It is finally a new year and the holidays are finally over because as missionaries the holidays make it way harder to do the work - especially for the Hmong people! The Hmong people straight up party for 2 months from November all the way to December which has made missionary work really hard. They had all the traditional holidays, all the different cities' Hmong New Years celebrations, and then clans get together as well. During that time span, most Hmong people are out of town, busy, or not interested, but now that all the holidays and celebrations are over, everyone is available and willing to listen. I swear we had more interested people this last week than the last 2 months combined so I am very grateful for the new year!
This week we had exchanges twice. Once with the Zls and once with the DL companionship. It was kind of funny because one of those 2 days we went tracting on the west side of town and it was the area that I tracted the first day of my mission. That was over 14 months ago and it is cool to think back over that time. All the things that happened, the people that I have met, and my progress.
Funny story... This week we were using our Polk to find. We have all the "Hmong addresses" in our phones and we see an address so we go there and then we see Apt #303. We go inside the apt building and look at the door and see a Pic of Jesus and then we thought - "something isn't right" so we walk down to the mailbox to see the name and just start laughing. It was an Elders' Apt. Super funny.
Also, this week on Friday we went out to eat with Mai and her whole family. We went out to a pretty good place called Journeys. It was really fun and we celebrated Iris's early birthday. Every time we see their family the littlest one, Aliza, always tells me she has a secret for me. Sometimes she tells me a secret or other times she is too shy and doesn't say anything. I didn't think much of it, then all the sudden all 3 of the girls start laughing. They were like "Do you know what Senpai means" and I was like "Nope!" It is an Anime tv word which of course I had no idea what it means since I have never watched Anime before. I guess it just means master in Japenese or something like that. So again I didn't think much of it. I was like "That's cool" but then Iris says. "It also means crush too" and I don't remember exactly what they said after that. But apparently that was Aliza's secret this whole time and she never told me until that day. So a 6-year-old girl has a crush on me. It is pretty hilarious.
Sunday was the first week of the two-hour church. It was really weird. After the 2 hours, we were like "Is it really over?" It was just weird to comprehend. Anyway, we had a good 2nd hour in Hmong class about the new Come Follow Me. The members are excited to start doing it and I have really enjoyed it so far. I have learned a lot and my testimony has grown a lot from doing it so far. I know it is an inspired program and that if we do it, our testimony will grow of the reality of our Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ.
"Whatever changes the Lord directs in an organization or a schedule or curriculum, what He's really hoping to change is you and me. He wants to change our hearts and enhance our future." -Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
Love you all,
Elder Rich
Pics: (1) Elders mistaken apt (2-3) This was a day we didn't have the car so we were walking around it and saw it. It was odd because I've never seen pine trees before (4) It finally snowed in Madison
