There are two more!

So for some reason I couldn't get these pictures to add on the last post, so this is a continuation of my China reflection!

This is my dear friend Solonge. She is from France and also attended CNU. Solonge was also introduced to the church in China and started coming to the branch with us. She also began taking the missioanry discussions from two of the guys in our group who served there missions in France. I know that was not a coincidence. It was great because she was able to recieve the discussions in her native language, even though her English is amazing!

                                
And lastly, this is a beautiful picture of Joseph's baptism. There is a pool up on like the seventh floor of the bulding we met in for church. This was such a sweet moment. I will always chersh my time that I had in China.

Reflections of China

So, I kind of haven't posted a blog in...well a really long time. I guess that's what happens when you're in love, and there are just more important and exciting things happening in life. But life is wonderful, and I'm now almost a month into my semester at school and am really loving my classes. I'm doing three dance classes: clogging, ballet and the collegiate world team. My ballet teacher is the most awesome ever! She's a classically trained ballerina, like in her 70's and tiny, in the best shape, and can still drop into the splits! Totally an inspiration! I'm taking organ lessons, doing a sound engineering class and a hymn class, which I love. This last week one of our assignments was to memorize all the verses to "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief." It was hard work, and I feel so good to say that I did it! My last class is my Chinese class. Of course I love it, because I love Chinese, but can I say difficult? Yes. It's actually the highest level of Chinese they offer here, and I am in a class with a bunch of mandarin speaking returned missionaries. So it's a great push, and sometimes I really struggle, but it is good.

But I wanted to use the rest of this post to reflect on my time in China. You will have to excuse the disorganized pictures. I posted them in a random order, and I can't seem to switch them around.

It's so interesting to me to think back at what I was doing three years ago and never would have imagined the things Heavenly Father has allowed me to experience, and the "old friends" he has blessed me to see and meet. I found myself in China teaching English and then a year and half later, I found myself back in China (but up north in Beijing, instead of southern) studying Chinese!!! Sometimes I wondered, "What has led me here?" While I was in China this last time, the spirit taught me something very important, and that is...

One of the most important reasons while I was in China was to be a missionary. Because China is not open to missionaries and the preaching of the gospel at this time, the MEMBERS of the church in China ARE the Lord's missionaries!! I felt so blessed to be a part of the members there and that the Savior trusted us to do a "work without words," sharing our light through examples, and letting the natives see how LDS members live.

Along with "a work without words" among the natives of China, I never thought of all of the people from all around the world I would get to be friends with! Being at an international school, I was able to share the gospel and become friends with people from Italy, Korea, Ghana, Dubai, Iraq and many other places!! I learned SO much from all of these people! I also got offered many alcoholic drinks and through the many kindly declines, that is how many of these people started asking us Mormons questions about our faith. They started to see that we lived "differently" and they were curious about our beliefs. They saw the light and the happiness that naturally comes from the way we live.

This is one of my Chinese friends, Catherine. I met her out running on the track one day. She is a sweetheart.

This is my Chinese friend, Sofie. She is a doll! I met her on the bus one day on my way to church and then met her for lunch the next week. The first thing she said to me when we met for lunch was, "I want to go to church with you!" I was heart broken, as I had to explain that Chinese law doesn't allow us to do that, and I couldn't even tell her when and where the Chinese branch met. She was so sad, but we are still great friends.

I got to teach the sunbeams at the international branch while in China. This was one of the handsome little boys in my class.

This was my Chinese class. We had Italians, Koreans, Dubains, and us Americans all learning Chinese in the same class.

My dear friend Veronica from Italy.

My awesome friends Hamada and Abdu who are from Dubai who were in our class. They took us American girls out for Arabic food one day.

So, cool story about this guy! This is my friend Joseph from Ghana who was introduced to the gospel by my friends Brett and Adam at the beginning of the semester. Joseph was baptized the week before we left! The Lord really does place people in each other's paths for a reason. I bet Joseph wasn't thinking that when he came to China he would be introduced to and join the LDS church by members from America who are studying Chinese in Beijing and he would be baptized, but the Lord had a plan, and he is involved in every detail. It was the sweetest baptism in the world. I don't think there was a dry eye when Joseph stood up to bear his testimony after his baptism. This humble guy is full of so much love and had the biggest smile accross his face that entire baptism day.

Bartering at the silk market. These are two of my Chinese friends who I would always talk to at the silk market.

