Salvation isn't a quick fix

Dear Family! 

 

Hello!  How is everything at home?  I hope it is well, I hope you had a wonderful Christmas :)  It sounds like you did- ipod touch?  Look who is posh now, Jaden and Jenika :)  Love you.  You will share it with me someday.  And I will download Mo Tab onto it :).  I did get quite a few Christmas cards from all the family.  They were beautiful and one of the only decorations that we had in the house.  It was great.  I had a wonderful Christmas.  Christmas on the mission is so special.  When I'm a Sr. Couple missionary I'm going to have like a million Christmases on the mission.  Maybe :)

 

Guess what!?  I moved! Crazy, isn't it?  Everyone in Preston thought I might stay, but I had a feeling that I would be leaving. So, yeah, I'm whitewashing and opening a new area in Crewe.  It is in the same stake as Stafford, weird, I haven't been down here forever.  But, yeah, it seems quite exciting.  It is the smallest town I have been to since Stafford as well, which is really crazy, but also will be a lot of fun, I'm sure.  Won't take as much time to learn the area I guess.  I'm serving with Sister Hanson who is great.  She is in Sister Beaty's group so she has actually been here quite a while.  We are also co-senior companions which I think is something President recently created :)  It will be nice , there won't be as much stress on me because of that.  President said that it is most likely that Sister Hanson will stay here and train and I will whitewash another new area with a trainee.  Crazy.  BTW, my actual departure is  7 March.  The extension is from when I hit 18 months, not from the end of the transfer. 

 

Crewe Address:

 

37 Salisbury Close

Crewe CW2 6JN

England, UK

 

 Salvation isn't a quick fix, it isn't like we can just go into a Walk In Health Clinic one time and be healed through the atonement. The healing that we need through the atonement is more like a long term disease- maybe cancer. We constantly and consistently need to be going to the doctor to receive spiritual radiation or chemo or something. And just like that, we have to kill parts of ourselves in order to actually be whole. We have to kill the natural man- physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We can't do that by ourselves. If you went to the doctor one time for cancer and then were like, 'hmmm... I think I got it covered now...'- you would die! You would honestly kill over and die. Even when you go into remission for cancer, you still have to go to the doctor maybe once a year or so to make sure it hasn't returned. And we constantly need to be going back to Christ.

 

I love you.

 

Sister Hull



Sister Hull in Preston Apartment




Sister Hull and Van (playing Mary) at Chinese Christmas Activity



An Actual Email

Okay, I switched to another Internet cafe.  The library is closed today with it being Christmas Eve and verything.

 

We had a very crazy week.  We had sisters from different areas coming to stay with us for like half of the week because of the Mission Home activity.  Some of them just live too far away that they can't really travel within one day.  At least that is what they say.  Sometimes it is okay for other sisters to come and sometimes it isn't - like when they leave your food out of the fridge and it goes moldy.  I was not too happy about that.  I might say they can't stay next time.  I'm no sure if I'll allowed to do that, but I'm pretty sure if I express my opinion they will listen.

 

We had a wonderful time at the Mission Home.  We were the last group and Sister Preston was quite relieved :)  She does a full on Christmas Dinner 7 times- once for each zone.  It is really crazy, I love Sister Preston so much.  Everytime I see her I just have to say, 'I love you Sister Preston!'  She is wonderful.  She is as wonderful as President Preston, and just as charitable, but in a completely different way. It is very good :)  I love how they compliment each other.  Oh my goodness, Mom, and dad, I want you to meet them SO BAD.   I once told President that I was still going to ring him like for the rest of my life, and he says that makes him really pleased.  I love them.

 

We played White Elephant as well.  Oh my goodness... SO FUNNY.  My zone is so crazy.  President turned to Elder Herrin at one point and was like, 'Your zone is definitely the loudest.'  I told E. Herrin that we just take after him.

 

By the way.  Van will probably send you some pictures of a nativity that we did at the Chinese Party.  Could you send them to me so I can pass them on.  The only easily accessible camera we had was hers, so it was good.

