The BEST week on my mission

Hi all,

 

Last week was just absolutely wonderful. Both my companion and I agree that last week was the best week on our missions. We had many member present lessons and saw many miracles. As a result, this email is going to be long.

 

Last Tuesday, I went on exchanges with my Sister Training Leader Sister Nelson. She is just an amazing sister. She is an obedient and hard-working missionary. We had lots of fun by working hard and talking with EVERYONE. I was never good at talking with everyone consistently. There were days that I did good, but most of the time I would pick and choose. Before we exchange back, Sister Nelson asked me what goal I would want to set. Without even thinking about it, I just said "Talking with everyone about baptism". After I said it, I realized that it was not going to be an easy goal, but I would just do it since I said it. Yes, so I have been talking with everyone about baptism. Some people completely ignored us, but I would just keep talking until they walked away. They have their own agency, but I am not fulfilling my purpose if I don't even mention the word baptism.

 

We had 23 member present lessons last week! (Normally we don't have more than 5) The reason that we had so many is because a 16 years old member from the Tongan ward came out with us for 3 days! She is the most awesome 16-year-old I have ever met. She has a strong testimony in the gospel and loves to share it with everyone. My companion and I didn't really need to go up to talk to people as she was always walking in front of us and handing mormon.org cards to people. We stopped to talk with an old man sitting on a bench. Once we told him which church we were from, he started yelling at us and saying mean things about the church. I was about to just bear testimony and leave. But this 16-year-old was very bold and told him to listen to our message, and she even gave him a Book of Mormon. When he said he didn't want to take it, she said "You are going to take this book, and you are going to like it, and you are going to read it!". My companion and I were just shocked. This girl taught us so much about boldness. After saying a prayer with that man, we left. A few hours later, when we walked in Subway to have dinner, we saw that old man through the window. He was still sitting on that bench by himself. And this 16-year-old told us that she got a feeling that she had to go talk to him again, and then she ran across the street to talk to that man. My companion and I watched her through the window the whole time. After about 15 minutes, she came back and told us that that old man had tears when she shared a scripture from the Book of Mormon with him. I don't know how she did it, but what she did reminded me of the importance of following the promptings of the Spirit. This girl is absolutely amazing! And I can totally see her being a great full-time missionary 3 years from now.

 

Yesterday was my second Sunday in the ward and was my first time meeting the Stake President. He asked me right before Sacrament meeting began if I could talk for a few minutes. It was my first time giving a talk without any preparation. I prayed and spoke whatever came to my mind. Surprisingly, I was not shaking or nervous. I bore my testimony and talked about member missionary work. Hopefully our members would become even more missionary-minded. And the investigator that I mentioned last week came to church yesterday! She liked it and felt very welcomed. She received a Priesthood blessing from the Bishop after church to help her quit smoking. She has set a goal to be baptized on September 20:)

 

Last night, we had a Member Missionary Fireside in the Bellevue Stake Center. It was great! Our on date investigator and her roommate both came and enjoyed it. Sister Pingree, Sister Eaton, and I did a musical number in front of hundreds of people, and it went really well. Since it was my last time to see my trainer Sister Boyd before she goes home next month, I pretty much stayed with her the whole time (I still stayed within sight with my companion though). We talked and laughed and took pictures after the fireside. I was about to cry when it was time to say goodbye. Well, I did weep a little bit. Anyway, it was a very spiritual meeting. I enjoyed hearing those recent-converts' testimony. They just reassured me that the work that I'm doing is the most important work ever. I know that the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ can only be found in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I love being a missionary and am going to be working diligently each day until it's time for me to get released.

 

Have a good week everyone!

 

Love,

Sister Leung

I still miss the time serving with these 3 wonderful people in Somerset.

With my trainer Sister Boyd

With my second trainee Sister Matheney

With my first trainee Sister Whetten

With my companion Sister McBride

With Sister Pingree and Sister Prows

I LOVE them so much!

I don't even remember how many times Sister Pingree and I have performed together.. maybe 10?!

 

Defend your beliefs with courtesy and compassion

Hi all,

 

This past week was pretty good. We were staying busy most of the time. I'm trying to learn the area as quickly as possible as my companion is going home after this transfer.

