Mandarin Chinese and President Uchtdorf!

Hello Family! How are you?  I am wonderful and I am enjoying my time at Temple Square!  This is such an incredible place. I love spending all of my time here. I'm learning so much and I have already had some amazing experiences.

 

I learned that we are the highest baptizing mission and I believe it because we work so much and have such long days!  I have such an amazing companion. Her name is sister Weng (pronounced Wong) and she is from Taiwan! She is a convert to the church and such a hard worker. I am learning SOOOOO MUCH! I am also learning a little Mandarin Chinese. Right now we do the majority of our tours in Mandarin.  We both received language blessings to help us learn these new languages.  It is so hard! REALLY HARD! But I am starting to pick up on it a little. 

 

I live with two girls from Taiwan and one from Hong Kong! All three of them are Mandarin speakers so they have been helping me. I asked them to only speak Mandarin so I can pick up on it faster. It's a very difficult language to learn. I have English-Mandarin scriptures and when I read them my roommates laugh so hard at me! They all think I'm an Asian on the inside because I have a lot of their same habits.

 

All I eat is authentic Asian food! It is so weird! But healthy! They eat the craziest, ugliest things.  I had the weirdest Taiwanese food but it was good. It was fried eggs, tomatoes and this suspicious sauce poured over it. Interesting.. but it's famous in Taiwan. Oh and my roommates drink barley tea- which is amazing!  Today we are going to a Chinese market so my roommates can grocery shop. Its great living with them because all of their crackers are made out of rice so we share and we are all gluten free!  But the Lyon House Bakery delivers fresh bread to us all the time! It is so hard because I want to eat it!!!!

 

"Wo shu Park Je emi. Lai zzu Arizona." That's hows I introduce myself.  "Yea su gee do ho chi shun too geo hoy." That's church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints! Anyway, the language is very hard. Right now we spend the majority of our day giving back to back Mandarin tours- it really is amazing!  People travel here from China because they are so impressed with the work of the LDS church! We took a wonderful Chinese family on a tour and the father said in his heart he is Mormon. He loves our beliefs. I talked to him about the Plan of Salvation and he said he wants to be part of the church. We gave him a Book of Mormon and he gave us his info but sadly we can't contact him until China is open for missionary work. They are not allowed to practice just any religion in China so I ASK EVERYONE TO PRAY FOR CHINA!  There are so many people there who study the gospel in their homes but they can't practice the religion even though they have already felt the conversion in their hearts.

 

Also I was working on the phones this week (English speaking of course) and a lady referred her friend to me the other day. So I gave "C" a call.  She said she has been feeling like there is something missing and for the past few weeks she has been" church shopping" because she is looking for God but hasn't felt him in any of the churches she has been to.  She hasn't been in a Mormon church yet but she felt like my phone call came at exactly the right time and she kept thanking me for calling her.  She is awesome! We laughed and cried! She is going through a very hard time so I just explained Heavenly Father's love and his plan. It was only our first phone call but she committed to reading the Book of Mormon I just sent her. She also even decided on her own to go to church so who knows... But she isn't ready to meet with missionaries in her area yet.  She only wants to talk on the phone for now so I'll be giving her the lessons until I can get her to talk to the missionaries in her state. It was such an awesome phone call though. I mean it was crazy! I already adore her so I ask everyone to pray for her too!
 

I live in the most adorable little cottage! I mean it is my dream home! It's so vintage and antique and precious. My bed is right next to the window so at night I get to fall asleep to the brightness of the temple. It helps me feel at home. I love waking up to the temple too. Seriously, I have the best life. I have the life of a princess. We also live in downtown Salt Lake! It's weird to see the crazy city but then turn your head to the peaceful temple. I love all of the sisters here too! EVERYONE IS SO NICE! Everybody is also adorable! And Sister Ying from my MTC district is my neighbor! Sister Weng, Sister Chong, Sister Ying, and I are going out for cheesecake tomorrow night to celebrate my birthday! Thanks for the Cheesecake Factory gift card, family!

