From Jon 12/27/08

Subject: Kuv zoo siab nrog nej tham!

Me-e-e-erry Christmas!

It was really great to talk to my fambly in the warm West! I wish the conference call would have worked so I could have talked to the Wisconsinites.

I already told you about how Christmas went, so I don't think I need to ramble about that. Did I mention that we went caroling on Christmas eve...in Hmong? We only went to some investigators and less-actives' homes. It would have been awkward if we would have shown up at a random Mika person's house singing, "Peb hnov tub txib puag saum ntuj!" (The Hmong version of "Angels We Have Heard on High")

I'm eager to try all of my new Hoth survival gear! What with the Ninja hood from the hunters, the hand warmers, and the supergloves...We'll be unstoppable! Our district is thinking of writing the vehicle coordinator to see if he can issue us Tauntans.

I LOVE the Walter Rayne book! Did you look through it? Man! I love how he really brings the people to life. It is very refreshing to see things depicted more the way it would have actually been, rather than plastic people posing. So good.

We had a great lesson with Peter yesterday. One of those ones where you're walking on air on the way back to the car afterward. Peter is Lillian's brother and Bao's son. I found him when I was last in Minneapolis. His heart is ready. We taught him about the Holy Ghost and what His role is and how we can recognize His presence and influence. We moved from that to the Restoration---something he had learned months ago and was vaguely familiar with. This time he was listening for a different reason. This time he had a better idea WHY we were teaching him about it---why it was important. He was smiling most of the lesson, and said he felt really good. When we recited Joseph's description of the first vision, we paused at the end for about 7 seconds. Nobody wanted to interrupt that feeling. We asked him how he felt, and if those feelings matched the fruits of the spirit found in Galatians. We then testified to Peter that the Spirit was confirming the truth of Joseph's experience to him. We asked him what he thought he should do next. He said, "I guess....baptism!" We told him that that is indeed a wise course of action. We read with him in Acts where the people who were pricked in their hearts ask Peter what they should do, and he tells them the next step is to repent and be baptized in the name of Christ. Now his family can all get baptized together! We're looking at the 10th of January. Hurrah for Israel!

I love you all lots and lots! The Book of Mormon is as beautiful as it is true!


-Elder Moua Ying

Notes from Sam -- 24 December 2008

Dear family,

Things are great here in Newcastle. We’re getting to know the ward a little better, and they are great. On Sunday we had a meeting with Bishop Meir to go through the ward list and identify the part-member families and less-actives we should visit. Before the end of the meeting the bishop told us something his counsellor, Brother Evans had told him. We’d been out teaching with Brother Evans, we'd walked out of our appointment to go to the car, and on the way one of us had run over to a couple walking down the street and talked to them. Bishop said, "It's great to have missionaries in the ward . . . who love doing missionary work." It was pretty great to hear that, especially from the bishop. Later that evening we got a referral from the bishop, a member family with children who are over the age of 8 but haven't been baptized yet. We're teaching them on Saturday. Member trust is great!

Another cool experience: on Saturday we had some finding time and no planned activities. We listened for what the Spirit was telling us to do, and Elder Garcia felt like we should go and work in a place across our area where we'd tried by on a potential investigator before. We went there and tried the potential investigator, and he let us in! We got to teach him and his two friends the Restoration. Miracles!

I mentioned a big family that we taught last week (a mum, three kids, and two friends). We taught them again this week and the dad was home as well. He seems like a really spiritual guy. Two of them came to sacrament meeting on Sunday, one of the kids (Jake) and one of the friends (Vanessa). I was a bit worried during the meeting that they'd be a bit bored, but afterwards Vanessa said it was really inspirational and she doesn't know why she doesn't go to church more often, and Jake said this church was different from the others he'd been to because it was more bright and happy. We're really excited about the whole family and hope they will all come to church next week.

Chris is doing well. He is making plans to move out. He visited the temple and the LDS bookstore in Chorley and bought a bunch of Mormon Tabernacle choir CDs and a bunch of other paraphernalia. His girlfriend, who was previously not interested in the gospel at all, watched the new Emma Smith movie (which he bought) and really liked it, and it looks like we may have a shot at teaching her now. Yay! I think we'll visit Chris on Christmas and watch some Christmas movies with him.

I have some more stuff to say but no time. I'll either write you a letter about it (we'll have time over Christmas) or tell you about it on the phone!

Love,
Elder Pimentel

Merry Christmas!

This week our Christmas activities have really gotten started. Last Thursday was a special Christmas zone conference where we all went to Chorley for a short conference, lunch in the temple, a temple session, and a viewing of the movie Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration in the MTC. President Bullock was in our session, and when we went into the celestial room he gave each one of us a hug. Our whole zone rode up to Chorley and back in a chartered coach (since we're so far away). It was a nice event.

