Another Lovely Week

This place is called Tsing Yi

Our investigators are doing very well. It seems that our lessons are not as numerous as they have been in the past, but we are confident that the Lord will help us do His work.

April called us and invited us over one morning. Her schedule is so busy so she can't really plan ahead, but she really wants to meet and so when she can she wants to meet. She is still super excited for baptism. She is a bit concerned because her husband is not prepared or ready,but we assured her that through her example she will also be able to help him and that one day they would all be able to go to the Temple together.

Last week we met an investigator, Silvia, who used to live in a different area and but was moving to our area and so now we would be teaching her. She has been meeting with missionaries for like eight months. She is awesome!! When we met with her again this week she shared with us some of the ways that the gospel has started to change her. We invited her to be baptized, but she was a bit hesitant. She understands that baptism is a big and life changing commitment. She does not want to be baptized and then not do the things that she knows she needs to do. She is a bit afraid to make such a big commitment. But, thankfully the example and love of many members (both during the lesson and at church) has helped her. We pray that she will have the confidence to overcome her fears and make this very special covenant.

We also had a really great lesson this week with an investigator, Iris. We shared about the Book of Mormon. We watched 'Testimony of the Book of Mormon" by Jeffrey R. Holland and read in Alma 7. Sister Park and I were also both able to bear our testimonies that the Book of Mormon really is the work of God and was given to us by a loving Heavenly Father so that we could come to understand how much he loves us.

Sister Park and I are doing awesome. It is so fun to be training again. Also, Korean food is super good. She makes it for me sometimes :) and since Sister Park has to learn both English and Mandarin I figure I might as well pick up some Korean. So, Sister Park has started teaching me how to write it!

Best friends!

Welcome Sister Park!

This week has been wonderful! Everyday as a missionary is such a blessing. On Thursday I said goodbye to Sister Ellsworth (though I will still see her all the time) and said hello to my new TRAINEE! I'm training again! It was very exciting to meet Sister Park. She is from Korea and is super adorable. We have become quick friends. I am also enjoying the opportunity to help her learn more English and Mandarin. In only these last few days I have seen (well...heard) her language skills increase so much. When we got together on Thursday she had never said nor knew how to say a prayer in Mandarin, but by Friday evening she was praying in Mandarin. It is such a privilege to see her being blessed with the gift of tongues. I am also really grateful for a few months ago when I was cleaning out my suitcase and I was about to throw away my MTC grammar books and then something told me I should hold on to them just in case. And now, Sister Park is making wonderful use of them (since she did not go to the Provo MTC and get her own study materials). The Lord has a plan for everything. I am grateful that I listened to that seemingly pointless thought.

The highlight of this week was that our investigator, April, came to church yesterday!!! She has been to church before (to Cantonese wards) but has never come to our branch.  And, not only did she come, but she brought her whole family: husband and two sons. They had a wonderful time.

This week was absolutely wonderful!

We made sure that they met every member and that they had a great first experience. I think it went well. April was scheduled to be baptized on August 30, but she is going back to mainland for a week (and will not be able to come to church next Sunday). So, we have decided to change her date to September 13. She is still very excited to be baptized. I think that coming to church yesterday gave her the opportunity to see what her family could become if they were all to accept this gospel. She has a goal to go to the Temple and all we want is to help her get there.

Quick Update

From Dad - Hannah appeared rushed this week and didn't really send an update to post.  She did mention that they are getting eight new Mandarin-speaking missionaries (three sisters and five elders) and that she will be training again!  Also, she went into their mission office early one morning, turned the light on, and saw the hugest cockroach up on the wall above her desk.  It was "HUGE" ... but she promptly squashed it.  She has really grown up! :)  And she sent a few silly missionary pictures:

Senior Missionaries are Awesome!

Sister Ellsworth and I witnessed a lot of miracles this week!

Tuesday afternoon our lesson for that evening was cancelled and we did not have a full lesson scheduled. We were a bit bummed, but we also were still determined to have a full lesson. We called everyone we knew. We started with investigators, less actives and then also called members. No one was available. We were trying to think of anyone that we could call next when another set of missionaries called and said that they had a turnover lesson for us and asked us when we were available. We were like "How about tonight?" and so then they called the lady back and scheduled her for that evening. We went to the turnover and had a wonderful lesson with a woman named Daisy and her daughter Cherry. We rescheduled her and also invited her to church. And then she came! Miracles!

I'm also really grateful for senior missionaries. They are such an example of faithfulness, gratitude, and sincerity. We have been blessed with many opportunities in the last few weeks to work with the senior missionaries. They all live in the same apartment complex and we have a couple investigators who live there too and the senior couples have been so eager to take people to church and help teach them. They bring a great spirit into the lessons that we are really grateful for. Just last night we had a family home evening type activity with about 8 senior missionaries, us and then one of our investigators and her daughter. We played a really cool and spiritual get to know you game. It went so well and everyone was bearing testimony and crying (including our investigator).

One of our investigators, Kimmy, who also lives there is doing great! She really opened up in our last lesson and shared some experiences in her life that have brought her to the point where she wants to know God. She also really loves going to church. Yesterday during Sacrament Meeting she got up to bear her testimony. It was so cute. After Relief Society she asked our Relief Society President if she could borrow the manual that we were taught out of (one of the teachings of the prophet). We saw her standing at the bus stop on the way home intently reading it. She has such a desire for knowledge and is so excited to learn as much as she can so that she can get to know our Heavenly Father.

I am so happy to be here in Hong Kong doing the work of the Lord. I have seen so many miracles and I know that this really is God's work!

From Dad - For some reason, Hannah sent us lots of pictures with food!  Sounds good to me!

Hannah turned 20 this week!

Apparently, she got two birthday cakes

Eating pizza - yummmm!

 

 

Eating Thai - double yummm!

Some sort of toast, fruit, ice cream concoction!!!