Thursday, March 22

Life has been crazy since I last wrote! So many things have happened!  Well... I'm not in Liverpool anymore... yup. I'll talk about that in a minute.

Firstly, Last week we had our training for the newer missionaries (me and my MTC friends). And there was a couple there that had just come out as well. We talked and they said that they were in the MTC with Aunt Linda and Uncle Bill. They were Elder and Sister Forsythe. They said that they had talked a lot with BIll and Linda and knew they had to keep an eye out for me. So that was nice to talk with them.

So, we knew Sister Chuo was leaving so everyone was saying goodbye to her on Sunday and our schedule got packed with people wanting to have us over before she left. I was trying to get everything prepared to be taking over the area when she left, so I was setting up lots of appointments for after she left. Everyone expressed how much they would be willing to help me make adjustments in the area and help with the new sister... well, to our surprise Monday morning we got the transfer call that told us I also was leaving the area. I was shocked and just wanted to cry. I was so upset. I finally got adjusted and felt confident that they were having both of us leave. Then more of a shock came in the form of they were replacing us with elders. There would be no more sisters in Liverpool! So we had to get in contact with our 20+ investigators and let them know I was leaving as well and that they would have to be taught by elders. It didn't go over very well with the Chinese girls because they feel very uncomfortable with young men. Let's just say that there were lots of tears. We had "tea" with a member named Wendy on Tuesday.  We have been teaching her son Ben (he's 10) he wants to get baptized but they don't have the father's approval yet. We had coordination meeting on Tuesday night and they gave us a lift over to the church and we said our goodbyes. We went about our meeting and we walked out of the classroom and there was Ben absolutely sobbing standing in his pajamas and robe. Wendy also in tears said, "He wanted to say a proper goodbye." So I started crying and Sister Chuo "cried" and then we got others crying. It was just very sad. He said he "didn't know it was going to hurt so much." I was five seconds from calling President Preston and saying, "That's it, I'm staying." It was so sad. I am going to miss him so much, he was so sweet. Maggie gave us a banana as we said good bye. Ian had me sign the Dutch football flag.

So now I am in Moreton, just across the Mersey River from Liverpool. I can see Liverpool from my flat window, but I won't see them again unless I get called back there in the future. I am going to try to keep in touch with some of them if I can. And we got a car here in Moreton. So we get to drive everywhere. It is nice but now I'm paranoid about putting on weight. So yeah, lots of things have changed.

Also, we found out Monday morning that I was leaving right? Well, we didn't have time to pack Monday night so we figured we would pack Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. We got a phone call about 4 PM on Tuesday saying they want all the leaving missionaries and their companions to be at the temple by 7:30AM on Wednesday (meaning be in Chorley by 7 AM). So that was an extra stress. We then called the train station to find out times to get to Chorley by 7 and the only one that would get us there in time left at 3:30AM.... We were not too enthused by that prospect and so we phoned the assistants and told them of our predicament and they said they would figure something out. So at about 6 PM Tuesday they let us know we could stay the night with the sister closest to the temple... but we would have to be on a train at about 8 or 9 PM.... well that wasn't happening so we were considering just not going to the temple. And the assistants (being in such authority) used the guilt card so often used by parents and said, "Sister Orr, this is not mandatory... but it is an opportunity for you and your companion to attend the temple... most people would be jumping at this opportunity...." I was like yeah, yeah, yeah..... So we said we would catch the train at 3:30 in the morning... Well President heard that we were planning to catch that train and called the Zone leaders and told them it was nonsense for us to catch that train and he told them to give us a ride in the morning.... So we left at 6:30 in the morning instead, but I felt bad for making the Zone leaders have to do that. But we got to the temple. Not entirely stress free.... I still feel like I forgot something in my haste to pack....

My brain is fried.

We had a Chinese fireside last Saturday night. President asked me to do a write up on it for the mission letter. All I have written for notes thus far is "There were 48 there and.... they spoke a lot of Chinese...." yup, sums up my comprehension of the evening.

We have the Sisters Conference tomorrow which is for all the Sisters in the Manchester Mission at the Mission Home. It will be good, but I'm still not happy with President for transferring me.... yes, I am still a bit upset   It didn't help when he made us sing "I'll go where you want me to go" at transfers. I was like NO! I WILL NOT! Just kidding.... but seriously...

Well I am running short on time and I still have to write my weekly letter to President which will be filled with the stories of my Liverpudlians mourning at my leaving....

Our flat here is nice and big though! No complaints there... oh, and my new companion is Sister Hoffman, from California. She is nice.

Monday, March 12

Last week just flew by... okay well Thursday I thought it had to have been a month since last P day, but then things still flew by again.

Funny quote from one of our Chinese investigators... We asked her if she wanted to be baptized and she said her mom was okay with it but her dad didn't like the idea, so we thought, okay maybe he'll come around, but then she told us he never really paid much attention to her so why should she pay any attention to what he thinks. She told us lots of stories, but the quote is, "my dad's best friend is the cat." We laughed really hard and she told us that the cat is treated better than her and her mom. Which is extremely sad, but the way she phrased everything made it immensely hilarious. So she told us she is open to the idea and if she wants to be baptized she will no matter what her dad thinks.

I talked to someone on the street by myself the other day and we now have an appointment for Tuesday with him. I often try to talk to people, but my companion comes in and rushes things so they often feel like we don't really care, but I talked to this guy, Peter, for 10 minutes or so and he told me he has always thought of God, but never really felt that God really cared about him or loved him. I told him God does love him and many other things and then I asked if we could see him again and he said yes, then my companion came in after I set up the appointment so she couldn't scare him too much as we parted ways! So it was really good!

