Dear People,
First; my little sister's birthday was earlier this month, which I forgot to mention. Sorry! I love you, Hermanita! Happy 19th!
ANYWAYS...
Two days ago I turned 20. That's 1/6 of my Earth Life gone! I've come a long way, though; I can tie my own shoes, brush my own teeth, button my own jacket, and I can even flip an egg without throwing it on the ground... most of the time. I'm working on that.
I've also gone from 5 1/2 pounds to 200 pounds, and 21 inches tall to 70 inches, not a small feat for someone that spent a good 1/2 of that time asleep. I've also become a mostly-independant person, with the occasional exception of not knowing how to order food in Chinese, but I'm working on that, too.
I've had a great week celebrating the birth of my Savior, my self, and soon that of 2013! I'm going biking with some of my friends here, which will probably produce some great pictures. Hopefully I will remember the cord that lets my camera upload to the computer next week.
I've gotta run, but I love you all, and hope you all have a great time ringing out 2012!
Love,
Elder O'Gara
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Blog Post #37: Three Days Late...
But not three dollars short!
This week has been CRAZY!
We had a fantastic activity at my old building in TST on Christmas Eve! The whole Mission was there, and we ate 2 pigs, tons of rolls, a bit of Jello, a ton of cookies, and some blueberry cheesecake. I was in the Mission Choir, and we sang "The First Noel", "Oh, Holy Night", "Born to Wear a Crown", and "Silent Night". It was such fun, I love singing! We also had a gift exchange that was supposed to be a $50 gift exchange. It turned out to be that "Evil Elf" game where people run around stealing all the good presents. I ended up with a $15 dollar broom and $35 of chocolates (which I traded with a Sister who got Ramen), and President Hawks got an empty pop bottle ("Instant Water Storage, Just Add Water!"). There were good gifts (for the record; I love my broom!); like a $50 bill, some fluffy slippers and fluffy ducky towels (I almost stole one of those for my niece), and various amounts of Ferrer Rochers, which are worth their weight in gold here!
THEN, on Christmas Day itself, we road a bus for an hour and a half (I got SUPER carsick!), and then I sang the same four songs at the Hon Seui Kiu Chapel Open House! It's a massive building, but not quite what I'd consider "Standard/Full Size". They had really good apple cider there, which I liked. Right after that we rode the MTR train home (they don't make me carsick), and hung out for a little bit before our Ward Christmas Activity! There was a really fun Scripture Trivia game about Christmas, and a lot of good food. The thing I love most about the Church is that Mormons, no matter what continent we live on, love to eat together. I talked to an older gentleman who's not super interested in the Church, but helped him understand why he should consider it... I hope.
I love Christmas! It's an easy way to talk openly with others about the Savior, why we need Him, and why we celebrate His life, love, and Atonement. I love Christ, and I love spreading His Gospel! It's not fun every day, but it's worth every second. I know that I'm here in Hong Kong to give these people a chance to experience true, unending happiness, and I hope that I can be the best Missionary I can so that they will make the most of this opportunity. I know that all of us can find ways to spread the Gospel, so I invite all of you who've experienced the Savior's love to share it with someone around you!
Love,
Elder O'Gara
This week has been CRAZY!
We had a fantastic activity at my old building in TST on Christmas Eve! The whole Mission was there, and we ate 2 pigs, tons of rolls, a bit of Jello, a ton of cookies, and some blueberry cheesecake. I was in the Mission Choir, and we sang "The First Noel", "Oh, Holy Night", "Born to Wear a Crown", and "Silent Night". It was such fun, I love singing! We also had a gift exchange that was supposed to be a $50 gift exchange. It turned out to be that "Evil Elf" game where people run around stealing all the good presents. I ended up with a $15 dollar broom and $35 of chocolates (which I traded with a Sister who got Ramen), and President Hawks got an empty pop bottle ("Instant Water Storage, Just Add Water!"). There were good gifts (for the record; I love my broom!); like a $50 bill, some fluffy slippers and fluffy ducky towels (I almost stole one of those for my niece), and various amounts of Ferrer Rochers, which are worth their weight in gold here!
THEN, on Christmas Day itself, we road a bus for an hour and a half (I got SUPER carsick!), and then I sang the same four songs at the Hon Seui Kiu Chapel Open House! It's a massive building, but not quite what I'd consider "Standard/Full Size". They had really good apple cider there, which I liked. Right after that we rode the MTR train home (they don't make me carsick), and hung out for a little bit before our Ward Christmas Activity! There was a really fun Scripture Trivia game about Christmas, and a lot of good food. The thing I love most about the Church is that Mormons, no matter what continent we live on, love to eat together. I talked to an older gentleman who's not super interested in the Church, but helped him understand why he should consider it... I hope.
I love Christmas! It's an easy way to talk openly with others about the Savior, why we need Him, and why we celebrate His life, love, and Atonement. I love Christ, and I love spreading His Gospel! It's not fun every day, but it's worth every second. I know that I'm here in Hong Kong to give these people a chance to experience true, unending happiness, and I hope that I can be the best Missionary I can so that they will make the most of this opportunity. I know that all of us can find ways to spread the Gospel, so I invite all of you who've experienced the Savior's love to share it with someone around you!
Love,
Elder O'Gara
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Blog Post #36: You Know it's Fun When...
... "Fun" is in the name!
On Thursday I moved to Fanling (pronounced FUN-Ling)! I live with my "little brother" (we have the same trainer/dad) and my companion is my "uncle" (he and my trainer had the same trainer). I'm the only Non-Utah Born in our house, which is kind of a cool thing for me! Go Washington!
That means Cougars, not Huskies.
Anyways, the new area is great! It's TINY (maybe around 1/8 of TST?), but the ward members are golden. They gave us a few pounds of fried noodles, a gallon of fried rice, and a couple Asian-Style microwave dinners. Do they have Eat East in America? It's pretty good, for microwave food.
My companion, Elder Casey Roper, is from Camas, a little town in Utah where all they had to do was watch movies and play Risk or Settlers. We may or may not play Risk as a house tonight (my little brother's never seen it before!), but we only have Settlers of Zarahemla, which is apparently a Mormon ripoff. It still looks fun to me, but Risk is more favorite.
Like grape, rather than cherry.
I'm excited to be serving here in Fanling. I can feel great things getting ready to happen, and I'm glad the Lord has called me to labor in this corner of the vineyard. I hope that I can live up to His expectations, fulfill this calling, and send Elder Roper home a happy and successful Missionary in 3 months (yeah, I'll probably "kill" him).
I love you all, I love this work, and I am SO happy to be here serving!
Love,
Elder O'Gara
On Thursday I moved to Fanling (pronounced FUN-Ling)! I live with my "little brother" (we have the same trainer/dad) and my companion is my "uncle" (he and my trainer had the same trainer). I'm the only Non-Utah Born in our house, which is kind of a cool thing for me! Go Washington!
That means Cougars, not Huskies.
Anyways, the new area is great! It's TINY (maybe around 1/8 of TST?), but the ward members are golden. They gave us a few pounds of fried noodles, a gallon of fried rice, and a couple Asian-Style microwave dinners. Do they have Eat East in America? It's pretty good, for microwave food.
My companion, Elder Casey Roper, is from Camas, a little town in Utah where all they had to do was watch movies and play Risk or Settlers. We may or may not play Risk as a house tonight (my little brother's never seen it before!), but we only have Settlers of Zarahemla, which is apparently a Mormon ripoff. It still looks fun to me, but Risk is more favorite.
Like grape, rather than cherry.
I'm excited to be serving here in Fanling. I can feel great things getting ready to happen, and I'm glad the Lord has called me to labor in this corner of the vineyard. I hope that I can live up to His expectations, fulfill this calling, and send Elder Roper home a happy and successful Missionary in 3 months (yeah, I'll probably "kill" him).
I love you all, I love this work, and I am SO happy to be here serving!
Love,
Elder O'Gara
Monday, December 10, 2012
Blog Post #35: Tomorrow!
Dear People Who Read This,
You need better things to do!
Tomorrow is the day I find out what the next phase of my Mission is going to be! I am super excited, but not as excited as my friend, Sister L, going to Indonesia on her Mission. She is a member of one of our branches here in Hong Kong that is English-Speaking, and she is going back to her hometown for 18 months to spread the Gospel!
Some of the other sisters, my companion, and I, made about 6 gallons of soup yesterday. It's delicious, and Filipino.
That's been my week,
Love,
Elder O'Gara
You need better things to do!
Tomorrow is the day I find out what the next phase of my Mission is going to be! I am super excited, but not as excited as my friend, Sister L, going to Indonesia on her Mission. She is a member of one of our branches here in Hong Kong that is English-Speaking, and she is going back to her hometown for 18 months to spread the Gospel!
Some of the other sisters, my companion, and I, made about 6 gallons of soup yesterday. It's delicious, and Filipino.
That's been my week,
Love,
Elder O'Gara
Monday, December 3, 2012
Blog Post #34: A Sense of Impending...
Something.
Any of you who have been counting and know the ways Missions usually work know that I'm looking fairly definitely at a move in the next week. After 4 moves in my "Baby Area" I'm about ready to get transferred to a new place, maybe where I've never even been!
The good news is; no such place exists! Because the China Hong Kong Mission is so small, I've been to almost every zone (Kowloon, Hong Kong Island, New Territories, Tolo Harbor, but not Macau). I haven't been to every area, not by a long shot, but I've seen a sample of everything these 400 square miles (counting a LOT of water) have to offer. I'm excited, but I'm also really hoping the unlikely will happen and that I'll stay for 5 moves here. That's only happened to 1 other Cantonese Elder in as long as anyone can remember, so hopefully I'll be #2.
The work here is continuing, as it does all across the world. The service we give is a lot of fun, and at times can be challenging, but it's always worth it. It's a bit strange to think that my next post will be my 1/3 mark, but the way that time flies is the only thing I dislike about being a Missionary. The days really do seem like weeks, and the weeks really do seem like days, sometimes like hours.
Anyways, I am having fun here in Southern China! I took my first picture of Autumn leaves for the year, which is something that usually happens on September 3rd, not December 3rd. It's all good, though, I am enjoying the prolonged cool-ish weather, even though it's perplexing how cold 70 feels.
In other news, I finished the Book of Mormon for my first time start-to-finish as a Missionary yesterday, and I finished Jesus the Christ for the first time ever this morning. Both are really good, and Elder Talmage's work really helped me understand the Savior better. I recommend both books to be studied at the same time if a reader wants an in-depth and awesome look at who our Redeemer is.
I love you all, I am SO happy to be doing this work, and I know that I am going to go wherever the Lord needs me, and I'm going to love it!
Love,
Elder O'Gara
Any of you who have been counting and know the ways Missions usually work know that I'm looking fairly definitely at a move in the next week. After 4 moves in my "Baby Area" I'm about ready to get transferred to a new place, maybe where I've never even been!
