Schedule Change: HONG KONG or BUST!

Dearest Family,

Our schedules all changed this week, and now our P-days are Tuesdays. Sorry, one day earlier than you thought on the last day you could possibly email us! Oh well!

Other things are changing, too... like, for example, I don't know, I'M GOING TO CHINA!!!

Tell Cami thank thanks thanks for the Easter package! The egg activity made it so much more like real Easter!

I'm sending packages "home" like crazy. I'm sending two more things--my carry on rolling bag and a box--because the airline (EVA) we're taking from San Fran to TAIWAN

(whaaaaat? The Phillipines missionaries are going to HK, then back to the Phillipines, but we have a 3 hour layover in Taiwan, then a 30 minute flight to HK. AWESOME, I've always wanted to go to Taiwan...)

Squirrel!

(and CONGRATS MATT! I CRIED WITH HAPPINESS! I'm so happy that he's been called to serve, with the extra bonus of being only a few hundred miles away from ME for a year yaaaaay. He will love the Mandarins at the MTC. We ADORE them. Oh, I'm so excited. Matt will be such a wonderful missionary with all of his love!)

what was I saying...

oh yeah, the airline only allows one 15 lb carry-on: backpacks count, and my rolling carry-on weighs nine pounds

EMPTY. So, we'll see...

I have loved my district: Sister Farr's fearlessness and drive (she is so motivated by such a high calling! she KNOWS how important and God given her call is--please read Eyring's 2002 Conference talk about callings) and Elder Smith's childlike--as in Mosiah 3:19--sincerity and enthusiasm (he reminds me a little of Matt in some ways, I just adore him) are so inspiring to me.

Our younger district is also so amazing-- Sister Bishop is so faithful and hopeful--she can endure anything!--Elder Cuevas is trying SO HARD in the language, I've never seen that level of dedication (it's the Marine in him, I guess), Elder Blake and Elder Roper are so funny--especially together--and trying so hard. I'm so blessed to be so near so many so wonderful people!!

Easter at the MTC was definitely an experience! Definitely kinda weird, but great. Tonight we're counting on having an apostle at our devotional.

Yesterday we had straight-up 18 hours of Gwong Dung Wah--[full on talking and teaching] it was so awesome. It actually got easier as we went, though by evening we were barely piecing sentences together because our brains were beat!

I've learned so much about prayer at the MTC. I've really been trying to make my prayers more focused and purposeful instead of a vague wandering of ideas, petitions, gratitude and random craziness. I heard it described recently to an investigator as "just a normal conversation--but the other person is invisible." What a great idea--simple, but important--that I so often forget. Prayer is a conversation that I have with my dear Father right before I fall asleep, kneeling at His knee.

It helps me to consider my conversations with Dad when he'd come into my room, right before I fell asleep, and sit on my bed and talk to me. I loved those times so much, and I'm so grateful for Dad's love and kindness that helps me, now that I'm without my earthly family around, to be more connected with my Heavenly Father. Prayer is my Daddy-daughter time with God, and considering it a conversation --and a feast, like that wonderful parable, that is already prepared and I just need to show up to-makes a huge difference.

Lots of love,

SISter Dia