Fresno Days - Still Sick

February 25^th, 2013

So this week has been a little rough.  My companion, Elder Xiong has had a bad sore throat all week and we took him into the doctors and they don't know what he has, so they sent in some samples to a lab. He's been resting all week trying to get better and I've had a minor cough, fever, and sore throat as well. He's feeling a little bit better today, though.

One of our members passed away. He was a long-time member of the ward and two of his kids are on missions, so it’s very sad.

Also, President Gelwix assigned me to be a district leader so now there's even less time to do everything. Super stressful. Life goes on though.

Spiritual Thought:
 

This is from some movie where Martin Luther is about to go stand trial and one of his mentor monks is shaving his head in preparation to stand trial (Court of Inquisition) and said, "Look what you did. You have turned Protestants against Catholics."

Luther responds to the effect of: "You wanted me to change the world. Did you think there would be no cost?"

I think that if any of us want to do anything great with the short time we have in life, we have to pay the cost. We have to work for it. But we also must rely on God. By relying on Him, our efforts can be magnified and our work truly will bring about much good in the world. But are you willing to pay the cost?

Well, I love you all so much and hope everything is going well!!!!
LOVE,
ELDER TSEEM FWV LEEM Xai Yob VAJ!

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Fresno Days--Egg Rolls, Egg Rolls, Everywhere

February 18^th, 2013

Nyob Zoo!!!   (Hello Family)

Lub as thiv no zoo heev. Nyuaj Nyuaj Heev thiab. Peb nrhiav cov neeg tshiab rau 3 xuab moo txhua hnub. Ib qhov zoo tiam sis nws nyuaj thiab. Tam sim no, kuv thiab kuv tus khub mob mob me ntsis. (Bing translation--This week is very good. Problems is very difficult. We are looking for new people for 3 hours every day. A good choice, but it's difficult. Now, I and my partner hurting a little.)

So we've been putting in 3 hours of finding every day. It’s super good for our area. But unfortunately me and Elder Xiong are a little sick today. 

Could you please send me some old "how to play piano" books for some recent converts that want to learn. Much appreciated. Well, I'm not going to lie...I’m super under the weather so we're probably going to go knock out until preparation day ends. 

Highlights of the week: 

Found some new families to teach! They're super awesome! 

We went and made egg rolls with the youth behind the stake center....it was a crazy mass egg roll production (6000 egg rolls)! 

Toilet seat is officially fixed. 

Got sick. 

That’s about it! 

Spiritual message time: 

"Instead of allowing yourself to be unhappy, just let your love grow, as God wants it to grow. Seek goodness in others. Love others unselfishly, without the thought of return. The return, never fear, will take care of itself." 

Henry Prummond 

I really like this quote. I think as a missionary you're constantly learning to love others. By finding the good in everybody, we develop the capacity to love them. By loving them, we can serve them. This is what Christ expects of us. To love others as Heavenly Father loves us. To see them as Heavenly Father sees them. 

Well I love you all! Hope you are having a good week!

Love,

Tseem Fwv Leem

Mission President's Visit

February 11, 2013

Nyob Zoo,

So lots of fun stuff happening here in Fresno. This last week I went on an exchange with the Zone Leader and that was a ton of fun. We went and knocked some doors and I totally had to do everything myself because he doesn't speak Hmong. Pretty crazy!

 

We also went and built half a chicken coop for one of our members....super missionary style chicken coop! I definitely have to get some chickens when I go back home. We basically had to build an addition to the existing chicken coop because the hawks keep eating all the chickens. 

 

Also, President Gelwix stopped by our apartment. Kind of scary :) Our apartment was a mess and we were in the middle of an extremely long nightly planning session so he was standing there monitoring. Of course, he had to use the restroom (and we forgot to tell him the toilet seat was broken), so it was hilarious to hear the toilet seat falling all over the bathroom. Anyways, all is good. He is the best! LOVE PRESIDENT GELWIX! Check this out: mormon.org/larry Yeah that's my mission president. 

 

Also, the west side Hmong missionaries had 5 baptisms this Sunday and they're super cool. They came to the states just 6 months ago and they soaked up the gospel. The only problem is that they speak Hmong too fast for me to understand. I've got to improve my listening! 

 

Our ward is doing super well! East side is doing really well too. We're teaching some Young Men and they're such good guys. We went and did karate with them for mutual and it was a ton of fun. We just have to get some permission from the parents for baptism. We also are teaching some older people and its really difficult to explain things to them because a lot of the gospel concepts are just really foreign to them. For instance, the words will make sense but the idea is completely new. Its crazy how hard it can be to explain things! 

