Chapter 11: Accepted invitations, the true meaning of Easter, and a punk kid is spared by Meagan's longsuffering

Da jia hao!

So this week I don't have a ton of time to write a bunch of things, but I'll start off with the most exciting news for those of you who don't always care to read the whole message... I don't blame you, when I get going I just can't stop! Anyways. We invited our investigator to be baptized and she said yes!! And I'm the one who invited her, in chinese! It's pretty exciting because she's really our only investigator at the moment, and because she's just so great. Oh, it's Winnie by the way, I think I talked about her last e-mail, where we started teaching her under the assumption that she was just helping me with my Chinese. So it's great to see how far she's come. She's scheduled for baptism on May 23 and I am just so excited!

Some lovely pics of these head statues at uni[versity],
and some lovely views of the greenery of England.
All of the buildings are so old. and those head statues are weird,
they're in front of the law building, which makes no sense.

Me and my companion, Sister Huang with the head. we're picking his nose

Other than that, we've been working with some other less actives and recent converts. I think the hardest thing about being on a mission is trying to help people change their lives and come closer to Christ, but they aren't willing to do things. It's so frustrating! I just want to tell them, You could be so much happier! Let me help you! But agency is the greatest gift we have been given, and I have to respect that.

We had our zone training meeting last Thursday and it was great, the Spirit was so strong when we shared a few experiences about when we felt success on our missions. I felt kind of like a poser because I haven't been out that long, but I shared Winnie's story and inviting her to be baptized and it was just great.

I also had ranch dressing on my salad at a member's house this week. It was an amazing, beautiful experience. Not many people here use salad dressing, they use this stuff called salad cream. It's gross. So the ranch was basically heavenly. 

More lovely views of England in the spring.

I also got my full Chinese name this week from my trainer! We worked for like half an hour finding something I liked, but we finally settled on Lin An Jia. Lin is my last name, so my missionary chinese name is Lin Jiemei, and An Jia is my first name, which means peaceful and good. So, it's super fitting, yeah? :)

Easter was great, even though it didn't really feel like Easter because I didn't hunt for eggs or have a big dinner. The talks in Sacrament were great, particularly the one from Elder Gibb, the senior Elder in our district. He talked about his sister's battle with dementia and how it was heart-breaking for him to watch her forget everyone, even her own family. But he also said that through the Atonement of Christ, he has found comfort and solace. And that's what the Atonement is for: to strengthen us and comfort us. I know that I have felt uplifted by my Saviour on those lonely nights when I have been frustrated and yelled at and just want to go home. That's when I remember why I'm here: so that I can share the message of this wonderful event with others, hoping that they will be willing to hear it. Remember that the Lord loves you so much! That's the true message of the gospel.

My pet, xiao ji as he's called in Chinese,
or Sam as he's called in English.
I got him from a member who's a Chinese YSA
the first time I met her, like my second day here.

Well, I love you all and hope you've had an amazing Easter! Some days are good and some days are less good, but I know that when we try to do our best, we are successful! In England, when we want to say "thank you," we say "ta, love". So, ta loves! You're all wonderful!

Love,
Sister Larson

P.S. I just remembered another story! Elder Holland would be so proud. Last night, I was walking along the road, trying to get to the YSA FHE activity we have every monday night, when some punk kid on a bike yelled in my ear and freaked me out, and then yelled some racist things at my companion, who's an Asian. Oh, I wanted to chase him and yank him by his little punk hood and give him a piece of my mind, but I remembered Elder Holland's story in conference about the sister who had mashed potatoes thrown at her, and I thought of what Christ would have done in my situation. So I just smiled at that punk and tried to think Christlike thoughts and said nothing else. It's so so hard to do. But it's what Christ would do, and I'm trying to be like Him. I know we all can be if we really try! Wo ai nimen!