Is this the DMV?

Hey everyone!

This week was a good one. I got to translate for Elder Gong of the Seventy which means that Mark and I have a guy in common whom we translated for. I felt like a monster because I was translating so fast. Yup. I practiced for that one. Hee hee. He is a really spiritual man and it was great to listen and be enlightened by his training. He really followed the spirit so well and was constantly changing his plans to follow the spirit and help us learn what we needed.

Food: Fried Pasta: This one is a classic of my family, but I think that it's the first time for it here. I loved it. I made a sunny side up egg with it and dipped noodles in the yolk. YUM! 5 nostalgic noodles out of 5.

 

Verbatim:

WHAT did President DO?!? *I glare* "just kidding, I love you Elder Siebert!"--my companion about me being a goof one of the days. I can't remember what I was doing

 

Gecko Buddy!!!!!!!!!!--me on our little gecko friend who came and visited. I think he moved out though.

 

No! No! Peanut butter!--Elder Cranney on dropping his peanut butter.

 

Can I hug you?

I'd love that.--Me talking to Elder Gong. He gives a good hug.

 

 

I think that's about all the verbatim this week. I did get a little card from one of my former district members Sister Wu who was notorious for cheating while trying to pass off Phase 1. She wrote out and diagrammed all the cheating methods that she'd thought of and then evaluated them. It was hilarious. She's incorrigible. Seriously. I nearly died reading it. I will have to find a computer that can send pictures in the email and then I will send pictures of it. All of you who read chinese will love it.

 

This week I also went to the doctor for the first time since being here. I went to get my wrist checked out and tried to get a cortisone shot for it. It was a slightly infuriating experience because the doctor wanted me to get the same brace that I have been wearing already and just wear that and put some cream on my wrist. CREAM? CREAM? I was so mad! Cream does nothing. He didn't want to give me a cortisone shot because he was afraid that it would cause injury. I was very upset. So not much improvement. The whole place is like the DMV too. You take a number, wait for your number and check in and then wait for another number to see your doctor and then get another number to go and pay. Yup. Ridiculous. I won't be going back.

 

This week there wasn't really much special. We did have a bit of a miracle in that a member left for Australia this week and we went to his house because we are meeting with his mom and his dad walked out and wanted to meet as well. I had been told that the dad would never have interest in the church, but he was singing a different tune this week. He was telling us how he wanted to come closer to God and wanted to do what He wants. He and Mama Zhou both came to church this week and had a good experience. Teaching them takes a little more time because their comprehension is a little slower but it's a great time because it's really helping Brother Zhou's dream of having his whole family baptized come true. I have great hopes for them!

 

Well I think that's about it for the week.

Love,

Elder Siebert

I'm Vegetarian

Hey everyone!

This week brings:

Food:

Taro Popsickle: normally I don't really like taro but this was so good. It was almost nuttyish in flavor and very creamy. Delicious. 4 tantalizing taros out of 5. (wow that's lame)

Mung Bean Popsickle: I didn't think that popsickles got better than the taro one, but this one topped it for sure. Creamy, great semi chewy texture with a great flavor, not too sweet but with a subtle taste of awesomeness. 5 mung-bean growing Creeds (from the office) out of 5.

Turtle Shell Jelly: Man, this stuff looked like a grass jelly that I love. I didn't notice until after sampling it that it was clearly not. The flavor was like what tar smells like. I found out after that you have to put honey on it. Still nasty. Just because it sounds exotic doesn't mean it should be done. 1 exotic "ewww!" out of 5.

 

Verbatim:

I still think he's a wimp--My companion on Kai3bin1 being sick and not coming to church.

 

Why didn't you teach me to pray like he did? He helped me to talk to Jesus! You never taught me how to pray, how else can I talk to Jesus and get a job? You need to pray for me. Why didn't you teach me how to pray? I couldn't speak to Jesus!--Brother Zhong, a guy that my companion had first contacted and not really understood a word he was saying. Later in the week I contacted him and found out his situation and had a lesson with him and he's now our investigator. These are his words to my companion right after I finished our lesson. Poor Elder Cranney

 

Now we're real librarians!--Me at the library, putting labels on books and stamping them.

