From the land of efficiency and tofu ice cream

PIG FLU UPDATE: there was a breakout here in HONG KONG! AHHHH! we are all going to die! the chinese see this as the end of the world and everyone walks around wearing masks, washing everything with chlorine and passing out flyers of how to avoid getting the pig flu. i think it's hilarious. ok, not really, but the overeaction is funny. i will try not to get sick and die.

ok, something food:
only here in Hong Kong can you find strange flavors of everything. for example they have taro flavored popsicles and taro filled desserts at McDonalds. i think it's gross, but the chinese love it. they also have tofu flavored ice cream. this is actually pretty good. it's more like soy ice cream really, but not bad. everything here is soy and i buy soy milk as well, so i am use to the flavor. ahh!! i'm turning chinese!!!!

something cool:
the chinese are very efficient people. seriously. if they put their mind to something, it gets done man. for example, construction here is nothing like in america. when they work construction, the actually all work and it gets done over night. they started this huge project and the next day, a building was up and plants, trees and flowers were in by the next day. it was amazing!!! the same project would have taken 6 months in the US. they also are constantly moving people in and out of business spaces. one day we walked by a store that was covered in little things to sell and the next morning it was completely gone! i swear they have some magic power. either that, or they just know how to get things done! the americans need to take some lessons!

something funny:
the bucket hat man. yes, the bucket hat man. he is our most recent stocker...:) he rides this little weird bike and wears a bucket hat man and has the most creepy face. we are determined that he has been following us, so we try to evade him as much as possible. we've turned it into a game. it's way fun! then the other day, we felt like we were being followed again. these 2 men came right up behind us at one intersection and it was so creepily close that i just decided to turn around and talk to them. so i did. it was our elders. they said they had followed us for a mile or so. crazy elders. apparently they don't have anything better to do with their time than follow the sisters around! we told them they can join our stocker fan club along with the bucket hat man.

something cultural:
so here in Hong Kong they have something called cheng-outs. which basically means the members take us out to eat and feed us. this is usually an amazing thing and good food. BUT, sometimes it is quite the experience, especially when people unexpectedly feed you and then you have to eat it to show them how good it is. last week we had 2 in a row and i thought me stomach was going to burst! the chinese have food manners that are hilarious too. for example, you cover your mouth when you use a toothpick because no one wants to see you pick food out of your teeth, but you can talk with your mouth full and spit the bones out of your meat onto the table right in front of everyone....? does that make any sense to anyone? they also burp..a lot. i love it. sorry mom. they also have the ingenious idea of putting down plastic cloths on the table, so you spit our bones and spill and then at the end of the meal they just wrap it all up and throw it away. easy as that!

that's all for this week!

From the land of pig flu and modern toilets

something cool:
here in Hong Kong is a restaurant called "The Modern Toilet." yes, it is exactly what you are thinking it is - a bathroom themed restaurant. it's pretty much amazing. we went there today for lunch and i took tons of pictures which i inconveniently can't send to you. try googling it. you drink out of urinals and sit on toilet seats and eat food out of a toilet. and they also have flushing toilet sounds in the background. sorry mom, you probably think this is ridiculous, but you are totally coming here when you come to pick me up. the food is alright, but the atmosphere is hilarious and totally worth it.

something miracle:
we had 2 less actives come all the way to the Ma On Shan chapel on Sunday after 20-30 years of not going to church. it was a miracle, seriously. God is amazing.

something food:
so, our district elders won the Easter egg hunt we put together for them a few weeks ago and the grand prize was a dinner on the sisters, so we made them the most amazing meal in creation. it consisted of lamb, mashed potatoes, vegetables, french bread and cheesecake with strawberries and whip cream. (you don't really get meals like this here in Hong Kong.) so they were really excited and so was i because we ate it too. it reminded me of America...except for the lamb part. which was a miracle that it turned out, because i've never cooked lamb before. yeah for experimentation!