 

My second day here, the 24th, was Pioneer Day. What a great start to serving my mission. My prayers were answered and after what I am about to tell you happened I KNEW that I was supposed to be here. We were sitting on the sidewalk just casually watching the parade and then we saw President Uchtdorf! I almost started crying because he is so handsome and everyone knows I have a fake crush on him. I have pictures! He was SO excited to see all of the sisters! We didn't get to stay at the parade because we had to give another tour.  The Mandarin speakers never get breaks because there is seriously an Asian Invasion at Temple Square these days and I love it!

 

I'm really happy. I feel like I'm not running in place anymore and I finally know where I am supposed to be. I really feel Christ's love for me. I read 3rd Nephi 9:14 and it just helps me know how much he loves us and I cry every time I read it. We gave some young men and young women a tour this morning for youth conference and I shared that scripture at the Christus and explained how his arms are opened to every one of us because he cares about us so much and they didn't seem to care, haha, but oh my goodness I LOVE TEMPLE SQUARE!

 

Happy Birthday Zack!  And thank you EVERYONE for the letters.  They help me so much more than you know.  I thought I would have more time to write everyone back after I left the MTC but my mission is even busier!

 

Love you all!

 

Sister Macy Park

 

 

 

Crazy week in the MTC!

Hello Family and Friends!

The MTC is starting to get a lot better! The girls here are treated like princesses! The elders go out of their way to do so much for us like get our dinner trays and throw our food away- it's so nice!

We started Temple Square visitors center training on Wednesday and that was a lot of fun. And then on Saturday we get thrown into the fire!  They will pair us up with a Temple Square sister and we just start teaching people! We officially report to Temple Square on Tuesday July 23rd. We depart the MTC at 6 AM! Time has gone by so fast! I guess I'm kind of sad because I have become really close to all of the sisters in my district! There is a sister named Sister Sherrat and she reminds me sooooo much of Christie. All we do is laugh. Everyone calls us to repentence when we're together because we're so loud.

The past couple of nights at Visitors Center Training we have been meeting with investigators so we can practice teaching in very short amounts of time. I have had some awesome experiences!  Last night I realized how important it is to just be yourself. In the past I never went all missionary-mode with a soft voice but I was just more reserved. But last night I decided to just be me and I could tell my investigators truly felt the spirit.  I do have to be careful about being too much myself though because sometimes I say things without thinking! This one man was comparing us to nuns and I said "I guess in a way we are similar to them except we have fashion sense." ...... I messed up BAD! He laughed but I didn't even think about the fact that he might be catholic or have a family member who used to be a nun. I have to be careful about what I say!

Since my companion is sick I didn't get to go on the field trip to Temple Square today :(.  It's hard watching all the other sisters get on the bus while I am stuck inside this tiny room :(  I prayed and prayed that Heavenly Father would help my companion to have the motivation to go on the field trip today but I guess he is answering my prayer in another way.

Last night we met with a less active member who is struggling with her testimony of the gospel.  I felt like I could relate to her because we have had some similar experiences. She has been very confused and is kind of lost and isn't sure about her relationship with God. I didn't say anything remarkable but she said I helped her a lot. The spirit was so strong. I shared Alma 32:4 and talked a little bit about faith and trust in Heavenly Father.  I asked if she knows that Heavenly Father thinks of her as his daughter and then I invited her to think of the many ways he has blessed her in her life. She got kind of shaky but a good shaky. She said she was going to pray to know the truth. I could tell she really has been struggling.

I am going to be completely honest... this mission is hands down the hardest thing I have ever done so far.  It is completely out of my comfort zone.  Since I have been here I've been embarrassed, hurt, annoyed, sad, and there are times when I have just been mad.  It is so hard.  I feel like I know nothing about the scriptures and my dyslexia is 10 times worse than before!  Before I put my papers in I knew it was going to be like this.  But even though I've been experiencing all of these things there has not been a single moment where I thought about going back home.  Even though it is hard on me, I love every minute of it because I have received blessings and have grown so much in just two weeks!

I have learned patience, faith, how to love my least favorite kinds of people, and how to not dwell on romance.  I have learned more about the gospel and have a much better understanding of the atonement of Jesus Christ.  My relationship with Christ has grown enormously and I have a better understanding of how to listen to the spirit. 