 

I'm thankful for....G**(I'll translate that euphemistically as Goodness)..I don't what to pray for.--Mama Zhou while praying

 

Well this week has been a peach. It's been good and bad. We've had a lot of investigators pulling the evacuation switch and not wanting to meet anymore and a lot of people canceling and being out of town. However, we have seen a lot of miracles with teaching. I was teaching this lady, Mama Zhou this week (she's a member's mom) and she's doing amazing. When I first met her, she was super flighty, just wanting to get away from us and not really wanting to talk. This week though, she came to church and had a good experience. When we went over last night, we came in and she was already sitting down ready to meet with us. She was open and talked much more easily than before. She was focused on our lesson and expressed how she thinks that the world is just so nasty these days and how much she hopes that her family can get free from all of that evil. She is a changing lady. It's such a miracle to me to see how much she has changed and how much the gospel can help people. I have great hope for her. I hope that she can keep coming to church and keep progressing and then we'll be able to get her baptized and her family will be one step closer to the goal of an eternal family. We'll keep trying for everyone else. She expressed sadness yesterday that her family members aren't all interested in the gospel and that means that they might not all be together in it, but I have great hope.

 

I know that the Lord will teach us the lessons that we are meant to learn and that He will always allow us to grow at the right time, pushing us at times, but always blessing us and letting us feel His love when we endure and "wait upon Him" in faith.

I love you all,

Elder Siebert

Man, I Greenie Bust so much that I might be Green myself!

Hey everyone!
I have a riddle for you! Actually I don't, but it's wet here.

Food:
Korean Stone Bowl Mixed Rice: They brought it out in a burning hot stone bowl, like a Mexican Mocahetae (no clue if that's even close to the spelling, Mama Ludwig probably knows what I am talking about). and then you mix up all the stuff and it makes kind of a fried rice sort of thing. It was superb. I think that it was mostly the fun in eating it that was great but I am still going to rave about it, especially since it's the first new thing in a while. 4 burning bowls out of 5.

Fried Banana Sushi wrap: I brought bananas to the sushi wrap place and battered and fried them with the boss--my good buddy. We then enjoyed some fried banana seaweed wraps. The texture left something to be desired, but the taste was great! 3.5 banana bonanzas out of 5.

Indian Waffle: Really rather delicious. It was a dense, pastry like thingy that they put condensed milk on. Chewy with a crispy outside and a delectable nuttiness, 5 indian ingenuities out of 5.

Verbatim:
Can you help me button my sleeve?--Guy at a red light.

You've gotta develop the black hole syndrome.--Elder Cranney at my amazement that he ate a whole plate of food and SIX OVERFLOWING BOWLS OF RICE!!!!!!!!

Whoa sir! Whaddaya think you're doing?!?--me on the guy who was taking off his pants in public.

People say Mormonism is ugly.--Some lady on the street. She did NOT set up.

Marco? Marco? POLO!!!!!!!!!!!!!--Me on a potential investigator, "Marco" standing us up.

The Cranbert Warning:
I now run on the balls of my feet because my companion is crazy about running and that's what he says to do. I feel sympathy now for Josh, because running this ways HURTS!

MIracles:
I was going down the road when I saw this guy and I just felt the urge to talk to him. I wheeled to the other side of the street and called out to him. He stopped. I told him my feeling that I needed to talk to him and he was very impressed. I talked to him about church and he agreed to sit down with me. We talked for a little bit and it became apparent that he had very strong views that were very unique. He expressed that he thinks that the strong should be in charge and that only the smart should rule. He talked a lot about that and I couldn't help but be daunted at the idea of helping him. However, I kept feeling like I should keep talking to him and I kept sharing despite the fact that he kept saying he might not be suitable for church. I finally ended up bearing testimony of how this church helped me find the fulfillment that I could never find any other way. Anyway, I told him about that and he stopped and looked at me and told me, "I am really interested in how that change happened because I feel like you. I thought that getting rich would make me happy, but I am not happy right now. How do you do it?" I shared with him how I had gained my conversion. I shared how I felt that God had answered my prayers and the spirit was so strong and powerful and he just thought about it. I told him how prayer was the start to it all and he was a little hestitant at first and told me that he really didn't believe that prayer could help and was still a bit unwilling. I testified again to him and the spirit must have to because he became willing. I prayed and then asked him to pray. As he prayed, a most exquisite feelling of happiness and peace came over me and I knew that he had felt the spirit especially when I looked at him and beheld that his countenance was changed. He sat, looking stunned and amazed. I asked how he felt and he replied "peace". I told him that was the spirit and he expressed "it feels so much better. " He set up and he is meeting with us now. It was a great miracle to me that the Lord used my previous experiences to help His child.

Love you all!
Elder Siebert

Man, did the pidgeon coop bust? Because I keep getting my pidgeons placed!

Hey everyone!
This week was a good one, we managed to find a lot thanks to Heavenly Father even though out weekend was more or less gone with conference, which was more or less AMAZING!

Verbatim:
Me: Oh, I know why the flavor is so 淡, you totally put too many 蛋!
Elder Chen: Really?!? You think so? Oh, Ugh....---Me commenting on why the french toast that Elder Chen made was a little light on flavor. The fun from this joke comes from the fact that both characters have the exact same tone and pronunciation. It's a really awful pun.

