Welcome back...

Today everyone starts school so we are just coming up out of Chinese New Year thank goodness!

The exciting thing about this week was we had the opportunity to talk with/teach a group of 10 YM/YW about missionary life and what it is that we do.  They asked us all a lot of questions and it was so fun to see their curiosity and how excited they were about serving missions.

A lot of them are all from part member families, but they ALL have a desire to serve.  We got to hear all of their conversion stories-how they met the gospel, what was the 'thing' that first helped their testimony to grow etc. and that has got to be one of my most favorite things.

The members in Mainland China are SO faithful! They also wanted to experience missionary work especially going out 'finding', which is funny because that is usually not anyones favorite part about missionary work.  Well they all did super amazing and they are like 110% more prepared then I ever was! 

As I have been asked to reflect back on my mission, more especially the spiritual truths that I have learned.  I realized that ultimately what I already knew to be true has just been solidified.

Two of the most important truths that can encompass everything that I have learned is that He lives AND that He Loves me, individually.  I know these things to be true without a shadow of a doubt.

There have been many times on my mission that I have seen the hand of God directing His work, to see myself and others use His Atonement and then to see the Spirit touch investigators, members, and my own heart.  I can not question these things to be true and for that I am SO grateful!

Hmm I am drawing a blank about anything else that happened this week so I guess that is it!  

Love,

Sister Loo

Happy Chinese New Year!

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!

So unfortunately, I do not like chinese new year that much (at least on the mission, in reality it would be great) because everyone and their mothers or anyone that can at least speak a little bit of mandarin (okay I am being dramatic, but it feels like it) heads home to Mainland, which means no contact with them.

Luckily this is only like a week long holiday so we only have like 3 more days of them being gone before we can talk with them, but I am not a fan!  So our next thought was, "No problem we will find for the Cantonese missionaries since we are all on the same team" yeah...no.  The streets had NO ONE!

SO then our next thought was do calls of formers.  Another bad idea.  It is a little inconsiderate to call people because they are spending time with their families on these days.  So mafan!

Anyways, luckily president Lam being bendi knew this so put zone conference on one of these days. The assistants gave a great training on the restoration reminding us that this is our unique and special message to the world.  It was super good to rethink and realize how marvelous this message is and how much power it brings when it is taught right.

They posed the question to us, "What does the restoration mean to you?"  As we went home and I pondered on this question I felt so happy.  Without the Restoration we wouldn't have the Book of Mormon, we wouldn't know much about the Atonement of Jesus Christ and I definitely would not have as close relationship with my Savior and know Him like I do now!  I just feel extremely blessed and so thankful!

Well I think that is it.. hopefully when people come back life will get more exciting!

Oh yeah transfer calls came and sister Dodge and I are safe and I will spend my last transfer in Kowloon, thank goodness! Unfortunately that means that I am in my last transfer and everyone in my zone doesn't let me forget it.. Oh well, one last transfer to kill it  :)

Love,
Sister Loo

One of the best weeks ever...

This week we had the opportunity to participate and witness 3 baptisms!  It was the best week ever.

On Tuesday after District meeting and about to head home we were asked to teach an 8 year old girl whose mom joined the church 7 years ago and was here going through the temple.  Well her mom wanted her to get baptized so we quickly asked permission from their branch president as well as the China Administrative Director, taught REALLY simply all the lessons and had the service 2 hours later.  It was wonderful and she was super cute!

Wednesday we had Mission Leadership Conference which was amazing as well.  We spent two hours just talking about the Atonement of Jesus Christ and how it has helped us and then how we can better teach this principle this power to our investigators and you can never go wrong talking about the greatest gift we have ever been given!  I love my Savior and am so grateful for his matchless gift and mercy extended to each and everyone of us.  His atonement has the power not only to redeem us but strengthen us as we face the difficulties and trials of everyday life!

After our discussion (and a wonderful lunch) we had a very faithful discussion and time and set the China Hong Kong Mission baptismal goal.  We set the goal to double the amount of baptisms from last year and many different things went into our decision, but it was a very faith promoting, inspiring experience as we all counseled together and set a goal in faith!

Thursday after our weekly service, we had Ted's baptismal service!  He is so amazing and so prepared.  He wanted to get baptized on his birthday and was so grateful for everyone who celebrated with him.  He is one of those people who have a light about them and really is golden.  He shared his conversion story and our branch president when welcoming him into the branch talked about how he might now be able to see or feel the difference between today and yesterday, but in 10 or so years from now he will see a huge difference between the road he is on and the road of (maybe) some of his pears.  Long story short, it was a very wonderful service!

