Dear Everyone,
So we're back to emails. Of well. Those 40 minutes on the phone were, I think, the quickest 40 minutes of my mission - if not my life. I was worried that I wouldn't have enough to say to fill the time!
I remember a story one of the speakers told in the MTC - I believe it was the same man who told us that, on a mission, "We are not in the business of saving stamps". He said that when he had two sons on their missions, one son phoned first on Christmas, and they spoke for over four hours - it was allowed in his mission. Then the other son phoned, and told them that all he had was thirty minutes. The father was not as supportive of his son's mission rules as you were with mine, and offered to phone back after the 30 minutes was up so that they could talk more, at no expense to the missionary. His son said plainly that he could not break the rules - he was serving in South Africa, and of course we know how dangerous it is there. He said that the rules are a protection, and that in such a dangerous place, the Elders most likely to be injured or have something happen to them were the ones who were less obedient.
Apparently, Elder Perkins, of the Asia Area Presidency, came to speak in Mission Conference the moves before I arrived in the mission. He said that he didn't feel he needed to talk to the missionaries about obedience, because we are such an obedient mission. I can see that myself - hearing the story you sent me of Elder Dick and his trunky companion really interested me. The trunkiest elder I've met here has the challenges of sleeping in a little on Preparation Day, and listening to Disney music. Not particularly trunky at all.
Discovering, as I only did after my phone call to you, that BYU starts in August, I am a little concerned about he logistics if I take this option - I really don't want to be home for only a week or two before leaving for school again, but I also don't want to trim my mission by a few weeks and take my early leaving date - especially as my early date is when President Van Dam goes home, and the new mission president will need my support. But at the end of the day, it's not what I want that matters. I don't know yet if Mandarin at BYU is what the Lord wants me to do, or if I'm to stay closer to home, but ultimately, the whole thing reminds me of a part of my Patriarchal blessing, about making choices in life. It speaks about choosing between God's will and what I want to do. Before my mission, I always thought this referred to keeping the commandments or not, but now I see that it's more going above and beyond obedience - it's not against God's will for someone to attend Royal Holloway studying creative writing or English literature, but if God wants me to go to BYU, that's what I have to do, regardless of what I want. Again I'm reminded of a speaker from the MTC, who told us that we are the tools of the Lord. If you're trying to use a screwdriver and it doesn't do what you want it to do, eventually you use another screwdriver. We need to do what God wants us to do, when He wants us to do it, or we are a useless tool to Him.
Of course, a potential major problem with school in Utah is that it'll mean dating mostly Utons, and dating tends to lead to marriage. I really don't want an American wife - that leads to little American children and living in America and all the awkward difficulties that this entails. I do miss England. The Berkshire calendar you sent me is wonderful, and I shall hang it with pride on my wall - Berkshire is my home and the beautiful green countryside is very much a part of me that Provo won't be able to provide.
Do not worry about any other homesickness, though; for I am not thus afflicted. I'm too busy to be homesick. There's always something to do, and any wasted time is a waste of the Lord's time. Missions are so short! It's incomprehensible to think that Christmas is now passed, and that next week is 2008 - I feel like I only entered the MTC a few weeks ago! In January, I'll reach the 6 month point! That's one thing the Elder in Bracknell at the moment has the advantage over me with; he's been serving for pretty much 6 months. I spent a good chunk of that time learning a difficult language, and as I'm still not fluent, I still have to rely on my companion for a lot.
I remember before I got my call, really hoping to learn Chinese, and feeling bad for Chris when he went English-speaking. In the MTC, I felt that Chris was the lucky one; he was already serving and I was stuck struggling with some silly language! Now I'm a lot more thankful for this blessing again, and understand that it's for my benefit, and to help me be the servant God wants me to be. I thought about it, and realised that in Hong Kong, missionaries only really reach passable fluency after about a year. That only leaves one year of time when we can teach people with the fluency that native-speakers have straight away. Why even send missionaries here from English-speaking countries?
Then I realised that the long time spent learning Cantonese is really time that's for us. God has a work He wants us to perform after the mission that involves speaking Cantonese. Near enough every missionary here has the desire to learn Mandarin, too - the missionaries chosen for the China Hong Kong mission, learning the lesser of the two Chinese languages, are the ones most desirous to learn the second language after their mission. God has specifically chosen us for our service now, and our service for the rest of our lives. The China Hong Kong Mission Statement says, at the end, "We pledge not only our time here, but also our lives to this cause."
To answer your question about money, we get a fair amount - about $200US. That works out to about $1600 Hong Kong, and honestly, this is the first month that I have survived without needing to dip into personal funds a little bit. When I first got here, I bought all the things I missed from back home; HP sauce, Lea and Perrins, Colemans mustard, anything else that jumped to mind. British foods are very expensive here, but I bought them anyway. The money ran out quickly, and suddenly I got to the end of the month with nothing to survive on for the last week. Now, thanks to better budgeting, I'm inside my allowance by a small amount ($80 or so) - but that would have been more, were it not that my companion, Elder Alspaugh, has an addiction to buying mission supplies, and after having bought the entire Picture Scripture books in Chinese for $500, found himself with no money half way through the moves, so I fed him a fair bit. This next month I hopefully won't cut it so close, as I've just about gotten used to not buying every little treat I see, like Dairy Milk chocolate from Australia (which just don't taste as good as the British kind!)
