Elder Ryan Woolley in Hong Kong!: Easter!

Mainland baptism!!

Fuhuo jie Kuaile!

Happy Easter everybody!! I hope everyone had as good of a week as I did!

This week I met lots of interesting people. I met an old Kung Fu master who came to our English class, he was trained by the son of Ip man, the famous trainer of Bruce Lee. He was super intense haha and was showing me some moves. He was surprisingly really strong and fast, I'm pretty sure that guy could wreck me, he would tell me to hit him and then when I would go in he would just go and like deflect it and do all this crazy stuff. I'll try and send a video next week haha. Also one of my roommates is the 8th best ping pong player in the Philippines and is sponsored by Manny Pacchio! (forgot how to spell his name), His name is Elder Hilado, he's so fast at it it's unreal. Gained some respect for that sport. Anyways, the mission is full of amazing people with their own stories, and I love getting to meet so many people and hear so much about them!

This weekend Jason has headed back to his home in Wei Zhou to get his father's permission for baptism! We are all praying super hard for him, but he is deteremined and has lots of faith, we know he can get it! I was rreading in the scriptures about baptism and the 'qualifications' for it such as humility, repentance etc, and I felt the Spirit strongly manifest to me that Jason is truly prepared. I see it in his countenance, and a light that seems to emanate from him when we meet that he is has truly repented and is coming unto Christ. There is no joy greater than that feeling. I know thatwhen his first date had to be cancelled that it was all in the will of the Father, to give him adequate time to truly be ready and prepared for baptism, and I feel now that he needed this extra time to really strengthen his testimony. It's been amazing to see him grow!

Elder Woolley with their investigator, Jason

This week there was another influx of mainlanders coming over to be taught and baptized, and I had the privilege of interviewing a bunch of them and helping one sweet old popo to be baptized! Their humility and desire to be baptized continues to blow me away. I don't know their lives, but I feel that it is truly a blessing to be involved in this short moment in the eternity of our journey and get to experience the joys of baptism with them. I am always touched by the supporters who sacrifice to come down as well, sometimes spending days on the train. The mainland saints are wonderful and so sweet. Their testimonies and knowledge are incredible!

I really love holiday seasons, especially ones that are all about the Savior! It's a special spirit this weekend when a lot of minds, believers or not, are drawn to think about Jesus Christ, the magnitude of his teaching, his example, and the life he led, his unimaginable suffering in the garden of Gethsemane, his crucifiction on the cross, and finally, his Resurrection.I love the verses in Alma 7 about our Savior -

"11. And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

12. And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities."

My mind was filled with amazement as I spent a personal study hour to read about, and ponder about Easter, about the Atonement, and about that amazing Easter morning. I thought about the first exchange that anyone had with the Ressurected Christ, which was Mary.Even his first words were words of comfort and love. He said, "women, why weepest thou?" In all of our difficult, tragic, lonely, confused, frustrated, or depressed time of life, our Savior asks us the same question- "why weepest thou?" After Mary, without looking to see he who speaks asks where the body of her Savior has been moved, he comforts her with one word "Mary." The first word of comfort that he said to her was her name. In like manner whenever we cry out to him or weep for need I know that Christ comforts us by name. He knows us better than we know ourselves, and he can make us more than we can ever become on our own. I know on that beautiful Easter morning that He rose from the dead. I know the reality of it can be hard to fully grasp, but I know that it is true, Resurrection is a gift given to all freely, because our Savior overcame it for us on that glorious morning 2000 years ago. I think back on the deaths in my family, to my grandfather, and my cousin Dallin, and I can say with all my heart that I know we will see them again because of Jesus Christ. I am grateful for him, and for eveything that this Easter Holiday truly means.

I was touched by my Aunt Becky's testimony that she forwarded and really liked the Uchdorf quote that she shared and I would like to share it again here -"In light of what we know about our eternal destiny, is it any wonder that whenever we face the bitter endings of life, they seem unacceptable to us? There seems to be something inside of us that resists endings.Why is this? Because we are made of the stuff of eternity. We are eternal beings, children of the Almighty God, whose name is Endless and who promises eternal blessings without number. Endings are not our destiny.The more we learn about the gospel of Jesus Christ, the more we realize that endings here in mortality are not endings at all. They are merely interruptions—temporary pauses that one day will seem small compared to the eternal joy awaiting the faithful. How grateful I am to my Heavenly Father that in His plan there are no true endings, only everlasting beginnings."