Elder Ryan Woolley in Hong Kong!: New Territories

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