Last email from the MTC!!!

HEYYY OHHHH.

Well its here! My time is done, flight plans are here, and I LEAVE FOR HK!!!!!! so so so so so excited! We leave on monday at 4am! so this is my last p-day here. Pretty crazy. Just feeling on top of the world and since this sunday is Easter we have a general authority coming to speak to us so i am pretty stoked!! It'll be a great week, i am super excited. We fly from SLC to LA and then to HK. So pretty much I am going to practice writing the entire flight left-handed so when i get off the plane in Hong Kong i will be left-handed. Pretty much the best idea i've ever had. and also elder Falk and I are going to be planning out activities we can do on the plane. Hopefully there is a lot of room for activites! haha

Well This week wasn't anything to spectacular that I can think of.. Hmmm... I don't really even remember this week. All I remember is talking to Sister Fields. She works in the sisters alterations and elders emergencies. she is this old, fantastic volunteer that we love. SO hilarious. Calls us funny old names. Teaches us fancy sewing tricks and makes fun of whatever alteration we need. so Hilarious.

We had this devotional and it was on the spirit. One of my favorite parts was when the speaker asked us when was the 1st time we felt the spirit. As I was thinking back, I was able to remember an experience. After I had thought of that experience of when I was around 10-11 I was overcome with the spirit once again. It made me think of why would I ever not want to have the spirit with me constantly. Especially being a missionary, this is the time I need it most because right now is when I am doing the Lord's work. our speaker shared "sometimes words will fail you but feelings won't." It made me think that if I feel the Love that Christ has for every individual, then my feelings will speak to them. They will be able to feel Christ's love and the love from the Holy Ghost. When that is communicating to an individual that is what will bring them closer to our Heavenly Father. It doesn't matter if the person is very close to God or does not have beliefs in Him because when I excercise Christ's love for them and they can feel that, I know that I am doing my part. I hope and pray everyday that eventually in my mission I will be able to accomplish that. 

As I am about to leave for HK i am so nervous about the language. So i try to do my best and feel like I am far from perfect. a quote my branch president said that I love is "perfect is the enemy of good. We try to hard to be perfect that we forget to be good." I loved that because it is much important to be a good person. One day we will be able to be perfect, but for now I am glad that I can just be good.

Well I discovered i can beat box. Supposedly sister Moody is sending home the video so if her dad puts it on FB check it out.hahahah aka I just made a preview video. There is an elder here that is super good at beat boxing so i showed his skills to the canto districts.  We got new matteresses and were able to jump on those. So awesome. Woodburn got a electronic face shaver, uses it all the time. So lucky.

Time to go get some haircuts.

Love.

elder biggie townsend.

Life is good when you are a "coach"...Elder Coach

Two weeks!

What up!?

 

Well, you guess it! 14 days left here!! I am so excited. It is about time we will be able to leave the MTC. MTC is great, but I am definitely ready for Hong Kong. I am excited to actually see the place we always talk about. We get travel plans on either Thursday or Friday and we host this wednesday!!!! So if you know of anyone that comes in to the MTC on wednesday, Dearelder me and I will try to host them!!

 

This week went off like a frog in a sock. Well kind of. Just super fast. We got new missionaries in our zone/hall mates. Nothing like the old ones, but there are still good guys! Elder Muir is teaching us Australian sayings such as the frog one. haha Elder Lee was sick this weekend so on Saturday we got to walk off campus to the BYU health clinic.  That's pretty much the biggest amount of excitement we recieved. And also writing nice thank you notes to the lunch people on napkins and sending them down the line of trays. I like to write to them. This friday, I thanked them for making good cookies now. The cookies are tasting much better. and I always sign the LOVE ALWAYS, The CANTO BOYS. We pretty much love calling ourselves the canto boys. Oh I got a nice watch tan line as well. That's what you get for language study outside! The weather has been fantastic. 

