Dear Friends and family,
Sorry to not get this off sooner. We weren't moving apartments, turns out the apartment we were going to go to is no longer available so the AP's and President Hawks were looking for another one yesterday. It was just a busy day and we didn't quite hit everything we needed to.
Another good week here in Hong Kong! I'm doing a little better at "sik-teng" (understanding locals). This past week was Stake Conference so that was really cool and overwhelming at the same time. Hundreds of chatty Chinese people running about and a double baptism after! We had 5 investigators at church this week--an unheard of number for the Chaiwan branch, even for the mission! It's been interesting to hear him talk about how much success we are having--I sit back and have had no prior experiences and just assume we are going along pretty normally. At times I even feel a little discouraged by our lack of progressing investigators (we have 4). But he assures me it is really good because we've contacted and taught about 40 people since I've been here and 1 in 20 is a good ratio for how many will progress per 20 contacts. So we've actually doubled.
I've never been one to really believe in spirits and devils but this mission has changed my outlook a bit. I'm not sure if I told you about the drunk lady that comes in a few times a week, but this week was no exception. What was different this week was that she had a super far away stare, and mumbled to herself and said unintelligable things. Somehow there was a psychologist working in the church that day and upon talking to her pronounced that she was possessed and to leave her be. The next day a crazy black lady came screaming into the chapel. She said people were taking her things and that she was being haunted in her apartment. She hadn't slept for 4 days and was hysterical. She wanted the police to come, they did, but couldn't do anything for her since she can't provide any description or evidence. Kinda weird I thought. But there are other stories of mission presidents casting an evil spirit out of a missionary (upon leaving the missionaries body, it broke his collarbone), another one had to go to a Sister missionaries apartment and help take care of 'a spirits problem'. Seems like the stories are more common up in New Territories, but it's all strange to me. My companion has a few stories of his own too. The Chinese Black Magic is weird stuff. Oh, one more. A missionary started researching Chinese Black Magic while on his mission and trying to contact spirits. Apparently in one instance it felt like something was choking him and he couldn't breathe... Don't try to talk to spirits. Lesson learned.
But let it be known that most of our walk-ins aren't so weird. Most of them are from mainland, but this week we actually had a guy walk in and he had just finished studying in London. His English is perfect and he's been wanting missionaries to talk to him for the last 4 years since he was first contacted in London. He's golden! Hopefully will be able to get him a baptismal date this next week. Lot of potential there. The very first week I was here I tried contacting a 'rough' looking guy. He was tatted up, and smoking when I spoke to him, but he has been coming the last two weeks to church and has brought a different friend each time! So he's giving us referalls! It's awesome! We also have a few other progressing, and soon to be progressing investigators.
On Tuesday it was 97 degrees and 100% humidy. Pretty miserable if you ask me, but a great day for us to play soccer with the boys that I told you about playing with 2 weeks ago. There were 20 or so of them and we got a few numbers and taught a lesson from it! So good! And the soccer was a lot of fun. I was absolutely drenched. I've never been so wet and sweaty as I have been here this last week. It's disgusting but fun!
It sounds like I made my food situation absolutely dire. It's not that bad. I have enough, and I'm being really smart and trying to live like a local. Here are the hang ups. We aren't supposed to eat from street vendors. Something about missionaries getting super sick. So we don't, even though they are cheap. Second: milk is 36 dollars. bread is 12. jam is 30. 4 oranges however are 10 (kinda reasonable). Butter is like 15. yoghurt is 12. The 'staples' just don't come cheap. I think I'm going to buy oats and brown sugar and have oatmeal since that is fairly cheap. I'm also learning to like soymilk. It's a bit cheaper than regular milk and kinda good. Enough about food. I will be fine. Don't worry about me.