something exciting/scary:
so, the bird flu/pig flu or whatever it is that is going around has been causing quite a stir here in Hong Kong. they are crazy about sanitation here, especially since the SARS scare. they clean everything! and I'm serious. they have stickers everywhere that say "sanitized every hour" and "this carpet is sanitized." so funny. they also have people out cleaning the streets, sweeping sidewalks and trimming, pruning, washing all the time. it's amazing. i guess it keeps people employed and keeps the city clean. i like it and it makes me feel better about touching public things for sure. the chinese are funny when it comes to being sick though. they always wear face masks, even in public. it's just what you do to be courteous to others. luckily, i haven't got sick at all here in hong kong. if i do, I'm totally wearing a mask.

something spiritual:
in thinking of mitchell and michael getting there mission calls recently, i read in Alma 16:16 the other day and how it is so true that the Lord is preparing the hearts of the people they will teach in Honduras and Chile. I'm so excited for you two!!!! one of the best things i ever did was start praying for those that i would meet and teach on the mission as soon as i got my call. it is also true now for me as i know there are people being prepared every day for me to meet and teach the gospel. The Lord knows who will be ready for us and where we need to be to meet them. it's so amazing and such a blessing! and so cool if you jsut think about it!

something funny:
chinese people are so confused sometimes. they are caught between 2 cultures - the british culture and the chinese culture. an example of this can be seen just looking at people walking down a sidewalk. they have no idea which side to walk on. they drive on the left side, like in england, so the sidewalk just puzzles them. left or right? ahh! i don't know!!! so they just walk all over the whole darn thing. it makes for fabulous encounters though and great "breaking the ice" moments when you run into them because neither of you can decide who has the right of way. now add bikes into the mess and it's just hilarious.

tata for now!

From the land of heat and humidity

something cool:
so here in china they are big on exercise. not the kind of exercise you are thinking of. I'm talking old person exercise. the old people here are called popos. and they have exercise "stations" all over the parks and public areas here for them to do their version of America's "sit and be fit" workouts. it's hilarious. you're walking along in the park and all of a sudden there's a bunch of equipment for old people and other strange things like rocks cemented into the ground that they like to walk on barefoot because they think it stimulates the nerves in the feet and it's healthy or something. strange and kind of cool.

something funny....kind of:
so one of our investigators, Chahn Ji Muih, has a devil dog. her name is Muih Muih, which means, "little sister." the very first time we came to teach her, he peed all over the place and then ran all over my lap. it was pretty gross, but i could handle it right? well, we've been teaching her for a couple weeks now and this last week we had another devil dog attack. this time he put his paws up on my knees and peed all over the floor where my backpack was sitting. gross. if that wasn't bad enough, when i went to get up, i realized that before that he had peed all over the couch i was sitting on and that i had sat right in it. yes, dog pee all over my skirt and my backpack. fabulous, thank you Muih Muih. i HATE that dog. behind Chahn Ji Muih's back, i call her Mo Gwai, which means devil. ha!

something miracle:
i didn't melt this week from the heat and humidity. it got up in the 90's this week and in the 90's for humidity until it would burst and just pour rain. especially fun when you're out tracting. at least when it rains, people can't see your sweat marks anymore, because your entire shirt is wet!!!...:) so fun! i am still trying to run every morning, but it's getting hard. i come in from running and i literally have sweat from every pore. i took a picture it was so amazing. i have to wash my workout clothes twice a week because they are soaked and smell sour if i don't wash them, as things don't really air dry well here...:) and believe it or not, this isn't even summer weather yet really. ha! wahoo! bring it, baby!

something exciting:
so, my ward has had to move buildings as the one in Sha Tin is under construction for the next year to make it bigger. this has caused some difficulty, as we now have no place to teach lessons or meet as a district. with all the setbacks, there have also been many blessings. the new building in Ma On Shan is far away, but very beautiful and brand new almost. much more room and accommodating. despite the distance, we still had 3 investigators at church on sunday and that is pretty good for us! it was very exciting and it will really stretch us to find the creme of the crop that are willing to travel that long to get to church.

