Week 24 Howick NZ: Expectations

Kia orana 朋友和家庭!!

('Kia orana' means 'Hello' in the Cook Island language.)

This week was such a blessing, I'm really excited to share about my experiences.

Honestly, I feel like I really found happiness. For the last couple weeks I could feel some worries weighing me down, and I've been praying for help to know how to be relieved from it. For a couple days I knew that part of what was weighing me down was a feeling of not being enough-- like no matter what I am doing I am failing to reach the bar. And then one night I realized, if I always have these expectations that I'm failing to meet, then maybe the problem isn't just with me, but with my expectations. So, I went and grabbed a piece of paper and wrote down all the expectations as a missionary (that I was feeling from myself but maybe from others as well. My companions pitched in).

1. Write perfect, meaningful emails home-- every single week.
2. Write in my journal everyday, good enough quality to share with my children one day
3. Do not gain weight! Maybe even lose some pounds while you're watching your health
4. Get enough sleep, and feel well-rested, the 8 hours is blocked out for you!
5. Stay happy and be upbeat all the time
6. Become a completely different, new and better person
7. Stop desiring/missing the "things of the world"/home
8. Baptize,  baptize, baptize
9. Become fluent in your mission language
10. If I were a good enough teacher, people would have a change of heart (led by the Spirit) based on my words alone
11. I should have my own "potentials" waiting for me when I come home
12. I should know what I'm going to do post-mission
13. I should know exactly why I was sent here

When I looked at that list, I knew that I had been holding myself to expectations God didn't even have for me. Some of these things are good, but if I feel like it's 'the end' if I don't live up to all of them all the time, they aren't of God. At some point when I came on my mission, I raised my own expectations because I knew the consequences of my actions would impact so much more than just myself, but the salvation of souls! To be honest, though, that is giving way too much credit to my own efforts. That was a list Satan was convincing me to believe I needed to live up to, knowing my failure to would weaken my spirit.

Let me tell you all, if the expectations you have for yourself lead you to believe you are never doing enough, they are not expectations from God. God has things he wants us to strive for, but he will never be mad at us for falling short when we are giving him all our efforts. He will consecrate and accept everything we have to give to Him. 

So again, I made this list and I looked at it and I realized how ridiculous it was. I went to bed that night thinking about how those expectations weighed me down. I thought of all the times I had been truly happy, and of my wonderful friends who set examples of being happy in their everyday lives. I made a goal to follow suit. I made a decision to be more forgiving to myself, and do my best to just be happy with all I can give.

Again, it's been a really good week. I've laughed a lot more than I have in a long time. 

Let's see,

Highlights:

• Lots and lots of yummy foods. I tried Cocoa Rice for the first time and I LOVED it. It's a Samoan dish that is well-beloved among missionaries. Some members served it to us after an appointment, and I was stuffed! I also had some amazing Otai at a different member's house. It's been cool to try some of the Islanders favorite foods, and ask how they make it so hopefully I can make it for myself one day. Another member took us to the night market for dinner and it was cool to see all the people there.
• Some of our Chinese friends just got out of quarantine (it's just a law here for recently-returned-from-China people to stay inside for 2 weeks) and said we could come back next week to share more about our church.
• We went to play mini golf and eat dumplings for district P-day today.
• .
  
• Last P-day we went for ice cream with the other Sisters.
• .
  
• One of our member families is so cool! The Mom is from Japan, served in a mission in Texas.  The Dad is from Australia, and served a mission in Samoa.  They met at BYU-Hawaii, are living in New Zealand, and speak to their kids in Japanese. They are such an intelligent and social and spiritual family! Ugh, this ward is so cool!

Lowlights:

• We find it hard to have time to go tract and find new people, as it is hard sometimes to juggle the responsibilities of both our areas. But, we are blessed with a lot of people to teach and talk to.

