Serving Where I Can -- An Eternal Mission Doctrine

Dear Sweet People, 

It was Sunday and I felt so needed by our branch. I translated three meetings (Sister Wong and I switched off speakers) (we have a nifty headphone/microphone set where everyone who needs it in Cantonese or English grabs a headset and we just talk into the mike), accompanied all the singing, including choir practice (in which we're singing a  devilishly hard piece, "Because He Lives" and an easier but sappy, "My Mother, My Daughter" or something) AND conducted choir (from the piano bench....).

I was assisted by Sister S. and randomly taught Young Women's class (...to the sole YW there) with Sister M. I love serving and helping and I think one of the worst feelings in the world is not feeling needed or not feeling helpful. It's also a sensitive and subtle art to help others develop more skills, responsibility and awareness of the need for them--I'm thinking of younger missionaries, children, or members of quorums or class--without just getting impatient, frustrated OR too worried about their lack of ability and just doing it for them. ...reminds me of Elder Eyring's talk in priesthood last last Conference where he told about his bishop telling him "I NEED YOU" and actually believing it.

I want to ask myself more often how I can not only serve, but help others around me feel--not just included but NECESSARY--Essential to the work, and how to become humble and Christlike enough to really believe that they are needed. Like Lisa S. has mentioned once before in a letter, wards and families and classes and districts come together in unity as work is shared and lives are strengthened, NOT as everything moves smoothly along without a finger lifted by anyone but the presidency. 

On this topic, I recall feeling so needed when I was preparing with Sister Ramsey for Girl's Camp after my senior year that summer, and remembering that when I made a girl aware of her responsibility and that we needed her, how everything changed. 

Mind you, it did not work with all of them:  One of the girls we just had to Benadryl, actually, but usually making them feel needed really worked :P ha ha.   

I pondered about the moments when Mom also made me do hard things and the realization that her insistance of my learning and doing these tasks went beyond making life easier on her... I don't know, I was just thinking about service and how community AND how individual oriented it can be at the same time. In whatever stage of life YOU're at, you can feel needed, help others feel needed or accept the help from someone else that will make Him/HER feel needed (like our Women's Chorus song, "May God grant me the grace I need for me to let you be my servant, too"). 

And that's my thoughts on that. 

I was so grateful to read about Grandma Bezzant's testimony and sharing in her church about her life. I am so unaware and so ignorant about my loved ones lives and stories; it's so sad. I'm so, so grateful to have read about her service and the service she's seen rendered. I love that she is so aware of God's grace and mercy that makes that love and selflessness possible--that instilled in each human breast the urge to love and take care of the others around us. She still serves so much, even at 93!! I remember always feeling SO needed, loved, important and filled every time I left after visiting with her. I remember, too, after she got out of the hospital the last time, that Brian and I went to sing for her at the recovery center. I can't believe how long ago that was now... but singing, "serving", for her still felt like it was healing MY soul. I love you Grandma.

The Kessler senior missionaries will be coming for the LAST time this coming up Sunday, so that's the end of quick mail from the mission home. No problem, because we're heading up to HK on May 22nd to see Elder Oaks! AND they Kessler's not coming back BECAUSE Macao is getting a pair of its OWN senior missionaries! YAY! Senior missionaries are SO AMAZING. They are like the tenth-black-belt-star-stripe-ninja-power-etc missionaries--a lifetime of service, experiences, testimony and family power backing them up. They are the treasure of the mission and they are amazing for reactivating entire stakes, from what I've heard about Sister Bishop's parents. My English is questionable, sorry.

I loved seeing that Aidan won hottest chili. We had the funniest experience the other day where it was pouring rain, wait a second did I already tell this story? Whatever, I 'll tell a super short version---Sis Wong and I were cooking right before we'd planned on going out for scripture class, it'd been pouring all day, she cooked up some garlic, onion and then sliced 3 TINY red chilis and threw them in. Just as I was picking up the phone to talk to our miracle (except we didn't know she was a miracle yet, she was just a contact) investigator whom I'll call Jewel, she threw in the chilis and I went in and stuck my face in the wok and BREEEAAAATHED IN. And then my lungs shriveled up and died, and I laid on the floor and coughed and then went out on the porch and got soaked and coughed and then sat in front of the fan and coughed and wheezed all while Sis Wong was trying to talk in English to the contact (who wanted to see us RIGHT THEN, wheeee!) on the phone and make sure the food didn't burn AND not breath in at all AND laugh really hard at me...  it was so funny.

