Another Week of Ups and Downs...

Another week full of ups and downs!  This week we got fang by 6 of our investigators for reasons we are not entirely sure why.. they just had “other things they needed to do".  It was SO frustrating!

After a day of getting cancelled on 2 times we had a lot of extra time to do finding.  We were told by other sisters of "Book of Mormon finding," so we decided to try that idea.  All you do is stand on the bridge right next to our house with a poster of a Book of Mormon, books of Mormon’s and lesson pamphlets.  You then stay silent and wait for people to come to you.

I have to admit I was a bit iffy about this idea at first as HK people tend to mind their own business and are always in a rush.  That is simply the culture here

It was amazing though because people actually came up to us and we were able to hand out 5 books of Mormon to people who were all really interested.  One lady after passing us came back and told us we had this light around us and exemplified God that made her come back.  We then find out that she is an artist and every year she enters in to an oil painting contest in Australia and has to paint about religion.  She asked to take a picture of us and paint us for this art contest!  She said she would post in on her facebook page (baoying Li) when she finished!  So look out I may become famous! :)

The other big event this week was that Zhao Jiemei got baptized!  She was investigating the church for about a year and told everyone that her husband was the reason she could not get baptized.  When sister Grover turned her over to the island mandarin elders to work with (as they were already working with her son) they found out that this was not her "real" concern and were able to resolve her real ones!  It was such a treat to be able to watch her excitement and happiness to finally get baptized and enter into this covenant with her Heavenly Father!  To join the church she knew to be true.  

I love this work and am truly blessed to have the privilege of serving and representing my Savior.  This gospel is truly the biggest blessing and happiness just exudes from all that learn and grow within it.

我爱你们!

Sister Loo

Culture fact: As I said before umbrellas are great to block out rain, sun and missionaries. Not only this but most Popo's (grandmas) always carry around their umbrellas because they make it with a rubber stopper on the end of them so it doubles as a cane!

Lunch with Sarah (YSA in our ward)

Zhao Jiemei baptism!

Do we really know what we have?

​​​​​​This week I was reading a book titled "member missionary work and finding the elect of God."  I came across this statement from a convert who when talking to members said, "The truth set me free.. Do you really know what you have?"

That hit me really hard because I realized I need to teach better to help others feel and come to understand that what I am sharing is special, it will change their life, and bring them SO many unbelievable blessings.  They need to be able to see that in my excitement when I am teaching; so I have tried to implement that.

We are so blessed to have the gospel on the earth today.  To have a living prophet who leads and guides the Lords church, to have another testament of Jesus Christ to learn and study from!

Unfortunately this week one of our golden investigators sent us a text message saying she talked to her mom about baptism and because her mom was so angry about it she is not allowing her to meet with us anymore.  This took us by surprise.  She was so happy and excited to learn.  When we first invited her to be baptized she said, "I am Buddhist and I have the type of personality that does not change things that have been consistent in my life".  Our very last meeting with her she bore her testimony without even knowing that she knew christ would come again, that she knew the book of mormon was true and she knew Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ exist.  After crying for 30 minutes and praying for what seemed like forever I received another overwhelming feeling of comfort and suddenly felt okay about the whole thing. I know that the Lord has perfect, eternal timing and I need to trust in Him.  A sister reminded us, "Charity suffereth long, but it NEVER faileth"  In the end, all will be well :)

A few fun things about my experience in HK...

To end on a funny note we have a business on the first floor of our apartment and the new business isssssss a sex shop!  So that is quite interesting and it has been quite an interesting couple of days.  When we called our mission president to tell him his exact words were ... "oh that's cute."  We waited for awhile until he said, "I will look into it."  Typical President Lam haha

"Hey are you a cantonese elder?"

"Whose Kenny?"

Oh okay pretty close..

Member: "I work in mid-hell" (She was trying to say Mid-levels haha)

So lucky to be a servant of the Lord in the China Hong Kong Mission!  What a privilege it is!

Wo ai nimen,

Sister Loo

Sister Grover decorated my desk for my 6 months :)

An Interesting Week to Say the Least…

So this week will be really short as I mostly just got readjusted to the island (Hong Kong island).

A lot of our investigators were not able to meet with us.  I am telling you I am getting quite tired of hearing the, "oh I am super busy right now.. in 2 weeks I might have time".  It is super frustrating to try and teach the gospel once every two weeks because by then most people forget anyway; so we are trying to think of new ways to go about that problem.