something spiritual:
so, i've been reading about Amulek lately in the book of Alma and i just have to say that he is probably my favorite Book of Mormon person. his story is very similar to Job's if you read closely and he still endures and overcomes and continues to preach the gospel after losing everything he once had. i especially like the scripture that talks about Alma strengthening him in the Lord after all the hardships. it reminded me of Alma 31:31 as well, finding comfort in the Lord. as missionaries, we don't have all the options and things to do that we had before to get out stress or release frustration. we have to turn to the lord for comfort and strength. and that is how it should be always actually. i've realized this lately. the mission is making me realize who i can always turn to even for the smallest of things. before, i would go running, or out in nature or just get away from people and go driving somewhere or paint or read or something. well, as missionaries, you can't do a lot of those things. so you are drawn to your knees. it's amazing how much more affective that is than all those other things are....:) i know i can always find strength and comfort in the Lord.

From the land of many mosquitos...

I apologize last week's email was so short and incomplete. Apparently one hour here at the sha tin library actually means 50 minutes, and i got kicked off the computer right in the middle of typing. hopefully this email is more complete and satisfactory as i am aware of how time works here now...:)

ok, something cool: umbrella dispensers
I mentioned in the last email about umbrella dispensers. yes, they actually have machines that dispense umbrellas of all size and color of your choice. that says two things about hong kong: how much it rains here and how much people are scared of the sun. they use umbrellas for both - keeping off the rain and keeping off the sun rays as they want to be as white as possible...the exact opposite mentality exists in the US. funny how that works. anyways, if you ever get caught in a rainstorm, don't fret, just run to the nearest umbrella dispenser!

something exciting: General Conference!!!
This last weekend was general conference for us here as we get it one week later than everywhere else so they can have the translations complete. the missionaries watch in english of course so we can actually understand, but it was so very much needed i can't even tell you! as you all guess, my favorite talk was Elder Perry's, as he talked about how missionaries UNFORTUNATELY spend most of their time finding instead of teaching. enough said. so true. i'm glad to here that back home there is more of a push for member missioanry efforts. the missionaries will love you forever if you follow the words of Elder Perry! go back and read his talk, it's amazing....:)

something miracle: RANDY
no, not my dad, although my dad is pretty amazing...:) this is a man we met the other day along the river. he just went for a walk because he didn't know what else to do with himself. we randomly decided to take a different way to our lesson appointment and do some finding along the way....God led us to each other. Randy has been contemplating suicide the last few days as he has had some rough experiences the last couple months of his life...losing his business, girlfriend, moving back to china, no job, etc...the case of many people here. he didn't see the purpose of life when people were so greedy and only want money and it all adds up to what in the end? these were his thoughts when he ran into us. what would have happened if we didn't say hello and contact him?...good question. he;s amazing, going to church this sunday and the elders are teaching him tonight. he is very sincere and i have no doubt that the gospel will save his life...in more ways than one...:) it's miracles like that make me so happy to be a missionary. seeing the gospel literally bring hope to someone's life enough to keep them going is incredible!

something funny: knee-highs
yes, in the heat, we are required to continue wearing nylons and/or knee highs to look professional. i wouldn't have a problem with this if they could at least perform some sort of useful function. they don't. they don't even protect our legs from mosquitoes. i am determined to make nylons that repel bugs. probably the only market for them would be "sister missionary mall", but it would be worth it only for my own benefit. if i could attach pictures here i would send you a picture of my legs. i counted over 100 bites. yes, they are very attractive, let me tell you. that's the price you pay for standing and talking to people to bring them the gospel....:) ...it's worth it!

something food: KFC and McDonalds delivery
i mentioned last time about this i think. yes, they have little motorcycles that run around all over town delivering KFC and McDonalds burgers and food to people who can't even stop into the one that is one block away from their door. (there are mcdonalds on every corner here). and i though america was lazy!!!!

something spiritual: President Hinckley quote

President Van Dam interviewed us this last week and asked us about out goals for the mission and for after the mission. as i feel like i just got here, it was weird to think about after the mission. hello! i don't want to think about that right now, president van dam, i'm a missionary! (can you hear me saying that?...cause i did...:) anyways, schooling and marriage and that wonderful real life stuff has been far from my mind, but one of the sisters i live with gave me this quote and i love it. it made me calm down a little, too.

