Uncle Sheldon!! - Week 25

Hello all!

Although it has only been a few days since I last emailed, I have definitely had a really amazing few days, some of the best in my mission.

We didn't have too many great lessons this week, basically everyone is going back to mainland for a few weeks to celebrate Chinese New Year, which is huge in mainland, everyone spends days traveling to get back to their home towns. Fortunately our investigator Yang Kai will be in town still! We asked him if he wanted to move his baptismal date one or two weeks back to have friends and ward members in town, but he just said he can't wait! He is so prepared I am so excited for him! It has just been an amazing process seeing his testimony grow. When I moved here all I knew about him was that he had seemed really great until a friend had told him that they wouldn't talk to him anymore if he continued meeting with us, and that was that. When I got here we managed to schedule him, and taught him a powerful message about Christmas just two months ago, and now he has come so far! It is amazing to see the gospel overcome all problems and smooth out wrinkles in life. I hope we have a great week but for now everything seems set for him!

Our buddy Jason continues to impress me with how much he is willing to learn and loves meeting with us!

Elders Woolley and Grayam with Jason

He was especially impressed with the resurrection of Christ, sometimes I forget that these things are completely new to these people sometimes, and the wonder in his eyes when we talked of the resurrection was again a powerful testimony to me of the power in the simple truths of the gospel that so many people just don't believe in todays world. He wants to move up his baptismal date which is great! We'll see how he progresses when he returns from mainland.

At a mandarin YSA activity this last week I got to see Jason Lin, the recent convert I spent a lot of time teaching with Elder Sy in Sha Tin, and it was so great to have us all together! His testimony has just grown so much since those days, and I know that it was a big part of my work in that area, he is preparing himself to go to the temple soon, and is just a great member! 

Elder Grayam baptizing a mainlander

I got to help out twice this last week with mainlanders visiting to be taught and baptized, and the whole process is honestly amazing, families just saving money for months then sending their children or themselves coming on 3 day long train trips to be baptized, they are so humble!

Lunch after the baptism

We had an especially moving session this last thursday, there was a big family from Beijing that was here for there semi annual temple trip and they all attended the baptism of this mother and daughter, the spirit was so powerful, and I was amazed at how strong these members are in the country and rules that they live in. Their stories and examples are ones that I will never forget. The most amazing thing is that the Beijing family that was here was the same family that was visiting when I first arrived here in Hong Kong 6 months ago!

Elder Woolley getting to baptize China's soon to be 2
newest members!

The wonderful family from Beijing welcoming
mainland China's 2 newest members!

We all recognized each other and I just felt so much love for them! They are very faithful saints and a lot goes into their devoted temple attendance. We all had a great reunion and they warmly welcomed mainland China's newest 2 members. The church and the members there are truly amazing!

Goong goong and Popo's old friends and Elders
Woolley and Grayam and their apartment Elders

And lastly I had one of the best days of my mission today. I ran into Sheldon Poon - very old family friend and church leader in Hong Kong's history of the church - in the Wan Chai chapel a week ago, and he got the mission presidents permission to take me out to lunch, along with the temple president Wong, Elder James (an old couples missionary who served here a long time ago) and Elder Ngai (an old couples missionary who knew my grandparents).

Uncle Sheldon and Elder Woolley!

It was such an amazing experience. He took us to eat in the building where my grandparents served there public affairs mission and had meetings representing the church. He then taught me all about the church history here in Hong Kong, and the role that my grandparents had played in it. It was such an amazing moment truly to appreciate their work and the examples they set for me. Temple President Wong told us a story of how my Grandpa had interviewed him to be a counselor to Sheldoon Poon as the branch president when Pres. Wong was only 18, and used some verses from Timothy in the Bible to comfort him. Elder Ngai, Pres Wong, Sheldon, and my Grandpa were the leadership of the first branch in Hong Kong, and Sheldon later went to build a chapel in Yuen Long, Macau, Kowloon City and went about serving. He is a beast, it is so wonderful to learn and here about these stories from a more mature and missionary mind set, I honestly feel so so blessed to be serving here, I have so much family connection here, and I am proud to serve where both my grandparents before me have served and done the work of the Lord. Sheldon gave me a book that my grandfather wrote on the history of the church in Hong Kong, but unfortunately its in characters so I can't really read it yet haha but later in the mission I will. It is a privelege to see the work and how it has grown, and how the gospel blesses families first hand, and it was a huge testimony strengthener to me to see how truly God calls us specifically to our missions. While this specific reason may be more obvious than others, I know with all my heart that this is where I am meant to be now, and this is what I am meant to be doing now. I also know that all the other missionaries in the world callings are just as specific and personal as mine, and were chosen by divine revelation by the leadership of the church. I really love my family, and am so happy to be serving a mission for the Lord among the people of Hong Kong and working with the people of mainland China! I know this is God's work, and I love helping people learn about the gospel and help them have more fulfilling and happy lives. The gospel brings blessings, many of which we may not see for a long time! I love and appreciate my grandparents and their pioneering example here, I couldn't be prouder to serve where they began in the church.

Thank you all for the support, advice, encouragement, and love! I miss, love, and pray for all of you!

Love,

Elder Woolley