Since life in here is very monotonous, I have no idea what to write about... I can't remember what I did this week so I don't know what to share. I guess I want to share about the temple! We go to the temple on our P-days at 6 am so sometimes that is not the best for me.  I occasionally doze off a little in sessions and then I don't get to feel all the spirit. Sometimes I just want to sleep in and dont want to go. But when I stop thinking of myself and think that the Lord is helping me everyday, I might as well go help someone else be able to have my blessings and show the Lord that I am thankful for what he does. So today at the temple, I went with the goal not to fall asleep. So I prayed for help and then I did my best not to fall asleep. Well... I stayed awake the whole time! It was great. Not because I stayed awake, but because I know the Lord helped me accomplish my goal because this time I included him. Just like how Nephi did when he was to retrieve the brass plates. the first two times, Nephi and his brothers tried retrieving them their way. But both times they failed. It wasnt until they included the Lord they succeeded. just as it says in 1 Nephi 4 i believe. When I was at the temple, I was able to feel the best spirit. When it ended I was just walking around smiling because I was so happy. It's nice to feel happy here at the MTC. hahaha I just love being able to go to the temple and feel the sweet spirit there. It truly is a place that you can just sit and feel the Lord's love with you. Sometimes I think, "i should have been better at temple attendance, I sure did blow it." well even though I should have done that, the past is past. Now I just have to make sure I take full advantage of it now and as I continue on throughout my lilfe. I just think if anyone hasn't gone in awhile just pray to the Lord to let you feel of the peace of being at His home and the blessings that come from attending it. Then Go to the temple and enjoy it.

 

Well I love you all and hope you all are doing great! If you want to write me while I am still in the US i would recommend doing it sometime this next week! haha

 

Love Always,

Elder Connor McInnes Townsend

or as others say (Falk), Elder Dailouh.

or as others say, Tohng Jueng Louh

Clock is ticking

What up.

Ahh the MTC experience is on the downward slope now! About time! I'm so glad we got the shortened time! Well this week half our zone/ my awesome Filipino elders left today!! Super bummed, they made this place so much better!! We all had some pretty great times, jokes, stories, gymtimes. It's great since you spend so much time here with the same people you can really become great friends! I'm enjoying my time here and learning the language has gotten better. Even though I am learning a different language then the one spoken in Hong Kong, it's all good. haha
Well this week not much happened. It goes all by pretty fast that I forget what was which week, which meal I'm at, and what day it is. 
We had a devotional speaker that was entertaining and great. Some things that I really enjoyed of what he said was... "Open your mouth and don't close it until we have everyone" I loved that. Sometimes I get nervous while we are teaching that I'm going to mess up on what I am saying so I hold back. But I've noticed now that that doesn't help. When I just try to go for it and have confidence, the speaking gets easier.  I love learning the language now. Seeing all of the connections it has and the history in them, especially the characters. Our teacher explained a few of them the other day. So great. Since I started loving the language, it makes it easier and a lot more enjoyable.  Our speaker also asked us, "where are you going to go?" (involving the kingdoms) anyways, he challenged us all to go back that night and write in Big Bold letters of our decision. I want to go to Celestial Kingdom. so how about you? He said if we didn't want to go there, we are doing too much. 
One of my most favorite I'm a mormon ads is Adonal Noble.  He is such a great guy.  He said "if I don't do it, I think I'll feel bad that I didn't do something when I could have." I have been really trying to apply that to me now.  If I don't give my all this time, I know one day I will regret it. I don't want to live with regrets. Especially if this is my time with the Lord, I rather have Him help me 100% than anything else.  We always need to take advantage of situations where we can grow in the eyes of the Lord. I am so grateful already for my mission and the little experiences I have had, it just makes me so much more excited for Hong Kong.
Well I cant really remember any funny moments really. I had a basketball camp for elder Falk. That was fun haha Last night we have this elder leaving to Philippines that is tiny and he isn't taking his sweater so we had another big samoan elder put on the sweater. It was hilarious. Couldn't get it off. haha 
Spooning has become huge in our zone. All the elders think it is hilarious to get me. I always get back to class or residence with a new spoon. I've gotten pretty good myself as well. haha Also our room key works on another room as well so we loaded up there suitcases with spoons. Love the Canto Boys! haha

Well I love you all! 
Elder Towsend

Half way done with the MTC!!!

