October 25, 2010

Everything is going well with me. To a point at least. The language is coming along, the words seem to be easier to memorize now for some reason though they are still hard. The Lessons in Chinese are going well. I must say, taht when it comes to most gospel topics I can talk mostly in chinese now. It is somewhat broken up Chinese with wrong tones perhaps. But it is Chinese nonetheless. :) Now the hard part is expanding my knowledge of the vocab and Grammar and actually using it. As of now I know quite a bit of Gospel Vocab, but I really only use half of it because I don't know how to use the other half or it just never comes up. And as we all know, when you don't use somethign you are bound to lose it. So SYL is a big thing. But hard because you can't SYL about the gospel all day. Just doesn't work. Really thought the language is coming along fine, except for the understanding when someone who can actually speak it talks to you part. That is really hard. :)

Yes I know woman is God's supreme creation, but sometimes they sure don't act like it. Though the sister missionaries who do are some of the coolest people and best missionaries you will ever meet. Like Sister Hyde for example. She is such an awesome Sister and I love talking to her when I see her. She actually treats me like I am another person even though I am 2 years younger and of the opposite sex. Unfortunately my District members like giving me a hard time when I talk to her or other sister missionaries. haha. Oh well.

The other day I was outside with my companion and we were studying when I looked up and saw a girl walking towards us. I was like that girl looks very familiar. Then I realized that it was Amy Jennings. I don't know if you remember her very well. She was the Red head who came to my farewell. It was kind of weird/interesting to see her, seeing as I am not supposed to for two years. But it was nice to see someone from the outside world. She actually volunteers speaking Spanish which is super cool.

These last couple of weeks have been really great in regards to other members of the Zone. I have gotten to know the ones leaving in our group a lot better and it has just made me realize how many amazing people and examples there are out there. There are quite a bit of Elders coming back to BYU that I am really excited to see after the mission to see how they have progressed and changed. I have really recieved a greater sense of love here at the MTC. It is almost impossible not to with all the people here and the environment we are in.

I see Jeff often and we are stiill planning on roomming together after the mission. He seems to be doing well, with some exceptions with companion problems. It seems that everyone has those though. I must say taht I really love this work and teh joy and happinness that it brings to our family and everyone else. I can't wait to be able to bring that to other people whoever or whereever they may be. I ahve been having the wonderful opportunity of visiting the Temple every Monday and it is just a great time to feel the spirit and relax from the things of the outside world for a while. Today I did endownments for my friends ancestors and it was a really great experience. I have also done sealings and initiatories (spelled that wrong). Both of which are amazing.

I love this chance I have to be serving a mission for the Lord, and not to make you feel bad or anything, I have not really been homesick. NOt that I don't miss the family, just taht I know I am here for the right reason and wouldn't want to be anywhere else BUT here at the moment.

Love you family!!!!

Elder Fawcett

October 18, 2010

This week has been very uneventful besides the fact of getting new missionaries. Twenty three new missionaries came in I believe. 7 of those being Sister missionaries. Can I just say that Sister missionaries are really.... interesting.... That is all I am going to say right now. Our Zone leader had all the old elders become mentors to a couple of the new ones. So we get to be great examples to them and teach them the little Chinese we know. I remember when I came in and thought the old missionaries were so smart and knew so much about Chinese already. Based on all of us now, that was not the case at all. I don't think we will let the new missionaries know that though. :)

I get to see Jeff and Justin (my old roommates) a bit so that is really cool. I tell jueff of my problems and he tells me his and we just make each other feel good. I also finally found Sister Hyde this last Sunday. So that was really cool to talk to her. She came five weeks after me and leaves two before me. How messed up is that? :)

 

I hope everyone is having a great time and being super successful. May the Lord be with all of you in your endeavors to do good and build his kingdom. Love you all. Have a great week.

 

Elder Fawcett

October 11, 2010

So some things of note that happened this week. I feel bad about telling you about the week becuase not a lot new really happens so I feel boring. But.... We taught our first TA or Lesson all in Chinese this last Saturday. Lets just say that it didn't go to great. Chinese is a fairly hard language to learn I have found out. We did talk all in Chinese, but I don't think we sounded that great. This next week should be better. Same Lesson, one more week to prepare = it "should" be better. I am really starting to like some aspects of the language. I am not quite thrilled yet to learn Characters, but that will come with time I am sure. My teachers are great and love helping us out however we need it, and they are very strict with how we use our time. So that is very helpful to us.

