Firstly, what is that movie quote from? I can't place it, but I trust that Rebecca or Rachel will be able to help me out.
Secondly, hello family and friends! Yet another eventful week has passed at the MTC. I can't believe I'll be in Hong Kong in less than a month now! Time is just flying by. News of the day: Sister Law is officially en route to Hong Kong! She got her visa on Tuesday and my new companion came in on Wednesday. God has a hand in what's going on here, that's for sure. There are so many small miracles that happen every day, but this is the biggest miracle so far, that Sister Law's paperwork was delayed just long enough for me to get a new companion. I guess Heavenly Father knew I couldn't handle being stuck with a gazillion elders all by myself all day err-day.
Since my companion is gone, I'll be teaching one of my investigators by myself... Which means I have to teach 30 minutes in Cantonese... After learning the language for a month and a half. Wow, no pressure right? I'm pretty nervous, but I know as long as I do my best that it will turn out just fine!
Sooooo my new companion is Heaven-sent. Her name is Sister Ainge, and she loves playing volleyball and eating dark chocolate. So basically we're already best friends. I have been so blessed so far when it comes to companions. So either I have really good luck or there are some really crazy companions out there waiting for me. BRING IT ON! And now we both have solo stickers on our missionary tags, which makes us pretty legit...imate. Even after 7 weeks surrounded by Mormons in Utah, I still can't bring myself to say 'legit.' It just ain't happenin'.
So every night in class we play the question game to figure out who is going to say the closing prayer. I usually ask questions like, "Which Lord of the Rings character would you be?" or "What would your patronus be?" And everyone usually groans. One night the question was, "What is your favorite Cantonese word to say?" We had a fun time saying all the great Cantonese words we could think of, and then we talked about our favorite words in English. I said I really like 'plethora,' at which point Elder Morton makes a disgusted face and says, "Ew. Why? It sounds so... sticky." So now I've used it as much as possible in the past week or so. And you know how I always have a catchphrase that I always say? Well my new one is, "Let's bounce!" I say it every time we leave anywhere, and I think it gets one people's nerves. But I'm over it.
Random question. So, when we were younger, I distinctly remember Dad sticking his church shoes in the oven every now and then. Why did he do that? I was telling people in class about it, and they didn't believe it. But I know it happened!
Speaking of Dad, I was telling my district about how he would always reprimand me for my poor posture. I told them about how he kept poking my back while I was running to make me arch my spine. I said, "I tend to hunch over when I start getting tired." And then Elder Morton said, "When I get tired, I just stop running."
Can I just tell you how ridiculously excited I got when Rebecca told me about how there will be THREE HOBBIT MOVIES!!! How awesome is that. That means I can still go to at least one midnight premiere! And can I tell you about the reaction I got from the rest of the class when I announced this incredible news? Yeah. Nothing. NOTHING. No cheering, no nods of approval. In fact, one of the elders said, "Ew. Why?" And by one of the elders, I mean Elder Morton of course.
Recently in the Chinese hallway, we've started singing Christmas songs for our opening hymns. It makes things that much better.
One of the best places to watch people at the MTC is in the laundry room. People are in their casual clothes and it just brings out a new side of people. You also learn a lot about how they were raised. It's very clear which elders never did their own laundry. In fact, today we heard one elder yell, "Mom! Help!" Rookie.
I have a new-found love for hot tamales. Just in case anybody ever feels like ever sending me any...
One of my new favorite Cantonese expressions is "Jouh dihng mhjouh. Mouh sihah." Literally meaning "Do or not do. No try."
I started trying to read Jesus The Christ on Sunday. Next time you read it, read it in a classy, British accent. It sounds just like the introduction to a History Channel documentary.
Question: Will someone send me Sam's monologue from the end of Two Towers? Thank you!
I've been thinking a lot about how I can become more like the Savior. And something I've learned about him is how he never thought about himself. He turned out, always. Even after suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane, after being betrayed by one of his own apostles, after being spit on and judged and hated, he still said, "Forgive them." He still expressed concern for his mother and his followers and the soldier who lost his ear and those others on their crosses. This mission isn't for me to become better or for me to feel like I did something worthwhile. It's a time when I need to stop focusing on myself and just throw myself into caring about everyone else. Because it's only when you lose yourself that you find yourself.
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