Oct 9: Made it to Madison

Nyob Zoo

It’s good to finally be in the mission field.  I am serving in the capital city of Madison and I’m very excited to be here. The first day we got to Wisconsin, we went to the Mission President’s home. HIs name is President Williams and he seems really great.  We slept at his house that first night.  The second day, we went to the Stake center and it was so scary walking into the chapel, scary because you’re waiting to see who your companion is; who you’re going to be with for the next first months and where you are going to serve.  There are 5 trainers and 6 new elders, so knew there would be one trio and the rest would double up.  I walked in and soon found out that my trainer’s name is Elder Lewis (Elder Yim Leej).  He is from California and has been out for almost 23 months.  He goes home November 22.  Also, Elder Vang from the MTC is with us as well, so we are the trio group.  Most missionaries are trained for 12 weeks, but when Elder Lewis goes home, it will just be Elder Vang and me which is a little scary.  However, I am in one of the very best situations for learning Hmong.  I have a trainer who has been out for 23 months and is fluent, and Elder Vang is a native Hmong person.  So I can get a lot of help from them and learn a lot from them.  But at the same time, it is really hard because they both understand and I don't understand anything.  Elder Lewis is a very hard working dude. He always pushes me and motivates me. Sometimes I think he can tell that I am getting frustrated and he will always pick me up.  He is super awesome and funny.

Madison reminds me a lot of Missouri. I know I said that last week about Wisconsin.  There are a lot of trees everywhere but also houses too. It’s honestly really similar to Missouri. We cover the whole city of Madison and the cities outside of it, so it is a really big area. We have a car and sometimes it takes us 30 minutes to get to appointments because everything is so spread out.  As well there is the college here, so it’s the party town. It is supposed to be one of the cooler areas that people can serve in, and I’ve heard that Madison is the “warmest” area as far as Wisconsin areas go, so that will be good for the winter.  Ever since I got here, it has rained every single day.

The first day in Madison, Elder Lewis took us tracting.  It was pretty scary going up to a door and talking to a real person. When you don’t know Hmong and you have to go up to them and talk to them in Hmong - it is scary!  But the Hmong people are super awesome and they make some pretty good food!  I’ve eaten quite a few times this week with the members and some investigators.  We got the most bomb pho ever which would make my dad jealous. Hint if you want to make it taste even better -  add peanut butter :0

I also got my Hmong last name this week.  I went to the home of some members with the last name of Tsab.  They were the ones who made the bomb pho.  I changed my Hmong name so it is more formal. So instead of Elder Tshwj, it is Elder Tshwj Xeeb and then my Hmong last name that I got is Tsab from this family who made me the pho.  So all together it is Tshwj Xeeb Tsab.  When I go to someone's door, I will just say Elder Tshwj Xeeb, but if they ask for my clan name, it is Tsab.  Pretty cool.

As far as the language is going, it is pretty overwhelming.  It is really hard.  The second day, we went and ate with some members and it was a grandma and a grandpa. And they speak sooo fast.  I honestly understood maybe 5% of what the people were saying. It is crazy and hard. But it’s good to be here finally.  I know I will get the language eventually.  I just need to keep working hard.

I am grateful to be a missionary.  I am grateful to be here and to be able to help the Hmong people. With the language barrier, it is really hard.  I want to help the people, but right now I can’t say a lot and I can’t understand what they are saying either.  So my scripture for the week is one that gives me a lot of hope. 

My scripture for the week is Ether 12:27

And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

Love you everyone.  Grateful for you all and I’ll talk to you next week.

Love,

Elder Tshwj Xeeb Tsab

If anyone has any questions, you can email me and I will try to answer them in my mass email next week

At the Stake Center when we got our companions

My companions, Elder Vang and Elder Lewis

Here we are with some Hmong members

Pho

Model Pic of the week

The one and only McDonalds

Hmong market

Other Pictures of the Week

City of Madison

Splits with Elder Sua.  He is an English speaking Elder

Last day at the MTC with my district and my teachers

Oct 3: Wisconsin - Here I come!

