Hello!
How fun! I miss the asphalt crack filling job. (It was always messy and sounded really productive, but it was a great excuse to get tan and get all dirty, and was probably the most fun of all the outside jobs haha.) Thank you for the pictures! you all look great! I cant believe school's already started again. It just got out! Ga yau! And Abbey's driving?! Awesome!!

Things here are rolling. I got to cover my area and sham shui po with Sister Probst for the first half of the week until transfers. So fun! I live with her, and she's really great. We got the entire apartment to ourselves for those 4 days, and it was a party. Not really, but at the end of the day we would turn off the lights and  listen to that "Jesus, King of Angels" song on repeat, and floss haha. We made it a companionship goal to make it to bed every night by 10:30 which was awesome. (Our mission has a different schedule than most...we wake up at 7 and go to bed at 11, since most people here are up later and get up really late in the afternoon). But it was so fun. I think you got me sick through cyber space or something, because I've had a cold this week. You sent me a "virus" ...get it? please laugh, I've been thinking about that one all morning haha. So at night I boil some water and put some honey it. Maybe I'll buy some lemon juice today to complete it, but maybe not. that's stuffs expensive. probably. I dont know. The worst part about it though is that my nose is all runny and stuffy at the same time, so it's hard for me to speak this dumb language. No, it's an awesome language, but it;s super sounds and tone-y, and it's been hard to pronounce things right this week. But hey, at least now I can hear that I'm saying things wrong. Improvement?...I think so :)

I also got to take a couple of the new sister missionaries finding on their first night here. It was great! It was hard though, because it's not like I can understand everything people say back to us (which is sometimes a good thing ha). But we did just fine! We were meeting a girl named Eunice and giving her a copy of the Book of Mormon and talking a bit about it, and then her boyfriend walked up (ok, we thought it was her boyfriend, but then we found out he and his girlfriend just got in a fight and he saw a bunch of girls and wanted to come talk to us haha), and so we gave him one and started talking to him too. He had these huge gauges and the F word flat across his chest on his shirt. Sorry new missionaries...maybe not the best first impression of Hong Kong, but it gets bettter! Anyway, long story short, he love metal music and wants to play in the vans warp tour in america, but has a criminal record, so can't go to america. Super bad boy kind of guy, but he LOVES Jesus. It's so great haha. He was praying that morning and felt like maybe he should just give up. He felt unworthy and passed the point of return. Things were bad with his girlfriend....all this stuff. But, he was so excited to meet us. He went to church yesterday and met the Elders. Wore a shirt and tie and brought the book of mormon. Would have had a baptismal date, but since he's on probabtion, they need to work it out. But awesome, heh? Nice guy. I'm excited to see what happens with him. And it's cool, because it's easy to get down and feel a little hopeless with the people here. But when I look back on it, I've met so many people with stories like this. People really are looking. They do exist. So that's nice to remember :) When we were going finding this week, I was reminided of that Saturday's Warriors movie song..."I take this picture in my hand"...I don't really remember it. Do you?! I just remember the guy singing it with his awesome glasses. But it made me smile, and motivated me to keep talking to this kid.

I also got to go to a funeral this week. And in all honesty, it was really hard for me to sit through. Our bishop asked us to go, because the man was apparently baptized in Kwun Tong 50+ years ago, but went less active and was lost somehow. So we went and it was just us and the Bishop and his wife maybe? We sang some hymns and shared a few scriptures and prayed. It was really hard to see nobody really there for him. And it was hard to think there are hundreds of thousands of old popos or grandpas just like him, or even worse off. They work all day, or sit at the chessboards all day, and really just live off the government and have no relations. They live alone in horrible conditions, and it's a horrible feeling to think that there are so many people who's passing would hardly affect anyone. It really overwhelmed me, actually. And it made the idea of life and death so much more raw to me. After the prayer, they had the casket on this conveyer belt in the front of the room, and we went and put a pink rose on it. This conveyer belt lead into a big oven/crematorium place, and you could smell it heating up and burning during the entire service. Which in all honesty, terrified me. After we put our rose on the casket, the last person in line pressed the big green button which started the conveyor belt, and the casket rolled into the crematorium. You could smell it. I seriously did everything I could not to cry. I've never met the man, and I can't even remember his Chinese name, but it was so thick and raw and real---the experience. I absolutely love the Plan of Salvation, and I know we will see God again and continue after this life, but even still, I felt super dim and sad. There are millions of people everywhere we go with no desire or felt need for God or salvation. And that's hardly a speck in the perspective of God's creations. All these people. It seems almost unfair, like they hardly get a chance. Sorry, I don't mean to write a depressing letter, but these thoughts have been through my mind all week. And I probably didn't think this letter out as well as I should have before I wrote all my feelings to you. But I think the thing that established my hope a little better is that I can specifically think back to times when I have sincerely and very personally felt like Heavenly Father was aware of me and loved me. I know he is mindful of me. And even though in all reality I am incredible small and insignificant, I still matter to Him. And so does everyone else. The nameless man at the funeral. I pass by this old popo with a crooked smile every wednesday on our way to read scriptures with a wonderful woman who suffers from schizophrenia, who has a toothless smile that would honestly make any person smile back. This old sweaty man we pass on the mountain of stairs on our way to church. He has the biggest beer belly and he walks with his tank top rolled up resting on his stomach...groceries in one hand, cane in the other...calling us the Jimuihs and using us as an excuse to take a break from walking up those stairs.  I love these people. But more than anything, I think it's because I can feel Heavenly Father's love for them. I feel like I'm in one of the most condensed places in the world with people, but everyday I become more and more convinced that this gospel is personal. The atonement is personal. Heavenly Father knows their story, even if nobody else does. And He'll take care of them.