 

Our Bishop and Ward Mission Leader are awesome! One of our investigators met with Bishop last Wednesday. She told us that she really appreciated how Bishop was willing to listen to her and was not judgmental. She has had a rough past but desires to make changes in her life. Her older brother, who is an active member in another stake, has been really supportive also. She agrees to start talking the discussion from us and wants to be baptized. She has been smoking for many years, so we need to teach her the Word of Wisdom as soon as possible. I believe that she will be able to quit smoking as her faith in the Lord increases. Nothing is impossible with the Lord's help.

 

Both my companion and I really want to have some baptisms this transfer. We have committed ourselves not to let anyone walk by without having the chance to hear the gospel. We talked with everyone we saw this past week.

 Last Saturday, we went contacting in Downtown Burien. We talked to people at the bus stop, and we met an anti person. He told us how Mormonism was a cult and just went on and on. He also spoke really loudly so that everyone on the street could hear him. We just had a Zone Conference a few days before it and were reminded to be bold and courageous. So I boldly testified to him that I knew that this Church was true and how he could also know for himself if he would read and pray about the Book of Mormon with a sincere heart. He totally wasn't listening. He continued to attack the Church. I bore my testimony three more times before we walked away. I don't think anything I said changed his mind, but I know without a doubt that I did what I could to defend my faith. I really love what Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said in this past General Conference: " I say to all and especially the youth of the Church that if you haven’t already, you will one day find yourself called upon to defend your faith or perhaps even endure some personal abuse simply because you are a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Such moments will require both courage and courtesy on your part" I used to let those anti people say whatever they wanted to and leave when they would finally stop talking, but I have realized that I am not fulfilling my purpose as a disciple of Christ if I don't even bear my testimony of this restored gospel.

 

I will be home from my mission 4 months from today. This is really scary to me. I will continue to enjoy every moment of my mission. It truly has been a blessing to be able to serve a full-time mission. My testimony in the restored gospel has skyrocketed , and my love for the scriptures has increased tremendously. Hope you all have a great week!

 

Love,

Sister Leung

I'm now in SEATTLE!

Hi all,

I don't even know where to begin to be honest because this past week was just extremely crazy and stressful. Last Wednesday, my companion finally had to go home to have her knee fixed. I was really sad that she had to go home but was happy that she could really figure out what happened to her knee. For the whole day, I was working with my sister training leader Sister McEntire and her companion Sister Boyd (she was my trainer!) in their area (Beaverlake area). Nobody ever told me to pack anything, not even a night bag. We all had no clue what was going to happen. After waiting for hours and hours, I finally just called the Assistants to ask them what I was supposed to do, and they said that I had to pack everything and to stay with them in their area until transfer. Since we found it out at 7:45pm, there is no way we could drive back to my area to pack and then go back to their area. So they had to pack a night bag and to come stay in Overlake with me. Thursday is our weekly planning day, and I had to do it by myself. It wasn't easy. And I used both my lunch and dinner time to organize stuff and pack. I didn't get a lot done. Since we were also told that we would need to clean up the whole apartment, we stayed there until Friday afternoon when we had everything done. Finally, we drove back to Beaverlake area and stayed there until this morning. Those few days were just really exhausting. BUT I absolutely enjoyed my time serving in Beaverlake. I never thought I would like being in a trio, but this trio was just amazing! I got to learn a lot from both Sister McEntire and Sister Boyd. I was glad that Sister Boyd and I got to be companions for a week after not serving around each other for almost a year. It was fun to see how much we both have grown. We have become so much bolder now!!!! And with Sister Boyd, you just don't need to worry about what to eat. Food will always be on the table:) I didn't cook at all when I was a companion with her last year. Last night, we all were nervously waiting for the transfer call. I felt like I would get transferred, and yes I did. I would miss the Chinese couple that I was teaching. The husband wants to be baptized so badly and he is really ready for it, but his parents still don't agree with the idea of tithing. I'm grateful that I got to teach him all the lessons and know that he will be baptized in the near future.

I got transferred to the Normandy Park ward in the Seattle zone! My companion is Sister McBride (from Arizona). Both Sister Boyce and Sister Boyd have served in that ward before, and they have told me how great that ward is. I'm really excited about seeing miracles in this area. At transfer, President Choi asked all the missionaries who would be home by the end of this year to stand up, and of course I was one of the many. He asked us not to have any conversations about home, school, boyfriend/girlfriend until we got released unless he asked us to. He said that it would help us stay focused on missionary work. It's going to be challenging for many missionaries, but I do know that President Choi has been called by God to be our Mission President, so whatever he says is a commandment of our Heavenly Father. I only have 4 months left. It's crazy how fast time goes by when you are on your mission. I have committed myself to bearing my testimony of the Book of Mormon to every person that I will come in contact with. I know that this Church is true and am grateful for the opportunity to be a full-time missionary. Yesterday, I experienced the highest temperature in my life! It was 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius). This Summer has been much hotter than the one last year. But we just gotta keep working hard because this Church is true! 