This is Kristi.  We were able to talk to Elder Rich this morning at the airport as he took off for Milwaukee.  He sounded so happy and excited to finally be on his way. He said last night saying goodbye to his teachers and all his district was pretty sad and pretty emotional.  The last day was really hard.  I can imagine. He said it's crazy to have made 15 new friends...15 new brothers who, 2 months ago, he didn't even know; they were random strangers. It was fun to be able to talk to him and hear his voice.  He entertained the kids speaking Hmong, which sounded like gibberish to us.  He talked for a long time, and when he finally stopped, we asked him what that meant.  He said, "I don't know.  I was just saying a bunch of random stuff."  And just like at the MTC - there was no goodbye.  He did not have a lot of time in Denver to talk, and we knew he would be boarding his plane soon.  All of a sudden, he quickly said, "Hang on...I got to go!" and click - he was on his way.

Here are the kids talking to him early this morning.

We have friends who are moving to Wisconsin and were so excited when we found out that Brooke would be taking the same flight to Milwaukee with Elder Rich.  She was able to send a picture of the back of his head on the plane and sent us the very first photo of Austin in Wisconsin.  It made me so happy.  

I spy Austin's head

1st photo in Wisconsin with Brooke Brady

Photo with the Brady kids

Here is Austin's letter when he arrived at the mission home this afternoon.

Nyob zoo!

I am finally here.  This place is so pretty and reminds me of Missouri.  Apparently, there are some bomb custard places.  The plane wasn't too bad.  I slept most of the way, so that's good.  I'm super excited to be here and can't wait to get to work. My mission president seems really nice.  I will get to meet my new companion tomorrow morning.  I am super excited to see who my companion is and where I am going. This is going to be awesome!  I am here safely so that is good.  

Anyway, love you guys and talk to you next week.  

This is going to be AWESOME!

Love Elder Tshwj

President and Sister Williams

The new Wisconsin Hmong Elders

Photos from the MTC yesterday

Saying goodbye to Elder Miller

Peace out MTC

Last week - thanks Mom for the Ramen

His tender heart

Sept 26 MTC week 8 - Last week!

Nyob Zoo

This will be my last email in the MTC, so this one will be a little longer.  I have officially almost been here 2 months, and I have 1 more week until I will be heading to Wisconsin. I am very excited to get there and finally end this 9 week Groundhog Day cycle, not that the MTC isn't awesome, but I am ready for some change to my schedule.  On Friday we got our flight plans. So I will be heading out to Wisconsin next Tuesday. I fly from Salt Lake to Denver and then from Denver to Milwaukee. I will leave Salt Lake at 7:00 am and I'll get to Wisconsin at 1:30. I am super excited to get there and to talk to all the Hmong people, meet my new companion, and finally get to start doing missionary work. The MTC has really been great, but at the same time, it has felt a lot like Mission Prep.  It doesn't feel like I am on my mission yet, but in reality, I am.  I am starting to get a little trunky.  I am very anxious to finally get out there! There definitely will be some things I will miss from this place.  I'm really going to miss my district, my teachers, and the sports. Absolutely something I won't miss is the food!

This past week, I looked back at my first lesson that I ever taught in Hmong. It was honestly pretty hilarious to look at it and see how bad it was.  I have definitely learned a lot in these past 2 months.  I think I know around 400 words which definitely isn't very many at all, but in my opinion, it's pretty good for learning such a hard language in a short period of time. This past week one of our teachers, Brother Lee, asked us a question that I really liked. He said:

"You guys are learning such a hard language - why do you keep going? You are free to go home whenever you want. The entrance gate is always open. Why do you keep going?"

I really liked this question.  It made me think - this language honestly is so hard and it doesn't make any sense at all.  All I do every day is study and cram. I have been here almost 2 months now and I can barely speak any Hmong, this language is so frustrating, and my tones are still completely awful.  So why do I keep going?  I keep going because I love this gospel.  I have seen in my life how the gospel can make people so much happier.  As well I am super excited to go and help the Hmong people, to help them to have more happiness, to find a purpose in their lives, and to have better lives in general.  Last of all, I keep going because I love my Savior and I am grateful for all that he has done for me, and I want to give that same knowledge that I have of this gospel to others, the knowledge of who Jesus Christ is, and how he can help them.

I read this story this week and I thought I would share it:

"There was an old man walking along the seashore. In the distance, he saw a young person doing something near the water’s edge. As the old man approached, he saw that it was a boy surrounded by numerous starfish that had washed ashore and were lying on the sand. The old man watched, intrigued, as the boy picked up starfish after starfish and threw them as far as he could over the breaking surf. After some time the old man approached the boy and said, “Son, do you realize there are thousands of starfish on this shore? Certainly what you are doing can make no real difference.” After respectfully listening, the boy reached down and picked up another starfish and hurled it into the ocean. Then, looking thoughtfully at the old man, the boy said, “It made a difference to that one.” And he continued to throw more starfish back into the water."

