August 26, 2013 - School? Work? Last-minute vacations?

Sounds like it was an all- American summer for sure. I saw some pics from Ryan and Special K's trip to LA. So jealous! Looked like it was so sweet. It is soooo weird to think that everyone is getting back into the routine of school and stuff. Seems like I just left. I can't even describe my smile as I read everyones emails and hear just how well everyone is doing. To quote the Church movie Legacy, "The Lord has blessed us." haha I quote church movies because thats all I can watch... haha. Oh well. 

I'm sitting on this computer trying to recap the week and I just keep asking myself, "where did the week go?". Crazy how fast it went. A lot has to do with just how different a life it has been as a trainer. Elder Phillips is the man and loves to learn so our days are just filled with teaching. Teaching street lessons, a few new investigators, less actives, English, and how to be a successful missionary. One thing I have really liked about Elder Phillips is that he always values what I have learned and share. Its a trait I think everyone needs, me especially. Never be too wise to be taught. I have been suprised at how many little things you pick up living here and doing the work. Hard to explain, but things are so great as far as it goes training. 

This week we had the biggest miracle for sure. We couldn't arrange any lessons or anything else during the day, so we had 8 hours of finding to do, then English class that night. Those days are rough. To make things worse, we couldn't get anyone to talk with us. It made it a long finding sesh. But we tried to stay positive, me especially so that way it could help Elder P. But just no luck. We were tired, a little disheartened, but thats when we saw a miracle. We taught English class that night and it was a greatbig turn out, but we couldnt getanyone to come. As The other missionaries were talking with this teenage kid, he said he lived in Yau Ngoi. Thats in our area!!!!!!!! I was so stoked. He said he found a flier on the ground and decided to check it out. His name is Aaron and he is the man. He has real interest in learning the gospel. He also plays the violin in this orchestra.He is just really awesome.I look forward to keeping you updated on how things go with him. Funny how the Lord works sometimes. You do your best and you don't feel like you did anything,but He blesses you for doing your best.

We have worked really hard this week to try and earn the trust of the ward. They see me and Elder Phillips and wonder how we can do it with limited Cantonese. One lady went to the US right after I got to Butterfly, and just got back this weekend. I welcomed her back and she looked at me and said,"Wait, how did you learn so fast?!?!" It has been really awesome inviting the ward members to teach with us. As they have done that, I think their trust in us has really grown and it continues to.

I hope everyone got a kick out of my analogy last week about the M&M's. Some of my friends on their missions wrote me and made fun of me. haha.

All is well. Found the cure all, its work. Work and things just go better. I think I learned this this week. Its whats making time fly and its what is going to help the people in our area most. So this week as you go back to school or keep working, remember just to work hard. Work harder than you think you can. The Lord will see you through. Do that and you will see miracles.

Love you guys,

Elder Woodburn

August 19, 2013

Fam, friends, how goes it back in the states? From the sound of it, it sounds like all is well. Weird to hear that the Summer is already coming to an end and that people are already getting ready to go back to school. All good things come to an end I guess. 

This week has been a learning experience for me and for Elder Phillips. It has been a balance to try and help him grow and learn, as well as not letting him drown in the rigors of Chinese work. He is the man though. I seriously am one of the luckiest trainers because he already has awesome language ability as well as a desire to learn and improve. It makes my job a lot easier if the desire, no matter the circumstance, is there. And Elder Phillips is just that! So all is going well with training. He will be training in no time, I'm sure of it. haha

But this week had its own unique struggles for sure. I never realized the blessing before, but I have been so blessed to have native companions so far. They really have helped in more ways than I realized. But now, its just two GwaiLouhs (slang term for white guys) walking the streets of Butterfly. One thing that stood out this week was just how much my language has improved, but it was kinda bitter sweet. What I mean by that is, people don't expect us to know any Chinese, so they say some pretty rude and mean stuff thinking we don't catch it. Well, I did.... Awkward. It has been a little bit of a trial, but I have really just tried to increase my love for the people here regardless of our reception. All goes back to attitude!!!