Well, my time is just about up now. I love you all and hope that you all continue to do well, as you seem to have been doing, judging from Tuesday's phone call. Honestly, my biggest concern about phoning was that I might interrupt you during Christmas lunch, or during Dr Who!
Anyway, lots of love and hugs,
Elder Matthew Loffhagen
Thursday, 27 December 2007
Thursday, 20 December 2007
12th email from Hong Kong
Merry Christmas one and all!
This is my closest email to Christmas itself, and a lot has happened in the past few days.
For Christmas, I have recieved a new companion! His name is Elder Walgren and he is from Provo, making him my third Utah companion. He was actually Elder Alspaugh's MTC companion, which is pretty fun. He seems really cool and I'm looking forward to serving with him.
I'm still in my first area, West Point, on Hong Kong Island itself, so now I get to show around this new companion, who has spent most of his mission in far more rural parts of Hong Kong and has never served on The Island before. Elder Alspaugh is now a Zone Leader somewhere else, and I still get to enjoy Elder Ng as my own Zone Leader, with Elder Lewis (who I have yet to get to know) with him.
Moves are done in a very interesting way here in Hong Kong. With the exception of Temple Square, we are pretty much the smallest mission in the world (please correct me if I'm wrong and there's a smaller one), and being blessed with our Temple/Mission Home/Chapel, as we have been, every Elder and Sister who moves goes to the Temple, leaves their old companion behind and finds their new one. We had a rather fun trip to do so today.
Elder Alspaugh and I went to Seminary this morning, as we do every Preparation Day, so as to integrate with the ward. After that, he packed his last few things into his bag and off we went. We had been told that our post - including several packages - was waiting for us in Wan Chai, the main church building on Hong Kong Island, having been brought there by the Zone Leaders who had visited the temple recently. This was a little awkward, as it meant that in order to pick up Elder Alspaugh's, we had to go there first, then carry his packages with us back to the Temple.
A huge mass of bags for all the missionaries had formed just outside the MTR station, and Elder Work was there with his companion, watching over them (so that they didn't have to be hauled to the Temple). I stayed with Elder Work while my and his companions went to the Temple. Eventually we were relieved by another companionship coming through, and we went up. I picked up a Christmas card from Ted and Sue Pickerskill and some new supplies, and then after Elder Work found his new companion, Elder Ng and I went back to the bags to see if our new companions were waiting for us there.
Elder Lewis was indeed waiting for Elder Ng. I stayed on bag duty. Eventually, Elder Walgren arrived and we greeted, and I let him go up with some other Elders to the Temple to pick up his stuff while myself and another Elder watched the bags. We got to a point where there were two companionships watching over the bags, both of which had to leave quickly, and myself stuck in the middle, companionless, kind of in a threesome with both. Eventually Elder Walgren returned and we watched the bags for a while more as both companionships (and the one that escourted Elder Walgren) left. Finally we were relieved from our post (I myself had been there on and off for about 2 hours) and we headed back to Wan Chai, where I picked up my Christmas packages, and we went on our way. It was an incredibly long journey back and forth, and I'm now very tired from carrying other people's suitcases around all day.
Now I'll bet you're wondering; "Packages? Why more than one?" and for that I must ask you to thank Big Steve. He sent me a big box of nicely wrapped presents, which according to his card he bought on lastminute.com, and tonnes of Salt And Vinegar crisps! I was amazed when I opened it, and was thrilled. So thank him very much from me. I've not yet opened your package yet, as I'm saving it for Christmas (as I am the crisps and the wrapped presents Steve sent me).
Anyway, to business. In order to phone you, I'm going to buy a phone card. The most convenient time for me to phone will be 10pm my time, which I believe is 2pm your time - if that's not right, just expect the call at whatever time it is in England when it's 10pm in Hong Kong. Just in case, though, bear in mind that this time is subject to unexpected change at a random time, and so while I'm aiming for phoning at this time, it may not be the time I actually phone, depending on how things go. But it can't possibly be any later than that, because I have to be in bed by 11:00. Did I tell you that in Hong Kong, because of the busy city life and the active night-life, we get up at 7:00 and go to bed at 11:00? It's really nice to not have to get up at 6:30.
Just as a note of warning for you - the mission rule states that my call home cannot exceed 40 minutes in length. Elder Ng's been very blunt on that; 39 minutes is fine, 41 minutes is against the rules. I guess there are a lot of missionaries who find it hard to stick to that.