Lastly, I suppose I just want to tell you all how amazing it has been to get to know the different cultures here so far. As I've been in the English Ward of Howick, I've been able to interact with not only Islanders more, but also a lot of South Africans. The islanders have such a rich culture to share, and such a big love for others that I have been so blessed to feel. I wish I could express that same love back to you all! When we had a feed with a Tongan family the other night they explained to us that the love they have for missionaries comes from the fact their son is serving a mission, and they hope members are taking care of him in his area. That love they have is a love of God, and a pure great love towards their son. It's a love of family and it's a really good example to me.

I've gained a much greater appreciation and love for my family since being here. I hope I can invite you all to do your best this week to strengthen your relationship with your family-- express gratitude more often, tell them you care. Those relationships are the ones that matter and can bring you lasting happiness. 

I love you all, and I know God loves you all infinitely more. 

馬姐妹

Sister Martinez

Week 23 Howick NZ: Truth! You have access to truth!

Kia ora 大家!

This week was busy busy busy. It feels like the Lord is stretching me to strengthen my priorities and make hard decisions. We have a lot of appointments now so being able to balance between studying, finding and teaching has been... fun ^-^.  It's been really good to just give everyday our all and come back home tired, but happy to continue doing the work the next day, knowing we did our best. 

A couple days ago we were able to do a chapel tour here in Howick with a new Chinese friend- we also taught her the first lesson! Then, yesterday we had a different person we were teaching come to church with her son. She doesn't speak English too well but because we live in Howick now we were able to be there at church with her. Honestly the work in the English program is popping, but we have especially been able to see the blessings of double-covering here. By living in Howick we bring better opportunities for the Chinese people who live here to have a church to go to with missionaries who speak their language. I've already had so many small witnesses that we Chinese Sisters were meant to move to this area and focus on the Chinese people here, along with helping those English Speakers in the area.

Highlights:- We were able to go back to church in the Chinese Branch this week since it started back up.
- We went to that Japanese place again this week before one of our meetings. We were able to eat with the other Chinese Sisters and catch up with them a bit! (I got the Egg Donburi with Chicken Katsu it was awesome)

- Its getting darker a little earlier here so I've been able to drive home 'at night' a couple times. Its been nice to just drive and listen to calming music and talk with the trio as we drive home. Something about the night-time vibe is really special.

- Speaking of the trio, it's honestly such a fun time to serve with both Sister Vaha'i and Sister Rich. They are both such a party.

- We bought 拖鞋 , those cozy slides (like slippers) that Asian people wear in the house. It's convenient! Our flat has wood floors, so it's nice to have those house shoes haha and they are so cute! We love them. (Did I mention a couple weeks ago that I purchased a lava lava as well? I am loving the culture here haha)
- One of the women in our Howick ward is translating the Book of Mormon into Maori, so I'm excited to continue talking to her about language and stuff, she is such a boss.
- We had an awesome Zone Conference training, full of research to help us strengthen our testimonies and I was thriving!! I love it when people cite their sources, well-done research makes me so happy.
- One of the members in our Howick ward is moving to Australia, so he decided to leave us some of his study materials from his mission in TAIWAN. Meaning he left us with a Study Edition of the Book of Mormon, which we are so excited to gift on to the Elders here. It is honestly such a gift to be able to read the Chinese scriptures and help the people you are teaching understand it.
-... I guess I have just been tired this week, but it's part of what this 18 months is about so I'm not complaining!
- Oh also! We get ants/fruit flies (??) in our bathroom and we don't know where they come from but they die like spontaneously on the window sill so we're not sure what that deal is about haha

Food Review:
Shrewberries?? Shortbreadies? Ahha? Short berry cookies? I didn't catch the name ahha
We bought these short-bread jam cookie things for Valentines Day to give to members, but then we didn't end up delivering them, so we just at them ahha. The cookies were really good, honestly like a 72/100. Happy Valentines Day ahah

Lowlights: 

-I do want to say that this week I've really been pondering about the way I communicate back home and honestly just my mission life in general.

If I were being honest with all of you, the only reason I know of that I came out on a mission is because I knew God wanted me to and I trust His judgment. Sure it's cool to get to go live in New Zealand for 16 months, and it's cool to learn Chinese and explore without thinking about school or work... but, missionary work is hard.