My friend Natalie from Korea! Natalie lived in Ireland so she speaks fluent English. Funny story, I met her in the grocery store. She had been in China for a few days, and didn't speak very much Chinese, so when she saw an English speaking American in the store she was delighted. The first thing she asked me was, "Do you know where the pots and pans are?" Instant friends right there in the produce section! I had this feeling to ask for her number so that we could get together, even though we had only known each other for a couple minutes. We ended up going shopping and hanging out. I invited Natalie to church one sunday and she came!

My great friend Sam from Iraq. This is a picture of us at a Muslim Mosque in Beijing. He invited a small group of us to go with him. We invited him to church and he came a couple times. Sam has a huge heart and I am so glad I was able to become friends with him.

I love and miss my friend Delal! She is from Iraq as well. She wasn't a student at CNU (the university I studied at) but her husband was. This is a picture of us in her apartment. She invited my friend and I over for Iraqi food one night.

This is another one of my adorable kids in my primary class. The branch was one of my favorite parts about Beijing. It really was a family who supported each other, you really are living in a foreign country. The members all keep each other strong.

These are some of the street vendors who I would buy food from. The sweet potato guy! I love my sweet potatoes...hehe.

And the banana lady!!

This tree has amazing significance! This is the tree where China was dedicated for missionary work. One of the guys in our group, his old mission President had mapped out the exact spot of where it was dedicated, so he told us how to find it and we found it in a beautiful park next to the forbidden city in Beijing. On January 9, 1921, David O Mackay was traveling with Brother Cannon and they stopped off in Beijing and felt inspired to dedicate this land for missionary work.

Brother Cannon recorded, "Elder David O. McKay, in the authority of the holy apostleship, dedicated and set apart the Chinese realm for the preaching of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, whenever the Church Authorities shall deem it advisable to send out missionaries for that purpose. Never was the power of his calling more apparent in his utterances. He blessed the land and its benighted people and supplicated the Almighty to acknowledge this blessing. He prayed that famine and pestilence might be stayed, that the government might become stable, either through its own initiative, or by the intervention of other powers, and that superstition and error, which for ages have enveloped the people, might be discarded, and truth take their place. He supplicated the Lord to send to this land broad-minded and intelligent men and women, that upon them might rest the spirit of discernment and the power to comprehend the Chinese nature, so that in the souls of this people an appreciation of the glorious gospel might be awakened.

"It was such a prayer and blessing as must be recognized in heaven, and though the effects may not be suddenly apparent, they will be nonetheless real."

This is David O. Mckay standing next to that same tree the day of the dedicatory prayer. Since then, the branch coming out to the left has been cut down, but it was cool because we saw where the branch had been cut from the tree.  There was an amazing spirit in that park! I think all of the Chinese people around were wondering what the heck five Americans were doing taking pictures next to a random tree, but we loved it. Missionary work is happening in China! I testify of it. Heavenly Father is involved in the details. If we keep our promises to Him, He will keep His promises to us. I am so grateful for my time that I have had in China and will never forget the abundance of blessings the Lord blesses us with always.

Primary

This semester I have had the wonderful opportunity of working in the primary as the sunbeam teacher. Funny story…

(during sharing time)

Sister Hoskin: How can we keep in touch with family that we may have back in America or other places?

(so she is looking for the answer “sending letters” for an object lesson)

Little girl: The internet!

Little boy: I like to skype my grandma.

Little boy: We can send them an email.

Sister Hoskin: But what else can we do?

Little girl: We can call them on the phone.

Sister Hoskin: But what can we send them?

…

Sister Hoskin: Letters! We can send them letters.

Kids: Oh.

Haha, it was so funny. Sending letters is like a foreign concept to kids now days.

One cool thing about being in primary in China is how instead of welcoming new kids with the song that goes, “hello, hello, hello, hello, we welcome you today, hello.” You know that one? We sing, “Ni hao, ni hao, ni hao, ni hao, we welcome you today, ni hao.” It’s great.

Today was the primary program and it was so beautiful and tender, and of course you have the kids that talk really loudly into the mic like they are going to eat it, and then you have the ones that stand there smiling for 1 minute before saying anything, and then you have the ones that stand there and don’t say anything. But the program was so sincere as the it was all centered around the scriptures and the kids bore a powerful testimony that they know the scriptures are true. After the program we went back to the primary room and each person in the primary got to stand up and bear their testimony and/or their favorite thing about the program. This little 4 year old boy with red hair in my class stands up at the front and says boldly,

“One day I’m going to be sealed in the temple with my future wife!”

