3/19/12

Pretty well known fact about missions: time makes absolutely no sense
here. :) hahaha.  Well, I feel like I just started this transfer, but
I've been in this transfer for half of its duration!!!?! what in the
dear goodness? anyway.  I was really excited when i woke up today and
realized that it was half-way through the transfer!!! then I was
really sad because I realized that it was half-way through the
transfer.  Kinda weird, but time really makes no sense.  You feel like
you have all the time in teh world when you're finding and tracting,
but as soon as you sit down and update the area book, you realize that
you used a day in your mission.... it's always a good time to look
back and evaluate your day and see if you worked your hardest or if
you could've done better.  I'm glad to say that I've been happy with
the work that I do most days.

FUN NEWS! President is thinking of starting a chinese branch here!!!!!
crazy huh? I hear about them and stuff in melbourne and taiwan, but
it'd be crazy if they started one here.  It'd be really ahrd because
we'd have to have REALLY good missionaries to keep increasing the
membership at a regular rate, and maintain the membership.  It's going
to be a lot of work and we're going to be exhausted when it goes into
play.  I hope it happens, but we're not sure of anything at this
stage.  President just wanted our input as to the readiness of our
area to start up a chinese branch.  :)

another fun story: It was St. Patrick's week here in Australia :)
super funny.  lots of irish people dressed up in golf clothes and
kilts and playing bagpipes.  There's a pub here called the irish
murphy's and it was insanely packed and ridiculously drunk when we
walked past.  Not a very good experience on my part.  hahahahaha.
Drunk people are still my favorite.  Sadly, they can't feel the spirit
when they're drunk, but they keep our heads up and keep us on our
toes.  An occassional laugh is really relieving at times.

YES I did recieve the camel pack!! just barely :) It's SO AWESOME!!!!!
Some of our Fellowship know all about it because I have it on and
they're like: Oh wow... why are there two tubes? and then I explain
the whole thing.  And then they want it.  But I don't let them have it
>:) hehehe.  ANYWAY! because of it.  I drank four liters of water in
NO time at all!! it was amazing! I had to go to the bathroom soooo
much.  and I felt really healthy.  Unfortunately it made me sweat
more.  hahahaha.  We were sitting in some couches and when we left, I
left this MASSIVE sweat spot on the couch and I felt really bad
because it probably never got out and so they have an outline of Elder
Chen's sweaty back on their living room couch... yummmm. :P hahaha.

I also got HEAPS of letters from you all! I'll try and remember
everything that I wanted to respond to. :P but I don't know if I can
remember it all... I left them all in the flat just now.... I haven't
fully gotten to all of them yet, but VERINA WON!?!??!?!?! crazy
cat!!!! WAY TO GO! Verina is the best! I get to brag more about you
now :P just kidding.  I say: When I brag about verina, it shows how
wonderful and important families are in our church. yep. :)  so. I
talk about Verina all the time.  I'm glad the soy paste stuff is
making your skin beautiful and fair.  My sweat is making my skin
beautiful as well.  We'll see who has more beauty in their skin after
my mission. MUWAHHAHAHAHA.  It's super humid here, so there isn't a
moment I'm not sweating!

Sorry I'm so behind on the news.  if you sent that backpack a month
ago I got it just this week... so... yep. Packages take a little bit
to get here.  Especially since they sit in the office for a while
before they get out.  but I LOVE IT! thank you so much! I didn't know
that i was getting dehydrated while I was finding, but now I have
wonderfully cool water to drink and spray at birds that attack us.
THEY ARE SOOOOO AGGRESSIVE!!!!! oh my goodness.  No, I haven't punched
one yet.  I probably won't though.. They'd probably eat my hand.