"Many women are serving missions and more are preparing to serve. Not because they're not married or because they don't have anything else better to do. But because in the last days the lord will be sending his priesthood army to the world and he needs to send them to mothers who have been schooled in the gospel. and what better schooling can a mother have than that of serving a mission."

thank you president hinckley for boosting my confidence! i love him! and i love you all!....cheerio, ta ta for now! see you in a week!

from the land of KFC delivery and umbrella dispensers

SOMETHING EXCITING!!!!!:
Yea Mitchell and Michael on receiving your mission calls!!!! wahoo! Honduras and CHile!!!! I'm so excited to have more spanish speakers in the family. my spanish has been slowly all replaced with cantonese as of late, but i'm trying to pull it back as i've been asked to help teach a lady from Guatemala. So cool! No one told me when you are going to the MTC! Please let me know asap!!!!

something funny:
Mistranslations. there is a lot of chinglish here in Hong Kong, but my favorites are the english translations that you see everywhere. most people don't know that it doesn't make any sense, so it's pretty funny. especially when it's on someone's shirt or on the sign of someone's business. the other day i saw a building that had the word "education" spelt "ecucation." yep, i would definitely go there if i wanted a good education. here is something written on one of my notebooks. this will go under the category of...

something worth quoting:
"i wish you a happy day. sports not only let us have a healthy physique, but also the growth of our inner strength, so we became very cheerful and exuberant spirit. knowledge is power. learning is a gradual, and slowly grasp. knowledge acquisition is multifaceted. learning must find the best way to essentials. we can achieve good results. learning notebook. learn and every day."...............did you get all that????....:)

something spiritual:
ok, so the analogy of the artichoke, abbreviated version. so alma 5 talks about the change of heart that must take place in us in vs. 12, 14, and 26. i, of course, thought of food. artichokes have hearts at the center of them and in order to make the artichoke eatable, you must boil it for almost an hour to get it all soft and yummy. so it has to go through that "mighty change." then you must start peeling all the layers of goodness off to get to the heart. this refers to vs. 28, which states that we must strip ourselves of pride! and with every layer of pride you strip, you get closer and closer to the heart, where the good stuff is and that is who you want to be! i have to end now, because i just got kicked off my computer.....uh, that was lame. ok, sorry, so short. will write more next week, hopefully! sad! love you all, b-bye!

from the land of crazy english names and fate

something food:
so this week has been the week of the "DOUBLE-O CHALLENGE!!!" yes, my companion and i ate Only Oatmeal for an entire week just for kicks to see if we could do it. that's 21 meals of oatmeal. i made it different every time and kept track of what i made and took pictures of every bowl. it was amazing. you'de be surprised of all the different ways you can make oatmeal. my favorite was probably the pineapple and yogurt combination. so good! they also have an oatmeal porridge with egg in it that is really good. we will reward ourselves by going to Tripple-O's - a restaurant here in sha tin/tai wai area. anything to make missionary life more exciting!...:)

something exciting:
I am staying in Tai Wai for another move with my trainer! i'm excited because i feel like i just started to get to know the area and the people in the ward. we are also going to be moving buildings as the church building here is going under construction, so that should be fun teaching lessons without a church in our area to teach them in. thank goodness for the members. we will use their homes! that's more ideal anyway...:) i was hoping to know where mitch and mike are going on their missions, but i guess i'll have to wait another week for that exciting news! ah, it's killing me!

something miracle:
the Yaji saga continues. Yaji, our friend who believes in fate and said that if we saw him again we could teach him is very cool. we showed up at the bridge at 12:45pm and missed our moves calls meeting to see him. we prepared and prayed so hard to know what to say to him and just prayed that he would show up! he did, and he came by himself so we could discuss "truth."...:) he even bought us lunch! he is an amazing man and use to be a police man and is now a mathematics teacher and tai chi master. yes, sister vance i want to learn tai chi from him. next time he said he will show us some stuff. wahoo! anyways, he will be our mystery investigator that we teach whenever fate allows us to run into him because he won't give us his phone number or anything. but he always says, "next time," so we assume there will be a next time. we shared a lot of things with him about truth, who god is, the holy ghost and how we have our testimonies and know these things for ourselves because of personal experiences and faith and all the different kinds of knowledge and how spiritual knowledge has to be gained through spiritual means. it was amazing! i will keep you updated.

