I have to tell you guys something. You are all kinda bad at writing me. Every time you have news for me, you tell me the bare minimum. For example "maddie had her baby" :"Ryan got called to Russia" (you explained this one ok.) ; " The hoffs and truetts moved" "Sister Darcey got engaged" and other various examples. What I learned from middle school english class essays is that if you have a topic sentence, you normally have to support it with evidence and explanation for the next 4 sentences at least. For example:

What city are the Hoffs in now?how is my Trainer Engaged? How is my cousin? I got a letter from Conner and Nathans EFY leader last week, he's from hong kong but had time to write me before cousins did. repent! REPENT ALL OF YOU! haha.

Just Kidding. I know you're busy. But I feel like I need to tell you these things, so we can all be happy.

Here is what is up with me:

This past Saturday I got to go to my old area, Kwun Tong, so that I could play guitar and sing in the stake talent show. It was really really fun. It felt like coming home. People missed me! Especially one of our old investigators, A-yih. Who recently got back from mainland where she took a hard beating from her Friends and relatives about coming to church at the Mormon Church. She seemed really confused about a lot of things, but during the talent show I got to have a good talk with her. I feel like it helped, and I feel like heavenly father has been really guiding me lately, and still giving me chances to carry on relationships with old investigators even though I live far from them.

Interestingly enough, I read something cool from the scriptures this week, that has kinda helped me to have a better view on my mission. It's the parable of the secretly growing seed, in Mark. I think chapter 7. In this parable Jesus explains that when a farmer plants his seeds, after he cultivates the land, and does what he can to nurture the plant, and help it grow, he goes to sleep. When he comes back later, the seed has sprouted, and as he continues to care for the plant, it grows into a crop. But the cool thing about this parable, is that the farmer is not actually the one making the crop grow. The farmer does what he can, but all in all, God is the one that makes the seed grow. The farmer has little to do with if it sprouts or not. He just does what he can to help it on its way.

As missionaries we can't be too concerned with our seeds. We need to do everything we can of course, but we can't sit there and will the seed into growing, it will do it by itself, with the help of God. I know that as I just trust god and have faith that he his leading this work, that my seeds will grow. Some won't of course, some will get choked by weeds, or wither, and die, but if i do what i can and leave the rest up to the lord, I'm not responsible for those seeds.

I shared this with my Zone leader. He didn't get it. But that's OK, because he's dumb. I mean...because he's a seed too. And even though I may not agree with the way he does things, I trust that God is helping him to grow at his own rate.

So yeah, the scriptures are awesome. They help me alot. But anyway, the talent show was great! guitar class and kids English class have just started in Aberdeen and West point now, and they are bringing lots of people to church, this Saturday we will have girls night and I'm really happy. Sister Mercado and I are working hard and I'll send a email with some pictures from last week.

Moves are next Thursday, I hope that I can stay with sister Mercado. We're having a lot of fun together! We'll see what happens though.

I love you all!

P.S. So happy Ryan is going to the temple this week. He'll enjoy it a lot, i'll be praying for everyone. Make sure he gets to participate in everything and tell him to write down his thoughts and send them to me.

Sister Gou