Week 1 Tai Wo

 First off, I am so sorry I missed last week. The good news is, lots of fun things to share this time!

1) I'm out of quarantine! Thanksgiving in quarantine was pretty fun haha. I made a little food platter to munch on throughout the day. Everything else in quarantine is super unimportant because...

Now I'm ACTUALLY in HONG KONG! We got out of quarantine last Monday and we were all so excited to see each other. Our first meal was at the church building that also has the mission office and we had Dim Sum! Lots of good food, and lots I hadn't tried before. It was super exciting!

After lunch we had a training and then we got our TRAINERS! Trainers are the first companion you get. They show you how to be a missionary and they lead the area. My trainer is Sister Chan! Hauyi Chan (there are a lot of sister Chan's in the mission lol). She is adorable. She's a native in Hong Kong, so she teaches me Canto, and I teach her English lol. I/the other sisters I live with have been teaching her English slang like "hit the road", "easy money", "hits different", and "the vibes". She's also teaching me Canto slang which is so fun.

We taught a lot of people this week! Usually I can participate/share some version of what I want to say using Canto, but understanding what people say to me is a whole different story. Soooooo hard. Sister Chan says it'll come with time tho so ima trust her on that.

One of the people we're teaching decided he wants to be baptized! He's a little boy, about 9/10 years old. His parents are members but haven't been very active until recently. Sister Chan and I are so excited or him! 

Yesterday Chan JM and I hit the streets to talk to people/invite them to a missionary choir performance thats happening and English conversation groups we hold (opportunities to practice english). While we were out, there were some street performers and we wanted to invite them to the choir, but before we could do that they invited us to sing! They gave us both a microphone, the man played the piano, and together we sang some Christmas carols for passerbys. It was super fun, and they were super excited to hear about the missionary choir/wanted to come! They'll also be performing on the street on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day 

A few more things: This week I tried gaakjaibeng, last p day I went to a mall and bought some cheap clothes/went to a thrift store here and got this AMAZING green dress, ate out everyday of the week (except Sunday) trying different foods (Food is also so cheap here), bore my testimony in Canto on Sunday, attended a missionary choir performance paired with a magic show, and talked (or tried to talk) to as many people on the streets as I could.

I'll leave you all with a cool miracle that happened last p day:) That morning while Studying I was contemplating how I'm going to have to talk to people about everyday life and deep life/share about Jesus Christ in Canto, and how I really don't have the language skills to do that on a whim. But I know faith brings miracles so that morning I decided I wanted to show faith by trying to talk to people and use canto. So I was saying hi and trying to start conversations, putting fear on the alter of sacrifice. While we were on the MTR, I was drafting an email and I noticed a man across from me and thought "I can talk to him" so I put the phone down and (the whole time using canto) was like how are you? He was like wow your canto is so good I'm like thanks I'm learning (if your white, all you have to do is say hello in Canto and everyone is like WOW). I asked where he was going, he said home, and I tried to ask if he was gonna see his family and he didn't understand, but thankfully sister Chan was there and helped me know what to say. After that the convo ended and we just rode, because I didn't really know what else to say In canto. After we got off, the man was running after Chan JM and I and when he caught up the two of them started talking in Canto (I couldn't really follow along), but he ended up giving her his phone number. Afterward Chan JM said he had said there was something special about us and that he wanted to know more about who we were and our message. I started crying. It was just such an amazing experience that I know came straight from heaven, and it was only possible because I decided to act in faith. It certainly wasn't my conversation or language skills that made that possible, if anything those two things were working against me, but God uses the weak and the simple, and through Him anything is possible if we just have faith. He will make up the difference, He won't let our weaknesses slow down His work. Faith truly brings miracles. Keep acting in faith and trusting God, he WILL provide for what you lack. It was so amazing to see that in action that day.

First week in Hong Kong in the books!!! I love you all, make this week count 

1) Singing with street performers

2) Chan JM and I in our freezing room!!!

3) Gaakjaibeng with Chan JM

4) Hong Kong temple and Sister Chan! the whole district fresh out of quarantine!

5) First egg tart in Hong Kong! Loved it 6) We don't have a chapel in our area, so the whole ward drove to the chapel an hour away together on a tour bus. Pretty fun hahah 7) First meal outside of quarantine! Dim sum, hóu mèih

8) Riding the elevator, ft the new dress!!!! 9) Chan JM and I at church on Sunday!