something funny:
chinese english names. they are ridiculous. i started keeping a list of the crazy ones. and yes, these are all considered english names. people give them to them or they create them themselves. here we go:
winky
elvis
crazy
bigyu
string
caviar
money
winseh
koey
apple
chopstick
lego
fifi
angel
there are also about 5 people in our ward that have the english name "mandy" including the girl who we just had baptized. i guess it was popular this year or something, but it makes things very confusing!

something cool:
my mtc district finally made it to Victoria peak this week! Sister Peck from our younger district just arrived from Provo and we went with her to the peak and had a fabulous time. such beautiful views of hong kong! but also especially good since it was April Fool's day... i of course had to do something outrageous, so i showed up with my arm in a sling and told everyone that i had slipped in the shower trying to reach for my towel without getting out of the tub and fell and hit my arm on the toilet. so ridiculous, but everyone believed me and felt bad for me and sister palmer wouldn't let me carry my bag....:) wahahah! i had called sister van dam in the morning and got her in on the joke and she brought me medicine and talked about scheduling an x-ray appointment. the only skeptical one was president van dam, who kept poking my arm to see if it hurt and asking my suspicious questions...:) it was awesome. i broke it to everyone when we got down to the bottom. silly people! don't even realize that it's april fool's day!

something spiritual:
ahh! i don't have any time! so, i will just leave you in suspense and write about it next week. i call it my "Analogy of the Artichoke." it's amazing and deals with Alma 5. love you all! cheers!

from the land of terrible cheese, but amazing noodles

something cool: chyuns and math! (chyuns = apartment buildings)
1 chyun has 30 floors. each floor has 20 apartments. each apartment has about 3 people. that's 1800 people per chyun. in one area there are about 4 chyuns in 5 acres of space. that's 7200 people in 5 acres of land. welcome to hong kong.

something funny:
so there are a lot of crazy people here in hong kong. and they all speak english for some weird reason. and usually know something about the church because they are they only ones crazy enough to talk to us...:) one man in particular amuses me. he stands outside of the tai wai mtr station and directs all the buses coming in. he has self appointed himself to this position. he isn't needed to do this. BUT, day after day he comes and yells, and moves people around and calls to the drivers and makes all sorts of scenes and movements with his hands and arms and "directs" the bus traffic. i love it.

something food:
cheese here is definitely not a main food source. it is expensive and hard to find. i had chinese cheese the other day at an investigators house and it was the most awful stuff i have ever tasted. terrible and potent in every form of the word. i will stick to cheddar while i'm here i think.

something worth quoting:
"the only way to go swimming as a missionary is to swim in your own sweat." -me

it has been hot here lately and i'm feeling the affects of the humidity and all. i will get use to it i guess.

something spiritual:
so one of our investigators is a very smart girl and has studied lots of philosophy. she is amazing and i love talking with her. she told us a funny story yesterday about a quote she found in the bathroom of her school. it had the famous quote from Nietszche that says "God is dead." and underneath it someone had written - "Nietszche is dead." - God. very true. hahaha. God is not dead. he is very much alive in this world and helping this work along every day. i've so grateful to have this knowledge and am working my hardest to help others know that God is not dead. he lives. this i know.

something miracle:
a man we ran into on monday who is very smart and intellectual told us that if he was suppose to learn about our church he would see us again and then it would be fated. we didn't see him on tuesday, and wednesday it was raining very hard. my companion sister vance felt we should go out finding anyways and felt prompted to go to the bridge area where we cross the river. so there we were in the rain and talking to people on the bridge and along comes yaji - the man from monday. we are meeting with him this coming monday! being a missionary is so much fun, because we know that fate is real - God is the one in charge of it and he is the one helping us! now that's fate!