In a City of 20 million People

It’s been so interesting living in a city of 20 million people. I guess, with three weeks left, I’ve just been doing some reflection on funny things that happen frequently but seem so normal. For instance, there’s this outdoor noodle shop down the street on the corner that we like to go to, we call it, “the boa zi place on the corner by wu mei.” Bao zi = dumpling type thing. Wu mei = wu mart/the closest market. So this bao zi place on the corner by wu mei is owned by this husband and wife, and there’s four tiny little tables set up under this tent. The grounds dirty (what’s new in China), they have this dog that’s constantly running around down by your feet, the owner always has a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, and you never know if your going to get a piece of ash that’s fallen into your soup. Any place like this in America (there is no place like this in America), you would think was like the sketchiest thing ever. Here in China, places like this is what make noodle shops unique, the food is great and convenient, and it’s completely normal.

Other interesting things…

-Going to a little restaurant and ordering rice. The lady’s all out, so she just runs to the little restaurant next door and borrows a bowl of rice from them and brings it to you.

-Sitting in class, and hearing the Italian and Arabic speakers use Chinglish (Chinese and English) to talk to each other.

-A guy from Dubai walking into Chinese class late, wearing sunglasses, holding a sandwich and some expensive energy drink that no one has ever even heard of.

-Talking to my Taxi driver about Thanksgiving and eating turkey, and come to find out that he randomly owns a turkey farm. When asking him about eating dog, he responds that he prepares his own dog and fries the leg, and smothers it in garlic.

-There’s so much pollution sometimes that blocks the sun rays that you look in the sky and see the sun, you wonder if it’s actually the moon.

-Finding out that the Chinese government doesn’t tell their people what the pollution level is, but the US embassy keeps track of it. The other day the pollution level was hazardous.

-Realizing how used to city life you’ve become. I was on the subway the other day, and did something totally Chinese and didn’t even realize it till I thought about it after. I needed to get off and there were people standing in front of the door, so I just pushed my way through them without even saying excuse me. It’s totally normal, not rude, and no one thinks anything of it. I’ve also realized how much more aggressive I am at things like getting taxi’s. You have to be. There are also no such things as lines in China. You kind of just push your way to things. No one draws any huge attention to themselves when doing anything. That’s just the Beijing city life for ya.

-Buying food from street vendors. Technically they are actually illegal, but no one really does anything about it and they are all over the city.

-One thing that is cool about being in a huge city is just how convenient public transportation is. I love how much more familiar I have gotten with the subway lines and all of the different bus routes.

The Story of Room 420

SDkhfasujhf,sZgvilysGZDfuiwlg!! :) :) tear of happiness. Ok so I actually wrote that almost two weeks ago, because “sadfkjablwerkuhyvdilbjaw!!” was the only way to write the happiness I was feeling. Let’s back up a few months and I will tell you a little story, the story of room 420.

So, we arrived in China one late evening. After checking in and some struggles with getting our luggage into the elevator, my roommate and I got into our dorm room at about 1 AM. The fourth floor.

Room 420.

Life was good,

Things were swell

The only thing that wasn’t

Was the smell

The smell of smoke

That makes you want to choke

Coming from our bathroom

Almost everyday…

Ok. So basically the fourth floor seems to be where a bunch of smokers live. Our room happened to be in the middle of where all the intense Korean smokers lived. I find it ironic, because I guess that 4.20 is national get high day (at least that’s what some of my friends told me) and we lived in 420. Our next-door neighbors especially loved to smoke in their room all the time, and once every so often, they held drinking parties where they would invite over the entire Korean population and they would smoke. They were really nice people, but because our bathrooms were connected by a false ceiling, the result was our room smelling of smoke. Most of the time I would keep the bathroom door closed, to lock in the thick fog, but after a while we had to open it up to air it out, so we would open up our room door and windows as well. This somewhat worked until it started to freeze outside, and opening the windows for long periods of time wasn’t an option.