As far as investigators goes, we have a lot of work to do. I had a few phone calls from people who didn't want to meet anymore. Those are hard phone calls to have, but they happen. Agency was so important to God that he made sure everyone has the opportunity to use it. We just teach to the best of our ability and let the Spirit do the rest. Maybe its just not always the best timing or circumstances right now, but we press forward knowing our message is true and changes lives. Because our pool has really been shrinking, we have spent countless hours just finding. Plenty of seeds planted, but no fruits yet really. Out of all of that, there has been one new investigator that just showed up. He really did just show up at English class. Said a friend told him about it and he checked it out. He is awesome!!! We are excited to begin teaching him and seeing the progression in his life that comes with learning the gospel.

We were able to meet with a few less active members this week as well. I have really learned by working with them just how special they are. They have the testimony of the gospel, but aren't active for whatever reason. With them, its all about using their faith in Christ to resolve their problems. It is just a huge blessing to help facilitate that resolving of the problem.

The ward here is good, but I have the sense that they are a little skeptical that I am training. We are working so hard here to gain their trust and continue to help the small Butterfly ward grow. The ward is here to support us as well as we support them, so we are doing all we can to work together!

I think I am learning an important lesson right now. Learning to bloom where you are planted. Blossoming no matter the circumstance. We may not fully understand the culture or the language. Neither Elder Phillips or I have the experience that other missionaries or leaders may have. We aren't Asian and we stick out like Blue M&M in a pile of Yellow ones (not my best analogy... haha). But none of that matters because we have a testimony of the Savior and that he will help us. It may not come right away, all the success that we want to have. But we have confidence that we are being shaped and molded into the successes we were sent here to become. I made the decision to be happy and I'm doing just that. So be happy despite circumstance. Choose to be happy and do it. The simplest answers seem to have the most profound effect.

I love you guys. Keep up the good work. Say a prayer for me and Elder Phillips, we need 'em. haha

Elder Woodburn

August 12, 2013 - So I kinda became a dad this week...

So this week has been the craziest one of my mission so far! So many changes in just a week's time.

Yup, so I became a "dad" this week! That means that I am training! I got the call from president on Tuesday morning telling me to be at the mission home to meet my trainee who just got here from the Provo MTC. I can't even begin to describe the feelings I had after that conversation! A lot of doubts about my Chinese, if I can keep up the pace without Elder Fong, and if I can help this new missionary adjust quickly to the real world of missionary work. My trainer had a huge influence on me, so I was just nervous I wasn't going to do this new Elder well! But regardless, we sucked it up, and I have a new comp, Elder Phillips! He is the man! He is adjusting quicker than I did I think, but he is still pretty jet lagged. He has a crazy drive to learn and use Chinese, so that is going to do him well. I am pretty optimistic at how things are going to work out in Butterfly for the next 9 weeks!!!

So this week has consisted of a lot of just explaining how to do things, when to do them, why we do them. It is a big difference being senior as well as a trainer, but the Lord trusts us. Blows my mind that he trusts us. haha. Just kidding, but really, we have a lot of responsibility to our area.

So real quick, we have had so many interactions with mainlanders this week, it is ridiculous!!! They are all so golden its not even funny, but there is really no way to help them. Sunday, we had a couple from the mainland in the area just doing some shopping and saw our church, so they checked it out. We explained a little bit about the restoration, got them some reading material and off they went! Crazy, huh? Finding later that day we saw these two ladies with tons of shopping bags that were lost. We asked them if they needed help, turns out they don't know Cantonese, but knew a little English. They were looking for the bus back to Shengzen. So we walked them to the bus stop and talked with them on the way. They were so awesome! It was difficult to communicate a little bit, but they had so much interest in learning about the church and why we were white guys learning Chinese and being so nice to strangers. There were at least three or four other mainlanders that we met throughout the week. Lots of people have never heard about the church before, and it is an awesome feeling being their first contact with the Church!!!

Nothing really of interest to report. Still have grandmas telling me how good looking I am, talk about a confidence booster. haha.

I guess one thing that has been on my mind lately is about how powerful an example is. Think about it. We follow Christ, the perfect example. He paved the way. A righteous example is a powerful example. I have noticed that Elder Phillips really trust me and does as I do. It has been an added motivator to be exactly obedient. Because of others in my life and their great examples, I have been able to choose to do the right things regardless of the circumstances. Remember how powerful your example can be to others.