Well along with that is we got fang (stood up) 4 times this week.  The funny thing is that each person we called and they were like "oh I am out with friends" or "oh we are at the park?" and we were just sitting there like, well didnt we have an appointment?  Does it mean nothing to you..? So that was super frustrating in itself.

The great news for the week was.. We had a baptism!  Her name is Vivian and she is well.. special.  She walked into the church and we were called (before I left the island) and rushed over to teach her.  From the beginning she knew this church was true and just soaks everything up.  She can talk to you for about an hour about the relationship between Chinese characters and Christianity and how it proves it is true.  She has the Bible basically memorized and is apparently a multi millionaire...we don't know...but she is taking some classed to become a security guard and use the time to read the book of mormon.  So that is a little bit about her.

All in all though yesterday she was the happiest person I have ever seen.  At one point in time she was jumping up and down and clapping, it was so cute.  We had the opportunity to sing as well and I truly have a testimony of the power of music.  We sang an arrangment of "I know that My Redeemer Lives" and everyone came up to us saying how beautiful it was and some ladies were even crying.  It was a wonderful baptismal service that thankfully, went smoothly!

Miracle moment this week.  I am trying to be better at opening my mouth on the MTR.  One night we were heading home and I saw this teenaged girl with a huge bruise on her leg.  What better way to start off a conversation then ask where that bruise came from.. right? :)  We started talking and of course it turned into a gospel conversation of what are you doing here and why are you learning mandarin?  The miracle was she was actually from China so her mother tongue was mandarin and she was more than willing to give us her phone number!  The Lord has truly blessed me with so many miracles when I do what I am commanded.. open my mouth!

So short this week, but there isnt much time!

Wo ai nimen,

Sister Loo​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

PANDA'S...

Sister Tang got her Visa and now she is heading to temple square :( 

At disneyland they have churros...

...well in a china amusment park they have bao instead...haha!

Ocean park was awesome! Got to see a Panda. 

Vivian's baptism

Just when I started to get comfortable..

Well I am getting transferred back to Hong Kong Island.  You would think that I would be super happy, but again I have a mix of emotions!  It is amazing how quickly you fall in love with an area and investigators.

It seemed like we were just starting to figure things out, just starting to develop a relationship with the investigators and just starting to meet with new investigators. I know that this is the Lords work though and I don't need to fear as He has a perfect plan.  

So all the visa waiters in the mission have their visas, which is a bummer for us because President Lam likes to put the visa waiters in Mandarin work.  So sister Tang is the first to leave tomorrow and that is why I am heading back to the island to "fill" her spot.  So my new companion is Sister Grover.  I am excited to meet again with old investigators and she says the work is starting to pick up on the island!

This week we met with an investigator named Luchine.  We met with her twice.  She is probably the sassiest person with the most attitude I have ever met, but I love her because she reminds me of well…me…haha.

The first day we met with her I untderstood absolutely nothing she said (she talks so fast).  It was super frustrating as I just had to sit there and could not add anything.

Well, two days later we were meeting with her and I had been praying to be able to understand her to be able to contribute in the lesson and another miracle.. I understood!  It was also such a great lesson and she agreed to come to church!  She doesn't like coming to church and thinks it is extremely boring.  This is the only thing that is stopping her from getting baptized.

During this lesson we tried something different and tried talking to her in a not so "serious" way and we were able to laugh and give her sass as well and she loved it.  I realized that the spirit can testify to someone in lots of different environments and to teach people not lessons!  I will for sure miss her.

Another miracle this week was we were calling people to try and schedule them and we had a potential that we met in the park.  She said she had no time this week so we said we would call her later on in the week to see if something free'd up.

Well, about an hour later she called us and said "are you guys wanting to meet every week?"  We of course said yes we would love too and she said okay I am free on Friday!  Crazyyy!

The spirit definitely was working on her and I am so glad she was willing and excited enough to call us back!

Well that is about all for this week!  Wo ai nimen,

Sister Loo

Feast! We were so proud we could actually make food.

District picture 

China Hong Kong mission Mandarin Missionaries

Less Active we met with last week and took her to the temple grounds.
What better way for her to feel the spirit that has been missing from her life!

JoAnn (member who took us to dim sum.. reminds me of grandma Loo!)

Living with sister Colombel means homemade crepes yumm

Pig heads anyone?