6/13 Still a special couple of weeks

Still been a special couple of weeks. Last week was amazing! Met 5 new people, and hopefully will continue to be able to meet them. Brother NT is doing great, things are looking good for the 26th. He has had some change in getting over his traditional Chinese way of thinking, and had some good time spent with a member who is very familiar with Buddhism. Brother C "The Fisherman" is doing well, we had to move his date to the 3rd of July due to his traveling to Thailand these next two weeks. However, he is doing very well. Good progression and things are clicking. Brother P, doing ok, was not at church on Sunday, not sure why, he didn't answer his phone. I think he just might need some more time. As well picked up a lot of younger adult investigators this week. A is a very solid member referral that has very large interest and is looking for faith. J is a very religious younger guy who is very interested in what we have to offer. Perhaps some of my favorites are M, S, and F. One of our young men that I am pretty good friends with brought them to the church last week, and so we taught them English for a while, then had another lesson, then went back and taught them the Restoration and prayer. Two of them prayed that night! J (the member) said it was fun. I think this came to be more of a miracle that I thought. Sister L (his mom) talked to me about it after church. She said he has been struggling and really needs some help. We talked about how this can help him and she was so grateful. I hope things can turn out for these boys (15-17). It has been amazing. We are looking forward to a new Bishop this week, because right now we aren't sure who to talk to for these upcoming baptisms and some reactivations. So that will be nice. We, as an area, are doing well.

The Zone is kind of leveled out in some areas right now. Doing good, but we could be doing better. The Kwai Chung area is a little disheartened to be losing Elders (Elder S is moving to Tsing Yi and Elder Ch is going to the MTC) There are too many miracles to report! Elders Ts. W got a couple loved investigators back which has boosted their spirits, the Sisters KLC have just kicked it off this week and there is good work going on in the TST area as usual! It's been a fun summer so far and it's looking up. Kind of a small tidbit of the Zone for ya.

There is no adequate replacement for hard work. So let's just get down and do it. :)

Love, Elder Sargent

6/06 The work is progressing in Hong Kong!

My buddy J from Beijing that got married in Kowloon this week, got to know him pretty good seeing him for a few days! haha He doesn't know cantonese, but does know english from his mission in New York a few years back.

Another good week! I have been so happy and beyond grateful for what the Lord has bestowed upon our little ward in Cheung Sha Wan. I really have pondered hard as to the why and how it's happened. Why now? Why all the sudden has all this come up? We all of the sudden have more people to work with than we can handle. We have been working hard for almost 6 months together. The more I have pondered and thought  about it, the more I have come to realize why, or maybe why I think. I firmly don't believe its anything I did, and to me I think it's the ward. After really thinking and praying and studying member work recently, it often talks about how the Lord won't send His children to unprepared wards, Pres. Hinckley talked about that often. There is no point in sending them somewhere that they can't be used or to someone unready. Our ward recently is just bursting at the seams, ready to go to serve and do the work. On Sunday I felt just so overwhelmed with 6 investigators we are teaching at church, and then 3 more people that just showed up that needed help, one of them is rescheduled and lives in our area. The other two live in Kowloom Bay, but don't want to go there, so we will meet with them to explain more thoroughly. It was interesting to hear a member tell another member from another ward, "We didn't use to have any investigators, but now all the sudden we have SO MANY!" Makes me so happy that they are excited. Honestly, we were teaching the same amount 4 months ago, just everyone we are teaching now is progressing and there are people we could be working with, we just don't have time. So we talked to Bro. F and some of the members who are fellowshipping these people, and worked out that they will just be their missionary pretty much. Schedule and follow up on commitments and we as the missionaries will just do the teaching, which is how it should be, really. We are just seeing so many miracles every day, it's amazing. I rejoice in my God. So grateful He is blessing our ward so. 

As well is was a good meeting with the Stake Split! Sad to hear we lost our Bishop Kwok to the Stake Presidency, but glad we get Pres. Tsang back to the ward and are excited to see who the new Bishop is. The work is progressing in Hong Kong and no one can stop it. Our 4 Canto Stakes got split into 6 yesterday. We are in the new Lions Rock Stake! Cheung Sha Wan, Sham Shui Po, Sha Tin, Dai Wai, and Ngau Tau Kok. As well, Kowloon is the stake center now. :) China is doing well.