Come Elder Chen, Join our brotherhood. --seaweed roll boss trying to get Elder Chen to eat the super japanese shrimp roll with us.

I wasn't being a peeping tom, I looked very openly--Elder Chen on when he busted into the bathroom in the morning, pouring icecold water on me.

I know this. You're top sales.--David, a guy on the street. In english.

Everytime I see that flag, I am filled with dread and think "ARNOLD!"--me on the taiwanese flag

Elder, you didn't say 'I love you' back. SAY YOU LOVE ME!--me talking to Elder Chen

I want to death.--Elder Chen when Arnold showed up at the seaweed roll place and found out that he was moving and kept saying over and over "I"m going to miss you. I'm going to miss you...."

Well this week brings some change, I am going to be staying here YAY! And my companion is going to be moving up into the downtown. I am going to be greeniebusting yet again and my new companion is an Elder Cranney. I will keep you posted on how things go!

We had a great miracle this week. I contacted a kid on the street the other day and he said that he was Christian. I told him that we shared that the gospel was restored and the truth was back. He asked sincerely, "How do I know that is true?" I told him that the BOM was the key and offered to give him one another time. He agreed and we set a date to meet. He told me that he wanted his mom to come to and that he would get her to come because he was too nervous to come alone. I said that was fine. I confirmed with him on Sunday, thinking there was a good chance that he wouldn't actually come but he said he'd be there and he was. His dad actually came with him. I thought at first that the dad would have some opposition but he didn't. They were both golden and wanted to find a place to come to church. I prayed hard for the spirit to be with us and inspire them and it did. It was such a miracle that God let them both feel the truth of the message and they are both going to keep meeting and likely bring the rest of the family next time. I know that God wants his children to be with their families forever. That is an eternal truth.

I love you all,
Elder Siebert

Fried Guava Flop, Lobster Seaweed Roll, Breaking the Table's Fall

Hey everyone,
This week brings a new food review:
Fried Guava: Really, I thought this would be a great idea. I think that this is one of those things that you think of because you're fasting and think it will be great because all food sounds good. It wasn't. Major flop. I think that it may have been one of the nastiest things that I have made. The guava middle turned into some sort of snot looking thing and oozed out of the batter and the rest of it had really no flavor except for a slightly foul odor of disappointment. 1 grotesquely gelatinous guavas out of 5.

Fried Snickers: still as good as the first time. This time I put it on for my comp. He gives it 5 out of 5 even though he was very dubious at first.

Lobster Seaweed Roll: A little wasabi-ish and little interesting. Kind of like a seafood potato salad put on a rice roll with veggies. Good, but not that good. 2.5 Lobster Letdowns out of 5.

Verbatim:
You're a black hole--me on Elder Chen's appetite. (this was in chinese. Yeah, I learned black hole!)

Pixie.--Me on Elder Chen's love of his hair. Also in Chinese. We both had a good laugh.

*Slap!!!!!!!*
Me: ouch!!!
Elder Chen: Look! (shows me mosquito)
Me: Chuckles, thanks I guess.

Oh! I totally failed!--Elder Chen on jumping up the curb on his bike after I did it.

Oh, Elder Chen, I know what looked so weird to me, you're not wearing a tie!--me on Elder Chen forgetting to tie a tie on before we left and went to church.

He broke the table's fall.--Me on Sister Zhang's kid pulling a folding table onto himself in the middle of our lesson. yup. That killed the spirit, but not the kid.

Me: You probably should drink that!
Sister Wu: EWWW!!
(There was a roach on the mouth piece of her waterbottle)
Later in the week she was ribbing me about something and I saw her waterbottle. I asked "Oh yeah, did you wash that thing?" She stopped ribbing right away. Hee hee.

Next time I'll put fish flakes on it. The flavors misx together so well, I can only use two words to describe it 完美. --The guy at the seaweed roll place that I am now a regular at. Man he sounds just like me!

Do you wanna look at my snot?--Elder Chen on being sick

Well this week I saw a great miracle on the street. I was going along and really praying for Heavenly Father to let me know who was ready to get the gospel and I saw a kid on the other side of the street walking away who I just a had a very clear impression about. The thought came to my mind, "He's walking really slow, by himself, clearly not in a rush and clearly could use a talking to." I waited a while before I could cross the street and talk to him but he was awesome. When I spoke to him the spirit told me what to say and he told me how he has been having a lot of problems recently and needs help from God. It was so cool as he began to trust God and that I was able to be at the right place at the right time for him. It was a great miracle.

I love you all!
Elder Siebert