Letter #4 - "And when threeeee weeks are up..." -Fiddler on the Roof

If we were English speaking, we would've left this morning. But nope! We're still here. And honestly I am loving it. But sometimes we'll hear missionaries here at the MTC say, "Oh, I'm just English speaking." Here in the Mandarin district we sometimes just want to look those people in the eye and say "AND DO YOU KNOW HOW LUCKY YOU ARE?!?!?!?!"

That was a bit of an exaggeration. But seriously, there are so many times in lessons when Sister Hoskins and I want to say something but we can't because we just don't know the Mandarin vocab. And yet I wouldn't change my call in an instant. I love the Mandarin language (aka zhongwen) so much more than I thought I would, and we are really progressing!!! I can now recite the entire missionary purpose and Joseph Smith's First Vision in memorized Mandarin. Plus I can bear testimony that the most powerful being in the universe is your Father in Heaven, and that He knows you personally and He loves you. So much. That's pretty cool.

Also, the other night I apparently woke up two of the other sisters in my room because I was talking loudly in my sleep. According to them, all I said was "Yesu Jidu!" Which is Jesus Christ in zhongwen. So I guess I'm now dreaming the gospel in zhongwen too!

Two of our districts left for Taiwan on Tuesday, leaving only 6 sisters left in the entire zone. Our new STLs (Sister Training Leaders) Sister Clark and Sister Loo are moving into our room today since we have six beds. So now things are going to be way cramped which will take some getting used to. But on the upside we are getting 10 new sisters and 8 new elders today!!! We're so excited to have new people in the zone! It'll be weird not being the newest in the zone. But our branch president said "When the new people get here, just talk in a lot of Mandarin to freak them out." We're excited for that. XD

One of the things we say a ton in the Mandarin district is jia you. Although I can't write tones on that, it literally means "add oil" and is basically good luck. So jia you to you in your trials this week! I believe in you. You can do it!

This week our lovely resource teacher Wu Lao Shi said something that I think changed my life. She said, "We are to God as a little child helping his mother make cookies. The child wants to help so badly, so the mom lets him crak the egg. But the child gets shells in the dough. But then the mom picks the shells out and everything is ok again." That is what we are. We are God's children and he loves us so incredibly much. He will forgive us over and over again every time we make a mistake. You are a child of God. How incredible is that?

I love you all! Keep writing, and as always send me any questions if you have them!

Sister Daynes

1) Sister Young's mom sent us a GIANT box this week filled with nothing but kitkats!

2) Sister Hoskins and I in front of the temple

3) All the sisters in our district before they left!