Nyob Zoo
This week our trainer, Elder Lewis, got sick. I think this is in part because it’s getting really really cold here. This past week it’s been down in the 30’s and 40’s. Elder Vang and I got in some extra studying while he slept which was good. But because he was sick, we didn’t get to do as much as we usually do which kind of sucked. I thought it was pretty cool to see that even though he was sick, he would still try to go out and do missionary work. It was cool to see his diligence in showing us the importance of the work. And even though he was sick, we still need to go and try to do stuff.
This last week, I got to go on splits again. This time I went to a town called, Beaver Dam which is about 45 minutes away from Madison. I don’t know whose idea this was, but I went with Elder Hacker who is also a newbie. We’ve both been out less than a month. Elder Hacker is from St. George and he is an English speaking elder. It was pretty interesting to have two newbies going around trying to figure out what to do. The people up in Beaver Dam were not very nice. The first house we went to, we knocked and said, “Hey we’re the missionaries…” and before I could say anything else, the guy just slammed the door in my face. So it made me very grateful for the Hmong people and how nice they are. Even if they are not interested, they will still talk to us. They are very polite.
This week we also had the ward Halloween party on Saturday, and they go all out for that. They did a Harry Potter theme, and they decorated EVERYTHING! They had the entire cultural hall decorated, and they had about 10 different classrooms that they decorated with different themes, like one was a maze you could go through. There were lots of different games and activities for the kids to do. And I bet you can’t guess what we dressed up as………….Yep! The missionaries! We were supposed to have one investigator family come, but they bailed on us. But we had a really good time anyway.
It is crazy how time flies. My 3-month mark will be coming up this week on the 2nd. I can't believe I have already been out almost 3 months. These past 3 months have been really really good but, I am not going to lie, they have been equally as hard. People always say how awesome missions are and how they are the best 2 years, and they are, but they never say how hard they actually are. These past 3 months have been really exhausting both physically and mentally and they have been super stressful. This language is such a pain. A lot of times I honestly feel like I will never be able to learn this language. I know that Heavenly Father believes in me, but sometimes I lack the faith in myself. But I know if I keep pushing on, it will keep improving. Just got to keep going day by day - even hour by hour if necessary.
It is very hard to measure your success and improvements as a missionary. I have been out an entire month and we have not gotten one new person on a baptism date. But that is okay. That is not what missions are about. It is not just about the numbers, baptisms, or your language skills. It is about doing your best to give people the opportunity to learn about the gospel and just doing your best. These past 3 months have for sure been really hard, frustrating, and depressing at times. I get discouraged a lot with myself because I want to be a good missionary. As well they have been a really awesome experience for me. I have learned so much, met lots of awesome people, and my testimony has been strengthened. I feel people don't get both perspectives of missionary work so I thought I would give you the good times and bad. The fun and the not so fun. Even though I have had a lot of really hard times, it has for sure, all been worth it. I have grown so much as a person through these many things. Even though the numbers don't show the success, we have been working really hard. We have some really awesome investigators right now.
So thank you all for your love and your prayers. I really appreciate it. I know I have so many people cheering me on and praying for me. I hope you all have a great week.
Love,
Elder Tshwj Xeeb
 |
| Helping our investigator, Kelly, plant tulips. It was so cold and a lot of hard work. She was very grateful to have our help. |
 |
| Ward Halloween party. It was Harry Potter themed. |
Additional pictures this week
 |
