Chapter 4 The discovery of chicken nuggets with tails, and probable harm is done to Ji Zhanglao

Meagan is trying new food, and trying to keep things lively in her district...


Qin'ai de jiating he pengyou, (Dear family and friends, without the tone marks because I can't do it and I'm too lazy to figure out how,)
I hope you are all doing well and have had a fantastic week! I definitely have. I feel like this week there's so much to write about, even though every day is like exactly the same, haha. I had to keep a sticky note of things I wanted to mention in my e-mail so that I could remember everything.

My crazy companion with her package! she was so
 excited to get one, she was like a little kid.

The first thing I wrote on my list was that my companions and I sing all the time. I don't know why I wrote that. I mean, we do, but it's not super exciting. I guess we do get a lot of strange looks when we randomly burst into "Do You Hear the People Sing?" from Les Miserables in the hallway of our classroom building. That's about all I have to say about that.

My still crazy companion with another package.
 Every time, she's so excited. 
like a four-year old. It's awesome.

One funny thing is that our teachers here at the MTC like to make Asian jokes that would be a little bit racist. But they're like, "No, it's not racist, because I'm Asian." Both of them that say that are super white. One is from Australia, and the other one is from Utah or something. But they're convinced that they're Asian. One evening during class, they just went off on all of the little Asian things they do now, like saying "Good morning!" during any time of the day, because that's all the English some of the people in their missions knew. Or they just say "Hello!" with an Asian accent and they bow when they shake your hand. Not ironically. They just do that. Because they're Asian. I wonder what weird kind of cultural things I'm going to pick up in a British nation speaking Chinese. That will be super fun when I get back. :)


We are getting new Mandarin speakers in our zone today!!!!! I'm so so so so excited to not be the "new missionaries" anymore. One Elder in the older district referred to us as the new missionaries a few days ago, and I was so mad. I was thinking "I have almost been here a MONTH, excuse me, sir, I am so not a new missionary!" But we are the youngest district, and so we technically are the new missionaries. But not anymore! We're getting 6 new Elders and 2 new Sisters today! I can't wait to meet them, tell them that "the MTC is so fun, it's no big deal, you'll get used to it," and see what the shell-shocked face looks like that I know I wore my first day here. It's gonna be so fun.

My old and new ID cards that look exactly the same. One works and one doesn't.

So last Monday, a week ago, at our early morning service assignment, I lost my ID card. I went back to look for it before breakfast, and I still couldn't find it, so later that afternoon I bought a new one for a dollar. It almost broke me, but I had to. The only major bummer was that I lost the key to my dorm as well because that was with my old ID. Then this Monday, at the same service place, I found my old ID card!!! It doesn't work anymore, so that's sort of dumb, but my key still does because it's a metal key and... yeah. I was so excited, I ran out of the classroom where I found it yelling "It's a Christmas miracle!" and everyone thought I was weird. So nothing new. Then yesterday, I left my ID in the classroom while going to lunch and so we had to go back to the classroom, but then I couldn't find it in my bag, so we went to the dorm, but it wasn't there and then I realized I put it in a secret pocket in my bag (I have no idea why) and then my companions were mad and I went back to the classroom and then we finally ate lunch. It was an ordeal. It was hilarious.

This week during testimony meeting, it was wonderful to hear some testimonies from people in my zone. We gave them mostly in English, which was nice because then we could really understand the feelings of their hearts. I think I've mentioned before that my entire zone is going to Taiwan, Taizhong and I'm the only one going somewhere else, so it's a little interesting when people get up and say, "I know we will help the people of Taiwan," "I'm so excited for us to go to Taiwan," "Yay Taiwan!" and I just sit there and let them have their moment. It doesn't really matter. So one Elder gets up and is like "I know we will be great missionaries in Taiwan," and I'm thinking nothing of it and then he adds, "And New York," and looks at me and I'm thinking, Who's going to New York? And then it hit me, that he thought I was going to New York. I just smiled and didn't bother correcting him, because it wasn't a big deal, but my whole district turns to look at me and they giggle because, it's kinda funny. So then that Elder's companion gets up and says something similar, and someone from the audience whisper-yells "England! She's going to England!" and he was like "Oh, I mean England, sorry, you're going to England" and it was really funny.

