Elder Ryan Woolley in Hong Kong!: Merry Christmas

As most of you know this is my favorite time of the year!! So everyone make sure to listen to lots of Christmas music and all that great stuff for me. More importantly of course, remember what the season is for and why it's such a happy time. Because a Savior was born!

My last few days in Macau were so great! We taught a few last lessons with people who I have come to love, there was lots of spirit, love, tears, and excitement. I hope they all continue to come unto Christ! Definitely loved serving that area more than I can express.

But now it's on to the next one! Kowloon area is really big! And our investigators and less actives live all over the place! The area right now is really doing quite well, the Elders really managed to build up a really big pool of people to teach, so it becomes extremely crazy to schedule all the lessons with all the people. I have felt totally hectic these past few days taking charge of everything, especially since I have decided to focus on member work here more, so scheduling in members with their hours and places they live has made it even more crazy! Our next week is packed which is good, but I can't even begin to explain the million different outcomes of the week depending on who can do what or who cancels last minute etc. Being the Senior comp is fun! I have a lot to do definitely, but I am giving my younger companion more responsibility so that my head doesn't explode haha. His name is Elder Grayam from Florida! He is a really cool guy, ran xc in high school which is good so were running together so that we can stay fit. Rice cheeks are real. His mandarin is ok, and were working on teaching together! He reminds me a lot of one of my track friends from high school so we will be getting along quite well soon. My new apartment is in Mong Kok, and is about a block from Lady Street Bazar which is super fun. It's is so crowded though, we have a really tiny apartment crammed with 6 Elders which is low key gross haha we're trying to kill a rat who apparently lives with us.

Being a district leader here is also lots more responsibility than my last area! we're just way more busy, and I have a lot more stuff I am trying to implement into the district to work on here than in Macau. Kowloon is like the hub of the mission so there is a lot of work to do as a leader! They also white washed the Zone leadership here so we are all basically figuring things out and trying to work together to do what is best for our area! Also Elder Sy is my Zone Leader and in my district which is so fun! Love that guy it is great to be working with him again!

My new branch is a mandarin speaking which was honestly pretty wierd at first being able to just talk with everyone freely and not have to work as hard to understand what they're saying like all the Canto wards I have been in. The ward apparently has been complaining recently that the missionaries don't do anything etc, and the missionaries have just not been able to get members to help with lessons etc, so obviously there is a little bit of a problem on both sides. I tried my best on sunday to be enthusiastic, and really am going to be emphasizing building relationships, serving, loving, and just inviting ward members in my district and with the zone! There is just a ton of work to do here on all fronts, but I feel like I learned a lot about ward member work in Macau because the ward was so awesome, so I am ready to take on the task! I feel it is one of the reasons that I was sent here as a District Leader! Hopefully through our efforts and focuses these next months we can really get close with the ward and become a big family! I have a lot of ideas, faith, and excitement for the future here! It is a little stressful though.

I met with an investigator who had earlier said that he was not gong to meet with us anymore because his friend said if he reads the Book of Mormon than he won't be his friend anymore.. but we had a really great lesson with him (and the help of a great member) and taught about Christ! We then successfully gave him a baptismal date! Im excited fro him, his name is Yang Kai. We met with some other less actives and investigators, and it was clear that some of them just need love and feel like they are valued, which the gospel and the branch can give! There is a lot of work to do here but the potential is really incredible and I feel a lot of success here for the branch in the future.

I have been learning more and more with each area how to give more of myself to the mission, how to consecrate more of my abilities to the work. It's interesting, I think in each area I gave it all I could at the time, but with each new area, I learned how to give more and more of myself. Every time transfers come around and I enter a new area, I evaluate myself in three ways.

1. Have I learned how to give more of myself, my talents, excitement, energies, heart, mind, and my whole soul?

2. Have I done all that God sent me to do in the area, touched the people, learned the lessons He sent me there to learn and do,just as Christ completed all that the Father sent him to do?

3. Did I leave the area stronger than when I found it? As in is the area itself better, and then am I myself better than when I entered?

I always am thinking of these questions for the future of the area and in retrospect of my areas, and I always feel at peace, knowing that I am improving, and working my hardest, giving more, and loving the work, loving the people, and getting to know my Savior. I am proud of what I have done so far, and know that I can do more, and better.

Merry Christmas everybody! Remember to keep Christ in Christmas! I really can't say how special this time is! I wish I had more time, to write, but I don't. I love you all! I love this work, the people I am privileged to serve, and of course, I love Jesus Christ. I know he is our Savior, the reality of his birth, and the magnitude of that event that we are now celebrating is hard to comprehend, but it is so very real. Again I invite everyone to watch He is the Gift from last year, and visit the Christmas.mormon.org website! It's the most wonderful time of the year for a reason!

Love,

Elder Woolley