100% PREACH MY GOSPEL MISSIONARY

4/30/17

Family,

The Mainlanders are awesome!  Two of my favorite branches from the mainland were down this week. It was an especially cool experience for me because a year ago, I was able to teach one of the members that came down with the branch. Also, a sister in Tin Shui Wai, that I was able to teach, got baptized a year ago, is also good friends with the branch and now apparently is a referral machine. The 2 people that came down to get baptized were from her missionary work. She is great and it is so cool to see how much she has changed and how enthusiastic she is to do missionary work. Pretty awesome. 

Our goal last week was to be a 100% Preach My Gospel missionary. That is still our goal. One really cool result of this goal was in a lesson we had with one of the investigators we are teaching. We went a little extreme and tried to do something we had been practicing in companion study in which the missionaries will only ask questions and testify, that is it. We wanted to bear our testimony more and help the investigator learn from the spirit so we tried this idea. It was awesome. Because we were 'forced' to only ask questions and testify, our questions became better and we testified much more in the lesson. Also, this naturally made us more bold and direct. It was a really powerful lesson and we were able to find out the hidden concern for this investigator not coming to church. He now has a baptismal date for the end of the month. He opened up more in the lesson. Just a cool blessing of trying to be a Preach My Gospel missionary.

We love the Kowloon Branch. President Zhou is great. He is very willing to help and uses the missionaries to help him as well. We appreciate it. We were able to have a correlation meeting with the new Ward Mission Leader. It has been a while and we have just been coordinating directly with the leaders, but it good to have a Ward Mission Leader. Because this is his first time, we are trying hard to make the first few the most effective they can be so that will set the tone for future meetings and he can know how a correlation meeting should be run.

Another incredible thing this week. We were sitting on the couch waiting for an investigator to show up to the church and I called the Hong Kong Observatory to check the temp and humidity. I then asked Elder Lau his guess. He guessed them both exactly correct. 21 degrees 76% humidity. It was amazing. I couldn't' believe it. I tried this with Elder Darrington in Yuen Long for months and could never guess both right. He did it 1st try.

I really think there is a lot of power in being a Preach My Gospel missionary. I think all the missionaries could be reminded of this and study this tool more. I worry that it goes for granted in to many missionaries missionary work.

A cool tender mercy as well from Li Jm, the sister in TSW who was down with the branch. We were having some snacks together after the baptism and she was reminding me about the lessons we had together when she was an investigator. She says something like, 'you were very direct. you kept asking me when I was going to get baptized. I knew when my son got baptized that I always wanted to get baptized, but didn't know when. you were very direct.' That was cool because I have been trying to follow PMG better this week and be more bold and direct when teaching.

Elder Josh Stratford

lunch on P-day

random crazy escalator going

Elder Sargent wiped out on the couch

Bowling. We were planning on going on a hike and then Elder Hansen went down with a twisted ankle playing basketball in the morning so he was not to mobile. Luckily he is good to go for today.

Tan Jm and her daughter.

DIDN'T EAT ANY COCKROACHES THIS WEEK

April 23, 2017

Family,

Didn't eat any cockroaches this week. That was good. President Lam somehow found out about that and while we were talking about some transfer stuff he just popped in, 'how were the cockroaches last week?' 

The new Kowloon Branch is coming along. It's great! The Branch President is awesome. We communicate often and he asks about many of the recent converts and less-actives and seeing when he has time to come and meet them with us. He often gives the missionaries assignments to do and gives us helpful information regarding the less-actives we are visiting. He is really dedicated and we are working as at team to help this branch grow. There were some more new faces today at church as well. Some people from Tolo Harbour coming to check out the new branch. We are loving it. 

Many mainlanders were down this past week to be baptized! It was awesome. I love the mainland saints. They are just incredible. The unity and passion they have to the work of the Lord is inspiring. It is always such a privilege to associate with them, learn from them, and sing with them the hymns of the restoration. 

We were able to go the temple last week. Well, we live in the temple, but I mean do an Endowment session.  Wonderful experience as always. One thing I love about the temple is the perspective that it gives me. I was also reminded as I often have been to 'let my heart be full, drawn out in prayer unto Him continually for my welfare, and also for the welfare of those who are around me.' 