We are blessed to be here and spending every last second of the short time left in service.  

Love, 

Sister Darcey

When Is Mother's Day?

Dear Everyone, 

Seriously, no one knows in the whole mission when the big day is. We've asked and asked around and around and no one knows. Like Easter, it's not really a big deal here in Hong Kong I mean Macao. Even with members. So the whole zone would like to know when Mother's Day is. We're pretty sure it's in May? On a ...Sunday? Maybe the second or first Sunday in May?

Do Jeh.

We had a great week of miraculous miracles and weird Macau laid-back-ness AND crazy international emotional rollercoasters.

I'll start with the last thing first: I've been so overwhelmed by the amount of emotion that Fillipinos and Indonesians/the international branch has. I'm realizing how Chinese (ie,  who don't show emotion, uncomfortable describing or expressing feeling.  They are generally really chill,) I've become.  So the first time one sister from Indonesia (Sister Josephine) met me, I stuck out my hand and said (translating every word in my head from Chinese to English), "Hello, I'm Sister Darcey. I'm so happy to meet you," and she gasped and said, "I LOVE YOU!" and threw her arms around my stomach (they're all like 3 feet tall) and wouldn't let go. It was HILARIOUS.

Another sister, a Filipina, Sister Teresa, met me for the first time and asked when I needed to leave Macao. I told her in June, and she started crying. I'm serious. They have such big hearts, it's crazy! Especially since Macau is such a transitive (is that a word?) place with both missionaries and members coming and leaving all the time because of visa issues.  There is at least one baptism each week in the international branch, but it stays about the same size! since members are constantly getting or losing jobs or going home or getting sent home. 

A big problem in missionary work in international is "overstaying" when want-to-be-workers come and overstay their visitor's visa trying to find a job. It's so sad when they call us and ask for help, since when they overstay they become illegal immigrants and can't find a place to sleep. Missionaries, of course, can't do anything about it--but it's horrible to have to step back and not be involved at all in lifting the weary and comforting the comfortless...

The weird Macau laidbackness has been good and... well, weird. Last night we played went badminton finding! It was hilarious. At the beginning I thought it was a pretty girly sport. The raquet's tiny, the ball looks like a snitch, you exert all of like 3 calories for three hours of "exercise"... I also thought I was pretty good, despite it only being my second time playing, until I saw the person I was playing against start playing a real badminton player. It reminded me of when I played raquetball with Brian or wrestled with Dad or tried to beat up on Ian... He totally took it easy on me and I didn't even realize until he started pounding that whifflewhateverit'scalledbirdything into the court floor. It was crazy! BUT I still think it's a girly sport. 

Anyway, we played badminton last night and we're making mochi tonight with the Young Women. We're trying to build up the branch members' fire, faith and willingness to fellowship and friendship new people. Macau actually has plenty of baptisms, apparently, but can't retain them at all. It is the season, so rain has put a damper on finding, but it's actually cleared up everytime we really need to get out and talk to people.

I named my first CHinese person yesterday! I named her Francine (because her name in Chinese begins with F C). Why didn't I name her Funky... I know. It's Ok. I had just met her (she LOOKED funky, too, but I thought, hey, why not open my mouth and then she turned out to be AWESOME) and she's a DRUMMER and a mom of a 30 year old and she's so hilarious and awesome. Anyway. Just one of many miracle contacts that have made Macau so amazing and fun. 

We get to meet SO MANY PEOPLE. We pulled 9 people back to the church on Tuesday--didn't get to sit down and teach any of them (noooo!) but they all were so different and fun to meet. One special one was named S, a 50's something (different for me--usually my "style" is 16 to 20 year olds--not on purpose, that's just usually who talks to me most) beautiful and refined lady who was touched by the kindness of a Christian professor in America to her child at the university a few years ago and has been softening toward the gospel ever since. She even told us, "I can just tell you are good people, talking to you is so comfortable," and "You know, before I used to be so *weirded out* (not a direct translation...) by black name tag wearing missionaries, but lately I've really wanted to talk to you all more and more" and then we talked to her. Opening my mouth has had all kinds of blessings this week. Another woman named Van, a cute 20's who has always wondered about those Christian churches and was so happy to talk to us...

So, I'm recommitting to 100% obedience and I'm super happy to be here. The sisters in Macau are all awesome, especially my companion! Sister Wong and I really get along.