I love this work. I love my area, my companion. I love being a missionary.

 Love Elder Sargent

On another note, after some prodding from President L at MLC, I went to accupuncture. I had to go twice, and I will never go back in this lifetime. Needles in my lower back, rear end, thigh, back of knee, and calf. Followed by a most painful and violating massage of all covered regions. To all who have considered it, I would challenge you to reconsider. haha not worth it.

Love,

   Elder Sargent

5/30 Loving Cheung Sha Wan

views from previous hike to Lion's rock

Still feeling like the most blessed person on this planet. Elder Da and I are feeling great, working hard, and continuing to see miracles everyday. This last week has continued to be miracles. Brother Ting is making great progress, loves everything (especially Elder McS's old suit we gave him). He is still looking for a full time job, but is dedicated to church! It has been so much fun to watch. Brother P passed his baptismal interview on Saturday and then didn't come to church on Sunday. So that was disheartening. I think we will have to wait some more time for him.  Brother C and Brother C are doing great, Brother C has pretty much scheduled us to meet every Tuesday and Thursday till he is baptized. Things are well there also. We are seeing a lot of new opportunities with member families, several have opened up and we are getting settled down into teaching a couple of them. Hopefully we can see them at church now. I love this work and it makes me happy beyond words to see the miracles and blessing that the Lord is bestowing upon the area of Cheung Sha Wan. I wish I could stay here my whole mission. The ward is amazing and they are so willing to help out, the views of the work I feel like are beginning to change, it is all just a dream come true. There isn't much more I could ask for, just Elder Da and I to continue to work harder and to do more! 

The Zone is doing great! Our apartment has had another problem... the kitchen is falling apart, but we are getting it figured out with Elder C. I hope that all the missionaries and apartments took Elder K and my challenge from Zone Conference to have an apartment family home evening and discussion. I absolutely loved ours last night. Elder S did a great job, we had a good thought, talked about what we need to do better and how to support each other. It was great, I can already tell it is going to help a lot. So thankful for the opportunity. There is nothing I love more than doing what I can to serve the other missionaries I love so much. I hope they were able to receive some personal revelation. 

I love my mission, my time right now can be summarized up in not my words, but in the words of Ammon and Alma. That has been a chapter that has opened up to me recently, in chapter 26, I just feel as Ammon with my joy taking me away almost to my body and spirit being separated. I feel like I am walking on air seeing so many of the other missionaries happy and enjoying the work and having success. 

Ever Stalwart folks. I hear the grass is green and the summer is out. Enjoy it!!

Shout out to my best friend who is having a birthday this week! Whit is the best. Congrats on Graduation as well. I love you sis.

Mom and Dad I didn't forget you two either. ;) Happy anniversary. i hope you enjoy it! Thanks for being the best example of a loving couple I know. Love you both as well.

-- 

Love,

   Elder Sargent

5/23 Consider me the most blessed

Touring Central last week

Cool frog. There were hundreds of them at the park where we did comp study waiting for a lesson

Well how to describe this week and my feelings. No time whatsoever. I think I did language study 2.5 times, companion 4 or 5 times. Just had so much come up, Zone Leader responsibilities, members needing help, or other such things. I just feel so blessed. On the language basis, having had the situations I have had, with kind of really just having to learn on my own on transfer two, then step training transfer 3, as well as district leader, to now, I just glory in my God who has enabled me to communicate with these people. My language isn't that great, but that I can do what I can do is just a testament that God is watching out over His missionaries and this work will progress, no matter how slow of learners his tools are. Elder Da and I have come to the conclusion that we are the most blessed missionaries in the world. We have loved serving together so far and hope to continue to serve together, and love the close relationship we have with the ward. I love it. As well, we have really felt blessed this week as things have continued to explode. Although we have had extremely limited time, and we lost several investigators (turnovers and lost contact with them traveling or new phones), all those that we still have are progressing so well, and all came to church! We have felt like we have worked so hard these past months, maintained the faith and the attitude of joy, with the mindset that the Lord will work it out. We have been praying so hard for our area, to have a baptism, to get the ward excited about the work again, to grow. With the addition of the Ting family, an absolutely golden couple, we as an area are looking at pressing forward with faith for 5 baptisms this upcoming month of June. Brother P's baptism will have to be bumped back a week at the request of Bishop K, so that will put P P, the sisters investigator S, and Brother Ch at the beginning of the month, then followed by the T family and C H at the end. Elder Da and I are just praying hard and moving forward. They will do it and we are excited for a great month. :) Oh, as well, we met a great members husband on Friday. We took our Elders Quorum President and it was great. The wife admits he is golden and prepared, pretty much a member already, but she won't push or encourage him at all. He is 30+ and a banker in Central. Great guy, born in England actually, so his English is almost perfect, just an English accent. ;) 

