More pictures

I found Nemo!!!

Nemo’s baptism

A weird Chinese restaurant

Pictures for Mom :)

The Gift of Tongues and 'Merican Thanksgiving!

So the gift of tongues is real. Oh, and happy Thanksgiving to all of my American friends!

Well, because me and my companions really don't speak Chinese we have just praying really hard for the gift of tongues. And guess what? IT WORKED! It's insane, I can totally have conversations with people on the street. I understand what they say to me and they understand what I say to them. And I'm able to teach and get the points across that I want with no issues. I'm no where near perfect, and there are still parts that need help, some things I don't understand, or that I can't say; but overall as soon as Monday came around I noticed a tremendous difference. For all my friends learning a language, it really just comes to you one day out of nowhere. Just have faith!

Monday night we were finding in the Metro Town mall (the 2nd biggest mall in Canada, and maybe North America? I don't know, I can't Google it.) and we were just trying to find somebody to talk too. I said a prayer in my heart and asked God if we should stay there or go somewhere else. I just felt that we should stay for just a little bit longer. And lo and behold, I saw Jacky sitting on a bench and sat down and talked to him. He is the coolest Chinese guy ever. His kids are 8, 6, and 4 and just the most adorable things ever. They loved talking to us in Chinese. Jacky loved us so much he bought us all McDonald's right there and wouldn't take no for an answer. We've met with him twice so far and he seems really solid.

Tuesday we teach a scripture class. Normally they have just been going through the whole Book of Mormon chapter by chapter which is fine, but we had a feeling that we needed to change it and instead taught about Lehi's dream. One of our recent converts came up afterwards and said that we answered her prayer. It's amazing how much the spirit really can lead you if you try and listen.

We don't have a lot of solid investigators who can meet often so it's been a LOT of finding this week. It's cold outside here but still fun, and I really do meet so many cool and crazy people all day, it doesn't ever get boring.

Thursday was 'Merican Thanksgiving. It was amazing. We made a pot roast during our weekly planning for our Thanksgiving lunch/dinner. It was really good actually. The other missionaries just had McDonald's and then we walk in with a whole roast and fancy plates and it was really funny.

I'm grateful for so many things, but most of all for my family, friends, this chance to spread the true gospel of Jesus Christ, and the Chinese people.

Black Friday exists here in Canada too. Just not Thanksgiving. There were SO MANY people at Metro town so finding was really nice. Of course it's nothing compared to the American Black Friday. We really just saw lots of miracles as we followed the Spirit more while finding.

Saturday we went to go see PoPo again. She is the cutest little old lady. She is just hilarious. She has been sick recently so she has been kind of sad, so she was really happy to see us. She really is just like my Chinese Grandma, it's so funny!

Sunday I got to go to Nemo's baptism. I love that kid a lot! He was so excited and he said a little testimony afterwards that was the most awesome thing ever. I forgot my camera but I'll go home and grab it and send a picture of him later. That ward is awesome, he is going to do great there! And Vaughn got the Aaronic priesthood and he asked me to be in the circle for it. He is awesome too. It's so crazy how close friends you get to be with all of these people.

Well that's about it. I LOVE being a missionary. If y'alls wants to sends me anythings for dis here Christmas, I won't complain. *wink, wink*

Shout out to my friends back home getting engaged. It's SO weird, but I'm happy for all of you!

WO AI NIMEN!

​王長老

Elder Wallace

“One of the greatest secrets of missionary work is work. If a missionary works, he will get the Spirit; if he gets the Spirit, he will teach by the Spirit; if he teaches by the Spirit, he will touch the hearts of the people, and he will be happy….Work, work, work- there is no satisfactory substitute, especially in missionary work.” -Ezra Taft Benson

Work hard, give everything your all and God will provide!

I stole my companion's camera so I have some pictures. I'll send more later though!

Elder Claflin, Wallace, PoPo and Russell

Giving thanks for their Thanksgiving roast

may have broken a pan in the process

The Raost!!