The good news is; no such place exists! Because the China Hong Kong Mission is so small, I've been to almost every zone (Kowloon, Hong Kong Island, New Territories, Tolo Harbor, but not Macau). I haven't been to every area, not by a long shot, but I've seen a sample of everything these 400 square miles (counting a LOT of water) have to offer. I'm excited, but I'm also really hoping the unlikely will happen and that I'll stay for 5 moves here. That's only happened to 1 other Cantonese Elder in as long as anyone can remember, so hopefully I'll be #2.
The work here is continuing, as it does all across the world. The service we give is a lot of fun, and at times can be challenging, but it's always worth it. It's a bit strange to think that my next post will be my 1/3 mark, but the way that time flies is the only thing I dislike about being a Missionary. The days really do seem like weeks, and the weeks really do seem like days, sometimes like hours.
Anyways, I am having fun here in Southern China! I took my first picture of Autumn leaves for the year, which is something that usually happens on September 3rd, not December 3rd. It's all good, though, I am enjoying the prolonged cool-ish weather, even though it's perplexing how cold 70 feels.
In other news, I finished the Book of Mormon for my first time start-to-finish as a Missionary yesterday, and I finished Jesus the Christ for the first time ever this morning. Both are really good, and Elder Talmage's work really helped me understand the Savior better. I recommend both books to be studied at the same time if a reader wants an in-depth and awesome look at who our Redeemer is.
I love you all, I am SO happy to be doing this work, and I know that I am going to go wherever the Lord needs me, and I'm going to love it!
Love,
Elder O'Gara
Monday, November 26, 2012
Blog Post #33: It's beginning to look a lot like...
[Editor's note, there were NO pictures attached but I knew the website of the restaurant so this is what they advertise that the dinner will be. Very nice ;-}.kvk]
(PICTURE OF FOGGY)![]()
Fall!
Fall!
That's right, people I love, my FAVORITE season is upon us! The beautiful rain, the cold that makes it impossible to become sweaty, and, best of all, one of the 2 days a year I can call my family! Thanksgiving was last week, and amazing, and Christmas is in just under a month! I'm super excited to call people, especially my new baby nephew! And my mom.
Speaking of Thanksgiving...
It was a huge success! All told we probably had a $4000 feast (that's about $500 American) for the 20 some odd that came. We had my entire zone and a few of the Mandarins... actually, almost all the Mandarins... because they had "Visitors" (from Mainland) come to get taught everything in one day and get baptized. They are, of course, taught everything months before and live all of our standards before they take the train south, but we like to make sure that they really understand everything before we send them off to be away from the Church for a very long time.
It was a great week, and I'm happy that I am able to give such a nice little report on it! I love you all, have a great week, and keep on searching for miracles!
Love,
Elder O'Gara
Monday, November 19, 2012
Blog Post #32: Taam Fong
Dear People Whom I Love and Treasure,
Taam Fong (both mid level tone) is what we call Home Teaching in Chinese. It literally means "to pay a visit" or something very like that, but it is something the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is famous for. Every month we pair up and go visit a few families just to make sure that they're all happy and healthy and well. Starting at age 14, our men-folk are assigned a few families (you can, of course, ask to not have an assignment, but where's the fun in that?) that they and their assigned companion are expected to call, write, or visit once a month. I think it's great fun, and it's a good way to get to know the people in your congregation better. There's even been one of those cheesy Mormon Movies made about it!
So why is it my topic today?
Because it never gets done.
No matter where you are, it's rare to have 50% of the Home Teaching done in a Ward. Some people are legitimately busy, but most are just too lazy to pick up the phone, dial a number, and have a 5 minute conversation with 2-3 families a month.
It doesn't sound hard, does it? But yet, it's one of the biggest things that doesn't happen, and one of my biggest pet peeves. If the Savior, Jesus Christ, was here, you could bet [be sure] that He would visit
EVERY
SINGLE
FAMILY.
When we are baptized into this Church we promise with God to "take His name upon [us]", which obviously includes visiting the families, just like He would. Sure, it's not the most convenient thing in the world, and it can be a hassle when you're assigned a family that hasn't been to Church in 8 years and threatens to shoot you if you ever come back, but I'm pretty sure Jesus would visit those kinds of people, too.
So, to all you Latter-day Saint Men; get out your phone, call your Home Teaching Companion, and get to work! It's common in Washington to have anywhere from 1/4 to 1/2 of the Ward not coming to Church, and why?
Because they don't remember that Jesus loves them.
Be His representative, be His servant, keep your baptismal covenants, and go make sure that your Home Teaching families are visited. It's a lot more rewarding than facing the Savior at Judgment Day with a solid line of 0's for your Home Teaching record, and a lot more rewarding than the sports you were going to watch instead.
Sisters, this applies to Visiting Teaching, too, but I'm not sure how well that goes because I've never done it. If you're doing 100%, then go encourage the men in your life to do their Home Teaching, and to buy you a little thing of Ben & Jerry's on the way home!
I love you all,
Elder O'Gara
Taam Fong (both mid level tone) is what we call Home Teaching in Chinese. It literally means "to pay a visit" or something very like that, but it is something the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is famous for. Every month we pair up and go visit a few families just to make sure that they're all happy and healthy and well. Starting at age 14, our men-folk are assigned a few families (you can, of course, ask to not have an assignment, but where's the fun in that?) that they and their assigned companion are expected to call, write, or visit once a month. I think it's great fun, and it's a good way to get to know the people in your congregation better. There's even been one of those cheesy Mormon Movies made about it!
So why is it my topic today?
Because it never gets done.
No matter where you are, it's rare to have 50% of the Home Teaching done in a Ward. Some people are legitimately busy, but most are just too lazy to pick up the phone, dial a number, and have a 5 minute conversation with 2-3 families a month.
It doesn't sound hard, does it? But yet, it's one of the biggest things that doesn't happen, and one of my biggest pet peeves. If the Savior, Jesus Christ, was here, you could bet [be sure] that He would visit
EVERY
SINGLE
FAMILY.
When we are baptized into this Church we promise with God to "take His name upon [us]", which obviously includes visiting the families, just like He would. Sure, it's not the most convenient thing in the world, and it can be a hassle when you're assigned a family that hasn't been to Church in 8 years and threatens to shoot you if you ever come back, but I'm pretty sure Jesus would visit those kinds of people, too.
So, to all you Latter-day Saint Men; get out your phone, call your Home Teaching Companion, and get to work! It's common in Washington to have anywhere from 1/4 to 1/2 of the Ward not coming to Church, and why?
Because they don't remember that Jesus loves them.
Be His representative, be His servant, keep your baptismal covenants, and go make sure that your Home Teaching families are visited. It's a lot more rewarding than facing the Savior at Judgment Day with a solid line of 0's for your Home Teaching record, and a lot more rewarding than the sports you were going to watch instead.
Sisters, this applies to Visiting Teaching, too, but I'm not sure how well that goes because I've never done it. If you're doing 100%, then go encourage the men in your life to do their Home Teaching, and to buy you a little thing of Ben & Jerry's on the way home!
I love you all,
Elder O'Gara
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Blog Post #31: Family Home Evening
Dear Loved Ones,
If you don't put the new battery in your camera; you can't take pictures of your food! Not only that, but I forgot to bring my camera to the dinner we got invited to last night! As my mom would say, "I'm battin' 1000!".
Now, back to this dinner... It was AMAZING! The food here is, of course, the best in the world, from the Lotus Root to the Chicken's Feet. There was also Curry Beef, Soy Sauce Chicken, Roast Duck, two kinds of fish, fresh pears and grapes, fancy noodles, lots of rice, tofu with Daikon radish, bell pepper pork, a few other things, and something that was probably a glutionous rice pouch full of fried mixed veggies. At a restaurant, every dish has it's own chopsticks you have to use to dish it, but at the Family Home Evening dinner last night we all got over our allergies to cooties and just reached in to whatever we wanted with our own sticks. It was super awesome, and just so happened to be the father's 70th birthday. I'm still shocked that he's over 50! The man is going to live to 100 with NO problems.
ANYWAYS,
I've had a great week, and I am loving Hong Kong! If you're not having Family Home Evening; start! Use it as an excuse to have a big family dinner! There's nothing that brings people closer together than enjoying a home cooked meal!
Love,
Elder O'Gara
If you don't put the new battery in your camera; you can't take pictures of your food! Not only that, but I forgot to bring my camera to the dinner we got invited to last night! As my mom would say, "I'm battin' 1000!".
Now, back to this dinner... It was AMAZING! The food here is, of course, the best in the world, from the Lotus Root to the Chicken's Feet. There was also Curry Beef, Soy Sauce Chicken, Roast Duck, two kinds of fish, fresh pears and grapes, fancy noodles, lots of rice, tofu with Daikon radish, bell pepper pork, a few other things, and something that was probably a glutionous rice pouch full of fried mixed veggies. At a restaurant, every dish has it's own chopsticks you have to use to dish it, but at the Family Home Evening dinner last night we all got over our allergies to cooties and just reached in to whatever we wanted with our own sticks. It was super awesome, and just so happened to be the father's 70th birthday. I'm still shocked that he's over 50! The man is going to live to 100 with NO problems.
ANYWAYS,
I've had a great week, and I am loving Hong Kong! If you're not having Family Home Evening; start! Use it as an excuse to have a big family dinner! There's nothing that brings people closer together than enjoying a home cooked meal!
Love,
Elder O'Gara
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Blog Post #30: No Time!
Dear People,
I love you, but I have no time to write today! I am doing well, and will have pictures of food to put up next week (which is why I have no time; we gotta make the lunch price!), if I have time...
The Church is True, the Book of Mormon is Blue, and Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love each and every one of you!
Love,
Elder O'Gara
I love you, but I have no time to write today! I am doing well, and will have pictures of food to put up next week (which is why I have no time; we gotta make the lunch price!), if I have time...
The Church is True, the Book of Mormon is Blue, and Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love each and every one of you!
Love,
Elder O'Gara
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Blog Post #29: I'll Find You, My Friend
Dear People,
I love you! I have no time to
type today, but suffice it to say I was asked to baptize Elaine, a young
woman I have only met three times (she is a Mandarin Investigator, and
was baptized in Cantonese), but we have some really close mutual friends.
The youth of the ward sang "I'll Find You, My Friend" at her Baptismal
Service, and it was super spiritual!
Love,
Elder O'Gara
Monday, October 22, 2012
Blog Post #28: Scary Stuff
Dear People I Love,
This has been a really good week, and our plans for today include buying cheap ($75 American) suits and then going to a really nice buffet. Buffets in China are amazing, and Missionaries hound them because, well, we like to eat. A lot. Even the Sisters.
But that's not what's scary, the scary thing is that I am losing my English and my French, and my Spanish (as pitiful as it was) is molderin in the earth. Everything but my Chinese is taking a steep decline, and my Chinese is steadily improving! Beyond that, there's not much to talk about.
The Church is still true, the Book of Mormon is still true, and I still pray for all of you!
Love,
Elder O'Gara
This has been a really good week, and our plans for today include buying cheap ($75 American) suits and then going to a really nice buffet. Buffets in China are amazing, and Missionaries hound them because, well, we like to eat. A lot. Even the Sisters.
