Back in Singapore

Alex is back in Singapore! He's still absolutely loving his mission and has officially passed the halfway mark. I can't believe it - it's gone so quickly.

Alex has grown so much, it's amazing. Here are a couple of recent pics:

Sitiawan, Malaysia

Just after Christmas, Alex was transferred to Sitiawan, Malaysia. He has found it to be a big change from Singapore, which he loved, but he's happy to be there and is enjoying himself. His new companion is from Hong Kong!

Here are some snippets from emails:

We had some amazing thunder storms this week!! Power out for a little while and lots and lots of water everywhere!! We went to teach a family last night in pouring rain - it was nuts! you have to seal everything in a snaplock bag and just sitck it out haha we were drenched!! So much fun!!!! i love riding through big puddles!

I learnt something interesting this week. As we would ride around Sitiawan i could hear birds everywhere!!! Really loud! At the tops of every building! It sounded like a milllion birds nesting in each one! My comp told me they have speakers in the tops of most buildings playing a bird call so they can steal the nests and make bird's nest soup! The birds are attracted and after they nest they use the nests for this soup because they are very expensive!!

Alex talks a lot about the families he teaches and the spiritiual experiences he is enjoying - he loves his mission!

When you write to Alex, you still need to use the mission home address, and they forward the letters on. He will send pictures from Malaysia soon.

Alex Nightingale
253 Bukit Timah Road
Back Building, 4th Floor
Singapore 259690

In Singapore!

We received an email from Alex this afternoon to say he'd arrived safely in Singapore. He loved the MTC but he is very excited about finally being in the field.

Here are a couple of excerpts from his email:

...Singapore, however, reminds me so much of a more spread-out, urban Hong kong! Same weather, same kind of transportation, only they speak mandarin and there is a HUGE indian culture here. It's crazy, indian village on one side of the road and chinese on the other...

...Everyone says my new companion is GREAT! I hope he works me to death, I have to get into good habbits and learn to work hard from the very begining! We're the first missionaries in a new area! There was one area that was really productive so they split it. We are the first to be there...

...We were walking to get some food and people would like at my badge in Chinese and say "yehsoo...jee...Yehsoo..." trying to read "Yesu Jidu" in chinese characters, it was cool. Can't wait to get out there! I have orientation and stuff tonight and tomorrow... Everything is happening so fast and I'm just trying to keep up! Elder Ngo and I had fun while flying listening to all the different types of mandarin, all the different accents.

My address is -

Alex Nightingale
253 Bukit Timah Road
Back Building, 4th Floor
Singapore 259690

Make sure you don't write "elder"! It's best if you leave that out :)

The mission office asks that you don't write "Elder". I am inferring that Alex will actually be in Singapore, since I think he'd have mentioned it if he were going to Malaysia.

All will be revealed!

MTC August

Alex loves the MTC!

But of course, he does get a little down time. Or.... up... time....

Photos!

Alex - Week One

I just received a lovely long email from Elder Nightingale and he is absolutely LOVING the MTC. His district is wonderful, and includes his two friends from our branch here in Hong Kong, who also went into the MTC on the same day as Alex. His companion is Elder Ngo, an American missionary from Harvard and Alex loves him and thinks he is great.

Alex seems very upbeat and optimistic about Mandarin and said he enjoys the fact that he is in the Mandarin Branch and all his church meetings are in Mandarin. He said his teacher shared this MTC saying:

Spanish-speaking missionaries leave the MTC fluent in the language.

English-speaking missionaries leave the MTC with an increased knowledge of the gospel.

Chinese-speaking missionaries leave the MTC humble.

Alex has faith that he will speak Mandarin fluently with some Heavenly help. Here is an excerpt from his letter about his Chinese name:

My district is sweet. We are the chinese branch, so all the mandarin elders have church together, we pray in chinese, give talks in chinese, bless the sacrament it's a great way to syl and hear chinese all the time. President Liu, or branch president is from Taiwan and loves teaching the missionaries all about the language. We have so many great missionaries who support one another. There are two elders going to Hong Kong, who love to ask me questions. One's name is Elder Wall, or as we like to call him, the great wall of china. I have a chinese name, or at least a last name. it's Elder "ying" spoken in a first tone which is high. So i am called "ying zhanglou" pronouned "ing junglow" (ow as in cow). The missionaries in my class are so great, we all just work together and support one another, it makes the work easier. Our teacher said something really great the other day. He said "spanish elders leave the mtc fluent in their langugage, english speaking elders leave the mtc with an increased knowledge of the gospel, chinese elders leave the mtc humble" hahaha it made me laugh but is so true, I know that i can learn mandarin with the help of the spirit and as long as I put my trust in my heavenly father, everyting will work out in the end.

Alex described some wonderful spiritual experiences and is absolutely delighted to be where he is. He mentioned the website dearelder.com not knowing that I had already ordered him treats from called2serve.com which will have arrived by now. It looks like his P-Day is Monday.

I'm sure Ying Zhanglou would LOVE to receive letters from people!

MTC Address

The Carlsons took Alex to the MTC today. Here is Alex's full address in the MTC:

Elder Alexander Nightingale

MTC Mailbox #184

Singapore Mission

2005 N. 900 E.

Provo, Utah 84604-1793

Photos as soon as we get any!