JayLynn E. Loves

Ni Hao y'all,

Y'all won't believe how many times I've been called Chinese. This one guy asked me, "How is China?" and I just replied with a thumbs up.👍🏼 and Sister Katoa was dying laughing. So I've just accepted I'm Chinese even though I ain't got any Asian ancestry bruh. Also, we had to go to the immigration services to get my work permit to be legal here and there were some Asian ladies there too. They literally walked up to me and started speaking their native language and I was like, "ain't no wayyyy." I'm really Chinese here huh? 🤣 Me and my companion were also both dying because this little girl was singing and walking towards us but she never saw us. When she finally looked up, she literally paused for 5 seconds while staring at us and then yelled "AZUNGU" (which means white person) and then proceeded to keep singing with whatever song she was singing. We couldn't stop laughing.💀 Also, people here think my hair is a wig and I be touching it and pulling it and they be amazed because it don't come off.😂

Other than that, the mission is missioning if ya know what I mean lol. Some days are good, some days are a struggle, and some days it's very busy that I be coming home SO TIRED. But I KNOW this church is true and the work continues. The more lessons me and my companion teach about The Restoration, The Plan of Salvation, and The Gospel of Jesus Christ, the more I learn something new. One thing I learned in MTC was that "we teach people and not lessons." It's very true. Not only are the people we teach being taught, but us as missionaries are being taught by the spirit and it's amazing. It's also hard too to be honest. The effort that goes in to always be worthy to have the spirit is powerful, but a continual process we always have to work on. I find that when something goes unexpectedly with the people we're teaching or how our day went, I'm always thinking, "what did I do wrong?" The spirit is vital in our lives, but we're not perfect y'all. Shoot, even as a missionary I still be striving to have the companionship of the spirit. And it is so comforting to know that this gospel is the BEST and our Savior truly is our Redeemer who helps us through times like this. As we turn to him in everything we do, we can feel the holy spirit more in our lives and continue to be taught by and learn from the spirit. Especially with my imperfect self. There was a talk by Elder Bednar that he gave to missionaries and the topic went along the lines of, "Is it the Holy Ghost or is it me?" To sum it up, Elder Bednar said to "Quit worrying about it." As long as we are doing what is right and doing our best, the Spirit will guide us and lead us to do what we need to do and it will always be good.

FOR REALS, the Holy Ghost is the best teacher. Me and my companion can go into a lesson planning to teach something and end up teaching something else very different that we didn't even prepare. The spirit truly guides. This past week we were teaching a guy named Vincent in Bauleni. After the end of our lesson I felt prompted to ask him to be baptized and he accepted. 😭🙏🏽 Everytime we go teach him, the spirit is strong. He is always eager to learn and asks many questions. He tried to come to church this past Sunday but didn't make it, kalofae. Imma keep praying for him and imma invite and ask y'all to please do the same.

Overall, the areas we go to bring a lot of fun and create some moments I'll never forget. 💀🤣 Also, I love the members in our area and ward. Some days they come with us (especially those planning on serving missions or are RMs) to our lessons and help teach. They are powerful. It's also helpful because sometimes they are our translators so yeah, issa blessing LOL. The ward members here are so nice and welcoming. Literally even the first Sunday I met them, they all would come shake my hand or be hugging me. 🥹❤️ Anyways, I be dying because they told us at MTC before coming to our missions to not eat the street food BUT ahaha me and my companion be eating what the missionaries before us told us to go. Obviously, if the food look like it's gonna put me in a coffin, I AIN'T EATING IT😂, but we've eaten the samosas (no meat in them only potatoes) and the (shoot idk what it is called here) but it taste like kumala. It was good! BUT TELL ME WHY this week had me fighting demons y'all. It was SO HOT.☀️ This is supposed to be winter season right now so when summer comes, I for reals will quite LITERALLY be fighting for my life. I was sweating bullets. AND my tan line is a crime, like it deserves JAIL TIME. Y'all, the back of my neck is so dark that if you got a white crayon and started drawing on it, you could clearly see what you drew. Anyways, back to dying because of the heat, I was buying the water bags (literally filtered water in a bag or I HOPE its filtered ahahaha) in all the mini street shops to keep me alive AHAHA. Also, littering here is normal, but I still can't bring myself to do it. But my companion got me dying laughing everyday cuz she be throwing things left and right AHAHA.🤣 Sister Katoa literally makes me laugh everyday. She is always dancing everywhere lol. Even though our personalities are way different, I'm grateful she's my first companion and trainer. The fact that she's literally still a teenager, the Lord knew what He was doing when he put us together. She balances me out. She's made mission fun and even though I know mission will have its good and troubling times, I'm grateful for the way my mission experience has started.

All in all, much love to you all. Especially to my family. 🫶🏽 I invite y'all to keep choosing to do what is right and strive everyday to be worthy of the spirit, the Holy Ghost. Act upon the promptings you get that come from the Holy Ghost. Not only will you be an instrument in the Lord's hand to help and bless others, you'll feel more of His love for them and especially for you. ❤️ Yeah fa.

At the stake family activity last week. Me, Sister Latu, Sister Pepa, and Sister Katoa. Mate Ma'a Tonga 🇹🇴 The two Tongans from Tonga and the other two Tongan "plastics." 🤣 iykyk

Walking home. Neighborhood is giving ✨️peaceful✨️ Our security guards at the gate are always nice and Sister Katoa always messing with them bruh ahaha LOL

This church is true. PERIODT. 🙏🏽

My companion and Brother Noah. Libala ward, the best ward. Yahurrr 👌 But why I be fighting for my life trying to see? 💀

One of the main fast food joints here, Hungry Lion. I got the burger cuz the chicken here all got bones in it, IYKYK💀🤣 The music here is always fiyahhh🔥

I miss working out in a gym FRFR 😭