Exorcism and E.T. - not the movies this time :(

So this week I kind of performed an exorcism, killed my companion, and got E.T.'d AGAIN (Emergency Transferred)

So yeah, life has been good

So Monday was a standard P-Day. We slept over in Burnaby with Elder Claflin and Elder Russell because all of the Chinese missionaries had a meeting in Burnaby on Tuesday. Elder Claflin was my companion in the MTC and Elder Russell was about 7 weeks ahead of us, so we knew him in the MTC as well. They are companions so it's really interesting because they both don't know Chinese (but more on that later)

Tuesday our meeting was pretty cool. Nothing to talk about really, just a faith booster I guess! We taught Yu Chen about the Baptismal interview questions and she is SO ready to be baptized on the 5th! Also taught Nemo who is getting baptized on Sunday! He is so cool. If you remember Fei, from back when I was in Richmond, he met with us again so that was really cool! He seems interested again.

Wednesday we spent the whole day up at UBC just teaching lessons and finding. It was really cool, some of those guys seem pretty solid. A recent convert took us out to dinner (#foodblessings) and we had some weird Chinese food. I ended up eating some pig ears, and pig stomach lining which was pretty good actually.

Thursday was really cool. The Assistants called in the morning and said that when Elder Hay leaves on Monday that I will be going to Burnaby to be with Elder Claflin and Elder Russell! It was crazy because we all don't know Chinese! But I guess this is what God wants, so that's what we'll do. We had Zone Conference with 6 other Zones (the whole lower mainland basically) and Elder Teh from the 70. It was a good meeting, and I felt God tell me that I need to give it my all go find somebody to baptize here in Burnaby. So that's what I'm going to do! We taught Nemo about the Plan of Salvation and it was easily the strongest I have felt the spirit in a lesson. It was awesome! Elder Hay said goodbye to him because he was going home and it was cool to see just how tight we had gotten with Nemo. He really likes us, I love that kid.

Friday was the most full I've been in months! We ate Wendy's with an investigator who wanted to say bye to Elder Hay, White Spot with some awesome recent converts (picture down below) and Burgers with our ward mission leader who wanted to say goodbye. All within a few hours of each other, but somehow I was able to eat it all! (#foodblessings)

So that Exorcism thing was weird. Friday morning a recent convert (who is a little quirky) texted us freaking out and said we need to come over and give her house a blessing. So we went over there and she said that the previous night she tried contacting spirits and then weird stuff started happening. It was a nasty feeling walking into her home. You could totally tell there was something evil in there. So, we said a prayer and cast out whatever was in there and gave her a blessing and instantly felt SO much better. She promised she would never do anything like that again! I guess it wasn't a full blow exorcism with people being possessed and stuff but exorcism sounds cooler, so we are going to go with that!

Saturday Elder Hay and I just moved all of my stuff to Burnaby, helped the new missionaries move into our old apartment and visited some of his recent converts. We got to eat dinner in one of their homes which was really cool. Just some standard weird Chinese food that I didn't want to ask what it was!

Sunday I killed my companion. Before you freak out, that's just missionary slang for somebody going home. Since I was his last companion before he went home, I "killed him". Elder Hay was an amazing missionary and I'm so glad I got to be with him. He really changed my mission. Now, it's the 3 "green" Chinese missionaries so it'll be an interesting rest of the transfer! We did teach a lesson all in Chinese and it went pretty well. I was actually pretty surprised at my Chinese skills. The gift of tongues is real! That's all I can say.

BTW: Today is my 2 month mark in Canada, and yesterday was my 4 month mark on my mission. It`s CRAZY how fast time is flying by.

Well, that's about it for now. It's going to be a crazy week, but I'm really thinking it's going to go well, and we are going to have success here. Love you all! See y'all next time!

Love,

王長老

Elder Wallace

"Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever." Alma 26:12

This scripture has meant a lot to me this week because I know that if we are going to be successful missionaries here we can't rely on ourselves. We NEED God. There is no way we could speak Chinese or teach effectively if not for the Spirit.