An Elder here (Sister Samuela's Nephew actually!) just gave his departing testimony at Zone Conference, and he jokingly said it best. "Anyone who tells you the mission isn't hard is a heretic" ahahha. Honestly though, this mission that we serve, the Lord's mission, is hard. Its joyful, no doubt, and I know it will be the most memorable time of my life, but gosh darn it is hard. Weaknesses are always being pointed out to me, my testimony is always being tested, people are rarely receptive, and we live on a tight schedule with higher standards than is expected of those not serving.

So sometimes it's hard for me to know what to say, what to tell you all, because sometimes I don't even have insights for myself, or I brush off all the blessings. I think especially as the work slowed down, I felt like I had nothing to say. I try to be real; I like to be positive, but also realistic. However I feel like I've been lacking Spirit recently.

And let me tell you all- I have a lot of things to be grateful for, we see small miracles every day, and I learn a lot every week. I've just been letting my other worries hold me back from communicating those moments to friends and family back home.  So, a personal goal of mine is to really buckle down and focus on the joys of this work- because it is a joy! I know as I do so, I'll have the ability to share them with you all.

(Invitation)

For example, this week we had an amazing training in Zone Conference. We talked all about the Apostasy and the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and how Joseph Smith's first vision started it all. (Our mission President did a huge training on The Great Apostasy from Tad R. Callister's "The Inevitable Apostasy and the Promised Restoration", and I loved it! Highly recommend).

This training reminded me of an invitation from President Russel M. Nelson that I would like to re-extend to all of you. “Select your own questions. Design your own plan. Act... to prepare yourself for sharing the important messages of the ongoing Restoration. . . . It is your personal preparation that will help April’s general conference become for you not only memorable but unforgettable. The time to act is now. This is a hinge point in the history of the Church, and your part is vital.” 

I know as we study not only about the Restoration, but about the Great Apostasy and our need for it, we will be able to strengthen our relationship with God, our testimony in this church, and we will be able to prepare for further revelation in the April general conference. We have a solid 7 weeks to prepare so I strongly urge you all to make a plan, ask your own questions and study! Ask of God because I know he will answer.

My friends who are not members of this church- I would be more than glad to talk with you about the Great Apostasy (the period of time following Jesus Christ's death when we had no authority or wholeness of truth on the Earth today) or the Restoration of the Gospel of Christ (why we have a complete truth and understanding of God today despite that Apostasy). Any question is a good question even if you just want to get a feel for my personal beliefs.

I myself have been doing this study for the past couple weeks, attacking my questions one at a time, reading, pondering and praying about what I've learned. It's been such a joy to be able to gain a testimony of God's love for all of us and how he expresses that love to us. I am excited to continue learning with all of you as we truly prepare to hear from our beloved prophets and apostles in April.

I love you all and pray for you all to be in good health this week!

馬姐妹
Sister Martinez

PS: Time on the mission goes by crazy fast- it's honestly a little scary, but I've learned so much and I do love my life here. I'm so grateful to have this opportunity to serve and I encourage anyone who is on the fence about it to just sincerely ask the Lord what you should do! It is such a great opportunity so I hope fear will not hold anyone back from serving the Lord.

Photos:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/sgY95kdCHMzp7BqHA

Week 22: Howick NZ: Double-Covering and White-Washing in Howick!!

Kia Ora 大家 !

This week was c r a z y and I have transfer news!!!

On Wednesday morning both Sister Rich and I packed our stuff, went to the chapel to pick up our new companion and we moved flats to double cover both an English-speaking Ward and the same area (West, South, East) of the Chinese Branch. This might not sound that surprising or exciting, but let me tell you, it was probably the biggest twist possible based on usual trends with the Chinese-speaking Sisters. When we got the call that we were double covering, I literally cried just because I was so surprised!

But yeah, this last week has just been a huge adjustment to being an English -speaking Missionary, basically. That means I have a lot to talk about, which is good because I thought I'd already be dry and out of ideas at this point! ahha.

