5/22 Just a lucky Elder :)

Check out Facebook to see the missionaries singing Called to Serve to Elder Quentin Cook when he visited this week.  It was posted on the mission page for the China Hong Kong mission for President Lam

A great week! It was so fun to see the family, I was surprised how much they have matured. I guess that's what you get with a young family. This week has definitely been different, I got into the "My Plan" packet which I misplaced, on top of seeing family and a lot of members knowing I go home in month, my heart has been battling this week. Fighting thoughts of home, but preparing for such, and as well, keeping focus on the work. It has been a challenge, but I am always up for a challenge. :) 

The area is doing well, realizing we have a lot more potential coming up after these few weeks now that the DSE is over and people are starting to be a little more available. H, a potential that passed his baptismal interview but got shut down from his parents a year ago, is ready to come back now that school is up, AL (Recent Convert) is ready and scheduled this week now that the test is up, and more. Lots of people to come out of the wood work in the coming weeks. Sister C is doing great with J, it has been great to see the gospel work in their lives, enhancing their relationship and helping them become better together. They are doing very well. R is doing great and came to church again yesterday. V had his confirmation yesterday! He is great, unfortunately J couldn't come because of a work complication, but he is doing so good! We hope to see V and B with callings soon. The area is doing great, actually wish we could teach a little more, but every one last week was 唔得閒住. 

It is a testimony to me that unless we are progressing, we will digress. One friend hasn't been willing to share the gospel with his family or make steps to progress, and we are starting to see some of the effects. I am a little worried, not bad, but hope to see him turn the corner here and move onward and upward. It was the same with another. It goes for all of us as well. Unless we are willing to progress then we will be forced to digress.

The ward is great, we had a great correlation with Brother C, our 1st counselor. Poor guy, keep him in your prayers. We talked for a while about how our ward is kind of special since, around 30% of our people don't actually live in our area which makes it hard to take care of them all. In addition to several members really needing assistance, which makes the priesthood holders quite busy, and quite 辛苦. He asked that we seek to continue to lift the feeble arms and raise the weary heads of the Brothers and Sisters that need it. I see it and hope to be an assistance, we have been in harvesting mode in our ward these past few months, and it is looking to continue, as the ward is prepared and loving all those that come. We are in need of loving those and each member to continue to serve those around us. 

I sure love this work and these people. I don't know if I could reiterate it enough. I am excited to see Elder Cook here in a couple hours and and beyond grateful for the leadership of modern day prophets and revelation. In pondering my patriarchal blessing this week, I has seen so many miracles and revelation for my purpose in life. I am a lucky man.

I love the Lord and this work. 

Love, Elder Sargent

Ever Stalwart

5/15 Happy Mother's Day

skyping home for Mother's Day

Amazing week! A rest week will be well needed though. Zone Conference was great this week! It was fun to be a part of it this time, I hope the Spirit was able to testify to the missionaries of what they needed to hear from our training's, whether it be about PMG and faith or otherwise. Elder S, myself, and Elder Co gave a 45 min training, 4 times this week. President Lam described it as our last words, just as the prophets do in the scriptures. Truly blessed to have been a part of that. Something special. It was good to see so many of their smiling faces. I do believe that Hong Kong has the best missionaries out there. 

The area is great! V came to the Adult session of Stake Conference on Saturday, and what a session to attend. He will be confirmed this upcoming Sunday. The Spirit was so strong, a great discussion on missionary work from Elder Meredith, of the Seventy. S came as well and sat with Sister K. We had a great lesson with her this last week (again with Sister K, those two are peas in a pod) that went really well. Hou Kei is on the same route. He has felt the Spirit, he can't stop smiling the whole time. He is doing well and came to Stake Conference for his first time at church. Sister C and JC are doing great, we had to meet them outside at a Chinese checker table at the base of their apartment due to a mix up with their fellow-shipper. The lesson was ok, but a miracle came when a lady walked up behind us and had interest and wanted to learn with her baby and young daughter that she was with. Then all the sudden her and Sister C hit it off, they were from the same hometown, which is crazy, then they were from the same street!!! They started jumping and screaming. Hugged each other. Good thing we got her number before that, because we had to leave... they seemed to be instant friends. Miracles. Oh and the 70 Elder Meredith visited the L family with President M, the Stake President. He promised A he would come back when she gets baptized. 