 

The Chinese Activity was WONDERFUL!!  Oh my goodness, it was like one of the best days of my life.  I was so excited to see Vincent again.  He was so excited to see me as well.  Oh my goodness, the moment he saw me his face  completely changed, he like rushed over and was shaking my hand... and I think he forgot English.  He was speaking to me in Chinese and the only thing I could understand was tai haole (so good or very good)- I was like, 'Vincent!  I don't know Chinese!  Speak English to me!'  He was like, 'I have to give my speech in English?!' (he was giving a talk) I was trying to tell him to communicate with me in English but he was so excited he couldn't put English sentences together.  Later we were eating dinner and Sister Embley was like, 'Vincent you are so excited to see Sister Hull your pengyou (friend).'  He was like, 'Sister Hull is my best friend.'  It was so wonderful  to see him again.  I also met his almost girlfriend ('Vincent... is this your girlfriend?' 'No.' 'Oh... almost girlfriend.' *Their faces go red* Almost Girlfriend: 'It getting warm in here...') who seems really good and said that Sister Embley can visit her sometime.  So I admonished Sister Embley to baptise her so they can be a forever family.  Perfect.  Vincent's testimony was also really wonderful- he expounded on scripture!  He is so good.  When I was saying goodbye to him, he was sad so he forgot English again, but later told me he thinks I come back to Liverpool.  I would love that.

 

I also saw Van.  We made her be Mary in the Christmas Pageant and she thought we were ridiculous.  I told her, 'This is very traditional...'  She was walking around with this fake pregnant belly, it was so funny.  In her recent convert testimony she quoted me- in English, so I could understand that part :) She is so wonderful, she is my best friend.  She gave me a present and a card and in the card she wrote, 'You are my best best best friend from England (notice I didn't say one of, don't tell anyone else they will be jealous.)'  She is probably only person I have communicate with that is mad about me extending my mission.  She wanted to talk to me earlier than that.  She is so funny I started to cry when I said goodbye to her.  I was crying crying crying. 

 

I have been so blessed.  I was telling Sister Embley that if I would have come on my mission and only baptised one of them- if I would have suffered the weather and the emotions and the pain and the fatigue and the discouragement and everything for only one of them- it would have been worth it.  It would have been completely worth the year and a half I had to sacrifice. I love them that much, and I realise that they love me that much as well.  That is something you don't have without a bit of sacrifice.  Heavenly Father really blesses us for the small things we do.  It is like that scripture by King Benjamin, He blesses us so much more that we are just forever indebted to Him.  My recent converts are the best.  No contest :)

 

I love you.  Thank you for your sacrifice in order for me to have this experience :)

 

Loves.

 

Sister Hull

 

I think it will be closer to 2:00 here :)  Not quite as early for you.  I expect to see you all in your Christmas pjs :)

Fun Pictures

This is Josh.  He is so cool.  Like literally.  Sometimes I wondered
why he was meeting with us.  Because, to be honest, most people like
him don't meet with the missionaries.  God prepared him.

Elder Cai and I.  Oh my goodness, Elder Cai has been so
influential to me in my mission.  He was my leader for 4 transfers so
1/3 of my mission!  I learned so much from him and serving with him.
He is going home tomorrow, sadly.

 Sister Loh made this sign that people could write their Christmas
wish on as a finding tool.  It worked really well, but it got soaked

Wow.

I feel completely honored to be quoted in Sacrament Meeting by my friend Jordan Devenport.  Honestly, I can't believe it.  But I'm so grateful to have someone who respects me enough to quote that.  Wow.

Yeah, I didn't particularly want to tell everyone that I was extending :p  I didn't know what the reaction would be, you know?  No one in the  mission really knows except for Sister Loh and Sister Embley.  I don't
know how to break it to them... or if I'm even supposed to.  And it is really awkward with my friend Elder Herrin, because we are supposed to be in the same group and he jokes and talks about it and I'm like,
'yeah... haha.'  But it is such a blessing to be able to stay.  One thing I have been encouraged by President to do is to *not* talk about going home, even with people at home.  Of course we need to sort out necessary details, but not really just talking about it.  Okay?  Great :)

This week has been a bit stressful.  Every week is stressful for me in Preston.  But whereas Liverpool was physical stress from the demands of missionary, Preston is emotional stress.  And, uh, you all know how
well I deal with emotional stress- sometimes I chop my hair off!  So, uh, my pixie cut will be so nice for you to see on Christmas!  Yay! Haha, just kidding, I didn't cut my hair, I don't think I would ever do that again.  Actually!  This is so great!  Sister Loh is the first person I have met who has *also* cut her hair because she was stressed!  Yay!  She seriously did... but not as short as mine :)

I went to a chiropractor this week.  I really didn't want to, I'd been avoiding it like my whole mission.  But Heavenly Father told me that I needed to go, and so I called Sister Preston and she sorted it out and things.  My chiropractor is named Michael and he is actually Irish.  But that isn't really that important.  But I thought you would like to know, mum, because I know that you are worried.