Oh! I forgot to tell you about my new companion! Sister Lam...bundei(native). She's great. we work and think pretty differently, but I think we'll be great :)
Alright, I need to go, but I love you!

Love Hannah

"Because it's true." - Week 18

It's been a week! Had a lot of fun things happen so far. So I just dropped off my syuke. She really was so good. I worked her hard, and she put up with it. Now I have a new companion until transfers on Thursday, named Sister Probst. We'll cover my area and her area until then, so I'm excited for that. I'm continually impressed with the missionaries here in this mission. Everybody really is so game on. It's fun :)

So, I don't remember what I've written about Kwun Tong, but I'll start this with saying we have a decent amount of people with some mental problems here. It's an older and poorer area, the buildings are super colorful, and so are the people haha. We have a set of twins who are less active. But they still meet with us once a month and come to Sacrament meeting every now and then. They are under the impression that they can see the Savior after they got baptized, so this last lesson they shared with us their experience this past week. He appeared to them in the form of a cat. And they meowed together. So that was interesting. They meowed for half the lesson ha....so ya. But remember Yihm Jimuih?  She loves to read books. She's read the Bible and Book of Mormon many times and has been working on the Doctrine and Covenants. We've been trying to help her find her own testimony lately, and the sweetest thing happened on Sunday. Well, I thought it was sweet and fitting all at the same time. She was so excited to see us at church (well, her form of excitement...walked fast to us with really wide eyes..she's so great!), and told us she finally found it! She found her testimony. We pulled her aside and asked her to share it with us, and she whipped out the scriptures and flipped open to the Articles of Faith. And read them. We asked her why that was her testimony, and she said "Because it's true." It was darling, and made me smile. The relief society president is helping us teach her this week to get her opinion and advice. We're seeing progress though. What else...An old man tried to kiss me this week. And got uncomfortably close. Maybe it was last week actually. And maybe I already wrote you about it, but it got my heart racing haha. I went to shake his hand, and he wouldn't let go and it all happened so fast, but he came in for it haha. That kept things exciting. What else, I got something in my eye this week. Which doesn't sound like a huge deal, but I could not for the life of me get it out or hardly open my eye for like 2 days. No, the second day I could open it, but it was super uncomfortable and I could still feel something in there. But I woke up yesterday, and it felt better, so that was a relief :) I looked really good those two days, though..big puffy red eyes! I felt like that episode on friends when Joey had to do the eye commercial for you, know, those chemistry eye cleaner outer things haha. Except that I was in a Mc Donalds bathroom, and there were a lot of cockroaches :)

Oh, and we moved this week! I got a call from the APs saying they would pick us up the next morning at 8:30 so pack our bags. Which was great, except we were teaching until 9, so we didnt get home until just before 10, so it was some quick packing! now I live in Kowloon Bay. so that's fun. Now it only takes 30 minutes to get to our area, before it took like 45, so we're closer!
We've been teaching Leih Jimuih and her husband Taahm Hingdaih, the man with cancer. He's very sick, and usually not fully involved when we visit, but she is so sweet. She doesn't have any religious background, but she loves when we visit and when we pray because she feels so warm and good. We had to move slow with her just because of her circumstances, but we're ready to really start teaching her the lessons, and I'm excited to see her learn. Because she feels the spirit already. She hugs the Book of Mormon every time we meet with her, and I know she really can feel Heavenly Father's love for her. It's neat to see people feel that.

