Week 5 in the MTC

NIMEN HAO

I honestly don't know which week it is here anymore haha my perception of time in the MTC is so confused! Sometimes during the day I forget what time it is and wonder if I've eaten lunch or dinner or what, it just blurs into one quick day and then suddenly the week is up!

This week was a pretty good week! It's been so weird throughout the week because the older districts here all got their flight plans and will be leaving early tomorrow morning! It's sad because I've gotten to be so close with all of them but I know they'll all be killin it out in Taiwan! And then once they're gone were gonna be the oldest district! With them leaving I really feel like I should be leaving to since we are all so close, but instead Ill be here for 4 more weeks. So I will make the best of the remaining time here!

Our investigator lessons are all going well, we were able to invite one of them to recieve baptism and he's been considering it and asking all sorts of questions about it which has been great practice for my Chinese. Both mine and my companion's Chinese continues to develop and we have gotten much better at balancing out our lessons between who's speaking and not interrupting one another. We've been really working on unit while teaching. We both do the choir here ever week which is always so fun! All of my friend from college do the choir as well so it's always fun to see them and sing with them. Just this last practice I got to sing with Elder Curtis (who's Spanish has gotten sooo good btw, far better than mine) which is always a pleasure! We ended up laughing at the people passing out next to us more than singing this time but oh well. But seriously the Elder next to us feel asleep in the weirdest way and his skin tone just made him look like a dead man it was hilarious. The choir director is also a serious stud and tells the best stories from his life and all about church history! Ill talk more about that later. My companion and I also started playing a cello/piano duet of the hymn consider the lilies and it is just so pretty! I wish I could send you all a video of it! My companion and I have also gotten filthy at this game called spike ball- it's like mini volleyball its super fun you should all try it- and we have just been cleaning up during gym time which has been tons of fun! We used to play it all the time at BYU too so it's always fun to play kids from school.

This Friday my district decided to do an only Chinese day (or English fast) for 24 hours and it was so fun! It was really amazing to see how much of this language we have all been able to learn in 5 weeks here, it really is pretty amazing. I know we have all been blessed especially as we learn with the Spirit. It really was so apparent to me that day how much the Lord has blessed me with the language here as I prepare to teach His children, it;s just amazing. I was so proud of everyone in our district trying their best to express themselves! It was hardest when I ran into my friends and had to try and somehow communicate haha but it was really a confidence and testimony builder of the work that we are doing! We are all truly blessed here as we give up so much to be here and have to live at a higher standard, the Lord truly does bless us more than we can know! It was so nice to wake up the next morning and speak English again though!

Everyone in Elder Woolley's Zone

I feel like I should tell you all a little bit about my teacher's because they are such awesome guys! They are Ouyang Laoshi and Liao Laoshi. Coolest guys! Ouyang Laoshi is from Guatemala and speaks Spanish fluently, Mandarin, english, and Cantonese #goals. Liao Laoshi is from California, served Mandarin speaking in New Zealand, and is learning Japanese as well. They both taught themselves over the mission how to read and write characters fluently which is my goal as well.

Elder Woolley with his teacher Brother Cordon

 He is an awesome guy, and I learn so much from their examples every day!

Sisters getting ready to leave for their area of labor

Funny stories from this week- While teaching a lesson in TRC we kept saying juti and the guy kept looking at us all weird, we thought we were saying topic but apparently we were saying pigs feet instead haha they are the same word juti, we were just saying it with the wrong tones which is always confusing. One of the sisters in our district was asking their investigator if they could call them later and accidentally told him she was going to "crap words" at him haha, da dian hua is to call, and dabian is poop, so she accidentally told his she wanted to poops words at him which was pretty funny he just laughed at them.

BYU buddies in the MTC - Sisters Pugsley and Bennion
and Elder Hammond

Also random coincidences- I taught this girl who lives in San Francisco and goes to the same Mandarin Chinese Ward as Grandma which was awesome! So i took a pic with her, and Im sure that it just made Popo's day! I also met someone here with the last name Woolley which was so weird bc I've never met another woolley. She says her Grandpa's name is Donald Woolley so let me know if you know him Grandparents! I just call her cous whenever I see her now haha.

I heard some awesome church history stories this week that I hadn't really known too much about so Ill share some brief summaries quickly. They are about John Taylor and John Tanner. They're are both such amazing men! One time John Taylor was going to give a sermon and was warned that the crowd that had gathered were actually there to tar and feather him. Upon being warned he went up anyways, quoted the Declaration of Independence and about how the country was founded originally by those seeking religious freedoms, and was then fought for to maintain all freedoms, then tore open his shirt and challenged the men present to go up and tar and feather him. None of them moved and he then proceeded to give a three hour sermon and converted a lot of people in the crowd. What a boss! He also got shot around 5 times when Joseph Smith was martyred and his life was saved by his pocket watch which stopped the sixth bullet from hitting his heart. So cool. John Tanner was a wealthy man who was dying due to an infected leg. He went to an early Mormon Church meeting in order to try and disprove them and ended up being interested in the message. He had the missionaries over who gave him a blessing which miraculously healed his leg. That night he walked the half mile to a lake to baptized and walked back after having not walked for half a year. He then sold almost all of his possessions (which included an island) and joined the pioneers, where he spent all of his money paying for families to cross the plains, and paid the land for temples and churches to be built until he had no more money. He then spent his time serving a mission. His faith and willingness to serve are so incredible, such a witness that he knew what his priorities in his life were, not money, but the gospel and his family. I love church history stories because the people just had so much faith!

Elders Curtis and Woolley giving the heave-ho to
Elder Olson as he get's ready to leave for his area
of labor in Jacksonville, FL

This week I have really been trying to work on charity and my own personal humility. It really has been a theme in my stay here, but now even more so as my companion and I serve as the Zone Leaders. It is so easy to judge others and I know I do it all the time. But having charity is having the pure love of Christ for others. Part of that is not seeing people for their flaws and for the things that annoy you about them (which I do allll the time) but instead seeing them as our Father in Heaven sees them, as our brothers and sisters, seeing them for their potential, seeing the good things in everyone, and seeing how I as a leader can help bring out everyone's best qualities and help us all be closer together as children of God and as we serve the Lord and one another. I really could go on and on. Every branch council meeting I get so humbled as our branch pres, Pres Teng, brings up things he thinks are important in leaders and good missionaries, I always feel like I have soo much to work on, but Im glad that i have been trusted with this calling. Im trying to be the best leader I can be, uplift everyone, help us all be unified and realize our purpose both personal and general (invite others to Christ), and be a good example. I know my companion is doing the same and we have gotten closer as we strive to do our best with this calling. I could talk about charity forever but Ill end with a quick quote from Alma 7:24- "And see that ye have faith, hope, and charity, and then ye will always abound in good works" As long as we strive our best and keep good perspective our works will be good and will benefit those around us. I love that, and hope to keep working on it.

Departing Elders

As always I love hearing from everyone, I especially appreciate the letters I get throughout the week they always make my day! The support I get from everyone has been so awesome! I love and pray for you all!

Pink tie Sunday

looove

Wu Zhang Lao (elder woolleydunks)

More BYU buddies - Elder Holmes, Elder Hammond, Sister Stone,
and Sister Collins who arrived this week!