Mini Hikaru

Hello hello everyone. Im back with an update. Over the last little bit: - Our friend Hongran was baptized. He is super cool little 11 year old chess addict. Im talking a wild trash talk with him knowing full well this mini hikaru would cook me. We found them going to an english speaking ward with one of our friends who lived too far from the mandarin ward to get there for church. As we went to church we saw some chinese folk there and went to talk to them. They had just recently come back from China and got back in contact with the church once they had got back. They only knew about this English ward and so they started coming once the came back. We asked if we could start teaching them again and out of the blue the next week his Dad called us to ask how soon his son could be baptized. They are such an awesome family and the father Leiwong should be baptized in December🙏 - We have some awesome friends Bob and Oliver progressing towards baptism. Bob is on date for this next week, but hasnt answered us back since he learned tithing a couple days ago. Prayers up for Bob🙏 - Oliver is awesome. First lesson with Oliver we got a little heated. It wasn't a bash but it was not the most spirit filled either. Somewhere in between, and my hot head with some new found chinese and bible skills was not letting it slide. Anyways our member Lucia came in clutch and invited him to see the fruits of the gospel at a service opurtunity rather than argue. Ever since then he has been progressing very well, he loved conference, and is so excited to be baptized in November. Its honestly a testimony to me about the power of inviting. Elder Bednar recently talked about how our job as members isnt to bash but to invite. The spirit of contention is of the devil and doesn't ever help someone come around. Thats hopefully a lesson I can get through my skull after that one. - Our high counciler from the Mandarin Ward Peter. One morning we called him to see if he could join a lesson with us, but he said he had "stuff and meetings," not a likely scenario if you know Peter. We joked around a little since we're pretty close and then ended up calling his wife to she if she could join. She informed us she had a dancing class with peter later that night. So we had to do the only appropriate thing possible and start calling Peter Brother Danceypants. This led to him flipping us off in front of the youth (he actually loves us just a little rough around the edges. It was all in jest so no stress) - Donga from YSA finally decided to get baptized. He was such a stud and I got to meet with him again on exchanges this last week. Such an awesome dude. Other highlights: - Banff/Kananaskis hiking with the members was amazing - Pinapple buns and roasted pork from the local chinese supermarket are unparalleled - Chicken thighs in the airfrier do not even have the capability of getting old. I could eat those daily until I die Im pretty sure. - First sick day of the mission about 17 months in. I really thought I could make it without having one, but we called an incredible amount of grey dots so it was good. - Street contacting in the middle of a big city is my favorite, but we got banned from train stations because the police werent rocking with us. (We're back now but its secret this time. Dont tell them. 🙊) - Quesadilla hands and chopsticks for every food. New apartment rules so we can develop heat tolerence by cooking quesadillas with no spatula and no plate to put it on and use chopsticks like a native. - I played piano for a facebook video for our mandarin page. Bless up Jodi. - General conference was really amazing. President Nelson really is a prophet. - It is the first snow of the year right now. Not the most amazing thing, but we will live. Rather than write a long spiritual thought I would just like to reiterate something our prophet has said this past week. When a prophet of God, quite literally his spokesman here on the earth, says something, we ought to listen. From what I can see, he gave us a 3 invitations of what to focus on in the next 6 months: 1. Study the atonement every week for the rest of your life. 2. Spend time in the temple 3. Rededicate our life to Jesus Christ / Choose to whom or what we will give our life to. I would just like to bear my testimony that President Nelson is a prophet of God, and this is Christ's New Testament Church here on the earth today. It is the Church of Joy. It hit close to home when Elder Kearon said the first testimony he gained was the joy found in Christ. There is joy in Christ and you will find it as you follow his prophet. 下次见 🦖 - 马长老