stairs with me instead of taking the elevator and doesn't mind taking on monstrous and crazy goals to make life as a missioanry more interesting. i love her. i can't even tell you. she has huge faith and her language is already improving so much because she lets me help her and in the process she helps me and teaches me because she studied chinese before the mission and knows how to read a lot of characters and stuff already. it's amazing! she's like a greenie from heaven. today we both got our hair straightened in preparation for the summer weather coming so we don't have to worry about our hair frizzing out. yeah! my long lost half chinese sistah! life is good.

something...oh, out of time. lame.

From the Land Far From Earthquakes

Something Surprising!

So, i just now barely heard about all the earthquakes in chile! I live in a hole!!! thanks for your updates mom, i had like 10 emails from you today when i opened my account...:) Michael, im so glad that your are ok and that you were not serving in the big city where it is more dangerous. i will pray for you and hope no one comes to rob or threaten you for supplies. keep going and use every opportunity you can to serve and share the gospel! i love you!

Something Greenie:



My new companion - sister Hancock- arrived in Hong Kong yesterday!!! We met last night and after just a few minutes talking with her i knew the Lord knew what he was doing when he put us together. She loves the outdoors, exercising, yoga, camping, running, music, traveling and is just pretty much AMAZING!!!!!!!! She is from California and her mom is actually 4th generation american born chinese. Sister Hancock is a mixie. Her dad is American....obviously. She doesn't really look chinese, but when you know you can kind of see it...:) She is a lot like makenzie and laney...:) She studied at BYU before and also knows some mandarin. I'm so thrilled to be her trainer and know we are going to have a lot of fun together. yes! running in the morning again! after 2 moves with a native, i'm dying to get out and run more! wahoo! it's going to be crazy, but i'm so excited!

Something of a Blessing:

This last sunday we had four of our very dear friends get baptized! 2 were sisters, one of them being our investigator. Her family was less active for a long time and she never got baptized. Her little sister just turned 8, so they were baptize together. Such a miracle! Their family has been through a lot and to see them come together and have more of the spirit and blessings that come with baptism has been a privilege to witness. The elders had one of their investigators baptized and then we had another young girl baptized named Vivian. We are teaching her family right now, so hopefully her sister Polly and her mom will be baptized soon. Vivian is amazing and their whole family is so dear to us. Sister Kwok was especially sad to leave them, but she is moving on to another area (TST) that is amazing. I will miss her too! But it is time for me to stop being so lazy and stop relying on my native companion to do everything...:) Here we go! Greenie and me! I love you all and hope you are safe and well. Thanks for your love and support.

From the Land of Nostalgia

Something Nostalgic:

This last saturday i hit my 1 year mark in Hong Kong. Everytime I think about how long i have been here, i have mixed emotions. In some ways i feel like i just got here and still don't know what i'm doing half the time...:) I feel like i am still learning how to be a good missionary and how to do the work more effectively. Other times I feel like i am chinese and am shocked when i see other white people walking by and think to myself, "what are they doing here?" Then i catch a glimpse of my arm and realize that i look just like them and that chinese people are thinking the same thing about me. don't they know that this is my home? don't they know that i am hong kong people?...:) that's something natives say here when they speak in english..."i am hong kong people!"...as opposed to chinese or anything else you mistake them for...:) i love this place and am so grateful i still have time left to enjoy it. about 3 months to be exact. 3 months. so much time! so much to do! i'm mostly excited to be training because i think my new companion will give me that extra boost to keep me going and really take advantage of the time i have left. thanks for all of your support and love and prayers. i need them. especially since i am losing my native companion next week and getting a greenie!!!!! wahoo! bring it on! cheers and love to you all!

From the land of CHINESE NEW YEAR!

Something CHINESE:

RED PACKETS....aka "lai si." Tiffany might know what this is...:) we get packets of money from people during new year. it is fabulous. as missionaries, we are only allowed to use it for missionary purposes and for our investigators and members, but it feels like christmas! wahoo!

Something BIG:

all the missionaries in Hong Kong went to the big buddha monastary today in tung chung. it was fabulous and yes, the buddha was big..:) it was freezing but so worth it!



Something COLD:

the temperature last week in hong kong was 24 degrees celcius and i wore short sleeves. today it 1.5 degrees Celsius and i wore 5 layers of clothes. i love china.

Something TRADITIONAL:

every year before the new year begins the chinese people will clean out their homes and organize and throw things away. kind of like american spring cleaning. it is bad luck to do after new year has began because you are suppose to rest and visit family and things during that time. well, we missionaries follow that tradition as well. we are given an entire day to clean out our entire apartment from top to bottom with toothbrushes and bleach. seriously. it was awesome though and our apartment shines. i love it because i am a clean freak...:) we threw out so much old stuff that has probably been there for ages. wahoo! more space! missionary work is more slow during the new year because people are busy seeing family and traveling so it was nice to have a day to clean and rest. this week has been so strange, but i love following the chinese new year traditions. church was also only an hour long on sunday so people can go and be wit their families. my district painted fai cheun...aka "new year greetings" on red paper and gae them to the ward members as they came to church. we also wore our chinese clothes as many of the members and children do as well. so fun!

