Complaining in the rain

Family, oh my family I love you. So it looks like everyone has almost figured out how to be in the same country as each other and that is pretty exciting. I'm so happy for Max. He's been a big inspiration to me. When being a missionary is just not too easy I think of him and think well okay if Max is gonna do it I guess I'll do it too. Mostly I just don't want him to outshine me, but also he is a really good example. Hong Kong is so amazing. Sometimes I just look up at the high buildings and can't even believe I'm here. Cantonese is still just... cantonese. Everybody says not to worry about it but when you go through five hours of church meetings without a clue of what they were about, it's pretty easy to worry.

But my ability to speak is improving so... silver linings yay.  This week we met with our investigator Sister Chung. She is the mother of an ammaazzing girl in our ward. Her name is Glenyis and she's adorable and wonderful and so is her mom. Her Mom is already Christian and has been investigating our church for a while and just warmed up to missionaries. She took us to dim sum and met with us again at the President's house. She also told us for the first time that she is going to read the Book of Mormon. We are so proud of her. She has a thick mandarine accent so if we're being honest here I rarely know what she is saying but I feel so much love for her and can really feel the Spirit when ever she shares her feelings on God. Another miracle, even though her daughter Glynis is doing summer missionary right now (amazing!!) and won't be home, she told us she wants to come to English class on Friday and meet with us afterward. The most I ever related to her is when she told me that English was so hard and I told her cantonese was so hard and then she shared her umbrella with me while we complained to each other.  This week we also got to meet with a family in our ward who have four adorable little kids. I watched them play and it made me think of me and my siblings when we were little. I love getting to be with the families and feel their love and light. It's amazing that even though we also know that they are struggling and challenges that are just heartbreaking, they still have love and they still have God. They are so adorable, I'll send some pictures of them. Also they live in a beyond gorgeous apartment building with an incredible view, I can't even describe how pretty it is.  God is good and kind and life is good and even though it is a hard life that doesn't make it bad. Don't forget that, but I know you won't so that is why I am in Hong Kong talking to people and not to you.

Being Carried

Hi Mom! This week I am feeling a lot better. It is still difficult with the language and all the other things but I have just felt more at peace. I've been trying to focus on no thinking about myself and when I start to feel homesick or sad or annoyed or angry or stressed or anything I just try to remember that I'm not here to be comfortable I'm just here to do what God wants me to do and then I try to think about my companion or the people on the street and its helping me alot. 

The other day I did calls for like four hours because Sister Ng has been pretty sick and at first it was the worst because calls are pretty hard. But then I just started talking to people and asking them about their lives and I couldn't really understand them but it was ok and there was this guy outside out apartment singing terrible karaoke and there I was talking to about a thousand chinese people on the phone and it was the funniest situation I have ever been in.  This whole experience is really pushing me and I'm realizing I want the results but not always the uncomfortable parts.  

Yesterday at church I was feeling so discouraged because I just want to communicate with people but I can't fully understand them when I try to and they can't understand me and I just feel like I sit there feeling so awkard and no one can tell and it is the worst. And then our district leader who is from Korea went up and bore his testimony. He talked about how hard being a missionary is and then he looked at me and said dai ji muih(me) and song jeung louh (elder stober) are new missionaries and they have a lot of difficulties no one can see. I felt like for the first time someone finally got it. I knew that god was really hearing my prayers for them to just get it and so he sent little korean Elder Kim to go tell them. It was a cool experience.  Another tender mercy on a list of many.

When I was in first grade I got sick at school so the school called my Mom and had her pick me up. For some reason (which isn't surprising because we are the Terry's) my Mom didn't have a car at the time and so she walked to the school and when she got there she put me on her back and gave me a piggy back ride all the way home. Our house on Montana Avenue was up at the top of the hill from the school and she carried me the whole way.

I've been thinking about this day a lot. I feel like it is happening again. I feel like Im struggling to understand language and culture so much I cant really do anything on my own yet and so I had to call home. And the person this time who came to pick me up without a car was my Savior. Every morning when I wake up I climb up on His back and He carries me. It's sooooooo hot outside and our house is uphill but he doesn't complain, He doesn't even seem to mind. He is just carrying me home. My heart is full of gratitude for this Jesus who never tires of succoring us. My faith is not perfect and I'm ashamed to admit the way I so often doubt Him and ask Him if He knows what we are even doing. But it doesn't matter. I think that if I was carrying my daughter on my own back up a steep hill and she was telling me I wasn't doing enough I would put her down and say "Okay, do it yourself." But our Jesus does not do that, and wow I am so thankful for that. He hears me out and all the while never stops walking, never puts me down, never makes me do it all on my own.

 I love Him with all my heart and if there is something He is teaching me while on his stable back it is that He love me too. He loves all of His children, maybe especially the ones in Hong Kong.