Oh, I can share something Sister Wong and I learned that's neat to end--it's about why the Book of Mormon is called the Book of Mormon.  Actually, you'll have to mostly look it up yourself because I don't have time--but like this: Check out Mormon 1 through Mormon 6. Mormon is -without faith and -without hope. He stands as an "idle witness" of the truth and calls his own labor "in vain" like three times. 

However, this is the same man who wrote the FANTASTIC treatise on faith, hope and charity in Moroni 7-9 and, really despite EVERYTHING and the WORLD falling around him, continues to love the people around him and believes that God will save his people. It's really an amazing paradox, and the beautiful thing is that THIS tragic prophet is the name in which we missionaries take the restored gospel of Jesus Christ to the world.

Love ya'll

Sister D!

P.S.  My name's everywhere! In Indonesian it means something (because it's everywhere in the Restoration pamphlet!) and it's even on the outside of our church (insert church's name in Portuguese here, thanks ma).

I have a feeling my grammar is really off...  Mom, fix it.  Thanks.

A New Day Filled With The Joy Of Mudd

Dear Family,


There should be NO worries on mail getting to us, the senior missionary couple reportedly comes
every Sunday now so they bring our mail (...haven't seen them yet, though).


MACAU IS AMAZING I feel blessed in 1000 ways.


Ahhh, today I'm praying for Daegon! He has such hard things--that means that he is a strong strong
spirit! He will do great things. His family is amazing. I ask the Lord to bless DawnL a bunch. She's so strong.

I have a new mattress in this Macaus apartment bc now there're 6 sisters in the same apartment (our bedroom is wall to wall bunkbeds, so awesome!) and it seriously makes me SO INCREDIBLY HAPPY. Like every
time I crawl into bed at night I have a laughing/crying with joy fit that ends in salty sighs and shivering until I fall asleep. My next to me bunkmate (she's Philappina, named sister Salenga) is pretty creeped
out I think ;)   [Grammar suggested fix:  My bunkmate nearest me...]

We're doing a SCIENCE PROJECT NIGHT for a church activity soon! I'm fresh meat in the zone so they sat me down in a room by myself (with a single bare lightbulb...) and didn't let me go finding until I came up
with a good activity idea. 


We're going to make dirt pudding (with the choc pudding Mom sent me), that cornstarch/water stuff and of course a hydrogen peroxide and baking soda (...or was it vinegar. wait, oh no, we need to test this out) volcano. Super stoked.

I love cooking. It is a great joy of my life here to cook for everyone. Everyone always calls me Mama Darcey (baahk mama) in the apartment because I make sure everyone's fed. I'm doomed to be very poor in my life because I don't care if anyone pays me back or how many groceries I need to buy--I just love cooking for everybody and with everyone. 


It's such a joy to be able to add back in the things you love on your mission. That's probably why couples missions are the best thing in the world, right? You get your family, TOO! :D


Tell Dad I will write him!

Love always,

Sis. D.

Macau Miracles ! ! ! AAAAhhhhh I Love It Here!

 So Macau is ok. I guess.

Tuen Mun

No, it really is AMAZING!!! Sister Wong is hilarious, super confident,funny, cute, short, fiery, Chinese and talks SO FAST. Her English is almost perfect (but still super funny) and I ADORE her.

Sister Cheung's bday in Tuen Mun

I'm loving reverting back to dumb, happy baby stage--following her around and not
understanding what other people are saying, not knowing where we're going, not knowing who people are and it's MARVELOUS! Seriously, I forget I'm senior companion most of the time.

Ahhhh, Macau is so weird. It's like a different mission completely--not least because we're actually in a different 'country'(SAY IT WITH ME! CHINA!!!!!!!!!!! YOU CAN WALK TO MAINLAND FROM HERE!) (wait a second, you could do that in HK, too...it just feels more mainlandy here, OK?) AND we're in charge of both the Chinese and the
English/international branches!

Tuen Mun

We're a funny companionship-- it's a big change for me, coming from the queens of Yuen Long where we gallavanted around an entire HUGEST AREA EVER and two wards on our bikes and knew everyone to adding on to the SEVEN COMPANIONSHIPS in only 2 little branches here where the missionaries almost outnumber the branch members...

Tuen Mun

MACAU

Everything is slower here--the people, the zone, the food, the lifestyle. I didn't realize how go-go-go I had become being a city girl until I came to the City of Cities waaaaait. I was just in Yuen Long, the country? I don't know why.... maybe it's because of the European flavor here.

