The BEST day of my life!!!!

Todays email is dedicated to two amazing souls that stepped into the waters of baptism yesterday. 

Sister Wu- I first met sister wu almost 8 months ago as she was walking through the park on her way home with her daughter. Sister Palmer and I were able to get them to stop and we were talking all about her daughter, Dora's, performance in school she had the next day where she was going to be an angel. They had no religious background, but were super funny and slightly crazy. :) We were able to get Sister Wu's number and they went on their way. A couple weeks later and several phone calls later we were finally able to schedule them for a chapel tour. The chapel tour was a mess. We tried to teach them about prayer, but the conversation was all over the place and we didn't really have control of the lesson, but she felt the spirit and said that she would try coming to church the next Sunday. Saturday came around and we called to remind her, but she had to go back to mainland. She then stayed in mainland for several months having problems with her passport and was sick in the hospital. I think it was almost three months. Then one day we ran into her again next to our apartment. We talked to her tried to schedule but she was busy. A week later we ran into her again. and again and again. We then were FINALLY able to schedule her and have her meet the mandarin missionaries, where they took it from there. We still ran into her occasionally while we were out and about. Her daughter would always run up to us and want to take pictures with us. They were funny. I was happy when we saw them come to church. Sister Wu's testimony grew, she kept her commitments and had a desire to be baptized. Yesterday she was baptized!!!!!

Anna- The day we met Anna, we had just had an appointment cancel, so we had prayed about where we should go finding. Sister Shoemaker felt strongly about the Ferry Pier. I didn't have any strong feelings so we went to the Ferry Pier, where we saw a nice mother walking with her son heading to the beach. We talked to her as we walked beside her. She used to go to church when she was younger but hadnt been in years. We chatted a bit more and was able to say a prayer with her and invited her to church the next day. She said she might come. Later that night we called her up and she said she would come! The next day we met her at the light rail and she came to church. She told the Relief Society that we had caught her and brought her to church. haha. We taught her the Restoration after church where she called the Book of Mormon precious. She grew from there, loving everything we taught her. She ate it up. Yesterday she was baptized!!!! 

Come to hear their sides of the stories yesterday we learned....

Sister Wu- those SEVERAL contacts with sister wu were vital. She felt like God was reminding her and helping her see what she could become. Ever though we were not the ones who taught her everything, she still feels connected with us.

Anna- Anna said that we had caught her, because at the time we had met her, she was having a really hard time. She couldn't find happiness in her life. She had tried so many things, but she felt like she was in the lowest of the lows. She tried turning to other sources to find happiness, she was even just about to turn to a Thai religion she had been looking into, and right has she was in this low of lows she met us and started to learn about this Restored and perfect gospel. She felt like God heard her and answered her prayers. After she had been to church, her sister told her that our church was evil and Anna was worried, so she prayed to find out for herself. She got an answer. She knows it is good. It is true. Everything after that was so easy. 

Yesterday I think was one of the happiest days of my life. It is so amazing to see someone have enough faith to be baptized. It is amazing to be part of such an amazing thing. 

I love this work.

I love you all!

Shea

photos;

1. Anna

2. Sister Wu and her family

it is ALIVE!!!

For real!

Hey everyone!!!! This week has been amazing!!! Can I just tell you how much I love to be a missionary? It is the very best thing ever. Ever ever.

 

So last week we had a bit of a rough time... I was told by someone that I havent really had a very successful mission because I havent been able to see someone be baptized. I was pointed out many of my flaws and felt a bit like I had been punched in the face. No big deal. I blew it off, considering they had no idea what they were talking about. But it still hurt.

 

But this work is SOOOOO ALIVE! So unbelievably ALIVE! Things move on, every little thing we do as missionaries is not wasted. Anna is getting baptized this coming sunday. :) Wu jimuih, who sister Palmer and I found on our first day together, has been being taught by the mandarins and is also getting baptized on sunday. :) Yesterday the Cheung Sha Wan sisters called me to ask a question and I found out that Sister Chan (the one who had cancer) and her daughter got baptized yesterday!!!!! MIRACLES!!!!!

 

Not only that... but Choi Lai Wah, the LA who has changed SO much... She has now been to sacrament meeting twice in a row!!! Last Sunday was the first time she has taken the sacrament in over 20 years! I was so proud of her!!!

 

Our Heavenly Father really truly is a merciful being. He loves us so much. I was so happy yesterday I wanted to cry. I might have just a bit. But miracles really are happening every day. Our investigators are becoming more and more prepared everyday.

 

I used to think that it was almost impossible for us to be able to find a random stranger on the street and work with them enough that they are ready for the waters of baptism. But the Lord really is leading the work, and he can do amazing things!

 

I love you all!

Shea

 

1. Dinner with Anna, her son Wing yiu and the Tsang family

2. After morning exercise. I didnt even go swimming

3. Our new experimental English class

Happy family reunion!!!

It is nice getting a chance to see everyone just a bit. :) I love the videos. Everyone is so different it is weird. Can we have another family reunion sometime in December? Then we can have a summer one and a winter one. good mh good? (oh that is Chinese... ) PLEASE!!!! I want to be there. 