The last baptism of the week came on Saturday when the elders were teaching a 17 year old visitor and wanted our help during the service to help her through the ordinance.  Well I think I spent an hour with her and love her so much.  She took a 4 hour flight down here by herself to get baptized and she only met the church 2 months ago. During her testimony she shared how she originally went to church for fun then gradually she went back because of the the feeling that she always felt while there and the hospitality of the members there.  There is no youth in her branch so she was so happy to the point of tears to meet people her age who had her same beliefs.  She is just all around amazing and I can't explain how!  Hoping to see her at BYU in the fall :)

I feel extremely blessed to be able to meet these people with such great faith, who accept and live the gospel and recognize the blessings and joy that come from Him!  I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to participate and witness their faith and testimony that help my own.

As elder Uchtdorf says, We tread a path covered with diamonds, but we can scarcely distinguish them from ordinary pebbles. In the Church of Jesus Christ, we have been given so much. We are surrounded by such an astonishing wealth of light and truth that I wonder if we truly appreciate what we have."

The mission is amazing!  I hope this week we can all recognize the many blessings that come from living the gospel and that are in the tiny details of our every day lives!

Love,
Sister Loo

Funny story of the week:
Talking about different sisters in the mission and my lovely Filipina roommate goes, "She is pretty but I just don't like looking at her for a long time"

Lunch with Sarah 

Teds baptism.. He came out with his white jumpsuit on and said, "My favorite birthday suit" HAHAHA

Dudus birthday party.. she is at least 50 and  never celebrated her own birthday!

In Kowloon...

In Kowloon because church starts at 1 it gives us the opportunity to work with Cantonese wards and attend their church at 9.  Well it is an unbelievably long day sitting through 3 hours of church that you don't understand (reminds me of the start of my mission) and then on top of that being hungry from fasting.

Today at church, one of our investigators looked at us and was like, "You two look like you are fasting."  Haha oops!  Anywho it is a huge blessing because these members are super accepting and super awesome! We have already received a handful of referrals and a handful of chang outs :)  The church is the same everywhere you go and they are all ready to welcome you with open arms.  Although we (sometimes) can't communicate very well you can still feel of their warmth and see their happiness and that has been a blessing.

This week Thursday we also were able to go to the temple and that is always amazing.  This time I went in with the question of if I should go to Spring term of school as well as what I should start to think about studying.  I brought in my Patriarchal blessing to read in the Celestial Room and I received so many answers to my prayers.  I came out so happy, excited and pumped!  That is what the House of the Lord will do for you :)

We also had the opportunity to help a man be baptized on Monday.  He came all the way from Beijing (so he had my favorite Beijing accent which I was pumped about).  His girlfriend (so there might have been a little flirt to convert going on haha) who is a member introduced him to the gospel and when we started he didn't know what prophets were, never heard of the Atonement and never actually done a personal prayer so we started from square one.

Well, in his first prayer I was amazed by his faith.  As he was praying he said, "I don't know much, but I am willing to follow Jesus Christ"  The faith of these members from Mainland China never ceases to amaze me!

Last, we had the chance to celebrate a little 6 year old in our ward birthday.  I think the party was more for the mom than it was for the kid, but the mom has had a hard past couple of years, but continues to have unwavering faith receiving her endowment just a month ago (She got baptized just over a year ago and usually going through the temple here does not happen that fast).

This simple act of just being there to celebrate her daughters birthday was something that she was SO thankful for!

It is also one of the coldest winters that Hong Kong has ever had apparently so hopefully I don't melt from the cold because centralized heating here isn't a thing, but Hong Kong is otherwise awesome!

Love,
Sister Loo

Oh yeah more funny stuff as we taught English class this week.  We were talking about careers and stuff and one of it comes to Linguistics which an elder goes, "Yeah this is sister Loos" and one of the english class attendees looks at me and then goes, "Ohh is that where they try on lingerie"  I just started busting up laughing.  Apparently I give off that appearance.  Maybe its from all the clothes I was wearing because it was so cold haha!

Temple Day!

Sister Dodge and I.

I haven't been to a 6 year olds birthday party in awhile 

Lam family (one of the awesome cantonese families I am talking about) 

Our visitor! 

​​​​​​​​Candy (a friend of another really awesome Cantonese member)

Visiting a disney museum!