Yesterday, a family in the ward called the Woo family "cheng'd" us out. To cheng in Chinese is to invite/ask/give, and so to cheng someone out is to buy them dinner. They took us to some kind of strange foreign restaurant called "KFC", which was rather odd. The KFC menu in Hong Kong is somewhat different than in Britain - no chips, apart from those criss-cross fries they called "Web Fries" at Burger King when Spider-Man came out - but they do have Portuguese Egg Tarts! Po-Tas, as they're called in Cantonese, are really popular here. Because it's Christmas, they had special "Winterberry" egg tarts, which looked to me suspiciously like a normal egg tart with two blackberries and a raspberry on top, with powdered sugar sprinkled on it.
After eating lots of chicken and various other things, Elder Alspaugh and I went and asked the lady at the till (we were eating in the restaurant) for 14 glasses of hot water. We then took them to the table, mixed in some hot chocolate mix we'd bought, and introduced them to the tradition known as Tim Tam Slam.
There's an Australian biscuit in Hong Kong called a Tin Tam - basically a penguin bar, only it doesn't taste as good. To Tin Tam Slam, you bite off both ends of the Tin Tam, and use the biscuit as a straw to drink the hot chocolate; sucking it up through the goopy middle layer. It's really weird and I've never had much success with it, but it's a mission tradition. So we did it with the Woo family, and basically none of them were willing to try it. I know how they feel.
My first day with Elder Alspaugh, I was ridiculously hot. When we first got into our apartment, I was so hot and tired that I could barely move. Elder Alspaugh got a nice big bowl of cold orange juice for me, which I eagerly drank, but he then went away and presented me with a bowl of Dim Sum; two little balls full of stuff floating in hot soup. I could NOT eat that; I was going to die from the heat as it was, let alone with boiling water in my stomach. Somehow I managed to decline without hurting his feelings too much, and all seemed well.
That night, after having promised me all day, we were going to do this "Tin Tam Slam" thing, he finally said that it was time. I was just about ready to pass out, I was so tired - and still rediculously hot. He reconsidered doing it with me then, but Elder Chan, another missionary in our apartment, insisted, as it is tradition. So I very reluctantly stuck my face in a bowl of hot chocolate and drank it through a biscuit. It was pretty horrible. Finally, satisfied I'd done enough, Elder Alspaugh helped me finish my hot chocolate and I fell into bed and slept very soundly.
It's been 11 weeks since then, and for the first time, I have a new companion. I'm excited to see what will come of the time I get to spend with him, what our relationship will be like, and how the work will progress as we do it together. It's going to be a very interesting experience - and one I'm very much looking forward to.
I did send you a Christmas package with a few little things in - very few - and I hope you enjoy them when they arrive in approximately...February. There's also a Japanese hymn book and a bracelet for Suzi in there, which I'd really appreciate if you could help get to her. It's cheaper for me if you forward it on via Royal Mail or some such system.
Anyway, it's time for me to go. I love you all and hope that you have a Merry Christmas, and a fun time doing whatever you're going to be doing.
Lots and lots of love,
Elder Loffhagen
This is my closest email to Christmas itself, and a lot has happened in the past few days.
For Christmas, I have recieved a new companion! His name is Elder Walgren and he is from Provo, making him my third Utah companion. He was actually Elder Alspaugh's MTC companion, which is pretty fun. He seems really cool and I'm looking forward to serving with him.
I'm still in my first area, West Point, on Hong Kong Island itself, so now I get to show around this new companion, who has spent most of his mission in far more rural parts of Hong Kong and has never served on The Island before. Elder Alspaugh is now a Zone Leader somewhere else, and I still get to enjoy Elder Ng as my own Zone Leader, with Elder Lewis (who I have yet to get to know) with him.
Moves are done in a very interesting way here in Hong Kong. With the exception of Temple Square, we are pretty much the smallest mission in the world (please correct me if I'm wrong and there's a smaller one), and being blessed with our Temple/Mission Home/Chapel, as we have been, every Elder and Sister who moves goes to the Temple, leaves their old companion behind and finds their new one. We had a rather fun trip to do so today.
Elder Alspaugh and I went to Seminary this morning, as we do every Preparation Day, so as to integrate with the ward. After that, he packed his last few things into his bag and off we went. We had been told that our post - including several packages - was waiting for us in Wan Chai, the main church building on Hong Kong Island, having been brought there by the Zone Leaders who had visited the temple recently. This was a little awkward, as it meant that in order to pick up Elder Alspaugh's, we had to go there first, then carry his packages with us back to the Temple.
A huge mass of bags for all the missionaries had formed just outside the MTR station, and Elder Work was there with his companion, watching over them (so that they didn't have to be hauled to the Temple). I stayed with Elder Work while my and his companions went to the Temple. Eventually we were relieved by another companionship coming through, and we went up. I picked up a Christmas card from Ted and Sue Pickerskill and some new supplies, and then after Elder Work found his new companion, Elder Ng and I went back to the bags to see if our new companions were waiting for us there.
