Week...uh, never mind, I've lost count...

Well, this week has definitely been an interesting one. For our TRC this Saturday we taught the plan of salvation for the first time in Chinese. Which could have been great right? Except that we had no time all week to study, which meant that Saturday rolled around and we were without vocabulary type knowledge. But there is a fun story for the TRC this week. So let me back up...actually, let me jump back a whole week...

So last Friday, well ok, it was two Fridays ago now, I received an dear elder from my roommate of the past, Lexi. She has a new cohort member, he was American born Chinese. Not a member of the church but attending BYU. She was doing member missionary work with him. Well my companions and I taught Lexi and a Taiwanese chap the following day. However it didn't come to my realization that it could have been the fellow she'd mentioned until some time later. I'm a little slow. So on Monday night I receive another Dear Elder from Lexi talking about the TRC experience.

Low and behold it was the same guy! He was an actual investigator. Our second time in the MTC really teaching a lesson, and the second time that we didn't know until after the fact. Fun stuff. Well my companions and I were very excited about the letter from Lexi, probably largely due to the fact that Lexi was pretty ecstatic herself in this letter. I'd not thought much of the lesson with them. Our Chinese was so so, but we'd done a few things ok. Well apparently this chap really liked it, and he'd felt the spirit. Enough to tell Lexi that he wanted to come back this last Saturday. We reacted in true missionary fashion, hoping against hope that it would work out and we could teach him again. We organized it with the TRC so that we could be assigned to him again, turns out he was already signed up again! We bought a Book of Mormon and marked up Moroni's promise and also wrote out a big and inspiring testimony in the cover. Oh we were so excited, so prepared. We worked out a wonderful lesson plan. It was going to be awesome! He was going to be taught by three amazing sister missionaries and be blown away by the power and authority of God. He was going to be converted right there on the spot! Committed to Baptism! It was all set!

Well Saturday rolls around, with much nervousness, and we arrived at the MTC. Unfortunately he did not. But we taught three girls from Hong Kong instead, and they were lovely and quite forgiving of our lack of preparation for a completely separate scenario and a lack of vocabulary...well at least on my part. My companions did very well. It was a growing experience. But a good one. We are determined to get this book of Mormon to this man some how. And where there is a will there is a way right??

In other news, Tuesday I got to see my very first Apostle ever!

We arrived in the gym for devotional and sat around per the usual waiting for the program to begin. Then a man stepped up to the microphone, it was early, the devotional was not due to start for another 20 minutes or so. He told all the elders in a rather firm mannerism to please don their suit jackets. Then he said in a criptic kind of way with one of those particular "I know something you don't know" kind of smiles, "Also, we don't stand to sing the hymns of Zion unless one of the Brethren is in the room."

Well that did it, the room was instantaneously abuzz. Then a few minutes later the doors to the foyer opened and everyone leapt to their feet, being a smart crowd of missionaries, we'd figured something was afoot. In walks Elder Russell M. Nelson.

Great experience eh? I enjoyed it.

Once again, thank you to everyone who is sending me mail! Dear elders, letters, and cards. And packages! I try to write everyone back because I appreciate it so much, but my P-days (they are not really called preparation days you know, P really stands for PANIC) are really packed. And my poor hand only writes so fast. So I promise I will get back to you all eventually, because I REALLY do want to write you. But forgive me in advance for the brevity please!

I love you all.

Ta, until next Monday!

Sister Melissa Thiessen