Elder Claflin and Russell, Elder Hey right before he went home

#FoodBlessings

Food blessings are the best blessings because, well, you can eat them!

This week we taught 9 new investigators which was amazing! When we first got into the YSA area it was completely dead, meaning there were 0 investigators. They all seem pretty solid. We taught a recent convert named David who basically does nothing with his life. He plays video games all day and wears the same clothes everyday. So we went in and basically ripped him a new one. It was interesting. It was what he really needed though, we ended up going with him right then to the store and just picking out a bunch of nice clothes and telling him to buy them. He did and said he will change so it was actually a lesson guided by the spirit, even though it might not have looked like it from the outside. We said everything he needed to hear and he changed!

We had 4 new investigators on Thursday through a miracle! Monday we didn't know where to go finding, so we said a prayer and felt that we should go to UBC. Well,we got 7 new investigators out of it so God is real! Thursday was a real miracle though, because we asked the girl we were meeting with to bring her friends who might also be interested and they are all really solid! They have been texting us about how well their prayers have been going and how they feel God answering them! The Kid I found last Monday is named Harry and he is really a true seeker. We have met with him twice and he is just really awesome. He wants to know more and get baptised.

Friday we had our Zone Meeting which was a really great meeting. President and Sister Burt were there which was really special. 

It's been super cold and rainy this week, but that's life! We still go out and work no matter what!

So about those Food Blessings (I know, you are all dying to know what that was about). This week we have had no food (not really our fault, it's a long story) so we just said a prayer that God would help us to eat. It worked! We had members text us and invite us over to dinner, we had a recent convert take us out to Boston Pizza, members just buy groceries and give them to us, it's been insane. As soon as we asked God to help us get food we became stuffed! We have even more appointments this week. I'm telling you, God is REAL!

So the big thing about Paris is huge here in Vancouver. They just started letting in thousands of refugees from Syria here, but then the attacks happened and now nobody wants to keep letting them in and send the ones already here back. People are scared what happened in Paris is going to happen here in Vancouver. There is supposed to be another boat of refugees this week and people are freaking out here. I don't know a ton, just what people on the street or our investigators tell us, but it's kind of scary. Make sure you keep all these people in your prayers. The world really needs it right now.

Well, love you all. The weeks just fly by here. I didn't take any pictures. I'll try, I'm just so busy!! Hope you all have a great week!

Love,

王長老

Elder Wallace

"Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?... for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself." (Matthew 6:31-34)#FOODBLESSINGS!!!!

For real though. As long as you seek after God, he will really bless you and take care of you, I have seen that over the past 4 months of my mission.

Exchanges, Miracles, and Meetings I'm Not Supposed To Go To.

So this letter is going to be a lot shorter. I don't have a ton of time because we just got back from the temple (which is why this is so late) and I forgot my journal so we'll see what I remember from last week!

Last Monday we moved completely over to Vancouver which took most of our P-day. We went to a former investigators new hair cut salon because he invited us over and apparently all he wanted was for us to be models. He didn't even cut our hair so that was interesting. So I might be a poster in a window for a random Asian hair cut place... Chinese people man.

We went over to see Chen PoPo, an old lady who has been spoiling missionaries for the past 30 years or so. She made us tons of food. It was fun to just get to visit with her. She is kind of crazy but really funny! Family Home Evening in the YSA ward is so much fun too!

We were finding and I found this really solid kid who is going to meet with us this week. I said a prayer with him on the street and he really felt it.

MIRACLE!

Tuesday we went on exchanges with the Spanish Elders in our district. It went pretty well. I just went finding the whole day.

2 pretty funny experiences: An old lady came up to me and asked me to help her cross the street. So I did, but when I tried to talk to her, she just started bashing the Mormon Church the whole time! It was an interesting experience to have somebody on your arm, but bashing your religion the whole time. She was a funny lady, that's not super weird in Vancouver to be honest.

