Monday, May 13, 2013

WO HEN KUAILE!!!


Nimen Hao!!!
 
May I just say, I think I am the happiest I have ever been on my entire mission. Serving in "The City" has been the most amazing experience I've ever had, granted I've been here only a week. One miracle after another. As you know from last week's letter, I am training a new missionary here in the city and we are opening a brand new area, starting from scratch. We live with two other Sisters in our apartment, one of which also speaks Mandarin. 

Our first night in the City, a bunch of us missionaries went out to get some dinner.  At the crosswalk, we started talking to this guy, his name is Elvis and he's from China. (Keep in mind Chinese people give themselves an English name when they come here - he chose Elvis haha, bless him.) Anyways, he's 23, university student, and he was happy to talk with us for awhile.  I invited him to come to dinner with us, so he did! We had a nice chat over dinner. I was thrilled to be able to use my Chinese and it was a miracle in itself how fast the language came back to me. After dinner, I asked if he wanted to go take a tour of our chapel, just around the block. He said okay, so we went and looked around the chapel, discussing some of the paintings of Christ.  He said he wasn't Christian but he would like to learn more. So I set up an appointment to come back the following day, I also said he should bring a friend. Well, the following day he came and he brought a friend with him, Lucas! Their English isn't great, so I taught the lesson in Chinese.  My poor new companion couldn't really follow along but afterwards she said she felt the spirit so strongly, I did, too. It was amazing, they were soaking up every word I said. We left the room for just a minute and when we came back they both were flipping through a Chinese Book of Mormon, Elvis looked at me and sincerely said..."I want to know this book, can you teach me?" I wanted to just bawl my eyes out....YES I CAN TEACH YOU! haha, so incredible. They both attended church on Sunday, we'll meet with them again this week. 

So after just a few days in the city we have 2 new investigators, 2 other investigators that the Elders have passed to us to teach, one from Brazil, the other from Thailand. It is so multi-cultural here, I absolutely love it. There were many more miracles but unfortunately I don't have the time to tell them all. My companion Sister Slade and I have been asked to teach the English reading and writing class twice a week at the teaching center. The missionaries have an awesome English learning program here in the city, so many people come and it's a blast. I can only hope and pray I finish my mission here, I never want to leave!

I'm sorry to say that yes, cockroaches are once again present in our current apartment, but I love it here so much I don't even care! Alright, I care a little bit. When I open the drawer to get a spoon for my cereal and there's three cockroaches hangin out on the silverware...........I don't want to talk about it. But it's very different, getting used to going to sleep hearing sirens and the club bumpin across the street, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. There are 14 of us missionaries serving in the City YSA Ward, not including the 2 senior couples. It's such a unique area, but we get to see other missionaries all the time.  We all love each other and encourage each other.  They give me all the people they are teaching that speak Mandarin and likewise, I give them everyone who speaks Korean or Cantonese, etc. We all just help each other, I love it. I'm so LUCKY!

Happy Mothers Day to all the wonderful mothers!! Especially to my mother, I already talked to her today but again, Happy Mothers Day, MOM! Love you. I hope you are all doing well, I love to hear from you. My birthday is on Friday, cough. All the missionaries are going out to dinner to celebrate, it should be really good. Even Elvis and Lucas are coming! Haha, they're great. I got up to bear my testimony in sacrament meeting and noticed Lucas had his camera out taking a picture, hahahaha, we were all dying. When I came and sat down, he showed me the picture, all excited.  I had to explain to him that it's probably not the most appropriate time for pictures. haha. LIFE IS GOOD! Love you all very much, have an awesome week, keep reading from the Book of Mormon. If you haven't read it, go on Mormon.org and order a copy and start.

Zai Jian Nimen!!
 
Sister Raitt

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