October 20, 2014

Wo Qin'ai de Jiaren,

Another week down! Transfer calls were this week and I learned I am staying with Elder Curtis for another transfer. I have a feeling this will be my last in the YSA, but you never really know. It will be good and I'm sure it will be bittersweet to finish out here. I can't believe how fast a transfer goes. I honestly feel like my entire life has been spent as a missionary, but I never have shaken the feeling I got when I stepped off the plane and it feels like 20 minutes ago. It's so hard to explain haha.

So here's my funny story of the week. Have you ever heard that the First Vision gets interrupted everytime a missionary says it? It's not even a joke. Every time we tell Joseph Smith's story a phone rings or a bus whooshes by haha. I thought that was some legend but it's forreaaall. Anyhow, the best interruption and most comical happened this week. We were telling this student it on the street and then an old man with this super long beard walked up leaning on one of those tennis ball walkers and just stopped and looked at us. At first I was like, "Oh man, here we go." Then he just smiled really big and said, "I've got one too, lads. I'm gonna' put it in the boot (that means trunk)." Then he opened his walker basket and had a Book of Mormon in there. Hahaha I don't really know if this transfers over well as a story but it was hilarious. I think every time I think I've seen it all something like that happens. Or other religions pass around their tracts to us and loads of funny things. People are so entertaining!

So I've run out of my first bottle of Cholula hot sauce and I have already bought a second tube of toothpaste here in England, so I think it's really hit me that I've left the nest. It's so weird that I'm a nineteen year old kid who lives in England and walks around all day teaching people about the truth. Elder Curtis and I are either really excited or really terrified every time we leave our apartment haha.

The best part of this week was the Chinese Activity! We all went to Liverpool with our investigators and all the Chinese people from the mission. It felt like I was back in Taiwan as we took the bus over. I have to tell you, Liverpool for some reason feels like a second home to my heart. I had this MASSIVE deja vu in the chapel and I feel like I am destined to serve there. And there was this old Chinese man there that I looked at and just hope I find a Chinese family to teach. Several have been baptized in the history of the mission. Anyway, I got excited and Elder Holland served there so I pretty much have to. The activity went well, mostly just awkward Chinese people and food and otherwise Asian things.

So on Sunday I was having one of my weekly inner breakdowns about street contacting and I realized the most amazing thing. I have always learned the most powerful lessons in my life from Heavenly Father through comparisons of random, normal events in my life. So I have always been able to compare missionary work to fishing, but honestly it really hit me this time. Every time out on the Provo River that I wanted to break my rod and never return, every time even after all my Youtubing and dreaming and studying, that I never caught a stupid fish. I was having one of these moments really strongly and the Spirit clearly spoke to me that it is not the fish that make the fishermen, but the river.

Family, I love you all. I know it is not any success here or great stories that will really define what I truly think of this experience. It is my personal relationship with Christ that slowly forms a little more strongly each day. It is the time that I cannot go any further and I realize that I'm right, and then He will carry me to the end of the day. It's those times I wonder why I am willing to do this when nothing amazing ever seems to come of it and I realize the most powerful convert is myself. But yeah, I'm doing well.

Julie, they do have Halloween here but it's sort of a joke. We have to come into our flat early which is a relief with all the college students here. I am learning to love wards outside of Utah as well. It's like a little family and it shows you why the church is so important outside of strong Priesthood families!

Dad, Sister Sun sent me the photos. It sounds like you are just a church man all of the time now haha. Are you still a dentist anymore? Haha just kidding you will have some amazing stories from that ward

Mom, I ate one of those Cliff bars this morning and it was a weird feeling to have one again. That picture of Sam and Laura and you is so cute. I know what you mean about such weird experiences and so much need. It just becomes normal as a missionary. It's interesting how confident now I am to do things that made me feel awkward back home even though I was a theatre kid and goof all the time. Haha I remember when we gave food to some homeless people downtown and I was so scared and now it's nothing.

Love you all,

Elder Webb

PS The picture is my favourite snack for those days that I'm too lazy to make a proper meal. One half is nutella and one half is peanut butter with a banana down the center, then you roll it up. Elder Curtis made a pact that we would never eat it again because it's all we were eating.