Missionary Email: Becoming a New Person

Sunday, June 28, 2009 11:28 PM

Hello again from Zhongli. From the looks of it, I will be here forever...my companion leaves two weeks early during this transfer, so either I will go senior for 2 weeks with a native Taiwanese who will become a missionary for 2 weeks, or I will become a three-some with other sisters. That would be hard though because the closest sisters are Bade and Taoyuan. Both are a train ride and then like 10-15 more minute bike ride. So it wouldn't be easy to visit my investigators during that time. But it would be hard to be with a native Taiwanese who doesn't really know the missionary lessons and would be unable to speak to me in English. My Chinese is not at par to be able to handle that yet, and I highly doubt it will until I change companions....But yeah, I think white washing isn't a super common affair, so unless something uncommon happens, I'll be in Zhongli this and next transfer. But that's just my personal opinion...you never know.

President Grimley will be here on Wednesday. We saw President and Sister Nielson for the last time here in Zhongli on Sunday. They came and spoke in the 2nd ward. It was nice to see them for the last time...and we finally got those letters we wrote to them...My companion lost the letters twice...so we had to bike all over the world and waste a lot of time and energy both times just to get them...but I put a lot of effort into them, so that really was a blessing that we were able to find them again both times. The Nielson's told me I looked good and had a light in my eyes and stuff. I guess I was happy to hear that, because its true. I really have changed a lot from when I first got here and I'm a lot better. Still a lot of things I need to change, but as long as I'm making steps and becoming a better person a little every day, I figure that's what really matters. You can't become a new person in one day. I used to want to, and tried, and failed. I mean, maybe some people can, but for me, it's just step by step.

But yeah, it was really cool, President had us missionaries get up and we sang I am a Child of God. It was a really neat experience. I saw a lot of woman crying in the crowd. I think it was a good thing for our ward.

Then later that night, we had a missionary fireside for the other ward. So this was a good week for the wards.

This week has been pretty slow. It hasn't even been a week since we wrote. I guess the cool thing of the week is that 11 people were at church. So that's really good. Especially since we only have 2 people with dates. But honestly, I was still a little :( because I had a goal for 15, since 20 people said they were coming. My companion said she highly doubted that many would come. She was suprised 11 came. So I guess wo de xinxin bu gou. My faith wasn't enough. Maybe one day.

Mom and Dad...I need you guys to send me a family picture I asked for forever ago! Also I need a way to get my pictures from my camera to the computer...I've been borrowing my companions and she leaves in a couple weeks. I told dad forever ago for just a couple bucks you can get something that converts my sd card to a jump drive. So if you could find that really soon so I can keep sending pictures that would be great!

And Gigi, can you try to get me the following addresses, I would like to write....Amanda Lowder, Sara Medina, Nick Drake, and Cole. Matt Moses will probably have Cole's address, the other ones have facebook. So if you could do that for me, it would be great. I thought of other ones before, but now that's all I can remember.

Okay well time is up, byebye.

Sibling Letter: Interviews in the Church and On Missions

Dear Sister Bruno,

This week has been seriously ridiculous like no one's business. I have had a million things to do because we are right at the end of the second midterms the ones that come right before finals. It is strange that you can't start to really just get into a pattern and than boom things change that was how I always felt about my mission once you get into a comfort zone you leave the MTC or get transferred to a new area haha. So once again it is time to move and I think that I will live like a few blocks away from where I am living now so I will still be close to campus.

So in life, well Desi got a job which you probably know. Annika is still looking for one to go with her one hour of being a TA a week ha ha nothing new there. She is deciding where to nanny this summer, but wants to go o California so I hope she finds something. Genevieve and Stewart are pretty much the same really happy and honeymoonie (barf?) haha they are still trying to get pregnant but no luck so far ha ha. I am still boring and not dating anyone but working on it lol. I am starting to actually get serious about doing a study abroad my dream is to go to Jerusalem so I am starting to actually put in my applications and such so we will see.

