week 59.5 Online Office Referral Elder - Seeing Many Miracles 8/22/2017

Miracles: sometimes it is easy to feel like there are no miracles, but as an office elder and as referral manager I get to see many many miracles. I get to see many people from mainland get baptized and people who are actually interested in the gospel contact us. (thats a big one) I can see that God is preparing his children which I always believed but have never seen. It is the coolest experience I have ever had, just being able to facilitate to all the missionaries so that they can have an easier time helping people come unto Christ. I don’t teach that many people now, we have one family which is huge in Hong Kong, but I know that I am "you shall be the means of doing much good in this generation"(D&C 6:8) because I desired it. It was not what I was expecting, but I definitely know that God has a plan for me.

You do much more good than you think. especially for my missionary friends, there will be times (and I am still learning) that you will be depressed, and discouraged. The test is to see if you can pass through that trial of faith to receive that witness (Ether 12:6)

Living in the temple is absolutely fantastic and there is 24/7 AC which in Hong Kong is very good, I love it. and our apartment is one of the biggest. It is the old mission office

Mon: we went and met the Au family. They are super awesome! and we got to meet the Hoon family which is our investigator at the moment. They are super good.

Tues: We had district meeting, and We picked up new missionaries. It was weird to be back in the airport, but it was weirder to talk to elder Hansen, and Cornielles (sorry I can’t spell) about it because they went back on Friday

Wed: helped with new missionary orientation and taught Hoon family

Thurs: Transfers :( traveled to the island because some people forgot their passport to Macau

Fri: woke up early to help with departing missionaries and was elder Mcgraths companion for 30 min! (he is my trainer) while elder Lau went to the airport to help out. First day since Tuesday I got to do personal study

Sat: Felt like a missionary and elder Lau did numbers yeah

Sun: Went to Church, and got a full block of studies in!! (first time this week)

Week 58.5 Finished BOM & Moving to be New Online Office Elder 8/14/2017

so this week has been very interesting. first we did finding and taught but that is not what was crazy this week.

1st we had zone conference and that was fun! we learned about being committed to our goal of having a total of 242 baptisms by the end of the year.

2nd president lam pulled me aside and asked me to be the new online elder [at the mission office/home, housed in the China Hong Kong Temple. So I'll get to "sleep in the temple" now].

3rd He told me I was moving on monday

4th he told me he originally moved me this last transfer so I could swap and be mandarin but that is not happening anymore.

5th lots and lots of packing

but the best part of this week was that I was able to finish the Book of Mormon and I learned a lot from that. included in that long list is that 1st God loves us. 2nd the cause and effects of pride, 3rd that people not following commandments really is sad and unbearable as Moroni describes. I know that God loves all of us

Week 57.5 Smallest Apartment in the Mission & Teaching Joe 8/8/2017

So this week has been good, we are in sheung shui/ fanleng and it is just a blast in the smallest apartment in the mission. Living with the mandarin elders are a joy! Elder Smith and Elder Ashton are such a joy and I can improve my mandarin because I have lost a lot of it since I have been learning cantonese. We went finding and let me tell you short places in hong kong do exist haha :)

We have met with a Joe this week and he is our best investigator right now but the thing that concerns me is that he is progressing so fast. He just kinda says yes to everything and we are not quite sure why he wants to be baptized and all those things. He gives us the answers we want and not necessarily the answers that are in his heart, so that is our concern

But it has been fun! we have been filling up our days with things that are the will of the Lord.

I also hit 400 days on a mission haha :) so that was weird

insights

when we have defined ourselves by what we do, there is a tendency to be prideful because we find our value by what we do, but god does not define us by that. there is never happiness in pride but there is always happiness in the love of God

Week 55.5 Transfer Call, Moving to Sheung Shui & Fan Ling 7/24/2017

Well I am moving again to Sheung Shui and Fan Ling. with Elder Havell. this 3 week transfer will be weird. I am going to have to grow more.

ok first this week then transfers
First this week was pretty weird. Our schedule was thrown off because of the temple, and the typhoon. 

I was happy for the changes for the music rule which was nice. 

We did a lot of finding and Elder Beeson and I are doing well. We taught 1 person this week but we did the surveys for English class and there is a family that we found that has interest! :) so I hope that elder Beeson and elder Knight can capitalize on that.

Well transfers was interesting. I am moving again, I always wonder why and if I have fulfilled my purpose.

One phrase I learned from my last mission really sticks out to me. it says "we are one with the Savior in doing the will of the Father." I think about how I don't know exactly what [is] his will is, but I know the outline, to preach repentance and baptize converts.

I guess only God can tell me what his specific will is for me.

time to hit this 5th area!

week 54.5 Exchanges, Finding, & Teaching English 7/17/2017

sorry I am so bad at taking pictures!! but yea so this week I went on exchanges with Elder Chan on Wed. I think. We had a full day of finding but the Lord through his Grace helped us fill it up. We called through some potentials and one said he could meet! so that was exciting. He is very catholic so we will see but we were able to meet with him. 

We then were fed by the yeung family. they were fun and it was good to get to know them. 

Nothing else really happened. 

yep see ya next week! I love you all! 

Also Elder Beeson and I are doing well, just finding and teaching English to billions of little kids haha :)

week 53.5 Language & Spirituality 7/12/2017

this week has been an interesting one. first what happened second feelings.

Tai wo ward started up like 2 English classes and the stake added another one so we are up to like 6 English classes now. so yay!!! 

we went finding and We had Mrs. Leung even though we forgot to call her last week. 

Sister Lam got after people in interview for their language ability, but luckily I passed! I would not be surprised if she just tells everyone that is under 7 months to not even touch characters haha. 

They set the goal of having 150 more baptisms at the end of the year. we have had 92 so far so that should be interesting, but we will need a lot of miracles 

in Doctrine and Covenants 121 it teaches us that when we satisfy our pride, we loose the priesthood, the power of god on earth. We need that power to be connected to God and to have miracles in our area, our mission and our lives. we need an increase of that power in our mission if we are to hit the mission goal by the end of this year. 

So language, spirituality will be the two things I work on for now!! Good Luck!!!!!

Week 52.5 A Year into My Mission 7/5/2017

This week we have taught Derek and Ching hd. We hope that they will be able to come to church soon. They only cannot come because of work conflicts.

We have been finding a lot. This is week 2 that we have not had a ward mission leader.

Elder Beeson are having fun haha

we went finding a lot. we have one investigator haha. I am feeling good. It is hard but it is good.  We hope to have good things soon. 

Dispite seeing miracles every day, it is still super hard, it is comforting to know that God is there for me, he loves me, and he will always be there for me. Friends leave on missions, family stay at home but "the Lord will [always] be on my left and my right"

As I sit here and ponder my mission, and this week but my mission because it has been a year I think... "What have I done." I have not seen much success, I have not baptized that much, all these different things, but I have worked my butt off. the words finding and summer should not exist in the same sentence but they do in my life right now haha.

 

I also got Share "tea" for my hump day. no worries it was a strawberry milkshake haha :)