Week 52: I Baptize someone and get attacked by a Premortal chicken

 大家好！


On Saturday I got to perform a baptism for one of the Filipina branch Sister's friends because she was worried that the brothers who are in that branch weren't big enough to Baptize her haha. So she picked me to do it which was awesome, I was super thankful for the chance to help out! Then later that day we went to a restaurant for lunch and I ordered fried noodles cause that sounded good. When it came out it was noodles with no sauce, just raw eggs. Literally. Goopy raw eggs. But I had already ordered it, so I was like "Well I guess I gotta eat it now, I got myself into this." I managed to put down about 2/3 of it and then couldn't force any more down. The rest of the day was downhill from there, I was just fighting through the stomach pain and disgust until the end of the day when I just crashed in my bed. Then I woke up at 2:30 am, puked in the bathroom, went back to sleep, and then all day yesterday I had to slowly add crackers and energy drink into my system to fix myself. RIP my stomach, I have been defeated

Highlights:
- We went to a member meal with a family that is half Hong Konger and half Korean, and it was such a blast. Their family is amazing and they were so much fun to chat with and get to know. 
- We ate with the Tyagis again, this time because it was their anniversary! Wedding anniversaries are a really big celebration in India, so we were really flattered that they wanted to have us over. It was so fun, as always
- We have two friends right now from the Philippines, both named Sheila. This means that multiple times a week I ask my companion "Can I call Sheila?" Only my family will understand the significance of this
- After church yesterday we had the opportunity to take a group of kids who are here on an HXP trip and have them meet a bunch of our members. We invited the Tyagis and some other families in our branch to help, and it was amazing. We had an hour and a half where our members who are pretty much all converts to the Chruch share their stories and their faith. It was so powerful and the Spirit was so strong there. My favorite part was when the Tyagi family shared, because they have a crazy story. They were super wealthy when they lived in India, but because of a series of events they lost pretty much everything and are now refugees with almost no money in Hong Kong. They got baptized a little over a year ago. This is roughly what Boss said (Boss is Brother Tyagi, but he insists we call him Boss and he calls us Boss): "Back then I thought I was so rich because of how much money I had, that was all it was about. But I wasn't rich then. Now I'm rich." Knowing his financial situation and his story made that so powerful to hear and such a good reminder of what is truly important in life. 

Spiritual Thought
I want to continue from what Boss shared. On my mission I have met so many people here in Hong Kong who tell me that the thing they want most in life is to get more money. That life's purpose is to get as much money as possible. And I've even met members who have told me that the gospel is great, but it can't solve everyone's problems, or that they can't share the gospel with people they work with because if they do they will be labeled as a "weirdo." Reflecting on all that has made me realize how truly important this gospel is, and the difference it can make IF we prioritize it. There are so many other things we could focus on, but placing our focus on the gospel will bring us into the best life we could have. Can the gospel solve everyone's problems? Maybe it doesn't fix all temporal problems. But that was never the point. And seeing the Tyagis and how happy they are now, and how happy their family is, and hearing how the gospel has changed their life is incredible. This gospel truly does bring the most joy and comfort that can be found in this life. 

Love you all!
Elder Blankenbiller

Google Photos

Pictures
1. Zone P-Day
2. Dinner at the Tyagis Aka the best curry of all time
3. Stay puft marshmallow man
4. Exchanges with Elder Esplin
5. Baptism






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