Members are the Bomb!

Dear Friends and Family, 

It's been another whirlwind week. I swear, I feel like I sit at this computer every day typing out an email back home. It's crazy that a week ends this fast! I swear they used to drag on FOREVER in college and high school. There never seems to be enough time to do all that we want to do. It's awesome though. Being busily engaged in the Lord's work is the goal. 

Last night was actually the first time Elder P and I really had the chance to introduce our families to each other and talk a little bit about pre-mission stuff. Haha, now he feels like a real companion:)

At the start of the week we had just a few scheduled lessons, so it was a little frightening when Elder P turned to me and asked, "Well, who can fellowship?" and my only response was, "Let's see" as we opened up our member book and started calling people. It all worked out though, and every scheduled lesson we had this week we also had a member in attendance (no small thing with how busy everyone is and scheduling conflicts). 

Members at our lessons proved to be pivotal in almost every case too! In one lesson we were teaching 70-year-old P about the plan of salvation. He wasn't taking it. Our fellowshipper, a seasoned member, asked me for my pen and a notepad. He drew out almost word for word what we had just taught and it suddenly clicked. There was a visible change in his countenance and the Spirit seemed to pour out in greater measure as our fellowshipper, Brother W, bore his own testimony. The two of them immediately struck up a friendship and turned to us after the lesson and together took us to dinner at a noodle shop. Members! 

In another lesson this week we met with 17-year-old A-F. He referred himself through Mormon.org and committed to be baptized last week. This week we decided to teach the Plan of Salvation to him as well. He was super involved, but as with every new companionship, trading off and teaching can be a learning experience in the beginning. Elder P and I were teaching well together but we were teaching even better with our fellow-shipper, G. G is 28 and a convert of 4 years.  He worked so perfectly with A-F! His testimony and explanation invited the spirit and we set a date with him for December 29th! 

Yesterday at church we met with A. Words can't even describe how golden she is. She is also set for baptism on the 29th. We used our High Priest Group Leader's wife, Sister L, to fellowship and although she has A by like 30 years, she had some great insights into the Word of Wisdom and really was able to just come in and love our investigator. I'm so grateful for members! These are just a few examples of some of the lessons that happened this past week. 

This week we were able to contact a guy named A. He is in his mid-forties and recently quit his job so that he could take care of his ailing parents. He previously was a construction manager and spent a lot of time in Kowloon Tong where he was very impressed by the temple and stake center there. He decided to investigate a little more into the church! We met him this past week, gave him a tour of the church, and shared the first lesson! 

On Friday the whole zone was able to go down to the Mission Home and we had Multi-Zone Conference with the East Kowloon Zone. It was a great opportunity to learn and we heard some great messages on humility, gratitude, and developing our teaching skills as found in PMG Chapter 10. Everyone left just a little more invigorated and committed to being a cheerful, enthusiastic missionary. One quote that I will do my best to paraphrase was, "Those who seek happiness are bound to fail." We then discussed how happiness is a by-product of doing one's duty and living a life founded on gospel principles.

Saturday was another great day this past week. In the morning there was a barbecue YM/YW activity and we had 2 investigators attend so we also got to go along and roast some marshmallows and hot dogs! Great stuff and we really got to know our YM/YW even better. It's so interesting to be serving with Elder P. This past week was his 1st week in church and only my 3rd. We're so green to this area but we're working hard and seeing miracles! 

After the YM/YW activity, we taught a lesson and then finished our weekly planning. A later appointment we had fell through, and so we used that time to collect a few supplies for Saturday night's Missionary Talent Show. The stake really wants the members to get to know the missionaries on a more personal level so they organized an event where the 27 missionaries would perform, trying to have investigators and members assist in anyway possible. Lots of different talents were shown off. Lots of piano, singing, juggling, and whatever else you could think of. I was involved in 3 talents. One was a quartet where we sang, "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief" (I sang tenor), the other was a district skit where we acted out a few Book Of Mormon stories (I was Ammon), and the third was a companion skit with Elder P where we had a competition to see how many grapes we could catch in our mouths, and then I placed as many grapes under my lips that I humanly could--I think I got 12 or so between my lips and teeth! We had 2 investigators in attendance with us and then 2 of the young men from KwaiChung, my last area, showed up. Really fun night!

Tuen Mun area is the bomb right now! In fact we've got like 12 investigators or so and 5 baptismal dates set! We're working hard but the Lord is blessing us more! We're looking forward to another great week ahead of us! 

Keep up the good work! Make time for missionary work, and read your scriptures daily! They really are for our day! I've been impressed as I've read in the last half of Alma this past week at the wars that occurred. Amalackiah and Ammoron are frauds. They did everything to cover their sins and placed equally hardened men in leadership positions so that they could influence the Lamanites. The Lamanites quickly hardened. On the Nephite side you have Moroni, Teancum, and Lehi. These are men who worked openly and used the Lord as they planned and never denied His guidance in their lives. Helaman constantly praised God for the successes of the 2000 stripling warriors! It's so black and white! Give thanks in everything. "In all thy ways acknowledge Him and he shall direct thy paths." 

Love,
Elder Siebach