Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Week 5 Transfer 4--My halfway mark--Hump Day: Missionary Letter


Tuesday, October 20, 2009 11:26 PM

Today is something I've heard missionaries refer to as a hump day?  No idea why, and nobody here says that, but yeah, I've been on my mission exactly 9 months today.  I go home July 20th with the way transfers fall here...so a day short of 9 months left.  I only noticed that since President told us when we were going home in interviews..then I was like...hmm cool, my halfway point is soon...and on a preparation day...so tadum. 

Today I don't feel like thinking of what to write, so I brought my mildy funny journal stories with me, and i'm going to copy what I wrote yesterday in my journal.  10/20/09.  9:41 pm Today was pretty good. Peike's (that's a member with us in the lesson to help our investigator progress) Yay! 2 of the lessons were really good.  With Lin Weitong we watched Together Forever.  She cried during the movie.  It was really spiritual.  We talked about the Holy Ghost and Eternal Families, and she really felt the power of the Holy Ghost.  She was like, "I don't know why I'm crying."  Our peike told her it was the Holy Ghost.  After the lesson, she prayed that she could have an eternal family.  She really wants it.  She's good.  She set a baptism date in lesson one with Sister Kunzler and Chen when I was in Neihu on exchanges. 

Also met with Lin Jingxian.  She's cute.  Has WOW problems, but also told us she felt like crying reading a WOW story, concluded (ON HER OWN! YEAH!) it was what we called "The Holy Ghost" felt like for her individually, since we told her everyone felt it differently.  She's awesome.  She said she'd stop smoking, it just might take time, but she has total faith she can do it.  She's awesome.  Today was good.  2 investigators who self admit to feeling the Spirit...not bad at all.

Besides that, didn't eat much today.  A granola bar for breakfast, Skittles, a couple cheetos, a bread with some kind of parsley on top.  No dinner.  Maybe I'll go eat raisin's right now.  Was moody.  Period heavy, but cramps not as bad as yesterday.

In one of our lessons the girls were totally unfocused, so it was 20 minutes or less.  We told them to come more focused next week.  I wasn't that upset.  They are just 16 year old girls.

Had 2 interesting contacts.  First I talked to a boy in the army (every boy in Taiwan has to do it for about a year).  I offered him a Skittle.  He said no.  I asked where he was going.  He said Raifang.  I said, us too!  I asked if he was in the army.  He said yes.  I said it looked like it, as he had a huge duffle bag at his feet.  I asked how long he'd been in the army for and he didn't understand my Chinese.  So I said he was xinku to be in the army, and that my country didn't have it as a requirement.  He asked me a question.  I didn't understand his Chinese.  I asked him something, he didn't understand my Chinese.  I tried to tell him where our church was at.  He didn't know what I was saying.  We were confused.  I gave him our church pamphlet with the addresses and told him it had the address.  The end.

The second I gave our pamphlet to a lady on a scooter who said the Elders just gave her one.  I didn't see it, so I gave her another one just in case.  Invited her to English class.

In a week from Friday's news, the other day, I got Burger King.  Well, I always make fun of Elder Cai for getting it so often, so I didn't want him to see me.  We'd all just taught English so I knew he'd be at the church soon, so I was downing it.  They arrive and I hide behind the door, holding it (the door) back and finish my food.  I see the Elders look in the room, I wait, they leave , I let the door shut, hide the wrapper in my bag, go look out the window for a couple seconds, they go back and open the door.  Elder Hammer and Cai are SO confused.  They are like, we just looked in here.  Nobody was here!  I said, I was in here the whole time, you didn't see me? They were like, no, we swear we looked good too.  Strange, it's like you were a ghost.  I cracked up inside , and later telling my companion who was in the bathroom at the time.  I kept my cool through it though, they had no idea.  The funniest thing is, nobody would have cared I was eating a Burger, I wasn't hungry earlier...I just had made fun of Elder Cai they day before though, so I didn't want him to see me.  Just because.  haha, then it was hilarious and worth it for the story.

Yesterday told my companion about the Time Traveler's Wife plot on a long bike ride.  It was fun.  I forgot how the story ends though, so she was kind of AHHH because I couldn't tell her.  haha. 

Skittles in Taiwan don't taste the same as in America.  They aren't as good.

End journal entry.

Yeah, so there's a day in the life.  Or an entry in the mind of Sister Bruno.  It was a pretty good one.

Hey can someone find out Nena's address for me, I wrote her weeks ago, but don't have her address.  I also kind of need mascara and eyeliner.  Taiwan has mascara, but not that good, and no eyeliner like I need.  So if you can send me some, I'd be really happy.  The stuff you don't need to sharpen.  I'm not good at using that kind.  I bought extra eyeliner right before I came, but it was gone when I got here, so yeah!  Now I need more...and that's all I can think of for right now.  Oh and if you really love me, and light brown base, mine broke all up and fell out on exchanges.  I could probably find it here, but since you are sending me those anyways!  And makeup here is really not good.  Not to mention like 10 dollars or more for anything, and probably imported..and old.  :) you can send it in those little packages with the bubbly wrap and it shouldn't be too expensive.

That's all!