It's a Dog's Life

Dear Friends and Family,

It's been a solid week here in KwaiChung! Elder B and I have been working hard the whole time and our numbers this week were much better. I think I mentioned last week that I thought we were going through a trial stage as we started working together and doing our best to fulfill our different roles. It really seemed to click this week and we had some "magic" lessons. 

This past Monday we met with J. He's 18 and is a friend of our recent convert, L. Actually, we found him at the same time with Leo, but maybe he just wasn't quite ready at that point. He came to our ward family home evening and afterwards we met with him and taught him about the Restoration. We were fresh out of Chinese Book Of Mormons in both our apartment and the church so we scheduled him for another evening this week to give him the Book Of Mormon. 

Instead, it turned out that he just went to the church and picked up the Book Of Mormon on his own, so we haven't seen him since Monday, but we've called and he said he is reading and praying about it. We'll most likely see him in the next few days and try and teach/explain a little more.

On Tuesday we didn't have anything going on so we had a big day of finding. We went finding in a place called Lai King and actually got off a street lesson which made us happy! A few hours into our finding, though, we got a call from Tsuen Wan Elders saying that they were at the church right then with a man whom they wanted us to meet since he lived in our area. So we ran back to the church and had a great lesson with Mr. L. He seems like a really sincere guy! We taught him the first lesson and worked with him to show him how this message can help him and his 10-year-old daughter whom he is temporarily separated from. On Friday we had another great lesson with him and he told us that he'd been praying and then that last night (Thursday night) he recieved a letter in the mail from the HK government informing him that his daughter may move back in with him in a few weeks! Truly and answer to his and our prayers on his behalf. He tried to get to church with us this past Sunday--he works a job that calls him in for 24 hours and lets him off for 24 hours. (I think he works at the cargo ship shipyard). So hopefully we can continue to help him.

Last Sunday we brought a lady to church with us and it just so happens that the sisters brought a new man to church. So we just decided to do a straight switch. (I regret it now because the girl was golden and the guy is kinda crazy, haha :)) Anyway, the man is a Mr. W. He is an artist and when we went to his home this past Friday to teach him, he brought out some photos and was more interested in taking pictures of us that he could then paint in watercolor and give to us. He's already made two for the Sisters. So we'll see if I send home a watercolor picture of me anytime soon! He has 3 awesome kids who might be really great, so I hope we can continue to meet with him and help that family.

I guess Hong Kong had a typhoon warning recently? Maybe on Friday night. All I know is that as we were out finding is was SUPER windy and the clouds were black.

It was fun finding in those conditions and we found a potential family. Then I sat down with a Nepalese guy named R for a little while and we had a good 'discussion' about the gospel. He talked almost the entire time... I told him after a few minutes that I wanted to say some stuff and he apologized and then we exchanged phone numbers. He's curious about Mormons, he just has a lot of strong opinions. I'll keep you updated on if he goes anywhere.

Yesterday had a lot of sweet experiences that helped smooth over some of the hard things of the week. This week, unfortunately, one of our baptismal dates, B, dropped. He decided he didn't want to go to KwaiFong for church but is more interested in going to KowloonTong chapel. He won't answer the phone or our texts. One of my longer-term investigators, F, finally met with us after like 3 weeks of no communication and said that he believes and knows that everything we are saying is true, but he really thinks the commandments, specifically church attendance and reading the scriptures are a pain. After talking through everything and testifying we left it up to him. He's still thinking about it. Lastly, W, one of our best investigators stopped answering the phone and responded to one text, telling us that his parents had changed their minds and don't like him coming to church anymore. Kinda rough.

But yesterday, L, our recent convert, got up during sacrament meeting and shared his testimony with the congregation. A TON of less-actives were at church, all of Sacrament meeting was centered on missionary work, and then L got to ordain our other recent convert, A, to the Aaronic Priesthood! On top of all this, ward relations are better than they have ever been before. We've made conscious efforts recently to work WITH the leaders and a general attitude of missionary work and happiness can be felt in church. It really was such a great day!