Dim a!?

Well I am over half way done living here in this beautiful place known as MTC!!! So happy to get to Hong Kong soon! This week has sure been an eventful one. the event consists of Elder Pincock (pihng jeung louh) and Elder Brown (bo jeung louh) left to Hong Kong this morning at 4 am! Pihng jueng louh is enjoying McDonalds for us right now.  I am going to miss those two so much! they are such great guys and stoked to see them in a month hopefully! They were the last set of Cantonese missionaries on the 12 week program. 

Elder Ballard came and visited us this past Tuesday!! It was great, he gave a great talk.  He spoke on Missionary work and how the Lord trusts us and sees us as miracles.  He spoke on doing our best as well.  That we should "capture the vision of what you have to offer the world" I really enjoyed that because when I think of what I can offer the people of Hong Kong, it motivates me to work very hard. On our hard days, we need to allow the Savior's love to carry us through. He has already experienced what we are going through and knows how to help us. I can truly testify that Christ knows how to help us in all ways.  It can be through the Holy Spirit, through scriptures, or through other people. However it is, He will always help you if you allow Him into your heart.  Elder Ballard shared a very sweet spirited message that just gave hope. He said that the greatest missionaries are "those who know Jesus the Christ and know the power of the Atonement."  If I are wearing Jesus Christ's name on myself everyday and I am representing Him, I believe I must know Him personally and not through books. The best way of walking with Christ is by allowing Him to show His love for me.  He is always there, He is just waiting for us to allow Him to be there for us. The way we can allow is to open our hearts to the Lord in prayer.  Actually speaking to the Lord rather that just running a routine.  I can tell you that since I have been on my mission, I wish I would have prayed more honestly and openly to the Lord. Feeling the blessings, miracles, and His love so much more now lets me know I could have had so much more before.  I had felt His love a lot and also had blessing before, but when we pray with pure intent and full of faith, the blessings are amazing.

I love a  quote by Joseph Smith that goes "when the Lord commands it, DO IT."  First off, Nike totally ripped off Joseph Smith.  Second, when we do what the Lord commands, we actually allow Him to help us and bless us. He promises us to bless us if we keep His commandments. So even though some may be hard to keep, just think that you won't be alone at trying to keep them. The Lord will help you.

This week has been pretty good all in all though. Just trying to make the best of the MTC. Next week our floor/friend elders leave to the Phillipines next week. I am so bummed about that. We have all become great friends, they got here the same day as us.  We all have story nights in our residence room. It's great. We all sit down, pull out the food, and the Elder Marlin (funniest elder ever) picks a topic, tells about how his crazy uncles fit to that topic, tells a moral of the story, and then turns the time over to anyone else. It is so funny just sharing our stories. We have had some pretty good ones hahaha.  Last night, Elder Pincock was handing off a lot of his extra food to us and we found these chocolate bead things in a straw that you drink milk to. So some of the Phillipino elders and I got super stoked and went and got milks from the vending machines. This was going to be the best chocolate milk ever! haha  Well we were all pretty excited and some of the elders ripped open the straws and dumped the choco beads into the milk. I grabbed the instuctions and saw that we were supposed to drink through the straws allowing the milk to go through the beads. Well I can saw whether you dumped in the beads or drank through the straw the this was NOT the best choco milk ever. hahaha We had a pretty good laugh just beacuse of how excited we were about something so lame. You truly start to enjoy the "little things in life."
Elder Lee told our teacher that "he needed a girlfriend" because Gu Hing Daih said he liked working here because he got to think of someone besides himself. haha elder lee is pretty good at stating the obvious.  He has a friend that went to BYU-H, "now he has a girlfriend." haha
At the temple walk yesterday, elder woodburn was going to do a nice spin on a pole with his umbrella to look like in movies but he slipped and ate it into the mud.  Now we are taking his suit to Tom and Janet. They are the dry cleaners. Tom is the kind of guy you'd like your daughter to marry, and Janet, she's the bees knees. 

Well out of time. 
Ngoh ngoi leih deih!!

Tohng Jeung Louh

Love Lauren!