In your email you talk about my birthday... but I think you must actually be talking about Jordan's birthday because it was this week... but it was meshed with some stuff that was particularly about me.  So if you celebrated my birthday at grandma's house that is great!  But also kind of weird :)  HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELDER JORDAN HULL!!!  I'm so grateful he was born.  It was so lonely being the only child... but I got all the attention.  I still get loads of attention, so that is okay.

This week was a bit slow.  I was sick again on Wednesday, and we all know how well I deal with being sick- I HATE it!!!  I have actually been ill a substantial part of my mission (when Van saw me she was like, 'Sister Hull, you're sick again!?'  and I was like, 'Van, I'm always sick, remember when Sister Gong and I couldn't put together coherent sentences...?'  'Oh... yeah...').  So I hate being sick, but usually I can push through it.  But when Heavenly Father tells me to stay in, I have to stay in.  The difficult part is that Sister Loh can quite often get ill as well, it is like a reoccurring thing, so sometimes we don't have as much time as we should.  So that bites :(  But, I'm feeling a lot better, although I have a cold still.  Yeah.  My back and stomach hurts often, though.  Sometimes I think my back and stomach are connected, which is weird.  Dr Fischer had a sign that said everything was connected to your back.  Hmm...  Maybe.

VAN CAME TO VISIT ME LAST WEEK!  Van is the best.  We mostly made her go shopping with us and wrap presents, but she had a nice time.  Oh my goodness, I miss/ed her so much.  She is wonderful.  I can't believe how much she has changed.  It seriously scared me to teach her at the beginning because she was quite resistant- now she has like one of the strongest testimonies of my recent converts.  She told me she will come and visit me in America because she thinks she will have enough money to come to America before I have enough money to go to China.  Which is probably true.  When she goes home she will be professional-she has her masters now :)  I told her when I got to China I'm just buying the airplane ticket because I'll stay at her house and eat all her food.  She say okay.  I'll get to see her at the Chinese activity this week, she is coming up from London to go to it- but she isn't telling her family where she is going.  Her family doesn't actually know that she is Christian yet... she was going to take them to the church and have them look around and be like, 'do you like this church?  I'm a member of it!'  I'm kind of glad that idea didn't work out.  So funny.

Van actually wears a bracelet with a cross to symbolise that she is a Christian.  It really bothered Sister Embley (graven images and things) but I kind of like it because she finally realises that she is a Christian.  I don't know if that is apostate, but I refuse to tell her she can't wear it.

We had a Christmas party at church this week.  Both Josh and Laura came!  I was quite excited about that :)  Josh went home to the Isle of Guernsey the day after the party, so I probably won't see him again
because the likelihood of me being transferred (especially after talking to President) is quite large.  So I told him that and we had to say goodbye.  Blarg.  It doesn't get much easier.  But it will be a lot easier to communicate with him, because I'm pretty sure that facebook is allowed on the channel islands- unlike China.  Hopefully I can go to his baptism :)  Hopefully he has a powerful spiritual experience while on holiday.

Laura gave us this little Christmas tree because she couldn't bear to think that we didn't have one.  You know, we aren't working with loads of people right now, but the people we are working with are really
quality.  They are good friends of mine- and the first time I've really made British friends on my mission that aren't active member. Wonderful:)

I could write more, but the computers are being rubbish, so I probably need to let Sister Loh use this one :)

Love you, Bye!

Sister Hull

In his recent talk Elder Ballard talks about assimilating the gospel into our lives!  I love how he says it, look it up.  Resistance is Futile!  Loves!

Guess what!!??

Guess what!!??