This is the first edition of the Chinese Book of Mormon!

All the sisters in the Bellevue zone

With Sister Capener. She went home today. I miss her tons.

With Hermana Larson. She also went home today.

With Sister McEntire and Sister Boyd:)

 

Half day in SOMERSET

Hi all,
 

I honestly don't have a lot to share because we have been staying in since last Wednesday. Yes, we didn't go out at all because my companion's right knee has been hurting really bad that she can't really walk. She has always had bad knees and has already had a few surgeries in her life. We have been to the doctor a few times these past two weeks, but nothing has changed.
 

I never thought that staying in the apartment would be this boring. All I have been doing is watching missionary training videos (I can now recite the whole movie...), catching up in my journal, and knitting. I'm so glad that I learned how to knit from a member last transfer. My scarf is very long now. And watching my companion suffer from endless pain is just heartbreaking.
 

There was a leadership council last Friday, so all the leaders' companions would need to go on a half-day exchange. So the night before, our District Leader called and asked if I would want to go on an exchange. At least I would be able to work for a few hours, and my companion could just sit at the mission office. I wanted to work but was also nervous about being on an exchange with people that I didn't know or in a place that I wasn't familiar with. We had to go to the mission office that day anyway as we were going to swap our car with another set of missionaries. While waiting at the mission office, I heard the Assistants telling Sister Lee to stay in Somerset with Sister Salabo for exchange. SOMERSET (My first area)!!!!!! I immediately told my District Leader that I would love to go to Somerset for an exchange. He had to get permission from the Assistants, and thank goodness they said yes. No word can describe how happy I was.
 

We first went home to do our studies. The Somerset sisters were living with one of my favorite families - the Taumoefolau. I was sooooooo happy to see Brother and Sister Taumoefolau again and to be able to talk with them for a few minutes. Brother Taumoefolau even made us lunch. He is just always so nice. After lunch, Sister Lee called Sister Kim (a member in the ward) to talk about the lesson that they would have. And then she handed me the phone so that I could say hi to Sister Kim. It was so fun to be able to talk with her for a few minutes. She is just the best member missionary I have ever met.

We then went out to visit some potentials and to tract. We got to meet and share the Book of Mormon with a Taiwanese family. The son told us that he was Christian and wasn't interested in the Book of Mormon. But for sure we wouldn't just stop there. We told him that the Book of Mormon testified of Jesus Christ and bore our testimony of it. He accepted the invitation to read it and allowed us to come back. Since I had to use the bathroom, we drove to the church. As we were leaving, we saw a lady sitting at the parking lot by herself, so we went up to talk with her. She wasn't a member of the Church and was just there having her lunch. She didn't even know that she wasn't at a parking lot of the LDS church. She said she didn't agree with "the teaching of Joseph Smith". There is no teaching of Joseph Smith but teaching of Jesus Christ. She tried to show us how the Book of Mormon contradicted the Bible, but she really didn't know much about the Bible and had never read the Book of Mormon. Three of us knew that we couldn't get any farther with her, so we just bore our testimony boldly and left. Since Sister Lee is Korean speaking missionary, which means she covers the whole mission, we went to the Transit Center in downtown Bellevue to contact. I went there quite often when I was serving in that area. We talked to about 10 people before we had to exchange back, and ... half of them spoke Cantonese... We still talked to them in English since I didn't speak any.

This half day exchange in Somerset just made my week so much better. I didn't get to visit members but by just being in that area, I already felt soooooo happy. Seriously, no word can express how much I love that area.
 

I hope you all have a great week and stay cool. I bet it's really hot in Hong Kong right now.
 

Love,

Sister Leung

Last District Meeting of this transfer

Exchange with Sister Salabo and Sister Lee in Somerset:)

My scarf is now much longer that what you see from the picture.

