Living after the manner of happiness - week 50

HELLOOO EVERYBODY!!

Another week flew by, I can't believe how fast the weeks are. I don't know where to begin with this week.

We had a great P day this week, went on a beautiful hike in Dai Po, around my first area, it was fun to go back through there. We hiked with some mandarin branch members and mission friends, nice and relaxing. Hong Kong has beautiful nature once you get outside the city!

Our investigator pool seems to be at a little bit of a halt right now, a lot of our good potentials are out of town, and we are still working with a bunch of slow part member families. But it always feels good to meet with them in the family setting and share some gospel truths. I feel that for now, we are just nourishing there seeds, and I am ok with that! I know they'll turn around eventually. We have been loading up on potentials over the past few weeks though, some of them just seem to be out of nowhere! Children's English class has proven to be a gold mine, tons of families are attending every week now, and a good portion of them are attending church as well! I can see some of them really have some great potential, we just have to start meeting with them and keep the ball rolling! Our members have been doing a pretty good job at fellowshipping the English class moms at church, which is great. There is one particular women who invites tons of friends every time. I'm excited for our area, I feel that it is just about to get going! The members have been warming up to me more ever since the piano performance last week despite my mediocre cantonese, though I am still a little stressed about the fact that my companion Elder Hui goes home next week! But I feel prepared. 

Remember the women I wrote about last week who we met on the train? Elder Hui and I had the chance to teach her this week! She is only in Hong Kong for a limited time, and wants to be taught every day while she is hear. The other missionaries couldn't teach her one night so we got to teach her, and it was such a blessing! She is amazing! So prepared! She just asked great questions, and was just hungry for the gospel. It is amazing to see the Lord putting prepared people in our paths. I'm grateful we opened our mouths and talked to her. When we asked why she was so interested in the gospel, I felt the Spirit very strongly as she basically testified that she knows it is good, and has felt a peace from it that she has never felt before. She said she was missing peace the nights where she didn't meet with the missionaries, and she just wants more! She recognizes us as servants of the Lord.

This week in scripture study I thought a lot about what Nephi calls living after the manner of happiness. There are a variety of great talks written about that scripture, and the verses themselves give a great and clear outline of how we can live after the manner of happiness, how we can have significant, fulfilling, and happy lives. Nephi talks of how the people made the temple a priority in their lives and as a society. They were industrious, productive, and know how to work hard. They obeyed the commandments, and hearkened to the prophets counsel. They remembered God, all He had done for them, and remembered their Savior. And something that I really like is that is says "I did for them all things according to that which was in my power." It reminds me of the verse in DC 123:17-"Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all that lie in our power, and then we may stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed." It is such great advice. I love the term cheerfully as well, it is easy to get overwhelmed or stressed out about things we can't control but that we wish we could control. But in the end all we can control is the things we do, and the attitude with which we do them. I can't think of a better attitude to do the work than cheerful! If we truly trust in God and have faith, then we can do all the things in our power cheerfully, because we will know "all things work for good for those that love God", and will have utmost assurance in His salvation. I have really been trying to work on trusting God, knowing that He hears my prayers, and that He will consecrate my efforts and my performance for the welfare of my soul and for those that I serve. Attitude and faith are crucial!

Thankyou everyone for the prayers and support! 

Love,

Elder Woolley

New Territories

Learning to drive on the other side of the car and road!

Children's class 

More New Territories pics

P-day hike in Tai Po

Ice cream break to cool down from the heat!

New Territories - week 49

JOO SUUNNN,

Good morning everyone! We had an amazing week in Shum Shui Po ward!

Earlier in the week I had the opportunity to go on exchanges over to the New Territories Zone, my first time there and it was so different! Way more rural with lots of dogs everywhere, much more quiet and low key. I also got to do Mandarin missionary work again that day which was really refreshing, it was almost relaxing! But we got to work and had some great experiences! We met one of their investigators, and felt prompted to share the Restoration, it was one of the more guided lessons I've had in awhile, and the Spirit was very strong! Another tender mercy from the Lord, reconfirming my testimony of the Restoration and the Book of Mormon. What a privilege it is to testify of it every day. It was great working with the Zone Leaders and seeing the great response to some of the changes in the mission lately, and I was inspired by their proactivity and desire. Missionaries are powerful! 