As a companionship, we are working hard, always striving to be better. Right now we are just living on air with the opportunities we are having even though sometimes we feel like we could do better. Working on improving our calls as well as our teaching capabilities. Elder Da's jaw is great. No problems, just on PT now. 

Alma 26, that's the chapter that I seem to have been able to study for several days for an hour and just keep getting revelation poured out upon me. Glory in our God for what He has given us. That is what gratitude is, it leads us to be happy, brothers and sisters, have we not reason to rejoice?

Well I am headed fishing. First time ripping lips for a while so we will see how it goes. Elder M and Elder C go to America soon, Elder C to Eugene, Oregon and Elder M home to Arizona. Going to miss them both. Elder M is an outdoors guy so we figured we would go do what we do best. Elder Da said he will cook them up. 

You can take the Elder out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the Elder. YEEE YEEE.

Love,

Elder Sargent

5/16 Two NEW Stakes!

Time flies. It was another great week! Absolutely loved it. It was a surprisingly interesting week, I feel like Satan has his hand in the work to slow it down. We had several lessons not show up, P P had some major problems and wouldn't see us, A-Y got a new phone and we don't have his new number…..it has been a rough one, but we kept a smile the whole time and things are working out! We met P P's whole family on Sunday night and taught a lesson.  We went through the baptismal questions and both parents really had something to say about the word of wisdom, especially tea. So that made for an interesting portion of the lesson. The new investigator Brother C is doing great. He has attended church 3 weeks in a row. We still haven't settled into meeting and teaching, but he has asked about baptism several times and even with the members. We are eating dinner with him and a member family tonight, should happen then. Things are going great. We have met several of the male teenage youth, particularly two who are less-active or semi-active. Both have a ton of questions and really need help, it was kind of heart breaking to see how bad they are struggling and what lapses in faith they have had, but we are working through it with them. Both will do missions, I can see it!! They are on the return. 

In other news, at the regional conference they announced the stake split! We will be going from 4 cantonese stakes in HK to 6!!!! Adding the Lion's Rock Stake, and then Kowloon East and West. The work is hastening, looking forward to having a smaller zone. Sorry it's short today, I find there is 0 time in the day.

--

Love,

   Elder Sargent

5/9 Explosion...enjoyably crazy!

Baptism for one of my best friends of 7 months, from Tung Chung

Last District meeting KC

Surgery went well for Elder Da - Hospital was in a beautiful location

Bro Y passed away

What a week! So much happened. I thoroughly enjoyed MLC, learned so much, as well, can't wait to take it back and implement it into the Zone. I don't know how this week was so... enjoyably crazy! I look back and just see the Lord's hand supporting me every day. Giving me energy to continue, to overcome all the stress, to stay happy. With all the meetings, Elder Daplin's surgery, and trying to maintain our area with its needs, I can't believe it worked out. I loved every minute of it. It was a tough week teaching, not knowing about Saturday or Sunday, and then all the time in between, but we were still able to accomplish some stuff.

The area is great and exploding! Chris introduced us to his girlfriend on Thursday, they came to church and are both doing super well (the sisters took her from Sunday), our new couple that some members in Stanley sent, Amy and others. The Lord has really answered so many of our prayers. I am really trying to change my view of some of the things I do, relative to an Elder Bednar talk on the Atonement. Not asking for more investigators to have progress, but to have the ability to help the ones we have now progress, or have the discernment to know which members are prepared to do the work. They are doing so well. 

