Happy New Year all!
That's not really a thing here. Some people got work off and some people lit off fireworks. But the huge festivities will be at the end of this month for Chinese New Year. It was transfers this week, but I'm still in XinZhu. Going on 7.5 months. More than a third of my mission. Crazy. At least I'm besties with everyone who lives here now so it means that I'll gain 20 pounds over Chinese New Year going to all of the members houses to eat with them. (But really, I've heard horror stories about missionaries gaining like 15 pounds in 1 or 2 weeks...you know I can eat a lot!) My new companion is from New Zealand! Sister Eley. She lived in Shanghai for a bit growing up so her accent is pretty good! She has been on island for 3 months. We are super excited to continue working here.
This week I got chased by dogs who wanted to eat me (as per usual). Almost diarrhead in my pants (as per usual. Ok not usual usual...occasionally usual). Got scolded and yelled at by 2 white men (on separate occasions) who told us how bad our church was and how we're secret agents (?) And a lot of other things too (that has NEVER happened to me before, but it happened twice in one day). Had a lady on a moped ride up to me and give me a bag of fruit before zooming away (all I did was say happy new year at the previous stoplight). Went contacting and getting to know people by first holding up a strange fruit and asking people if they knew what it was (a lot of ppl who wouldn't have talked to us otherwise ended up talking to us for a long time!). Taught Defense Against the Dark Arts class (but really it was super cool!). Ate Stinky Tofu for the first time (surprisingly didn't vomit. Although the member who took us spat it out.). And invited people for the new year to start keeping a miracle/gratitude journal. Because I know miracles happen everyday, we just have to take the time to notice them. But a lot of people think miracle means part the red sea (which would be super cool but I still haven't managed that feat yet. Although I have parted a street full of Taiwanese people before) and don't notice the smaller things. Like having green lights all the way to work so you aren't late. So a whole bunch of people promised to keep gratitude/miracle journals and I'm so excited for them to have more miracles!
Teach me, I will forget.
Show me, I will remember.
Involve me, I will.
^awesome quote that a member shared with us.
This week in Defense Against the Dark Arts (we had a Harry Potter themed English class party) we had people write down in English what they were most afraid of and their happiest memory. Then they walked in the door, had to tell Sister Anderson what they were afraid of (I was behind the chairs wearing all black: boggart, so I could come out and act as that scary thing). She had them think of their happiest memory and practice saying Expect Patronum! Then she turned the lights out and I came out (as a snake, cockroach, girlfriend, too much work, darkness, etc. it was a test of my acting skills) and it was super funny, everyone loved it. The funniest was this old man who was afraid of snakes. So I was crawling on the floor hissing and he backed up and was like Stop! Stop! And Sister Anderson was laughing trying to get him to say expecto patronum! When finally he said something that had an x and a p in it so I stopped. Afterwards he came up to me and laughed about it, so great.
And after that English class, our investigator I've been working with for 4 months came. And she had a lot of addictions before, but now she quit drinking, just quit smoking, and quit her job so she can spend more time with her daughter and come to church. So cool! I know when we work our hardest, God gives us miracles.
I love you all so much!
Love,
Sister Perkins
No comments:
Post a Comment