I don't know, things are great! I'm excited for transfers. I'll probably have my next companion for the rest of my stay in Kwun tong, so at least 4 months...so I'm excited to see who it is! Thanks for all your emails. I love you and hope you're all doing good. Have a good last few weeks of summer! I hope the yard is ok after that storm. Crazy. And I hope you feel better mom. If I were home I would make you some good Fa Cha (flower/herbal tea) :) Leih Jimuih told me I need to drink more to get rid of the poisons inside my body haha. Supposedly it will help keep my skin clear! So I'm going to down that stuff haha. Just kidding. Oh, I had chicken feet this week. Don't recommend it.  And I had fish eyes a few weeks ago. Don't recommend that either. But the thaigwok women in our ward after church made us some food, and it was super good. I'm getting good at not asking what things are, and it's usually not too bad. But chicken feet are hard to disguise :) anyway. Love you guys. Have a good week!

Love
Hannah

Workhorse - Week 17

I love you guys. Thanks for the email. I told my syuke how email time is better than Christmas! Honestly, I always look forward to reading your letters and seeing all your pictures. I love you guys :)

It's been one of the more tough weeks, in all honesty. I would appreciate that hug you mentioned haha. We've had long days this week and have taught a lot, which is good, but I guess I just have been feeling the added stress of knowing people and places, and trying not to forget anything or anybody. There's so much to know and do, and so many places to be, and the language thing is still a project in the making....is that how the saying goes? I can teach the lessons haha. But some extra language wouldn't hurt in the structural side of missionary work. I feel tired. BUT, things are working out. We had an awesoem mission tour on Thursday, where we got to meet with Elder Funk and Elder Wong. It was a really great day. And I love President and Sister Hawks. He is all about business, but is still so personal. I got to interview with Elder Funk afterward, and it was short and sweet and good.

Ya, it was a bit of both with Tyler. Relief and sad. It's kind of like a backwards sort of tender mercy ha. Because I was thinking about how it was exactly a year before we went to email last week, and so when I got that email from him it made me kind of smile I guess. Kind of like a joke that's really not that funny haha. But it was a good reminder that things work out just fine, and Heavenly Father knows. so that was nice. Look how cheesy that sounds. And I meant to get mad at you in my last letter about not feeling productive or whatever...what you're doing with everyone back home is 1000 times more influencial and meaningful than this mission I'm doing, and I absolutely mean that. I dont know if you realize how much you and dad mean to us kids, especially me, and all the memories and experiences and fun and work we've had together. Honestly. I know you have a lot of stuff going on, and I hope you feel better soon, but you and what you've done mean the world to a lot of people. So thanks.

Ya I exercise haha.  I'm doing the squats and we run every morning. This last week was a bit more rushed because we had lessons in the morning. I buy a bunch of vegetables and eat those. I haven't bought peanut butter since that letter about it haha. But the food here is all rice and noodles and bread and sauce. I need to maybe take better thought about what I'm eating. For a package...I would love maybe some more white shade shirts? that would be nice. Mine aren't super white anymore haha. and maybe some of those no-show socks?  My syuke is great. We had a good week...this is her last 2 weeks of sumer, and she's doing this, and it's not easy. But things are good. One more week.

The routine is tough, but totally doable. I think it's really just mental, and most of the time I just don't think about it. Or when I do think about it, I have certain sayings to get me back into it. I usually start thinking about the Savior, and really how this is a privilege to be a part of His work. I think about President Uchtdorf's quote about how God knows some of the greatest souls to ever live won't be found in the chronicles of history. I feel like there  is something profound in the humble and steadfast servants of the Lord. So I recommit my mind and say a prayer to tell Heavenly Father that I can be His workhorse. He can give me the job no one else will do, because I'll do it. I hope that doesn't sound too dramatic. But I hope He would trust me enough to let me work. And I think about Elder Holland's talk at the MTC - to give my very best in the most honest way I know how. He said that His mission meant more to him than any mission has meant to anybody else. And I get this visual of him visiting our mission, and as he shakes everyone's hands and does that "personal interview through their eyes" sort of thing....I'd like him to feel like he has some competition in that regard haha. So then I get re-energized and I keep going. I dont know. That's what I do. But I'm doing good. We had probably my busiest week of my mission this last week, and we're still breathing :) We had some disappointments and sad things, but nothing's over yet. My time's about up, but Happy Birthday Camilla! I have a present to send to Camilla and Jack. Sorry, I'm the worst haha. Love you all!

