Hotspot - Week 41

大家好，

This week was grand. On Wednesday we had zone training which was fun.
There were God workshops and I'm definitely going to implement what I
learned into my teaching.

Thursday night we taught Lin. He has been investigating since the
spring and has been taught most of the lessons but we haven't been
able to meet with him much since he never answers his texts or email.
He told us Sunday before last that he received an answer to prayer and
wants to get baptized. So Thursday night we went to teach him at a
members house. The fun part is that the member lives in Virginia which
is outside of our mission. We got permission from President Cooke to
go. We took the metro there. I felt so dangerous and wrong getting on
the metro line to Virginia. We arrived in Virginia and then we pulled
out my GPS to tell us where to go. Unfortunate the GPS didn't know
where it was going and took us in a weird direction. It was already
dark out and we were following it when we got to a point where we
couldn't walk any further. I looked around and there to our left, only
150ft away, was the HiroJima statue. I don't think that's where they
live. We called them and they directed us to their apartment which was
close to the metro station to begin with. I was super frustrated and
annoyed because we were 30 minutes late because we got lost. Oh well.
The lesson went well and now he's on date to be baptized December 6th.
(:

Friday night we had a hotpot relief society activity. Hotpot is where
they put broth in a little pot that sits on the table and boils and
they have plates of uncooked food that you put in until it's cooked
and then take it out and eat it. It's super yummy. The activity was
good because a lot of less actives and a few non members came. We got
phone numbers and two appointments.

Sunday was a fun day. Sister Liu and I both spoke in church. I got up
there and spoke for 15 minutes straight in Chinese. It was weird
because they have a guy who translates into a microphone that goes to
the headsets of non Chinese speakers and the whole time I was talking
I could hear him translating. I wrote the whole talk and then
translated it into Chinese then I gave it to Sister Liu to correct the
grammar. I think a lot of people were surprised that I can actually
speak Chinese. I am kind of shy about my Chinese at church and Sister
Liu is usually the one who talks to everyone so a lot of them didn't
realize that I knew that much. The chorister for sacrament meeting
didn't show up so I also led the music and I also played the piano in
relief society so I was very involved that Sunday.

There is a less active recent convert in the Branch that we had been
asked to check on. Whenever we check on less actives we usually just
go by and visit them to schedule an appointment because if you call
them they won't give you an appointment. So we stopped by this woman's
house twice and left a note the second time. She was at the hotpot
activity and when Sister Liu talked to her and asked when we could
visit her, she said she doesn't want us visiting her unless she
invites us first. She came to church on Sunday and after sacrament
meeting Sister Liu went up to her to talk to her but she ignored her.
In relief society Sister Liu bravely went and sat next to her but the
lady got up and say somewhere else and then towards the end of the
lesson when Sister Liu was making a comment the lady got up and left.
Sister Liu was in tears and afterwards we went into a room and talked
and hugged it out. Sister Liu is such a sweet, innocent person and
that lady was such a jerk. I would never do that to anyone, that's so
childish and she has no reason to dislike us.

Sunday night was Night of Music and Inspiration. Sister Liu and I sang
"Be Thou Humble" with 10 others and then I accompanied Sister Lewis
and Sister Sundwall for another song. It was a really solid Night of
Music and Inspiration and the theme was a lot deeper. Look for it on
the mission blog soon, it was so good. A group of elders sang the BYU
vocal point version of "Nearer My God To Thee." Meredith, my recent
convert, was there so that was fun to talk to her. It was a good
night.

President Cooke talked to me last night and told me that when Sister
Liu goes back to Temple Square in December that I will be getting
another TSQ Chinese speaking sister. My only concern is that December
is Festival of Lights when all the sisters are supposed to be in the
VC but TSQ sisters aren't supposed to be in the VC when they come
because that's the point of them going outbound is to have a normal
mission experience... I hope they make an exception because I've been
excited about Festival for months. Also, they are getting Chinese
speaking sisters called permanently to the mission so that we will
always have Chinese speaking sisters here so after this I might be
training for the rest of my mission. I'm always up for a challenge. (:

Sister Liu and I have been getting along so much better. Last transfer
there were moments when I absolutely could not stand her. Now we just
love each other and joke around and laugh. We have gotten more used to
each other and we have both developed more patience, love, and
understanding. Now I don't want her to leave haha. My Chinese is also
improving, I understand a lot more. Hopefully by the time I start
training I'll be proficient. But it's nice to be noticing how far I've
come.

Mosiah 5:8-10. I used this scripture in my talk on baptism. I'll
attach a couple pictures of my talk. I wrote it in characters instead
of pinyin (wo hen hao) because pinyin always messes me up but with
characters I don't get lost.

Love you all!

贝姐妹