Besides fighting my basic gut instinct to whip everyone back into city frenzy, I'm really loving it. The best part is finding, and the best part of THAT is we get to find A LOT. We're "opening" a companionship, so we started with exactly one
investigator--an Indonesian, because Indonesian's usually only speak Bahasa and Cantonese, no English--and then he went back to HK. BUT we've already added 8 new investigators this week and we're planning on more. Every time we go finding it's miraculous--the Spirit is truly a fire and it's blazing.

this picture's actually from the bridge in Tuen Mun
with Sis Chan

The weather too, is following suit, and while we're able to stay out until 10:30 here in Macau, we find all night long and return to the apartment to lay on our floor as stinky/sweaty messes when we get home. I LOVE IT!!!

Tell Brian I'm so sorry I haven't sent anything for 3 weeks now, the mail in Macau is funny so we have to wait until Sundays to send it with the senior couple and then the senior couple didn't come for Conference. Did I tell you I got to watch SIXTEEN HOURS OF CONFERENCE?! And By That I Mean: Sixteen Hours!


Anyway, I love it here and I seriously tried to send pictures four times now--and I failed. It took so long and so that is the Last time.

Love you all, keep praying and thanking God for his grace,

My blessings from Him? It's amazing!

Love, Sister D

[internet photos from chinaphotos.org]

SURPLISE! Surplise, Surprise?

Sorry Familia,

It's been a long time since I've been able to email Thursday morning. And I think I missed your EMAIL?

I'm so glad I got Ian, Dad's and Cami's email--and Sister Rinda, my visiting teacher, too!--and miss you all.

I have big news--I'm moving to MACAU! It's a really special, weird area. Haaa, I actually just remembered before moves calls responding to some sister who was worried her family wouldn't know she's moving, "Eh, I'm not worried about letting my family know; they probably wouldn't even notice unless I went somewhere crazy like Macau or something."

It's NOT EVEN PART OF HONG KONG. I have to have my passport and take a 3 hour boat to get there, and we don't come back for ANYTHING in the normal HK mission schedule--activities, conferences, temple visits, nothing (except ELDER OAKS IS COMING ON MAY 22 YES!).

Sister Cook was extremely ...english word... shocked? The words she used were "it's like they're ripping the umbilical cord out!" so... however that translates ;) That poor, poor baby.

If only you could see how much chocolate and ice cream we consumed on Tuesday night trying to deal with the news I think it'd also help communicate the depth of emotion going on here.

Sister Cook will be absolutely fantastic here in Yuen Long with Sister Nielson, and though I"ll miss it TOO MUCH I know they'll be exactly what the area needs. She'll have such a great opportunity to spread her wings, get her feet under her, shake off her momma's yoke that had her bound etc etc all those other turning of age analogies. See Where the Red Fern Grows.

Anyway. I'm sUPER excited for O-Muhn (its Chinese name is weird because it was owned by Portugal for a while)... I don't know why I'm telling you random facts because you can all just look it up on Wiki and be DONE. Here we wallow in ignorance and half-truths and I'm-not-sures... but it's kinda cool that way because I just go and LIVE it and make my own connections, I don't get to learn about an area before I move there first (kinda like learning Chinese--after a couple moves HERE you open up your grammar book again and go "OOOOoooooh, that's totally what they say...." Learning like a native!). So I'll be writing on a totally new slate.

Speaking of a new slate, I'm gonna get to open up a new companionship! No investigators, no reputation, no area book, no phone even. WOOT! I'll be with a BUN DEIH (sounds like boon-day and means NATIVE) named Sister Wong. She's renowned in the mission for being tho very young, having a lot of previous trainining on how to work with wards because her dad was bishop for TEN YEARS.

Excuse That English grammar sentence structure bleh. Anyway. I'm SO EXCITED.

Generally bun deihs get to stay in Macau for a long time and Americans for VERY SHORT. There is a competition in fact because there are many missionaries-tried-not-quite-true-but-we're-still-trying to get "more time" in Macau because it's basically entirely up to the visa person who stamps your card as you go in.

Generally you get 30 days, then 20, then 10 and then you're done. In between those periods you have to come BACK to HK and sleep in the mission office for a night! SO WEIRD! Supposedly if you look like a bun deih, sometimes you can get more time. ...my plan is to weird everyone out by SOUNDING like a bun deih so I can have more! Or maybe I should try the "I just want to come spend a lot of money gambling and take a ton of pictures tourist" trick...

