Bits of this and that

Well... somehow, my companions and I have made it to the halfway point. Honestly? We have no idea how that happened!! We complained the entire first and second week about how much we hated the MTC! It wasn't home, the food rips you apart, and getting up at 6 and not being in bed til 11 we thought would kill us by week 5! But somewhere around the end of week 3 or the beginning of week 5 a flip switched, and we don't want to leave!! My food is cooked for me (and it really isn't all that bad) I'm with a group of 6 of my best friends for 6 hours of the day, I'm immersed in the spirit, and Hmong is absolutely the coolest language on this entire campus... (sorry Spanish RMs). We are now savoring every single experience we have here, because we know that there won't be many left... Not that we aren't excited to get into the field, we are, it's just that we've actually come to believe that this is our home! When we arrived, we referred to our room as the "residency"... then it became the "dorm"... and now, finally it's "home".

Anyway.... I want to apologize for not writing anybody back!!! Our building was old and the A/C broke, so they decided to renovate our entire building!! We had about 15 minutes to collect all of our books and get out. In the rush, I left every single letter I had inside my desk. Every one of the Hmongs has tried to get in, but no luck... Don't think I don't love you guys!! In conjunction with that... Congrats to my new little cousins and their families!! I can't wait to see pictures!!

I always run out of time before the really good stuff... So to finish off my letter today, I'm going to (attempt) bearing my testimony in Hmong... From memory mind you...

Kuv paub tias Vajtswv thiab Yexus hlub peb. Kuv tau pom no. Thiab kuv paub nkawd xav peb los tsev nyob ntawd nkawd. Kuv paub thiab tus yaj saub, Thomas S. Monson, qhia nrog txoj kev tsheeg. Kuv paub thiab Yauxei Xamiv tau nyob thiab nw txhia phau ntaub maumoos. Kuv paub tias yog peb ua zoo, Vajtswv yuav foom koov hmoob rau peb. Kuv paub no qhov muas tsheeg, los ntawm Yexus Khetos Lu umpe, Amee.

I know that God and Jesus love us. I have seen this. And I know they want us to com home to live with them. I know that the prophet, Thomas S. Monson, teaches with truth. I know that Joseph Smith existed and he translated the book of mormon. I know that if we do good, God will bless us. I know these things have truth, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Love, Elder Lis Xeeb