Week 19 - #Spoiled!

First of all, Sydney is bipolar when it comes to its weather...just like HK and Utah. Hot-as... one day, and then super cool the next... It's nice, I just never know what to wear.

Secondly, Thank you for all the love this week!!! 

Daddy, Thanks for the stationary and the happy lab and vitamin C!!! :) 

Happy Lab popcorn and chips!!

Then I got a package from Victoria 1st youth/primary!! I loved it!

Gwenyth drew me a handsome prince haha. Also...I don't know half the youth that wrote letters but that's okay. Who's Sky? I got a letter from him from the primary bunch... 

Mom, please tell Hugo thanks for the 'dear john' and that I am heartbroken, but will move on. Also, tell Sister Gabon and the Clarks thank you so much! I really appreciate their love and support. It was so sweet of them!!

Care package from Victoria 1st Branch Primary and Youth

This week was good! 

On Monday I met a potential cousin...we showed Ariel around the city a bit. She's awesome! We walked into the TC and saw her, and Sister Kuo freaked out because they were friends at the Y. She's here on working holiday, and then we made the connection that her sister is dating Steven in Taiwan!!

Sister Kuo, Ariel and me

FHE was good! Leslie taught about using our talents and potential...that's been a major theme lately...so I guess Heavenly Father is trying to tell me something.

 

Tuesday, we had interviews with President and Sister Howes. Those went well. We just spent time getting to know each other more.  We discussed concerns, expectations, what I like. I was able to reflect a lot on my mission so far, and I honestly wouldn't change anything about it. I absolutely love it. There is SO much I need to improve on in doing the Lord's work, but this is the perfect opportunity to learn how do do it.

 

Finding this week has been a little hard because of finals and no one can be bothered to talk to us :( but we've been getting potential and new investigators from our English classes, so that's been really good. It's a great way to share the Gospel with people.

 

I watched the Restoration again last week, and that just really hit me, as always. They had so much faith and sacrificed so much to keep the church alive. Their sacrifice definitely paid off, as I am now in Sydney sharing the Gospel with everyone around me...or trying to at least. 

President and Sister Howes came to DTM this week and taught us how to introduce the BoM using the introduction effectively and efficiently. The introduction is super powerful. Especially the last two paragraphs. The Howes' are just awesome :) I can't explain how inspiring they are. 

We had a miracle on Wednesday at English class! A girl from Vietnam, Frances, said she was interested in learning more about Jesus Christ and had a ton of questions. She didn't know about Christ until she moved abroad and has really felt the love of God in her life. So we met with her on Saturday to teach her more and Sister Rowlands, the 1st counselor in the bishopric's wife was there by chance to clean the chapel, and she's Vietnamese and offered to come to our lesson. It was so good. We gave her a chapel tour and the spirit was so strong. She's really keen on learning more about this Church and how God and Jesus Christ can help her in her life find peace and happiness. She's on date for Dec 27!! She recognized that it was right after Christmas and got super excited! 

Yan Lin is just AWESOME! We met with her twice and she can really see the Holy Ghost working in her life. She's on date for Nov 29 and then will go back to Singapore mid december. We went out to dinner with her on Saturday, which was nice. She just has this 'glow' around her. I can't describe it. I love seeing how much lives can change when they accept God and Jesus Christ in their lives. It makes people so much happier and so full of life. 

We haven't been able to meet with Theodore this week...so we may have to push his date back a little :/ 

Our struggle right now is getting people to Sacrament meeting...many of our eternigators and recent converts haven't been coming, but they come to everything else. They know the importance of taking the sacrament every week, but aren't applying it in their lives...aiyah.

However, Caesar is just amazing!! Such a great example to all of us. He told us he wasn't coming to church because he had to study, but then yesterday, he just walked in casually and sat with us. He said, "I knew that this is really important, so I decided to come". It just touched my heart. 

Institute was also really good this week. We were studying 3 Nephi 12, the Beatitudes. absolutely beautiful. One thing that hit me was that we need to experience Godly sorrow to allow repentance work in our lives. Also, it's important to help people recognize God's hand in their lives when reflecting on 'coincidences' or 'things of chance'. 

Friday, we helped Sister Stubbs pack up her place because she moved. That was the really hot day of the week, so it was nice to be mostly indoors. We had a nice lesson with Joyce that evening. We taught her more about the Atonement, and then I felt prompted that we should sing I Stand All Amazed in the middle of the lesson. We were all speechless afterwards. There was just so much emotion in that room that comes from the knowledge of the power of the Atonement. It's just the greatest blessing…

This week we taught the Plan of Salvation a few times, and it's just such a perfect plan. ahhh I can't express how amazing it is to know our purpose in life and what happens afterwards.

 

On Saturday, I had my first 'islander meal'. Shanice and Amelia, members, cooked lunch for the whole zone, which was super nice of them!!! We had corned beef and otai and taro and sweet potato. It was so good. 

Sunday, I had the coolest experience yesterday morning. I gained a true testimony that God answers prayers. During personal study, I was reading in Doctrine and Covenants 107, about the Priesthood. Thoughts of being unworthy and that I haven't fully repented of past transgressions started entering my mind and I started panicking a little. As that started to happen, I bowed my head and said a silent prayer to ask if I am supposed to be here and to ask if I am worthy to do His work. As I continued reading, I turned the page to D&C 108 and it just filled me with so much comfort as I read it. Certain lines just stuck out to me, and I felt as if Heavenly Father was talking to me.

 

Your sins are forgiven you, because you have obeyed my voice in coming up hither this morning to receive counsel of him whom I have appointed.

Therefore, let your soul be at rest concerning your spiritual standing, and resist no more my voice.

And arise up and be more careful henceforth in observing your vows, which you have made and do make, and you shall be blessed with exceeding great blessings.

And it shall be fulfilled upon you in that day that you shall have right to preach my gospel wheresoever I shall send you, from henceforth from that time.

Therefore, strengthen your brethren in all your conversation, in all your prayers, in all your exhortations, and in all your doings.

And behold, and lo, I am with you to bless you and deliver you forever. Amen.

I have never received such an immediate and bold answer from God to my prayers.

At church the talks were all on prayer and Joseph Smith. The Restoration is so amazing. We'd have to be crazy to believe a 14 year old boy saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ unless we knew it is true. I know I'm a little insane, but I'm not a lunatic, so it must be true! Relief Society was on love which was really good. Just emphasizing how we need to love everyone around us and show it through small acts of kindness. 

Elder Nolan came back!!! So that's good! He's looking better and better, still struggling, but improving! We're just so grateful for that. 

Also, a member from China, Sharon just moved into the ward. She's so great. giving us so much insight on how to work with Chinese people with the Gospel. She was one of the first missionaries from China!!

I also met Julia Lai..I asked her if she knew our family, and she's like...I did a couple thousand names of the Lee side of your family...do I know your family? OF COURSE. I was the one that invited your Poh Poh to cut the cake at the 65th anniversary of the church in HK....that was funny,. 

Sister missionaries with some HK visitors.  Julie Lai is 3rd from the right.

That's about it for now. The end of the transfer is coming up, which is crazy. It's probably my last transfer with Sister Kuo :( :( 

But the church is true. I know that God and Jesus live. The Book of Mormon is SO true. I'm in Mosiah right now, and King Benjamin's address just smashed it...I'm trying to be a much better missionary. Thomas S. Monson is a living prophet. We just got the GC edition of the ensign...ahhh I love rereading all of the talks. They're just too good. 

I love you all!!! Have a fantastic week!