Hong Kong: ROY WAS BAPTIZED THIS WEEK!

October 23, 2016

Family,

Li JM got confirmed a member of the Church this week. It was awesome. She is great.

Roy got baptized this week! He is awesome. Both parents aren't members. He is 9. The other Mandarin Elders are teaching him. I taught him for a few months before. It was a good service.

Zhang JM came to church and the members are taking really good care of her. She mentioned how much she liked it last week, but told us she couldn't make it this week. She changed her mind when we called her Saturday night. She came to church and really enjoyed it as well. I called her Sunday night and she said, 'you're church has so many activities. If you wanted to, you could stay at the church all day. You are never bored.' She also mentioned how much she liked church and the members. She is going to be singing in the choir in a few weeks. One of the members invited her. Also she is going to dinner with us tonight at a members house. Also she jumped a major hurdle last week. On Sunday she told me that her friends were in town and she mentioned to them about the church and the Book of Mormon. They told her that we are a cult and evil church. She told her friends she didn't think so. She then asked me if we were an evil church. I don't know what she was expecting me to say, "yes, we are an evil church."... "No! We are not an evil church." Anyway, she is doing good.

We had a new friend come to the baptism and then church this Sunday, Wang QiQi. I'll let you know more about her in the future.

Wang Le brought his older sister to church this Sunday and she really enjoyed it. She said she will definitely be back.

Had black rain this week all Wed night and a Typhoon Friday so we were stuck inside a lot.

Mom, I took your recommendation to by some lotion for my thumb. I went to Mannings and showed them my thumb. The lady then just starts grabbing lotions and dumping them on my hands. Literally. She kept jamming the top down, but nothing was coming out so she unscrewed the top and dumped some into my hand. I said thanks. It took me the next 10 min to rub that lotion in all over my hands and arms. Before I was done, she grabbed some more and started squeezing it onto my arms while I was still rubbing in the 1st one. Anyway.

On Tuesday morning I really wanted to know what I could do for Heavenly Father that day and prayed to know and do His will. A few hours later as I was talking to Elder Ashton, I had an idea to write a thank you note to each member of the zone and let them know what we have learned from them. The spirit filled our hearts and we knew this was an activity worthy of our time. I just keep thinking of Hales statement in Conference when he said that people measure love my how much time we give them. I just don't know how we will find time to do those.

Another thought that keeps popping in my mind all week is from the talk Dad gave to me last week: We love God with all our mind by caring about the problems He cares about. I am working on it. I'm commited. Thanks Dad.

I was thinking about what Curtis Jr said in his Conference talk about reading the Book of Mormon. He said when he reads its is like flipping a switch and the spirit floods his heart. Something like that. I have had the same feeling on my mission, but not always. As I was praying out of personal study and thinking about how I could have that feeling again and thinking how I could feast on the word, I had this thought: A vital part of festing on the words of Christ is pondering. That was my problem. Never let your personal study be so packed that you don't have time to ponder.

Have a good week!

Elder Josh Stratford