Jaw Drop

WAIT: Attached is an audio file – Happy New Year.mpa. To get this week’s FULL email effect WHILE reading, double click on it beforehand – [unless your Mission doesn’t allow you to listen to Chinese music.]

Okay, , , aaaahhh, now doesn’t that music set the tone for cook’in some good Asian stir fry?

“Sister” Thornton sure knows how to WOK and ROLL doesn’t she?

Quit shaking your head. We can’t believe it either. But, trying to top last week’s Italian Friday Feast kept us up a few nights. We are getting a little STIR fry crazy – egg/drum roll please – LOL.

Seriously though, with all of your GREAT help it actually did turn into quite the Chinese Celebration. (Yes, “technically” Chinese New Year is past, but we are serving Chinese, so WOK with us a little.)

When we finally opened up the feast, the look on this U-dub student’s face said it all:

Okay, so “dragon man” isn’t exactly a U-dub student. But the picture really does capture the FESTIVE ambiance we were trying to go for. However, Mike wouldn’t put on the Dragon suit either to help set the Chinese ambiance. But, fortunately with all your help, we did set a great-festive tone anyway.

We received some great decorations made by some students at Bonney Lake (THANKS Milburns!!!):

And (as you can hear IF you are listening to the audio file) we received some great audio files from many of you (THANKS!!!):

Of course the Big Screen slide show presentation also was wonderful with all the pictures we were able to download on China (THANKS Warren BINGHAM!!!):

We can’t print all the Cookie Fortunes we received (THANKS Jeppesens, Wises!!!), but they were great too!

Anyway, we served STIR FRY, EGG ROLLS, LETTUCE WRAPS & THE GREAT WALL OF CHOCOLATE & FORTUNE COOKIES (Thanks for all the great recipes from one and all!!!)

All for 2 bucks! Try getting that much food for your $$$ anywhere! (Okay, we MIGHT have overspent the budget a little – and now we will have some explaining to do to with the Institute Director. If we get released early, just remember Walt Disney use to spend double and triple what he was supposed to and look where Disneyland is now!)

As a result, we topped 90+ students!!! They say it is a NEW Institute record for Friday Feast (at least a good one for a very long time.) We think we could top our intermediate goal of 100+ within the next two or three weeks.

Of course, next week might be a bit interesting. It will be Valentines AND Friday the 13th. We are trying to think of a food theme that meets both criteria. Maybe something set to a Greek tragedy or perhaps Madame Butterfly. What do you think?

On another subject, when we first got here, it was common for us to hear innocent student comments like, “The couples before you had a lot more white hair.” “Do you guys know how to cook or teach or something?” You see, the SENIOR missionaries, who have come and served here, apparently have been the REAL grandma and grandpa type. Since we have no grandchildren yet, although the students have been VERY nice, we could tell they really wanted someone closer to the age of their grandparents, rather than just their parents (they already have “parents” telling them what to do, , ,.) [Those at home with “white” hair – you are desperately wanted!]

Since we don’t have white hair (just don’t look too close at Jenny’s “hair highlighting”) we have been trying especially hard to do our best to spice up the “teach a little” and the “cook a little” parts of our mission life. (Lest we forget, Note to Audrie, [Jenny’s Nice & hairdresser] Are you coming to Seattle anytime soon?),

As a result of ALL your extra help, we think we reached a pivotal moment with many of the U-dub resident students. Student comments at the end of the week, like one made by Nancy, (the U-dub long-time office assistant) says a lot.

(Picture of Brother White, Nancy and Brian)

Nancy’s comment, “Elder & Sister Thornton, you just can’t possibly go home in a year. You will just have to tell your 2 sons and your daughter, we need you more. So when they return [from their missions], instead of you going back to Provo, they, and your daughter, will just have to come and live here.”

Comments like that made us choke up just a little as we ended our week. Noteably, we would have to say Nancy was probably one the toughest to convert to the new/younger “senior” missionaries. Anyway, all you Senior/White hair types, just know, you have a GREAT advantage over us younger “senior” missionaries when you first start your mission - especially in the instant love & respect department.

Last, we wanted to catch you up with Ma’aki. If you recall, Ma’aki is the young man who joined our New Testament class last week. If you remember, we weren’t sure whether we were getting through to him at all until at the very end of class when he prayed for the first time. That was on Tuesday.

On Sunday, we went to three different Fast & Testimony meetings. The last of the day was at the Tongan ward. When we arrived, they were just about to start singing the opening hymn (in Tongan of course.) We quickly sat down in the back and grabbed a hymn book. Of course, their hymns are all written in the Tongan language and many of the melodies are uniquely Tongan as well. We did our best to join in anyway. As Sister Thornton’s dad says, “If you can’t sing well, sing loud.” Unfortunately, did you know the letter “e” in Tongan sounds like the capital “A?” We didn’t either. They also go UP and DOWN on some notes that don’t appear to go UP or DOWN. Some of the younger Tongan kids were giggling a little as we got a little Tongan-tongue-tied on words we didn’t have a clue on what they meant. Yet the spirit was strong. The Tongan branch members LOVE to sing and they sing so BEAUTIFULLY (despite two Provo missionaries.) It was a real treat.

Then it was time for testimonies. Once again, we didn’t understand a word they were saying. Yet, as we looked around the room at their beautiful faces, the spirit definitely bore testimony of their kindness and commitment to the gospel.

Testimony meeting there was somewhat like a BYU student ward, in that, it was a race and “non-stop” testimony event at the pulpit. Yet the race didn’t always go to the swift. When it was time for some of the more “mature” sisters of the branch to bear their testimony, you could feel the great respect the younger generation had, as they would yield and allow these wonderful sisters the opportunity to bear their testimony. Of course the meeting went a “little” over, but it was still a treat.

Somewhere towards the end of the meeting a tall, young man stood up. It was Ma’aki. He looked a little different in a white shirt and tie and without his Hoodie. He then walked up to the pulpit. Though you could tell that Ma’aki was not very comfortable, he bore his testimony in English (which was even more interesting, because afterwards, we talked to him and he hadn’t realized we were there.) Anyway, towards the end of his testimony something incredible happened. As we listened, all of a sudden he quoted two verses (not just read - he quoted two verses) right out of our discussions of 1 Corinthians. Then he stated, he had decided to go on a mission. What? Praying just a few days ago, then apparently memorizing scriptures, bearing testimony and committing to go on a mission? It was truly one of those jaw-dropping experiences that come all too infrequently in life.

Of course, we know it wasn’t us. But being there to see Ma’aki catch hold and see how the Spirit was teaching Ma’aki was truly a wonderful experience. We are so grateful to be able to serve the Lord full-time. We are so thankful for experiences like these. The gospel is truly the “good news.” Its message of Christ’s atonement, as born witness by the Holy Ghost, can and does change lives.

Reflecting back over this week and all of the GREAT help we received, it has once again made two little missionaries from Provo so thankful. Maybe a kind and loving Heavenly Father does send more of these experiences quietly to us than we ever imagine possible if we just take the time to reflect upon them.

For all you do for us - for all you do for those all around you - you make our jaws drop too!

Malo ‘aupite!
(Tongan – THANK YOU VERY MUCH.)

We love ALL your wonderful commentary.

MISSIONS ARE SIMPLY GREAT!!!


Well, we’d best blast off,

Love,
Elder “Mike” & Sister “Jenny” Thornton