I love this story and it can apply to missionary work. There are so many people who don't have the gospel.  They are searching for something to make them happier, to help them have more purpose, or just to have a better life in general. I know there are so many people out there and we won't be able to help everyone. That is hard because I want to help as many people as I can. I don't know how many people I will be able to help, or how many are willing to accept our help. Hopefully a lot, but if I end up only helping one person, that would be just fine with me.  If I helped 1 person to have a better life,  then I think my mission would be successful.  My scripture for the week goes right along with this. It is D&C 18:15-16 and it says:

And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!

And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!

I am so excited to get out to Wisconsin. I honestly cannot wait.  In 1 more week, I will be out there and be helping people.  I am grateful for the time I have had in the MTC.  I am grateful for the many friends I made and the fun experiences I will always remember.  The MTC may not have been the funnest thing in the world all the time, but at the same time, I have learned and grown so much.

Have a great week.

Love,

Elder Tshwj

Pictures: (1) Happy Birthday Elder Hinckley. He is going to Fresno, (2) So Close to the Exit, (3) Christmas Lights - they were testing them this week, (4) On the Grind, (5) Elder Yang's doodle he made on his doodle app (6) Views Pt. 1, (7) Views Pt. 2, and (8) Model Pic of the week.

Extra Pictures this week

It snowed this week

Sept 19 MTC week 7

Nyob Zoo

Things that happened this week:

This week we got a new Elder in our district.  He is 6 foot 4, so he is a really big guy.  He went home around 5 months ago for whatever reason and now he is back. He already did his time in the MTC, but he wanted to do 3 more weeks before he goes out to the field.  He is going to Minnesota and Hmong speaking as well. So he will leave with us in 2 weeks.  My district had the opportunity to Host this week. We hosted the brand new missionaries that came into the MTC. When they were dropped off, we helped them with their luggage, showed them around the MTC and got them settled in.  It's weird that that was me 7 weeks ago.  I used to be the newbie missionary, but now I am one of the oldest here.  It's weird that I am leaving in 2 weeks.  This upcoming Saturday we are going to get our flight plans which is super exciting. I can’t wait to see.

We finally got our Hmong ties this week. They honestly are so so so cool (I'll put a picture below). Elder Vang's mom did the greatest job making them all. She handmade every single tie and she made them all unique with different patterns/colors. 

Funny things:

So one of the days this week, it was raining pretty hard and it was really cold. I didn't bring any of my sweaters, so I borrowed one of Elder Tarone's sweaters.  That day we both wore some sweaters from Walmart.  They are pretty cool looking, but…they are from Walmart so they are interesting. Anyways, that day I got so many compliments from wearing that sweater.  The funny thing is I don't think I have ever gotten so many compliments ever and the sweater is from Walmart.  So apparently if you want to find some stylish clothes, Walmart is the place to go. 

This week as well we also got some Hmong peppers in a package from one of the Hmong missionaries in California.  Our whole district tried the peppers and it was hilarious!!  At least half of our district started crying haha.  In my opinion, I didn't think they were that spicy, but that is because I love spicy stuff.  I ate quite a few of the peppers and I thought they were pretty good.

Culture:

So this is a basic history of how the Hmong people came to America. A few hundred years ago, most of the Hmong people lived in China.  The Chinese people didn't like the Hmong people so they persecuted them and eventually the Hmong people left to Vietnam.  During the Vietnam war, the USA hired the Hmong people to do Guerrilla warfare for us.  In exchange for the Hmong helping in the war, the US government gave them food and promised to bring them all to America in the near future.  Because the Hmong people helped the US in the Vietnam war, the people of Vietnam hated the Hmong people.  They were hunted and chased out to Laois. As well in Laois, they were hunted and chased out of Laois to Thailand.  In Thailand, they made refugee camps and waited until the US would bring them over to America.  Eventually, the US fulfilled their promise and brought the Hmong people to America. There are still over 1 million Hmong people that live in various southern Asian countries.  But during that whole time, over 2/3 of the Hmong people were killed. The main causes were the war and being hunted from the Laois/Vietnam people.