But that's not what's scary, the scary thing is that I am losing my English and my French, and my Spanish (as pitiful as it was) is molderin in the earth. Everything but my Chinese is taking a steep decline, and my Chinese is steadily improving! Beyond that, there's not much to talk about.
The Church is still true, the Book of Mormon is still true, and I still pray for all of you!
Love,
Elder O'Gara
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Blog Post #27: "From the Conference Center..."
Dear People I Love,
On Saturday and Sunday we Asians watched General Conference, and I LOVED it! In my Mother's house Conference is a holiday that is rivaled by only Christmas and Thanksgiving in the attention we give it. Considering there are two Conferences each year, it's likely that the combined fuss over celebrating these occasions occludes that of Christmas and Thanksgiving combined. Needless to say, I have been looking forward to those 10 hours of broadcast for a long time.
Conference is also (very conveniently) a marker for how much of my Mission has flown by. I spent last April with my favorite non-family people in the whole wide world, and then a week later went to the MTC. That means that the next time I hear that familiar voice tell me that I'm watching the 183rd semi-annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I'm going to be half-way done with my time here in HK. That's a thought that I'm really glad is so far away.
Another thing I feel is worth mentioning is the Lord's commandment that we ought to go forth proclaiming His Gospel two by two. Every Missionary has a Companion who they are with anywhere from 6 weeks to 6 months (or more, but very very rarely). My first companion, Elder Marrott, was super funny, a little soft spoken, and very focused. I liked working with him because we both enjoyed sticking to a strict schedule. He also loved to do role-plays to practice teaching, which gave me a chance to really get into character and hone my acting skills. I love Elder Marrott!
Elder Herrick is a very different Missionary than Elder Marrott. He is also super funny, but "soft spoken" is his antithesis! He loves to spend time telling stories (which is what we normally do between calls and bedtime), and his favorite plan is "to wing it". He is teaching me how to go with the flow, and how to relax and enjoy my free time (which is 30 minutes a day). He is very straight forward, and tells it how it is; which is an amazingly effective way of doing things. Elder Herrick is a very good Missionary, and I love him as well.
The toughest part of living with three other young men is that we only have one washer and one dryer. We are all fairly clean people (I'm by far the messiest), and the dishes never stack up. Laundry, however, can get a bit of trouble if we don't coordinate our schedules. Life in our apartment is, on most days, a lot of fun and filled with laughter and lots and lots of jokes and riddles. I've finally figured out "Fanny Dooly" and "The Galactic Number", but "Umbrella Town" and "Good Soup" elude me.
I love you all, and I hope that everything back home is going great! I'm super grateful for the letters I got this week, and I'm looking forward to writing some replies! Have a great week!
Love,
Elder O'Gara
On Saturday and Sunday we Asians watched General Conference, and I LOVED it! In my Mother's house Conference is a holiday that is rivaled by only Christmas and Thanksgiving in the attention we give it. Considering there are two Conferences each year, it's likely that the combined fuss over celebrating these occasions occludes that of Christmas and Thanksgiving combined. Needless to say, I have been looking forward to those 10 hours of broadcast for a long time.
Conference is also (very conveniently) a marker for how much of my Mission has flown by. I spent last April with my favorite non-family people in the whole wide world, and then a week later went to the MTC. That means that the next time I hear that familiar voice tell me that I'm watching the 183rd semi-annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I'm going to be half-way done with my time here in HK. That's a thought that I'm really glad is so far away.
Another thing I feel is worth mentioning is the Lord's commandment that we ought to go forth proclaiming His Gospel two by two. Every Missionary has a Companion who they are with anywhere from 6 weeks to 6 months (or more, but very very rarely). My first companion, Elder Marrott, was super funny, a little soft spoken, and very focused. I liked working with him because we both enjoyed sticking to a strict schedule. He also loved to do role-plays to practice teaching, which gave me a chance to really get into character and hone my acting skills. I love Elder Marrott!
Elder Herrick is a very different Missionary than Elder Marrott. He is also super funny, but "soft spoken" is his antithesis! He loves to spend time telling stories (which is what we normally do between calls and bedtime), and his favorite plan is "to wing it". He is teaching me how to go with the flow, and how to relax and enjoy my free time (which is 30 minutes a day). He is very straight forward, and tells it how it is; which is an amazingly effective way of doing things. Elder Herrick is a very good Missionary, and I love him as well.
The toughest part of living with three other young men is that we only have one washer and one dryer. We are all fairly clean people (I'm by far the messiest), and the dishes never stack up. Laundry, however, can get a bit of trouble if we don't coordinate our schedules. Life in our apartment is, on most days, a lot of fun and filled with laughter and lots and lots of jokes and riddles. I've finally figured out "Fanny Dooly" and "The Galactic Number", but "Umbrella Town" and "Good Soup" elude me.
I love you all, and I hope that everything back home is going great! I'm super grateful for the letters I got this week, and I'm looking forward to writing some replies! Have a great week!
Love,
Elder O'Gara
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Blog Post #26: Recenterings
Dear Loved Ones,
This week the President of the China Hong Kong Mission gave us a set of changes that are to be made. These changes, or "re-centerings" are designed to help us focus more so that we can become better Missionaries. Here are the major ones.
1) Suits are no longer to be worn when it is under 25 degrees, but from November 1st to April Conference.
2) Athletic Shorts are only to be worn during morning exercises, not during our scheduled Games Nights or Sports Finding. This rule has effectively killed both of those activities, which makes me EXTREMELY happy!
3) Preparation day is on Monday, starting the 22nd of October.
4) There are a few new rules that facilitate Elders teaching women (not every area has Sister Missionaries). We still aren't allowed to teach 1 woman or even 2 women without a Ward Member present, which is good.
Even though I won't be watching General Conference for a few more days (Asia is a week behind so that everything can get translated), I of course heard the re-centerings that President Thomas S Monson gave us last week.
1) Sisters can now serve full-time missions at 19
2) Young Men can now serve full-time missions at 18
These re-centerings are also going to strengthen the Work of God, which I am very excited to see. It will be strange, though, to see women younger than me with name tags on in the next six months. A good kind of strange, a strange that I'm excited to see bolster our ranks and spirits!
The only thing that I don't like about Full-Time Missionary work is being 1/4 finished with mine. I'm not sure I've become a quarter of the man I wanted to become while I'm out here, but I hope I can finish my transformation in the next 18 months. I was almost done with High School 18 months ago, and I have hopes that if I change that much (or even more) in the next 18 months, I'll be a lot farther along than I would of had I skipped this wonderful Mission experience.
I love you all, please take this amazing opportunity to become Missionaries and learn what the Lord can do for you. I know every bit of this Gospel is true, and I know that you'll only know that for yourselves if you give everything to find it out. There is no research that can be done that is more informative than entering the Holy Temple and learning through Personal Revelation. The two best things to do are to become Missionaries and to get Sealed for time and all eternity. Now is the time to show; who's on the Lord's side?
Love, Elder O'Gara
This week the President of the China Hong Kong Mission gave us a set of changes that are to be made. These changes, or "re-centerings" are designed to help us focus more so that we can become better Missionaries. Here are the major ones.
1) Suits are no longer to be worn when it is under 25 degrees, but from November 1st to April Conference.
2) Athletic Shorts are only to be worn during morning exercises, not during our scheduled Games Nights or Sports Finding. This rule has effectively killed both of those activities, which makes me EXTREMELY happy!
3) Preparation day is on Monday, starting the 22nd of October.
4) There are a few new rules that facilitate Elders teaching women (not every area has Sister Missionaries). We still aren't allowed to teach 1 woman or even 2 women without a Ward Member present, which is good.
Even though I won't be watching General Conference for a few more days (Asia is a week behind so that everything can get translated), I of course heard the re-centerings that President Thomas S Monson gave us last week.
1) Sisters can now serve full-time missions at 19
2) Young Men can now serve full-time missions at 18
These re-centerings are also going to strengthen the Work of God, which I am very excited to see. It will be strange, though, to see women younger than me with name tags on in the next six months. A good kind of strange, a strange that I'm excited to see bolster our ranks and spirits!
The only thing that I don't like about Full-Time Missionary work is being 1/4 finished with mine. I'm not sure I've become a quarter of the man I wanted to become while I'm out here, but I hope I can finish my transformation in the next 18 months. I was almost done with High School 18 months ago, and I have hopes that if I change that much (or even more) in the next 18 months, I'll be a lot farther along than I would of had I skipped this wonderful Mission experience.
I love you all, please take this amazing opportunity to become Missionaries and learn what the Lord can do for you. I know every bit of this Gospel is true, and I know that you'll only know that for yourselves if you give everything to find it out. There is no research that can be done that is more informative than entering the Holy Temple and learning through Personal Revelation. The two best things to do are to become Missionaries and to get Sealed for time and all eternity. Now is the time to show; who's on the Lord's side?
Love, Elder O'Gara
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Blog Post #25: Pak Muhn'ing
Dear Family and Friends,
To "Pak Muhn" (pronounced "Pock-Moohn") is to go door to door, knocking and spreading the Gospel. It is illegal in most of the buildings in Hong Kong, and the penalty can range from getting chased out to getting fined for trespassing. Elder Herrick and I, however, have take Alma and Amulek's example to heart and have sought to bring the Message of the Restoration to those who are "...poor as to things of the world; and also they were poor in heart." (Alma 32:3), and it is starting to gain momentum. In a building with some two dozen doors, half of them were opened, and we were were able to teach a Coptic Christian family that came here from Egypt a few years ago. If you aren't familiar with the Copts; suffice it to say few groups in today's world (i.e. the Jews being one of those few) are more humbled by their afflictions and persecutions.
I hope that we are able to find more who have been prepared to accept and receive the Word of God, because it truly is the power of Salvation unto all men. It brings joy, peace, consolation, guidance, and order into EVERY life it touches, be it poor or rich, proud or humble, great or small. Because it is the true Gospel, it helps everyone with every problem. Not everyone can see it the first time they look into the Gospel, but quiet determination allows the honest seeker of truth to know it is true for him/herself.
Some people have the misconception that my job as a Missionary is to convince others that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, and that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is His church. If anyone is ever baptized because I convinced them; then I've failed. My purpose is to tell others what I know to be true, and for them to try their best to have an experience in which they receive the quiet confirmation of truth through the Holy Spirit. That comforting, peaceful, safe, happy, good, special feeling is what convinces people to join this Church. I have felt it, and I am far from the home I love to help others feel it. I'm excited to once again feel the Spirit very strongly at General Conference, when the Prophet of God will tell us what the Father wants us to hear.
