From the Land of service and Thanksgiving!

HELLO ONE AND ALL!

something serviceful:

Thanksgiving morning, myself and 100+ other missionaries traveled to the outskirts of the Tai Po area and worked on a chinese farm for 4 hours. i was put in charge of organizing the wood piles. So 14 other sisters and myself cleared out the area around the banana trees and hauled wood. rotten wood, wood full of cockroaches and bugs of every kind you've probably never seen, wood 30 feet long and wood chips. we also burned a lot of wood and other junk. it was fabulous and i've never been so rejuvinated in all my life. being outdoors doing manual labor for that long is something i haven't done in forever. we also painted a wall and got to write our names on it. it was the perfect way to spend thanksgiving- doing service!

something american:

so yesterday, my district and i pulled off a thanksgiving feast for our ward correlator and bishop's family. yes, we cooked all the must haves: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, fruit salad, cheese bread, veggie platter and punch and pumpkin pie. let's just say it was ridiculous trying to find all of these things here in Hong Kong, but it is possible!!!! it was so much fun and a wonderful way to show our ward leaders how much we appreciate them. mom, you would have been so proud of all our dishes...:)

Something thankful:

Last thanksgiving i remember being already set a part as a missionary, but still celebrating with me family in Idaho right before i went into the mtc. i remember going around the table and saying what we were thankful for. at that time, i said i was thankful for english because very soon i would be learning cantonese. yesterday, we went around the table and spoke in cantonese saying what we were thankful for. it hit me so hard how much i love cantonese, how much i love the chinese people and this language, how grateful i am God gave me the opportunity to serve here in Hong Kong. My mission president gave me a blessing before i left on the mission saying that cantonese would become like my first tongue....a rather interesting blessing. I have to say, i am far from that point, but i realized yesterday how much i desire that and how much i love learning and communicating in chinese. I am so thankful for all i have learned so far and all that i will learn in an effort to help these people come unto Christ.

May all of you be full, happy and healthy on this wonderful day of gratitude!!!...:)