Christmas Week

Merry Christmas FAMILY!!!!

 

The package you sent was awesome! I was astonished by the size at first, and by the fact that it looked a little abused on the outside, probably due to rough handling, but I now hold the award for biggest package in my district. haha. I've loved everything that i have opened so far, particularly the whoopie cushion (you know me too well) I opened the contacts today and I went ahead and opened the 12th day of Christmas first, because I was pretty sure it was clothes, and I was in desperate need of something to wear on sunday. Mom, the skirt and dress are so cute and both fit wonderfully! I don't know how much i will wear the cardigan, but I think i'm gonna wear it on Christmas. Thank you so much!! It made me so happy! Did you get the tape I sent home yet? have you listened to it? I guess you probably figured this out but i won't be able to get any mail after 2pm on the 23rd, including dear elders, so if anyone needs to say anything i'd do it before Friday. :) And i don't know when BYU is going to sent out acceptance letters, you might want to ask chrissy grover (she applied the same time as me) and also log into my Church Education System account, i think that info is on the green sheet. Check my BYU-I email too.

 

Ahh, so this week has been pretty great! I am filled with the Christmas Spirit (as well as the Christmas Chocolate). I came up with the idea to do 12 days of Christmas for the elders in our district and so far it's been really fun. We had a district goal this week to have more charity towards everyone and I really think that it has helped unify our district even more. I really love all of them :) So far we have done 7 pictures picking (we drew funny pictures of each of them), 6 lame jokes a joking, 5 m&mmmmmmm's (inside joke), 4 words in elvish (I'll take the ring!), three hand shakes (we gave them handshake coupons), two things for free (little sewing kits we found in the alterations building), and a note that said they love me! And we've done it all in Chinese. It's been really fun so far.

 

I have a funny story of something that happened this week, on Wednesday mornings we get sack breakfast and we are allowed to get 4 items each. I just wanted a yogurt because i wasn't hungry so i asked my companions if they wanted me to get them something too. They both wanted yogurt and one of the elders wanted some too, so i walked up to the cashier with 4 things of black cherry yogurt. The Cashier looked judgementally at my tray and then at me, and the back at my tray, and with the straightest face i could muster, I said "I really REALLY like black cherry yogurt" and at that very moment, I got a horrible nose bleed. So imagine me trying to be as serious as possible, trying not to laugh, with 4 things of yogurt and a nose bleed. It was pretty hilarious.

 

Anyway, on to the serious stuff. Our lessons this week went well! Our investigator got sick in the middle of a lesson and had to run out, we were really worried about her and we asked the leaders to give her a blessing. She is fine now. We taught her about repentance and the atonement and it was a really great lesson, we are thinking her baptism will be between Christmas and new years and we are very excited to plan it.

 

While our teacher was sick we got taught but sister Daaih from Hong Kong. She is so cute. Everyone from hong kong is cute. She told us a lot about the people and her intense love for them. We were so glad that she came in, me particularly. I am soooooooooo pumped for china. we only have a little less than 3 weeks left. It's crazy!! One thing that she said is that mainland china is ready for the gospel (she was quoting elder bednar) and that the lord is just waiting for there to be enough missionaries to send into china. I really feel like this mission is part of my calling in life. I think sometime or  another i'll end up going back to china, even if its just for a little bit, to help establish the church and to teach english. I really really want to. TRC was good this week, we taught a 65 year old HK native who liked to talk a lot. I was able to bear testimony more than once, but i have to admit that I didn't understand most of what she said. It's hard to teach to the needs of the investigator when you don't understand them, but the spirit was there. Our teacher, Jang Hing Daih, told me that he's really noticed that my tones are improving, and that i'm losing my English inflection when i speak Chinese. So that's good, maybe people won't make fun of me when I go over there. haha.

 

So as far as I know Christmas is going to be pretty sweet. We just found out that we get to hear from a general authority and that MOTAB is coming to the MTC. That's pretty neat, huh? (motab is mormon tabernacle choir, incase you didn't know, mom). I also found out that since the temple is closed this week we get the opportunity to do service at the temple. I hope I get to polish moroni. I called it. It's gonna be neat because we get to wear temple worker clothes to do it and little white booties. :)

 

Anyway, I know you guys are having fun. I hope the Christmas eve bonfire turns out good! And I hope all of you will hug the cousins for me. I love you all and I miss you and I get to talk to you on the phone in 3 weeks! :) I hope that you are filled with the Christmas Spirit and I hope that you aren't sad i'm not with you, but instead are glad that I am serving the lord.

 

Love,

Sister Cook

 

P.S. Mom, Good!

Ryan- did you get my letter to the seminary class? how were exams?

Hoffs- THANK YOU FOR THE PACKAGE! I have a letter for all of you in the mail. I love you

Symonie- You are a fantastic human being. I seriously love the gifts that you sent for me and my companions. Thank you so much! There is also a letter for you in the mail today.

 

SINGDAAN FAAILOHK!! :)

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