Week 102: 最后冲刺 June 21, 2021

 I got the word from President Maurer that next week I will be transferred, and not only being transferred, but I will be opening a NEW area. I'm excited to get to know this new area, and I've never opened an area before so it will be fun to see. As far as I'm concerned, there are no prospects there and the work will be a lot different. I will for sure miss all my old areas and places I have served in before, and am very thankful for all the life lessons I have learned and the testimony I have gained in those areas, but in a way I feel like it has prepared me for this exciting and unknown task. I'll talk a little more next week about the new area once I know a little more!

This week was pretty gratifying in terms of preparing for home. I finished registering for BYU classes, got some potential jobs lined up, one of which even being a member offering me to come stay with him in China next summer and work at his hotel in Beijing!!! Oh and I have some potentials in the dating pool (haha not really, but if anyone has anyone let me know 🤪). However, upon completing MY PLAN, which is basically something for all missionaries to do that helps them create a plan for home over 6 weeks, with week 5 being on dating and temple marriage oof. Week 5 shared a scripture with me that stood out, Matthew 6:10, and basically told me that I shouldn't put my own plans over God's plans. That was tough to hear because I've turned into a person who really likes to be prepared and plan ahead of time for different things, but after thinking more about it, I realized life will never really go according to plan, no matter how well you are prepared. What's most important is that we are willing to accept what happens and especially what God wants for us. With me transferring out of this area I have been in for so long in 9 days, it has been comforting knowing that despite what I want, God has a greater plan for me.

高长老 (Elder Ensign)

2 Nephi 22:2

Pictures

李弟兄 the goat

刘灿 the other goat

Also rip the jazz 

Week 101: June 21, 2021

I drafted out this email last week then forgot to send it, so here's week 101 and I'll send week 102 in a bit. 

First off I just want to echo the words of the other Elder Ensign and say go watch this video that is about his mission President. It's literally one of the best videos I've ever seen. So well put together and it gave me the chills hearing his story. Heres the link.

https://fb.watch/65c7CMCJdn/

Aside from that this week has been interesting with some flip arounds in my district. I went on exchanges with Elder Hill, a guy from Arizona in my zone and he is so sick. He taught me how to chip a golf ball too @isaacpeterson, and I hit the biggest trick shot of my life where I chipped a golf ball into a cup. Sorry no video. We played some weekly basketball on Saturday where we invite all these non members to join us, and I'm just saying BYU intramurals isn't prepared for this heat.... 

Also rip Djokovic for winning his 19th, but Tsitsipas will take Wimbledon this year 🤪

高长老 (Elder Ensign)

2 Nephi 22:2

Pics:

Rip half of the district

 

Week 100: 词不达意 June 7, 2021

 We are really hitting a milestone here with week 100 in the mission. That's 700 days ago me starting to be a missionary, a representative for Jesus Christ. It's been especially hard this last transfer trying not to get too "trunky" but I am still working hard!! 

Something I really enjoyed this week was getting to see my recent convert Livia who normally lives 2 hours away. Long story short some sketchy stuff has been happening in her life and she had to get out of her situation down there and come up here temporarily. I shared the story of Joseph Smith suffering in Liberty Jail with her, and compared it to her life. It was pretty special and she said she was wondering that same day why all this crazy stuff has been happening to her. 

Something kinda weird but memorable this week was we composted somebody's gardens and ish and he had us spreading compost all over his grass  it looked pretty bad when we were all done but I guess he wants us to trust the process or something haha.... Also Jazz are gonna take the clippers in 5 you can hold me to that!

高长老 (Elder Ensign)

2 Nephi 22:2

Pics:

Week 99: Testimony: May 31, 2021

 We had zone conference on Friday and normally I get pretty bored because a lot of the time it's logistics and all the fun stuff haha. So I had a hard time the first half, but the 2nd half was a complete turnaround. President Maurer gave a fire training that I dont remember what it was about because I just wrote down feelings and thoughts that came to mind, and then we had the opportunity to hear the departing testimonies of quite a couple missionaries who will be going home at the end of the transfer. It was touching to hear simple testimony, almost like when a child gets up to bear testimony in a fast and testimony meeting. There's something special about hearing someone testify of things that they know, rather than filling their "testimony" with experiences and things they are grateful for. With fast Sunday in a week, this is certainly something to reflect on.

