You Know, I Think Of The Funniest Subject Lines All Week...

And then I walk in the Internet Cafe and the brain-sucking, wind-knocking-out Indonesian spices (IF WE EVER GET INTO A WAR WITH INDONESIAN WE WILL LOSE! They can just drop a barrel of WHATEVER they're cooking back there into the middle of Kansas and the East to West coast will ALL DIE from BLISTERED LUNGS) and ....gone.

I'm posting a video of the preparation area, that is not behind a wall, just out in the center of the cafe... imagine this:  

Dearest Everyones, 

It's probably a good thing (the crazy spices) this week, actually--- because yesterday I lost my voice. Totally randomly... we chased down a TON of records and finding less-active members and following up on families that bishop wants us to visit and playing with my recently acquired NEW TOY, an updated member list.

(Missionaries have WAY different ideas of "fun" than normal people... yup), then I opened my mouth at 4:30 to tell Sister C we needed to finish up and head out soon--and nothing came out. My voice has been squeaky, super quiet, smothered-sounding and screechy since ---??? I seriously have no idea why or how to help it get better---BUT it IS forcing me to shut my mouth more and let/force Sister C to talk! 

Does anyone really realize how important a missionary's VOICE is? "The sound of a trump" aside, it's my instrument to get into the hearts of people!!So it's really, really rough when it's broken. BUT everyone's been praying for me (seriously, a RC [recent convert] today who came to the Kwun Tong church to help us teach Yani right after we all watched Lion King prayed for my voice about 4 seconds after she heard me say "leih hou" )  and it's seriously making me aware of a) how much I talk b) how important talking is and c) how often sometimes I need to STOP talking! 

We have some kind of biting bug or spider in our room or maybe in my bed? I wake up each and every morning with between 4 to 8 bites spread all over (and I MEAN all over ) ... I've tried washing and ironing bedclothes, curtains, clothes, and spraying "BIO KILL" under my mattress... any other ideas?  It's not that big of a deal because these bite sites don't get infected and disappear after a day or so. And hey, spiders have to eat, too.  [Buddist leanings?]

We have a new best friend in our shower! A lizard! Named Ji Ji. I wrote Sister Cami in Peru, I mean Hermana Cami with more details, tee hee.

Our beloved President Chan is finishing his mission TOMORROW!!! I don't even know what to think about that. I adore him and Sister Chan so much. I have more to say on that...

but no time... so I'll fill my journal.

We're planning EEFY (which means that the entire zone sits in a room for 10 minutes and thinks up ideas and shouts them out randomly, then Sister Darcey tells everyone what the syllabus, activity and schedule of each day is.) I'm not exaggerating, it was hilarious. Planning Girl's Camp with Sister Ramsey back in 2008 really prepped me well!!!) I am so sorry that I will miss it by weeks that it's like planning my own funeral. YET, A Fiesta! 

I saw God's most amazing miracles this week.

1.   M. will only be in mainland for 1 week instead of a month because a church member got her a job, 

2.   Two members sent us home with Dragon Boat Festival "jung" rice cake (=we got dinner that day!!!),

3.  And milllions more but the most amazing was with A., my sweet RC [recent convert] from Shatin. She has had such a hard time and there's no time to explain but BASICALLY I called THE DAY AFTER a big misunderstanding with missionaries who didn't know her situation and couldn't read the Chinese texts they were forwarding to her everyday for 6 months.   For this entire time, SHE thought the notes were specifically written to HER and the situation finally blew up---and the miracle was that through the Lord's intervention, I was able to figure out the whole situation and fix both sides and it was so, so, so amazing. 

God is so aware of us, and I just stand ALL amazed.  I'll tell more of this story later--WHEN I AM ON THE NEXT PHASE of my life mission.  In NEARLY ONE MONTH!!!!!!  

It's getting hotter and hotter and I'm getting HAPPIER AND HAPPIER.

I love you people.

Sister D