I felt my emotions on the surface a lot this last Stake Conference. I don't know exactly what it was. The Spirit was so strong, great speakers, C even spoke! I was so happy for him. Discussing missionary work on Saturday and then all the simple truths that were testified really touched my heart. I took lots of notes. It was fun to be squashed on the front row surrounded by Ken, Tintin, Adam, Eddie, and Johnson. All people I have really seen grow since I have been here. I love this gospel. 

The work goes on. It never stops, it rolls forth out of the mountain cut without hands. He lives and He is in charge. He merely asks, "Come, follow me." 

A shout out to all the miracle mothers out there, my beautiful mother, Nana Rosy, Grandma Becky, and all my aunts. You are all the best. I have come to believe that God especially loves the mothers of this earth, those who bring His spirit children into the world. I love and am grateful for all each one of you do for me. 

Especially to my Mom, I hope you all know how much I love her. To those who don't, she is a woman of great spiritual stature who has raised me with all the patience that could be mustered. I couldn't and probably still am. Taking care of me in so many ways. I sure love her. 

Ever Stalwart!!!

Love Elder Sargent

5/8 Last weeks Pday to Lamma Island-pictures

5/8 Busy as can be

Goodbye Elder Ea and my new companion second from the left

New missionaries had to walk through a tsunami from the MTR to the mission home

Well, such a great week!! It has been so busy with transfers I don't feel like there has been time to catch a breath. Extra busy because it is the end of the month with sending in reports, and MLC. A week to be remembered. Especially when all the new trainees had to run through a tsunami to get back to the church.

As far as the area this week, it has been great! So blessed. Victor was baptized yesterday, the whole ward was there, we just barely got a seat in the back corner on primary chairs. It was so fun to watch everyone participate. I feel sometimes, that we as missionaries assume we should be involved or that it is our work, but it's not. They are the Lords investigators. I couldn't stop smiling. Bishop L gave a great thought about change and everyone having special talents (he focused on all the Recent Converts in the room, especially B and V). The L's stayed and sang in the choir after church and at the baptism. So fun. I don't know if you can feel how happy I am just writing this. So fun, he won't be confirmed next week due to Stake Conference, but will be the next week. JC and his mom Sister C are doing great! Brother L is a great fellow-shipper and they set a baptismal date for the 18th of June. They are doing great and I can't wait to see what the gospel will CONTINUE to do in their lives. We have a new investigator that we are working with, his name is R or HK. He is 18 and so prepared! He has been in HK for 8 months now with his family and his mom works with a member. We taught him for the 2nd time this Wednesday after English with Elder S (speaking Mandarin) and grabbed one of the new missionaries Elder Sh (speaking very minimal Canto), and it was one of the best lessons ever! The language was all over the place, but we focused on God and prayer, focused on our discussion from MLC the day before (check Bible dictionary-great reference for prayer). He couldn't stop smiling the whole time! The Spirit was so strong, and we sung a hymn after to end on an even HIGHER point. We had to push him out the door to leave. We met him again on Friday, he was so excited to come he brought his mom (who previously said 'no interest' to the sisters who met her and her daughter) at the perfect time after we met with Sister Y (our RS President). It was another awesome lesson. He tried to keep his lips pursed as he smiled the WHOLE lesson, and it was tough for him, because they were quivering as he tried not to go full smile! I have never met someone who enjoys the lessons as much as him. He asked us to sing after the lesson again. So we did. :) They were all grinning. He has great potential. I sure love these people.