Actually, back to food... After a quick story. We have a 9 year old investigator. His family are not members but his cousin is, and is dating our Elders Quorum President. So he actually brings him to church. We are really interested in teaching this family so we are doing anything we can. We found out yesterday that they are moving... Although they won't be living in our area we still offered to help. All apartments are tiny here so there isn't a ton of stuff that people own which is nice if you are the one carrying it. What isn't so nice is that this family lived on the 7th floor and they have no elevator... It was very hard to move all their stuff and since I'm the "big" guy I got the heavy stuff which I was fine with since it made the loads feel more productive. We then packed it all in a van and drove it to the Kowloon side and loaded it, this time in an elevator to the 15th floor. In all this took about a 1.5 hours, so not too bad! Afterwards, to show their gratitude they took us out to a dimsum place. It was all fairly good, but since it was my first experience, they wanted me to get the weird stuff. And it was all weird. I ate pig feet, chicken feet, duck feet, and cow stomach. As I was eating it just made me grateful that I was the one called to this mission because I don't think some of my fellow Southlake boys (Elder Christensen specifically) could have handled these. The cow stomach was my favorite. Just had to get over the part of it being cut in thin sheets and one side was spiny and prickly. Pigs feet was bad... Really hard to bite through the cartilege and pull off the skin. (Skin is the only thing that is on any of the feet). The chicken and duck was strange but better. Basically just boiled and so I had to bite in the soft part between the different knuckles, then suck/bite/tear the skin off of the bones. Easier to eat than the pigs feet, but hard to get over sticking the whole foot, complete with talon, in my mouth and eating it. Biting between the knuckles in the cartilege was new too. But I did work at the dimsum place! They were all really impressed that I went for it. On the not so extreme side I also had caviar for the first time. It wasn't too bad, just tasted strong. I just can't wait for if I serve in international, working with the Filipinos, and get Balut.
The reason yesterday was so busy was because it was our Temple day! Our session started at 11 so we left Wanchai at 9:45 so that we could get to Kowloon Tong on time. As we were on the MTR (subway) on walked 10 or 12 young American women. Turns out these women are students at BYU, UVU, UU, BYU-I and were on their way to the temple as well before they headed off to Guangdong provinence to teach English for the next 4 months! It was nice to talk to them, and I remembered Jenna Neeley telling me she was doing the same thing, but they didn't know her, and I obviously didn't see her. Is she not going anymore?
The temple was awesome though! I didn't realize that the session would be in English so that was actually kind of refreshing to me. And the Celestial room after!!! So beautiful! That's all I can say about that, but it was so nice to be back in the temple! I really needed that spiritual uplift.
Before I forget, there are a lot of really good Apps that I can put on my Ipod that can help me with my language learning. Some of them are free from the Mission Office computer, but one in particular that isn't is called "Qingwen" and is an English, Chinese character, and Pinyin dictionary! I'd love to get it (4.99 dollars USD) but I don't know dad's Itunes password. If you wouldn't mind sending that out to me, and I can tab how much I owe whomever of the family for the 5 dollars.
As I have been reading this week a few passages have stuck out to me. First is D&C 64:30. It talks about missionary work and, "laying a foundation" for a "great work". As I have been in my area for the last few weeks I have thought about how many of my efforts, since we started from zero as a new companionship, with not come to fruition while I am here. However, I can be happy that I am paving the way for future missionaries to help bring the gospel to those in this area. We hope to extend 3-4 baptismal dates set by next Thursday, so some of my efforts will come to pass while I am here, but I have learned to glory not in my achievements or numbers, but in the mission as a whole and just to do my best.
As I was reading in Alma this week I was struck by Alma 14:10 when Amulek turns to Alma while they watch the women and children burn, and asks if they can use to power of god. I've thought about this passage many times before but this time I really thought about it from his point of view, and am now of the opinion that when it talks about how Alma stayed with Almulek many days before he started preaching, that he converted all of Amuleks family. I think that he wife and children were burning while he watched on. Then in Alma 15:16 we learn that Amulek lost all his possessions, and was rejected by friends, his father, and kindred. No mention of his wife or children. Previously I had thought that they had been grouped in as his 'kindred' but now think otherwise. Amulek is a real hero because he is humble enough to accepts Alma's words as God's will and doesn't get angry or bitter at Alma. In fact the go on and continue to to have successful mission experiences together. I doubt that I will face any such hardships on my mission, but I can accept the words of my companion, leaders, and mission president and humbly apply what they teach me.
I hope school and work are going well for all! I'm sorry to all of you who have sent me letters in the last few weeks. I haven't had any time to write back besides this weekly email. They will be coming soon though, I promise! Just need to find/make time amidst all my other P-Day duties.
Love,
Elder Siebach
P.S. Pictures from the temple should be coming next week. The computers we are using today have a monitor and the actual computer hardware is locked away in a box so I can't plug in my camera equipment.
P.P.S. To answer mom's question about how we find people, we do street contacting entirely. So basically approach people walking in our area. Sometimes we will do pull-ins which is talking to people right outside the church and offering a tour and hopefully a short lesson once inside the chapel. Not very effective for my companionship since there aren't going to be many people from our area of Chaiwan in Wanchai.