Love you all. Pray for me and my new comp! We are going to need it. My Chinese is ok, but I still struggle at times. And by that, I mean all the time. haha. Oh well.

Till next week! I have loved hearing from you all this week!

Elder Woodburn

August 5, 2013 - Breakdancing, Fishballs, and the Book of Mormon

Honestly it was a crazy crazy week here in HK. Loving it!

So this week while finding, we ran into these kids break dancing. It was pretty cool. They were all pretty good and they were blaring old school 90's rap which I though was hilarious. They had no idea who we were or heard of the church before (blows my mind to think of how may people have never heard of the church before!). But anyways, They said that they would listen to our message. So we had them sit down and we taught them! I felt like I was back in Kindergarten, only this time I was Mrs. Boyd up there teaching while all the kids sat cross legged and listened. It was quite the experience! They were super attentive and seemed really interested. We have a few activities throughout the week, so we invited them to come check them out. Luckily, Saturday they came to the church. We showed them around and we taught them again. We even let them dance a bit in the cultural hall. It was a really good experience for them to see that we are just regular people. they think it is so cool what we do with our time for the two years and all the rules we chose to follow. It is leaving a good impression on them. We will continue to meet with them next week. Finding and teaching all these kids was an awesome experience!

So its been a while since I have talked about food. So you all know, I think that I am pretty well adapted, but there is still some stuff I have to choke down. This week, it was fish balls. they are sort of like hot dogs, only they are fish in ball form... haha. Not my favorite, but there is definitely worse things to eat. The Wok is defiantly different than the stuff I am eating here. haha.

In the mission this week, it was sort of like Christmas! The AP's finally finished translating the Book of Mormon into a romanized pingyam for all the missionaries! So I ordered one this week. It will have English, Chinese, and the ping yam, so we will be able to use the Book Of Mormon to learn the language now. That will be so cool being able to read scriptures to people in lessons!

This week we have transfers to everyone is a little antsy to see where they are going and who they will be with! We have another huge batch of missionaries coming straight from the MTC. Crazy to think that was just four months ago that I left and came to HK.

All is well here in HK. Things can get a little crazy, then slow as can be. Learning to go with the flow and just do what you can. Chinese is coming. Mainly out of necessity, but I got to give it up to Elder Fong, his English has gotten a lot better!

Love you all, all the way from HK!

Elder Woodburn

PS: I am slowly losing my English, or at least I am talking like a true Asian. I said, "The China" this week. Also, I couldn't remember what to call a weather man. I figured it out. Meteorologist! haha

July 29, 2013 - I have been a missionary for 6 months???

Is that not the craziest thing you ever heard? Well maybe that is exaggerated, but it blows my mind how the time is flying by! It has been a struggle, no doubt, but hard things are the worthwhile things.

Sounds like time just keeps rolling on back at home as well! Sounds like everyone is enjoying an All-American Summer! Trips to Tahoe, Utah, Camps, just to name a few that you all are enjoying! 

So this week, what to say about this week? It had its individual challenges, like any other, but more importantly, I think Elder Fong and I found some ways to overcome them. Most of the time it wasn't because of us, it was because of the Lord worked with us. I am learning that if you put yourself in the right place at the right time doing what you should, miracles will happen. So why deny yourself seeing those blessings? Simple, but some of the most profound answers are the simple ones.

So anyone want to hear a miracle story from the week? Well, this week I have had a bit of trouble walking and doing the normal thing missionaries do because of some knee problems. In Hong Kong, we do a lot of walking because that's how you meet people, most people don't have cars, so they walk. One day, we had a whole day of finding a head of us, I didn't know how I was going to make it. I didn't see a way to do it. But we put ourselves in the right place at the right time doing the right things. A miracle happened. We met some of the nicest people I have ever talked with that day! We found and taught more people than I ever had on one day of my mission. I love to teach mainly because that is what helps people understand more about our message, but I also love it because we usually get to sit down. haha. the Lord provided us people to talk to and teach. It seams small, but believe me, it was a miracle. Hope that made sense... haha.