Our potential pool is continuing to build and we are excited to help turn some of these potentials into progressing investigators.

 Elder Lau and I have a goal this week to be a 100% Preach My Gospel missionaries. Obviously we always strive to do this, but this week this is our main focus. All the tools are in there. It is such an awesome help. 

We were able to teach Sunday School for the youth and Elder's Quorum yesterday and discuss a lot about President Monson's Conference address on the Book of Mormon. We had the young men and women share about some scriptures they use to answer questions from their friends about our church so we could give each other ideas and learn from each other. A lot of people in Hong Kong think our church is a cult. They call us 邪教。which means evil church. It was awesome hearing their favorite scriptures and testimonies and experiences. The Kowloon Branch Youth are pretty incredible. It was one of my favorite Sunday School classes I have ever been to. We just sat and learned from these amazing youth.

One quote I love from General Conference was from Elder Rasband. "If we let the Lord know in our morning prayers that we are ready, He will call on us to respond. If we respond, He will call on us time and time again and we fill find ourselves on...the Lord's errand." This reminded me of what President Monson said a few years earlier. "When one becomes a holder of the priesthood, he becomes an agent of the Lord. He should think of his calling as though he were on the Lord's errand." I really want to earn the trust of my Heavenly Father. I want the Lord to know that if He needs an errand run, Josh Stratford will run that errand for Him. That is one of my biggest goals and who I want to become.

Elder Stratford

District Temple Pic

mainland sister surprise. We were not informed till the morning of when she walked in and was asking where the missionaries were to teach her so she could be baptized that night. A lot of last minute rearranging, but we got it figured out.

Mainlanders heading home after a few days here going to the Temple.

Sister Wan

This story was hilarious. I'll tell you in the main email. Originally thought to be Elder Lau's older sister's mission president and wife.

I SERIOUSLY LOVE MANDARIN. SUCH A COOL LANGUAGE.

April 9, 2017

Family,

Just a great week this week! Full of many inspiring, faith strengthening days with questions answered. And a lot of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir! Can never get enough of that...most the time. I am filled with a renewed desire to serve the Lord more faithfully, follow his promptings more exactly, and love His children more perfectly. I love General Conference. I have a stronger testimony that your faith can be strengthened by hearing the word of God.

Elder Lau is just incredible. A great servant of the Lord. 

Got to see and spend a little time with President Lam's grandkids while they were here visiting last week. They are pretty cool kids. Speak mandarin and english. Perfect, the best 2 languages in the world. I love speaking with people from the Mainland. There are not too many in Hong Kong.  More and more though. I seriously love mandarin. Such an awesome language. Anyway. They also bought us these spinny things.

While playing frisbee in the morning for exercise on the outdoor basketball courts, Elder Sargent was throwing the frisbee to the other team to start the game of Ultimate Frisbee and swooshed the frisbee in the basketball hoop from full court. Pretty awesome.

Geng JM got baptized! She is awesome. It was a miracle. She lives in Mainland and her husband who is a recent convert told us that she would be visiting for a month. We met her soon after she got here and invited them to church together. She is a christian and we talked to her about the baptism of water and the baptism of the spirit. Found out that she has only had the baptism of water and she committed to being baptized before she left home, which was in 3 weeks. We began teaching her many times each week helping here prepare. She already has a christian background, which is very unusual, but helped her learn and progress quicker. Then yesterday, she entered the waters of baptism before heading off to Mainland today. Pretty cool.

I had a good reminder this last week. We asked Sister Woo and Colombel to help us take an investigator home because they live near each other. They were nice and helped us. That night they called us and mentioned that they visited with the investigator and were planning on coming over the next day to visit her. For whatever reason, I was a little frustrated with the sisters. They were taking over the people we were teaching. I even complained to Elder Sargent that Sister Woo and Colombel were taking over our investigators. Than I soon realized how selfish my thinking was. They are not MY investigators. I thought I new this, but my frustration clearly shows that I did not. They are the LORD'S investigators. We are on the same team. After that rebuke and reminder from the spirit, I had much nicer feelings and was grateful for the sisters in helping us as we worked together to help this wonderful sister prepare for baptism and continued faithfulness in the church.