I have learned not to judge other people and to stop thinking of myself.  I've learned how to stick up for myself and tell people they are being ridiculous for being offended if I say the word "dork" (that really happened).

I have learned how important it is to keep a clean house and to never leave without praying first.  I've even become better at time management.

For the first time in my life I have come to find out that this really is the true gospel of Jesus Christ.  NO DOUBT in my mind.  I have also found out how much the Savior loves me!  I know my Heavenly Father wants me to succeed and he wants me to have confidence.  I had the worst day yesterday.  It was just one of many hard experiences here at the MTC and I said a prayer and asked why I just can't seem to get any of this down and all the other missionaries seem to blow me away.  And then something came to my mind instantly.  I remembered my first couple of months working at the hospital and how hard it was for me to catch on.  As much as I wanted to quit, something told me not to and eventually I was receiving compliments for my work.  It reminded me that sometimes I am a slow learner but when I finally catch on to something it becomes very easy for me.  My point is, even though this is hard, it is worth it and it is what Heavenly Father wants me to do.

I have lots of motivation for serving this mission.  I want to be a better example to Kendall and the twins; I want to bring others to Christ;  I want to be able to give my kids knowledge of the gospel; I want to be a good daughter and friend.

Thanks so much to everyone for writing! I'll get back to everyone if I can today!

Love you all,

Sister Park

 

One whole week in the MTC!

HI EVERYONE!!! Its hard to write everyone back so I'll write a lot on here! Well, I survived my first week at the MTC and blogging is hard because I just want to talk to you but I'll write a descriptive email.

 

How is everyone back home? A bunch of new missionaries came in yesterday and a lot of them are covering the Scottsdale Mission and it was so fun to talk to all of them!  The Provo Temple is closed right now so I don't get to go through the whole time I am here!

 

I love my district! The elders are sooooo funny and I love the sisters! Sister Cuevas might as well be Jillian Micheals because she is serious about making everyone work out so we have a lot of fun. How is Christie? I miss her. I love my companion! Even though she sleep talks every night in a chinese accent I still love her.

 

I have only been here a week and It's really weird how much I've changed. I don't even know who I was before my mission. Life before the MTC? I don't think so! We have awesome devotionals on Tuesdays and Sundays and I have really learned to listen to the spirit and seek revelation. I'm sad because I feel like I have no time to write anyone but I have so much to say to everyone! I just did my laundry and that was cool.

 

But ok I'll tell you about the MTC. So We have class all day and we work out everyday which I love! I go running in the gym and then do strength training with Sister Cuevas. The first couple days of the MTC were just boring and long! I didn't want to go home but I wanted to get to Temple Square already! But then Sunday came and everything is amazing now.  I am sad that it is going by so fast. Heavenly Father has really answered my prayers. I have learned to let the spirit guide me when I teach and it works. It's weird because I always feel like I should just be forward and bold and ask personal things to my investigators and guess what?! It works! See mom and aunt Rita?!  Being nosy does a girl justice. Got your back Christie!

 

I'm so proud of Kendall for winning white mountain Idol by the way! I knew she would win. OH! I NEED AN EMAIL EVERYDAY! They print them out and hand it to us that day! Aunt Rita and Grandma thank you for those awesome letters! That was exactly what I needed to hear at that moment. I'm not even joking right now. I received those letters when I was feeling down on myself. Today we are teaching a real investigator named "M" (I can't give her real name). She is from Arizona and knows like 20 people from Eagar so we really connected that way. I'm excited for next week because it is TEMPLE SQUARE TRAINING and we are taking a field trip; but I'm also sad because the Elders are leaving for Colorado on Monday.

 

Mom, I got your letter and I love the scripture you sent! It made me very happy. The food still isn't good so I decided to stick with salad and fruit and bacon.  I don't get sick that way but everyone else does because they eat everything. I lost a couple pounds because I don't like the food. My jeans were tight on me before and now they keep falling down and I didn't bring a regular belt so it is so embarrassing. Sister Ying keeps having to help me out and tell me when they are falling down. No one sees though I swear!

