Chinese Exchanges

Hi family!

Funny: Okay so this week has contained a lot of really exhilarating experiences followed by a lot of really unfortunate events. On Thursday I had the chance to go on exchanges with the zone leaders! It was awesome! The problem came when I realized that they spoke Chinese. Oh goodness. It was a funny funny day. I taught the craziest English class I have ever been in. It consisted of a whole bunch of old Chinese ladies yelling at me and me having no clue what they were saying. So so so funny. They would say things like "fash" and I would say "No, fast." They would reply with "Fashed." Me: " No, FAST." Them: "FASHED FASHED FASHED." Me: Okay, let's move on. Haha, it was super fun! We next met with this old man whose name was Hung Bo Bo. He has a total of six teeth and doesn't speak a word of English. Oh it was so funny. Firstly, when we walked in he had a pineapple sitting on the table next to him and his wife started to take it away but he yelled at her and she brought it back. Some dialogue happened and after I asked what happened and they had said that he wanted us to pray for this pineapple. So that's just what we did! We prayed for that pineapple and then cut it up and his wife made it into a drink full of banana and pineapple. That's it. It was a little hard to get down to say the least. It was a funny funny day and a rather long lesson. haha

Spiritual: This week was way spiritual because it was fast Sunday. We began with a zone fast Saturday night and it was super powerful. They had me and two other elders and a sister bear our testimonies. I didn't quite know what to say because I was just feeling rather alone and rather distant from everyone and everything. I bore my testimony about how Jesus is my friend and it was so powerful. I felt so loved and so close to our Heavenly Father throughout the whole experience. It was amazing. Another experience was that we got the chance to teach a lady named Carmen who has a crazy rough family situation at home and doesn't speak any English. We had to teach her through a translator and when we taught the first lesson she really felt the Spirit and we could tell that the things that we said went completely over her head. The Spirit was the one that really was doing the teaching. It was very powerful to give her the knowledge that she is loved even when her life is falling down around her. 

Where I am at: Things are going well here in Pleasanton and I am coming up on the end of my first transfer. We just got a new Chinese elder in our zone and it feels so so so good not to be the new one round here. I still have a lot to learn but things are going well. This morning we got up at a brutal 5:00 and went on a sunrise hike to the top of a mountain. Its a California mountain so its really just a large hill. :) It was really fun to have a testimony meeting at the top and cry repentance (literally) to all of Pleasanton. We sang some hymns at the top and had a great time with each other. 

Things are going well here for the most part. we have interviews with President Watkins tomorrow and I need a haircut! haha I am getting along okay with my companion but its hard because we have such different personalities and such different styles of life. He likes to argue and I do not. Things are okay. It's hard because I know enough to want to do things a different way but don't have the experience to back up my ideas so I end up getting rejected a lot. I feel like things are getting better though. Just pray for me to have a more humble heart. Our lessons have decreased to about 26 this week due to a lot of cancellations but we can get that back up for sure! I know my stuff and really want to show it now!  I appreciate all of your prayers and your love. I feel it very strongly out here. I am getting better at all aspects of the lifestyle here and I am very humbled by all that God has trusted me with. Right now I think God wants me to develop a much more personal relationship with him and he is giving me the opportunity to do so. I love you all so much! Things bug me here but I kinda just let it go by. Learn now so I can help someone with this same problem. Love you all!