The other one was we were finding down town, and there was this big group of old ladies from Taiwan I started talking to, and they just freaked out that I could have a conversation in Chinese with them. They wanted me to take pictures with them, and marry their daughters. Pretty standard stuff. There's a picture down below.

Actually, the Spanish Elders have been struggling recently, and the Elder I was with was able to find a potential who speaks Spanish!

MIRACLE!

I can't remember what happened on Wednesday. We have been teaching this SUPER solid kid named Nemo recently, and he is getting baptised at the end of the month.

So yeah, I found Nemo!

And I kid you not, his best friend is named Ariel. So we found Nemo and he was hanging out with Ariel! No joke.

It was actually a miracle how we found him. We were late for something and leaving the sky-train station and felt we needed to go back up there. And lo and behold, in the corner was Nemo! He actually got off on the wrong stop and was waiting for the next train. And now he is getting baptised.

MIRACLE!

Thursday we taught this amazing guy named Greg. He is white, but his wife is Chinese. His car got stolen and then he was cleaning out his rental car and found our Mormon.org card with out number written on the back so he called us and we meet with him and he is SO ready for the gospel. Basically all of the questions he asked us were from Lesson 1, and were able to be answered by the Message of the Restoration of the Gospel. God really worked hard to get him to hear the truth, he and his wife are getting baptised in December!

MIRACLE!

Friday was MLC (Mission Leadership Council) where all the Zone Leaders in the whole mission get together for an all day meeting with President and Sister Burt. Elder Hay was on the council for over a year, and since this was his last one, President invited him to come. I'm still a greenie, but President Burt let me come with Elder Hay which has never happened before. Apparently I was by far the youngest missionary to ever be allowed to be on the council. President pulled me aside and said the reason he wanted me there was so I can learn how it goes "just in case you happen to come back" (wink, wink). So it was a huge honour to be trusted so much by my Mission President. Friday night I went exchanges AGAIN with the Zone Leaders.

Saturday we just taught a lot of lessons with the Zone Leaders. It was in English, which is weird to teach in, since I'm so used to Chinese. The Zone Leaders broke the front bumper on their car which was really funny! It rained all day which was nice I guess.

Sunday we had church. That's all I remember, whoops!

Yesterday was really awesome. We went finding at UBC (University of British Colombia) and it is insane how easy it was to get people to talk to us. Literally everyone stopped to talk to us and we got about 13 potential investigators now. It was really awesome. Also taught a really inspired lesson with a semi former investigator Bruce. He committed to baptism on December 14 which is amazing. I really think he is going to follow through this time. The scriptures we felt inspired to share are just what he needed to hear.

Today we went to the temple and it was an amazing spiritual experience. I love to go to the temple, and it is really beautiful there. We took a picture but it hasn't been emailed to me yet, so maybe next week!

Love you all, you are all amazing. I love it here and hope you all see miracles every week!

Love,

王長老

Elder Wallace

 

Wallace Street in Vancouver, Happy Birthday Rachel

The Chinese ladies he met downtown, who were fascinated by him.

My friend just entered his mission and is working in the office so she tool these and sent them to me last week while he was in the office getting supplies!!!

Rain, Rain, Car Accidents, Rain, and Halloween

So this week most of our lessons fell through and most of our investigators dropped us. It's been an interesting week.

Monday was a slow P-day. Didn't really do anything, this P-day is going to be crazy busy because we have to move our whole house in Richmond over to our new house in Vancouver. That kid we found by a miracle and were going to meet up with didn't show up so that was a sad night.

Tuesday I kind of just broke down. Missions are really hard if you are wondering, plus there is a lot of stress from learning a new language. But I felt sorry for myself for about a half hour, then made myself a burrito and got over it and went to work! Because there is always work to be done and we just need to forget ourselves. We taught Joanne again. She is super awesome and we had Ning DiXiong be our member present again. He is an amazing member present. Just such an amazing member. I know I've talked about him a lot but he really is probably the coolest member of the church I have ever met. Then we had an appointment with a guy Elder Hay met on the street and right before he called and asked if he could bring 2 friends with him. So we got 3 new investigators which was awesome!

