Motivation - week 60

HELLOOO 怎麽樣 fam!

What a faaast week!

It feels like I was just emailing you all like a day ago haha. I'm super excited for General Conference next week! It always seems to come at just the right time, when we need to be reminded and uplifted the most! I'll have to be brief today, I don't have much time this week!

Elder George and I are doing well, every week our area seems like it's on the verge of having some big things happen, and then things get delayed or pushed back and it keeps on building up in potential, but not as much on the results yet! We are giving it our work and love, I trust the Lord and I'm sure things will continue to improve. Our relationship with the ward is great, we have been visiting members like crazy and it is so enjoyable to meet so many amazing people, each with their own stories! The church is still relatively young in Hong Kong, it is great to hear so many conversion stories. It is really inspiring to be a part of. Another exciting thing is that Elder Sy is coming into the office with us! I'm really excited to work with him again. He was my trainer and is an excellent missionary! I am really looking forward to getting into the work with him, we have worked well together every time we had exchanges or anything, so it's gonna be great!

We have had some great lessons with Shuie (the woman from the phone call last week). It seems as if everything that leaves her mouth is perfect for a gospel principle to fix. Every time we meet and listen to her, I just feel so happy to have the thing that can help her understand all of her questions and problems. She has had a very difficult life, and is currently trying her best to find a way to run away, forget, or hid from all her problems, both past and present, and just start over new with her children. I taught her when I was on exchanges with Elder Sargent (my roomie Elder Curtis's cousin) and it was a great lesson. We could really feel God's love and care for her. It hurt me to hear of how she really believes that God is real, but that He doesn't love or care for her, because she believes he has done nothing for her. I've met many people with this mind set, but it is especially hard when it comes from someone who has had a hard life. Again we bore testimony of His reality, His love, and His understanding, and she began to feel it, and realize it. I feel so blessed to have the perspective of His plan. Of course people will still have hard lives, of course it is unfair, bad things happen to good people, and good things happen to bad people, but our perspective and understanding is limited. These things don't define our lives and existence. We shared a message of peace with her, as Christ said "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.The amazing peace and calm that comes with a firm belief in Christ, this doesn't mean immediate removal of problems, or an ignorant forgetting of problems, but instead being at peace with where we are, a desire to never weary of doing good works, a hope, and a trust in our Father in Heaven. I know the Gospel brings a peace to troubled lives that nothing else can bring, because it works from the inside out, not the outside in. Christ works on us in that way, peace he gives unto us, in our souls, and in our hearts, despite our fluctuating surroundings and circumstances, he gives us peace. We need not be troubled or afraid by anything, "look unto me in every thought, doubt not, fear not." 

I thought this week of motivations for serving, motivations and reasons for doing everything I do here as a missionary, and was again reminded of the highest motivation, serving because of a love for the Savior. I evaluated myself, my motivations, why I teach, serve, train, testify, find, and do all that I do, and am striving to align all of the thoughts and reasons that go through my head with the most basic and true reason, which is that I love my Savior Jesus Christ. He is why I am here, he is why I have been so blessed to serve Hong Kong and meet and love all the wonderful people here, and my love and gratitude of him is what drives me to help and share with all.

I love Hong Kong, and all my great friends and family!

Love,

Elder Woolley

Ran up Lion Rock this morning!