With all the work we are and have been putting into the area, we are just starting to see the fruits of our labors. We have helped reactivate almost 5 less active members, met a few new people who are slowly starting to accept and live the gospel and our ward is so excited to help us find, teach, and reactivate.

One thing that I have really noticed this week is that before I didn't fully realize that everything that we do, obtain, or see, comes from God. He is the author of it all. I used to think rather selfishly and air headedly, that I was doing so well based on my own merits. That is the wrong line of thinking. Everything comes from God. I think when we realize that, we can live more at ease knowing that our Loving Heavenly Father is in it. He isn't just in the good, but He is there in the bad as well. He isn't just in the "important" or "big" things, but there in the small and routine parts of our lives. Realize He is there and I promise you will live a better, happier life.

Well, I hope that all continues to go so well for each of you. I have said it before and I will say it again, I couldn't do this without the support from you all. I feel your prayers for me and they are answered.

Love you guys!

Elder Woodburn

July 22, 2013 - Funny Week For Sure!

I can't tell you how happy it makes me to hear from you all back at home! It is always a pick me up to hear just how good everyone is doing back in the states. It was a long week, filled with some hardships and even more learning experiences. But what week isn't? haha. We found a ton this week, an exhausting experience for sure. I think it was on Thursday that we didnt have anything but finding.... Got to love those days, but I thought about how the trek is going on back at home. I was never blessed enough to go on a trek (went to Disneyland instead haha) but to think of all the youth pulling handcarts through the mountains. Made me glad I was finding. Perspective is a funny thing. But really, we had a solid week.

So this week, like I said earlier, not a ton of teaching appointments. So we spent the days finding with no real success. When I say success, I mean teaching or making some new friends who are interested in our message. It was rough towards the beginning of the week. My attitude just was all wrong. Nothing seemed to go right, just problem after problem. I struggled to feel like we were making a difference. Then we went on companion exchanges. I ended up being with Elder Bradley, a mandarin speaking elder. It just added to the stress because he doesn't know any cantonese. I had to handle a lot of things solo. I learned a lesson from it though, When the Lord calls (or does companion exchanges), he qualifies. That day, we saw miracles. We found for the whole day, but ran across a guy from Shengzen. Lucky for us, he was fluent in both Cantonese and Mandarin. His name is Mr Wong. It was weird at first, because as we got to know him, he said that he "swam to Hong Kong". I thought that there was no way that I heard that right. But thats what he said! He was a really great guy who ended up buying us lunch. He commended for being so devoted to something so difficult. He was really receptive, so we will continue to teach him. I asked Elder Bradley about the whole swimming thing, and he said that he is probably an illegal immigrant from the mainland and that he probably really did swim here.... haha. Crazy for sure. Later on, we went and visited some less actives from the ward. That can be kind of frustrating when even they don't want to see us. We tried our best, but couldn't really talk with anyone. Again, since I was the only Cantonese speaker, I had to get past the security guards. Talk about intimidating! haha. But they were actually pretty nice. I just acted oblivious to a lot what they said and they just let us go up. I guess that was easier than trying to explain that we couldn't. haha. We were able to find one lady who moved to France and became less active. She was visiting her mom for the summer with her five kids who speak french and chinese fluently! It was so cool. We shared a quick message with them. It was a unique experience for sure. Thanks to madame guisti, I was able to ask them to use the restroom in  french. haha. All those years of french did pay off! haha. But really, that day was a turning point for the week. Nothing really changed, except for my attitude.

I feel like its a lesson I have learned time and time again. you cant control really anything but your attitude. Luckily I have had some reminders of that. Great friends, experiences, and opportunities that continue to teach me that you can only control attitude. Really a lesson we all need to learn at one point or another.