Elder Da is doing well, back on the mend, really wants to get eating rice and other stuff again, really doesn't want to eat soft stuff, so that's been tough, but we are all glad to have him back. He is feeling great. Elder K (the new Zone Leader) is doing well, he feels extremely stressed, it is a center of what he talks about at night haha we have some fun conversations. Things are coming. 

One of the biggest miracles, my best friend A P from Tung Chung was baptized yesterday! I have been praying for that day for 7 months. I can't believe it. I love them so much. That family means so much to me. I hope and can't wait to see the day that they are ALL sealed in the temple. I firmly believe it will happen.

I loved seeing my family today! TO everyone that reads this, my Mom is the best mom out there. She loves and supports me and all of us. She defines mind, might, heart, and strength to the work. I love my beautiful mother so much. I hope to find one like her one day (but for now... heart locked ;)) She has a love for us as her family as close to the Savior's love as love can get. Selfless and determined, a spirit that desires others needs before her own. I love you mom!

-- 

Love,

   Elder Sargent

5/2 Prepare now for that day

What a week! With us moving to the Mong Kok apartment (we are both staying! 6 months together and I will hit my year mark with him!), and all the miracles we have seen, it has been a busy week. We as a companionship are well, quickly getting adjusted to the new place, health is well, we are sad we had to leave two of our best friends back in Kwai Fong, but are excited to get to know these Elders better. Elder Da talks to Elder H all day in Cebuano, and I think he enjoys being able to do that. As well, the new apartment was quite dirty, but Elder S (new trainee from SLC) and Elder Da took care of that real quick. We love the new place!

We as well have been praying for referrals and new investigators for two weeks now, and they all decided to show up in one week! The week before Elder Da's surgery. One the more special experiences teaching Bro. Y and preparing for his baptism.  Then had a couple walk in that have friends from Stanley who gave them a Book of Mormon and told them how to go to church come on Sunday, had so many great questions and participated, (Mr. C didn't even have a problem with being baptized again, having been previously Catholic). They are very prepared and will be back next week. As well several new turnovers pending and our investigators have as well been doing amazing. The Lord hears our prayers. We repented for not desiring enough, and covenanted we would do all we could to see more of His children to the waters of baptism and He heard our pleas. Brother P as well is looking good for his baptismal date this month. 

 The Zone as a whole is well, everyone got transferred smoothly, and we as zone leadership have got everything planned and ready to go. 

My thoughts on the week: You may be wondering who Brother Y is, his wife is a stalwart member in our ward and his son is a member in Tuen Mun. He has always been against the church and criticized his family for it, and doesn't believe in God. Last week he entered the hospital sick, and found out he had cancer. Soon, as well, found out he has a very short amount of time left on this earth. In his perilous circumstance, he was humbled and the Holy Ghost was finally able to enter his heart, as he let it, to confirm the truths his wife and son had been trying to teach him for years. He is a changed man. He now loves us missionaries and we have had the opportunity to teach him all the lessons in a period of a few days. Now this week, we will have to transfer his poor, broken body, to a font to perform the ordinance that he yearns and asks for all day. All he talks about when we visit is his eternal family. All of it relates to his eternal family. Being baptized like his grandchildren and living with them and his parents and his wife. Everything we taught, in his mind related to HIS eternal family, whether he is baptized here or there it doesn't matter, but he gets his wish. I compared the two people now that I know that have had cancer in their last moments. One, his dying wish, to live with his family, life full of regrets and he rests in uncomfort, not knowing how it will work out. He can't eat, drink or hardly talk. He is making it pretty last minute. The other, similar, but not the same. Physical body, broken, frail, and destroyed by the effects of the mortal earth and the situations we must work through, but spiritually prepared and ready. Prepared and understanding to her situation. She knew she had done it all. It was her time. Brothers and sisters. Prepare for that day. Let us not have regrets when we see the Father, kneel at the Sons knees and beg for forgiveness. 

I love this work and am looking forward to a very exciting week with MLC, Elder D's surgery, Stake correlation, Brother Y's baptism and much much more! 

Love, Elder Sargent