Elder Lewis was indeed waiting for Elder Ng. I stayed on bag duty. Eventually, Elder Walgren arrived and we greeted, and I let him go up with some other Elders to the Temple to pick up his stuff while myself and another Elder watched the bags. We got to a point where there were two companionships watching over the bags, both of which had to leave quickly, and myself stuck in the middle, companionless, kind of in a threesome with both. Eventually Elder Walgren returned and we watched the bags for a while more as both companionships (and the one that escourted Elder Walgren) left. Finally we were relieved from our post (I myself had been there on and off for about 2 hours) and we headed back to Wan Chai, where I picked up my Christmas packages, and we went on our way. It was an incredibly long journey back and forth, and I'm now very tired from carrying other people's suitcases around all day.
Now I'll bet you're wondering; "Packages? Why more than one?" and for that I must ask you to thank Big Steve. He sent me a big box of nicely wrapped presents, which according to his card he bought on lastminute.com, and tonnes of Salt And Vinegar crisps! I was amazed when I opened it, and was thrilled. So thank him very much from me. I've not yet opened your package yet, as I'm saving it for Christmas (as I am the crisps and the wrapped presents Steve sent me).
Anyway, to business. In order to phone you, I'm going to buy a phone card. The most convenient time for me to phone will be 10pm my time, which I believe is 2pm your time - if that's not right, just expect the call at whatever time it is in England when it's 10pm in Hong Kong. Just in case, though, bear in mind that this time is subject to unexpected change at a random time, and so while I'm aiming for phoning at this time, it may not be the time I actually phone, depending on how things go. But it can't possibly be any later than that, because I have to be in bed by 11:00. Did I tell you that in Hong Kong, because of the busy city life and the active night-life, we get up at 7:00 and go to bed at 11:00? It's really nice to not have to get up at 6:30.
Just as a note of warning for you - the mission rule states that my call home cannot exceed 40 minutes in length. Elder Ng's been very blunt on that; 39 minutes is fine, 41 minutes is against the rules. I guess there are a lot of missionaries who find it hard to stick to that.
Yesterday, a family in the ward called the Woo family "cheng'd" us out. To cheng in Chinese is to invite/ask/give, and so to cheng someone out is to buy them dinner. They took us to some kind of strange foreign restaurant called "KFC", which was rather odd. The KFC menu in Hong Kong is somewhat different than in Britain - no chips, apart from those criss-cross fries they called "Web Fries" at Burger King when Spider-Man came out - but they do have Portuguese Egg Tarts! Po-Tas, as they're called in Cantonese, are really popular here. Because it's Christmas, they had special "Winterberry" egg tarts, which looked to me suspiciously like a normal egg tart with two blackberries and a raspberry on top, with powdered sugar sprinkled on it.
After eating lots of chicken and various other things, Elder Alspaugh and I went and asked the lady at the till (we were eating in the restaurant) for 14 glasses of hot water. We then took them to the table, mixed in some hot chocolate mix we'd bought, and introduced them to the tradition known as Tim Tam Slam.
There's an Australian biscuit in Hong Kong called a Tin Tam - basically a penguin bar, only it doesn't taste as good. To Tin Tam Slam, you bite off both ends of the Tin Tam, and use the biscuit as a straw to drink the hot chocolate; sucking it up through the goopy middle layer. It's really weird and I've never had much success with it, but it's a mission tradition. So we did it with the Woo family, and basically none of them were willing to try it. I know how they feel.
My first day with Elder Alspaugh, I was ridiculously hot. When we first got into our apartment, I was so hot and tired that I could barely move. Elder Alspaugh got a nice big bowl of cold orange juice for me, which I eagerly drank, but he then went away and presented me with a bowl of Dim Sum; two little balls full of stuff floating in hot soup. I could NOT eat that; I was going to die from the heat as it was, let alone with boiling water in my stomach. Somehow I managed to decline without hurting his feelings too much, and all seemed well.
That night, after having promised me all day, we were going to do this "Tin Tam Slam" thing, he finally said that it was time. I was just about ready to pass out, I was so tired - and still rediculously hot. He reconsidered doing it with me then, but Elder Chan, another missionary in our apartment, insisted, as it is tradition. So I very reluctantly stuck my face in a bowl of hot chocolate and drank it through a biscuit. It was pretty horrible. Finally, satisfied I'd done enough, Elder Alspaugh helped me finish my hot chocolate and I fell into bed and slept very soundly.
It's been 11 weeks since then, and for the first time, I have a new companion. I'm excited to see what will come of the time I get to spend with him, what our relationship will be like, and how the work will progress as we do it together. It's going to be a very interesting experience - and one I'm very much looking forward to.
I did send you a Christmas package with a few little things in - very few - and I hope you enjoy them when they arrive in approximately...February. There's also a Japanese hymn book and a bracelet for Suzi in there, which I'd really appreciate if you could help get to her. It's cheaper for me if you forward it on via Royal Mail or some such system.
Anyway, it's time for me to go. I love you all and hope that you have a Merry Christmas, and a fun time doing whatever you're going to be doing.
Lots and lots of love,
Elder Loffhagen
Thursday, 13 December 2007
11th email from Hong Kong
Merry Christmas!
The Mission Christmas social was yesterday, and was pretty darn amazing. We had a talent show and skits from every zone which were so much fun. I myself, with Elders Weagel, Work and Volk (all of whom were in the MTC with me) were the opening act of the show, singing If You Could Hie to Kolob in parts - lots of fun.
