Zone Conference in Singapore!

So this week was zone conference! We talked a lot about becoming "master teachers," which sounds a little presumptuous, but it was really about teaching as the Savior teaches. What I got out of zone conference was to teach with boldness and to be unapologetic in your faith and invitations for others to follow Christ. What I always like about zone conference is that it seems to be a time when I'm torn down and shown every little crack and crevice where I need to improve. Then I sit there for a bit, soaking up my own weaknesses and just when I'm about to say "what am I even doing??" I say a little prayer and at that moment have a flood of personal revelation that builds me back up, but this time with a foundation of the Lord and His Atonement instead of my own abilities (or lack thereof). 

Other than zone conference the last two weeks haven't been incredibly eventful. Our investigators haven't been able to meet for the last couple weeks so instead we've been finding less actives and contacting. A lot. Which has actually turned out really well! Talking to everyone has been a big (really, really big) focus in our mission almost since I got here. BUT it's been a really big struggle for me. I've always been a pretty inwardly drawn person who likes to keep to myself and avoid bothering others at all costs, and this goes against all of that! I've been praying for the desire and ability to talk to everyone, and this week it's become a reality. Whoo! With our current investigators not really responding it's made me think a lot if there's something more I could be doing to be worthy for God to trust me with people to teach; and the answer that always comes is to talk to everyone. One of the elders made a comment the other day that really stuck with me, actually two comments. One is that faith is walking out the door wanting to share the gospel, but works is actually talking to people and sharing the gospel with them Faith without works is dead, right? The other thought is that walking around with the knowledge of the gospel is kind of like walking around with a big bag of money. Then sitting there and keeping it to yourself. No! The gospel is so much more valuable than money and we need to be handing it out with the enthusiasm that's equal to it's worth. As we've been talking to everyone we've been meeting incredible people that God has no doubt put in our paths. And if we hadn't talked to them, then what? There would be so many missed opportunities for all of us. The promises in the scriptures are true; God shows us our weaknesses so that if we turn to Him our weaknesses can be made strong through Him; and sharing the gospel really does bring the greatest possible happiness. After all, this is our purpose, to love one another, and true love is shown as we help each other prepare to meet God. Man, the gospel is cool.

It looks like the ice caves were a blast! I'm sorry everyone is sick! This sickness is going around the world! Everyone here is sick too. Except me, I probably started it all. ;) I love you! Thanks for the excerpt from Ashley's email, dad! Mom, I got my package aaaaaand..... I opened everything. I really needed shirts so thank you so much! They're way cute. :) Also the Snickers. Haha, They've actually become my favorite candy since I've been out! Yum! And tell Nana thanks for the Almonds! She knows they're my favorite, especially because nuts are crazy expensive here!

I love you so much! Prayers will continue. :)

Tell Krissy not to pop but to wait another ten months for me. Wait for meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

NOT stealing a coconut leaf

Zone Conference with Sis. Lee, current companion

Sister MacKay and her MTC companion Sister Crandall!

Awesome Sisters!

By the way, these are all the amenities offered in the Singapore airport. Nicest airport in the world? I think so. This alone is a vacation spot!

Hmmmm...looks like a yummy crepe with different dipping 

Yummy!

Some epic roof ornaments!

Airport shenanigans 

masks for Chinese New Years?

Street Vendor

Sis. MacKay is off the Singapore for Zone Conference!

Q: How are you doing??

A: I'm great! Just getting ready to fly out to Singapore. :) I'm just going for zone conference. And China town. :)

Q: Did you upload any pictures this week? I'll send a new calendar for your birthday!

A: Yay for a new calendar! Haha, DOn't worry about the couple picks - I love them. Already uploaded pictures! from last week and this weeks. It has pictures of me with my favorite food, Pou (Pow!), and coconut shakes, and our English class that we started two weeks ago, and another class that we taught a bunch of Korean girls about the plan of happiness but it ended up being an English class, the best frozen yogurt IN THE WORLD, and Chinese new year decorations. :)
But not in that order. 

Q: English class?!?!? How cool! How's that going?

A: Yeah, English class! The mission is doing this new thing where every area has an English class. We have materials and everything, which is really nice. This week wasn't so good; the elders got held up in traffic so they were ten minutes late and I had to start their class (ah!), then the power went out for ten minutes, and all this crazy stuff! BUT it was great because the couple of people that were there stayed through all of it! Haha. And this was an exact repeat of the week before! ....And some punk stole our English class sign. :( But we're getting a new one this week! yay!

Q: What is Pow?! It looks yummy!