I love you all, I know that what the Prophet will say is from God, and I write this testimony in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Ben Cheung and I
Tim Tam Slam
The Hawk who Lives Upstairs
To "Pak Muhn" (pronounced "Pock-Moohn") is to go door to door, knocking and spreading the Gospel. It is illegal in most of the buildings in Hong Kong, and the penalty can range from getting chased out to getting fined for trespassing. Elder Herrick and I, however, have take Alma and Amulek's example to heart and have sought to bring the Message of the Restoration to those who are "...poor as to things of the world; and also they were poor in heart." (Alma 32:3), and it is starting to gain momentum. In a building with some two dozen doors, half of them were opened, and we were were able to teach a Coptic Christian family that came here from Egypt a few years ago. If you aren't familiar with the Copts; suffice it to say few groups in today's world (i.e. the Jews being one of those few) are more humbled by their afflictions and persecutions.
I hope that we are able to find more who have been prepared to accept and receive the Word of God, because it truly is the power of Salvation unto all men. It brings joy, peace, consolation, guidance, and order into EVERY life it touches, be it poor or rich, proud or humble, great or small. Because it is the true Gospel, it helps everyone with every problem. Not everyone can see it the first time they look into the Gospel, but quiet determination allows the honest seeker of truth to know it is true for him/herself.
Some people have the misconception that my job as a Missionary is to convince others that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, and that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is His church. If anyone is ever baptized because I convinced them; then I've failed. My purpose is to tell others what I know to be true, and for them to try their best to have an experience in which they receive the quiet confirmation of truth through the Holy Spirit. That comforting, peaceful, safe, happy, good, special feeling is what convinces people to join this Church. I have felt it, and I am far from the home I love to help others feel it. I'm excited to once again feel the Spirit very strongly at General Conference, when the Prophet of God will tell us what the Father wants us to hear.
I love you all, I know that what the Prophet will say is from God, and I write this testimony in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Ben Cheung and I
Tim Tam Slam
The Hawk who Lives Upstairs
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Blog Post #24: A Happy, Busy Elder
Dear People I Love,
I love you all! I've had a great week, and I'm excited to tell you all about my new companion, Elder Herrick! He is a great Missionary, and hates being in the sun as much as I do! To combat this, we are working on booking ourselves SOLID with lessons, and we're starting to get frighteningly close! I love how busy we are some days; we almost don't have time for finding! I realized that I am living with 3 Elders who have all been out over a year, and I love the opportunity this is to chat with them and figure out what works best out here! Elder Herrick firmly believes that every lesson ought to have a member of the Church present to help us teach, and I am realizing how true that is!
If the Missionaries in your area call you and ask you to fellowship with them, please do! Even when we're all speaking our native language, it's so much more effective to have a "regular person" there; someone without a nametag who just wants to be the your friend. If you haven't received a call from the Sisters or Elders, give them a call and tell them the next time you have an hour free. They will be super appreciative, and you will understand the Gospel better by helping to share it! It really is a win-win-win situation!
Maybe I'm soapboxing a litte bit, but the biggest help you can give a Missionary is your time. Food is also great, but we've got money to buy that. What we can't buy is an honest, friendly, cheerful, and excited friend explaining why they love church, and that's what we really need in this work. You don't have to have some huge conversion story, you don't need to be a scriptorian, you don't even need to feel like you have a super great testimony of the Gospel; you just need to know how living the teachings of Christ has blessed you.
Teaching Doctrines is easy. You can go learn all of them by opening up the scriptures. They are as simple as 1+1=2.
It's the Principles that make the difference.
The Principles are how 1+1=2. They're how you can recieve help from Heavenly Father. If you know anything about God, it's that He can help you. Missionaries will tell someone that the very first time they meet them, no matter who they are. We need your help to show these people how God helps us, how our Heavenly Father gives us the answers and the guidance that we need in this crazy, crazy world we live in. We need your help to express the gratitude you have for your Heavenly Father's help in buying groceries, picking up kids from school, doing laundry, or anything else that has helped you see the love of God in your life.
The biggest question every Missionary has is "How do I keep my Recent Converts active?". It doesn't matter if you baptise 1000 people, if none of them go on to enter the Temple. Heavenly Father helped me to understand the ways I can help the 5 young people in my Ward who have recently recieved Baptism and Confirmation, and through the Book of Mormon I have understood their situations better than I ever thought I could. I know that He can do the same for you; if you will let Him. Ask in faith, and with the intention to act on the answer given.
I know that what I have written here is true, and I write them in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Love,
Elder O'Gara
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Blog Post #23: 42 is the answer...
Every 42 days (6 weeks) every Missionary in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints may or may not move, except for those who are in their first 12 weeks, AKA Training.
I am not one of those that moved, but Elder Marrott was! My wonderful trainer, 馬長老 is off to the magical land of Sheung Shui, an area so northern that he can see Mainland in a couple places! I had a great time with him, and I know he's going to have a blast up there! He spent a few moves up there in the beginning of his mission.
My new companion is Elder Herrick from Orem, Utah! 何長老 has been doing International work for the past 4 moves (AKA my whole mission), so he is used to doing a lot of finding, which is what my area needs right now! He is a lot of fun, and hilarious from all accounts I've heard! I'm excited to spend the next while with him here in Tsim Sha Tsui!
On Sunday I baptized Cheung Wing Gin (Ben)! I did everything perfect the first time, but only because I practiced what I was supposed to say for like 5 hours last week! He is a great kid (14 years old), and I'm excited for him to become a strong part of the ward!
Exciting news from home as well; I have another nephew! My Hawai'ian Stepbrother and his wife just had their ninth baby! I haven't seen a picture of him yet, but I'm sure he's super cute.
My Sister, Number Five, just found out that she is pregnant with a boy! I was praying (no really, I was) for a niece, but I am going to love my other nephew a TON when I get home! I'm almost not dreading leaving HK just for the prospect of all the new people in my family!
This week has been good, a little crazy with the move, but good. I've been reading the Book of Mormon a ton, and one thing that really stood out was Alma 41:9-10. This is Alma talking to his son Corianton, who went chasing after a harlot named Isabel...
"9 And now behold, my son, do not risk one more offense against your God upon those points of doctrine, which ye have hitherto risked to commit sin.
10 Do not suppose, because it has been spoken concerning restoration, that ye shall be restored from sin to happiness. Behold, I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness."
As Missionaries, we keep ourselves to super high standards, and keep the Commandments to the letter. That's where the Spirit of the Law, or the Higher Law comes in. Everyone can improve, even those who are doing super well. The great thing about improving, or "repenting", is that it helps you become closer to Heavenly Father. The bad become good by turning away from their sins, and the good become better by chipping away at the last bits of unrighteousness that are holding them down. Of course, no one can attain perfection in this life, but trying to do so is a GREAT goal that will last your whole life!
I love you all, and I hope that you're praying for me as hard as I'm praying for you! I know that what I'm doing is bringing people closer to their Father in Heaven, and I'm so excited that I get to do it!
Love, Elder O'Gara
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Blog Post #22: In Memorium
Dear Family and Friends,
You may be surprised to hear that the title of this week's post is not referring directly to the mass murders that occurred nearly 600 Tuesday's ago. I did, in my own quiet way, honor the memories of the thousands of innocent men, women, and children who were killed that day and in the subsequent conflicts, but I feel that sharing any more of my feelings on that subject may breach the guidelines set forth in the Missionary Handbook that counsels me not to discuss politics.
The main topic of this week's letter to those I love is the 5th of the 5 Blessings. They are Health, Prosperity, Good Fortune, Happy Children, and Natural Death.
This week I was invited to attend a memorial service for Brother Lee, a member of our Ward that had been ill and unable to attend Church for a very long time. Missionaries are not often invited to go to such ceremonies, so Elder Marrott and I were deeply touched by the invitation extended to us by the deceased's niece. It was a very peaceful service in which Brother Lee was remembered, the goodness of God and the Plan of Salvation was extolled, and his mortal remains were taken to be protected until he is called up by the Father on Resurrection Morning.
The thing that makes Natural Death the 5th blessing, in my way of seeing things, is that it gives one time to reconcile oneself with God. As a person ages they begin to understand that their hour soon will come to lay down their bodies and prepare to meet their Lord. I'm sure this gives the aged time to ponder their lives and the chance to correct any mistakes they may have made.
Unfortunately, as we were all reminded as we mourned on Tuesday, not everyone is given the 5th Blessing. If you were to receive it, would you be ready to meet the Father? Are you confident that you would receive Eternal Life? I'm sure that, with the decades of quiet introspection that usually proceed natural death, all of us would be.
But what if you didn't pass in your sleep in the sunset of your life? If you were called back to the Judgement Seat tomorrow, would you be ready? My purpose is not to frighten you into action, but to cause you to search your soul and, if needed, correct yourself. Let me quote a book I've been reading recently to help me clarify my words;
Alma 34:34 "Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world."
The message here is very direct and simple to me; it doesn't matter what you outwardly do, but what you inwardly are. "That same spirit" means YOU. If you have no desire to follow God's commandments now, you won't in the next stage of your progression. If you "set at naught the things of God" now, you will not be given more of the things of God in the Post-Mortal world. To make it a bit more clear; if you cannot abide by the laws and statutes of America, then you cannot be a happy and free American. If you regard the laws as a cage that needs breaking out of, you will be punished and your liberty will be taken away. If you view these laws as a scaffold to help you grow upwards to fulfill your full potential, you will receive happiness, freedom, and be allowed to continue doing the things that make you happy.
If you cannot follow the commandments of God, you cannot dwell with Him. If you view the Word of Wisdom, the Laws of Chastity, of Tithing, of the Sabbath as a cage, then you will begin to grow bitter as you create an imagined prison around yourself. If you view these commandments as a scaffolding that ensures you are building yourself safely upward, and not dangerously outwards, you will feel yourself being added upon. I know that it's not easy to accept at first that the Gospel is a scaffold, not a cage, but I know that as you use the doctrines and principles taught to govern your life and guide each choice, our Heavenly Father will bless you with His Son's care and the Holy Spirit's guidance.
I hope to be ready to meet my Father when the time comes, and that each of you can also be so ready. I love you all, and I know that this is the Lord's Restored Gospel. Love it, live it, and you will receive true and unending joy and happiness.
Love,
Elder O'Gara
You may be surprised to hear that the title of this week's post is not referring directly to the mass murders that occurred nearly 600 Tuesday's ago. I did, in my own quiet way, honor the memories of the thousands of innocent men, women, and children who were killed that day and in the subsequent conflicts, but I feel that sharing any more of my feelings on that subject may breach the guidelines set forth in the Missionary Handbook that counsels me not to discuss politics.
The main topic of this week's letter to those I love is the 5th of the 5 Blessings. They are Health, Prosperity, Good Fortune, Happy Children, and Natural Death.
This week I was invited to attend a memorial service for Brother Lee, a member of our Ward that had been ill and unable to attend Church for a very long time. Missionaries are not often invited to go to such ceremonies, so Elder Marrott and I were deeply touched by the invitation extended to us by the deceased's niece. It was a very peaceful service in which Brother Lee was remembered, the goodness of God and the Plan of Salvation was extolled, and his mortal remains were taken to be protected until he is called up by the Father on Resurrection Morning.