Van is coming to visit me today :)  She is coming all the way from Liverpool to see me.  I's so excited.  (Not sure if I's is slang...).  Yea!  I'm happy about it.  To be honest, she'll probably just have to help with our grocery shopping and our preparations for the Chinese Activity (we have to buy extra white elephant gifts and wrap them for the Chinese people who forget.)  But it will be fun to see her.  I'll only get to see her one other time before she goes home to China so that will be good.  Her family is coming to pick her up, but she said that I can't meet them until I go to China.  Probably because she hasn't told them she is a Christian yet.  She is afraid they will freak out.

In other news... mom said I should just tell everyone.  Blarg.  I want it to be a secret, but I guess it is important for you to know.  I'm extending my mission.  There are loads of reasons why, but I guess the main reason is because I prayed to the Lord, and it is what feels most right.  So my estimated departure date is 16 March instead of 14 February.  I feel really blessed to be able to have this opportunity. I don't know what you are all going to say... but I'm sure I'll get a response.  It isn't because I don't want to see everybody- I do.  Sometimes it hurts how much I want to see all of you, I've been more homesick in the last transfer or so than I was for months before.  But I know it is the right thing I need to do, and I need to help with my small part to prepare the mission for the new missionaries that will be coming.  I'm not sure what I will be asked to do, but I know that they will probably be difficult.  So I'm nervous but ready for the challenge.

Please know that I love you all, and I am excited to see you again.  The extra time will go by so fast and I'll be home before you know it.

If the worlds lasts that long ;)  Isn't it supposed to end on 12/12/12 ?  I was going to quote a song lyric.  There aren't many songs that talk about the end of the world being in 2012, so you might be able to guess it.  Anyway, I'm not too worried about it, because I always said that God wouldn't end the world before I could come home again.  I have soooo much stuff to do before the 2nd coming, I'm sure you all do as well.  No worries.

This week has been slightly slower than most.  Sister Loh gets ill quite often so we have had to spend several hours inside this week.  There was one day that I ended up calling Sister Preston like 7 times or something (between her and I... I should probably be going to a chiropractor this week, fyi.  I decided that if I'm staying I need to make sure I don't 'kill myself' as Sister Embley always said.)  Yeah.  Then Sister  Preston started coughing because I made her laugh... so then I made her laugh again and she was like, 'Stop making me laugh, Sister Hull!'  Yeah.  So the work has been slow, but Sister Loh and I have been laughing quite a bit.  She is a good companion.  I have been so blessed on my mission with all of my companions, to be honest.  I know that some missionaries have only a few companions that they get a long with... I have only a few that I didn't.  And those companions are now my friends since we aren't living together anymore :)  It is great.

Well.  Merry Christmas season.  'All I want for Christmas is.... you.'  Haha.  Mariah Carey humor.  I'm not sure if I'm supposed to quote Babylon Christmas music... but I do try to sing 'Joy to the World' like her instead of that song this year :)  Yeah.  I sing like Mariah while I'm walking down the street.  And Celine ('O Holy Night').  My voice may have gotten better since coming on my mission.  And it may have gotten a whole lot worse.  We also sing about how our Zone Leader's favourite ice cream is bubble gum with gummi bear mix in.
Sick.

Well.  I'll speak to you soon.  I'm excited to hear everyone's reaction :)

Love you.

Loves,  Sister Jasmine Hull

It's a Wonderful Time to be a Missionary in EMM

Dear Family,

 

I have to say that, first off, I LOVE LOVE LOVE Marvin's Party this year.  At least the pictures I saw of it.  I have to say, I was a bit jealous of Jenika and Kallie getting to dress up like Disney Princesses.  So cute.  And Jenika getting her guy friends to dress up like the Princes, that is amazing.  I have really good friends, but I'm not sure I could have convinced any of them to do that.  Maybe like 1.45 of them I could have convinced.

 

I showed Sister Loh the picture, and she said she wants to be a Disney Princess next time it happens.  I told her she would probably have to be Mulan.  We have already figured out how she can cut her hair off with a sword :)

 

Congrats to Kallie and receiving her mission call :)  She,  Jordan and Dad can speak to each other when they get home.

