Letter from Dec 15th

Da Jia Hao!! 

Is it already P-day again? Crazy. 

This past week I learned how important it is to make backup plans. I hate back up plans because it means that people cancelled our appointment or don't show up at all, which makes me very upset. We had a couple of appointments that fell through, but it is okay! It just means we need to work a little harder and get people on the escalator towards the Kingdom of Heaven. This week has been good though! 

We had Zone Conference on Wednesday with the Harbour Suburbs zone and that was really good. There were lots of trainings on the importance of prayer and why we pray. Prayer is so essential to everything we do. It's our only way of communication with our Heavenly Father. We can tell him absolutely everything and anything. And when we pray to him, He is more willing to answer our prayers. President also gave an awesome training on being faithful...or as he likes to put it, full of faith. We need to have the faith that we can successfully do our missionary work and that people will accept the Gospel. We also need to have the faith that our prayers will be answered. 

We had lessons throughout the week and a little bit of street contacting time. All of our investigators are leaving :(  But they're still solid!! One is going back to China this week, another left for Persia on Saturday, and Yan Lin will leave on Wednesday for Singapore. But this means that Tom will get married, live the Law of Chastity, and go to HK and get baptized! His girlfriend, Alice, is slowly starting to open up. She came to our lesson, which was a very nice surprise. We taught about the Gospel blesses families and eternal marriage. Amin will be back in a month and is good to be baptized when he gets back!! Yan Lin is just FANTASTIC! 

Last lesson with Yan Lin

Last lesson with Tom

She spent Friday and Saturday with us as a non-official mini missionary!! (she wasn't set apart). She joined us from 8:30 am-7 pm. She did studying, finding, and teaching with us. It was great. She's a really good missionary, so hopefully the fire is still there a year from now!! 

Nora has been hanging out with us as well! She's still good to get baptized on the 27th!

Liu Ding met with us and it was good, but she's been cancelling on us for the past 4 days :( 

Theodore is bailing too :( BUT we've been finding New Investigators from street contacting!!! :) So that's really good. We're also trying to work a lot more with the members. Members are key to hastening the Lord's work, the missionaries are a small portion of God's tools. 

Another thing I learned this week was not to stress. I learned how easily stress builds up for me from trying to please everyone and keep them happy. Service comes from the heart. I think that's one of my biggest trials...being selfish. I learned I need to be more willing to serve others, and have the desire to.  I also learned that I need to see everyone in the eyes of God....that is really hard sometimes. The natural man of me wants to judge and ignore people when I don't get good feelings, but they're the ones that need the Gospel the most. Ugh. Life is hard. 

On Friday, we had a Relief Society Christmas activity, which was really fun!! we had lots of yummy treats and crafts. It was nice to have a 'sisters night'. 

Saturday, we went to a Korean baptism, so that was pretty cool. Sunday, I gave a talk at church and did everything a missionary wasn't supposed to do, like say I was nervous, or talk for 10 minutes instead of 15. It was alright...I based it off of President Monson's talk, Ponder the Path of thy Feet. Excellent talk... I addressed the questions why it's important to know Jesus Christ, and how we can come to know him. Sister Choi spoke after me. She just got home from her mission last week from Korea. She's amazing. A very powerful missionary. She and her brother George are going to BYU Provo next semester. They're great! We had one guy we met on the street come to sacrament meeting, so that was pretty cool! He enjoyed it! He was a miracle actually. His name is Nicholas, and I just started talking to him at a stop light and he's like, yeah sure I'll come to church, that's something I should probably start doing again in my life! AMAZING! 

Last night we went to the Christmas Devotional at the Stake Center. The Stake choir and mini orchestra performed movements from Handle's Messiah. Absolutely BEAUTIFUL. It made me a little trunkie being in a family ward haha, but it was good!!!!! I loved the devotional. I love Christmas!! :) and Christmas music!! 

It's amazing how much the knowledge of Jesus Christ and His Gospel can CHANGE lives! This Christmas season has been really special so far. I've been able to reflect on my relationship with my Saviour and how I can better myself. 

I hope you all have a great week and an awesome start to the holidays!!! Love you all!!

Sister Lew

Also, I got a letter from Ryan, Jack and David!! Thanks!!! :)