This week was grand. Last week I got to go on exchanges. Sister
Taggart came here with Sister Liu and I went with Sister Everton to
Seneca! My baby area! Sister Taggart had planned for us to check on
some formers and potentials. I had been thinking about the Velasquez a
lot lately so I asked before she left if we could check on them and
she said that would be great. I taught the Velasquez from April to
June and they were gonna be baptized but then cancelled their baptism
the Wednesday before and broke my heart and then after that I was
transferred so I haven't seen them since June. They had told me I need
to visit them but as a missionary I'm not allowed to just take time
out to visit people who aren't in my area so it was a miracle that I
had exchanges. We went there and Esteban and Leticia were home so we
went inside and talked to them for an hour and a half and they said
they would come to the Spanish Night of Music and Inspiration if I
would be there too so I agreed to go as well. Even though I'm not in
Seneca anymore, they're still my investigators! It was so good to
visit them, I was really happy. Also, proud missionary moment: when it
was time for us to go I asked if we could say a prayer and they
automatically got on their knees to pray. I trained them well (: It
was so nice and strange to be back in my first area and apartment. I
also loved being with an American companion for a day. I talked her
ear off since I've missed having Americans to talk to.
We taught Zhang LiYing twice. Both were bad lessons. When we taught
her on Wednesday, our member present didn't show up so we didn't have
anyone to translate. Part way through the lesson she wanted to call
her friend to translate. I didn't think it was a good idea but she
wanted to. Bad, bad idea. Her friend is Baptist. She went off on the
phone in mandarin forever about how wrong we are and we are a horrible
church and she's so upset her friend is learning about us. Then Zhang
LiYing got upset and said she refuses to read the Book of Mormon and
she will only believe in the bible. I was so frustrated because Zhang
wouldn't shut up and Sister Liu wasn't translating and wouldn't
translate for her what I was trying to say. If it was English then I
could've easily told her why trying to limit God's word to one book is
stupid and ignorant but I couldn't in Chinese let alone her dialect.
Finally in frustration I bore testimony in Chinese that I know it's
true then we left. Some people are so rude. If my friend called me
asking me to translate for some Jehovah's witnesses or even the church
of satan, I would translate instead of being rude and bashing their
beliefs. I'm pretty sure Christ would've just translated. A lot of
Christians are mean and don't actually act like Christ. No wonder so
many people hate religion. Anyway, the second lesson we had a great
lesson planned and we had a less active sister with us who speaks the
dialect but once again Zhang went on and on and we couldn't get much
in. The only good thing to come of the lesson is that the less active
woman bore testimony of the Book of Mormon. It's lessons like these
that make me realize how strong my testimony really is. I know this is
true and nothing any man or woman ever tells me will make me deny what
God has told me.
We taught a girl named MengQi in DC on Friday. She goes to the singles
ward but the sisters there passed her to us to teach since she
understands better when we teach in Chinese so we have an investigator
who isn't in our branch. I don't mind, we are all on the same team
here and if it helps her to have us instead then I'm happy to help.
It's fun going into DC to teach people. I was slightly disappointed
when I found out that the Washington DC North mission is mainly
Maryland with only elders actually serving in the city since sisters
are too dainty. But now I get to serve in DC too.
On Thursday night we had dinner with a member. We were late and after
we parked, Sister Liu threw her door open and hit the car next to her.
She got out and acted like nothing happened so I chewed her out and
then checked the other car but there wasn't a mark. Apparently in
China it's ok to hit other people's cars? Because it took a while to
explain why you don't do that. By the end she wasn't very happy but
whatever. After dinner, we came out and the owners were really mad. We
gave them the number of the mission office to call. I called the
senior elder in charge of cars at the mission office to let him know a
rude, grumpy lady is going to be calling him. He later called back and
said that she did call and was angry but she calmed down. This woman
had always had bad feelings towards the church but she said that
Sister Liu and I changed her mind because we were polite or something.
He then told her she's welcome to come to church any time to see what
it's like and gave her the address and time. So that's cool. I didn't
realize I was being super nice or polite, that's just how I try to act
with everyone like Christians should. If they understand what being a
Christian means.
Sunday was fun. At church I didn't understand anything. Then we went
to dinner and I didn't understand anything. Then we went to the
Spanish Night of Music and Inspiration with the Velasquez and I didn't
understand anything. Sweet.
It's frustrating because my Chinese isn't very good but I'm the senior
companion who has to make a lot of the decisions and decide what we're
going to do. I feel like I'm training Sister Liu even though she's two
transfers older than me in the mission and three years older than me.
If I was a new missionary being trained by someone who knows Chinese
then it would be fine because they would be making most of the
decisions and speaking the most and helping me have opportunities to
practice during lessons. But that's not how it is because God loved me
too much to send me to an easier mission with MTC language training.
Refiners fire is so much more fun.
2 Nephi 29:6-11. The Lord calls those who say we have a bible and
don't need any more bible fools. We can tell God He can't write more
books just like we can tell J.K. Rowling she can't write any more
books because God has always done only what man likes and understands.
Thanks Dad and Cari for the package! I already opened it.. Hope that
was ok haha. Thank you so so so so much!
Love you all! Next week I won't be in my teens anymore. So exciting.
贝姐妹
The Velasquez (: Abby, Leticia, and Esteban.
No comments:
Post a Comment