Random side-note: I figured out that missionaries can be compared to dogs

-- 100% of the time they just want to do the right thing and love the ward and their investigators. All we (the dog) want is to be loved back by our ward and investigators. Then everyone is happy, everyone is strengthened, bonds are formed, people come unto Christ.

Hope everyone is having a great week! Good luck to Sterling who is about to go into the hospital.

Love,

Elder Siebach

 

P.S. We've had Rain Warnings all morning. I think we have "Red" Rain right now. Pretty fun stuff :)

Happy Father's Day!

Dear Friends and Family,

Truth be told, I've lost all count of dates and times and didn't realize it was Father's Day until yesterday during Sacrament Meeting. Oops...! Big Shout Out to my dad! I've been thinking a lot about the examples of righteous fathers. It's interesting to read about them in the Book Of Mormon. Some like Alma, King Benjamin, both Mosiahs, Mormon, Lehi. They all have qualities to be emulated, and I'm grateful my real FAAAATHHAAAAA has in many ways done just that and helped me throughout my life.

This week has been a little harder than I thought it would be. Training and being a Senior companion are great opportunities but it takes work and I feel the pressure. This week we really struggled for lessons. Almost no one could schedule. This is due in part to the fact that everyone was having their final tests and exams last week and this week. Honestly I felt myself getting so frustrated at people who would either reschedule or call to say they couldn't come anymore.

By the end of this week I was happy for it though. Though we struggled on member-present lessons and just lessons in general, we were able to teach a number of recent converts and everyday we spent a sizable chunk of our time out on the street contacting whenever we could. In the beginning of my mission I was a little scared of contacting but I think that as I've matured in the mission and honed my language skills I've felt more confident in approaching people. I feel that this week in particular Heavenly Father helped me have the love and patience that I needed too. Hong Kong people are busy. They always are. But as I used those 15-30 precious seconds to talk to people, I could feel that the Lord was with me; he wanted me to be there and to talk to that guy or girl. The irony of the whole thing was that most 'willing-to-stop' people are single girls. So we contact them and almost immediately hand them over the the Sister Missionaries whom we serve with. Oh well. It's all the same work after all :)

As Elder B and I have been out on the street contacting together, it's also opened my eyes to new ways to contact and meet people. Since day one in Hong Kong my trainer and I were almost always "split-finding"--one of us down the road from the other but still in sight. However, we have decided do a lot of contacting together, and although our combined Cantonese knowledge makes for an OK message delivery, I've felt the Lord help us and give us people that we can then open our mouths and talk to.

We also have 2 young men recent converts we are working with; M and L. The two of them will drop just about anything and help the missionaries. I really admire them for the dedication to the gospel and willingness to try hard things. It can't be easy to open your mouth and talk to your immediate neighbors about the gospel. I, myself, can't even imagine what it's like to go knock doors in an American mission! That's just such a foreign, scary concept for me! Haha :)

Elder B was another great part about this past week. We've developed a really good companionship as well as friendship. He is a hard worker and, though he openly admits that he doesn't WANT to go finding, he feels that it's the best thing that he can do to get comfortable with the language, etc. As long as my companions have good attitudes like that I'll be fine!

The other great thing is that he is a lot like me when it comes to trying new foods. We went to a bunch of different cheap street restaurants this week and just tried to eat and order like the natives. Pretty fun actually!

Despite the hardships, I'm grateful for the things that I learned this past week. It's stretched me and helped my faith to grow.