We had 8 investigators turn up to church yesterday! Sister Chuo was disappointed because she thinks we should have had 10... so apparently we need to work harder... that's the highest number of investigators at church for a companionship in the mission... I think we are doing fine.

One of our investigators, Ian, came to church for the first time ever and he thinks he's all big and bad tough guy (he's like 40) and after church I asked him how he liked it and he said, "It was alright... it was fine." I told him he was like a 15 year old boy who thinks he can't ever admit that he liked anything. He laughed. He is progressing very well and he is probably the one that I feel I get the most inspiration for.

We had exchanges this last week. The Isle of Man sisters were here staying with us because we had zone conference and so we got to have a change of companions for a bit... which was VERY nice. 

We are going on exchanges again this week and so I will be shipped out to Stefford (?) for a few days, it's about 2-3 hours away from here. I don't know the sister at all so it will be interesting!

Next week is transfers and I will get a new companion! We won't have our regular P day next week but I am sure we will get a bit of time to email because we have to email president once a week, so we will have to see about that!

I got the first package you sent! Thank you so much! When I read the outside and it said "seasoning packets" I knew EXACTLY what it was. I ripped it open and was showing everyone my taco bell seasoning packets, all the elders in the zone are now wanting to be my best friend! :) Someone else got a Joseph Smith translation of the Bible and that was really cool, but then all the elders came right back to me to talk more about Taco Bell. They just got a Taco Bell in Manchester but I am told it tastes nothing like the American, but there is a Taco Bell over here now!  :)

Monday, March 5

This week was busy. We had a really random but great experience. We headed out to go find an AUF (Address Unknown File, people that moved but never came to church after they moved) and as we were walking this lady was like, "Hello!" I looked at my companion wondering if I should know who this person was, but she looked just as confused as I did. We offered to help her with her groceries and we decided to learn more about her. She told us she had met with the sister missionaries before. We asked her when and what church she belonged to. She told us it was back in 2007 and that she was baptized. We were like, "baptized into what church?" and she said ours. We didn't know what to think. My thought was that she was crazy. We got to her flat and asked if we could step in for a quick message. We talked more about her baptism to see if it was legit and she even hauled out her program from the service. and sure enough! She was a member of our church. There's only one ward here in Liverpool so we knew that she hadn't been to church any time recently so we invited her and she came yesterday. We asked the relief society president about her and we were told that she had moved and hadn't been heard from in months since she moved. So that was a complete miracle we ran into her that day. She's from Gambia and has had some struggles in life.

I am singing a solo in training this week. "Where love is." in the Primary hymnbook. We were practicing yesterday after church. The Stake 1st counselor came in as we were packing up and said that I had a marvelous talent and to keep using it and sharing it... I said thank you and in my mind I was thinking: If I get asked to sing at stake conference.... tut tut tut. :)

Monday, February 27, 2012

I honestly don't know what to write! All my days are blending together and subsequently all my weeks as well... Time is flying by yet dragging at the same time.

I had to give a 5 minute talk yesterday to introduce myself to the ward. It went alright, I talked about how basically everyday I check my call letter to make sure they didn't sneakily put in there that I was actually called to speak Chinese. Sister Chuo got a little talking to about teaching so many Chinese because when she leaves at the end of the transfer all of the Chinese speaking investigators will transfer to the Chinese speaking elders and if we are teaching no one else then I will be left with no one to teach. So we are trying to find more Non-Chinese people to teach. I am not exaggerating about how many Chinese people we teach. This last week we taught 25 lessons, 21 were to Chinese people. I don't make this up. Granted some of them were repeats of the same Chinese people, but still.

We had our first district meeting this last week. President and Sister Preston decided to come to ours. No pressure. There are only 6 of us in our district (3 companionships). After district meeting Sister Preston had arranged to come out teaching with us. Once again, no pressure. I don't know if Sister Chuo was worried I'd make her look bad or if I just looked like a deer in the headlights, but for the time Sister Preston was with us, I didn't get to talk much. It was good though.

We have 5 "Tea" (dinner) appointments this coming week. I guess people in the ward like me. That's good right? They eat so many potatoes (spuds) here it's slightly ridiculous... and they say Idahoans eat a lot of spuds...

Saturday night they had a big stake activity called roadshows. All the wards had written little plays to perform in this competition. We got permission to go if we had investigators to go, so naturally I was doing everything I could to get investigators to go. We got a few people to go and it was really fun. Was able to experience true British humour at its finest.

We are going to go to the Titanic museum they have here, apparently the Titanic sailed out of this harbour or something. We are going as a district outing. I'm pretty happy to go.

Tell anyone who is expecting letters that I haven't had time to write any yet. I feel bad about that.

I haven't gotten anything from you yet, but that would be because when it is sent to the mission home we don't get it until zone conferences or special trainings, so hopefully next week I will get what you have sent.

I have been asked to sing the special musical number in the specialized training next week. I wonder what they would do if I got up and sand in my chipmunk voice.... hmmm? I won't really, but it'd be pretty funny...

We have one investigator we are teaching named (Name omitted). She has a sort of social phobia. She came to church once and didn't like it because everyone kept talking to her. I explained that's just how the ward is to try to get to know her and better know if she needs anything. We didn't really know how to deal with it, but we decided to take a member with us to teach her to try to get her a friend that she would be more comfortable being with at church. We called one of the girls in our ward who is 20, also goes to Liverpool University where she attends. Turns out when we met up for the lesson, she knew the girl we brought. They are both studying law and have classes together. They got along great and (Name omitted) came to church yesterday. So that was good progress!

Well, I have to dash, time and all....                Miss you all!