I hope you all have lots of fun for me. 

Hong Kong is also great. i have an idea! Next family reunion lets have it in HK! Yeah?! Perfect! We have lots of places to go and people to see. :) We can do some finding along the way. :) But really though. 

Our investigators are also doing great! Well at least Anna is. Anna is one of the most prepared people I have ever met. We only met her a month ago and she is already ready to be baptized. She should be having her interview this Thursday. :) I keep forgetting to get a picture with her but I will this week for sure. 
Tammy on the other hand has not been answering our calls for the last 2 weeks. Last time she didnt answer was because she was traveling. I just pray that she is keeping the WOW, reading and praying. We HAVE to see her this week in order for her to make her date. 
Sister Luk is also really good. She already wants to share the gospel with her friends. We thought she would progress faster than she is, but she is still progressing. Hopefully she can be another July miracle.

I still truely believe we can have 4 people be baptized in July. It is just going to take a major miracle. 

Over the last couple of days I have been thinking back to a video President Hawks showed a while back at a Mission Leadership Council. It is the story about Elijah and the widow. You will all need to read it. But have you ever kept reading after she finds the meal and the oil? .... so she see all of these miracles. They have enough food! Amazing! They wont die of hunger! then all of the sudden her son gets really sick and he dies. So she turns to Elijah and asks why have you come here? Just to make me feel guilty of my sins and to kill my son? She forgot the miracles he just barely preformed! Where is her faith? He just saved them from hunger and yet now she is mad at him. So Elijah works and prays and is able to bring her son back to life, preforming, what I think is one of the biggest miracles of all, only then does the widow admit that Elijah is a prophet of God and her faith is confirmed. It is kinda like us heading towards our goal of 65. We see all of these little miracles along the way, but then we face a hard time. Our son dies, our investigators stop answering the phone, it just isnt looking like they are ever going to make their date... and then... we call upon the powers of heaven. We ask the Lord, and work, Elijah had to work to bring the son back to life, only then will we be able to see the real miracle. 

Just a little bit from my personal study I thought that I would share....

We are still working hard over here. I have the best job in the world right now! I love you all and miss you! 

Shea 

Picture 1. Look I am here at the family reunion! I brought some octopus balls! They are SOOOO good!!!!! really though

Picture 2. Crocs and socks. every day man. Thats how we HK sisters roll

FANTASTIC Fourth of July

Hey everyone! Hope your fourth of July was off the hook!

Over here we had a FANTASTIC Fourth of July, complete with a trip to the temple. The new video is SO good, and also SO weird. I still have mixed feelings about it. But it was so nice to be able to go to the temple and get refreshed for July. It is a BIG BIG month. 

We also had Zone Training this week where we all got pumped up for July. It really is going to be a month of miracles! We are already seeing so many. 

So far we now have 2 baptismal dates set for July. Anna is doing so good, yesterday during church she said that she just woke up and the first thought in her head was, "I need to go to church". She said she thinks it was the spirit. I think it was as well. :) Tammy on the other hand has a date set, but we haven't been able to see her this week. So I am not exactly sure how she is doing. 

Yeuk Sen sometimes makes me feel like she is going to get baptized in July and then other times I don't know what she is thinking. She currently doesn't have a date. There are just a lot of other things competing for her attention. But I have faith she will receive an answer.

Then this week our mission coordinator, somehow met this former investigator that actually has a lot of interest in coming back to church. 

The work really is moving forward! I love it! Our summer missionaries went home today but they boosted us into July! We are just hitting the pavement running!

June? Where did it go?

Hey everyone!

Butterfly is doing fantastic!

this last week with the four of us we are seeing miracles happen!

This week we saw Tammy Tam, who we havent been able to see for the past few weeks. Apparently she was traveling. who knew! But she still has amazing faith. She really wants to be baptized. So we went over some of the baptismal questions with her and went over the word of wisdom again. She is just working on getting rid of her tea and her coffee. oh... and her gianormous jar of red wine with onions that she drinks each night to help her knees. That is one we are going to need to go over again. Be praying for her to have faith. :)

For the first time ever on my mission, we found a very pregnant new investigator. She came to church and the sisters loved her. During sacrament meeting she just kept re-adjusting and saying how painful it was to sit there. I was just thinking the entire time, "Oh man, she is never going to want to come back." Then afterwards she was talking with more of the sisters, and she was like, I think that I will bring my daughter next time. ...... what?! awesome great! I love it. miracles!

Anna is also doing really well. I didnt get chance to see her because sister shoemaker and her summer were teaching her, but I hear she is great. :)

Having summers is great but it makes the work a bit difficult. They are really just kids and they are expected to be full grown missionaries, but they dont get any mtc or training. So it is rough for them and a bit rough for us missionaries, but it brings so many miracles! :)

1. birthday celebration

2. Tammi's

3. offices

4. kitchen

5. bedroom

badminton with the YM and YW

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