I love you guys!  Have a great week. 

Hand hugs and tender mercies

 It's good here in Hong Kong and I'm grateful for all the amazing things that happen but it is still pretty hard. The tones of every sound continue to haunt my dreams and I focus so hard all day I fall asleep almost instantaneously.  But the people here, oh the people.  They are truly the most humble kind devoted people you could ever meet.  The youth are so strong.  Most are Christian.  But whats so interesting is that even though they have found Christianity, their parents refuse religion.  I think its interesting what a strong Christian following of youth there is here in Hong Kong. 

I really truly with everything in me want to find people everyday to teach and reach.  When you talk one on one you feel such a genuine kindness in them.  They all need it so much they just work all the time and even the little kids are doing homework all the time and they need to be happy. I hope we get an investigator soon.  For their commitment to work and school, they sacrifice laughing and joy and rich meaningful life experiences of people interaction.

At English class this young Mom named Amy came after and asked me if I could help her read a book in English. It was this cute little book about boy and his kite that was something Luke would read for school. She told me that she wants to learn English so she can get a better job and be a better Mom to her two daughters. She brings them to English class every week and records it so that she can help them. She was so great 

We had one lesson with a fifteen year old named Steffy who is so adorable. She has such a strong testimony of Jesus and was really into our lessons about the Restoration. But at the end she told us she would ask her preacher about it and so we don't have much hope for her to call us back :( but we'll find someone out there who won't ask their preacher haha  Most people here have been informed by their preachers that mormons are a cult and stay away from the missionaries. 

We are teaching one little girl named Gigi and she is finally warming up to me, yesterday at church she came over and held my hand to tell me goodbye :) everyone here holds hands instead of hugging like we do haha it's kind of funny.  But honestly when you a feel a little kids hand slip into yours its hard not to tear up a little.  It feels like a big warm hug to me.  I love you guys.  Please know I am grateful to be here even if I complain about the fish and not knowing the language.  I have perfect hope this will pass and I will be able to do all things, through Christ, who strengthens me.  Have a great week. 

What have you done lately?

This week has been good and crazy, so much seems to happen every day. I am really starting to love Hong Kong so much. Sometimes, well usually, the people are grumpy to us but they are also funny and kind when you start talking. This week we met with a new friend named Naomi and her friend Christina. I was happy because as I was doing potential calls she was the only one out of a thousand that didn't hang up on me and she ended up scheduling a meeting with us. We taught them the restoration and they were really interested. I think it is so cool that the gospel just makes so much sense. They were already Christian and accepted the Restoration pretty easily. But then they had a million questions about prophets and we didn't really know what to do. So hopefully they will want to meet with us again but we will see. :) The kids here are still my favorite people ever. Honestly they teach me more cantonese than anyone else haha it's pretty helpful. We taught one little girl named Gigi on Sunday. She is eight years old and has been an investigator since before I got here. At first I though wow she's only eight what are we even going to teach her? But then when the lesson started she talked about her testimony and it turns out she knows more about God than most people probably do. She was so so cute and is on her way to be baptized. The Yihp family helped us teach her and their little kids are so naughty and yell the whole time and fight with each other in cantonese. I don't know what they are saying but I love it so much. I feel so grateful to be here and learning from these people. Sometimes I just think how am I going to do this? I don't know cantonese and it's all so overwhelming sometimes. But in those moments God keeps reminding me to have patience. He gives me little tender mercies like a kind soul in church leaning over to translate for me or a little kid who comes to hold my hand during sacrament meeting. I still don't understand chinese and you know what that is not an easy life to be in China and not know Chinese, but I know Jesus helps me every single day. I could not do it without Him and I don't know how anyone else could either. I'm so happy to be helping others understand that. PS HBD PAUL WHAT'S UP 14 Joseph Smith was 14 when he had a vision, what have you done lately? I love you fam !!!!!!!!!!! <3