About the Area/Transfer:

• I'm finally out of training!!
• Sister Vahai just got reassigned to this mission from Hong Kong, so she knows some Mandarin. She's really sweet and she loves talking with people! 
  
• The English Ward we are now covering used to be covered by the Zone Leaders, meaning it was an Elder's area. That means we are white-washing the area now. ("White-Washing": none of us in our companionship has been here previously, so we don't know the area, the members, or the English Speaking people being taught. It's a fresh start!)
• Sister Rich, Sister Vahai and I moved into a flat in the East of Auckland. Sister Rich and I think the Lord's trying to get us to focus on the Chinese people in this area, in addition to whatever He would have us do to help the people in the English Ward. The flat is not exactly 'celestial' like people call the one where we used to live in the city, but it is really nice and it feels more home-y. 
• The Howick Ward is AWESOME. We've been able to have meals with some members already (oh yeah and side note, we get FED here!), and they are just so faithful and willing to help us with missionary work. There are lots of Kiwis, Islanders, and lots of South Africans in the ward! It's a really cool mix of culture.
• Since we are now based in the East, it will be harder to get out to the South and West of Auckland for the Chinese Branch, but we are making it work so far.

Highlights:

• The first night in the new area we had 30 minutes to door-knock. Sister Rich followed the spirit and led us down a street and we ended up talking to three Chinese families that had interest in hearing more! 
• As we have feeds almost everyday, we are able to practice teaching lessons to member families. In consequence we've been able to participate in a lot of really fun activities with each family. One of my favorite things we've done a couple times so far is say a prayer with the family and have them pick a street for us to tract in later that day. Each time we've done so we've had the spirit lead us to people we knew needed to hear from us that day, they really were miracles. We text the members later that night whatever miracles we come across. So far the members have been really excited to feel like they led us to the elect.
  

Lowlights:

• The Coronavirus in Hong Kong is so bad that all the missionaries were evacuated from the mission... The virus is an issue I think no one outside the Chinese people really trully understands.
• While I'm excited to have this change, the task ahead of us can feel really hard sometimes. It's a lot of change at once but I think it's good for us and I know its God's will. It might just take a second to settle in.
• One of the streets we were led to by a member led us to a man who had heard of the Book of Mormon and our teachings before. He had his own thoughts about religion, and despite what he says, he was not open to learning more about God. We all did our best to testify of truth, and we all could feel the Spirit strongly confirming the truthfulness of our testimonies. Despite everything he still insisted we are brain-washed into our beliefs and that we should reevaluate what we KNOW as truth. Honestly I felt like I gave my whole heart and soul to this old man and he just beat it up and threw it in the rubbish bin. It was good to know that we all did our jobs by doing our best to offer him truth through the power of God...but wow it just made my heart hurt that he was so unwilling to listen. Those are the moments I've felt the most joy and sorrow, because I can feel so strongly that I am speaking truth but then this child of God isn't even willing to consider what we are saying is true.

Simple Truth:
Heavenly Father always wants us to know truth, and he leads us to know truth through the Holy Ghost.

Moroni 10:4-6

"And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.     

And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.

And whatsoever thing is good is just and true; wherefore, nothing that is good denieth the Christ, but acknowledgeth that he is."

I know this is how we know truth, it is a personal process and communication between us and God. If we want to know truth, we just need to ask earnestly through prayer. I can testify that as you pray to know truth it WILL be made known to you. 

I say those things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

I love all of you and think of you lots. Thank you for your support and hopefully when things die down I'll have more interesting stories!

Love,
马姐妹 
Sister Martinez

Photos:https://photos.app.goo.gl/sgY95kdCHMzp7BqHA

Week 21 Auckland NZ: Nobody Wants to Let Us In

Kia Ora 大家!

It's the last week of this transfer! (It's normally 6 weeks, but it was off because of Christmas). We should be getting a call today to tell us who's going to be follow-up training Sister Young, so I'm excited to know who I'm with and where I'm going to be for the next 6 weeks. I try my best not to test God's will with predictions aha. I will most likely be with someone new on Wednesday though!

