WELL this was a really long, tiring, but super fun week. Most of it was filled with finding. We had a big of a kick with finding new investigators for a while, so we've redoubled our efforts to find more investigators and it's working. We have competitions on who can have the most potentials, pamphlets handed out, pass-along cards. etc. Yesterday, it was teh pamphlet competition. Chastity pamphlets were 5 points, word of wisdom 3, and every other pamphlet was 1 point. I won :D by 10 points! YEH!!! Sadly nobody handed out a Chastity pamphlet. It's kinda hard to get one of those out :P I will soon. i think I've handed out four on my mission.... hmmm.... I need to work on that. hahaha. Sometimes we have companionship vs. companionship. and we win. always :D YEH! just kidding. I read a verse in the scriptures that said that they rejoiced in the success of their brethren. Kinda like Elder Holland's talk about the parable of the workers. (Ps... I just read that in Matthew last week, and then in Mark again today. :)) So we're always happy about the other companionships winning and we buy them KFC or something, which explains my belly. I eat lots of KFC.... :) ANYWAY!!!!!!!
this week, we thought that an investigator had dropped us because he didn't answer the phone AT ALL for a week. It was really funny when he finally called us. We were freaking out and super excited. turns out, he was in the middle of midterms (what an asian guy) and had turned his phone of and put it in his drawer the whole week! talk about dedication! well. He told us that, when he was studying, he would always think in his mind: "Oh man, I wish the missionaries could come and help me and talk to me". that story probably made little to no sense, but moral of the story: I feel super duper loved as a missionary. Everybody loves the Elders. Even Daniel james. A catholic.... something... that started his own church. he loves us! (which is kinda scary sometimes because it's kinda a really scary love. Regardless, we love him. He makes me so happy. hahaha.
One of the fun points of being a missioanry here is taht people see our outfit and think that we're police officers or something so they always come up to us and ask random questions. One lady walked up to us and asked us if we had seen this one guy who was drunk, wore a black shirt, black hair, and kinda looks like me.... :) We tried helping, but then she just ran off....I would have chased after her, but then that would've been a really bad image for the church. We would be remembered as the people who chase. That would be bad...
Two days ago, we ran into a guy... can't remember his name... it was korean. who had just arrived, lost his baggage in the airport and was looking for accomodations because he hadn't thought to make sure he had a palce to stay here. We showed him to a backpackers place, told him to call us if he needed anything and wished him the best. He called us and told us that the airport had found his stuff, he really liked the accomodations and then wanted to learn. Unfortunately his english isn't outstanding, and I can only say: No Chongmal kingka! (which means: You are very handsome... or something to that effect) oh... and: Umshik Jooship sho. (I can't spell in korean) Neither of those phrases really help share more about the book of mormon or anything so I'm going to have to extend my korean vocabulary. :P haha. Just kidding. I can have a little small conversation, but that's about it.
oh yeah... I love the members here. They give us food. And stuff. The third pictures should be of me with Elder Malohifo'ou (played for BYU football), and Elder Li.... a Canadian, Taiwanese boy :). A member just gave me those shoes because they were too small for him, and I have small feet. :) yay!
Fun story for the week: We have an investigator who wants to be a missionary :) YAY! they were super excited about talking to people and wanted to know what we did and how we did it so they could do it to. We kinda want to teach her the basics first though. When we were walking with her to our meeting place, some people yelled at us and told us that we were working for the wrong church or something, and we just smiled at them and waved and continued on our way. After that, she was like: "oh my goodness..... are you two angels?" we promptly denied that, and then realized that we are on the Lord's errand! we kinda, in a way, are angels helping people back to heavenly father.
I'm not trying to say that I'm THE MAN to the point of saying I'm the ANGEL. rather, I'm saying that this work is the (excuse the use of a tacky film title) errand of angels. :) In preach my gospel, it teaches us how to begin teaching. It mentions that we have to let them know that, yes, we are people, we don't know everything and we may not be able to speak the language perfectly, but we are called by God, through His prophet to go out and gather the wheat from the tares, and find the lost sheep. Which brings me to my favourite part of studying the bible. Parables! :D
The other day, I was reading in the bible and came across ONE chapter of Matthew that mentions three parables that are related to missionary work. You probably definitely know these parables. First is of the Lost sheep. A sheep is lost, the shepherd, not sheepherder, goes out to find it and rejoices after it is found! How powerful! In my mind, I drew a connection between that, and answer Jesus gave to the scribes when they disagreed with his association with publicans. Does a doctor need to heal the healthy, or does he have to go into the middle of the sick people? Does the Shepherd need to stay and look after the 99 who are obediently staying with him in the pasture, or does he need to go out and find the one that is in danger of being eaten by wolves? anyway, the parables and answers of Christ are SO WONDERFUL! I love them! I could study all day!
