Email #19

   So after last week's little e-mail fiasco, I'm going to try sending my e-mails from now on with the pictures attached in a separate e-mail. Sorry about the confusion!

   Good news - I don't feel sick anymore! I can't even remember if I mentioned it in my last e-mail, but I was feeling pretty crummy last preparation day when I was writing my e-mail. But by the following morning, I felt completely fine - Thank heavens. 

   I truly feel so blessed to be here serving in Fresno itself in the Pioneer Park ward. I can't even describe to you how much I love the members in this ward. From the old-dead Hmong ladies all the way down to the insane screaming Hmong kids, I really just feel so blessed to be here serving with these people. I know this sounds super-cliche, but this really is the best call to serve. 

   One fun thing we've been doing this week is what I've deemed 'Investigator Hunting.' I don't know if you remember the story from a couple weeks ago about how Elder Allen and I found the lady cooking meat outside her apartment. Anyways, we have literally been borderline stalking her trying to figure out which apartment she actually lives in because she and her husband are really interested in coming. It's kind of frustrating, but I know that if we continue to be diligent the Lord will help us be able to find their family. 

   This last week we finally found what I would like to think is my first 'golden' investigator. Elder Allen and I were trying to contact a former-investigator and met her little brother Kong, who is 20 years-old and is really interested in learning more about the restoration! I know I've said this a lot, but it really just blows my mind away when I see how the Lord is preparing people for us missionaries to go out and find! I'll keep you updated on how he is progressing. 

  Speaking of 'keeping you updated,' here are some updates on the past people I said I would let you know about...

• Miracle Cooking-Meat-In-Front-Of-Her-Apartment-Complex lady - Still on the hunt to have a real lesson with her.
• Lu, aka the lady who was referred to us and we thought had a lot of potential and committed her to be baptized - she decided that she just wants to go to the church by her house instead of continuing to learn more. Kind of a bummer, but maybe future missionaries will be able to get to her. For now we're giving her time. 
• Ze, aka the lady who we met during a dinner appointment and gave a church tour to and seemed really interested in joining - we've been having a really hard time even getting into contact with her. Hopefully we'll be able to meet with her soon!

   I never thought I'd say this, but the member's always feeding us missionaries is starting to become a problem. This last Thursday our dinner appointment cancelled, so Elder Allen and I ran through the Wendy's drive through (Shout-out Thank You to Momma for the gift card), then show up to our next appointment who "on a whim" cooked us this insane Thanksgiving Dinner...... I don't think that I've ever eaten so much in my life. 

   This week was fast and testimony and meeting because of conference next weekend (WHOO!), and I tried to translate in sacrament meeting again.... which unfortunately didn't work so well because everyone that bore their testimonies were either old Hmong woman who I literally couldn't understand a single word, or people who spoke around 87343 miles per hour. Translating is actually my favorite thing to do, just it's kind of awkward when a lady is going crazy at the pulpit bearing her testimony in a language that I really don't think is Hmong, your supposed to be translating but not saying a word in the headset transmitter, and all the English-speakers in the audience are just staring at you waiting for you to say something...... Welcome to every week in the Pioneer Park Hmong ward :)

  I've got to go now, but I love you all so much! You are in my prayers, and please pray for the poeple here in Fresno that they will continue to be prepared by the Lord and Elder Allen and myself will be able to find them! I LOVE YOU!

- Tub Txib Tshaj Lug Vwj / 

   Elder Matthew Doane

Email #18

Soooo I just figured out the e-mail from last week didn't send through for some reason, so here is the first one from last week and I'm typing this week's right now! And I had to take the pictures off too for some reason :( I'll try attaching them in a separate e-mail. 

KUV... HLUB... NEJ!!!        { I... Love... You!!! }

Highlights from this week...

• As you can see in the lovely attached picture, we had dinner at a super-Hmong sister's house for dinner the other night. And unfortunately, she ran out of plates so all the meat was placed on a Frisbee... funny thing is that we're pretty sure she really thinks the Frisbee is a plate - It was so funny!
• Speaking of crazy food experiences, guess what animal I ate the other night - A Bear! Some members surprised Elder Allen and I with dinner when we came to teach them and sure enough, we had bear! It was actually really good. I kinda-thought eating bear was illegal or something, but I guess not... :)
• This last Wednesday Elder Allen and myself were, for no reason known to me, chosen to help with the incoming new missionaries! It was so weird because I've literally only been here for one transfer (6 weeks) so it was weird to already be helping with new missionaries because it literally feels like that was me yesterday. Anyways, we each took out a missionary on 'Open-your-mouth', which is basically we each take the missionaries out to a specific area and go tract and talk to everyone we see to get the 'jitters' and hesitancy to talk out of the new missionaries. I don't know if you remember one of my first e-mails out here, when I went out on 'open-your-mouth' it was when I saw that little girl get hit by the car.... so freaky...... anyways, it was so interesting because what ended up happening was Elder Ennis and myself tracted into a minister for another church and it basically turned into him wanting to bible bash. He made lots of sense logically, but it was so painfully obvious that there was ZERO spirit there as we talked about our varying beliefs. It really just made me so much more grateful for what we had. It really stood in stark contrast to...
• Elder Allen and I had a GREAT lesson this week with two recent convert sisters. They are amazing. Straight up. The lesson we taught was about how the Lord is preparing people in their lives right now to learn about the gospel and the Spirit was sostrong, especially as they bore testimony of how they had felt the Holy Ghost during their conversion and continue to want to feel it more fully in their lives. It was somewhat of an epiphany of me to compare these two experiences and just realize how true the gospel is. 
• This week has been filled with the most AMAZING sunsets! About once a month we drive out to Madera (about a 45 minute drive from Fresno) to visit some members out there, and it is awesome just to drive through the country side and soak up the California sun. I LOVE BEING IN THIS MISSION!
• Another unexpected perk of being in this mission is that I get to play the piano in primary about every other week. I included a picture because it shows my nice part really well. Did I tell you that we're required to have parts in this mission? Anyways, I think I've been pulled into playing for the primary program... I LOVE BEING IN THIS MISSION! (take ii)
• In last week's e-mail I mentioned that I was going to a baptism that night for our neighbor - It was such an INCREDIBLE experience. I honestly can't think of many situations that i have felt the Spirit stronger. Elder Allen and I got to be the witnesses and help in giving him the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and I'm honestly just grateful to be here in Fresno just to witness these miracles unfold before me.

To be honest, this week has been hard because our teaching pool has been dropping, but I KNOW there are Hmong people here in Fresno that are being prepared for ME to share the gospel with. I love being a missionary. I love you all so much. You drive me to be a better representative of the Lord and to make you proud of the man I am becoming. Continue to pray for me, but more importantly for the people being prepared for me to teach, and I'll continue to pray for you!

Sib Ntsib Dua!

- Hlub,      ( Love, )

  Tub Txib Tshaj Lug Vwj       ( Elder Matthew David Doane)

I always feel like I'm leaving out so much when I send these.... Anyways, Until Next Week!