This is how my latest week in the South-half of Auckland went,

Positives:

• We were invited over to eat at a member's house and it was so fun. The members are really truly "couple goals", and they made such good food. Although they are a bit older, they are still doing their best to stay active and lively. They are both super good at English as well! Basically I just love them and I'm really grateful for the opportunity to talk with them outside of church. Photo of dinner with Harry and Mary below:

• One of the women we are kinda teaching is an old Cantonese speaker. Our lessons usually consist of coming and saying hi, and then showing her Book of Mormon videos in Cantonese. She thinks we understand her when she speaks Cantonese, just that we can't speak it, but we don't understand her at all. She likes to try her best in English, but it's really not good ahha. She loves the videos, especially the Christmas ones about Jesus. Our favorite phrases from her include "I'm liking looking!" (While watching the videos/reading stuff) and "She good mommy" (Mother Mary). This last week she invited us in to show us some Christian paintings(?) she bought that week. It was like those pictures where when you stand to the left of it it's one image, but when you stand to the right of it it's another image- you know the type of image you wanted on your notebook in 3rd grade because it would make you seem cooler? She said it had good mommy and baby on it, which she seemed excited about haha. Apparently she bought them to give to other "churchy" people- yeah she's probably getting visited by a couple different churches right now. It's always a good time with her, we just try our best to make her feel loved and visit her when we can since she lives right next to a chapel.

• We had MTC exchanges this week! Since New Zealand has its own MTC, all the missionaries there have an opportunity to come on exchanges with those already out in the field here. So Ren Jiemei and I were split up for a day to do studies and tracting with two sisters who were in their last week at the MTC. That means I was this Sister's first impression of mission life- that's wack! But also it was really cool. I was with Sister Naea who will be serving in the Hawaiian Visitor's Center- she is such a light! She has such a strong testimony and I saw a lot of my own newbie tendencies in her, which was kinda cool because it means I've grown a lot. I somehow was able to lead her as we went door knocking and testified of Christ to people. It was a testament to me of my own influence on others and my potential for good. I'm also just excited for her to continue killing it in the field (Go Sister Naea!! ♡)
  

• This week someone the other Sisters were teaching accepted baptism! It's been really cool to see Lily change and develop a love of God. I've been able to feel how special the Spirit really feels at baptisms over the past couple months. As part of the program, we sang a song, "Peace in Christ" in Mandarin, and I honestly was so close to tears, looking at her sitting there with such a bright light. After the ordinance was performed Sister Rich and I were asked to do a little message about the church as Lily got changed. It went really well, and it was good because two people who are interested in being taught came. Basically the spirit was strong, and Lily was awesome. I love this Church and the Spirit at each baptism I've attended confirms of its truth.
  

Negatives:

• This week was a tough week in the Chinese Branch. The Coronavirus hasn't reached New Zealand yet, but the Chinese people are really freaked out about it- understandably so. Our church got canceled for two weeks and most of the people we are teaching don't want to meet with us until the virus is no longer an issue. At least, we've had a good opportunity to find :)

Food: 
After Lily's baptism we went to Osaka, a Japanese food place, and we got Donburi- it was sooo good! 
  77/100 :))

Simple Truths:

This Gospel Blesses Individuals and Familiesd:  God established families to give us a loving environment to learn and grow- they are a central part of God's plan for us. He wants us to be with those we love forever. This is why as we learn more about God's plan for us we can strengthen our family relationships.

As individuals, God wants to help each one of us grow and improve as our actions are up to individual choice. I know that the truths found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ gives us greater understanding of how to find joy not only in the long run, but in our every-day lives.

That is something I've really learned in the last year- how to find joy and peace in everyday life. The answer has always been found in the hope of Jesus Christ.  I  know as each of you come closer to Jesus Christ you will be able to see an outpouring of blessings in your life. 

I pray you all stay safe and healthy!

Love, 
马姐妹  
Sister Martinez

All mission photos:https://photos.app.goo.gl/sgY95kdCHMzp7BqHA