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| Last night with Elder E and Elder W |
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| First mandarin lesson with Bro. C |
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| The traditional stop at the Melody Thai with Elder S and Elder W |
What a busy week!! I had no idea until I got here. With transfers this week, we have been busy. I only saw my real companion for around 50% of the time, if that! We are getting the quadpanionship figured out, it is pretty interesting, but hopefully it will get a little easier now that there isn't as much stuff this week. Elder Ea and Elder L do well together, both are good workers and try to stay active when we switch. Just need to keep working on planning.
The area is doing well, we managed to stay above water this busy week, and saw so much! J was confirmed yesterday. He is doing great, no concerns, we hope to start working with his mom soon. So we will see how that goes. V is solid. His job is going to slow him down just a bump, but he is solid for March. We found a new family this week: the L's! The mother is very fast paced and wants her son's to learn and have good morals, she came to church a few years ago, but her sons have a lot of potential (9, 11 yrs). As well another miracle, little K and his mom and sister have kept coming to church for these past 6 months!! Amazing. Never been able to understand why, just because Sister Y doesn't talk a lot. Anyways, he is turning 8 and wants to be baptized and our Primary President talked to her, and she said it's her husband that gives the push, and he doesn't work on Sunday's! (Perfect!) So they are wanting us to teach Lil' K in their home, and hopefully get the dad involved. Lil' K's birthday is in the middle of March as well. Same time as V's baptism... maybe together? Good potential. Lots of potential still, so much! Elder Ea's and I were discussing during weekly planning, there is just so much we need to tap into. I feel overly blessed as well, the ward is absolutely amazing. Working with the people and just pushing the work along. I believe the Lord has big blessing's in store for this ward. They want to do the work and the Lord is sending His work here. To a prepared ward. Nothing us missionaries are doing. Elder Ea and Sister Y (both new to the area) just commented after church (walking away with bags of food as well...), "You have served here for a year?! I have never seen a ward like this in my life!" Too blessed. We are coordinating well with ward leaders, Young Men and hope to see the Primary President this week, and will see the Relief Society President on Tuesday. I love this work so much, this ward. I just feel like a member here. It really seems to be a blessing as well, how it can really work with the ward and know how things flow. I just can't express how great things are right now!
The office is well, as mentioned, hopefully should slow down this week. I got my drivers license, and look forward to driving again! We picked up new missionaries from and took old missionaries to the airport this week. Again, too blessed. Beautiful drive from here to the airport, so relaxing, discussing the mission and things. I am a little terrified to be at the wheel on the wrong side, but hey it should be an adventure. This week was so much fun being with new missionaries, sad to take the departing missionaries home, but will see them later. I am looking forward to this week to settle down, hopefully we can stay out of the office as much as possible. It's just the small things that really make it interesting. We can figure it out though.
I am doing great. Happy as a lark. Pumping on all cylinders, sometimes I forget and need to slow down to catch Elder Ea up, so that is what I am working on this week. Sometimes I forget he has actually only been in the field for 7 months, his Chinese needs help, and he is in a new area. He is older (21) so I just forget! He is amazing though, he will do well in this area, I have no doubts. He is from San Diego, and half Korean!
Notes for upcoming training so far, what is success?
Alma 26:22 “Yea, he that repenteth and exerciseth faith, and bringeth forth good works (action, such as baptism and receiving Holy Ghost), and prayeth continually without ceasing (enduring to the end)—(one who lives the Gospel of Jesus Christ-) unto such it is given to know the mysteries of God; yea, unto such it shall be given to reveal things which never have been revealed; yea, and it shall be given unto such to bring thousands of souls to repentance, even as it has been given unto us to bring these our brethren to repentance.”
· Does not mention anything about going on a mission, teaching lessons, or even about good member relationships, let alone referrals.
o Luke 22:32 “But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.”
· He who lives the Gospel of Jesus Christ, a walking example of our Savior, will bring thousands of souls unto repentance.
o “The gospel of Jesus Christ defines both your message and your purpose; that is, it provides both the “what” and the “why” of missionary work.” PMG pg. 5.
· Hebrews 10:36 “For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.”
· How?
Alma 26:27 “Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back (hearts failing), behold, the Lord comforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success.
· 2 Corinthians 2:4 “Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.”
· “Your success as a missionary is measured primarily by your commitment to find, teach, baptize, and confirm people and to help them become faithful members of the Church who enjoy the presence of the Holy Ghost.” PMG pg.10.
o Success is given to those who sanctify themselves and their life the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and, isn’t that success in the first place?
We are in Hong Kong to continue, or to start long time conversion, and success. The rest of life is a mere continuation of the mission, there are still commandments, and there are still rules that surrounding things we do in the church.
· This life is like a 400m race. Must be paced, you can’t give it all out in the first 50m or you will lose it in the last 100m. Success is about the end result, not the beginning.
o Heb 12:1 “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.”
o Mos 4:27 “And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order.”
“If you don’t raise the bar, how will you ever know your potential?” Elder L. Tom Perry
Brothers and Sisters, we have being doing in these things a good work, but now is a time that needs more. The Lord lives and needs His servants to give more of themselves. It is my testimony and invitation that there is more, and we must give it now.
We can determine success in our conversion, the rest is given, as Elder B illustrated in the broadcast.
Love Elder Sargent
Ever Stalwart
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