The next thing after us was the Kowloon East Zone's skit, which was a hilarious song featuring many missionaries in costume. I mention their skit particularly because the Temple is in their zone, as is the Mission Home - therefore, President and Sister Van Dam were in their skit, she ironing shirts and shining shoes, he dressed as Santa. I'm so glad that my Mission President is such a fun man, willing to mess around like that on stage, doing little dances and such. Elder Ng told me that he feels he wasn't called to the Hong Kong mission so much as he was called to his Mission President. President Van Dam is just amazing - as is Sister Van Dam for that matter.
For example, they bought every missionary a present for Christmas - a T-shirt which reads, in Chinese characters, Wihng Hang Gaa Tihng (I haven't started learning characters yet, so I can't help with those!), or Eternal Family. We all wore our t-shirts for a mission photo. While the focus of the shirt was indeed that our own personal families can be eternal through the Gospel, I can see a second meaning - we as a mission are all one big family, and will always remember the time we spend together now.
Of course, it was wonderful to see many of my MTC district again for the first time since last conference. One of the elders told me that he really missed me and thinks about me often, which hopefully means that I did something right as District Leader and fellow-missionary.
The slideshow was pretty amazing too. A lot of my MTC district seemed to have got up to some interesting things (they didn't forget to turn in their photos!), but I was in it a few times; in a group photo outside the Provo Temple, there was a picture of us on our first night in Hong Kong all asleep (I maintain I was reading a book about Joseph Smith. With my eyes closed. While snoring.), there was the picture of myself with my trainer and his trainer, which I believe you've seen, and there was a picture of me with Elder Ng in Victoria park, which I think I may also have sent you.
Sister Van Dam has an amazing amount of dedication to us, particularly when it comes to food. She always manages to provide huge plates of American food which most Elders miss from home, and myself and the native Hong Kong missionaries find a little weird but also interesting. This lunch time was turkey with mashed potato, some vegetables and bread which I think was actually imported from the states, as it in no way resembles the unique Hong Kong bread (which is incredible), but was far more similar to the bread from the MTC (which was undigestible). Then for desert, she announced that we were going to have something very special - a chocolate bar. Myself and the elder next to me both wondered what was so special about this chocolate bar, until she clarified that by "bar", she meant the table upon which the chocolate had been placed. It was a chocolate fountain, with lots of tasty treats to dip in it, including (yet again) American pretzels, and then various other no doubt cheaper foods like bananas and apple slices.
I'm afraid that I have not read any of the Phillip Pullman books, but I'm sure any fuss is just the same as any other silly parental scare-mongering. I remember that Stuart was obsessed with the fact that Harry Potter was evil because it taught children to call upon evil powers - and yet, it was fine for him to watch the films because he's older and not as easily influenced. Yeah right. I also remember that the same kind of "It's evil and of the devil!" thing even happened to such fads as Pokemon. Supposedly if you play the theme tune for the TV show backwards, and really, really try to listen to hear it, it kind of sounds like "Heil Satan!" Again, yeah right. There are much more dangerous things that children are exposed to every day than books about magic. I'd rather any children of mine read Phillip Pullman than spend 18 hours a week playing Grand Theft Auto or watching Eastenders.
Thank you for thinking to include Cantonese General Conference on the iPod. It's not something I thought I'd need, because I guess I'm still not thinking far enough into the future to imagine I'll actually ever become fluent. There seems to be two kinds of missionaries in the mission - new missionaries who can't speak the language and more experience missionaries who can. I think when you get to a certain age, President Van Dam taps you with a magic wand and suddenly everything makes sense - it's the only explanation. Thankfully, from what I've seen, this point is only 2 or 3 more moves away for me, so I just have to keep slogging in the hopes that I'll be worthy of the wand. Then I can sit back and share General Conference with my companion, so thank you.
One of the things President Van Dam shared with us at the social was the First Presidency Christmas message - does President Hinkley look that frail? At General Conference I thought he looked so strong and full of life.
As far as the phone call goes...I'll look into it. I'm not at the moment sure what time I'll be able to call or anything, and I'm not sure how it works, but I'll find out before next week so I can tell you. I've heard some elders talk about phone cards, so I assume that's the way things normally go; in which case, I guess money for the card would be best. It doesn't seem like it'll be all that expensive anyway.
In the MTC I heard that some mission presidents give the challenge to get married within six-months of returning home from a mission, so as not to get distracted by the things of the world and postpone it. This worried me for a while, but I decided that if my president gave me that challenge, I would take it up, because it must come from a wise purpose. However, President Van Dam seems to have the opposite idea. I've been told that he encourages missionaries to not get married BEFORE having been home for six months, so as to be sure you've found the right person. This I feel is a much wiser plan, so while I will, when I return home, get cracking straight away to find the right girl, you don't have to worry about me rushing off and marrying the first girl I see when I get off the plane - especially as she probably won't me a member.
