Elder Ryan Woolley in Hong Kong!: The Island

Hello everyone!!

What a great week! This week was transfers week, and I moved out of the Kowloon area to go the Island!

I am truly grateful for all my time in Kowloon, I have learned so much from the wonderful people here. I will miss not being in the mission home and seeing all the temple patrons from mainland and other countries come through. They are always amazing and faith filled saints. I am so grateful for the time I had to work closely with President Lam, I learned so much from his example and teachings. I am grateful for the awesome companions I had too!

Mainland members

It is fun being in a new area! I am happy that this area still attends the same mandarin branch as I did before, which is a huge blessing because of the great relationships I have built with these members! Hong Kong Island is a much different place, much more big city, and people from all over the world, lots of white people, I'm scared to talk to them haha. The area has been a little bit slower for awhile, so I'm excited to get the work going! My new companion is Elder Garcia, he is a new missionary of 5 months or so, I picked him up from the airport. He is also a convert of a year and a half or so, has a great testimony, and is really fun to work with! Very humble, and excited to work! We get along great. He also speaks Spanish which is pretty fun, because I totally can't speak it at all anymore.

Elder Garcia

The last few days in the office were, teaching some of our awesome investigators (I'll still see them at church) and picking up new missionaries! It is always enjoyable. My first few days on the island have been really good so far too. We've really been praying for miracles and blessings, and showing the Lord we are willing to work for them. Every time we leave the house to travel on the MTR or walk anyway, we pray for prepared people to be put in our path, and promise that we will talk with them. We have been talking to everyone, and the more we open our mouths, the more He trusts us and has sent some great people our way! We found out our neighbor is from mainland, and has interest to meet, and we keep running into people on the train, street, everywhere we can! I am grateful for the blessings.

Last night in the temple apartments

I am excited to be working with the members on the island, there are a lot of part member families and especially less active young men to work with, which is really fun. We visited a less active and her husband was there, he is from Mexico, I think I wrote about him last year. It was really fun to visit him, Elder Garcia and him spoke lots of Spanish, it was so weird hearing Spanish in one ear and Chinese in the other haha I have almost no ability to speak Spanish, it is the exact opposite of Chinese.

Elder Garcia and I studying in our "new" apartment

Our recent convert Scott is such a stud. His new calling is branch missionary, and he takes it very seriously, he invites all his friends to activities, shares about the gospel to them all the time, gives out Book of Mormons, the guy is on fire! We went to meet one of his friends with him, and he brought like two other friends to introduce to us. Amazing. It has been a perfect calling for him. Other people praise him a lot, but he is very humble, reminds me of a quote by President Monson about magnifying callings, simply by doing the duty that pertains to it. He is just simply doing his duty and is being blessed! If everyone just simply understood and did the duty that pertains to our callings, the work would progress just like Scott is.

P-day with buddies

My man Li Jiu

I was studying in the scriptures and was so impressed by the example of Amulek, and his choice to serve with Alma, in Alma 15:16 "...Amulek having foresaken all his gold, and silver, and his precious things, which were in the land of Amminihah, for the word of God, he being rejected by those who were once his friends and also by his father and his kindred..."

He really gave up everything to follow and preach, he reminds me of so many recent converts here in China who have to give up a significant portion of their material or 'worldly' life for the gospel. We were talking with Scott and his friend, and his friend was asking him if Scott has lost friends or anything since he doesn't drink and go out to bars with his friends anymore, and Scott was like ya I have certainly lost a few friends and social time, but what I have gained spiritually is far more significant and has made me far happier than I was before. I'm sure Amulek would say the same thing, as would any missionary or any person who gives up a little to follow and serve! I am grateful for the opportunity to give of myself, to serve, and to learn what it means to truly be happy.