Something IMPRESSIVE:

Monday night after cleaning all day, we went and watched the fireworks. being as it's china, they were amazing! so beautiful and the night was so cold and clear you could see everything so well!

Something UNEXPECTED:

I am training a new missionary next moves....in 2 weeks. AAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!~ just kidding. i am actually so excited. i just wasn't expecting it because there was only one sister coming in and there are so many sisters that haven't trained yet due to the slow down in missionaries coming to this area of the world. i just hope i can be good trainer! ahh! i have to be a good missionary now!!!!! blah! she'll probably think i'm a lunatic. which is true. hee hee. cheers! i love you all!

From the land of out of the ordinary missionary work!

Something from mainland:



well, this week sister kwok and i got to experience something that doesn't happen to a lot of missionaries. serving in hong kong is a very special experience with all the many languages and the people that come here from all over asia to come to the temple. As there are no missionaries in mainland china, many people come to hear the missionary lessons, be baptized and then return home. all of these people speak mandarin and so usually the mandarin missionaries (all elders) will teach these investigators. however, there are some people that come from areas where their dialect is cantonese, so other missionaries have a chance to teach them. again, the elders are usually the ones asked to teach them because they can teach AND baptize them and it's more special for the investigator. the process is a very quick one, in fact, it all takes place in one day! they come, they hear all the lessons and are baptized usually in the afternoon/evening...crazy!

sister Kwok and i were asked to teach a last minute investigator coming from mainland speaking cantonese because he wasn't planning on getting baptized. His girlfriend is a member of the church and asked him if he wanted to learn about the church. They have a small branch in mainland where he lives but he can't attend. In mainland, you can't go to church unless you have family that are members, so he had to come to hong kong. His name is Brother Peng and he is amazing. Sister Kwok and I were excited but also had no idea what we were doing as we'd never experienced anything like this, so we just went for it!

We taught him the first lesson and then went to lunch with them and a bunch of other mandarin missionaries and their mainland investigators who were there that day. we got to know them better and the second lesson after lunch was great because we actually knew their situation and who they were more. well, sister kwok felt inspired to ask him to pray about being baptized anyway, even though he hadn't planned on it when he came. when we first started teaching him, he literally was starting from ground zero. He'd never prayed before, didn't have any background in christianity, who Jesus Christ is or anything....but he decided he wanted to pray about it too. so, we left the room and let him pray about it all....so crazy! his girlfriend, sister leung, was so nervous, but just excited that he would even be willing to learn about the church. she said that a couple of her friends were fasting and praying for them that day back in mainland.

Well, he prayed for about 30 minutes, but it felt like an hour. at first, we didn't know if he was ok or if we should check on him, but we decided to just let him be. when he was done, he came out he looked like he had been crying and went straight to the restroom. we waited for him and when he came back he said that he had reviewed everything we had taught him, reading the booklets and the scriptures. then he prayed about all of it and whether or not he should be baptized and he said he felt very strongly that he needed to. it is hard to translate the chinese, but he said that he had "felt a strong feeling and had been touched." he wanted to be baptized! Sister leung of course burst into tears...:) it was pretty amazing. it was such an example to me of how simple and easy it is for those who are prepared to accept the gospel and follow christ. however, being from mainland is not as simple. he would have to wait til next week, because of certain preparations that have to take place first. so we went home that night amazed at his faith and planning on having him taught the rest of the lessons and being baptized January 9th when he returned. however, that night we got a call saying that his Hong Kong VISA had problems and wouldn't let him return on the 9th! So, he had to be baptized the next day! ahhh! welcome to mainland teaching! we left church early on sunday and traveled to the wan chai building to finish teaching him the lessons and prepare him for his interview. we prayed that his heart would be open and ready for everything. he had no problems because he had felt the spirit and knew it was true. crazy! he was baptized and confirmed after church and several members of the mandarin branch in Hong Kong were there to support him along with sister leung of course. they had spent the night at some of the members homes the night before and had made some good friends. it was all so fast and crazy and i've never experienced anything like it, but I know it was a gift from God that he let sister kwok and i teach them. Brother Peng said that him and sister leung are already planning on returning in a year to get married in the Hong Kong Temple...:) God is a God of miracles. that is all i have to say. Brother Peng will always be such an example to me of pure and simple faith. he said that as he was getting baptized he had so many things on his mind, but after he came out of the water it was all gone and he could think clearly and wasn't worried. amazing. I love missionary work and am so grateful i have been called to serve in Hong Kong.

From the Land of Happiness!

Something special:

On January 17th, Sister Kwok and I had the privilege of having 2 of our friends/investigators get baptized! They are both adorable and miracles because they had only been coming to church for a month. One is named Ivy and she is the smartest little girl i have ever met. One of our recent converts brought her to church and she has become almost a permanent resident...:) She is an only child and her mom works all day...literally (5am-11pm 7 days a week), so she loves coming to church and feeling like she has a family. She has so much personality and always surprises me because she remembers everything we teach her word for word and can quote the scriptures like you've never heard. she's amazing! Our other friend is Janice and she is the younger sister of a member in the ward. She had been coming to church for a month before anyone realized that she wasn't a member yet! She was taught and baptized in 3 weeks! SO much faith and so mature for her age. These 2 girls are heaven sent and I love them so much! (see pictures of their baptism.)