This experience came in handy later in the week as we were visiting another investigator. Li Jiu. A missionary called him and asked how to get to his house. He then explained that this elder had called and wanted to visit that night. I used the investigators phone to help give them directions. They were shocked when I started talking. They just found this number on an old sheet. Then the elder, Elder Herzog, started apologizing. Saying, "sorry about that. We didn't mean to schedule your investigator..." "Elder Herzog, he is not my investigator. He is the Lord's investigator. We are on the same team trying to help this man come closer to Christ. If he has time to meet tonight as well, please come." If I had not had the experience earlier in the week, I would of taken the apology and said, don't worry about it, we'll take care of him, you don't have to come over. But because of this experience, I had much better perspective, which led to Elder Herzog coming and visiting Li Jiu that night. He called me that night to report on what happened during the lesson. Li Jiu now has a baptismal date for the end of the month! We have been having a hard time to get him to commit and Elder Herzog was able to help him. I have a strengthened testimony of unity in doing the Lord's work. It brings miracles.

Elder Stratford

Hiking pics

Chen DX and his wife who were baptized last night!

That was President Lam's son. His family was in town and living with President and Sister Lam so we got to see them at night. Their grandkids are in the picture. They showed us these toys and after we showed interest, they went out and bought some for us a few days later. 

Chen DX, investigator heading back to Mainland soon.

lunch in between Saturday Conferences with some of my favorite elders

I AM LEARNING THE IMPORTANCE OF A GOOD MORNING

April 2, 2017

Family,

Great week! Week full of miracles!

The days and weeks fly by. I wish time would slow down, but it doesn't. Better just take advantage of every moment.

Went to Burger Man last week. Some good burgers.

Made a big mistake for lunch last week. We were making some noodles and halfway through I noticed a little coackroach in my soup, pulled it out and then kept eating. Then noticed another little coackroach and pulled it out. Then all of a sudden, halfway through my bowl noticed dozens of tiny coackroaches dotting the entire bowl of noodles. I thought it was pepper. I forgot I didn't put pepper in the noodles. Whoops. Didn't eat any more after that. 

Incredible mainland family last week. I don't know if I have ever felt a more powerful testimony from an 11 year old girl. I was privileged to interview her and attend her baptism. That is a major blessing of serving here, I can assist and associate with these mainland pioneers. 

I am learning the importance of a good morning and how that will affect the rest of the day. I felt like we had some especially effective companionship studies this week and the days were filled with miracles. I'll list a few: 1. Visiting with an investigator when his boss came in, who is also an investigator and we were able to have a great lesson with both of them. We have not been able to see the boss in 3-4 weeks. 2. Visited with a Recent Convert and his non-member wife. She is now committed to be baptized, maybe next week April 9th! 3. A mainland sister came to english class and we were able to switch numbers. We have been in contact and should be able to meet her this week. 4. At church, people were introducing themselves and as one of the Less- Actives that the Elders Quorum President invited introduced herself I made a note of her name. Then as she was leaving, I called her by her name as I was saying goodbye and she thought that was incredible. As a result, a few days later, she remembered who I was as she was in the church needing help and we were able to talk for a minute. Turns out she is actually a non-member and has a daughter who she would like to have the missionaries go and visit. We hope to visit her as well. 5. Met with some people we have been trying for weeks to meet with. 6. Some referrals and potential investigators are popping out of now where.

Went on a few exchanges this week with some great elders. I have been blessed my entire life to be surrounded by the best people and incredible disciples of Jesus Christ. I am one of Heavenly Father's most spoiled children.

Have a good week!

Elder Josh Stratford

Burger Man and FHE!

Ma XS

Exchanges with the Zone Leaders.

Young Men Activity. Had 5 Potentials there. It was great. 1 guy we knew and he brought 4 friends.

Awesome Mainland family last week! I don't think I have ever heard a stronger testimony from an 11 year old. Absolutely incredible.