rocking

This week has been a roller coaster. But at least it was an awesome roller coaster.

 

Last Thursday we had a groundbreaking lesson with Stella. She goes to KowloonTong every day for school and since it was my companion's 1 year mark and we also had to get my Hong Kong ID, we took a trip to kowloon and met her at the MTR after school. From there we walked to the temple, and gave her a tour of the grounds. The spirit was awesome! We talked about how everything was clean and pure inside and we told her that this is where you can have eternal families. She told us that she wanted to have an eternal family more than anything in the world and that she really wanted to go inside the temple.

 

After we took her next door to the Kowloon chapel, and the book store, and we bought her a picture of the temple and a picture of Jesus, I also grabbed one of those posters you get at your baptism that explains the baptismal covenants, and we got her the temple issue of the ensign. It was really cool. Afterwards we took her in the chapel and had her pray, and taught her more about the covenants she would be making, and her prayer was so great. In it she expressed her love for heavenly father, and her desire to go to the temple, and the spirit basically rocked that lesson. Since then we have had about 3 more awesome lessons with her, one of them about Christ (with a way cool analogy with food coloring and bleach that sister darcey and I tweaked for her) , and then one about writing in a journal (we bought her a cute journal!) , and we talked to her about word of wisdom and law of chastity too. She was so accepting and understood why keeping these commandments would bring her closer to God.

 

I am so excited for the day when she gets baptized. It's going to be awesome. Right now she's set to get her baptismal interview on sunday, so pray that everything works out so she can go to church! But I just love her so much. I feel a special connection with her because i've seen her grow so much since i've met her. She is actually the first lesson that I ever taught in hong kong, and I remember that first day and how far i've come, and i think it's miraculous that Heavenly Father is allowing me to be a part of this awesome work. I get to see the darkness being blasted out of people's lives. I know even if Stella, for some awful reason, decides not to get baptised, i know her life is changed because of this gospel. and that moves me to the very core. That I get to see people change, not because of my power, but because of the power of the book of mormon, and the power of the spirit, and the power of God.

 

Another awesome thing that happened this week was THE FIRST GUITAR CLASS EVER! yeah. I'm teaching a weekly guitar class. In chinese. It's pretty awesome, because I don't really know chinese, and i also don't really know guitar. BUT HEY, it is getting people to come to church. and we always share a spiritual message after, and people are bringing their friends!! It's really fun. Last week we called an older guy in our ward named brother lee (leih hing daai) and he's been playing guitar for about 20 years. I asked him if he'd be willing to come, so he and I taught the class. I also inherited a very crappy guitar from the elders, because no one knows how to play it, and it's actually missing two tuning knobs, but bro lee helped me tune it up so we could play.

 

So last week I taught a simple blues scale. Chinese people don't understand blues. But that's ok, Emerson can play an A chord! and I taught him how to read tabs! And Chace (bless his heart. I love this kid) who has only been playing for 3 weeks has learned a song that he shared with the class.I think everyone liked it....Basically it was a super fun time. I will send pictures.

 

So after guitar class on saturday we got to meet with Jenniferrrrrr (remember, I gave her her name!?) and she is doing so good! she's started praying every day, and she says she feels comfort when she does! we're watching the restoration movie with her today and we're hoping that it will make her want to read the book of mormon more. I basically think she will get baptized, but she hasn't been to church on a sunday yet, because she works. so we're trying to figure out what to do with that one....but I love her! yay!

 

So I wanna share with you my volleyball analogy. It's pretty sweet. Sis D and I were thinking about ways to improve our teaching and we both thought that having the holy ghost play more of a role in our lessons would be a good idea. So here is the volley ball part. Our job as missionaries is not to score the points, because we are not strong enough to do so. Our job is to set the ball so the holy ghost can come spike it over the net. If this doesn't happen, then the ball will just get hit back over to us, no good. So we've made a point of trying to invite the sprit into the lesson's and give it a chance to testify. Basically give the most powerful member of our team the opportunity to spike. haha, ok it's a little dumb, but i like it. This principle, when applied, not only helps the investigator but it helps the missionary too. It helps me to remember that I am being backed up by God in what I say and do, and that I need to relax, and not let fear take over.  This week I had a pretty bad experience of doubting my self, and letting 1 lesson with DIN (a girl i met finding, who is awesome, and Indonesian, but has perfect chinese) and I totally screwed it up. My chinese was all over the place, my companion was doing something else, and everything was not good. After the lesson I felt awful, like i had screwed up her eternal salvation because I have no confidence as a teacher....that because of me she wouldn't get baptized. And that feeling stuck with me for a couple of days.

 

I started thinking, why would God put me here if i was just going to fail? If everyone says that you're in a specific area because you're doing things no other missionary can do, then why do I sometimes fail? Mess up? not do what i'm supposed to? And then sister D helped me remember that God knows i'm 21. He calls stupid, unlearned, people on purpose. Joseph Smith was not a doctor or a rocket scientist, neither was moses, and neither is anyone serving a mission with me right now. We are supposed to fail. The hardest part is having faith that God can see that this little failure somehow fits into the grand scheme of things, into his plan.But I believe when you find that faith, you are a 100% happier missionary. Read 2 Nephi chapter 7!

 

Yeah, so a bunch more happened this week, we had a ward FHE that was really fun, sister D and I were in charge of the game, and we found a way to get rid of all the stupid butter cookies everyone is giving us, and the ward really liked it.

 

There are so many times i look out the window on the bus, and look at the enormous buildings, and the cool Chinese stuff, and i think to myself that i don't deserve to be here....I'm so lucky to have this opportunity and i'm growing so much. I can't wait for Ryan, Justin, Mitchell, Conner, Chandler, Nathan, Cade, Luke, Little little man, and even grace or abby and hannah to have the chance to experience the wonderful power of being a tool of the lord. I love this work. I testify that the book of mormon is true.  P.S, I am understanding so much more chinese! it is awesomeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. I think it's making me forget english though. haha.

 

I love you all and I hope you are well.

 

Love,

Sister Cook.