SO we actually had a funny experience this week.  our apartment
complex caught on fire O.o bahahahahahaha.  It sounds much worse than
it really was.  We were sleeping and stuff and then we heard dishes
crashing upstairs.  I was so tired and confused that I was like:
somebody's fighting and they're throwing bowls at each other.  Well
turns out... it was a fire.  We got up and it was so funny because
everybody was freaking out all yelling: COVER YOUR GARMENTS!!!!!!
hahahahahahahahaha.  so we ran around for a while trying to cover our
garments and then went out to the street and waited for the firemen to
take care of things (I felt sweet cuz there were four fire trucks, an
ambulance, and two police cars awww yeah) and then I fell asleep on
the car hood because I was so tired. :)  ANYWAY.  the fire didn't get
near our flat. we were able to go back into the building except for a
few people who lived in the complexes that caught fire, and we really
weren't affected.  So if you see me on the news smiling and waving.
it was from that.  we probably didn't even make it onto the news.  Our
apartment wasn't even touched.  God protects his missionaries :)

Anyway: moral of the story: don't worry we're safe, and God keeps us
on our toes :)  Plus I got to write a really cool story down in my
journal.  hahaha.  Nobody was sure how the fire started cuz it rains
HEAPS!!! everything is wet.  Thank goodness I got a rain jacket and
umbrella and gortex shoes :) thanks mom! you're the best! i'm glad you
were stubborn and made me take all that stuff anyway :) hoorah.

This week, we had HEAPS of success.  It was wonderful.  It feels like
I'm not doing anything and God is just making things happen for us all
the time.  One day, we started the day with no lessons and by ten, we
had three lessons lined up (which took up our whole day because we had
stake conference that took up the rest)  When we looked for fellowship
for those three lessons, it was ridiculous how easy it was.  Our first
lesson was in the CBD and we had Brandy and Stephany help us.  Then we
went to the chapel to teach another lesson at the exact time Jordan
could help us.  Then we went to Our investigator's house, and picked
up Cici on the way! it was so crazy how it all fell into place.  it
doesn't sound like a miracle, but it was to me.  we usually have to
call heaps of people in order to get fellowship and sometimes the
actual person fellowshipping isn't available.  WOW!!!! This work is
the BEST!  I love it! If homework was like this I would love it too :)
hahaha extend my mission? :)

Anyway.  During our first lesson (AMAZING) our investigator asked
heaps of questions and then we set a baptismal date with her and she
accepted.  The next lesson, we already had a date, and it was a good
lesson.  The last lesson was crazy.  We had been working with her for
a while.  We decided to teach her the plan of salvation and she LOVED
IT.  it was so funny.  At the end, we asked her if she had any
questions and she was like:  No... should I have questions? it all
makes sense!...... what do most people ask? hahahaha.  The spirit was
teaching here there.  I KNOW IT! the spirit is my favorite companion.

I was reading a talk by Elder Holland and in it, he said that this was
the most important work in the world! the salvation of souls takes
second place to NO OTHER WORK!!!!!!! I love it so much. It's awesome.
Being a missionary is the best thing in the world! When we baptize
people, I just smile the whole time because I know that their decision
to accept the gospel into their lives is making them so much more
happy!

Something that makes me sad though came up when I was studying True to
the Faith.  I was reading about the kingdoms of glory in order to
prepare for a lesson and I learned that people who reject the message
in this life, but accept it in the next life will only be able to
accept the terrestial kingdom :(  NOOOOOOOOO.  So it's super important
that we have the spirit with us as we teach.  It is SOOOO important
that we do the missionary work as good as we can!!!!! AHHH!!!! it's so
important that it's driving me crazy!! :D hahahaha.

Anyway, my time is up, but I hope you all have been doing really well!
I know that God is blessing you and protecting you!!!!  Keep up the
good work.  Thank you so much for all your support. Everybody knows
I'll have heaps of mail from my family every time I get mail. :)
you're all the best!!!!!

Love you all!!!!!!!

Cheers,

Elder Chen

ps.  Sister Munro is the best isn't she!? Did you know she's a convert
tooo!? like you mom! and she's the best! i can imagine how good of a
missionary you were when you were helping us out do the work :D

Pictures: aboriginal guy playing the digeree doo! :D
Zone training :D