Nyob zoo,
This week we had exchanges. I love to be able to serve with other missionaries for a day and learn from them. Elder Pisciotta came with me in the Hmong area and Elder Parker went with Elder Humphries in the other area. We got a lot done and it was fun to be with Elder Pisciotta for a day.
This week we decided to set up a volleyball night, so we made an event on Facebook and invited as many people as we could. Once Friday came around, we got to the church and realized - we don't even have a volleyball. How are you supposed to have a volleyball night if you don't even have ball haha. It was pretty funny. The other Elders ended up going and picking one up, so we were still able to play - just a little late.
Also this week we were knocking some doors and we went to this apartment complex and we saw a Hmong Niam Tais so we went and talked to her. She made up a pretty lame excuse of why she couldn't talk to us, but she told us that there was another Hmong family in the apartment building. We knocked on that door and ended up getting in. We taught about the Book of Mormon and invited her to read it, but the sad thing is that she can't. The Hmong language has 2 different dialects in the US. One is White Hmong which is what we as missionaries speak and also what the Book of Mormon is translated into. The other dialect is Green Hmong and that is what she spoke and read. Here is an example of the difference between White Hmong VS Green Hmong.
Hello everybody in White Hmong- Nyob zoo sawv daws
Hello everybody in Green Hmong- Nyob zoo suav dlawg
Anyway, it was really sad because we couldn't give her a Phau Ntawv Maumoos because she can't read it. That has never happened to me before where someone couldn't accept it because they couldn't read it. It was really sad.
The Hmong people really like to do gardening and farming, so a lot of them on a normal day won't be home because if it is sunny they are at their farms and gardens. On the rainy days, we take advantage of the weather and go see them because they will be home. One of the days this week it was raining so went to a visit a less active. She was super funny. She taught us a lot of Hmong and was telling us a lot of stories. She was organizing some beans and was telling us about all these beans. One of them she called a taum tus sab. She said she didn't know what it was called, but called it that because she always steals it. It was pretty funny. She said she wants to come to church one of these days so hopefully she will come.
I recently started the Book of Mormon again and read something that I really liked. In the first chapter in the Book of Mormon in verse 20, it says "But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the TENDER MERCIES of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith." And the in the last chapter of the Book of Mormon in verse 3 it says "Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how MERCIFUL the Lord hath been." I thought that was pretty cool that at the beginning and end of the Book of Mormon, it talks about how God's Mercy and God's love is all over and that we need to remember that. It is the Bookends of the Book of Mormon and if we remember that, and really look back in our lives, we can see that God really has blessed us so much and has been with us along the whole journey. I know that to be true and I know that as we read the Book of Mormon we can see that as we read it.
Love,
Elder Rich
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| I made peach dessert. It was really good. I made everything homemade except the crust. |
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| The real Appleton |
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| District breakfast |