 

We had another huge success with a LA named Laura.  We stopped by her on the ward's Reach Out Night with the WML.  She talked to us for a minute and invited us back.  We didn't make our return appointment because it was Sister Embley's last day and just got crazy.  The WML kept asking us about her, and we planned to return.  Finally one night he texted us at like midnight (luckily it didn't wake us) saying he felt really prompted that we needed to go and visit Laura.  We went as soon as we had open time, and she was there and let us in and we got acquainted with her and taught her on the spot.  She said she had been wanting to come back to church for a while and felt like it was the right thing to do (she hadn't been to church for like 15 years, by the way) and had even talked to her father about it.  But she had just never done it.  We scheduled a return appointment and took the WML with us.  He was so excited and basically taught the lesson himself and invited her to church.  She said yes, and he picked her up on Sunday morning and her and her young son came to church.  Everyone at church was so excited!  They couldn't believe it and were all greeting her, and were so happy that she was there.  Someone asked, 'Why did you come today?!'  She said, 'These two, Sister Loh, Sister Hull.... oh, and Brother Hesketh.'  (Brother Hesketh is the WML).  She wants to keep coming and says that she feels strong enough to face the obstacles ahead of her this time.  What a blessing.

 

 

Currently the EMM has a capacity of 140 young missionaries, 20 of which are sisters.

Because of the new announcement the capacity has been expanded to 212 missionaries, 64 of which will be sisters (and 2 of which will be Chinese Speaking). 

 

I think that means the ratio of Elders to Sisters will be changing from 7:1 to 4:1 or more.  That is so exciting.  It is a wonderful time to be a missionary in the England Manchester Mission!

 

I love it here. 

 

Loves, Sister Hull

 

PS  As far as we know Josh has been trying to live the word of wisdom.  He went out and bought a herbal tea and has been drinking hot chocolate and had about 1/2 of the cigarettes he usually has the first day!  It is good news:)

Mother-rage

Hi mom :)

Thank you so much for sending me that message from Van.  She is so wonderful, and that is so kind of her to be worried.  You can tell her that if she wants to come up and see me sometime she could come up and spend P-day with us or something.  I'm not sure how that communication would work, but that is the only day I assume I can see her before she goes home to China--- Unless she comes to the Chinese Christmas Party, which she definitely can.  Okay.  So you can tell her that :)  And that I miss her and Sister Embley very much.  Blarg.  It's hard.

I actually found out from Sister Embley that Vincent had only gone to church 1 time in the past month and that the Elders like didn't want her to let her teach him when she got back.  Oh.  I had a bit of a word with that Elder.  Yes I did.  First off, it doesn't really happen very often in English missionary land that you get sent back to an area where you have been before, but it does happen in Chinese missionary land.  And if your recent converts are still there it is etiquette for the other missionaries to let you teach them again.  When we whitewashed into Liverpool the Elders offered to let Sister Gong teach her recent convert again.  She declined (we still saw her all the time, but weren't like *teaching* her), but it was very nice of them to offer.  So I went up to that Elder at Chinese meeting and I told him straight up, 'You need to let Sister Embley teach Vincent.'  He was all like prideful and smug when he asked, 'Why?'  Oh.  I told him why.  I told him that she baptised him and they already had that connection and I went on and on and on.  So help me if that Elder's pride makes Vincent go less active.  I will not be having that.  I was so bold with him, I told him that these people are not lifeless objects even after they are baptised and you can't treat them as such (missionaries will probably noticed the quote from Elder Holland 'These people are not lifeless objects disguised as a baptismal statistic....' I almost started crying.  I was like, 'I don't think you understand how much these people mean to me...' (I had words to tell him about Van as well...)  Yeah, I was crying to him.  You can't use people.  You just can't.  And I know that I am full of pride myself at times and I might have just been picking at a mote, but I couldn't have anyone trampling over Vincent, Van and Sister Embley.  Sister Embley told me later in the day that he came and apologised to her (kind of deer in the headlights way) and that she was like, 'It looks like my trainer talked to you....'