Testify of the Book of Mormon to everyone

Hi all,

This past week wasn't an easy week. Remember we have been teaching a Chinese couple? The husband was doing really well. We could tell that his faith was growing a lot. His wife was busy taking care of the baby, so she only heard bits and pieces each time. We were able to teach the husband a few times, and our District Leader came to interview him when we were watching the Restoration video with him. We actually didn't tell him about the interview as we weren't sure how he was going to react, so we just told him that our "friends" would want to get to know him. Our District Leader Elder Rowe was awesome. He just took the lead and started talking to the husband. We didn't even need to worry about what to say. When the husband knew that Elder Rowe was one of our leaders, he started telling Elder Rowe how much he appreciated us. He said that we really taught him clearly and with patience. It was one of the happiest moments on my mission knowing that our investigator did appreciate our hard work. We really have developed great love for this couple. The great love I have for them helps me truly forget myself and to seek inspiration from our Father in Heaven to know how we can help them progress toward baptism. Sine the husband didn't know that he would be interviewed, we told him that it could just be a "pre-baptismal interview" to help us evaluate our teaching. But he actually passed the interview! He was already very prepared the first time we met him, and obviously Satan hasn't been very happy with him. When we met with him last Saturday, he told us that he had talked with his parents in China about getting baptized. They weren't happy with the idea of paying tithing. I can't really blame them as they don't know anything about it and can't see the blessings that come from keeping this commandment. He didn't want to upset his parents, so he won't be baptized until his parents let him pay tithing. He truly had a desire to be baptized and asked us how to "convince" his parents. Of course we didn't have the answer. We invited him to pray before talking to his parents so that he would be inspired to know what to say. He offered the closing prayer at that lesson, and it was a very sincere prayer which almost got me in tears.

I don't know if I would get the chance to see him being baptized. It really did bother me for the past few days. But I now realize that my Mission President only promised that I would baptize a lot but never did say that I would be able to "see" a lot of baptisms. I'm grateful to have the opportunity to teach this man. I know he would be baptized in the near future. I'm grateful that I was able to teach him all the lessons and to see his testimony grow. I know that someday I will be able to rejoice in the kingdom of God with all the people I have shared the gospel with if we would all endure to the end.

My companion and I have been working hard to find new investigators. I have committed myself to bear testimony of the Book of Mormon to everyone we meet. We were tracting in a rich neighborhood one day, and a man told us that we were the biggest sinners that ever walked on the earth. Surprisingly, I wasn't even mad at him. He just didn't know what he was saying. I don't know where he came from or what he went through, but I hope that someday he would be willing to hear this gospel. In that same neighborhood, we met a rude lady. She was shutting the door as we said which church we were from. As she was closing the door, I bore my testimony of the Book of Mormon to her and was able to leave a pass-along card with her. I truly believe that if we would testify of the Book of Mormon to everyone, we would be blessed with people to teach and baptize. Even if we couldn't find anyone through our own finding effort, Heavenly Father would bless us with His prepared children to teach in His own way.

Love,

Sister Leung

Come unto Christ

HI all,

 

This past week was a bit hard for us. First, it has been really really hot! It has been 32 degrees Celsius for the past few days. It's killer. And it should be even hotter for these couple days. I told my companion from the beginning that I felt sorry that she had to be my companion during the hottest months because I often would not be in the best mood. I'm really trying to stay cheerful though. Second, the Chinese couple that was put on date for baptism last week is now off date because they didn't come to church yesterday, which is disappointing. Actually, this past week we have only been able to teach the husband because the wife has been really busy taking care of their one month old daughter, so learning the gospel doesn't seem to be her priority right now. The husband was progressing pretty well. He has been reading the Book of Mormon and living the Word of Wisdom. We were a bit worried about his reaction when we taught him this commandment as most Chinese people drink tea, and it's just part of their culture. But he actually didn't drink tea but coffee to help him stay awake. So I shared with him how I stayed awake to study when I was in college. I never used caffeine to help but relied on Heavenly Father. He is so much more powerful than caffeine. We committed him to pray to Heavenly Father for help and to read the scriptures when he had a hard time staying awake or focused. And he hasn't had any coffee since that day.