I am studying the New Testament so that is always exciting and we have a test this week on Acts and Corinthians. I never realized how applicable they are to missionary work, but since Paul was a missionary who went to all of the Gentiles I guess that makes sense. I restarted the Book of Mormon also and I was reading Joseph Smith's account of when Moroni appeared to him. I liked how when he met each year before he got the plates with Moroni he called it an interview. In the church we have a lot of interviews and since the structure is divinely inspired I was wondering what it is about interviews that God thinks is so important. I was thinking about my mission, and how much I looked forward to our president's interviews because they gave us an opportunity to reevaluate where we were and to remind us of our role and to rededicate ourselves but also to get instruction from someone who really did have stewardship over us. I love that God gives us that opportunity. . . . and has since they very beginning since Joseph went to get the plates. Ne ways keep you eye single ha ha.

Ti Voglio Bene
=G=

Sibling Letter: Enjoy the Cheesecake

Dear Sister Bruno,

By now you will probably think it is strange to have a first name. I know that actually you stopped wanting to tell people what my first name was because it just did not seem to be appropriate haha. So I do not think that you will get this before Monday but I thought that I would try because I know you cannot get mail on Sunday. . .

So I am teaching the Relief Society lesson tomorrow and it is about the field is white already to harvest so I am preparing a missionary lesson and really excited about it honest. I cannot write you about it yet because I have not finished preparing so I do not know exactly what it will say but I will write you an email on Monday about how it went, prolly during the Acccounting review which I will not be paying attention to...wohoo for laptops.

Um for now that is all, sorry that this letter is lame but it is a letter and that is better than I usually do. I love you, by now you are prolly sick of the food but eat a no bake cheesecake for me and enjoy it, because soon enough you will be back home eating off of Ramon because you are broke hahah. I love you..enjoy every second!

Ti Voglio Bene
=G=

Sibling Letter: Get Companions For A Reason

Dear Sister Bruno,

This week has been terrible. I have been sooo sick with the flu. Other than that I have been getting into midterms so that is always awful. I am glad that you are friends with your district. I seriously believe that you get your district and your MTC companions for a reason. I am sorry about the drama haha you can tell me if you want, but do not have to... I am sure that it will get better though because you are trying to be Christlike and that is enough.

This week I decided to graduate in December so that will make exactly 8 semesters of school and I will be done before I am 23 so that will be good. I am nervous because that means that I will be single still but perhaps God wants me to go somewhere else to find my EC. I know...yuck. So I have to take the LSAT and GMAT and apply to grad school. I will let you know where I get in. We will see.

This week in my New Testament class I found my new favorite story in the New Testament. You should look it up. I feel like I am like Rhoda. So in Acts 12 a grumpy angel frees Peter from prison, so Peter goes and knocks on the door of Mary's house, and Rhoda goes to the door and hears that it is Peter...so instead of opening the door she runs to tell everyone that Peter is at the door and leaves him standing there hahahaha I am not sure what spiritually uplifting message we learn from this but I loved it. I love that every time I read the scripture I pick up new things that didn't seem as funny the last time.

I love you. Keep on keeping on. You are amazing.

Ti Voglio Bene
=G=

Sibling Letter: Love the Missionaries in MTC

Dear Sister Bruno,

So, I am going to write you, but I do not want you to correct or judge me for my spelling and grammar, so by now you are probably adjusting to your schedule. Dani told me that your companion refuses to speak English and that she dated this Landon kid in our ward, that made me laugh, so I guess she is intense hahahaha, how annoying...just joking I am sure that you love her. I am sure that God gave you her for a reason. Don't forget to love the Elders and help them and be their friend because they will be your leaders on the mission, your future district leaders, zone leaders and assistants. It is strange when I look back man, my district grew so much just in the MTC and you get a whole extra month of no bake cheesecake. I am going to buy some and have it tomorrow to celebrate. I am looking forward to getting email and p-day. I hope your teachers are awesome, but well they all are so...Things are good here. Matt tells me he loves accounting, but no word on the Felicia front. My life is still boring and uneventful. I started volunteering for this thing called Project Read, I am going to teachy a illiterate adult how to read. I am excited. Today we will go to a baptism of a cute Korean girl, I will send you a picture once I get your email address and tell you all about it.

Ti Voglio Bene
=G=