Something happy!

So, as you may have guessed, I didn't get transferred! Sister Kwok and I are at it for at least another 6 weeks! Wahoo!!! We saw so many miracles together and I'm so excited to be with her for this moves because Chinese New Year is coming and she can tell me why they do everything and help me appreciate it more! Another fun surprise is that a sister from my good ole MTC days moved in to the apartment to serve with sister Lew in TKO - sister Black! I love her and haven't served with her or really seen her for a year! so long ago! She is a joy and makes every day even more fun and worthwhile. Heavenly Father has blessed me so much with so many good companions and friends the last several months that I can't even begin to thank Him. It makes all the difference when you love the people you live and serve with. Mostly because we are happy and have the spirit in our apartment and companionships!

Something long in the making:



The same day as Janice and Ivy's baptisms, I finally finished my requirements for becoming a Cantonese Master! wahoo!! it was a fabulous day. There are basically 3 levels of language skill: giant, master and legend. to be a master you need to be able to read a chapter in the chinese book of mormon, know 1,000 characters, do 2 week-long english fasts, and know all the vocab in our missionary vocab and phrases book. It took a while, but it's finished! Now onto more characters! To be a legend is harder for us sisters as we only have 18 months instead of 24, but I'm going to try and go for it. It includes translating, knowing 3000 characters and writing in chinese and a bunch of other difficult stuff. It will at least motivate me to keep pushing my chinese to be better!

Something different:

Here in Kwun Tong, many of our friends and investigators are very common people, mostly very humble and hard working, struggling to make a living in a city of 7 million people where they are just another face in the crowd. The Gospel of Jesus Christ means a lot to them because they learn for the first time (some of them) that there is someone who cares and knows them individually by name - that someone being God. Well, this last week sister Kwok and I had the opportunity to teach someone very different. VERY DIFFERENT. At first we called her "princess" because we were actually never told her real name. she is a friend of a member who lives in mainland now, but he was her economics tutor about 10 years ago. She lived in the states for a while studying in Boston and is now back in HK getting her masters in Business (MBA). She is special. We didn't realize how special until the first time we met her and she had an assistant/helper carrying her bags and things and opening her door for her...:) When we first met her, it was hard to not be distracted by the string of diamonds in her headband and the very professional manner in which we discussed our church and what we do as missionaries. As we come to find out, she is the daughter of a very prominent businessman and politician here in Hong Kong. She said we can look up her family online...:o! She lives a very different life than that of my previous investigators and friends that i've taught and introduced to the church here in Hong Kong. Teaching her was something of a new experience, especially as we sat in the very humble setting of the Kwun Tong chapel library...:) Sister Kwok and I laughed so hard afterward and wondered what she must have thought! Either way, she has a lot of interesting goals and wants to "change Hong Kong," but is also looking for something stable in her life. I know the gospel will give her the answers to her questions, so I hope she continues to see us. To schedule her, we have to go through her secretary, who schedules her time and appointments....:) goodness, so different!....it's fun and I'll keep you updated on any other further developments with "princess."

That's all folks! Happy Groundhogs day!!!!

From the Land of Simple Things

something peaceful:

this morning i spent 2 hours of my pday relaxing for the first time in months. i sat on the couch in my sweats, wrapped in a blanket because it was freezing, and wearing my warm crazy striped socks and had a cup of tea (thanks again mom!). i read through my journal, read the scriptures and reflected on the last year of my mission. i didn't try to write anything down. i just thought about things. it was fabulous and it's something i haven't done or had time to do in ages. i highly recommend it.

something of a new year's resolution:

my new year's goals this year are interesting. mostly because i will spend 1/2 the year as a missionary and 1/2 the year as a normal person with a normal life. as i'm not sure what that other half of my life really holds in store, it's all just kind of a blur. i know that i want to learn more chinese. its become a passion of mine now and it's something i can use after the mission as well (hopefully) so i'm trying to focus on getting up to 3,000 characters before i come home in June. i'm at 1,000 right now. and i want to be able to read the entire Book of Mormon in chinese as well. we'll see how that goes...:)

something random and extremely unhealthy:



on new year's ever i ended the year 2009 by consuming 10 mcdonald's hamburgers in 52 minutes and 32 seconds. yes. here in the china hong kong mission it is called the 10 burger challenge. my district did it together after climbing to the top of lion's rock (a mountain in Hong Kong). unbelievably, i was the only person in the whole district to get to the 10 burgers! yes, mother are you not so proud?...:) several of the elders in my district are big boys and i thought for sure they would make it before me, but they died at about burger 6-7. i told them it's all mental and like running a marathon. you just pretend every burger is the first burger...:) i hadn't eaten any burgers from mcdonald's the whole time i've been here in hong kong till now and i probably won't eat any ever again...:)