 

I have met a lot of people that don't see the importance of church, which really frustrates me. Church attendance is just so crucial, and we can't help them progress unless they come to church. Keeping the Sabbath day holy is a commandment of God, and it's said in both the Bible and the Book of Mormon. Some people claim that they know the Bible well but would say things like " I don't need to go to church. I worship Him in my home already". The most important part of coming to church every Sunday is to partake of the Sacrament. If it wasn't important, why would Jesus Christ institute the Sacrament among His people? I know that as we partake of the Sacrament each week, we renew our baptismal covenant and fulfill this commandment that God has given us. In Preach My Gospel, it says " (We) should set this holy day apart from activities of the world by entering into a spirit of worship, thanksgiving, service, and family-centered activities appropriate to the Sabbath" When I was in BYUH, my friends and I often went to the Temple ground to feel the Spirit and to take pictures. I would invite you all to ponder what you can do on Sundays to make this day meaningful instead of just sleeping through this day.

 

I don't know how we can help this Chinese couple to get baptized. We just found out the wife would be moving back to China next month for at least six months so that her parents could help her with taking care of the baby. I don't know how she could be taught all the lessons and be baptized in less than a month. But my companion and I have been praying for guidance because Heavenly Father knows all His children perfectly. I don't know what they need but He does. We really want to have baptisms this month, but we can only do His will. So we are just going to keep working hard!

 

Love,
Sister Leung

 

P.S. I don't know how many of you have listened to the song "Come unto Christ" but would invite you all to hear it on https://www.lds.org/youth/video/come-unto-christ-2014-theme-song?lang=eng

 

"Come unto Christ" is the youth theme for this year, and I absolutely love it. I have come to know for myself that no matter what trials we are going through, there is always hope if we come unto Christ.

Miracles come from exact obedience

Hi all,

 

This past week was GLORIOUS. My companion Sister Boyce, and I have been getting along well and have been teaching great together. We have decided that we will be BOLD with everyone, and we really have been doing it. I think it's the boldest companionship I have ever been in, and I love it. I have always been pretty bold, but you can only be that bold if nobody is going to back you up. So it's awesome that we both have the desire to be bold with every single person we meet. And we have been amazed by how bold we really can be. A couple days ago, we met a lady that told us she didn't agree with our "fundamental beliefs", and my companion basically told her that our fundamental beliefs were "Faith in Jesus Christ", "Repentance", "Baptism", "Receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost", and "Enduring to the end". She asked the lady which part of our beliefs that she didn't agree with. That lady didn't know what to say. There are many people who don't even understand what we believe when they try to argue with us, and that is what frustrates me the most. I have also met lots of people saying that they have "researched" our Church and know enough about it, but almost all of them have not even read any of the Book of Mormon. We are bold enough to invite them stop just hearing from other people but really to learn from the source, which means reading, pondering, and praying about the Book of Mormon. If this book is true, which I know it is, then you have nothing to worry about. I don't understand or know everything, but I know enough - the Book of Mormon is the word of God. I definitely will be learning and studying the gospel for the rest of my life, but I know that I don't need to understand everything all at once.

 

The other thing that I like about this companionship is that we both have the desire to be exactly obedient. We are constantly striving to do that and repent immediately when we fall short. And we truly have seen miracles that come from obeying rules with exactness. A few days ago, we got a referral from a member in a different stake that a Chinese family that lived in our boundary was interested in learning about the Church. The husband had already been on lds.org and mormon.org and wanted to be baptized. We had a lesson with them yesterday, and Sister Li, a Chinese member in our ward, came with us. It was my first time teaching the whole Restoration in Mandarin. I was go thankful that Sister Li was there to teach with me and that my companion was praying for me the whole time. I still struggled a bit but was able to say all the gospel terms correctly. I extended the baptismal invitation, and they said YES! I didn't even know what date I should put them on before the lesson started, but July 25th was the date that was in my head after they said yes to baptism. So I just asked if they would be baptized on July 25th if they came to know that what we taught them was true by that day. And they said YES! So they are now on date for baptism on July 25th. Yay! However, some issues came up that we might not be able to teach them for much longer. I won't go into details about it since only people who have served missions would be able to understand. I don't know if we would get to teach them all the lessons and see them get baptized, but we will make sure we will do all that we can to bring them closer to our Savior. I love this gospel and know that it can bless everyone's life.

 

Love,

Sister Leung

July 4th evening. We were asked to stay in our apartment to do our 3 hour Weekly Planning. Snacks were needed for sure.

Last Saturday we went to Alex Boye's concert! And I saw an awesome family from my first area:)