Well, the next parable is of the lost talent. Where a widow loses a talent, and then finds it and rejoices. The significance of that is that the talent was not lost of its own voalition. It didn't choose to be lost under the couch, it was placed there in a neglected state. These are the golden investigators haha. Get it? gold, money? ok. anyways. Because of the area they were placed in, they had no chance to become part of the fold. As soon as we find it, we are super duper excited. I am at least.
And the last one is that of the prodigal son. My favourite. Because it kinda applies to me :D. They are born into the covenant. They ahve everything they need to be happy and enter the kingdom of God, but because of a few poorly evaluated choices, they end up somewhere nobody wants to be. They realize that the lowest of their previous home were happier than that. So, they come back. And how great is the joy of the Father when he sees his returning son? I hope I can become like the prodigal son. Rebellious and evil before leaving the home, but hopefully, I'll learn a lot out here. :) I love searching for these out here in the mission field. There are recent converts who become less active, and finding them is SO much fun! when they come back, it is the happiest thing in the world. Not only for them, but for us as well, and for the church, for their families, AND for Heavenly father. What a wonderful chance I've been given to be able to see this and be a part of His work in recovering His prodigal children.
well, I hope you're all doing well. IT"S MOTHERS DAY SOON! :D YAY! I'll skype you on your sunday around...4 or 5 ish. We're probably going to skype at the same house we did last time (the adams couple) They'll probably call you before I call home. :) I'm really excited. :D
hmm... what else... I can't think of anything else, except...
I love you lots! I hope you're doing super fantastic!
Jeff's proposal was big news in med school? What a skux delux guy hahaha. the man. It's so weird you're going to be married eh?
Vicky is the best. She's my hero. I'm trying to be like Vicky. :D one day...
Verina is so cool. You should teach me to play the piano. Everybody thinks that I should play the piano because I have squinty eyes, but I can't, and then they jump to new conclusions and think I'm not chinese, but half african (don't laugh... it has happened three times now...)
Call Andy a Xiang Pi Jing for me. :) (sp? Elder Tsai couldn't spell it and I don't know how to look it up)
And tell him and Elder Evans that he is missed... and he needs to talk to Brandy Phan and Stephanie Nguyen (don't put this part up on the blog... brandy reads it evidently O.o)
I love Elder Evans!
Jon is the man! sounds like you're doing super good! Go to the temple for me. I really miss going so frequently. I only get to go once every six weeks and everytime I go, it's the best! I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!!!!! I get to learn so much in there.
Mom and Dad are still the best. I still brag about you all. ALL the time. We'll probably get mail tomorrow, so sorry if I didn't respond to any of your questions or let you know if I got anything. when I call you next week, I'll let you know what i got. :) I LOVE MAIL FROM HOME!!! :D it makes me so happy. BUT that doesn't mean you should send more. You send too much already :P hahaha. Everybody knows I win every time we get mail. I get SOOOO much mail. There isn't a mail day that I don't get a package and a few letters! haha. I feel so loved out here.
SO i shall return the love to you :)
I LOVE YOU ALL! you're all the best! Thank you all so much for supporting me out here. It makes it really easy for me to fouces on the workk, knowing that you're all supporting and praying for the missionaries.
Love,
Elder Chen
ps. Shout-out to the birthdays this week out there(Oh my, one is actually tomorrow...)!!!! you know who you are :) buwahahahahaha. I wasn't able to write letters to people recently because of a lot of stuff, but no excuses. I'll get those birthday wishes out soon.... :)
bai bai!!!! :D
pps. Pictures! I forgot. The first one is of Elder Monsen, Kevin 1.0, Sister Lim and I at lunch. Kevin just finished a test so he took us to this super nice restaurant named "Beijing House" and we ate a lot. :D. oh, and my belly too. Thanks mom so much for that Jacket! it's PERFECT!!!!!!! It's kinda chilly, but not too much so that jacket makes me super warm and cozy :) thank you!!!!
Elder Malohifo'ou and I... he's a big Elder. I love him.... we feed him two or three times a week, and he eats SO much food. They don't really have much food in their flat at the end of the month because they don't have enough money, but we always have plenty, so we share :) because sharing is caring. and love. food is also love.
Last is the shoes. yum.. I lvoe those shoes. they are like walking on pillows everywhere I go. Sadly, they are MASSIVE! I have to walk funny because they're so wide, but they are my favourite. :) now I have too many shoes. Oh well.
oh I lied, it'll be mothers, day, not next week :P
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