The thing that makes Natural Death the 5th blessing, in my way of seeing things, is that it gives one time to reconcile oneself with God. As a person ages they begin to understand that their hour soon will come to lay down their bodies and prepare to meet their Lord. I'm sure this gives the aged time to ponder their lives and the chance to correct any mistakes they may have made.
Unfortunately, as we were all reminded as we mourned on Tuesday, not everyone is given the 5th Blessing. If you were to receive it, would you be ready to meet the Father? Are you confident that you would receive Eternal Life? I'm sure that, with the decades of quiet introspection that usually proceed natural death, all of us would be.
But what if you didn't pass in your sleep in the sunset of your life? If you were called back to the Judgement Seat tomorrow, would you be ready? My purpose is not to frighten you into action, but to cause you to search your soul and, if needed, correct yourself. Let me quote a book I've been reading recently to help me clarify my words;
Alma 34:34 "Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world."
The message here is very direct and simple to me; it doesn't matter what you outwardly do, but what you inwardly are. "That same spirit" means YOU. If you have no desire to follow God's commandments now, you won't in the next stage of your progression. If you "set at naught the things of God" now, you will not be given more of the things of God in the Post-Mortal world. To make it a bit more clear; if you cannot abide by the laws and statutes of America, then you cannot be a happy and free American. If you regard the laws as a cage that needs breaking out of, you will be punished and your liberty will be taken away. If you view these laws as a scaffold to help you grow upwards to fulfill your full potential, you will receive happiness, freedom, and be allowed to continue doing the things that make you happy.
If you cannot follow the commandments of God, you cannot dwell with Him. If you view the Word of Wisdom, the Laws of Chastity, of Tithing, of the Sabbath as a cage, then you will begin to grow bitter as you create an imagined prison around yourself. If you view these commandments as a scaffolding that ensures you are building yourself safely upward, and not dangerously outwards, you will feel yourself being added upon. I know that it's not easy to accept at first that the Gospel is a scaffold, not a cage, but I know that as you use the doctrines and principles taught to govern your life and guide each choice, our Heavenly Father will bless you with His Son's care and the Holy Spirit's guidance.
I hope to be ready to meet my Father when the time comes, and that each of you can also be so ready. I love you all, and I know that this is the Lord's Restored Gospel. Love it, live it, and you will receive true and unending joy and happiness.
Love,
Elder O'Gara
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Blog Post #21
Dear People Whom I Love,
Today I got to jugar futbol (AKA da jeukbou) with the rest of the Missionaries in my Zone. All 20 of us met up at a park in Cheung Sha Wan and played 3 rounds of volleyball (there were 3 teams of 7 because a really cool member of the Church named Kenneth Fong came with us), then we played soccer. I loved it so much! If you're curious as to how soccer in a sauna would be, this is the place to experience it! I lose SO much water weight, and it's not uncommon for me to drink a gallon of water a day. That may sound excessive, but I still don't feel 100% hydrated at the end of the day, which means I always have water with my breakfast.
Speaking of breakfast, let me talk a little about my diet. I typically have a few pieces of fruit or maybe curry fish and potatoes for breakfast. I used to do noodles for breakfast, which is delicious but SUPER time consuming. Lunch is noodles, curry fish and potatoes (if I didn't have it for breakfast), but most often I'll have vegetable stir-fry. I can eat a TON of veggies for lunch and still be hungry for dinner! Dinner is either noodles, veggie stir-fry, or chicken. If we eat out it'll typically be for dinner, and cost less than 3 US Dollars. I like to get almond flavored tofu (which is delicious), grass jelly (think not-sweet-mint jello), and fresh fruit. Also, I'll randomly add rice to any meal; as one of my Apartment Leader things I do is ensure we always have rice in the fridge if anyone wants it (which is usually at every meal, here in China).
On rare occasion (once or twice every six weeks) I will get a #7 with fries and fanta from McDonalds. I've done that 4 times so far; and I think I may have eaten more Big Macs on my Mission so far than I did in my entire life before my Mission. Don't worry, I saw "Supersize Me", I'm keeping it real. There's also a million bubble tea places around, so I'll occasionally get mango and red bean smoothies with fat tapioca pearls in them. Bubble tea is even more rare than McD's, though.
But usually I eat fresh fruits and veggies and whole grains. That's what I want you to remember about my diet.
Anyways, the work of a Missionary is tiring, but infinitely more rewarding than it is tiring! We have people coming to us slowly but surely, and they are great! We are helping people who are interested in the Gospel experience the power of Jesus Christ's Atonement. We help those who have strayed from the Gospel remember the peace, comfort, and happiness that knowing their purpose and potential brings. We help those who are strong members of the Church strengthen their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and we help them know how they can share their joy and excitement with their friends, neighbors, and coworkers. We also work with many people who have just recently received Baptism to continue to grow closer to the Savior and understand His teachings better.
No matter what we do; we have one goal in mind; invite all people to come unto Christ. No one is perfect, so everyone can grow to understand and apply His teachings better, everyone can improve in some way, and everyone can share the peace and joy the Gospel brings with a few more people. That's why being a Missionary is great! I don't have to worry about school, my phone, my pet fish, my car, or anything else getting in the way of spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ! This is an amazing experience! All I do all day is try to make everyone around me happier! No matter what you do or don't believe, that's got to sound pretty amazing.
I love this work! I know I have been called by God to help others accept His Son's Gospel. I have never seen either of Them face to face as Joseph Smith has, but I see the hand of the Creator of Heaven and Earth all around me. I feel it in the world around me, see it in the miracles that people take for granted, and experience it every day! This knowledge did not come because I had some huge amazing experience, but because everyday my faith is built line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little. Conversion is not an event, it is a process. It may have a clear beginning, but it will never end.
I love you all. I know this work is true, and I invite all of you to pray and receive the answer that I have; that God has given us a modern-day prophet to lead, guide, and direct us to Life Eternal.
I write these things in the name of our Lord, Savior, and Elder Brother, Jesus Christ, Amen.
Love,
Elder O'Gara
Today I got to jugar futbol (AKA da jeukbou) with the rest of the Missionaries in my Zone. All 20 of us met up at a park in Cheung Sha Wan and played 3 rounds of volleyball (there were 3 teams of 7 because a really cool member of the Church named Kenneth Fong came with us), then we played soccer. I loved it so much! If you're curious as to how soccer in a sauna would be, this is the place to experience it! I lose SO much water weight, and it's not uncommon for me to drink a gallon of water a day. That may sound excessive, but I still don't feel 100% hydrated at the end of the day, which means I always have water with my breakfast.
Speaking of breakfast, let me talk a little about my diet. I typically have a few pieces of fruit or maybe curry fish and potatoes for breakfast. I used to do noodles for breakfast, which is delicious but SUPER time consuming. Lunch is noodles, curry fish and potatoes (if I didn't have it for breakfast), but most often I'll have vegetable stir-fry. I can eat a TON of veggies for lunch and still be hungry for dinner! Dinner is either noodles, veggie stir-fry, or chicken. If we eat out it'll typically be for dinner, and cost less than 3 US Dollars. I like to get almond flavored tofu (which is delicious), grass jelly (think not-sweet-mint jello), and fresh fruit. Also, I'll randomly add rice to any meal; as one of my Apartment Leader things I do is ensure we always have rice in the fridge if anyone wants it (which is usually at every meal, here in China).
On rare occasion (once or twice every six weeks) I will get a #7 with fries and fanta from McDonalds. I've done that 4 times so far; and I think I may have eaten more Big Macs on my Mission so far than I did in my entire life before my Mission. Don't worry, I saw "Supersize Me", I'm keeping it real. There's also a million bubble tea places around, so I'll occasionally get mango and red bean smoothies with fat tapioca pearls in them. Bubble tea is even more rare than McD's, though.
But usually I eat fresh fruits and veggies and whole grains. That's what I want you to remember about my diet.
Anyways, the work of a Missionary is tiring, but infinitely more rewarding than it is tiring! We have people coming to us slowly but surely, and they are great! We are helping people who are interested in the Gospel experience the power of Jesus Christ's Atonement. We help those who have strayed from the Gospel remember the peace, comfort, and happiness that knowing their purpose and potential brings. We help those who are strong members of the Church strengthen their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and we help them know how they can share their joy and excitement with their friends, neighbors, and coworkers. We also work with many people who have just recently received Baptism to continue to grow closer to the Savior and understand His teachings better.
No matter what we do; we have one goal in mind; invite all people to come unto Christ. No one is perfect, so everyone can grow to understand and apply His teachings better, everyone can improve in some way, and everyone can share the peace and joy the Gospel brings with a few more people. That's why being a Missionary is great! I don't have to worry about school, my phone, my pet fish, my car, or anything else getting in the way of spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ! This is an amazing experience! All I do all day is try to make everyone around me happier! No matter what you do or don't believe, that's got to sound pretty amazing.
I love this work! I know I have been called by God to help others accept His Son's Gospel. I have never seen either of Them face to face as Joseph Smith has, but I see the hand of the Creator of Heaven and Earth all around me. I feel it in the world around me, see it in the miracles that people take for granted, and experience it every day! This knowledge did not come because I had some huge amazing experience, but because everyday my faith is built line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little. Conversion is not an event, it is a process. It may have a clear beginning, but it will never end.
I love you all. I know this work is true, and I invite all of you to pray and receive the answer that I have; that God has given us a modern-day prophet to lead, guide, and direct us to Life Eternal.
I write these things in the name of our Lord, Savior, and Elder Brother, Jesus Christ, Amen.
Love,
Elder O'Gara
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Blog Post #20: Western Girls
Dear People Whom I Love,
I love you! This week I didn't make any huge mistakes with the language (I've gotten some coaching in regards to how to say fishing).
I've been very busy, as today is my Trainer's birthday, so instead of a rundown on my week; here's an interesting thing that proves that written Chinese is all just one big joke!
This is "west" or "western"
西
This is "girl" or "woman"
女
This is "need" the verb, or "needs" the noun
要
The slight difference is only because of how the computer displays the character. Someone, somewhere, a long long long time ago realized that white girls are very high maintenance, and payed homage to this well known quality of theirs by inventing this character to be the visual representation of the concept of "needing".
Of course, everyone has needs, not just white girls. The great thing about Heavenly Father is that He knows exactly how to fulfill your needs so that you will be in the best circumstances for you to learn and grow! I know He loves each and every one, He knows you all by name, He knows what all of you truly need, and He would LOVE to give it to you, if you will be humble, exercise faith and patience, and pray daily!
Have a great week!
岳長老
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Blog Post #19: "Get in Here!"
So my goof this week was only slightly rude! "Yap laih, yap laih" is a command, but sort of a softened command because it's repeated. I ought to have said "Cheng" mid-rising before it. I'll learn eventually...
I have had such a great week, but I regretably have no time to blog about it! Suffice it to say God is good, He is love, and He watches over His servants! I love what I'm doing, I love that I have so many friends getting home from their full-time missionary service, and I hope that even more will be heading out soon! I love y'all, and I hope everyone is happy, healthy, and well!
