Note: received last week - when Mom was internet-less. So posted late, but not lost.
Oh, yeah, well... I'm a GIANT in Hong Kong! I'm definitely on the upper end of tall, at least for women. It's awesome!
Tell Ian that I told a complete stranger all about him on Tuesday on the way to Elder Holland's missionary fireside. We were the second story of a bus for a LONG ride (from ma on shan to Wan Chai) so I talked this lady's EAR off (she SOOO did not want to talk to me. Woo hoo!) and told her all about my "little brother in America who likes reading and martial arts and is going on a mission soon but we don't know where because the church actually picks where we go and did you know that missionaries help people learn more about Christ and..." Poor lady. I think she literally called someone and left a message for them to call her back and just sit on the phone so she would have an excuse not to talk to this crazy blond woman.
P.S. It's so funny--these people are so polite that they feel like they really need an excuse not to talk about God to us. They often white lie--I'm so busy! I'm late for work!--so that they don't have to be rude. I LOVE THESE PEOPLE!
Ahhh, I have the funniest rain story. We were waiting at a siu ba stop for the bus, and a 20's something kid walked up. So we started chatting (that's what we do!) and he was super nice, and then it started raining. Then is REALLY started raining.
I said, "It's ok, I have an umbrella!" and Baahk Daaih (the wards call the two of us "big baahk"= baahk daaih and "small Baahk"= baahk sai) winced, because my umbrella has about the same size and efficacy at wet prevention as a washcloth.
Ah, well, we all huddled under my teeny umbrella and, pretty much nose-to-nose, learned about God's love and plan for us, and why he restored his gospel to Earth.
It was pretty hilarious, but not as hilarious as "what happened next" (say that like in Clue--the movie). A bus came. There was only one seat on it. So... we let someone else get on, because we wanted to keep talking. Then another bus came. There were only two seats on it. Baahk sai and daaih (us) got on the bus--but oh, no! We hadn't exchanged numbers! And now we had left him standing in the rain! So I tried to give him my umbrella as the bus TOOK OFF (picture an umbrella jammed in bus doors and Sister D holding on for dear life as the bus reaches warp speed).
So what do we do? We creepily wait at the other end--where the bus stops--to exchange numbers. Ayiya! so crazy! And fun! (image courtesy of China News)
It is now 3:42 HK time, so I only have a few minutes left to write you "my" stuff. BUT! I love getting your emails, and I wanted so much to respond! So, post whatever you feel good about of the above to the blog. OH, and look for Baahk Daaih's (Sister B's) blog--it's called something about "a single grain of rice" and I think the search will be well rewarded by pictures of Hong Kong. Woot!
One thing I learned seems funny but is very true: One lady came and sat by me about 1/4 way through Sacrament and I, of course, had no idea who she was. She was wearing an odd (to Americans) dress/pants/thing, but everyone here wears odd things to church, so I thought she was a member. Ayiyaaa, I only figured out she was an investigator when she asked what this mihn baau (bread for Sacrament) was for. Yikes!
She hadn't been welcomed or probably even smiled at--all because I assumed the wrong way. I resolved to treat everyone like an investigator from then on out, and I thinks it's a good plan AND a real truth--because we really are all investigators. God's investigators, still on a path of learning and still all too vain and foolish and faithless and easily offended or scared off (at least I am).
Everyone deserves to be warmly welcomed to church, because that's what Jesus would do--and I'm trying to be his representative here in HK.
Love to all my people, Sister D.
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Make a comment, large or small and Mom will email it to me in next weeks mail. Hugs, Sister Dia