All in all not too much else happened. It has been wickedly hot and humid this past week but today is only going to get to about to 75 which will be nice. We have done a lot of service out under the hot sun which has made the work interesting for sure haha.  

高长老 (Elder Ensign)

2 Nephi 22:2

Pics:

Tennis with Can

Aron

Logan

Week 98: 1 year in the 919: May 24, 2021

 A year ago this last Friday I hit a full 365 days in the Raleigh NC mission. It's been pretty crazy and a good time. I will miss it when I go home for sure. Just trying to stay strong for these last parts of the mission!!

This transfer is gonna be a good one, i can already feel it. My new comp is Elder Grey Sligting from Sandy Utah, he went to Brighton, played tennis, basketball, pickleball, the works. We hit it off from the start and are having a good time, and it's nice having someone who is good at all the same sports as me and shares the same general interests! He's the first person I've played in NC at pickleball that has given me a run for my money, but I haven't lost yet 

We've also been playing tennis with a heap of non members and found 3 people this week from it! It's been fun to grind tennis and talk with everyone. Watch out Thatcher ima smack you when I get home. 

I read a verse in 3 Nephi 22 this week, verse 17. I love the power in this verse, and would just like to echo the words of Joseph Smith: "no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing".

高长老 (Elder Ensign)

2 Nephi 22:2

Pics:

Rip the district

Rip Lucas 2019-2021

Sligting and I's cookout Jersey swap

Week 97: thats my girl : May 17, 2021

 This was a week for the books for sure. The big news of transfers this week are your boy is staying in the Green Level Ward for his 9th transfer in a row. I'm getting an English comp so it appears that for my last transfer I will be grinding Chinese work all by myself. But its not gonna be too much of a jump anyway hah. More news on that next week!

More often than not the last week of the transfer is kinda trash because everyone is nervous about transfers and gets distracted. This week I had a focus to work hard and grind to the end! We were definitely blessed for it, so it was pretty refreshing to hear about the success not only in our area this week but also in lots of other areas of the zone.

I woke up Friday literally so confused, people were throwing rocks at our window, i thought i slept in past 6:30, and was tripping out. Turns out the sisters in our district heard about Elder Gollaher's birthday and got him some birthday stuff and thought it would be funny to wake us up at 6 am. 

Someone I found through cold calling (the covid equivalent of door knocking) is soo sick. She lives in chapel hill unfortunately but she is super prepared to hear the gospel. I've taught her only over the phone but she accepted the restoration so fast and told me she even wondered why there were so many churches, and read 6 chapters in the book of Mormon in a week, with 0 experience reading the bible or anything! She took the time to go back over those chapters several tines until she understood it well. Its just awesome to see God lead us to the people who need the gospel in their lives, even through means which arent necessarily always effective.

I liked going back through conference and reading President Nelson's address as to what we have learned and how we have grown in the pandemic. Really made me ponder how I have been blessed during these times despite having some of the hardest trials of my life. It's worth a read!


高长老 (Elder Ensign)
2 Nephi 22:2
Pics:
Favorite doggo

Week 96: May 10, 2021

 Happy mothers day to my awesome mom yesterday! To raise a dummy like me for 18 years, I just couldn't imagine doing that haha thanks for forcing me to go to church when i hated primary and yelling at me to wake up for school everyday in high school momma!

This week was a good week as well. So 2 weeks ago we met a guy named Jerome who randomly walked into church for the first time. He just moved to the area and came to the closest church to him! We started teaching him and had a powerful pass off lesson with the sister missionaries in his actual area (sad elder hours). 3 Nephi 11 is so powerful, especially trying to imagine yourself as one of the nephites experiencing this life changing event.

We have been meeting with the same 3 older Chinese people for quite a while, and its funny because they all are just classic older chinese people. Extending simple invites such as praying and reading the scriptures for 5 minutes a day is almost overwhelming to them. Im truly blessed to be in habit of daily scripture study and prayer, because i know that even 5 minutes can make such a difference in your life.

I titled this email "last dance" because Dwyane Wade played 16 seasons in the NBA and in his final season everyone called it his "one last dance". I am creeping up on my final season in the mission, my last dance. I hope to end on a high note and play my heart out. Shout out to the 2 boys who retired this last week  @博长老 and @ElderDamuni

高长老 (Elder Ensign)

2 Nephi 22:2

Pics:no pics