So funny things that happened this week? Not a ton comes to mind, but there is one thing. Since Elder Fong is native, he and other people talk a little quicker than I can pick up sometimes. But we went to a members house for dinner with a less active. The conversation turned to food, and how I am not a huge fan of the chinese food. Elder Fong then said something to the effect of," He doesn't like it because it gives him diarrhea." I just thought to myself,"There is no way that he just said that...." haha but then the member looked at me and said in broken English, "The Chinese food give you diarrhea? What give you diarrhea?" hahahaha. Never thought I would have to answer such a question. Bathroom talk is apparently ok in dinner conversation. haha. We also got caught in a pretty bad thunderstorm while finding. We ran to the church to get out of it, but by the time we made it inside, it looked as if we had went swimming.haha. Weather here is a little different than Nevada.

All is well here in the China. haha. Almost at 6 months since starting as a missionary. Is that not crazy or what? Lots of progress has been made, still lots to go. Things can be hard, but there is no other way to grow. I asked myself a lot this week, "why are you here? This is tough. How are you going to keep this up?" I came to the conclusion that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. And if its hard, you just do it. You can do hard things. It was never intended to be simple or easy. Loving the journey so far, but I think most importantly, I'm loving that the journey has hills, bumps, and thorns. Help is there, not if you need or when you need it, but it is always there.

Love you guys!

Elder Woodburn

 

July 15, 2013 - It's officially summer in HK!

So things are really poppin in Hk right now. Schools out, people and tourists everywhere, and its hotter than any weather I have ever experienced! Hey, but that's just part of life, right? No complaints here! I am loving being in Butterfly. Since there is a nice pier in our area and the weather has been hot, it has helped us find some really interesting people! So that's always nice. A lot of what we do is the same, day in and day out, but meeting and talking with new people is what makes things interesting and fun!

So earlier this week, we did companionship exchanges within the zone. It was a really awesome opportunity because I stayed in Butterfly and had a new companion for a day. Since he didn't know the area or anyone in it, I had to take lead! Crazy for sure, but it was really awesome. We had a lot of success that day meeting and teaching new people. My Cantonese is getting a lot better, but there is still room for improvement. Well, lots of room, actually. haha. But I ended up teaching a few lessons all by myself on the pier because my comp was teaching as well. That was the first time that had happened, teaching alone, but we just sort of rolled with it. I thought things went well, but the lady asked about the Trinity and why we don't believe in it. I couldn't adequately explain, so it boiled down to me telling her to pray and ask God if what I had taught was true or not. I was a little frustrated I couldn't explain the way I wanted to, but I did my best. When it comes down to it, prayer and personal revelation is the only way we get our answers anyway, I learned I didn't need to eloquently explain. The Spirit is the best, and only teacher when it comes to these kind of things. Overall, the exchange was an awesome experience. There is something rewarding in doing your best and seeing some success, as well as feeling and knowing you're doing whats right.

We continue to struggle to help people progress and continue to hear the message of the gospel. We had a lot of investigators stand us up this week. But along with that, we saw what I would say is a miracle. Whenever we got stood up, we would just go finding. Almost every time we ended up seeing and teaching the person we were originally supposed to meet. Kind of cool, that happened four or five times this week.

Investigators are a struggle, but we are still seeing amazing progress with the less active members of our ward. One that comes to mind is Ling Hing Daih. He is super awesome, but has been less active most of his life. Only member in his family, and when he moved to Singapore for school, we had no idea where he was. We call these people "lost sheep" because we have no way of contacting them again. Luckily, he moved back and a member found him and introduced us. We have had some awesome discussions with him. truly another miracle!

So this week I sort of started seeing a Eastern medicine doctor... haha long story short is one of the members in our ward had us over for dinner and he works as an eastern medicine doctor. Well, like a western medicine meets eastern medicine doctor. haha he gave us a "special" pad to help with sore muscles and joints, as well as these weird supplements that we boil in water, then drink the water. Again, for sore joints and muscles. haha. It is a gross drink that I'm not sure is helping, but he swears by it. haha. That parents of that family both served missions, one in the states, so they have great English. They think they are my parents while I am in HK. They are awesome! Bishop Evett, he may have served with you in HK his name is Chan Wing Fai. Maybe you will know him... But anyways, they are they best. Defiantly being taken care of all the way across the globe!

Keep doing the right things in the right places. Sounds simple, maybe overly simple, but that's where success is. 

Love you all!

Elder Woodburn