Macau makes moves/calls really interesting in the mission because of the weird schedule. When people get more or less time than they thought they'd get, the whole mission gets turned upside down and scrambles for companions and areas. I'M SO EXCITED!.

I think I just wrote that whole paragraph within parentheses.--FIX IT MOM PLEASE.

I'm super mhsedak (translation... don't want to leave, seperation not okay) this area. Last night we called a bunch of ward members and investigators and ate orange slices and salsa on pringles (long story...) and took pictures and bore testimonies and played guitar and cried. They are so amazing and I'm seriously so blessed to have served and been served by them. I can't imagine living my life without meeting them... this mission really means everything to the rest of my life. It changes how I see everything.

Yesterday by miracle Buddist holiday luck we got to go visit Carrie--my last time ever! I love her so much. I felt like I should be bawling the whole time--especially as her little daughter Nana said she'd wait to perform on violin until next time we visited and Carrie said "Nana, we don't know when the next time is! We may not see Sister Darcey until you are very big!" but I guess I was just numb.

I love that family so much. C drew me a picture--I PROMISE I'll send a picture next week--of ME! In Macau! The picture is so beautiful. She wrote a poem on it, too, in Chinese... wow. I will never forget her. I seriously am a witness of God's grace. I'm given so many things I just don't deserve. Strength and will to breathe and do and then blessings when I obey, too!

I also got to say farewell to Sister P again this week--AND so many beloved friends from my last areas! The sweet L and the N families from MOS, tiny T A and LOVELY L from Sha Tin, A. (my summer missionary) from Tai Po (we're going to be at BYU at the same time! I'm going to make her come over every night and speak Chinese with me. I seriously love that woman so much) and of course Elders Dashtrup and Dodd and Sister Lam who are dying today.

What a terrific opportunity, but as the Lord Leads, I go.

Sister Darcey in Macau!

HA HA Sneak Attack - Email NEW DAY

Allright, all,

As I head to Macau, I am sure I will miss the new music I have loved with Sis. C!

My/Your commitment this week is so find a way to make art in my/your life!

It helps develop AND express emotion and I've missed it terribly. Even though I get to sing hymns and read scripture every day, I really felt that experiencing the music at Conference on Sunday did something for my heart that it has truly been needing for a while!

There was a mission wide musical fireside on Sunday and I really felt like my soul was filled and healed and blessed that night. The "Songs of the Heart" singers (MoTab of HK) performed "From Cumorah's Hill" which I sang in college once--it was so amazing. I love the songs Born of God and I Never Stand Alone so much.

In other news, Sister Cook and I will finish and record our duet guitar missionary song ...sometime. I Only Wish It Were To Be Before I Leave!! It's to the tune of that "I will walk 500 miles and I will walk 500 more" Irish song... the lyrics so far....

When I wake up, oh I know I'm gonna be, I'm gonna wake up on the bunkbed next to YOU.

When I go out, oh I know I'm gonna be, I'm gonna go with you cuz we go two by two.

And we would walk 500 miles and we would bike 500 more

just to be the gals who tract 1000 miles to knock now at your door.

GOING TRACTIN! And no one's home but dogs and baai sahn (Buddhist) folk.

GOING TRACTIN! We start to count "mdakhahng"s as a joke....

That's it so far, I'm so excited to write more verses (Buggin' members! or WEEKLY PLANNING! or... etc).
I am so happy and excited for this next challenge! You'll all still get pictures because Sister Marcado is coming with me to be in internation in Macau (obviously Heavenly Father knew I needed her Mexican-food-making-skills or I'd just break down, because I've NEVER heard of two missionaries being apartment mates for more than 3 moves, much less 5!!!) and I'll send some soon... maybe...

I think maybe I need to find an art form I can participate in with a group (waaaaait, is that in the white handbook..."Don't participate in groups clubs etc" haaa... well, that's awkward) because it's great to express by itself but it's heavenly to work with others to do it--whether it's a band, a choir, a team or a district or zone. Probably even if it's a committee and especially if it's a family.

I love you, my family, and I pray for you every single day. I want you to know I'm thankful for you and the patience and love and joy you've developed and expressed for me.

Love you,

Sister D ALMOST IN MACAU!


PS: Dad, you'd love Elder Kessler's job. He just figures out missionaries' money all day long. And talk to new people (you've always been my example for that).

And Mom would love organizing the mission home and writing English class curriculum and etc... just saying.

Ya'll should so go on a couple's mission. I'm just saying.