Elder Ryan Woolley in Hong Kong!: Lining up transfers

Hello everybody!

What a great week! It was truly an exhausting week, we just finished our second transfer week in a row, and it should be the last time like that because all of the different language groups coming here are lining up onto the 6 week track which is such a blessing! Multiple transfer weeks gets pretty tiring. But I really enjoy picking up the new missionaries, I love seeing the enthusiasm to get out there and do the work. There is much less skill of course, but so much desire and passion, older missionaries always have a lot to learn from the new missionary fire. I'm excited to see how they all grow and progress in the field. We were doing some teaching activities with them, and I couldn't help but wonder if I was just like that too when I got here. It's hard to see how far you have come in language, teaching skill, knowledge, and testimony until there is a direct comparison. It has also been a blessing to see new missionaries which helps us know and appreciate how much we have grown.

The two weeks following Chen Guo Wu's baptism were both transfer weeks, our area did take a little hit in terms of attention and care which led to a little bit of a disorganized proselyting weeks, but everything somehow continues to go well and develop! We are very blessed. I really love Vic 3 and all the members, they are the best! I am so proud of them and happy every Sunday, the branch has seriously come so far since last year! Serving with Elder Sy and Elder Stratford continues to be awesome! They are excellent missionaries, some of the very best quality Elders. Elder Sy goes home this week to Cebu, I will miss him a ton! I have learned a lot from him on my mission, a lot about humility, charity, and faith. We have a ridiculous number of meal appointments this week too, so I'll have to be extra diligent in my exercise haha.

We met an awesome former investigator this week named Patrick, and he was asking us all sorts of deep questions about the meaning of life, the monotony of his life was really starting to wear on him, and he was wondering what's the point? Perfect question! I think that question crosses everyone's mind at some point, but everyone here seems to push it out of their mind and focus on work and money, but he was really looking. He told us his heart is really open to learning and he is really interested in hearing more. We are so blessed as church members to know what the Plan of Salvation is! It's just as Uchtdorf said last conference, I think we forget how special and amazing the plan truly is, I am blessed to see the truths of the plan open people's minds and hearts to possibilities they had never imagined could be true! And the best part is that it really is true. I am excited to see where he goes this transfer!

I was feeling pretty scattered this weekend leading up to fast sunday and was pretty worn out from the week full of early starts and long days and was just not quite looking forward to the fast sunday. But as I sat down in sacrament I kept having the thought recurring in my mind about remembrance. That seems to be a recurring theme in my mission, the importance of remembrance. Remembering who we are, our most basic identity, remembering the blessings the Lord has given us and being grateful, remembering everything He has done for us, remembering the experiences and lessons we've learned, remembering the sacrifices our family has made for us, remembering to keep the commandments etcetc. In the scriptures time and time again, the people are quick to forget and slow to remember, when I read I am always amazed at how fast people seem to forget the Spirit and blessings they enjoy when they are righteous, and how slowly they are humbled and remember the Lord in times of trial or prosperity. But I realized I am the same way! I find myself getting that reminder all the time in one form or another, whether it be remember my blessings and be grateful, remember my duty, or remember my Savior. But this time I was reminded to remember my most basic responsibility and duty as a missionary. to invite others to come unto Christ and have faith in him. And I am grateful for the reminder! I pondered on how Christ, no matter how worn, tired, hungry, or persecuted he was, he always remembered to bring people unto him, minister unto them, heal them, one by one. I thought of when he was on the way to heal Jairus' daughter, and the woman with an issue of blood touched his robe. He could've left it at that as she was healed and continued on his way, I'm sure he was tired. But he stopped, ministered unto her, and finished the healing process of not only body, but Spirit as well. So I prayerfully organized myself, wrote down everyone we are working with or plan on working with as well as their needs, and pondered about how we can help them to come unto Christ and be healed.

I pondered on how we are all like the woman with an issue of blood, though are issues are much more diverse, and I am so grateful that we have the opportunity every week, to 'reach out and touch the Savior's robe' in faith by partaking of the sacrament. An important principle from the woman with the issue of blood is that she went before the Lord humbly, faithfully, "told him all the truth" as to why she touched his garment, and only then did Jesus complete her healing Spiritually and say "thy faith hath made thee whole." I have really come to love and value the sacrament, to prepare myself and try to be humble and faithful, and to honestly search myself and repent, and only then does the sacrament fully make "whole."

I love how the Savior can make anyone whole, can take anyone with any problem, and as long as they are humble, and faithful, they can reach to Christ and be healed! I have absolutely loved seeing people's lives come back together, and be made whole in Christ. It is an amazing process. I have loved feeling myself be filled at times with more love, patience, desire to serve, and hope then I would've thought possible! It is indescribable, but it does make people whole, even when they don't realize they need it. I love the Gospel, it is true, and Jesus Christ is our Savior!

We getting organized and ready to tackle this next transfer in Kowloon and I am so excited!

Love,

Elder Woolley

胡長老