I Killed My First Cockroach--and it was the Size of My Kitchen Floor

Dear Everyone!

Early Monday morning, right after our run, something crazy happened. I thought I smelled the Uintas---seriously, for a moment, here in my smoggy sea-level Hong Kong apartment, I was transported to crystal clear mountain air some-odd-thousand feet in Wyoming, on a backpacking trip. I shook the fir needles out of my head and thought really hard--how could this possible?!

Then I realized that the smell memory wasn't actually of the UINTAS, it was of DAD in the Uintas, and the smell was---wait for it--SWEAT. More specifically, a 12 x sweated-in-dried-sweated-in-again-repeat shirt that had just been sweated in again (the jersey I was wearing). Awwww, what a great memory for Father's Day! I am especially grateful that thanks to my Daddy, for ME, B.O. brings back b-you-tiful memories!!!

Good morning, dear people! It's about 11:25 here in China HK, probably midnight where ever most of you are, and outdoors, the temperature is some 26 odd celsius degrees. NO, I still am not used to metric/celsius /etc... pretty much all I know is that our A/C gets down to 19 at night and if it's above 30 I'm bathing in my own sweat. Love it.

I think I already told you about Jung -- aka Zongzi, the rice-and-egg-wrapped-in-bamboo-leaf thing they make here for Dragon Boat Festival.

I learned this week that it's pretty much the closest equivalent China has to Christmas cookies---Moms make HUNDREDS, Grandmas make even more, and if they can't make them one year there's some serious drama in the family (the moms are distraught and tell the daughters to make them, the daughters make about 10 and get tired, and everyone else doesn't care because every year there are way too many to eat, anyway).

I have to tell what I've been learning in the past 4 months (Doo, doo, di, do!!! ;--trumpet, did anyone else notice I passed my 4 month mark?) about how important members are to missionary work.

• A-- Did you know (I didn't before the MTC) that successful Missionaries HAVE to have a member at EVERY SINGLE LESSON they teach? By "have to" I mean, if you don't, your previously hoped-for and planned-for and shimmering lesson gets delegated to the questionable "other lessons" section of key indicators. AND YOU FAIL. Members are SO important because for one, they provide the other witness--the witness the scriptures refer to (one that isn't wearing frumpy shoes, hopefully) and for the second reason, because they give the investigator a real-life lifeline to the ward. This leads to

• B-- Members NEED to take over the chatting/friend/loving/fellowshipping investigator's part, because missionaries--hard-working missionaries, at least--straight-up do not have time [and are transitory.] As unfortunate as it is, missionary work often becomes a numbers crunch--there is just too little time to get all God's work done!! When He said the work was great (D&C 4:4), he meant IT IS HUGE!!! :)

• Ok, I don't know what number or letter I'm on anymore, but I'm typing as fast as I can to tell you WOW! Figure out who your missionaries are and tell them you want to fellowship! They (if they're good missionaries) will love you until you DIE! And then some! Or just continue doing what you do in serving your wards and stakes. And then read Elder Holland's talk from last conference (An Ensign to the Nations) about how AWESOME you are!!!

Our wonderful fellowshippers are so often recent converts themselves--Octopus (yeah, her name is Octopus, and she can pull it off. That's how awesome she is,) Lily, Stephanie--and moms of missionaries--Ng JM are just some of the incredible people who are following the Lord's admonition and loving one another.

I can't express the value of the contribution of the people who go outside their calling to fellowship. Today, I'm speaking of our ancient, awesome-testimony ladies-- Au J.M, Siu J.M, Yuhn J.M--these stalwart women who are women who are way too busy anyway and whose husbands are bishops and who themselves have stake callings--Mak J.M, the most amazing woman on earth besides my mommy.

What would we do without Yuhn J.M, who has been making the missionaries lunches on Sundays (bc otherwise we don't eat) for more than 10 years! EVERY WEEK! And she even makes them GF for me (or... sorta GF).

Anyway: it's been an interesting experience for me to plan fellowshipping activities (cooking, FHEs, etc), lessons and classes (we teach a scripture class and an English class every week) and imagining how great these classes would be if only... I'm considering what I would give to use the women fellowshippers I already know. Then I remember it wouldn't work (this plan I have to bring everyone to HK so they can fellowship my lessons) because they don't speak Chinese... but, thank goodness, I am finding that the whole world has such wonderful women and members!!!

Please find a way to serve in your field that is white because success in the Lord's mission--to bring people to HIM--depends on YOU! I am so thankful for every one of YOUR--service. And P.S. the Missionaries will love you forever!!

Love, love

Dia!