MANDARIN BRANCH IS SPLITTING

March 19, 2017

Family,

Great week.

Huge announcement: Mandarin Branch is splitting into 2 branches after Conference! Awesome. We have been looking forward to this day for over a year. One branch will be in Kowloon Tong and one at Wan Chai. I will be attending the one in Kowloon. We are pretty stoked. There are a fair amount of people that don't come because of the trek to Wan Chai. Just yesterday we visited a Less Active. She lives in Tai Wai and told us she will start coming more now that will be in Kowloon Tong. It will be an awesome branch. 

We are into the Final Four! Last round one of the competitors sent in 65 emails in 3 days. Incredible. We might be matched up against them in the final game assuming we win tonight. They are a Filipino companionship.

Played tennis this morning with a potential investigator. She is great. Found from english class. Lot of potential.

Lots of other mainland moms from english class with potential. Looking forward to this week. Transfers as well. It will be pretty busy. 15 missionaries coming in.

The ward is doing a good job of looking out for the less actives and recent converts in the ward. They just made a plan for the missionaries to work with the YSA rep to help 4 recent converts prepare for the Melchizedek Priesthood. Also plan to have missionaries work closely with the primary to help the young Angel who was just baptized continue to progress.

Had Zone Conference was great last week. Good reminder that we are here practicing. I think understanding that we are here practicing gives us a lot of hope. Also, reminded of the importance of working closely with members. Because of this, Elder Ashton and I, while on exchanges last week made a plan to work closer with the members. Because I am blessed to use a computer, we decided that Elder Lau and I would take a member list and drop pins at all the addresses and names of the people in the ward on google maps. Then print off the map and among our 3 companionships serving in Kowloon decide who will visit who. Also, we can be efficient because we can visit people who are close together. We hope to get the map done by Tuesday. I don't know why I told you all that, but that is our plan.

Also got to teach a mainlander this past week! He was really awesome. His name is 馮聖 which means sacred or holy. He is 17 and already planning to serve a mission. Both his parents are non-members. These mainlanders are so inspiring. Every time I talk to them it is uplifting. 

Lot of good potentials in the area. Elder Lau and I are looking forward to a great transfer. I am a pretty lucky missionary to get to serve with him.

Elder Stratford

馮聖

mainlander from this week. This guy is awesome.

March Madness Bracket

I think these are pics of Max and Livia a few weeks ago.

Good service last week. More mainlanders!

Mainlanders from a few weeks ago. She'll get baptized soon I am sure.

NEVER REJECT A CHARITABLE IMPULSE

March 12, 2017

Family,

Thanks for all your help with the March Madness!

It is such a blessing to serve here in the Hong Kong China Mission. I am a very lucky and spoiled missionary. We had the opportunity to teach some mainlanders that were here in Hong Kong for a few days with their member friends. So prepared. These Mainlanders are absolutely incredible! As we shared scriptures answering her questions, she was visibly touched. She has great faith and bore her testimony many times to us throughout the morning. I am sure she will be baptized soon in China.  As we were preparing to teach her and another friend the message of the Restoration we were discussing and I mentioned to Elder Lau that after we shared Joseph's experience of the first vision, we would pause and not say anything until the investigator spoke or 30 sec had gone by. After sharing the experience in the lesson we paused and were still for probably almost 30 sec and then the investigator spoke and shared a wonderful experience and testimony and made some connections that might have been missed had we rushed ahead. I had prayed that morning that I might be able to follow the prompting of the spirit and act on those. I am coming to realize that if we are worthy and doing what we should, are thoughts will more and more be the direction of the spirit like was the case today. We probably don't even realize it most of the time.

Sometimes it is nice to get some follow-up. It helps you see the hand of the Lord in your life and answers to prayers. I was blessed to hear some follow-up this week. During the lesson with the mainlander, the member mentioned about some of the scriptures I had shared and she said basically (rough translation), "Really awesome. The scriptures you share with me, hit home and are what I need to hear and learn." Then as we were headed to lunch with them, her fellowshiper said to me, "You do a great job teaching from the scriptures and listening. You were inspired to share what you shared." That is a cool blessing to hear somebody else tell you that you are being a instrument in the hand of the Lord. That is one of my greatest desires and answers to prayers.

In a meeting last week President Lam made a comment that I love. A lot of missionaries are struggling to find people to teach and he said that we should first talk to the people we know or should know to find people to teach. I think that is good council. Too often we missionaries are too separated from the members and spend way too much time doing a less effective method for finding people to teach which is on the street. We are visiting and calling more members. It is a little tricky because there is 6 companionships in the Branch and everybody I have called has said, Actually, another companionship visited me last week or another companionship is already coming to visit this week. I don't want to overload the members.  Sometimes members see the missionaries are calling and know that the missionaries are going to ask them to help them do something. Even if we don't visit them, which we still will try and do, calling and expressing thanks I think is also a great way to build relationships. We are also starting up again writing thank you notes for the members.

I love the thought to never reject a charitable impulse. I just had a thought pop into my head of some follow-up that I needed to do and went and did and got a nice thank you. I felt the spirit strongly as the words of hymn #223 and #29 came into my mind. 

Another tender mercy this week: In comp study we role played giving a talk and not breaking eye contact. Elder Lau and I took turns at the pulpit in the chapel practicing a short message.  We have never done this before. Anyway later that day, Elder Ashton called Elder Lau and asked if he could help give a talk at the baptismal service that night. 