Continue on everybody! Remember to pray! 2 Ne 32: 8-9

Love,
Elder Spencer Siebach

Greetings from a new "Faaathaaaa"

Dear Family and Friends,

View from the beautiful Victoria Peak

Kind of a whirlwind of a week. I honestly don't remember what happened last P-Day! On Tuesday we had our district meeting and said goodbye to 3 of the Elders who were going home and then an Elder and Sister who moved areas (including my companion). That opened 5 spots for new missionaries in our district. And 4 of those 5 spots are now taken by brand-new missionaries. It's amazing to me that in our Zone, which includes 14 companionships plus 2 new ones, 11 of them have a senior companion with a brand-new missionary. The next day, Wednesday was a pack day and last minute preparation as Elder W left and I took over the reins. Then Thursday morning came and about 70 missionaries were in the mission home to switch companions, pick up their new companions, or to get shuttled off to Victoria Peak and do all the mysterious things that "dying" missionaries do. It was a hodge podge of people from all over who were and still are united by the common desire to be Hong Kong missionaries.

This past Thursday morning we had 28 new missionaries come in and had 13 departing. Among the missionaries who departed was my trainer Elder B and my good friend Elder R. I'm sad to see them go since that group was such a big part of our mission but I'm excited to be able to work with my new companion, Elder B.

He's from Layton, Utah and just got out of his 9 week stay in the Provo MTC. Probably about 6'1" or 6'2" and red red hair. I am his trainer and mission "father" since I will be trying to show him the ropes and help him adjust to Hong Kong. It's a bit of a scary thought for me to realize that more than half the mission is younger than I am!

As soon as we got his bags we headed back to the apartment and then headed out for a mid-morning lesson with a guy named B. B is 30ish and he called the missionaries trying to get a tour of the church. Apparently he read about Mormons online and felt like he wanted to learn more. We met him, and then part-way through the 1st lesson he suddenly had to leave. He was willing to come back later that same night and finish up the first lesson though, so that evening as we finished up the first lesson, I felt the distinct impression that we needed to ask him how he thought this 'Restoration' lesson applied to him. We had a good conversation and it brought us to baptism, something we then commited him to right there on the spot. We saw him one more time this past week and read scriptures together and just tried to explain more to him. He would have been at church yesterday but said that he woke up sick. I hope I have more to report on him next week.

Friday we set aside a good chunk of time to go street finding in one of our areas and then rather suddenly we got a call from a less-active member who wanted a priesthood blessing. So we forewent finding at that moment and tried to schedule a member to go with us to that blessing. No one could so we then went ourselves and had a really good conversation with him about the priesthood and faith to be healed. The blessing went well and as of Saturday evening he said that he was feeling a little better then he had been the day before.

Saturday was hot hot hot. We were out in the sun almost all afternoon, did some finding and knocked on less-active doors. About mid-afternoon we went to the hospital and visited a less-active there. His name is Brother M, and he had been coming back to church for the last month or so but then mysteriously stopped answering his phone. I was able to contact his non-member mother and she gave me the address of the hospital. He's not in very good shape right now but we managed to share a few scriptures with him and just visit with him. He hopes that he'll be out of the hospital within the next month or so.

This week we also met with our 17 year old investigator W. He's doing really well! He really wants to learn and is willing to read and pray. He has such a good heart and good desires. We taught him the doctrine of Christ this past week and commited him to baptism in July! We're all excited for him because he seems really solid. We just need to continue to teach and support him.

I forsee a lot of finding for the next couple weeks because all the school students are testing and have very little time to do anything besides prepare for that. In fact, because of testing most of our investigators couldn't make it to church this past week which was too bad since we had a former Temple President and his wife speak to us. Not to mention that Sacrament meeting is just where people should be on Sunday mornings, even they don't know that yet. :)

Anyway, it's really just an exciting and stressful time to be a senior companion in KwaiChung. There is a lot of good work to do, and good people to do it with. I'm excited to be able to work with and learn with Elder B and all the missionaries in Hong Kong. It's hot, it's humid, but I love it.

I hope everyone had a good week this past week and congrats to Sterling who just graduated from school! 

Oh, by the way, Elder A is still in the same apartment with me and he is training an Elder P who just turned 18 this past February...  I believe he is the first 18 year old missionary in our mission. It's exciting stuff to be doing the work of the Lord!!! :)

Love,

Elder Siebach

Harbor Lights, A New Family "In the Fold", and Becoming a Trainer

Hong Kong Harbor lights--so THIS is what he's looking at!

