Announcement: My last preparation day on my mission will be this SATURDAY(when I email). Then the next time I talk with you will be either in person or online! Don't forget to write me emails one last time! :)

This week felt exhausting! In the best way though. 

Sister Domingo's birthday was on Saturday! She turned 20 yrs old :) We had a little surprise the evening before because Sister Park's birthday was on Friday. It was the most awkward surprise because some sisters were running late...so Sister Sicotte and I just stalled and pretended like we were discussing something important in Mandarin. It all worked out though! Candles, cheesecake, laughs. Birthdays are different on the mission because we really don't have time to celebrate it, but small moments count. Sister Yun cooked us kimchi fried rice for breakfast too! 

This morning's training focused on the attribute of hope. I love that recently we've been focusing on Christ-like attributes, and how that affects us as disciples and as missionaries. We view hope as a sure understanding that God will bless us when we do our best. We have optimism, patience, and avoid negativity when we have hope in Jesus Christ. It's not always easy, but having hope is doable because we know God has a plan! 

VC:

1) Recently, we haven't been seeing that many Chinese tour buses, but we do meet smaller groups, from tours or from the PCC. Two Chinese sisters took a few families from Vancouver around the Visitors Center, so I just stood around, in case I could help somehow. I started talking with their tour guide, who told me, he actually had a copy of the Book of Mormon from years ago, read it, liked it, but gave it to a friend. So I gave him a new one! And encouraged him to read it again! He asked if I could sign it so I did that too haha. The sweet thing was he would encourage those families to take a copy too! But said no...but at least I could see that the Spirit from reading the Book of Mormon really does invite others to do good, and he knew that.

2) Sister Domingo was having a rough week because although she's assigned here to serve Korean speaking, she felt really like there was so much she needed to work on, to feel confident giving tours. We talked a lot about patience with ourselves, trusting the Lord to help us when we try our best, and discussed how we all feel that way sometimes - I mean, feeling like we can't do this. Training a new missionary is the closest thing I'll feel to being a mother until I give birth haha. My listening skills are probably way better now than before. I see so much potential in my companion and support her in this learning process. I can tell her what I know because of my experiences, but it won't mean much to her until she has knows it for herself through her own experiences. I don't know what it's like to teach the gospel in a second language, because I'm comfortable in Mandarin and English, but I imagine it's really difficult! She's a great learner though!

The next day, after we got home from Pearl Harbor (we were sooo tired, it's a long drive there and back), we met the ladies in the picture below! They came on the last tram tour, and we just talked with them. One lady asked Sister Domingo if we had church in Minnesota and if she could get that information, so she wrote down her contact information! They all said they could feel so much peace here, and we led them to the Visitors Center to listen to the Christus narration. It was such a beautiful sight to see the four of them, bowing their heads in prayer and reverence, listening to Christ's teachings. At that moment, I could feel the Spirit strongly, and I knew that God knew them one by one, and He led them here, to remind them how much He is aware of their circumstances. We don't know much about them, but we know that they were spiritually fed. We hugged, we took pictures, we gave them the tour back to the PCC. There's not many experiences I have like we've had with them, and I'm just so happy that God gave this tender mercy to Sister Domingo, at a time when she felt super down. They weren't Korean, but it reminded her that we can make a difference, with anyone who God has prepared to come here. 😊

3) I met a Russian couple just a few days ago, who lived by Finch Station back in Toronto! What a small world. They didn't have any religious background, but it was still fun helping them learn the history of the Laie Temple. I told them about the temple in Brampton, and they really appreciated our time. I don't even know how many people I've met here were from Toronto, but most of them were from Richmond Hill, or Markham. 

4) I met a Chinese dad and son, visiting from San Francisco. They've visited the Visitors Center in Salt Lake City, so were familiar with temples. The dad asked me an interesting question, "what's the difference between the happiness you find from religion/faith compared to happiness defined in psychology?" (he's a therapist). I answered saying, "I guess it's the source of our happiness. We believe that God is the source of all our blessings, and we can have the most happiness when we are obedient to His commandments, and are trying to follow Jesus Christ. But that includes working hard, and choosing to find joy in trials. From a psychology view, I guess happiness comes from within yourself and believing that you are in charge of your happiness. Which we believe too." It was a good question and he said he liked my answer. It included more than what I quoted, but I'm glad we meet people who ask us good questions. That doesn't mean they will change or want to learn more about our faith, but more so, they watch the way we live our beliefs. I know I've met probably sooooo many people on my mission, and I haven't always had quality conversations, but I know that I did my best to reflect the joy I have received from knowing and living the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

We had lunch with Elder and Sister Swinton this week, and we talked a lot about families and temple ordinances. We don't have all the answers to what happens to a temple sealing in every situation, but we know that God will take care of it. The Swinton's youngest son was recently ordained as a Bishop in his ward, and she was telling me that it's such a good feeling to see your children "get it right"(center their lives on Christ, willing to serve). I think about many families, and how raising children in the gospel isn't easy, and sometimes members weren't raised in a gospel setting, but we can in the future be an example to our family members. We can teach them to know the importance of Jesus Christ, to know the joys of living in way that's pleasing to God, to love God and their fellow brothers and sisters, and to use the Atonement in their lives. We met a cute family from California, and when the two young girls were hitting each other, the dad took one aside and taught her why that was wrong. It's such a simple act of parenting, but I was so happy to see his example and love. The gospel is a guide to how to live our life and how to face challenges. Our families can be blessed by the gospel of Jesus Christ. I can't say I understand anything about parenthood, but when I try to help Sister Domingo, I see a lot of potential in her that she can't see herself, and I want her to recognize and enjoy the rich experience of her mission. That's probably how Heavenly Father sees us. He can't necessarily hold our hands in life and baby us. But He can send us tools - revelation through the prophet, scriptures, church, local leaders, to help us stay on a path of happiness and peace. Because we are children of God, we have divine potential. And we know that He loves us perfectly.❤ 

Scripture of the week: Hebrews 6:19

"Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil."

​We went to Pearl Harbor, U.S.S. Missouri Ship last Wed to do service! And got a short tour of the significance of the ship. 

​A group of ladies who were SO appreciative of the Christus statue and the short narration. They were all praying in front of it! This is the front entrance of the Polynesian Cultural Center.

​A beautiful sunset behind the temple. I'll never get tired of this view!

​Cliche picture of us holding the Book of Mormon in our languages... :)