January 10, 2016
Family,
Mom - Things in Yuen Long are great. Bowling was fun. I bowled ok. Won 1 game of 2. Today we might got for a hike. We have to head down to the mission office to pick up some stuff first though.
This week we were able to meet with Zheng DX planning to drop him, but instead gave him a baptismal invitation and date. He says he is not ready, but agreed to prepare for the date. It is interesting to see him slowly change as he reads from the Book of Mormon and prays everday. It's pretty amazing.
We went over to Sam's house thursday and luckily he was home. We were able to help him with his english and invited him to the ward sports night. He loves to play basketball, so he and his friends are planning to come this friday night to play some basketball with some missionaries and ward members.
Our other investigators are not really investigators I guess. Chen DX disappeared and the rest are the same.
A few weeks ago we received a referral from some other missionaries and have been trying to meet with her and were finally able to schedule a time for tonight. We are excited for that.
One funny thing this week happened as we were street contacting in Tin Shui Wai. The rain started to come down really heavy and we forgot our umbrellas, so we got soaking wet real fast. It was good though, because people were willing to talk to us. When they saw us wading through the water, they called us over to have some protection under their umbrella. That provided an opportunity for us to talk to them. They seemed to be more willing to listen and nicer and more sympathetic because we were so wet. So that was a blessing.
Another funny thing this week happened as we went to visit a member and his daughter (she is 8 and a half and hasn't been baptized). It is pretty interesting because the dad wants her to grow up a little bit before she gets baptized. We went over to help strengthen his testimony and help his daguther with english. Anyway, so as we were walking up to the house, we had to walk through 2 other houses to get to his. As we were doing this, this black dog comes around the corner and was very angry at us. He was yelling and barking really loud and wasn't about to let us pass by. So we started to walk away as the dog followed us for a while to make sure we left. We decided we would go to the house the back way, make a circle aroud a few houses so as to not disturb the dog. We were starting to head to the house from behind, when another dog (behind a fence) started barking really loud at us. This is very normal. The problem is that this dog barking alerted that same black dog who came to check out what was going on. We were about a good 30 yrds away when the black dog spotted us. Right after he spotted us, he had had enough and started sprinting full speed at us. So naturally, we started to sprint in the other direction. After about a minute, the dog gave up, it had kept us away. The only problem now was that about every dog in the neighborhood was alert and barking very loudly. There was about 20 dogs all going at the same time all around us, luckily behind fences. Anyway, so after waking up the whole neighborhood and making everyone wonder what in the world was going on, we were able to find somebody to walk with us to the house. Since the black dog knew him, we were able to get into Zhang DX house and teach him, just a few minutes late.
One little miracle this week was last night. We went to visit Zhang DX with a member and her kids. We arrived and nobody was home. We waited about 10 min and were about to leave, when the wife came on her bike. So we were able to get into the house and talk to the wife for a minute (she has no interest and is a buddhist). We again were about to leave since Zhang wasn't answering his phone and his daughter wasn't there, when mandy (the daughter) runs though the door with Zhang DX behind her. We were able to teach them both, help mandy with her english and sing "I am a child of God" together. We easily could of missed them, but we stayed one more minute and that allowed us to visit them.
Another miracle this week was having a former investigator show up to church. We spend a few hours calling through former records one day and had talked to a few people, not able to schedule anyone, but had one say they would come to church. Now, this happens often, and nobody every shows up, they just say they will come so you stop bugging them over the phone. But one of the people actually showed up. It was a total suprise. She made some friends with the ward and we are planning on meeting her this Thursday.
One thing I really liked from my studies this morning was in Alma 9 I think. Alma and Amulek it says went up to the people of Ammonihah and they were filled with the spirit. They weren't filled with the spirit and then went up. They first showed their faith and obedience and acted on that by going up to the city, then having them be filled with the sprit. That would take a lot of courage, considering that Alma had just been to the city, just preached to them and had just been reviled and spit upon. That scripture reminded me of something I read a few weeks ago from Elder Renlund last conference. He said, "one of God's greatest gifts to us is the joy of trying again, for no failure every need be final. Even if we've been a conscious, deliberate sinner or have repeatedly faced failure and disappointment, the moment we decided to try again, the Atonement of Christ can help us." So it is that decision, that change of mind. Right when we decided to change and act, the Atonement can help us.
I have reviewed Brad Wilcox "His grace is sufficient" talk recently. It is interesting that people think that Christ's grace and his Atonement kick in only after all we can do. That is not true. Christ isn't the light at the end of the tunnel, he says, Christ is the light that brings you through the tunnel. He isn't the after-burner that kicks in after we have expended all our effort is gone, he is our constant energy source. People often read the scripture 2 Nephi 25:26 as saying, "We are saved by grace after all that we (individually) can do." Brother Wilcox helps us see that really, "We are saved by grace after all that we (Christ and us) can do together."
I was reading about Amulek as well and how he explains his story to the people of Ammonihah after Alma had spoken to them. I think I am and a lot of us are a lot like him at times. He said, "I did harden my heart, for I was called many times and I would not hear; therefore I knew concerning these things, yet I would not know." This goes along well with my ponderize last week which was Alma 5:38. The Lord is always calling us. We just need to hear. and not put off his promptings and his beckonings. Amulek knew the things were true, but he would not follow what he knew to be true. He resisted at first and didn't allow the Savior to lift and help and inspire him and change him.
Thank you for all your prayers. I know that as we hearken unto the voice of the Lord, as we don't just listen, but also obey and faithfully follow what we know to be true, in that very moment the Lord will strengthen us through His Amazing Grace.
Love,
Elder Stratford
random pic of Elder Darrington
Elder Darrington stretching
much more convienent to eat like this. then you don't get all that red stuff and butter on your hands