 

Well, super sad to hear the Caps aren't doing too hot. Keep rooting for them for me! 

 

Spiritual thought: 

"Never Surrender! Never Quit! No Regrets!"

-President Gelwix 

 

He writes this at the end of everyone of his letters to us missionaries. I was just pondering on it today and thought about how we should live everyday with no regrets. We should never give up. No "I quit's" in this day. We should make everyday the best day! This reminds me of two things: One is the Spongebob episode about the "The Best Day Ever" and Second: the Savior's call to follow Him. I know that as we go out with the right attitude and truly devote ourselves to following the Savior daily, every day can be the best day ever. 

 

Well I love you all so much! "Never Surrender! Never Quit! No Regrets!" 

LOVE, 

Tub Txib Tseem Fwv Leem Vaj 

Shout outs...

Tell Scott H. I'm super pumped for his mission!

Cassie is serving a mission in Fort Worth, Texas...awesome!

Hammer Time?

January 28th, 2012

What's up? The pick-up of wreaths at Arlington sounds like a blast! I honestly can't begin to believe that Elder Parker will be coming home before you know it.  TIME HAS BEEN FLYING!!! Speaking of the Parkers, tell Sister Parker that I'm crying for the Caps over here. Keep me posted.

 

Here's some highlights from this last week:

 

Team-ups with members:

We've been teaching a Hmong class every Tuesday night at the church and this older member has been coming every week. He surprisingly came out with us on a team up to go visit a family and it was super awesome! He was great at fellowship, etc.

 

Also, we took out Nick who is a pre-missionary (who's about to go to the Rochester, NY mission) in two weeks. We went to go see some old Hmong people and it went really well. But when we were leaving we ran into a man that only spoke Spanish and it just happened that Nick is preparing himself for his Spanish speaking mission in NY. So Nick, like a boss, contacts him and bears his testimony and it was GREAT! We were so pumped. But most importantly Nick was super pumped. I know that doing missionary work is the most fulfilling thing ever.

 

Open Your Mouth:

It's the day when all the missionaries arrive from the MTC and older missionaries go to take them out for their first few hours. I was able to take out the new Hmong missionary Elder Davis. It was so much fun! Me and Elder Xiong split and went with a new missionary and told each other we were going to meet up at such and such time. However, when it was time to meet up we couldn't find each other, so I decided I would go back to one of the nice people we talked to so we could borrow their phone. But the one person we went back to, they started to crack the door and I saw the tall Hmong husband with a hammer ready to swing. Super scary!! They told us that they thought we were gangsters hahaha!

 

Spiritual Thought:

"Hope is the anchor of our souls." -James E. Faust

 

Ether 12:4- Look it up!

With hope we can be anchored and steadfast no matter what the trials life may bring.

 

Well I love you all! Kuv hlub koj heev!

 

Kev Hlub,

 

Tseem Fwv Leem Vaj

Of Missing Letters and Missionaries

January 21^st, 2013

Hey family, 

I'm so sorry I didn't email last week. This last week has been super crazy. We have transfers coming up and I'm staying with Elder Xiong in Pioneer Park East.

Hope inauguration day is going well for all of you. Not going to lie. I'm pretty bummed out about the Caps losing. Bro. Peshel told me (he's a member of the ward council) and he told me at 7ish in the morning at Ward council. Church now starts at 9 so it’s pretty tough.

Also, on the note of other depressing news; Elder Doane is being transferred up to Atwater. Super sad! (Elder Doane was Scott's companion in the MTC and he was in Fresno West so he would see him every day, so this is a big change...a member texted me these pictures of them + another Elder who I don't know and can't read the tag)

Just to explain how transfers work. The zone leaders and district leaders fill out a stewardship report which goes to the assistants and president. They then take a few weeks and map out transfer boards (usually 2-4 transfers ahead). Then the Saturday before the next Wednesday transfer, each zone receives a mass voice mail about who will be transferred in the zone. 

Answers to your questions: 

I saw baby pics of me in the movie montage at Christmas. Super funny! For service we do everything. We help people move, remodel, clean up apartments, go farming (lemon grass and peppers). More recently we cleaned leaves off a roof at an apartment complex. Work is going really well. We had 3 kids (part-member family) baptized on the 9th. We are still continuing to contact all the Hmong New Year’s referrals. We're finding a lot of families and it’s going really well. 