In fact, Elder Weagel and I have a little bet going in that respect. We're going to race to 100 dates when we get home. Kind of like Bishop Terry's council to me, but in a competition and with a bigger number. The only problem is that, he attending BYU, he'll have somewhat of an advantage, but I do intend to take a trip to Utah not too long after I return home to see all of my mission friends, and to go on a hundred or so dates. Considering the visa waiver is only for 90 days, I'm going to have to have several on the same day to pull it off. Unless of course I decide to attend BYU as a student, in which case everything will be easier, but I will more than likely end up marrying one of the girls I date.
So, give my congratulations to JJ and Becky. And give my love to everyone as we approach the Christmas season. I also got a wonderful card from Primary this week, so thank them all for that. I particularly liked Zach's comments: "dear elder I dont relly want to go on a mission but good luck zach"
Merry Christmas. I love you all.
Elder Matthew Loffhagen
The Mission Christmas social was yesterday, and was pretty darn amazing. We had a talent show and skits from every zone which were so much fun. I myself, with Elders Weagel, Work and Volk (all of whom were in the MTC with me) were the opening act of the show, singing If You Could Hie to Kolob in parts - lots of fun.
The next thing after us was the Kowloon East Zone's skit, which was a hilarious song featuring many missionaries in costume. I mention their skit particularly because the Temple is in their zone, as is the Mission Home - therefore, President and Sister Van Dam were in their skit, she ironing shirts and shining shoes, he dressed as Santa. I'm so glad that my Mission President is such a fun man, willing to mess around like that on stage, doing little dances and such. Elder Ng told me that he feels he wasn't called to the Hong Kong mission so much as he was called to his Mission President. President Van Dam is just amazing - as is Sister Van Dam for that matter.
For example, they bought every missionary a present for Christmas - a T-shirt which reads, in Chinese characters, Wihng Hang Gaa Tihng (I haven't started learning characters yet, so I can't help with those!), or Eternal Family. We all wore our t-shirts for a mission photo. While the focus of the shirt was indeed that our own personal families can be eternal through the Gospel, I can see a second meaning - we as a mission are all one big family, and will always remember the time we spend together now.
Of course, it was wonderful to see many of my MTC district again for the first time since last conference. One of the elders told me that he really missed me and thinks about me often, which hopefully means that I did something right as District Leader and fellow-missionary.
The slideshow was pretty amazing too. A lot of my MTC district seemed to have got up to some interesting things (they didn't forget to turn in their photos!), but I was in it a few times; in a group photo outside the Provo Temple, there was a picture of us on our first night in Hong Kong all asleep (I maintain I was reading a book about Joseph Smith. With my eyes closed. While snoring.), there was the picture of myself with my trainer and his trainer, which I believe you've seen, and there was a picture of me with Elder Ng in Victoria park, which I think I may also have sent you.
Sister Van Dam has an amazing amount of dedication to us, particularly when it comes to food. She always manages to provide huge plates of American food which most Elders miss from home, and myself and the native Hong Kong missionaries find a little weird but also interesting. This lunch time was turkey with mashed potato, some vegetables and bread which I think was actually imported from the states, as it in no way resembles the unique Hong Kong bread (which is incredible), but was far more similar to the bread from the MTC (which was undigestible). Then for desert, she announced that we were going to have something very special - a chocolate bar. Myself and the elder next to me both wondered what was so special about this chocolate bar, until she clarified that by "bar", she meant the table upon which the chocolate had been placed. It was a chocolate fountain, with lots of tasty treats to dip in it, including (yet again) American pretzels, and then various other no doubt cheaper foods like bananas and apple slices.
I'm afraid that I have not read any of the Phillip Pullman books, but I'm sure any fuss is just the same as any other silly parental scare-mongering. I remember that Stuart was obsessed with the fact that Harry Potter was evil because it taught children to call upon evil powers - and yet, it was fine for him to watch the films because he's older and not as easily influenced. Yeah right. I also remember that the same kind of "It's evil and of the devil!" thing even happened to such fads as Pokemon. Supposedly if you play the theme tune for the TV show backwards, and really, really try to listen to hear it, it kind of sounds like "Heil Satan!" Again, yeah right. There are much more dangerous things that children are exposed to every day than books about magic. I'd rather any children of mine read Phillip Pullman than spend 18 hours a week playing Grand Theft Auto or watching Eastenders.
Thank you for thinking to include Cantonese General Conference on the iPod. It's not something I thought I'd need, because I guess I'm still not thinking far enough into the future to imagine I'll actually ever become fluent. There seems to be two kinds of missionaries in the mission - new missionaries who can't speak the language and more experience missionaries who can. I think when you get to a certain age, President Van Dam taps you with a magic wand and suddenly everything makes sense - it's the only explanation. Thankfully, from what I've seen, this point is only 2 or 3 more moves away for me, so I just have to keep slogging in the hopes that I'll be worthy of the wand. Then I can sit back and share General Conference with my companion, so thank you.
One of the things President Van Dam shared with us at the social was the First Presidency Christmas message - does President Hinkley look that frail? At General Conference I thought he looked so strong and full of life.