I can't imagine what it feels like to be a mom.  If I am so protective of my trainees and recent converts I can't imagine what I'll be like as a mom.  Mother-rage.  I think Sister Okazaki described it as that once :)  Hmm... Maybe I shouldn't tell you about all the prideful things I do.  But I really want someone to be on my side at this point :)

We had a GREAT Thanksgiving.  Brother Wellington really wants to take care of the missionaries (especially the sisters) so he had all 6 of us over that day, plus two of his friends.  And oh my goodness, there was so much food.  They had a traditional English roast, but there was like chicken, pork, two kinds of potatoes, countless veg, yorkshire pud, stuffing, etc. plus three kinds of dessert.  We were dying.  We were dying of happinesss, for sure :)  It was a great Thanksgiving. 

We are teaching a wonderful investigator named Josh.  He is from the Channel Islands (there some Islands off of France, but they are like British or something).  Oh.  He is so good.  He is really the investigator I have dreamed of my entire mission.  He is a YSA and a Uni student and he is really intelligent and really normal.  That is a rare find, to be honest.  He has a really great desire to learn and change his life.  He told us the reason why he stopped and talked to us.  He is studying sports journalism and that day he was trying to interview people and loads of people said no to him.  So when we stopped him he was like, 'I know how that feels, I guess I'll just stop.'  And now we have been teaching him for like over a month.  He had a question about alcohol and things so we taught him the WoW a bit earlier than we expected, and I was terrified, but he said everything made sense, it would just be hard socially.  But he said he would give it a try.  Wow.  I'm amazed.  He is so good, and isn't crazy.  It's amazing and such a blessing.  A rare find.  If you would all love to pray for him, that would be totally fine with me :)  You can pray that he gets over his fear of church (he had a run in with a crazy cult-ish church when he was a teenager, so going to church really bothers him.

Well, I hope you have a wonderful week!  I love you!

Loves,  Sister Hull

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello Everyone!

Yes, it was transfers this week!  6 weeks goes by a lot faster than you think, doesn't it? I really thought I was going to be transfered, but I wasn't- I'm still here in Preston.  That means I will spend 3 transfers in like all of my areas.  Sister Embley left, however.  Ugh.  That was so hard.  She is my longest companion and we get along so well.  When she got on the coach to transfers Elder Herrin (one of my good friends in   Preston, but super all American and not a person to cry in front of) asked if I was okay.  I was like wiping away tears and said, 'no', and started crying a bit.  Yeah.  It was rough to see her go.  But she has so many good opportunities- She is going back to Liverpool as the Senior Companion with another Chinese speaking sister so she will be so blessed.  I'm proud of her.  I hope it is a righteous proud :)  She is great and will always be one of my best friends.

I'm serving here in Preston with Sister Loh who is from Singapore!  She speaks English as her first language and then Mandarin and Cantonese (all the languages Sister Gong speaks!).  When President called me and told me I was going to serve with her I was like, 'Oh, President, I've wanted another Asian companion soooo bad!'  I was so excited.  She is definitely the most Westernised of my asian companions (she went to BYU and was actually born in Hawaii).  So she is really good.  She just finished her training with Sister Jack (my MTC companion) so it is a bit weird being a second companion.  She has so many of the mannerisms of Sister Jack which is so great and funny.  I've heard that Sister Beaty finds like me and Sister Embley
definitely does- it is so funny that we learn from our 'parents'.

I'll be a 'Chinese' missionary for half of my mission!  That is so crazy! I'm so blessed.

I can't remember much of anything else that happened this past week.  Everything is blanking right now.  It is so crazy how fast things go by and how in the moment you are.

I went on exchange to Chorley.  It is the area where the Temple is, and so we were constantly in the shadow of the Temple there.  Sister Suaybaguio had told me that there was special spirit serving in that
area and it is really true.  It is like the Spirit of the Lord is constantly surrounding it.  I think Logan must feel the same way, but I never noticed it because I never really left it.  I'll probably notice it when I get home.  Isn't there a quote that is like everytime there is another temple built on earth Satan looses some of his power?  I really think that that is true.  Which is why we need a Temple in China!  We really need like 500 temples in China, but first we need more than a few thousands members :)  Working on that.

Today is Thanksgiving, isn't it? I would exhort you to listen to Josh Groban's song 'Thankful' today.  It is approved here in the EMM and it is really good.  It describes how I feel.  Even though we have challenges and problems there is so much to be grateful for :)

I'm grateful for your support.
I love you.
  Loves, Sister Hull