I tried everything I could. Several times, I went down to the front desk and explained the problem to see if we could switch to another room. They always said that they never had any open rooms and their solution was to just talk to my next door neighbors about it and tell them to smoke outside. I did. In fact, I talked to them about it quite often. We became great friends, but the smoke and me didn’t. I tried everything I could: taping the vent closed in our bathroom, putting the ash tray that came with our room over the drain of the shower, stuffing cut up towels up the holes under the sink that connected our bathrooms. Taping around the holes of the ceiling – that’s when I realized that the panels on the bathroom ceiling lifted up and our bathrooms were completely connected. So I would just have to convince them to stop. I even tried bribing them with American pizza, and when they were good about not smoking in the room, they would be rewarded with some. Then every time they or any of their friends would see me, they would either say like 10 times in a row, “Duibuqi (sorry) and kind of do like a Korean bow to me. Or they would say with a really excited smile, “Pizzaaaaa!” Oh great. And then, I would firmly tell them that they weren’t going to get pizza if they smoked in the room.

AND THEN, out of no where, an entire week went by without the bathroom smelling of smoke. I thought for sure they had gotten rid of their habit. I saw my Korean next door neighbor by the classrooms one day and he asked me if my room had smelled like smoke lately. I said, “No you guys have been great!” “I changed rooms,” he replied. What the?! Really!? He then told me that it was just him that switched with one of his friends, and that the other roommate was still their but had a new roommate. So I skipped back to my room, completely content with life, thinking all was well….

AND THEN!!! A few days later, the smoke was back, this time, the most intense it had ever been! I opened up the bathroom door and the thick fog went swarming out with an alarming stench that followed. I wasn’t even going to try to talk to my next door neighbors about this one. I was done. I was going straight down to the front desk and was going to face them like a Chinese person.

I called up my good friend Sam, from Iraq, who is in his fifth year studying here. He’s working on his masters in Chinese, so he is pretty fluent, and he accompanied me down to the front desk. I knew if I was going to do some serious persuading, I was going to need a translator to help get my point across! My basic conversational Chinese skills were not going to cut it. Basically it went down like this. “Listen, I need to change rooms, today! No matter what.” And after some 30 minutes of us arguing, I wasn’t going to give up, because I knew that they have rooms open, they just don’t usually let one person switch to another room, in fear that word might get around and they may have a lot of people coming to the front desk and wanting to switch rooms for this and that reason and causing huge fiascos.

AND THEN, I finally heard these glorious words come out of one of the worker’s mouths, “Ming tian zao shang ni ke yi huan fang jian.” (Tomorrow morning you can change rooms!!) Sam and I had convinced them that they did have a room open. The next morning, Kayli and I were able to change to another floor and another room and it has been such a huge blessing!! Now you can see why the only thing I was able to type a couple weeks ago was, “SDkhfasujhf,sZgvilysGZDfuiwlg!! :) :) tear of happiness. I couldn’t think of anything else to say.

Sometimes, I used to dread coming home to my dorm because I hated the smell and I just never knew when the thick fog of smoke was going to attack. Now, I love coming home, and feeling safe and happy. These last two weeks have been a breath of fresh air, literally. (well, kind of, just because living in one of the most polluted cities in the world isn’t a really a breath of fresh air haha but that’s another story) But, this experience definitely has made me more grateful for home and it’s taken on a whole new meaning.

Happy Thanksgiving

I’m grateful to be living in China. Living in a foreign country sure makes you appreciate everything you’ve been given. Although there have been hard times, I have seen so many tender mercies, met incredible people, and have experienced things I never would have thought I would experience. I’m grateful to have the opportunity to learn such a beautiful language, and to also share my native language with so many people.

I’m grateful for America and for the freedoms that we are able to enjoy there. Being in another country on a holiday especially makes me realize all the little blessings that I take for granted. I’m grateful for my family, friends, and loved ones. I’m grateful to have been born of goodly parents. My whole life I have been surrounded by the most amazing, talented, giving people in the world. I’m so grateful for all the people in my life. Heavenly Father loves each of us, and his hand is in each of our lives, every day. If there is a day that I am feeling ungrateful, all I have to do is pray to God and ask him to show me His hand in my life, and he does. I realize that every person, every experience, every gift, every feeling, and everything is evidence of His endless, selfless, perfect love. And for that, I have so much need to give back.

I am grateful for this Thanksgiving day. Although it hasn’t felt like it does normally back in the states, because we’ve still had school and haven’t had our Thanksgiving dinner, (we will be having our Thanksgiving dinner with the branch on Saturday!) I am still happy that today is Thanksgiving. 

Life is about the journey, not the destination.