As far as the phone call goes...I'll look into it. I'm not at the moment sure what time I'll be able to call or anything, and I'm not sure how it works, but I'll find out before next week so I can tell you. I've heard some elders talk about phone cards, so I assume that's the way things normally go; in which case, I guess money for the card would be best. It doesn't seem like it'll be all that expensive anyway.
In the MTC I heard that some mission presidents give the challenge to get married within six-months of returning home from a mission, so as not to get distracted by the things of the world and postpone it. This worried me for a while, but I decided that if my president gave me that challenge, I would take it up, because it must come from a wise purpose. However, President Van Dam seems to have the opposite idea. I've been told that he encourages missionaries to not get married BEFORE having been home for six months, so as to be sure you've found the right person. This I feel is a much wiser plan, so while I will, when I return home, get cracking straight away to find the right girl, you don't have to worry about me rushing off and marrying the first girl I see when I get off the plane - especially as she probably won't me a member.
In fact, Elder Weagel and I have a little bet going in that respect. We're going to race to 100 dates when we get home. Kind of like Bishop Terry's council to me, but in a competition and with a bigger number. The only problem is that, he attending BYU, he'll have somewhat of an advantage, but I do intend to take a trip to Utah not too long after I return home to see all of my mission friends, and to go on a hundred or so dates. Considering the visa waiver is only for 90 days, I'm going to have to have several on the same day to pull it off. Unless of course I decide to attend BYU as a student, in which case everything will be easier, but I will more than likely end up marrying one of the girls I date.
So, give my congratulations to JJ and Becky. And give my love to everyone as we approach the Christmas season. I also got a wonderful card from Primary this week, so thank them all for that. I particularly liked Zach's comments: "dear elder I dont relly want to go on a mission but good luck zach"
Merry Christmas. I love you all.
Elder Matthew Loffhagen
Thursday, 6 December 2007
10th email from Hong Kong
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good morning.
If my calculations are correct, this email is being written at about 8:37am your time. So good morning! It's nearly 3:00pm here, and we've just had our six-weekly trip to the temple. It was so wonderful. We're counciled to go with questions in our hearts that will be answered during our time there. I actually, rather selfishly, had questions about our family, and received so much more than what I was hoping. My love for each of you has been strengthened even though we are all so far away, I know that through the sealing power of the Temple we are always together in some way.
I'm so thrilled to hear that Julian is doing so well! I've sent him a letter which I hope will reach him before a trip to France he says he's taking soon. I'm glad his mum is a little more accepting of his desire to serve a mission now, and while he'll have to wait until after university, at least that means he'll be one of the wiser, older missionaries.
And so sad I am to hear about David! Please pass on to him my love for him. I hope that he recovers quickly, and am glad that this has given the ward an opportunity to better his living situation a bit.
I hope that everything with Grandad will go well, whatever the outcome of his tests and decision. I certainly want to be able to see him again after my mission and before my own passing!
I'd like to share with you a little something about investigators. Elder Ng is possibly one of the best, hardest working, outgoing missionaries in the mission. He and his companion, Elder Chan, who was in my district last moves and is possibly one of the finest missionaries in existence, currently have zero investigators. Why is that? Because they aren't working hard enough? Certainly not. At times there are many people that we find who are willing to learn the Gospel (at other times, they find us) and at times, no matter how hard we try, nobody wants to hear. Our purpose as missionaries, as set forth on page 1 of Preach My Gospel, is to "invite others to come unto Christ..." We invite them - it's not up to us whether or not they accept the message.
Personally, Elder Alspaugh and I have some absolutely wonderful investigators. A man named Ian, who we met last week, has met with us twice already, and wants our email addresses so that even after we ourselves move on, we can stay in contact with him. He is going to come to church next week. While a Catholic, he is one of the most open-hearted people I've met (most Christians don't want to talk to the missionaries, thinking that we are an evil cult!) and we have taught him about the true Godhead, rather than the notion of the Trinity, and he didn't seem to have any concern with this. He's amazing.
Another man we haven't been able to meet yet, but who wants to meet with us, is Raymond - I mentioned him before. He came up to me on the street and asked if we could teach him the Bible. Over the phone, he has confided in me his terrible financial struggles, which are oh-so typical in Hong Kong, and the weight he feels upon his shoulders as he tries to pay back his debtors, fight legal prosecution from the government, take care of an elderly lady, teach English and try to put himself in a situation where he can truly help the world. He has a great desire to help others, and as I listened to his woes, I felt so thankful that the Lord had given me the chance to help this poor man. He then, after voicing his problems to me, asked me for spiritual guidance. I shared what is one of my favourite scriptures - it's a previous camp theme and the scripture that Stephen Covey gave me when we met him; Doctrine and Covenants 90:24 "Search Diligently, pray always and be believing, and all things shall work out for your good." I invited him to pray to God for guidance and comfort, and he expressed to me his thanks for my words, that he now instead of feeling completely lost, had a feeling that there was hope.