I know that God has a plan for all of us. The Hmong people went through a lot of really hard things to get to America, but now that they are in America, they have the opportunity to receive the gospel. I'm grateful to have the opportunity to bring them the gospel.  I can't wait to begin to start teaching them. I can't wait to see how the gospel will make their lives better and make their lives happier. I have such a great blessing to be a missionary. I am beyond grateful to represent my savior and bring people such a wonderful gift in the gospel

That's all for this week. Miss you all and hope you have a good week. And shout out to Elder Wayment. He is in half of my pictures because I always use his camera instead of mine haha

Love,

Elder Tshwj

Walmart sweaters

Hosting the new missionaries with Elder Wayment

Wisconsin Hmong elders with our new Hmong ties

Handmade Hmong ties

Model Pic of the week

Hmong culture


Surprise photo of the week: During their temple walk on Sunday, these 3 Elders ran into Elder McArthur's cousin who is attending BYU.  She was kind enough to take their photo and share it with their moms.

Elders Tayler, McArthur, Rich

Sept 12 MTC week 6

Nyob Zoo

The time is flying in the MTC.  It blows my mind that I have been here 6 weeks. Only 3 more weeks to go and I will be out in Wisconsin. This week my companion needed to go to the doctor so we got to go out in the "real world" which was super fun and also really bizarre. I haven't been in the "real world" in over a month so it was felt really weird, but it also made me soooo excited to get out to Wisconsin. I can't describe how bad I want to get out there and start helping people. The time will fly and before I know it I will be out there. The MTC is awesome as well, but it is different than how it will be out there in my mission. I know I need to really enjoy these last few weeks and finish out strong.  9 out of the 15 Elders in my District are going somewhere else than where I am going. I really am going to miss them all as well as my teachers when I leave in 3 weeks.

Something also cool that happened this week...we got our Hmong name badges this week and they are soooo sick. I have been here 6 weeks now and I still can't say my name yet haha. I will put a picture of it down below.

The Utah vs BYU game was Saturday night.  I was basically the only Utah fan.  Everyone was cheering for BYU.  The day of the game was for sure the hardest day of the MTC for me so far.  If you guys know me, you know that I LOVE football.  It was the first time I haven't been able to watch the big rival game in as long as I can remember. We could hear the fans cheering and screaming from the stadium in the MTC. We couldn't hear the announcer or the score, but we could hear all the fans cheering.  It was the first time in a while that I really felt like I was missing out. Sometimes being a missionary is hard because we do give up so much, but at the same time, it is the greatest thing ever. I wouldn't trade this experience for anything. And I haven't even gotten to the best part yet. It is gonna be so sick when I get out to Wisconsin and can help the Hmong people.

Last thing for this week, we did our first Skype lesson yesterday. We Skyped a young kid named Tsim Meej from California.  We were supposed to have 45 minutes to teach. We planned out a really good lesson on Jesus Christ and what he did for us. We ended up having a hard time connecting on Skype so we ended up only have 25 minutes to teach him.  Since we had such limited time, we were just going to focus on the Atonement and Repentance. We started teaching and everything just felt weird. We prepared and practiced some of the words for the lesson, but something just felt off.  In the lesson, we couldn't speak anything and everything we taught felt really weird. I decided to give a scripture that would maybe explain it since we couldn't say anything. The guy we were teaching said that he was struggling to understand the scriptures.  So we just bagged our lesson completely and told him we would help him with that. He asked us if we would teach him in English so we did. It was a really cool experience and neat to see how the spirit works. That is how I think missionary work is supposed to be. We are just going to try to help people with whatever they need help with, whether it is in English or in Hmong, it doesn't matter. As long as we are helping people, that is what matters. I just can't wait to get out there even though I know I am going to get wrecked when I get out there. It is going to be so awesome.

That's all for this week. Miss you all and hope you have an awesome week!

Love,

Elder Tshwj

In the "Real World"

New Name Badge

Utah vs BYU football game

Skype

Model pic featuring the French elder - Elder Mocellin.  He's going to San Fransico speaking Laotian

Model pic 2 - Elder Green also speaking Laotian

Some other pictures we got from Elder Rich this week

This tree smells like cream soda.  It's bizarre

Chilling on P-day

The new bigger classroom. Nicer desks and chairs too.

Hmong ties that Elder Vang's mom MADE for us and are ready to ship.  They are so sick.
I bought two and can't wait for them to get here.

another picture from the "real world"