WOAHHHHH!!!
Guess what I'm training a new missionary now starting TODAY!
So, from the beginning . . . last Saturday at 10:59 p.m., one minute before bedtime, President Chan called me and asked if I would accept a call to train! I am officially the first missionary he has ever called to train hehe! I was super shocked because it's in the middle of our moves, and I just didn't expect to train for a while! The HK mission is downsizing from 150 missionaries to 90 so lots of missionaries are finishing their missions with no replacements coming. Anyway, that day was so busy and tiring. We got sunburned from being in the sun all day volunteering at the city basketball competition, had a really awful and awkward lesson with a less active member (we had a really bad one on Friday night . . . I thought that Friday's lesson was the worst but this Saturday's definitely beat it!), and had been making lots of phone calls in preparing for Sunday. We're working non-stop to bedtime when President Chan called. I was literally shaking when I got off the phone, and then the other sisters were like, "So who's your summer missionary?" because we have this missionary program where the youth ages 16 and up can be a missionary with the full-timers for 1-2 weeks. I couldn't sleep for like an hour afterward LOL!
My baby is Sister Lau Tse Kwen from HK TST Ward! A native Hong Kong-er! :) It's so funny because I knew her before at BYU Hawaii . . . she is the friend of the brother of my friend Freddy hahaha! So random and we're SUPER EXCITED! Sister Black will still be with us so we'll just be a happy threesome till the end of moves on August 6. Sister Lau is supposed to go the Oakland California Mission, but now her visa is not ready. There's been all sorts of problems with the future missionaries from HK . . . a lot of them are now just waiting to get their visas to start their missions in the U.S. or Canada. Sister Lau is super lucky cause she just gets to go ahead and start first in HK, the BEST mission in the world! :) So, she has never been to the MTC at all. At least she's helped fellowship a few lessons before! We have this mini MTC planned for her hehehe . . . she will love being a missionary!
We had our mission conference last Tuesday. It was different this time cause we went to a place called Mount Austin's Playground. It took us almost 2 hours to get there from Kwun Tong to Central by MTR and then the rest of the way by bus! The scenery was gorgeous as we rode up the mountain. Hong Kong is so GREEN and tropically in some places! Like there are still plumeria flowers and palm trees here like in Hawaii! The theme for the conference was pioneers. President Chan spoke to us about remembering our identity and forgetting the worldly things. He said to just keep smiling and give thanks! I admire him very much. He is very humble and smiley . . . we all just KNOW that he is our mission president, the right one chosen by a prophet! He spoke to us in English very well, but we know it is not easy for him to speak English. Sister Chan is so nice . . . she invited us to have lunch with her and President Chan in the mission home today with Sister Lau!
So why is this month so special for pioneers? On July 14, 1949, Hong Kong was dedicated for missionary work! It's the 60 year anniversary! The first missionaries came to China in 1852, and in 1955, the No. 2 Cornwall Street property was purchased where the temple stands today! President and Sister Goo of the HK Temple also came to speak to us. I had no idea that President Goo served here as a missionary, too! I just love that he didn't know Cantonese either when he first started his mission (back then, missions were 2 1/2 years!) . . . he didn't even have an MTC to teach him! Then, he was also the HK mission president with Sister Goo in 1986. Back then, they said there were around 70 native HK missionaries serving in HK, and Sister Goo would have to read all of their bougous (missionary weekly letters to the president) to him! I just love thinking about all this history. Because of these great people who came before us, I now have the priviledge to serve, too, and stand on the shoulders of giants.
I love you all!
Love,
Sister Chu :)
0 comments:
Post a Comment