Love,
Elder O'Gara
岳長老
P.S. Congrats to Morgan Kidd on finishing her novel! I'll buy a copy... In 2 years.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Blog Post #18: Barf Milk
I might as well just rename my blog "Misadventures in Cantonese"! It's such a fun language and such a fun place, and at least my major goof up wasn't profane this week!
In China people eat many kinds of pickles and drink many kinds of milk. You have to specify what kind of pickles (cabbage, carrot, kimchi, eggs {and you have to specify the animal the eggs came from} etc.), and you have to say goat or cow or buffalo or duck milk. Babies drink just milk, big kids drink cow or goat milk. For some reason Soy Milk doesn't have the word "Milk" in it.
Anyways, the word "cow" is pronounced "ow" with a low-falling tone. The word "to vomit" is pronounced "ow" with a mid-rising tone. Therefore, when instructing people on how to make Horchata (I'll tell you why next week), it is important to tell them to use "cow milk", not "barf milk". We all had a good laugh, and I also found out that cooked rice and raw rice have different words...
Anyways, I'm doing great! I spent a little longer that normal on my emails to family (I love y'all!) today, so I'm gonna wrap this up before too long.
Right now we've got Typhoon Signal One hoisted, which means pretty much nothing. In Cantonese we say "Sap Sap Seui" (sup sup soy) which basically means "No Big Deal". Typhoon Signals one and two are sap sap seui, three is a decent storm, eight is a minor hurricane. We do have wind that's throwing around shopping bags but, once again, sap sap seui.
Even though this language is tough and the weather is funky, I am still SO grateful to be out spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ to the AmAzInG people of Hong Kong! So many people here are so ready to receive the Word, and even though I can't articulate the peace this Gospel brings, they can feel it when I teach.
I know that God loves us! We are His children, and He, like any good father, has given us rules to keep us safe, healthy, and happy. Yes, they restrict us from doing some things, but does anyone really want to put their hand on a stove burner? I know I did when I was little, and I got horribly burned by it. Spiritual burns last a lot longer, and hurt a lot more. Even though the Gospel may not seem like fun all the time; it's there for a reason; to keep us safe! Follow the teachings of the Prophets, they are the Lord's words! I love y'all, have a great week!
P.S. No, there is no such thing as duck milk! But we do call butter "cow oil"
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Blog Post #17: The Lazy Fisherman
Cantonese is a tonal language. That means that the pitch of your voice changes a word, and that the trajectory of your pitch changes it more. So, when you go from a no tone language to a tonal one, there are, naturally, some words that you also mess up. They can be small and inconsequential, or huge and embarassingly funny for everyone around you.
For example; I tell people I love to go fishing. The problem is that fishing and the Cantonese equivalent of "the F Word" have only very subtle sound and tone differences that escape me. I usually get it right, but I sometimes get 60% puzzled, 40% mortified-that-you-just-said-that-in-public looks when I say "fishing".
The word for "lazy" is low-level, and the vowel is the "aw" from an East Coast person's "lawn mower". I found out that low-falling with the "aw" from my "lawn mower" (think "awesome") is not quite profanity, but NOT a word you use in the Church gym to explain why you can't come play basketball.
I love learning!
I also love families! When people learn the Gospel as a family they feel the Spirit more. Why? Because the Gospel is centered on families! Like we sang in Primary "God gave us families/ To help us become what he wants us to be!" It's so true! I've talked before about how, through the lessons of early childhood, we learn Eternal truths and principles. So, when this amazing learning environment finds the Gospel being taught within it, miracles start exploding into existence! Not only that, but miracles start to happen more and more as you search harder for families!
That's why families are so important to the Church, why so many of my amazing young friends are getting married in the Temple, because we believe that Families can be together forever because Heavenly Father has given us the Plan of Happiness. We can experience the joy of a happy home for the rest of forever with the people we love!
There are many people I know who do not come from happy homes, and no one's family is perfect. That is why I share this Gospel; because I know that you can have a perfectly happy family for Eternity.
That's why, even though a very close friend's grandfather just recently passed away, I am still happy. Sure, I'm going to miss talking about his time in the Army and being an Olympic Skiing coach and all his other great stories, but I know that he's happy now, that he's free from the pain that plagued him for so many years, and that before too long he'll be able to enjoy life again with a perfect body.
I'm excited for the day that Grandpa Bob gets to teach me how to ski.
I love you all, and to those who have lost family members, whether Grandpa Bob last month, Grandma Verda years ago, or your loving husband a decade ago, you are all in my prayers, always. Have a great week, everyone, and think Eternally.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Blog Post #16: Mi Amigo
In 10th Grade I met a tall skinny ginger kid in Choir. We stood next to each other, sang the same part, chased the same girl for a week, and just had a great time of it.
In 11th Grade I somehow ended up at the same school 2 years in a row, and my new friend was still in Choir with me. We got to know each other really well, even to the point of man-hugging.
In 12th Grade we chased after the same girl for a month or so, went dumpster diving for pizzas, drifting in blizzards, TP'ing people's front doors, making midnight cream puff deliveries, making midnight nightmare deliveries, going to midnight premieres of movies, and cooked up delicious home-made bleu cheese toether... not at midnight. We had lots of fun, played with lots of fire, and spent buckets of time together, including planning Senior Prom.
I just read the email from my mother informing me that my best friend, Elder Brandyn (Thomas?) Pierce is going to be serving in the Mexico Culiacan Mission! I am almost crying with joy! My very favorite person from High School is going to be using his AP Spanish skills! Not gonna lie; I secretly wanted to train him, but I will get over myself when I get to welcome him back at the Boise airport in November of 2014. I TOTALLY call him for my sous-chef for my 22nd Birthday Dinner-Party! Get ready for Chinese-Mexican Fusion!
I love my friends so much! Valorie is Sealed for time and all Eternity, B-Dawg is buying short-sleeve shirts, Rob is probably also buying short-sleeve shirts, Deji Dahling is writing a book, and who knows what else is going on! Honestly, the class of 2011 is the Best Class Ever! Who else is being amazing?
But I suppose you want to hear about me...
Last week my loving Heavenly Father lead me to 2 great families to teach! Our Mission President (AKA Boss) has asked us to focus on families, so we've been praying very hard about how to do this. We went to an area where we've never been before (TST is HUGE), and we found a family! Then, at English Class, we realized that Simon has a family (a son and daughter)! It's so good to see the Lord guiding you in your endevours, cuz trust me; I did NOT want to walk the hour to Kowloon Bay!
I went bowling this morning, an epic picture of my gutterball fit will be up next week (I forgot my MiniUSB adapter). I bought 3 pounds of chicken, and it looks like a lot to me, but I think that's about what the food pyramid says I should eat in a week. I am too busy (lazy) to find good veggie-saurus food in HK that's not in Buddhist monasteries on the tops of the mountains. No really, that's the only stuff I've been able to find that wasn't just plain-flavor soy protein nuggets.
Going back to not-me; I met an Elder Welker who is a cousin to my like-named friends in Boise, we had a fun chat about them. I got one of the Summer Missionaries to sniff my Itch-Eraser; a stick of gelatinous ammonia to rub on mosquito bites, I really should have filmed his reaction, it was great! I also went on an exchange with Elder Hazen to HK Island, taught the father of a part-member family, ate great food at a member's home (century eggs are best in congee), and went on a boat! It smelled like salt and dead fish AKA my best and most fond memories of where I grew up.
My companion asked me what the difference between a Faithful Missionary and a Missionary of Great Faith is. I took a moment and chewed a Snickers (it was really a Vitamin C pill so my allergies are less), and thought about it. Here's what I came up with;
A Faithful MissionaryThis Elder or Sister wakes up on time every morning, exercises, studies, and diligently teaches and finds. This Missionary will return home happy because he or she has worked hard and brought many souls unto Christ. It is a great thing to be a Faithful Missionary for 24 or 18 months.
A Missionary of Great FaithThis Elder or Sister wakes up on time every morning, exercises, studies, and diligently teaches and finds. The difference comes in how the Missionary of Great Faith opperates. They constantly pray for guidance from the Lord, apply what they learn from studies, Church, meetings, and experiences, and seek to draw closer to Jesus Christ every day. This Missionary acts not just out of the love of God, but also because he or she has a deep and abiding faith that God loves the people they are serving, so they love them too. The Missionary of Great Faith returns home happy because he or she has worked beyond their mortal capacity to help bring souls to Christ. The Missionary of Great Faith also knows that the Full-Time Mission is merely preparation for parenthood and being a Home or Visiting teacher. They recognize that, even though they are only part-time now, they still have a calling to serve God with all their Heart, Might, Mind and Strength.
Rob, Brandyn, and everyone else preparing to serve; strive to be Missionaries of Great Faith. I'm not really that much older than you in Missionary terms, but I have already seen the difference there is between those who serve because they love God, and those who serve because they know God loves the people they serve. I'm not a Missionary of Great Faith yet, but I hope to be long before I come home May 21st of 2014 (that's a rough estimate). I know this Gospel can help everyone, and if you have the opportunity to share it at any time in any capacity, do it! I love y'all, have a great week!
In 11th Grade I somehow ended up at the same school 2 years in a row, and my new friend was still in Choir with me. We got to know each other really well, even to the point of man-hugging.
In 12th Grade we chased after the same girl for a month or so, went dumpster diving for pizzas, drifting in blizzards, TP'ing people's front doors, making midnight cream puff deliveries, making midnight nightmare deliveries, going to midnight premieres of movies, and cooked up delicious home-made bleu cheese toether... not at midnight. We had lots of fun, played with lots of fire, and spent buckets of time together, including planning Senior Prom.
I just read the email from my mother informing me that my best friend, Elder Brandyn (Thomas?) Pierce is going to be serving in the Mexico Culiacan Mission! I am almost crying with joy! My very favorite person from High School is going to be using his AP Spanish skills! Not gonna lie; I secretly wanted to train him, but I will get over myself when I get to welcome him back at the Boise airport in November of 2014. I TOTALLY call him for my sous-chef for my 22nd Birthday Dinner-Party! Get ready for Chinese-Mexican Fusion!
I love my friends so much! Valorie is Sealed for time and all Eternity, B-Dawg is buying short-sleeve shirts, Rob is probably also buying short-sleeve shirts, Deji Dahling is writing a book, and who knows what else is going on! Honestly, the class of 2011 is the Best Class Ever! Who else is being amazing?
But I suppose you want to hear about me...
Last week my loving Heavenly Father lead me to 2 great families to teach! Our Mission President (AKA Boss) has asked us to focus on families, so we've been praying very hard about how to do this. We went to an area where we've never been before (TST is HUGE), and we found a family! Then, at English Class, we realized that Simon has a family (a son and daughter)! It's so good to see the Lord guiding you in your endevours, cuz trust me; I did NOT want to walk the hour to Kowloon Bay!