 

So all the older Elders left this last Wednesday and it was kind of sad, (We had gotten somewhat close to some of them) but happy at the same time to see them leave off to Taiwan knowing what they where going out to do. So it is has been nice and quiet these last couple days. More shower time, and quiter studying. Stuff like that. A good thing is that we have gotten a lot tighter with the group of elders that came in with us. There are 20 of us and we have become a lot better friends. Now we are goign to be the examples for the new elders coming in. I remember how good we thought the older missionaries were at Chinese, and I don't feel as if I have learned as much. then again, I know more than I think I know. At least that is what my teachers tell us. :)

 

So one quick funny story. A couple days ago after we had just gotten back from GYM we were going to take a shower, (we were really sweaty). So we decided to go upstairs because it was less crowded. We came down to our room to find that it was locked and that the other companion was no where to be found. So we figured we would be locked out of our room with only towelse and shower supplies until someone could get us a key. Then one of the elders came over to us and asked us what we were doing outside knocking on som randome persons door. We got turned around upstairs. :)

 

I hope all is well!! I love you all and thankyou for the support.

 

Elder fawcett.

October 4, 2010

This last week has been great! Nothing super special has happened except for General Conference of course. :) It was such a sweet, neat exprience and I know I will never experience anything like it again in my life. I have been in the conference center from the top, but from the choir loft it looks so much cooler!! It amazes me what we can do with buildings. It can literally take your breath away. It was so fun to start singing and have all the elders in the seventy turn around straining their necks trying to see what in the world was making that sound. Supposedly we were really good :) Dad and Dallin did get to see me? That is good to know. Yes I have learned to sing wtih a smile on my face when it comes to singing in General conference mom. haha. To tell you the truth this General Conference was one that I was looking forward to the most and it was really sad not to be able to spend it with the family. I miss taking notes and sharing and having donuts. So now I just take notes.

Fortunately, they keep you really busy here so you don't ahve a lot of time to do that. For some reason at the end of each week I look back and think that I have not learned much at all, I guess taht is going to be how it is for the rest of the mission. then one day I will find out that I am conversationally fluent and can actually talk. The SYL is going pretty good, some days much better than others. When my teacher talks I can understand most things he says, even if it is from context a lot of the time. I just can't wait to be a really effective tool with the language.

Well this last week lets see. Jeffers (Jeff Mecham my old roommate that dropped me off here) came in this last Wednesday and I got to see him the next day. I have seen him a couple  of times since then but have not actually gotten to talk to him at all and I am really dying to know about what he did these last four weeks and how the outside world was. It was so nice to be able to get on a bus and drive to Salt lake and get out of the 1/2 mile radius of the MTC. can you say cooped up. I hear that BYU is doing horrible in football, But should be good when I come back. Haha, I guess I picked a good time to leave.

Everything is going well with my companion and District, no tuffs or spats giong on this week, so that was really good. I am now officially DL and my district keeps reminding me of that with little jokes here and there about having to listen to me because I am the DL now. Not cool. We are actually becoming somewhat good friends. I guess that is what happens when you spend a month together within sight and sound the whole time, Kind of hard to not get to know them unless you are really enemies. Haha. So as district leader I lead Weekly planning, make sure we have someone to pray, pick a song, and a scripture, and the most important: Getting the mail. So there is not a lot to do, justhave  to make sure I do it right. Nothing else really happenend, just working, learning some more language, having a great weekend with General conference and everything. I loved President Uchtdorfs comment on airplanes and the scorpion elders talk in priesthood. It seems different, did you think that they talked a lot about missionary work? Maybe it was just me since I am now a missionary and didn't miss anything they said about it. During the days I am super tired, but can't get to sleep quickly at night which is super annoying. Haha, I guess that is life.

Everyone thank you for your support, especially my family. I love you and hope everything is going well. Have a great week and do some good!!!

Elder Fawcett (Fang Zhanglao)