Hannah

A Math Degree, a New Companion, and the World is Full of Amazing People

Investigator - Heidi

New Companion 

The pigs that like to come at me!

A note:  We got a letter congratulating us on Hannah's graduation from BYU - with a degree in Mathematics.  Impressive, yes!  And a little surprising, as she thought she had delayed it until she returned from her mission so she could take a couple of Computer Science classes.  But graduated she is - Camilla will attend the banquet that Hannah was invited to and pick up a program with her name on it, and Hannah will walk for graduation when she returns.  And pay postgraduate fees for additional classes!  And, on a more tender note - Hannah reached the one year mark of a course re-direction.  She mentions it briefly.  My thoughts have been with her and I'm so glad for her to have this opportunity to serve The Lord, and grow spiritually and emotionally and a million other ways.  She's amazing.  I always say I want to grow up to be like her.  I'm not kidding.

Wow! I graduated?!....Fun stuff haha. And Happy Birthday Jack!!!! I hope you had such a good week! You look awesome. I can't believe you're 13. I feel like you should actually be more like 15...so I'm a little backwards :) Love ya bud. And Danny! I saw that picture of you - so tall - and had to do a double take! People would love you here. People like to take picutures with me a lot and hang on my arms here, so I can't imagine it if you were here! Sorry, I have this cute little girl trying to talk and climb on me while I write this, so this could be a shorter letter haha. And Tyler emailed me....got a new girl friend, so I replied to him and that took some time. Sorry! It's been one year! Cool to see how the Lord knows us better than we do :)

But, it's been an amazing week. My trainer went home today, which feels weird. Transfers don't end for 3 more weeks, but she was going back for school. So my new companion is a summer missionary, and I'm feeling a little nervous! They have a summer missionary program where the young men and women can do a 2 week mini mission. So they live with us and teach with us and become our companions! Which is an awesome program, but I still feel new at this, so I'm feeling a little pressure. Sister Simpson served here for the last 8 months, so she knows the ward and knows the people and knows the language haha. I've done my best to learn everything i could, but I think there's always going to be some gaps. So now it's me and my 'syuke chyungausi' against Kwun Tong. And we're ready! Ready or not haha. She's cute though. We're going to rock it.

We had a great week though. I'll send some pictures. The girl with short hair is Heidi. I love this girl. She is adorable. She likes karoake, and goes dancing with her mom, and yoga and always wears funny socks. She got a new job, and she wants to change and become better. She doesn't work very  hard and feels lazy. And she lies sometimes. But she wants to become a better person and change. She believes in herself, and doesn't fully understand the need for God, but yesterday she prayed and sayed she knew He hears her prayers and knows He is real. Woohoo!!  So awesome. We showed her the Because of Him video and told her there are a lot of ways we can change and improve, but we know that the best way is through Jesus Christ. We committed her to every night for the next 2 weeks read scriptures and pray to Heavenly Father and go to church, we promised her she would see herself change. So I text her every night. And she's so cute. She asked if she could send us texts about scriptures she reads and likes and her thoughts on them...um, of course!! :) She's the greatest. She also wants freedom...so commandments are next :) Anyway, I love this girl so much and wanted to show you who she is.

We have another investigator named Yihm Jimuih. She, in all honesty, is kind of like a computer. And it's a little tough. She's read the Book of Mormon twice. She's received the first 3 lessons several times. She can repeat back the restoration and answer any question "correctly" It feels a little like previous missionaries have "programmed" her in a sense. She knows she's supposed to feel 'syu fuk' (comfort) at church and she knows she's supposed to feel peace and 'hou hoisom' (so happy) when she reads scriptures. But she doesn't really have her own feelings. Which is so weird to say. She is from mainland, and married a man a lot older than her so she could move to Hong Kong. He's a hoarder, and so she likes coming to church for air conditioning and there's space. She doesn't have a mental problem, but there is almost this wall. It's really weird, and I'm not sure exactly how to describe it. She's just kind of blank. I think she needs to feel love, to understand how God loves her. So we're just trying to love her. And we're teaching her the commandments so she has a way to show God her love for Him. We've seen a little improvement though! She related a scripture to herself last week, and it was so neat to see this light in her go off about how the gospel is personal. Anyway, I'll keep you updated! Sorry, not a super interesting letter, but I thought I would introduce you to the people in my life out here, because they're amazing :)

Love hannah