This week at Sunday dinner I ate shrimp! Well, they said it was shrimp. It looked like and tasted like a chicken nugget with a tail, but apparently it was shrimp. It wasn't so bad. Look at me, trying new foods! I'm so adventurous!

My companion ate her napkin along wth her cookie. I guess she was too excited.

This Sunday as well we watched The Testaments, only in English this time. It was amazing as usual, I love that movie, only there's one line where the bad guy is like "There is no Messiah!" and in Chinese it's "Meiyou Misaiya!" and so my companions and I whispered that really loud when he said that line and we got shushed by some uppity English speakers. Everyone else thought it was funny. And it totally was.

Also on Sunday (Sunday is a very eventful day) we always walk to the temple and sit on the grounds and watch the cute families, which sounds creepy, but it's okay if you're a missionary because you miss your own family. So it's okay. Haha. And we also see some couples who come to the temple just to make out. Really? You're going to go to the temple to do that?? Gross! I basically hate it. But this Sunday, we saw a couple standing not too far from us. They kissed a bit, then the girl pulled back and wiped some tears, so we thought it was a break-up and we were totally watching them like creepers. But then they kissed again and he picked her up and twirled her around! I'm pretty sure we witnessed an engagement. I wanted to clap. But I didn't. Because that would be too weird.

Every night before we say companionship prayer and go to bed, my companions and I sing the song "Savior, Redeemer of my Soul" in Chinese. It's awesome! We hope to have it memorized by the time we leave, who knows, but it really brings the Spirit and they lyrics are amazing. One of my favorite lines say "Thy pure word, hath it not been my one delight? My joy by day, my dream by night. Then let my lips proclaim it still, and all my life reflect thy will." I think that perfectly sums up my mission. I think about teaching, about Chinese, about the Savior constantly. It's the last thing I think of before I go to bed. I am so sad that I'm already done with a month of my mission! I only have 17 left and there's so much to learn! I'm wonderfully excited for the opportunities that lay in wait for me.

I hope you all feel the Savior's love everyday. Remember that in order to do that, you need to be diligent in praying and studying the scriptures. There are so many promised blessings in the scriptures if we can obey! "I the Lord am bound when ye do what I say, but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise." I love this scripture and I know it is true. The Lord will always come through on His promises when we make an effort to do what He says.

Have a wonderful Wednesday! Wo ai nimen! (I love you all!)

Love,
Sister Larson

Ji Zhanglao and Ji Jiemei, may they rest in peace 
and be happy in the glove chicken spirit world. 
Their love story lives on!

Ji zhanglao's lifeless body. It is hanging up. 
I don't know why.

P.S. I forgot to write about this. Last time I mentioned Ji Zhanglao. Elder Johnson in particular loves him. Well, Elder Johnson also loves to tease me and do annoying things. So on Monday, he hid our Ji Jiemei (Sister Chicken), that we had made out of a black glove that day, outside like we did to Ji Zhanglao and we didn't find her until Tuesday morning. The poor chicken shrank in the cold and got a hole in her so she died. We were so sad. The Elders thought it was funny, and Elder Johnson did something to annoy me, I don't remember what. So, in a moment of anger, I stabbed Ji Zhanglao. I killed him. And then we put licorice inside of him so it looked like he was bleeding. The Elders just barely forgave me quite recently and they were rather upset otherwise. His limp, lifeless form hangs up in our classroom and they remind me every five seconds that I'm a murderer. I felt pretty bad, and I did apologize. But at least now we don't have to hear all the time that Ji Zhanglao is cooler than Filbert, or Ji Jiemei, or us.