Chapter 8: Travel Plans Have Arrived Along With Meagan's Future Husband (?)

Dajia hao! (Basically it means like "Hi everybody!" but literally it means "big family good". Take it as you will.)

Do you wanna build a snowman? Well everyone here totally does because it snowed last night! I was a little bit way upset because I'm like Hello, it's spring and I will have enough cold weather in England thank you very much! But oh well, it does look pretty even if I feel like a Popsicle all the time.

The beautiful view outside my window of the
popcorn popping trees that are almost ready to pop!

The same view from my window of the
popcorn popping trees covered in snow.

This week was a massive improvement on last week. On Thursday we got our travel plans!!! We were so so excited and pretty surprised because we thought they were coming on Friday. We got them at lunch and for like an hour and a half afterward no one could focus on anything. There are 13 of us leaving on Tuesday. 12 are going to Taiwan, and 1 is going to England. (That would be me in case you weren't sure.) :) They are flying out only 20 minutes after my flight leaves though, so I won't really be left behind all by myself at the MTC. They fly to Tokyo from SLC and then to Taipei. I fly to Chicago, then to London, then to Leeds. I'm supposed to get to Leeds Wednesday afternoon ish I think. I'm so excited but I'm really really scared to fly internationally by myself. I think I'll be okay, and at least all of the places I'm flying to speak English predominantly, so that's good. I can't believe I'm almost ready to go!

 The two districts with our travel plans! I'll even name everyone.
From left to right top row: Sister Berrey, Sister Price, Elder Faddis, Elder Johnson, Elder Randall, Elder Moore,
Elder Savage, Elder Davis. Left to right bottom section: Sister Biancardi, Sister Jorgensen, Sister Kwan.
Then there's me and Elder Teasdale at the very bottom. We are all so so stoked!

Also on Thursday two Elders from our sister district challenged our district to a volleyball game during gym time. Now you all know me, and you know how well I do in sports that involve throwing, hitting, or any other form of manipulating a ball. As in, I am so terrible it's funny. So I wasn't going to agree, but somehow they both convinced me and the other sisters in my district. We were all freaking out and didn't want to go, but on Friday morning we played volleyball. We were all pretty terrible, but it was so fun because everyone was positive and encouraging, and we all just laughed with each other at our mistakes and kept going. That morning in companion study, Sister Biancardi likened our experience to an investigator's introduction to the church. It looks scary, you don't think you're good enough, and everyone else seems to do it perfectly. But when you take a deep breath and actually try it, it is so fun and so worth it and you realize that everyone makes mistakes but you help each other out and just support and love one another. 

All of us outside with the lovely Taiwan flag! I'm representing England in my heart.

Last Wednesday, after typing up e-mails, we went back to the classroom to find swarms of new missionaries in our basement floor. Before, there was only one side of the building being used on our floor by the Mandarins, but now the other side of the building has been taken over by Germans. And also I think some Portuguese but there's only like four of them so we don't really see them ever. The German Elders are pretty nice, they like to speak to us in German and they even learned some phrases in Chinese! It's pretty fun having another language, but at first we were a little miffed at them daring to invade our Chinese-speaking dungeon floor.

Both of our "investigators" have been baptized! Yay! It would be more exciting if they weren't, you know, already members and RMs nonetheless, but it's been fun teaching them and I actually did get a little excited when they had their baptismal interviews and we talked about their "xilihui" or baptism service. I can't wait to do it for realsies in the field!

 Me with my travel plans looking oh so spiritual and prepared!

On Sunday, the most amazing thing happened. Some of you probably heard about it. Be excited for me anyways because it was basically the best day of my life. Richard Elliot and David Archuleta came and did the Sunday devotional!!!!!!!!!!! David had just gotten back from Chile like this past week but they both shared some stories from their missions and their testimonies, and then Brother Elliot played the organ like a boss and David sang like an angel and it was beautiful and I know I'm a missionary but he's still just so cute. Background information, I have been like IN LOVE with David Archuleta since he sang on American Idol. We also have the same birthday and so I knew it was a sign that we would get married. He'll wait for me, I know it. But in all seriousness, it was an amazing devotional concert and the Spirit was so strong, especially when we all stood up and sang the last song, Hark All Ye Nations. We were all just so ready to go preach about the gospel's light of truth and love! And we're going to go light every land! It's just so exciting.

The Taiwan flag and England flag! Yay!

Also on Sunday, we fasted because it was Fast Sunday and that's what you do. But I think the whole no food or drink thing, plus the exhaustion, plus the fact that we've been here for like 2 months made us crack a bit. We couldn't go on our temple walk because "it was too cold and we wouldn't want to get sick right before we go to the field even though it's not really that cold but we won't let you anyways" (according to Brother Seow in the branch presidency). Okay, so I was a little sad I couldn't go walk to the temple. But our district just went back to the classroom, and then we just did the weirdest things. One of our Elders started talking with his hand, like a puppet. One of them would put a gummy bear in his mouth, suck on it for a bit, and then spit it out. I think that's totally cheating where fasting is concerned, but hey, men are free according to the flesh. And the sisters just sat and laughed at everything until we cried a bit and yeah. It was interesting. We're so ready to go. I think.

Also on Sunday, we watched Legacy in Mandarin. I understood quite a bit, but that movie is just so cheesy and wonderful. At the part where they're laying the cornerstone for the Nauvoo temple and the choir sings, it was in English. I guess they were too lazy to translate the song and then sing it in Chinese. So whenever anyone sang, it was in English. Everything else was Mandarin. And at the one part where the two guys fight over dancing with Eliza or whoever she is, everyone is yelling like "yeah, you go, cut that log, yeah!" in the English one, but in Chinese everyone just says "Jiayou!" all the time and that's it. "Jiayou" literally means "add oil" but it's a colloquial expression meaning like "good luck!" or "You got this!" It was fun to watch that movie again.

This toy that we have that literally looks just like our teacher, Su laoshi, or Brother Su. He's Asian.

One of the things that's the most awkward about being a missionary is when you accidentally bump against an Elder somehow. Obviously, as missionaries, we're only supposed to shake hands, but accidents happen. I've brushed up against them on accident so many times, and it literally is so funny but so awkward because then you like jump apart and make awkward eye contact and mumble like "oops sorry" and then you never mention it again ever. I suddenly understand awkward RMs like fifty times more now. I'm going to be one of them.

For my spiritual moment of the week, I finished the Book of Mormon sometime recently! And I've already started it again. I love it so so much! I love how the truths of the Book of Mormon are universal, how they apply to everyone at all points in life, and how different parts stick out when you're going through different trials. All of the missionary stories really impacted me this time around. I absolutely love the book of Alma. It is so inspiring and motivating to hear about these missionaries, whose missions were so successful but had so many trials as well. I know that the Book of Mormon was written for us, in this day, even if it doesn't seem like it. There is so much we can learn from it. If you haven't read it yet, or if you don't read it everyday, seriously do it! Even if you don't have an hour for scripture study each day like us missionaries, read at least a few verses every day. I can promise you that you will find answers to questions, comfort in trials, and motivation to do what is right. Your families will be blessed, you'll be able to respond to promptings of the Spirit better, and you will be happier. I love the Book of Mormon! Wo ai Moermenjing! 

Thanks as always for the prayers and support! You are all so wonderful! I am so excited to actually get to go and meet the people in England whom I already love. I know this church is true and I know that it can help anyone and everyone feel happy and loved. Wo ai nimen!

Ai,

Sister Larson