We have been praying really hard for investigators and blessings in our area, and this week was again another witness to me of how Heavenly Father hears and answers our prayers, as long as we are willing to act. Last Monday we went to get our haircuts, and we were sitting with a mother as her son got a haircut. We chatted with her briefly, and gave her a card for our children's english class.

English class

She came to the class and attended sacrament meeting the next day! She and her kids loved it and have great desire to learn more! The other day on the way to one of our lessons, we were in the elevator with a woman, and started talking to her, she was really outgoing (odd for a Hong Kong person) and talked about her kids, she'll be attending kids english class with friends this week too! We've been killing it with moms lately haha. And finally, one of the more spiritual moments of my mission, last night we ran into a big group of mandarin missionaries, members, investigators and potentials, and one of them came up to me and immediately started talking to me like we were good friends. It took me a second to realize who she was, but then I remembered, on the train 3 weeks ago we were with the newly arrived missionaries going to get their ID's, and we were all trying to get conversations going for them, one of the women we talked to didn't speak Cantonese, so I spoke to her in Mandarin briefly, before she got off we gave her a card with the Mandarin missionaries number on it. She said she would be going back to mainland for awhile. Right when she got back last week, she called the number we gave her, and attended the activity, and then we ran into them! She told me how her life recently has had a lot of problems and she really has felt that the Gospel will help her. I was touched by the Spirit, and grateful that the Lord had used us as his tools to bless her life. She is super prepared! Even though 2 of the 3 people from above are not in our area and won't be taught by us, I know that Heavenly Father has answered our prayers, and has used us to find the Lord's investigators. I know that as we seek out those prepared people genuinely, they can recognize us as servants of the Lord, and feel that we have something good. I am so blessed by Heavenly Father to have such wonderful moments and miracles.

This last Sunday Elder Hui and I also performed a piano Violin arrangement in church, and it was great! Elder Hui is a top notch violinist, he was amazing.The members really loved it, and afterwords, there were many people who wanted us to visit them, or meet a friend, or just wanted to talk to us. I was amazed! I am happy that we are blessed with this talent, and were able to share it with our ward, we are blessed when we use our talents to serve the Lord. We are really trying to serve the ward with all the tools we have been blessed with, and I know we are being blessed because of it.

 Elder Hui and I have worked out a few ways where we have been able to streamline and simplify our duties here, giving us more time to proselyte and do exchanges, which got me thinking a lot about simplifying. I read the "It works wonderfully!" By President Utchdorf this last week, and thought a lot about the two steps he talks about in our approach to discipleship, and in my approach to the mission.

Prayerful hug with Elder Hui

He says simplify, and start where you are. I feel like lately I have been making things too complicated in my mind with all the stuff going around, and we really can simplify everything, start at the basics, and re-apply them. The same thing is being done in our mission as a whole as well in our MLC. For our investigators we decided to do the same for a lot of the older more stubborn ones, teaching about Christ, who he is, focusing on the Savior and helping them feel the Spirit. Simplifying my approach to missionary work, using our talents, and again, always preaching of Christ wherever we are, simply talking to everyone, being natural, and serving humbly. As I consciously simplified my approach and looked at the big picture of our work as assistants, as well as our work in the ward, I felt a lot of clarity and revelations come on how we can continue moving forward, starting from where we are now. It was a wonderful week, and my heart is very full of gratitude. I can think of nothing better than being a missionary, and serving the Lord. 

Thank you everyone for the love and support! 

我愛你們！

胡長老

Guo Dx got baptized the Sunday that Elder Woolley left the KL Mandarin

Moving the Work Forward - week 48

HELLOOO!!

The weeks are just flying by it is crazy that it is already pday today! This week was full of miracles!

We had a great MLC, with some big changes that are really going to help the mission keep moving forward, I received lots of personal revelation as well on how I can be a better missionary as well. I'm excited to see how everyone applies the principles throughout the mission! It is amazing to see revelation received from above, then see it slowly be distributed throughout the mission until it ends up in every companionship, and being taught to every one of the Lord's investigators.