I'VE ARRIVED

I'm in Hong Kong! this is crazy! So much has happened in the past week I don't even know what to say here! Last Monday we left the MTC and after a crazy long flight we got to Hong Kong! President Lam and Sister Lam picked us up and they are super nice! Then we stayed a couple of days at the temple residence housing and they trained us and did things like get our IDs and random stuff like that. Then on Thursday we got our trainers and went to our areas. My trainer is Sister Ng. She is from Washington, and she has only been out here four months but she is awesome! Her language is incredible and she is just incredible. Our area right now is Kowloon City. Since I've gotten here we've met a few members and investigators. Everyone is so kind, but I don't really know what they are saying ever so I am just assuming that they are kind. We met on investigator who has two little daughters and while Ng JM talked to the Mom the seven year old daughter taught me. I would point to something and she would teach me how to say it and get so frustrated when I said the tones wrong. She would put her head in her hands and shake her head, it was super cute. But also kind of helpful which is sad. On Sunday I got to meet the ward and I love them! They were all so welcoming and are sooo patient with my terrible Cantonese. Most of them speak good English and so they help me a ton. At church I bore my testimony and even though I'm sure they could barely understand what I said, I enjoyed speaking to them and sharing my testimony and afterwards they were really nice to me about it. One lady gave me a bag of chips and said "for the new born baby!" Last night we met with a young couple in the ward and it was so fun. They fed us and (I think) they shared their conversion stories. Honestly the people here are amazing. It surprises me that anyone will give us the time of day when we talk to them on the bus or at a crosswalk, but some of them do! They are so great. My trainer usually starts conversations by asking them to guess how long I've been in Hong Kong and then they guess too high and we say one week and they go "so smart!!" But the only thing I said at that point is hello so they are just very kind :) But then usually when we talk about being missionaries they walk away haha, but we are able to get some people's numbers and talk to them a little bit more. OH AND ONE MORE THING. HONG KONG IS CAT CENTRAL. LIKE THERE ARE CATS EVERYWHERE. EVERYWHERE. NOT EVEN KIDDING. I'VE SEEN LIKE AT LEAST THIRTY SINCE COMING HERE. Does God even love me? What is a cat? After I tell Kowloon City about how this gospel and Jesus Christ can change their live I am going to teach them about dogs. And no cats. And I don't even like dogs very much either.

I already love the people here and when I see them it's so crazy to feel how much God loves them. I want them all to know that. I love my family, Terry family and Hong Kong family and everybody. xoxoxox

Leaving the MTC

OH MY GOSH THIS IS MY LAST P DAY AT THE MTC/AMERICA/THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. I am so excited and very freaked out what is this life?? This week has been great. I've come to the conclusion that a.) I really enjoy teaching lessons which makes me excited to go to Hong Kong and do it for real, and b.) I don't know Cantonese and so I'm not sure how I'm going to do that. Lately whenever I ask my teachers a question they answer with "you'll pick it up in Hong Kong." It's pretty frustrating, but I hope they are right. On Sunday I had to give a talk in church (which caused a large panic as you can assume) and, being a Terry of course, I talked a lot about grace. The topic of Sunday was faith in Jesus Christ and I started thinking about why we have faith and why it's important. Then I started flipping through the New Testament and reading the writings of Paul, I thought after all my nineteen years of my Mom being in love with Paul maybe I should take a look, and I was blown away. I felt so strongly that all God is is grace and love, and that is why faith matters. He just wants us to believe he is who he really is, pure accepting love.  He loves us and if we just accept that He will carry all our burdens and pains and give us a great life (even if that great life is a hard life which I think he thinks equals a great life ;)). In Cantonese instead of saying you got baptized you say you accepted baptism. I love that. I think it makes more sense. Faith in Christ and accepting Him is a gift. It's the best most amazing gift in the whole world, and it's totally free. I freak out daily about going to Hong Kong and every time it is the love of our God that comforts me. . I've loved my experience here at the MTC though. I'm sad to leave it but so excited at the same time. I'm so thankful for this life I live and for my family also and how you guys always support me. I hope Luke and Paul know that they are so precious and when I see little Chinese boys in Hong Kong I will think of them and want to kiss them except that's against the rules so I will try not to.Have a fantastic week!!! :) <3

Almost to Hong Kong

So today is our second to last PDay at the MTC, not that I'm counting. :) It's so crazy. This week has been kind of crazy, learning so much and doing so much. During one of our lessons with Walter I tried to ask him if he wanted to get to know Jesus and accidentally asked him if he wanted to eat Jesus. He got really worried and asked me if I like to eat people. Also we have yet to clarify that we don't actually believe in the trinity. I don't know who is trusting me to teach the gospel in Chinese because so far I'm teaching some weird stuff. Kind of fun though.

Will someone please tell Paul that in all of our Cantonese books, Paul is always the person inviting you over for tea.  It makes me laugh every single time. I think he might also be the big fool they are referring to, but maybe dont tell him that.

This week I've also been working on learning phrases and words outside of gospel terms. It's kind of hard though because all of our study materials have only gospel terms. However, I've mastered the phrase "I regret the mistake of ever knowing you" and "what do you want with me" very well. My teachers are very proud of me.

We had a devotional on Sunday that I really liked. The speaker talked about how the Holy Ghost. One of the things he said was that the Holy Ghost believes in anonymous service. He then said that sometimes we don't even know we're being lead by the spirit, or that the spirit is working in us to help other people. We just have to trust that if we're doing our best to have the spirit with us that He will be helping. God wants to help us, He's not trying to put obstacles in our way to keep us from Him. I'm so grateful everyday for a Heavenly Father and Savior who don't leave me or any of their children. I love my family so much, hope you are well! <3