A: Right. :) Pao is a yummy roll like thing with yummy stuff in the middle, like red bean paste or pork. Ask Ty, he probably knows.

Sorry, I didn't get to a big email today!  But I'm so happy we got to chat! And that I got to chat through you to Kris and Josh! Tell them I love them and that I say buy! Or Byue! I mean Bye! Love you! Time to fly!

P.S. I think I'm on the front row! ;)

Korean girls, learning about the Plan of Salvation, or, Impromptu English Class

Best Frozen Yogurt in the WORLD

Soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur...

English Class

Companions lovin' on Pou 

My favorite food! (Pou!)

Coconut Shakes - MacKay and Lee

???

Taxi ride?

Christmas lights down, Chinese New Year Decor Up!

Decorations for Chinese New Year at the Mall

Our Own Grand Adventures (credit to Winnie the Pooh)

I'm so happy! I finally got my patriarchal blessing, family calendar, and many other various things back from Miri! The only sad part is that my calendar runs out after March. :( Haha, Sister Yuen was looking through the pictures last night and said, "Wow. This is a lot of pictures of couples.....and you." Haha, Yes, I am a ninth wheel. Thank you for asking. Kidding. ....Kind of. ;)
Sooooo this week has been..... this week. This whole week I've had a song stuck in my head from the Forgotten Carols. The one that goes "All I ever wanted, all I ever wished for, all I ever owned, and all I ever dreamed of  couldn't hold a candle to what I've been given - I've been given so much more." Something like that. It's literally just been running through my head like a broken record and sister Lee is probably sick of hearing me hum it, and quite frankly I'm a little tired of it, too. But, thankfully, it's a beautiful song! This week I've seen a lot about how happiness is a choice. Happiness doesn't come from our circumstances, from our wealth, or the ability to have every cool toy we've ever wanted. It's not found through video games or gossiping, nice cars or homes, or even the ability to sit down and relax all day every day. Sometimes, or even oftentimes, we think we know what we want, we think we know what we need. Of course! We're our own selves, why wouldn't we know what's best for us? We have dreams, we have vision, and don't get me wrong, that's good and right. But often times we're dealt a different hand. Instead of a destination we're given a journey and, sometimes, that journey isn't so pretty. Actually, I'm going to go old school like the old school right now with Winnie the Pooh's Grand Adventure, because it's actually a lot like that. In the beginning they start on a scary journey to a scary place. Everything is dark, scary, and full of thorns and danger at ever turn with hefalumps and woozels hiding behind every rock. But when the reach their destination their perspective is changed. They realize that they had a misunderstanding and that, really, everything isn't so bad, scary, and doomed after all. So they turn around and make the journey home but this time that some road that had been so dark was full of light, butterflies, flowers, friends, and all things great. What was the thing that changed this road and this journey so drasticly? It was only their perspective. For us the gospel is that thing that gives us perspective and changes our world and our long and dreary path to a path of pretty flowers and butterflies. Not to sound like a five year old here.
Ummm, I love you! Talk to you next week!

Every story has a moral.....except this one.

Well. This week has had very few events. But the things that did happen were great! I spent most of this week asleep and getting better. No worries though, I'm definitely on the uphill today! Basically fine. I'm not dead yet! Really though, I'm better already. But, you know, on the cool side sister Lee, the elders, and I were all part of a wedding party this week. Okay, that's really cool. ;) I was a bridesmaid! And we got to see (and be a part of) our first Chinese wedding! All of this was for our investigator Fei Shih and her now American husband Johnny. The weird pictures of the elders are some challenges that the groomsmen had to go through to fetch the bride. Funniest thing ever. And there was a Chinese Tea Ceremony! Ask Ty about it, he might know something, but it's not anything too exciting. Just a bunch of tea. :)

On Tuesday we went to district meeting and had one lesson afterwards and after that we were planning on going home so I could rest a bit, so we cancelled all our other appointments for the day. Then we started getting calls from people who normally can't meet saying that that was their off day and asking if we could meet! We ended up having a really full day with many people. God's hand was definitely a part in that day making it so we could teach who needed to be taught.

So I wish I could say that I had some crazy spiritual, life changing realization while I was sick in bed this week that I can share with you now, but..... I've got nothing. So it's going to be a bit of a short email today. But hey! That doesn't mean I love you any less! Haha

Yes a lot of people actually celebrated New Years here! But I think just as many, but probably more, celebrate Feb 8th, yeah. (Chinese New Year) But hey! We found a Korean News Year's party in our neighborhood the other day and got invited into it! there are pictures of that, I forgot to mention. 

I love you so much!