I went bowling this morning, an epic picture of my gutterball fit will be up next week (I forgot my MiniUSB adapter). I bought 3 pounds of chicken, and it looks like a lot to me, but I think that's about what the food pyramid says I should eat in a week. I am too busy (lazy) to find good veggie-saurus food in HK that's not in Buddhist monasteries on the tops of the mountains. No really, that's the only stuff I've been able to find that wasn't just plain-flavor soy protein nuggets.
Going back to not-me; I met an Elder Welker who is a cousin to my like-named friends in Boise, we had a fun chat about them. I got one of the Summer Missionaries to sniff my Itch-Eraser; a stick of gelatinous ammonia to rub on mosquito bites, I really should have filmed his reaction, it was great! I also went on an exchange with Elder Hazen to HK Island, taught the father of a part-member family, ate great food at a member's home (century eggs are best in congee), and went on a boat! It smelled like salt and dead fish AKA my best and most fond memories of where I grew up.
My companion asked me what the difference between a Faithful Missionary and a Missionary of Great Faith is. I took a moment and chewed a Snickers (it was really a Vitamin C pill so my allergies are less), and thought about it. Here's what I came up with;
A Faithful MissionaryThis Elder or Sister wakes up on time every morning, exercises, studies, and diligently teaches and finds. This Missionary will return home happy because he or she has worked hard and brought many souls unto Christ. It is a great thing to be a Faithful Missionary for 24 or 18 months.
A Missionary of Great FaithThis Elder or Sister wakes up on time every morning, exercises, studies, and diligently teaches and finds. The difference comes in how the Missionary of Great Faith opperates. They constantly pray for guidance from the Lord, apply what they learn from studies, Church, meetings, and experiences, and seek to draw closer to Jesus Christ every day. This Missionary acts not just out of the love of God, but also because he or she has a deep and abiding faith that God loves the people they are serving, so they love them too. The Missionary of Great Faith returns home happy because he or she has worked beyond their mortal capacity to help bring souls to Christ. The Missionary of Great Faith also knows that the Full-Time Mission is merely preparation for parenthood and being a Home or Visiting teacher. They recognize that, even though they are only part-time now, they still have a calling to serve God with all their Heart, Might, Mind and Strength.
Rob, Brandyn, and everyone else preparing to serve; strive to be Missionaries of Great Faith. I'm not really that much older than you in Missionary terms, but I have already seen the difference there is between those who serve because they love God, and those who serve because they know God loves the people they serve. I'm not a Missionary of Great Faith yet, but I hope to be long before I come home May 21st of 2014 (that's a rough estimate). I know this Gospel can help everyone, and if you have the opportunity to share it at any time in any capacity, do it! I love y'all, have a great week!
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Blog Post #15: Brought to You by the Letter T and the Number 8
Dear People,
On Tuesday we had a typhoon signal eight. What does that mean?
According to Hong Kong Observatory:
"Gale or storm force wind is expected or blowing generally in Hong Kong near sea level, with a sustained wind speed of 63-117 km/h from the quarter indicated ( 8NE, 8NW, 8SE or 8SW) and gusts which may exceed 180 km/h, and the wind condition is expected to persist.
Action – Complete all precautions now before gales commence. Lock all windows and doors. Fit bars into positions and insert reinforced shutters and gates if available. Adhesive tape fixed to large window panes in exposed positions will reduce damage by broken glass.
Do not stand near windows on the exposed side of your home. Move all furniture and valuables away from these areas. Make sure you have a safe place to shelter, should windows be broken. Now is the time to decide which rooms you will use to shelter if the windows on the exposed side of your home become broken.
Owners of neon signs should arrange for the electricity supply to their signs to be switched off.
Park your car where it is least likely to be damaged.
Avoid staying in the street. Return home as soon as possible if conditions so permit."
So yeah, we had a little hurricane come through! Exciting! It was fun, we got to stay in and clean the OK and make calls... and that was it. I didn't get my letters out, so my mother will probably kill me...
Today I wanted to go on a $1000 dollar shopping spree, but I don't know how... I bought 3 pairs of gangsta shorts for $100, 2 polos (purple and orange) for $100, a tie/ pocketsquare/cufflinks set for $75, and BANG! in Chinese for $25. I also bought 2 pairs of $160 dollar pants, so that adds us to... $600. Yeah, I fell short of my goal. That's HK$, divide everything by 8 and you'll get an idea of the prices here. If you want to aid me in putting clothing on my body (I don't plan on any more games), you can send a check to my mother or father. For the amount of shipping a package here you can feed me for a week! Rachael Ray thinks she's hot stuff with her $30/Day, but I can make you home cooked meals (having meat multiple times a day) for a WEEK with that much American cash! My desire for real deodorant still stands, just the plain original is best. Axe is called Lynx here because Axe is a brand of lemon-ginger dishsoap.
I want to take a moment to recognize two of my most favorite people! Valorie (formerly Gatewood) Lafaele got married recently, way to Choose The Right! Not only getting married in the temple, but marrying what various reports call "a good lookin' guy"! I also want to give a thumbs up to my friend Madi Hurtt for standing up for what she believes in! It's not easy to stand out in middle school, but I hear she did an amazing job of being an example of the believers!
That's about all I have time for, I hope everyone is doing great! I promise to send a postcard to everyone that sends me a letter (that means check your mailbox in 7-12 days, Davin)! Family gets letters back 'cuz they might hurt me if I only send a card! Anyways, I love y'all, I love spreading the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ to the wonderful people of Hong Kong, and I know that, if you truly desire to know, our Heavenly Father will give you the knowledge that what I am doing is His will, that He loves you, that He lives, and that this is His Gospel. I don't want anyone, anytime, anywhere to ever believe me when I say that, I want you to study, not just to read but study the Book of Mormon, ask God if it's true, and act on the knowledge He gives you.
I know that it's true. I've prayed for myself to have this knowledge. Giving up my job, my friends, my house, my dog, my family, my car, the ability to wear my kilt, watching "Everyday Italian", going swimming in the Pacific, and everything else that I choose not to do right now isn't really even a sacrifice on my part. We have a Prophet to give us the general direction we need, to go on a Mission, etc. We have Personal revelation for the more specific direction, how to serve said Mission, and everything associated with that. We have the Holy Bible, The Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price to give us examples of people who have chosen to follow God, and examples of those who turned their backs on Him. I choose to be in the first group, of those who not only see His power, but embrace it and pray for the strength to righteously use a portion of it.
Just be humble and have a chat with the Missionaries! All they want to do is give you the chance to accept or reject the message, that's really all we want; to give every man, woman, and child that chance. PLEASE accept their invitations to look into this Church, that's all I'm asking. I love y'all, have a great week!
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Blog Post #14 Twins!
There were two AmAzInG things that happened this week!
First; our investigator Jarvin (Wu Tiu Hei) got baptized on Sunday! I'm so happy for Him because I know that he is going to be so happy in the Church! He is such a good guy, and after he finishes jung haahk (kinda high school, but not exactly) he wants to serve a Mission! That would take him about a year, so if he gets called to HK it's possible that I could train him! that would DEFINITELY make me the happiest Missionary in the universe! He is so good!
Second; The Mandarins ( who are also our Zone Leaders [in charge of the 16 Elders and 4 Sisters that serve in the Kowloon Zone]) that I live with are going to get 2 Summer Missionaries! Twins! Not only is it rare to get a Mandarin-Speaking Summer Missionary, it's even less likely to get 2! The shortest person in the Apartment (either a Summer Missionary or Elder Li from Singapore) will get the couch, and someone else will get a bed. Six men in one apartment! Lemme tell you; that bathroom is going to need a VERY deep clean after the Summer Missionaries leave in 2 weeks! They get here on the 20th, tomorrow.
In other news; it's still hot, it's still humid, and there's still too much good food for me to lose the weight I want to! It really is SO good! I drink 3-5 litres of water a day, so I'm in no danger of dehydration, and there's half a dozen food stores and Asian markets in our area, so I am in no danger of starving either! I have noodles for breakfast every day, with lots of ginger and red Thai peppers, it's so good!
Today for P-Day we hiked 10,000 Buddhas, [Click HERE to see photos
(Editor's note: Elder O'Gara requested a photo showing the steepness of the trail be inserted here. I recommend pictures 62, 97, and 123 ~ Elder O'Gara's Mom) ]
which is about a mile up a trail lined with statues to a Monastery. There is so much to see! Every Buddha is a little different, and I absolutely loved the hike! I also got a picture with the Monkey statue, which is my Zodiac animal! You'll be getting that after this move is over. It was a really quiet and peaceful place, and there was an amazing view that overlooked Sha Tin, which is the area of town nearest to where it is.
Other than that it's just been standard (which is to say; AMAZING) Missionary work! We went out street contacting the other day, and got some numbers, which is so good! It's so nice how many people there are here willing to talk to us! We've also been teaching some great people, all of whom are so good! It's amazing how you can find one scripture that covers the needs of so many people! It's so good to be a Missionary! I can feel the guidance of Heavenly Father every day, and I know that when I find a scripture that is super powerful, or understand how to explain a principle with greater clarity that it's Him guiding me. Let's be honest; I'm a pretty smart guy, but not even I can explain in Chinese how one paragraph about a king can help you make good choices in your life. I'm good, but not that good.
I love that I can feel close to Heavenly Father all the time! I'm able to recognize His hand in my life more, from helping me know what to do, to helping me sleep better, to helping me learn Characters so I can read with my friends, to even just helping me see something that makes me happy when I'm having a (rare) bad day! If you are not sure you want to go on a mission; do it! Nothing else can help you out as much as the things you learn out in the field! Sure I miss my friends back home, I miss going to school, I miss sleeping in, but I have new friends to focus on, new things to learn, and so many responsibilities that I have to carefully budget my time. I am not only learning good Spiritual principles, I'm learning the discipline to keep a schedule, the determination to follow up when I'd rather sleep, and I'm also gaining a better sense of who I am, who I want to become, and how I can do that.
For all of you who are preparing to become Missionaries, whether you are a young man or young woman, here's all I can say to you; Go and Do!
I love y'all, and I hope that everyone is happy and good! If you want to send me stuff they don't really have stick deodorant here, and I don't like the spray kind, so a tiny Flat Rate box with a stick of Old Spice Classic: Original Scent would be great! It HAS to be the one in the all red tube with the white hexagon, everything else is junk! I love y'all have a great week!
First; our investigator Jarvin (Wu Tiu Hei) got baptized on Sunday! I'm so happy for Him because I know that he is going to be so happy in the Church! He is such a good guy, and after he finishes jung haahk (kinda high school, but not exactly) he wants to serve a Mission! That would take him about a year, so if he gets called to HK it's possible that I could train him! that would DEFINITELY make me the happiest Missionary in the universe! He is so good!
Second; The Mandarins ( who are also our Zone Leaders [in charge of the 16 Elders and 4 Sisters that serve in the Kowloon Zone]) that I live with are going to get 2 Summer Missionaries! Twins! Not only is it rare to get a Mandarin-Speaking Summer Missionary, it's even less likely to get 2! The shortest person in the Apartment (either a Summer Missionary or Elder Li from Singapore) will get the couch, and someone else will get a bed. Six men in one apartment! Lemme tell you; that bathroom is going to need a VERY deep clean after the Summer Missionaries leave in 2 weeks! They get here on the 20th, tomorrow.