Yesterday Elder Garcia and I attended Elder Drago's district meeting. The district is composed of

Crewe (Elder Rosenberg, who is Finnish, and Elder Breisch, a big, solid Utahn)

Congleton (my old companion Elder Empey and a dynamic young English missionary named Elder Perry)

Stoke (Elder Drago and his companion Elder Hernandez, a quiet and thoughtful missionary from Idaho)

Elder Garcia and me

and

the Newcastle senior sisters (Sister Kala, who is from Virginia, and Sister Smith from somewhere in Utah). The senior sisters are great. They're hard workers and they have a lot of patience to put up with all of us elders.

After the meeting, we had district lunch (pizza that we had delivered to the chapel) and we went down into Newcastle town centre and sang Christmas carols for a few hours. I thought it might be awkward, but it was a lot of fun. I got to conduct the carolers for most of the time. While most of us sang, two missionaries would be walking around near us talking to people - we took turns singing and GQing. A couple of members joined us for a bit, as well. It reminded me a little bit of playing Christmas songs in the freezing cold in the French Quarter on Christmas Eve. Good times.

After caroling, Elder Drago had organized a little activity where the different district members talked about their family Christmas traditions. Elder Garcia told how the wise men come and deliver presents on the night of January 5, and the other district members shared some of their traditions as well.

I'll have to write you a letter or tell you over the phone about the other traditions and the other great things I was going to write about, because I'm out of time again! I'll look forward to speaking to you tomorrow evening!

Love,
Elder Pimentel

Turkey Bowl 2008

Lots of images from this year's Thanksgiving football game, in no particular order.
-Andie

From Jon 12/20/2008

Sent: Saturday, December 20, 2008 10:03 AM
Subject: Kuv hlub nej heev

Nyob zoo tsev neeg!

Zoo siab hnub Christmas! We had some pretty nippy weather a while back, but these last couple of days have been lovely, averaging about 14 degrees. I was talking with an older gentleman yesterday, who evidently was from out of town, and I commented on the nice, warmer weather we were having. He smiled and told me I've been in Minnesota too long if 12-14 degrees feels nice. I was actually sweating, but that could be largely because we had just biked several blocks in the snow.

Christmas conference was great, very spiritual. We didn't get to have a slideshow or talent show like last year, which disappointed me, but there were some beautiful musical numbers. The Hmong district, which has gone from four members in the spring, to seven members, sang a medley in Hmong of Away in a Manger, Angels We Have Heard On High, and Oh, Come, All Ye Faithful. It turned out pretty well.

President Howell dressed up as Santa Clause and had each and every missionary come up and sit on his knee. He would talk with him briefly, then give him a stocking full of goodies and call up the next one. Some of the Elders were very husky. One was very small, and his feet did not reach the ground. What with this Elder's suit and the rigid, awkward way he was sitting, he looked just like a ventriloquist's dummy. The whole ordeal was rather amusing. To put it in a literal translation from Hmong, it "did toward me to cause to whisper a laugh", or in English, it "made me smile". I'm sure I also chortled moderately.
To make a good time even better, Sister Howell came in dressed as a Christmas Grinch, and recited and acted out a poem resembling portions from brother Seuss's "How the Grinch Stole Christmas", but it was about a grinchy missionary who didn't like contacting people because he thought they were scary or mean. Then he learns to love the people and he energetically speaks to everyone and proclaims the truth he knows. That too was tremendously enjoyable.

It turns out I couldn't make it to Ia's baptism, which it currently under way, but I will be able to get some pictures from the other Elders. Elder Vang and I are rejoicing as though the baptism was in our own area, because our friend is taking upon her the name of Christ, and joining His fold.

We are working with a family that I started working with the last time I was in Minneapolis, and they have made a lot of progress. They are a branch from an extended family tree that has a few very strong members. Npaub (Bao), is the mother of Peter and Lillian, and the daughter of Npib (Bee), and active member. Lillian is ready for baptism, but wants to get baptized with her Mom. Bao is pretty much ready, but is waiting to see if her husband moves from California to Minnesota. I still don't fully understand why. Bao is from France. She speaks Hmong the best, French practically fluently, and English enough to survive. She struggles to read Hmong, so we borrowed a French BoM from a member, and that is working very well. My limited French experience has been very useful. Sometimes when she is reading she comes across a church word like "iniquity" or "resurrection" that she doesn't understand, and I can figure out from the French what it means, then explain it in Hmong. Kind of fun. Peter is really busy with school, but I think finals are over, so things should go a little faster. He's a good kid, and he does care about spiritual things, he just gets a little distracted by the world sometimes.

I love you all, and I loved Liz's and DRT???'s cards!
Sib ntsib dua

-Elder Moua Ying