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I received Elder O'Gara's first email as I was traveling from my old home to my new home and only managed to get it posted on Facebook, I will do better! The idea is to put a notification on fb and the actual post here. Sincerely, Sister Kahuhu

Leih hou ngohge gatihng tuhn pangyouh! Greetings from Provo! My Preparation Day is Tuesday,  and I have 30 minutes to type this post.

This place is amazing! Everyone here is working together to bring the Word of God to the entire Earth! My District contains 5 Elders, Elders O'Gara (Ok) &  Brown (Baa), and Elders Templin (Taahm), Groesbeck (Gwo), and Jackson (Jim Jeunglouh). Our Cantonese class is a ton of fun! We are instructed by Sister Xie (Jeh Jimuih) for 3 hours, and have 3 hours to prepare a lesson and teach our investigator A-Wai. We started teaching on day 2, it was super intense! We are getting exponentially better every time we teach, the Gift of Tongues is evident in our lives!

I am the Senior Companion, which means that it's my job to be a good example to Baa Jl and to be on time. What a challenge! I'm really learning to take stock of what I have on me so that I don't have to look like a dummy when I leave my Cantonese books in my Residence Hall. Speaking of which; the living arrangments here are fantastic! I'm on the 4th (top) floor of building 3M, I feel more innovative all day! If you didn't get it then you didn't work with 3M products all summer. Anyways, I am on the top bunk and Baa Jl is on the bottom bunk, which sent some fear into his heart when I had one of my nightmares the other night. He thought it was an earthquake! We are rooming with our Zone Leaders, Johnson (Jeung) and Chang (Jong Jeunglouh). They have been here 6 weeks along with Sister Meldrum (Muih Jimuih), our Co-ordinating Sister. Everyone here is amazing, we all want the same things for the next 18-24 months.\

The food here is amazing! It's always good, and potatoes are always present in one form or another. Every Friday is Pizza Day, Sunday is Cereal for Breakfast, and every Wednesday and Sunday night we get BYU Creamery Icecream! The cafeteria is HUGE, and there is (usually) a wide variety of things to choose to eat.

My schedule is also amazing! I am kept so busy that I cannot possibly find time for homesickness! When I do have free time it's because I need to shower and change after gym time. I've ran around the track, used weight machines, and played 4-Square. We get an hour a day except for Tuesday and Sunday,  in which we are expected to find time to exercise on our own.

My Branch and Branch President are amazing! My Branch consists of all 8 Cantonese Missionaries, a dozen going to TX, and half a dozen or so going to Manchester NH, which makes us a remarkably small Branch. President Miller is super nice, and a major stickler for rules; which I love! They're called rules (not guidlines) for a reason! Silly Pirates! He served in Japan, but one of his councelors, Brother Larkin, served in Hong Kong, so he can speak our language! Everyone  gives super positive feedback, which is nice. Occasionally we are gently admonished, but it's necessary when it happens.

On Sunday and Tuesday nights we have Devotionals, which are awesomely spiritual! My first week was really stressful, but Elder M. Russel Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles was the featured speaker, and Elder Archuleta sang "The Spirit of God" in English and Spanish. His district is probably in Chile by now, I don't know their itenerary. After that we watched "The Testaments: Of one Fold and one Shepherd". It is such a moving video! I truly loved it!

Anyways 2:42 left! I love you all so much! Only my family can email me, but if you make a free account at dearelder.com you can pretty much e-mail me and I'll write back! Please send me letters, and I'd love a pillow tie! A CD player and headphones would be great, Cantonese learners are the only ones who can wear headphones. I love you all! I know that I am preparing to spread the Lord's Gospel, and I'm so grateful to have this opportunity! Stay strong, and no matter what you believe, just believe in it!

Love, Elder O'Gara