In other news; it's still hot, it's still humid, and there's still too much good food for me to lose the weight I want to! It really is SO good! I drink 3-5 litres of water a day, so I'm in no danger of dehydration, and there's half a dozen food stores and Asian markets in our area, so I am in no danger of starving either! I have noodles for breakfast every day, with lots of ginger and red Thai peppers, it's so good!
Today for P-Day we hiked 10,000 Buddhas, [Click HERE to see photos
(Editor's note: Elder O'Gara requested a photo showing the steepness of the trail be inserted here. I recommend pictures 62, 97, and 123 ~ Elder O'Gara's Mom) ]
which is about a mile up a trail lined with statues to a Monastery. There is so much to see! Every Buddha is a little different, and I absolutely loved the hike! I also got a picture with the Monkey statue, which is my Zodiac animal! You'll be getting that after this move is over. It was a really quiet and peaceful place, and there was an amazing view that overlooked Sha Tin, which is the area of town nearest to where it is.
Other than that it's just been standard (which is to say; AMAZING) Missionary work! We went out street contacting the other day, and got some numbers, which is so good! It's so nice how many people there are here willing to talk to us! We've also been teaching some great people, all of whom are so good! It's amazing how you can find one scripture that covers the needs of so many people! It's so good to be a Missionary! I can feel the guidance of Heavenly Father every day, and I know that when I find a scripture that is super powerful, or understand how to explain a principle with greater clarity that it's Him guiding me. Let's be honest; I'm a pretty smart guy, but not even I can explain in Chinese how one paragraph about a king can help you make good choices in your life. I'm good, but not that good.
I love that I can feel close to Heavenly Father all the time! I'm able to recognize His hand in my life more, from helping me know what to do, to helping me sleep better, to helping me learn Characters so I can read with my friends, to even just helping me see something that makes me happy when I'm having a (rare) bad day! If you are not sure you want to go on a mission; do it! Nothing else can help you out as much as the things you learn out in the field! Sure I miss my friends back home, I miss going to school, I miss sleeping in, but I have new friends to focus on, new things to learn, and so many responsibilities that I have to carefully budget my time. I am not only learning good Spiritual principles, I'm learning the discipline to keep a schedule, the determination to follow up when I'd rather sleep, and I'm also gaining a better sense of who I am, who I want to become, and how I can do that.
For all of you who are preparing to become Missionaries, whether you are a young man or young woman, here's all I can say to you; Go and Do!
I love y'all, and I hope that everyone is happy and good! If you want to send me stuff they don't really have stick deodorant here, and I don't like the spray kind, so a tiny Flat Rate box with a stick of Old Spice Classic: Original Scent would be great! It HAS to be the one in the all red tube with the white hexagon, everything else is junk! I love y'all have a great week!
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Blog Post #13
So, I never really had Jet-lag, or "airplane lag" as the kid with cool
hair called it. I stayed up all night before I left, only slept like an
hour on the plane, and pretty (much) died the first night here. It was a pretty
good deal! So, how did I tell today that I've pretty much officially
adjusted to China Weather?
Well, we attended the Temple today, which was amazing! Everything was in English, so I really got to enjoy it! However; Temple attendance means suit jackets, and Temple attendance in South Central Asia means suit jackets, humidity, and around 100 degrees Fahrenheit! Needless to say; I was happy to get back to the OK (the Chinese word for home sounds like "O-Kay") and get rid of my coat! I sat there on the couch thinking how nice it was to be back home. I went to my office and got my shopping money, and was very confused. My clock-with-the-thermometer read "32 Degrees"! You're thinking "Ngok Jeunglouh, you know I don't speak Celsius", so let me translate. 90 degrees, Fahrenheit! I, Mister "I prefer 50 degrees for t-shirt weather" found 90 degrees comfortable! I am not going to enjoy my first week back home in Western WA with 40 degrees and cold rain!
Anyways, back to Missionary stuff!
Our friend Jarvin is getting baptized on Sunday! We're bringing back his first Missionary Elder (now Brother) Yeuhn, who lives a little north of us, to baptize him. It's so exciting! We have a TON of baptisms coming up, 2 more besides Jarvin this month and 4 next month! I definitely followed some very effective missionaries, I'm excited to have these big shoes to learn how to fill!
Speaking of big shoes to fill... I got assigned to be apartment leader! That means that it's my job to buy soap and rice, and then pray that the other elders in my OK give me 1/5 of the cost back. We have 5 men sleeping in one room right now, which is a lot of fun! We all like music and we all get along, Mong Kok is the best place to be right now!
It's go time, but if you want to check out my neighborhood check out the Homantin Chapel (Tsim Sha Tsui Ward, Hong Kong China Kowloon Stake is in Homantin, http://www.lds.org.hk/en/index.php/hong-kong-china-kowloon-stake) on google maps! I love you all, talk to ya next week!
note from Elder O'Gara's mom - I had no luck on google maps until I found the address thru lds.org, link pasted in above, and if I did it wrong it will cut and paste ;-} old people!
Well, we attended the Temple today, which was amazing! Everything was in English, so I really got to enjoy it! However; Temple attendance means suit jackets, and Temple attendance in South Central Asia means suit jackets, humidity, and around 100 degrees Fahrenheit! Needless to say; I was happy to get back to the OK (the Chinese word for home sounds like "O-Kay") and get rid of my coat! I sat there on the couch thinking how nice it was to be back home. I went to my office and got my shopping money, and was very confused. My clock-with-the-thermometer read "32 Degrees"! You're thinking "Ngok Jeunglouh, you know I don't speak Celsius", so let me translate. 90 degrees, Fahrenheit! I, Mister "I prefer 50 degrees for t-shirt weather" found 90 degrees comfortable! I am not going to enjoy my first week back home in Western WA with 40 degrees and cold rain!
Anyways, back to Missionary stuff!
Our friend Jarvin is getting baptized on Sunday! We're bringing back his first Missionary Elder (now Brother) Yeuhn, who lives a little north of us, to baptize him. It's so exciting! We have a TON of baptisms coming up, 2 more besides Jarvin this month and 4 next month! I definitely followed some very effective missionaries, I'm excited to have these big shoes to learn how to fill!
Speaking of big shoes to fill... I got assigned to be apartment leader! That means that it's my job to buy soap and rice, and then pray that the other elders in my OK give me 1/5 of the cost back. We have 5 men sleeping in one room right now, which is a lot of fun! We all like music and we all get along, Mong Kok is the best place to be right now!
It's go time, but if you want to check out my neighborhood check out the Homantin Chapel (Tsim Sha Tsui Ward, Hong Kong China Kowloon Stake is in Homantin, http://www.lds.org.hk/en/index.php/hong-kong-china-kowloon-stake) on google maps! I love you all, talk to ya next week!
note from Elder O'Gara's mom - I had no luck on google maps until I found the address thru lds.org, link pasted in above, and if I did it wrong it will cut and paste ;-} old people!
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Blog Post #13?(12): M is for...
Man Purse! Yup, you betcha I did! In Hong Kong everyone has a shoulder bag of some kind. I got mine from White Lee who just died (went home). His name is "White Lee" cuz he is white... and his family is Lee... It's kind of a rare deal to have a White Lee, and I even got to meet him and his parents! The night before left they gave us jelly bears, almond butter packets (like ketchup!) and... Best of all... Cheese Sticks! I hadn't seen a cheese stick in 4 months since I was at my sister's house in Vegas! I had forgotten how good cheese is!
But back to the Man Purse.
My bag is a lot like what my Number 5 wore back in High School; A dark gray affair, roughly the size of 2 DVD cases, and totally awesome! Mine says
Excellence
There Is No Fashion Trend
Diesel Born
Planet Ocean Studio
-Original- No 126",
on the front, I'll send someone 10 bucks if they can send me a letter with info about it. The first one I receive wins! (FYI: 10 HKD is 1.288 USD). But it's super useful, and I plan on bringing it home with me if it survives the next 20 months.
Wow! 1/6 of my Mission is over! That is Crazy! I really hope that I can fulfill my purpose here, there's probably a good 1,000,000 people in the Tsim Sha Tsui area that I'm currently assigned to, and I am not sure how to contact all of them yet! Street approaches aren't super effective, but park contacting is! People go to parks to relax and socialize, and they are all eager to practice english with two white Americans! After I ask them basic questions I switch to Cantonese, I promise!
We've scheduled 3-5 lessons every day this week, which works pretty well because at least one person needs to reschedule every day, usually more. We have so many new friends who want to hear the Gospel, it's great! We also have some really strong recent converts that love to share the Good News! This is an exciting time in HK; people are starting to want to know more and more every day, and within a generation or two missonaries will be flooding the streets! Who knows; we may even need to build a Missionary Training Center in Hong Kong! We will definitely need to when Mainland opens up; that is for sure!
In other news it's raining a lot! It's not my cool, refreshing Washington rains, it's warm which is strange! There is so much to say and so little time to say it in! This place is amazing! I am going to have to lead a tour in 2 years so all of you can see it! Anyways, keep on having fun in America! Be sure to send me wedding invitations (Valorie)! I hope y'all are doing great, talk to ya next week!
But back to the Man Purse.
My bag is a lot like what my Number 5 wore back in High School; A dark gray affair, roughly the size of 2 DVD cases, and totally awesome! Mine says
Excellence
There Is No Fashion Trend
Diesel Born
Planet Ocean Studio
-Original- No 126",
on the front, I'll send someone 10 bucks if they can send me a letter with info about it. The first one I receive wins! (FYI: 10 HKD is 1.288 USD). But it's super useful, and I plan on bringing it home with me if it survives the next 20 months.
Wow! 1/6 of my Mission is over! That is Crazy! I really hope that I can fulfill my purpose here, there's probably a good 1,000,000 people in the Tsim Sha Tsui area that I'm currently assigned to, and I am not sure how to contact all of them yet! Street approaches aren't super effective, but park contacting is! People go to parks to relax and socialize, and they are all eager to practice english with two white Americans! After I ask them basic questions I switch to Cantonese, I promise!
We've scheduled 3-5 lessons every day this week, which works pretty well because at least one person needs to reschedule every day, usually more. We have so many new friends who want to hear the Gospel, it's great! We also have some really strong recent converts that love to share the Good News! This is an exciting time in HK; people are starting to want to know more and more every day, and within a generation or two missonaries will be flooding the streets! Who knows; we may even need to build a Missionary Training Center in Hong Kong! We will definitely need to when Mainland opens up; that is for sure!
In other news it's raining a lot! It's not my cool, refreshing Washington rains, it's warm which is strange! There is so much to say and so little time to say it in! This place is amazing! I am going to have to lead a tour in 2 years so all of you can see it! Anyways, keep on having fun in America! Be sure to send me wedding invitations (Valorie)! I hope y'all are doing great, talk to ya next week!
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