Leih hou, puhngyauh!

Another week has come and gone! One of the Mandarin districts in our branch left on Tuesday which makes the Cantonese districts the oldest in our branch! It’s crazy to think how long I’ve been here, but how much further I still have to go. Watching them leave made me excited to leave the MTC and get out there as well, but I had to remind myself to be grateful right now for where I am instead of wishing for something else. The MTC experience is once in a lifetime and I know that I’m still here because I definitely still have a lot to learn! How very grateful I am to be in a place of such growth and insight!

The hot new trend is middle part Monday! Everyone in my zone this past week parted their hair in the middle on Monday, and let me tell you, it turned out pretty epic. I have to admit that I was a little skeptical at first but I was definitely proved wrong! Seeing the middle part on the some of the Elders was just the laugh that I needed to help me push on through the week! They’re talking about doing a slicked back Saturday, but I’m not so sure that I’ll participate in that one…

So last week I talked about how I got chopsticks and it was exciting and all that. Well, being the dutiful person that I am, I determined to use them as much as possible so as to hone my skills into perfection. I took them with me to every meal, persistently pushing through the pain and doubts that tormented me. But alas, it all came to an end. One fateful day, I neglected my poor chopsticks and left them on my lunch tray. That was the last time that I saw them. Once I realized what I had done, I ran back into the cafeteria frantically trying to find them, but they were long gone. But this story has a happy ending! When I got back to my classroom, I was talking to one of the sisters in another district, and her mom had just sent her a bunch of chopsticks. So I got new ones! Unfortunately, they don’t have all of the same memories as the old ones. But if I was ever going to lose my chopsticks, it was the perfect day to do so! I know that Heavenly Father is looking out for me, even with the small things!

Even though it’s supposed to be spring now, I’m not so sure that the weather quite understands what that means–it’s snowed at least a little bit pretty much every single day! Every time I think that it’s going to get warm again, I find myself caught in the middle of some snow flurries and am reminded once again that I was foolish to believe that Utah weather could be anything other than unpredictable. But weather aside, Easter was so great this past Sunday! Elder M. Russel Ballard came to the MTC Sunday morning and we as missionaries got to hear from him! He taught about how everything we do should be centered around Jesus Christ and we should make it a goal to always have Him forefront in our minds. He also talked about how important the witnesses of Christ are; they further allow us to understand His character and serve to strengthen our testimonies. I invite you all, if you have not already, to read the accounts of Christ’s resurrection and visitations in both the New Testament and The Book of Mormon. I am eternally grateful for not only our Savior’s death and atoning sacrifice, but also for the perfect example that He has set for each and every one of us. As I was reading in John 16:20 it reads, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.” This scripture really stuck out to me because when Jesus Christ was suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane and upon the cross, truly He suffered more than any person can even begin to comprehend. After His death the sky darkened and those who knew Him wept at the loss of one so perfect and loving; the perfect example of power and humility. But He lives. That sorrow and lamentation is replaced by hope and joy. How bitter was His death, but how much sweeter is His life and Resurrection! We have no need to ever be cast down or feel heavy laden, because we have a loving Savior who suffered all for us, even unto death, so that we could live and have joy! So lift up your head and remember that the most powerful being to ever walk the earth not only died for you, but He lives for you and loves you!