It was sad to see Elder Ea go, as he is opening the Tsuen Wan Elders back up (living in Tung Chung) with the now returned Elder C!!! Glad to have him back. Elder Co is my great new comp! He is 1/4 Chinese, 1/4 Japanese and the rest right out of Oregon.He studied for a year at BYU before, and.... he shoots a bow... He is fun, knows his stuff, and overall a great companion and leader, plus he knows a lot about the area having just been my district leader for 5 months. Hopefully I can get everything I know about the area into his head in the next 6 weeks. 

We are excited for this upcoming Zone Conference and will be giving a training every day next week. Pres. Lam told us these were our departing Words of Wisdom. I was shell shocked. He gave us 45 minutes with each Zone.  

I can't close without saying how much I love this work and the Lord. I sure do love this work. I feel blessed beyond measure to be able to take part of the "stone rolling forth out of the mountains cut without hands." It is a special time we are in.

I love this work.

Love Elder Sargent

5/1 Wings of Lightning

Another splendid week, riddled with all kinds of surprises that come with being a missionary. Well a new experience this week! I had something along the lines of Giardia from Sunday to Friday. Kind of just put it off because we had no time to see a doctor and hoped it would figure itself out, but no success. Elder J ratted me out to Sister J who told me to schedule an appointment with a couple doctors, but they were all busy this weekend and into next. So I took to the Uchtdorf method and looked online. It said garlic will do the trick to clean up stomach problems, so I went home smashed and cut up two big cloves, tossed them in warm water and swallowed them down. No one wanted to be around me for the rest of the night, but went I woke up, it was a 180 degree turnaround. I had one more clove to be safe, but other than that, I was solid good to go! A garlic miracle. 

It didn't slow us down the whole week, we almost did pay for it on a couple occasions, but got a lot done! V passed his baptismal interview, the ward has been waiting for that. J and Sister C are great. J has so many fellowshippers it is great! He sat with A and E at church on Sunday, and he goes home with Brother L. They are neighbors and we teach them at his house. For clarification Sister C has to leave church at 11:15 to go to work and just meets J at home later. They are doing well, if the Spirit guides, hopefully they will have a date next week, they are ready for it, it just hasn't felt right these past few times. Been to church long enough too! B is a man. A hero to me for sure. Love the man. 

We picked up a couple new prospects this week, one new 20 yr old investigator (he is only in year 4 at high school though because he just moved here from Mainland), and he has great potential! We are really working to take your counsel to work with who we know, and who we SHOULD know. We are just branching out from who we know in members and less actives and Recent Convert's and even people I have just known ever since I have been here, but haven't been ready to progress till now, like J and Sister C. I wish I could give all the info I know on the area to my next companion via USB. We are staying busy, and a good effective busy too. I still would like to talk to more people though, our potential list has been a little dry recently. Time to pick it back up again.

I have been reading a lot of President Monson's talks from when he started as an Apostle and 2nd counselor back in the 70's. They are great, I really have gained a lot of insight on his life as an apostle and really learned a lot on what I need to do better. Full of wisdom. "It has been said that the doorways of history turns on small hinges, and so do peoples lives." "If you have not chosen the kingdom of God first, it will in the end make no difference what you have chosen instead." "When the time for decision arrives, the time for preparation is past." These are a few of my favorite quotes, and I still have around 200 more talks to read. In reading these talks this week, I have set a lot of personal goals to do better, I have a lot to work on a grow in being a missionary and as servant of the Lord in general.

We had transfers yesterday! I will miss Elder Ea (headed to open up the Tsuen Wan Elders with Elder C!), but am excited to work with Elder C (already live with him, previously my District leader in SSP), and just as excited to have a companion to work in the office with me. 

Time flies on wings of lightning. It never slows down. Hurrah for Israel!

Ever Stalwart

Elder Sargent