The highlight this week was Livia's confirmation in Sacrament meeting yesterday. Really powerful. She is an incredible member.

Elder Stratford

Had a meeting with all the mandarin missionaries a few weeks ago. Good group.

OFFICE SECRETARY

Sister Pett,

Thank you for your response and the kind words about our son Elder Stratford.  He absolutely loves his mission and it has been fun feeling his love for the Savior grow and the depth of his conversion increase which was very strong to begin with.

Regards,

Rick Stratford


Brother and Sister Stratford 

Thank you for your response.  We enjoy working with Elder Stratford in the mission, especially the past weeks while he has been serving as Assistant to the President Lam.  He is a hard working missionary and his organization and leadership skills are very important in his current assignment.  He makes  a difference in the lives of many.

 Warmest Regards,
 Sister Pett

ANGEL TAN/LIVIA GOT BAPTIZED

March 5, 2017

Family,

So many blessings! What a great week in Hong Kong! I am definitely one of Heavenly Father's most spoiled children.

Angel Tan got baptized! She is a special little 10 year old.

Livia also got baptized! What an awesome convert. She has a strong testimony and will be a great member. She already has been doing everything that members do, except just hadn't received baptism. She'll get confirmed next week.

Met some awesome potentials. I'll let you know more later when they have BD and are progressing.

I was also blessed with the opportunity to play the piano a few times last week. What an amazing instrument! Whoever created that must have been inspired. Mom, I have a report for you: I need more copies of the Bebee book 1. Almost every time I play 'How Great Thou Art,' people ask me where I got the book and where they can get one. A few members asked as well as Sister Lam (Mission President's wife). I only have 2 copies left and I want to keep one. A missionary reported to me that during the piece, an investigator with them was brought to tears, which is interesting because she probably doesn't even know the lyrics. Also, after the service, Livia said to me with tears in her eyes, "If Lucas (her son) grows up playing the piano, it will be because of you." Thanks Mom for putting me in piano lessons. Take advantage of all your musical talents family. Music is a powerful way to help people feel the Spirit and of Heavenly Father's love.

We are looking forward to a great week in the best mission in the world serving His children!

Elder Josh Stratford 施長老

cool mainland couple that were here last week. They will be in Utah visiting family from June to July. Yes! We can meet up again.

went bowling a few weeks ago.


Livia got baptized Sunday! Great service. Tons of people came. President and Sister Lam even showed up. 



Angel got baptized this Saturday! She is awesome. 10 years old.

I LOVE THE PIANO

February 26, 2017

Family,

大家好！

Lot of miracles like usual over in the China Hong Kong Mission!

Livia is doing great. No problems. She will be baptized this Sunday at 12:30! Mostly because of President Lam's helping us teach a few weeks ago. 

Also a LA member we have been trying to meet with randomly called us and asked us if we could teach and baptize her non-member 10 year old daughter in the next few weeks! Of course we are making arrangements. Might be this week. We'll see.

Met with a LA son this week who is a non-member. He is very talented. His family has a grand piano Steinway in their house! Pretty incredible especially considering the size of these apartments. I don't know how they got that thing up there. They live on the 18th floor. Anyway he played some piano and violin for us. Played some pieces I used to play. Brought back some memories. I love the piano. What an incredible instrument. Anyway, we practiced the duet we will be doing in church. Sounds pretty good. This will help his mom come to church and we believe he will be baptized soon as well.

Met with a few new potentials this week. There is some good potential there. We are excited to meet with them again this week.

Weather has been absolutely incredible like usual.

Drove again this week and did pretty good. Didn't hit any curbs, didn't turn on the windshield wipers instead of the blinkers, only took 1 wrong exit that cost us 25 min in traffic. I would give myself a solid B. Still working for that A though.

We have this new amazing cleaning tool that helps us mop the floor. I'll have to send you a video next week. One of the coolest inventions ever. Absolutely mind blowing. Keeping the temple apartment looking good.

Last week Elder Lau and I put up our weekly goals on our wall so we could see them, be reminded of them, and work diligently to achieve them. This helped. Our goals were pretty high and although we achieved only 1 of 6, the striving to reach high helped us work harder to achieve them. 

Had interviews with President Lam this week. He is incredible. He is so in tune with the Spirit. Even though he usually is just speaking his mind in the interviews, because he is so consecrated, his thoughts are directed by the Spirit and it always seems to be exactly the counsel I need to hear. 

President Lam also had an interview with some journalist a week ago or so. She had some basic questions about the church. During the interview, while answering her questions, he turned to 2 Nephi 31 and was explaining what led him to be baptized with the experience with his son. He felt prompting to invite her to be baptized and did. She accepted! Incredible! 

Quick thought:

One of my favorite scriptures is D&C 11:17. "And then, behold, according to your desires, yea, even according to your faith shall it be done unto you." Then I think, well how do I show the Lord what my desires are? Oaks said, "Desires dictate priorities...Our priorities are most visible in how we use our time." Also, PMG says, "Goals reflect the desires of our hearts...Do everything within your power to achieve your goals." Then, how do I show my faith? PMG says, "Your faith will be manifest through diligence and work." I think there is a lot of wisdom in that.

Elder Stratford 施長老

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