Wow, what a week! It was really busy right from the get-go. On Tuesday we had district exchanges so I got to leave my area for only the 2nd time my entire mission. I went to TST (TsimShaTsui) and was with Elder P for about 24 hours. It was a blast! We didn't have a single lesson planned so we just went finding the whole time. My favorite part was as we walked along the Harbor on the Kowloon-side and looked across at Hong Kong Island and all the lights. Elder P and I also got pretty close through the whole thing. He's from Pleasant Grove, Utah so we had some common friends and interests.

Besides exchanges, we spent a fair amount of time working with A-J and A and getting them squared away for baptism this past weekend. We met with them on Wednesday, and then again on Friday. On Friday Elder W and I went on splits with 2 recent converts and I taught W, a 17-year-old I met on the street and invited to church last week. He's actually really good and one of our only investigators right now since our 3 other progressing investigators just got baptized:) At the same time I was teaching, Elder W had gone over to A-J's apartment, taught them the last of the commandments, and then made the 15 minute walk together down to the church to have their baptismal interviews! They showed up at about 8:45 and had their interviews until 10 (which by the way, since the Hong Kong mission is a half hour behind other missions, is not past curfew just as long as you are teaching lessons or having interviews). They both passed their interviews! We hurriedly called our correlator and started getting everything in place for the baptism this Sunday.

Finally Sunday came, we were at church with 7 investigators and the first counselor in the Mission Presidency was in attendance as well. It was a really good fast and testimony meeting. Many people got up and I just noticed a general theme of hardships they they had had recently and which they had overcome through the basic principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It strengthened my testimony and I hope that it sparked deeper interest for the investigators that were with us in the meeting.

Church ended at 12:30 and after that it was a flurry of activity to get everything squared away for the baptism. Finally at 1 the service started. After a musical number by yours truly:), we had the baptismal ordinances performed. I stayed in the congregation with A-J as she watched Elder W baptized A first, and then A-J and I made our way around to the font and as A watched from the door, I baptized A-J! What a great feeling! I got to help my sister get baptized and through her faith make commitments to follow Christ!

A new family!

This family truly is a tender mercy of the Lord. To have found them on the street 6 weeks ago and then for the past several weeks to help them along and watch as they grow in faith is remarkable to me. Miraculous really. We were all so happy for them and the ward came out and were really supportive. I was impressed with how many members who didn't even really know them came out and gave congratulations and support to a fellow brother and sister who are now in the fold. What really gets me is to look out over the ward and to realize that the 4 American missionaries in the congregation are the only ones who grew up in the church. There are fantastic members and leaders in this ward and all of them are converts from their teens or early 20s. The bishop is a convert from age 16, his 1st counselor is a convert who, as a missionary, actually baptized the 2nd counselor when he was a young man! It really is the work of the Lord and I'm just filled with love as I see everyone striving to get to church and be the best people that they can be--even in a busy city like Hong Kong.

The baptism is really the only thing that you HAVE to know about this week, but just so you know, yesterday we had a fireside for all the departing missionaries (12 of them) and some of their recent converts. We invited some investigators and new members along with us, and while we all listened, President Hawks pulled people aside to talk with them. I was pulled aside and informed that this coming week is transfers, I will be staying in KwaiChung, I will go Senior, and I will be training one of the 22 Elders coming in from the Provo MTC. I can't say I was surprised, since I'm at about "that time" in the mission, but I am a little scared. We just baptized all of our investigators with dates, and besides them, we only have a few other investigators right now. I have some big shoes to fill as Elder W leaves, so wish me luck, and PLEASE keep me in your prayers! I'll need them.

Anyway, hope everyone is staying cooler and drier then I am here in Hong Kong... Its beastly hot and there haven't been any clouds for relief in days. So much for the rainy season :)

Love,

Elder Siebach