We started up a children's english class a few weeks ago and it has just been taking off recently, it is so fun teaching the little kids and the parents are loving it! Recently, a street contact of ours from a few months ago came, then brought her sister and kids, then her brother, then her friend and her kids, and then they all came to church on Sunday! It was amazing! They all have such great family relationships, they really are a da jia! I sat with them at church and kept some of the little kids entertained with drawings throughout the meeting, probably one of the most enjoyable Sundays of my mission. As we sat their listening/ coloring I just felt the Spirit so strongly, this is what the Gospel is about, helping these wonderful families to know their purpose, to know that they can be together forever. And it isn't just something nice that we say to help us feel better or to try and comfort ourselves when a loved one passes, but it is real. I know that families are an eternal unit. All of the kids that were there were little girls ages 4-9, I just couldn't help but feel like a big brother with them all around us haha reminded me of my wonderful family and sisters. I am so blessed to have the gospel in my own family, the blessings it has brought us are immeasurable, and undeniable. I am so happy the Lord blessed us to encounter these families, and so happy that they felt the warmth of the church da jia feeling. I can't wait to see where they go from here!

Our other investigators are doing ok, we are really focusing on part member families right now, but are struggling with a lot of stubborn chinese dads haha, it seems I have some lessons to learn about families and the plan of salvation in this area, because we are teaching a lot of them, which is great! There is no better environment to teach in then that! We are hoping to help the fathers see the blessings of the gospel, and hear it from their family members. They'll have changes of heart soon!

Lastly, as we were pondering some moves for our mission, I was struck with a thought about how or Heavenly Father views us. Often times there will be a missionary struggling in an area, with problems of one kind or another. President Lam is very aware of it, and prays for them. But rarely does he ever move them out immediately and get rid of the problem, often he trusts them to figure it out on their own, to grow, to learn of themselves. Often times we are much like that, but it's easy to think that Heavenly Father has forgotten or is not there. But of course, much like President Lam is very aware of the problems, our Father in Heaven is infinitely more aware, more so than even ourselves. But He would have us grow. It's amazing seeing the process of growth in people, investigators, less actives, members, missionaries, everyone. I know that so much growth in people, and in my own life is a direct result of the enabling power of the Atonement. With the Atonement, everything works, everything is possible.

I'm excited to see where these families go in the next few weeks, I love teaching families! 

Love you all!

Elder Woolley

Ran into on our investigators, Jeff - he's a taxi driver (gave Elders Woolley, Ng & Hui a ride)

Found an American BBQ restaurant for 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July - week 47

HELLOO

Sorry this one is going to be the shortest one of the mish!

First off happy 4th of July! I love and miss America, blessed to live in such a great country!

This week has been totally crazy! So much has happened it is hard to know where to begin. I have loved working with President Lam and Elder Hui this week, we have had great discussions this past week, I feel we are all on the same page, it's great to see revelation come and be confirmed. Working so far with President Lam has really given me testimony of how much the Lord runs this mission, and how all of it is done by revelation. It is His mission! I am blessed to be a part of it.

We had a lesson with someone who is grieving the passing away of a loved one. We taught a simple lesson on our relationship with Heavenly Father, her closing prayer was one of the more sincere prayers I have heard on a first lesson, it was so touching. I love being part of people's first times communicating with their Heavenly Father. Seeing their happiness and joy from it makes me only imagine the joy that God must experience when He finally hears from one of His beloved children. He is only a prayer away. I have been studying prayer a lot recently, I forget how much of a blessing it is that our Creator has given us this way to communicate and counsel with Him. I think I have said this a million times in these letters haha but prayer is truly a blessing. "In prayer we speak to the Lord, and he speaks to us. It is our privilege to have our voices heard in the courts above and hear the answering voice of the Lord conveyed by the power of the Spirit."

This work is a miraculous work, I know that our calls are tailored for us perfectly by our Heavenly Father, I am blessed to be here in Hong Kong! I love you and pray for you!

LOVE

Elder Woolley

Elder Woolley with the just released cousin Ng

Elder Hui and Elder Woolley with Scott,
an investigator from Ryan's old ward, getting ready to be baptized!