I phoned him the next day, and he told me that things were looking "about 30% better", that he was in the middle of a tutoring appointment and asked if I could phone him back the next day, when he would be free. So tonight I will do that and see how he is.
Besides Ian and Raymond, we have a lot of other wonderful investigators; Mr Jau, the Yiuh family and Marco to mention but three names. We have also been doing a great deal of work with less-actives and members. We have been systematically visiting every less-active in our area book, and have discovered that most of them have moved. Elder Alspaugh jokes that by the time we're finished visiting every member of the ward, it'll be a branch. We also have a wonderful plan to inspire the members to share the Gospel with their friends; every member is receiving from the Missionaries a Christmas package - leaflets, lesson pamphlets, Strength of Youth pamphlets and a Book of Mormon, to equip every house in the ward with a great supply of Missionary tools. Elder Alspaugh hopes that through this, we can help inspire the members to find people for us to teach, who will be far more likely to develop in the Gospel than anyone we find ourselves.
Love you all, and Merry Christmas,
Elder Loffhagen
If my calculations are correct, this email is being written at about 8:37am your time. So good morning! It's nearly 3:00pm here, and we've just had our six-weekly trip to the temple. It was so wonderful. We're counciled to go with questions in our hearts that will be answered during our time there. I actually, rather selfishly, had questions about our family, and received so much more than what I was hoping. My love for each of you has been strengthened even though we are all so far away, I know that through the sealing power of the Temple we are always together in some way.
I'm so thrilled to hear that Julian is doing so well! I've sent him a letter which I hope will reach him before a trip to France he says he's taking soon. I'm glad his mum is a little more accepting of his desire to serve a mission now, and while he'll have to wait until after university, at least that means he'll be one of the wiser, older missionaries.
And so sad I am to hear about David! Please pass on to him my love for him. I hope that he recovers quickly, and am glad that this has given the ward an opportunity to better his living situation a bit.
I hope that everything with Grandad will go well, whatever the outcome of his tests and decision. I certainly want to be able to see him again after my mission and before my own passing!
I'd like to share with you a little something about investigators. Elder Ng is possibly one of the best, hardest working, outgoing missionaries in the mission. He and his companion, Elder Chan, who was in my district last moves and is possibly one of the finest missionaries in existence, currently have zero investigators. Why is that? Because they aren't working hard enough? Certainly not. At times there are many people that we find who are willing to learn the Gospel (at other times, they find us) and at times, no matter how hard we try, nobody wants to hear. Our purpose as missionaries, as set forth on page 1 of Preach My Gospel, is to "invite others to come unto Christ..." We invite them - it's not up to us whether or not they accept the message.
Personally, Elder Alspaugh and I have some absolutely wonderful investigators. A man named Ian, who we met last week, has met with us twice already, and wants our email addresses so that even after we ourselves move on, we can stay in contact with him. He is going to come to church next week. While a Catholic, he is one of the most open-hearted people I've met (most Christians don't want to talk to the missionaries, thinking that we are an evil cult!) and we have taught him about the true Godhead, rather than the notion of the Trinity, and he didn't seem to have any concern with this. He's amazing.
Another man we haven't been able to meet yet, but who wants to meet with us, is Raymond - I mentioned him before. He came up to me on the street and asked if we could teach him the Bible. Over the phone, he has confided in me his terrible financial struggles, which are oh-so typical in Hong Kong, and the weight he feels upon his shoulders as he tries to pay back his debtors, fight legal prosecution from the government, take care of an elderly lady, teach English and try to put himself in a situation where he can truly help the world. He has a great desire to help others, and as I listened to his woes, I felt so thankful that the Lord had given me the chance to help this poor man. He then, after voicing his problems to me, asked me for spiritual guidance. I shared what is one of my favourite scriptures - it's a previous camp theme and the scripture that Stephen Covey gave me when we met him; Doctrine and Covenants 90:24 "Search Diligently, pray always and be believing, and all things shall work out for your good." I invited him to pray to God for guidance and comfort, and he expressed to me his thanks for my words, that he now instead of feeling completely lost, had a feeling that there was hope.
I phoned him the next day, and he told me that things were looking "about 30% better", that he was in the middle of a tutoring appointment and asked if I could phone him back the next day, when he would be free. So tonight I will do that and see how he is.
Besides Ian and Raymond, we have a lot of other wonderful investigators; Mr Jau, the Yiuh family and Marco to mention but three names. We have also been doing a great deal of work with less-actives and members. We have been systematically visiting every less-active in our area book, and have discovered that most of them have moved. Elder Alspaugh jokes that by the time we're finished visiting every member of the ward, it'll be a branch. We also have a wonderful plan to inspire the members to share the Gospel with their friends; every member is receiving from the Missionaries a Christmas package - leaflets, lesson pamphlets, Strength of Youth pamphlets and a Book of Mormon, to equip every house in the ward with a great supply of Missionary tools. Elder Alspaugh hopes that through this, we can help inspire the members to find people for us to teach, who will be far more likely to develop in the Gospel than anyone we find ourselves.
Love you all, and Merry Christmas,
Elder Loffhagen
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