 

We stay inside the MTC all the time except on Tuesday we walked to BYU and had a devotional. It was on obedience and listening and seeking revelation and it was exactly what I needed to hear. My time is beginning to expire for some reason so I'll just write until I get kicked off.

 

Our classes are simple. We go over the missionary lessons and do a lot of role playing! A LOT! I hated role playing at first but now I love it! It helps me so much! I was having a hard day the other day because I just don't feel like I am a very good teacher sometimes and then I started reading in Moses 6.  I don't remember it word for word but Moses was telling Heavenly Father that he was slow in speech and he doesn't know why he was called to be a prophet and Heavenly Father told him that he was called to do this work and he will bless him and help him. The night before I said almost the same prayer to Heavenly Father and he has blessed me and helped find the right words to say. My companion is a great teacher; she has a story for every situation. They are too long but I just didn't understand why I couldn't be an effective teacher like her and ever since I read Moses 6 I really have been able to connect with my investigators. I am not a smooth talker but I know that I was called to do this and even though I am not sure about myself yet I just know that I need to have faith. 

 

I want more letters!  I have so much to do in so little time so I hope no one cares if I can't write back. Oh and for future missionaries! Companionship is so hard so start praying now for patience and that you'll love your companion! My companion is great! And don't drink the juice at the MTC!

 

I miss everyone so much. Ok honestly I really don't. I can't imagine doing anything else and I never want to stop. EVER! I want to just do this forever. and ever. It makes me happy and even though I face challenges everyday and I get frustrated sometimes I have never been so happy in my entire life and I'm so happy that I didn't let anyone or anything get in the way of this experience. I hope that every girl decides to serve because it is such a humbling experience and it really will help you so much with being a wife, mom, employee, student, and anything else you pursue. I have only been out a week and I see major changes in myself. Worries I had before... I don't even care or remember them! I love you guys. Sorry I don't have enough time to figure the picture thing out but I will try to send pictures next week. 

 

Love you all!

Sister Park

 

Second day in the MTC!

Hi Family!

I won't be able to email you until Thursday, July 10th so I decided to write a quick letter.  I'm VERY busy so there is not much time to write. 

Today is day 2!  So much fun!  Yesterday, I got to my room dropped off my HEAVY bags and went straight to class.  There, I met my companion, Sister Esquivel from Atlanta, Georgia.  She is so much fun.  We laugh all the time because she is a big dork like me!  She always checks the teachers and elders out just to be funny.  Nothing serious!  We just joke like that.  We are trying very hard not to say sexy, guys, dude, or any slang words like that because if we do we will get in trouble. 

I have learned a lot from my companion.  She is unintentionally teaching me that sharing about trials and not keeping things in all the time is good for us and sometimes a good way to teach investigators.  Yesterday in class we had a fake investigator and the teacher thought it was a good idea to hand me the microphone and have me teach.  It wasn't bad and I learned so much.

I hate the food!  I refuse to eat any of it except the fruit.  The mashed potatoes are awful and the steak is so nasty that I'd rather eat 100 chicken hearts from Tucano's.  The juice is also mysterious so I decided to stick to water.  I love juice but not from here.

Sister Esquivel & I have four other roommates and they are all serving in Montreal, French speaking.  They are also very busy.  I was happy all day yesterday until it was shower time.  The girls like to sing in serious opera voices like they are joining the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.  I got used to it but I miss my shower!  The beds are hard and I'm on the top bunk so I'm just waiting to fall off. 

Today is good!  Class is great and tonight we are watching fireworks.  Last night we had interviews with the Branch President and he made me the senior companion.  I don't even know what I'm doing yet but oh well.  I am so happy I'm here.

We just got done working out with Sister Cuevas and her companions.  The Temple Square girls don't mess around.  We have to look good!

I really do love the MTC and I can feel my testimony growing. I would write my testimony but we're late for lunch and my companion loves her ice cream.  I seriously adore her.  She makes me laugh!  Oh and I saw Sister Blake Hamblin and Sister Holly Burnham!  They helped me feel more at home.  I have to go! 

Talk to you on Thursday!

Love,

Sister Park