Wednesday we had District Meeting and I did my first Training. It went pretty well, I trained on our Mission President's weekly newsletter and about faith which went really well I think. Then we brought clothes for a few days and went over into our new apartment in Vancouver. I didn't take a picture but it is a REALLY nice apartment. Lots of space too. We taught a former investigator named Karrie and she seems pretty solid. Then I got to give my first Priesthood Blessing in Chinese which was a really cool experience.

So I'm in the YSA branch now and we had our Branch Mission Correlation meeting and it was AWESOME! It is just so much fun being in the YSA because all these people you are working with are the same age so it's really easy to make friends. It really is just a big family in that branch. I'm loving the YSA. Since we moved into a new apartment and didn't have any food, one of the girls at Correlation had some groceries in the fridge at the church that she gave us so we could eat the next day. Gotta say, I really love this branch.

Thursday we taught a recent convert named David who brought us Sushi which I loved. We got some more free food from an investigator who owns a butcher store. Also, do you remember Vicky? She was the girl who seemed really solid but found anti-mormon stuff? Well we met with her out of nowhere and she still isn't interested but we were able to answer her questions and I feel like later down the road she may get baptised. We taught another lesson with Emrys. She is an awesome girl.

Thursday night we were out finding and we saw a car accident which was pretty cool. It wasn't bad and nobody got hurt, just the cars were a dinged up kind of bad. They were both Chinese so we went over and helped them out and one of the guys is going to meet with us again! He is an old guy named Baldwin and is really funny!

Friday we taught a sweet new investigator named Sasuke. He seems really solid. He has been praying to come to church ever since he moved to Canada, but his Aunt that he lives with doesn't like church, so when he is meeting with us he tells her he is going to the library. The YSA just got a new Branch President a couple of weeks ago so him and his wife invited us over to dinner. They made us salmon and potatoes which were really good. He is a really awesome and spiritual man.

By Friday most of our investigators from Richmond dropped us which really sucked. A lot of them were SO solid and now none of them want to meet with missionaries anymore. Our most solid, Simon, hasn't been answering his phone but we are praying that he will still meet because his date was in 2 weeks.

Saturday we met with another former from the YSA named Yu Chen. She is really awesome. She even set her own baptismal date for December 5th. She really wants to get baptised so we are really excited for her. She is coming to Family Home Evening tonight at the YSA so we will teach her again tonight. Because it was Halloween we had to go back inside our apartments by 6:00 and start weekly planning so our Halloween was pretty uneventful.

Sunday was really good. It was daylight savings for the rest of the world (sorry Arizona, you aren't cool enough apparently) so we got to sleep in an extra hour! Buuuttt... we changed our phones before we went to bed, and then they changed on their own in the middle of the night so we actually slept in 2 extra hours. It felt awful to waste the Lord's time and we were kind of rushed in the morning but we did everything else on time which was good. The fast and testimony meeting in the YSA was really spiritual. Emrys was supposed to get confirmed but she showed up 2 1/2 hours late to church. Sacrament meeting is last in this branch so when she showed up halfway through the testimony meeting we stopped and then confirmed her and gave her the Holy Ghost. it was really cool, and she cried and said she really felt God's love. Afterwards they do a big "break the fast" dinner so the whole branch gets together and we ate a big dinner of pulled pork sandwiches which were really good and fun to bond with the branch.

Life is still good in Canada. Moving to a new area this week which is fun. We've been over there all week, but sleeping in both apartments on different days. As of today, we will be officially moved in! Hope you all have an amazing week, I know I'm planning on it! Love you all!!!!

Jia you!

王長老

Elder Wallace

This was a cool quote somebody said in Testimony meeting yesterday: "No matter how dark of a world you live in, Christ will always provide a light for you that can dispel ALL the darkness."

 

 

 

 

Top 2 photos are at Stanley park a few weeks ago

Got my hands on a 1970 edition of the Book of Mormon

Posing in front of the church