Spiritual Thought: 

“Faith precedes the miracle. It has ever been so and shall ever be. It was not raining when Noah was commanded to build an ark. There was no visible ram in the thicket when Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac. Two heavenly personages were not yet seen when Joseph knelt and prayed. First came the test of faith–and then the miracle. Remember that faith and doubt cannot exist in the same mind at the same time, for one will dispel the other. Cast out doubt. Cultivate faith.” - President Thomas S. Monson

I love you all so much! Continue to ask me questions and I'll be sure to write you back :)

LOVE YA ALL!!! 

TSEEM FWV LEEM! 

Cold Fresno Days

January 8^th, 2013

Nyob Zoo (Hi!)

Tsev Neeg (Dear Family),

So we had our quarterly temple trip today and that's why I'm not emailing until today. Usually preparation day is moved to the temple trip day just for your information.  We have about 14 pages of names from Hmong New Year’s so we're working on that list now. It’s crazy how many Hmong people are all over the world. For instance, we met people from Canada and France. SO COOL! 

So exciting to hear that Jill got to go over to Stornoway and check out all the cool sites. We definitely have to go do that as a family when I get back. 

Is Ray excited for college? Tell her to get ready for the cold. Speaking of, Fresno has been pretty chilly lately. Every morning when we do our run, we almost die because its so stinkin' cold outside. 

I'm sad to hear Hockey is starting. I was secretly happy that it was going to be one less season I miss. Keep me posted! hahaha 

Random A.D.D. questions: 

When does Andrew get home? Did it snow in good ol' VA? Did Ray get a job? How did the Redskins do this year? 

SPIRITUAL MESSAGE: 

“Courage is the word we need to hear and hold near our hearts – courage to turn our backs on temptation, courage to lift up our voices in testimony to all whom we meet, remember that everyone must have an opportunity to hear the message.” - President Thomas S. Monson

I really like this quote. President Gelwix included in his weekly letter. Heavenly Father asks us to have courage and share the gospel with everyone. Have the courage to do good and be good! I love it! Let us all have more courage to do what we know to be right in this new year. 

I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH! Let me know if there is anything I can do for you. 

LOVE,
Elder TSEEM FWV LEEM XAI YOB VAJ 

Xyoo Tshiab Zoo (Happy New Year)!

NYOB  ZOO!!! (Hello Family)

Thov txim (I'm sorry). I know its Wednesday and you're just getting this...  With Hmong New Year, the Hmong elders got permission to move preparation day to Wednesday so that's why you’re getting a late letter. 

HMONG NEW YEARS: 

SUCCESS! It lasted from the Dec 26th-Jan 1st. We went everyday from about 8ish-5pm. We had a booth set up and we were talking to everyone... literally thousands of people. I got sick and lost my voice because it was freezing cold out there but it was all good. We have a few hundred names of people were going to go visit so that is super exciting as well. There was a lot of food there...but we stuck with our Hmong "roots" (Hmong sausage, sticky rice, pepper etc.). I bought some stuff so I’ll be getting a package off soon. 

Otherwise, Hmong New Year’s was really exhausting. You are on your feet all day so it gets tiring. However at the end of the day, it’s SUPER rewarding to see how many people you talked to and were able to teach. 

 Scott says that this is his 'Hmong pose'

JANUARY 31st: 

We had to have our car parked at the apartment at 6 pm so a member drove us out to dinner. We went to a Korean restaurant with some Young Single Adults that are home for the holidays. Then, we had a very uneventful "in bed at 10:30" evening...so HAPPY 2013!!!!! Hahaha

Also, I forgot to let you know but on Christmas we watched "Brave" so that was amazing! (Really good movie, and I loved the Scottish accents.) 

SPIRITUAL THOUGHT: 

I read this quote is Spencer W. Kimball's book; Miracle of Forgiveness. "The real tragedy is the tragedy of the man who never in his life braces himself for his one supreme effort, who never stretches to his full capacity, never stands up to his full stature." -Arnold Bennett 

I thought about this and I realized that we have so much divine potential. We have so much we can achieve. But we must make the decision to achieve it. To really just go and do it. It is the same in the gospel. We just have to do it! Not merely try. Not just try our best. But really do it. I know that we can do it through the strength and power of the atonement of Jesus Christ. Heavenly Father is simply waiting on us to realize it.

LOVE YA ALL SOO MUCH! Hope everything is going well. Keep asking me questions! 

Elder Tseem Fwv Leem 'Xai Yob' Vaj