Seattle

Alright so- I am in the heart heart of Seattle. I got assigned to downtown. Hello city life! Apparently I'm in the most coveted are in the mission. *Shrug* I tried to play it cool. 

I'm actually working in three of the singles' wards here and live right next the University of Washington (go huskys). There's a lot of Seahawk fans here, that's nice. I got a gooood look at that stadium on the way in. It's the great and spacious building but I'm praying that the fall of it won't be great (or wont even come to pass. Go hawks!). The needle and Pike's Place and Chinatown are all in my zone so I'm going there on P-day. Yay! Gettin' myself some niiiice seafood Monday. Lookout Seattle. Part of the YSA ward I'll be attending is Chinese because they are trying to make a Chinese branch. Hopefully someone will practice Chinese with me; I haven't had much of a chance yet. Ou ZL is in the same district and ward as me and his companion is fluent in Chinese! Lucky duck.

We spend most of our time in Red Square, which is on UW campus. There are toooonnnss of Chinese students and you just try to track all day. Then we try to teach at the institute on campus. The members I have met are really nice and I like them a lot. I'm meeting with a sister tonight who served in Taiwan! So I'll have to tell you more about that later. 

Traveling

So I called at the airport and then the three of us got on the plane and then... I woke up. About ten minutes before landing. I'm secretly wondering if Sister Geddes drugged me because I was talking too much. But I guess she was asleep too... I'm going to have to talk to Ou ZL about that. The dirty culprit. But it was a good nap. We got off the plan and the new mission President Choi said hello and the AP's handed us ten pass-along cards and told us we had to give them away before we could get in the van. I thought they were serious so I started doing it. 

Turns out they weren't serious.

I had given about four away (after a lot of scoffs and rejections) when they came and found Sister Geddes and I and said that 'everyone else was already out by the van waiting'. Weeelllll I see how it's gunna be. The bright-side was Sister Geddes and I got to ride in the car with the president instead of the stuffy van back to the chapel. We walked right in and sat down for mission conference. They basically announced transfers and then everyone went home but us. After a few hours of another mini-MTC class they gave us trainers and turned us loose. 

About the President

So he's actually the coolest guy ever. He is one of the seventy, but he's on a two year assignment to be a mission president here. He and his wife are both converts from Korea. He is very strict because he thinks we need to be perfect to see the miracles in Seattle. He has this thing called "increasing high expectations". It means we have high expectations, and then we accomplish it, and make them higher. He has this chart we each fill out about things to START DOING and STOP DOING. He says he doesn't worry about obedience too much because we're just going to do it. Yup. Because we are going to be forever more getting more perfect. He says things like, "if you dont like it, start like it. Then you will like" in slightly broken English. So it's pretty black and white here. 

One of the mission rules is we have to sing everywhere, and I mean everywhere. It's a mission rule to sing in the shower. It's a mission rule to sing on the street and while street contacting. We have to sing while we wait for meetings to start. We sing everywhere and do things perfectly. We can only sing hymns, Mormon Tabernacle and mission songs. There are songs about how much we love to sing, and how much we love to run, and how much we love to knock, and how much we don't need to sleep. It goes like this: 

Sleep sleep sleep. 

No need to sleep. 

No need to sleep out here. 

Sleep sleep sleep. 

True story. We sing it. According to President Choi, this is the Lord's way. So let it be written; So let it be done. Huzzah!

Companions

So I actually have two. One companion is technically my trainer. She's Sister Imai and she's Japanese. She learned all of English on a mission and makes really good Japanese food. She made hot dogs and lettuce taste good today... I can feel you judging me right now, but you haven't tried it! You don't know! You don't know what the woman can do with some soy sauce and a frying pan! Wipe that look off your face. She's also perfect. This was her favorite area and she's glad to be back. My other companion is Sister Allred. [Hey Dad, did you tell me about an Allred who served with you? Her dad served in Cali about the same time you did worked in the office. It may have been after you.] She's actually from Nauvoo and was companions with Sister Hayley Newell! I think it's both of their last transfer's but neither of them like to talk about it. I just know they're about to go home. So sad. 

Rain Rain Rain, Move Move Move

So we got out suitcases and stuffed them in another Sister's car (we don't have a car in downtown areas). We drag all the luggage into the new apartment and then the Elder's call us. Apparently we're moving further downtown. So! Now Sister Imai has 30 minutes to pack! So we give the other sisters my and Sister Allred's luggage to take to the new place and frantically help Sister Imai pack. 

But little did we know that the apartment we were moving to had changed again. We thought we were giving the luggage to the sisters to put in the apartment on the ground floor, but no. Apparently our new apartment was on the seventh floor. They had to haul all our luggage and the Area Book and the bedding up seven floors and we didnt know! So we were waiiiting forever on them wondering where in the world they were! Plus it was raining (it's be raining since I got here yesterday).  

My New Friend

So while we were waiting Sister Allred and I decided to track in front of our apartment. We actually ran into a really awesome guy. He's Muslim and said we he had to leave, but he ended up being so interested that he stayed for thirty minutes on the street to talk to us. We gave most of the first lesson right there and then he asked us for a Book of Mormon! We told him it was a collection or more prophets testifying of Christ and he was like, "Oh Jesus? I love Jesus the prophet. Did you know if you don't believe in him you can't be Muslim? I would love to read this with you and discuss it with you. Can I read it all?" Ya my jaw dropped. Of course I gave him one. He actually teaches Islam because he thinks it helps people connected with God and then bore his testimony tome about sincere prayer and how sin separates us from God. Ya. 

Then I found out I have to tell him his family could be killed back in Egypt if he takes the discussions... So I got to figure out how that's gunna happen now. Bum day. 

Move Move Move, I love to Move

So back to moving. So it take forever to move because of the stairs and the lack of car. We get to the apartment at the time we are already supposed to be in bed. But! We don't have enough beds so the elders start to set up a bunk bed in our room. So we're in the hall and they're in the apartment setting things up and talking to us back and forth. Someone asked Sister Allred what it was like at Temple Square and boooooyyy where they in trouble. note: Do not call a Nauvoo sister a Temple Square sister. It's a touchy subject. So, the elders hear the tone in her voice and know that they've done something wrong lol. She tells them she is not a temple square missionary's. Elder Carpenter goes, "I'm sorry. What can I do to make it up to you?" and sister Allred stops...

...and she thinks...

...and says, "Well, you could sing Come Ye Children of the Lord. Out loud. In falsetto." There's a moments of silence. Plenty of people walk by in the hallway. Then, a girlish cry comes from somewhere, "cooommee ye chiildren of the Lord." 

We laughed so hard. he's back in good graces now. 

So today

So that's about it. I'm here, I'm safe. Today I'm going gorcery shopping and then to get Sister Allred new shoes since her's are ruined in the rain. I got my rain booties so I'm good! 

Love you all. 

Remember: Attitude is half the battle. 
Photos!

And then we land... check out that sky. That's not like any other sky you've seen. Nope. It's not a weather forcast- its a climate. Never changes. 

And this is kind my area. Say hello Seattle! Real pictures coming soon!