Transfers (The Second Round)

So as we eagerly awaited transfer calls this morning, I dealt with a nervous Elder Liu, who would not stop asking me for the phone.  Until I hid it under my leg.  He didn't want it after that for some reason.  But the big news of the week: We're both staying right where we are.  So that's our big news.  Elder Liu is excited, he really didn't want to leave the North.  Which is probably good, we have a few investigators and people we meet with that don't like my Mandarin, so they need him around.

This week has been pretty good though.  A few highlights:  Elder Liu hit a light pole.  On Wednesday, there was freezing rain, that left the streets like an ice rink.  It was really bad.  And we decided to drive around doing finding.  Not our best idea.  Needless to say, we were rewarded for our decision.  It's not very bad, its more a pain to deal with than anything else.  Also, I may start driving soon because of this.  So there's something new.

Elder Liu has been a little sick this week, so we spent a lot of time in the apartment again.  I've tried to help him wake up (I squirted him in the face with my squirt bottle one day just to mix things up, and he hated it) but he still has problems with sleep and health in general.

We did teach a referral we received from the Londonderry Sisters this week.  His name is Steven and he is interested in learning about the cultures of religion.  And he was really willing to meet with us, and to start reading the Book of Mormon.  We are so excited for him.  Other than this, we are working on inviting people to our Chinese New Year Fireside, but most people already have a celebration they are going to, so that has been a little frustrating.  Still, we are working on getting people there. 

One thing I've learned to appreciate and use more this week is planning.  I've seen a huge difference in the last little bit as I've made and stuck to plans.  It is truly an inspired pattern of missionary work and living.

That's pretty much my week.  I hope everyone is doing well.   I love and miss you all!

Elder Ethington

Cookies, Toilets, and Warmer Temperatures

So this week has been really good.  On Last P-Day, Elder Liu and I decided to use a gift card someone had given us after we had done some service for them.  We quickly found out that it had more than the $20 the lady who had given it to us had thought. It instead had the full $50 that was on it.  So we got a week of free groceries.  In light of this, I determined to buy some ingredients for making cookies.  So I made two batches of cookies this week.  Both turned out all right, although the dough for the second batch was sketchy.  But it was alright. 

This week we tried to help an investigator family for another set of Elders as they prepared their basement for someone to move into it.  But we had issues with scheduling and dinners and were only able to help a little.  But it was good to offer service.

I also learned this week how to take apart a stretchy watch band.  Our Less Active Member has one that is too big, so I experimented on mine, and found out how to make it shorter, so I will do that for her this week.  And I will fix an issue she is having with her toilet.  So, lots of service recently.

Elder Liu and I are still trying to find more people to teach, but this Saturday, sisters in one of the wards found a Chinese man named Steven who was interested in learning about religion.  We will meet with him this week, probably on Saturday, and we are really excited.  We are still trying to find good ways to tract or to talk to those Chinese people that live in the Northern end of Edmonton.  I think this has been the most frustrating for me, not experiencing lots of success this way. 

We did meet with President Manion and the language missionaries for a language meeting this week, and he told us there is another Mandarin Elder coming soon, who is from China, and can speak both Mandarin and Cantonese.  I've told President I'd like to try to learn Cantonese, so I am really excited for Elder Wu to get here.  Anyway, I've got to go, I love and miss you all! 

Studying in his new hat.

Crumbly Cookie Dough

Cookies!

Dinner at the Jensen's with seven other elders.

Another Week Down

So here I am at the end of another week.  With Hugh's baptism last week, we haven't had any consistent investigators, so we have been on full finding detail. But we are still working on finding people to teach.  We do have a few less actives to work with, and definitely Hugh.  We did receive happy news from him, he found a job this week!  In a sushi restaurant.  With sharp knives.  That he got a nasty cut from on the first day.  But he was totally excited for work.

Its been a warm week, but we did get some snow, which we always enjoy.  It makes driving a little more fun at least.  I am teaching Elder Liu how to properly respond to skidding to a stop with a car in front of us.  I realized he didn't know when he grabbed and yanked the emergency brake....  Fortunately, no accidents.  But I am still on watch.
In other news, we officially are allowed to start using Facebook in our finding and teaching efforts!  So that's really exciting for us.  Some of the missionaries here have been hearing that would happen for their whole mission, so we are still a little skeptical on iPads, but we do have Facebook.

Other than that, there hasn't been a lot going on here.   I got a new hat and gloves, pictures when I can get to a computer with a working USB port.  Also, this week was good when we had a lesson with Hugh, and I felt  prompted to share a certain video with him, that I feel helped and made a big impact on him.  Just another testimony building moment.

Anyway, missing you all!  Have a great winter!

New Year's and the Temple

Happy New Years Everyone!  This week has been great!  Hugh was baptized on Saturday, and that was a great experience for everyone involved.  Elder Liu was able to baptize him, and Todd Oliver, the Elders Quorum President in the Kingsway YSA ward confirmed him on Sunday.  It was a great chance, and I loved talking to Hugh afterwards about how he felt and the whole experience.  I am so excited for the journey he has started.

This week we have been pretty cold, which presents some challenges to proselyting.  It is not very safe to be outside for very long sometimes, and that can be a big concern when we don't have set appointments.  But having the car permanently does decrease that... a little bit.  Elder Liu and I have been doing lots of finding.  After we teach Hugh all of the Recent Convert lessons, we will not have anyone left to teach!  Well, hopefully we get in  contact with a few of the people Elder Liu was teaching before I got here and be able to meet with them.  But I am really hoping that we can find a family to teach.  We have run into a few while doing phone book finding, so that has been fun, but no one to accept return appointments.  So hopefully that changes pretty quick.  Other than that, not a terrible lot has happened this week.  I was on exchanges with Elder Jeffs again, which I enjoyed.  But we keep doing exchanges on Tuesday-Wednesday, which means that language study messes things up.

Anyway, I hope everyone is having a great start to their new year.  Miss you all!

Elder Ethington

Hugh was baptized January 3, by Elder Liu

This picture was taken New Year's Eve at 4pm. The days are short!

On Monday, January 5, the whole mission attended the temple with President and Sister Manion