Week 11 in Hong Kong!!

I am losing track of time here, I am having to check on my sent email to see which week I am on haha

But, first and foremost, I just want to express, I don't know why I am blessed so much, but I am, everything testifies to me that the Lord really is aware of me and my life, and of my needs. And not only me, but towards everyone that is precious to me, that means a lot to me. And not only them, but for each and every person on the earth through out all generations of time. But isn't this a witness that each one of us are really intimately, His child? He really loves us and has invested a lot in each of us as He raised us in the life before. Each one of us are His purpose, the meaning and glory of His very existance. And that is also our goal, potential, and purpose, to learn from our experiences and apply the principles of the Gospel to grow to become just like Him. And we first learn our lessons (of developing more love and being interested in another's life) within the first intimate people relationship we have in this life-usually our own families. And God has provided us with His perfect eternal plan of happiness, and Jesus Christ fulfills that plan through His Atonement. I am very grateful to be a part of that plan. I praise my Lord, I am utterally incredibly glad that I have chosen in the life before to follow that plan. I have trusted in my Savior in the pre-earth life that He would accomplish His mission as our Savior, and now in this life, I know that as I continue to put forth my trust in Him and show that trust through living His gospel, I will be even more infinitely glad that I did.

I am truly grateful to be her on earth, I am grateful I have a body, I am grateful I have a family, and true friends that love and support me, I am grateful I am on a mission. I am grateful that though I lack in fully trusting in the Lord at times, the moment I excercise my faith in Him, the moment I repent of my sins and weaknesses, He shows me His infinite mercy through showering blessings of love, forgiveness, and needed miracles. I have been given so much, and sometimes I wonder why, I definitely do not deserve all the blessings, but then I realize that those blessings are given to me to share with my brothers and sisters, as a disciple of Christ, as I serve my brothers and sisters, I am to share God's love and blessings with them.

Life is nonetheless difficult, ("if you do it right" :) ), but as Elder Scott(? I think) said, and quoted by beloved Jayne, "Sunday will come", I am grateful that we can look to Savior's Atonement for hope, and have faith in the Lord's perfect plan, some may not use their agency to its best right now, but in the end, everything will work out, I know.

So little time and so much I yet want to say, but I may leave it the way it is now, today being Thanks Givings nonetheless :)

I love you all so so much forever,

Leih Ji Muih

 

Pictures:

Ng Family with Amy in the very front, very awesome happy family :) TaiPo Ward

Beautiful bay, one of many in Hong Kong

Yeung Family with January in gray outfit next to Sister Farr, very humble family, very examplary, with January's amazing missionary work, having served for few months herself as summer missionary this year of 2011 :) :) Sheung Shui Ward

Week 10?!

I can't believe how fast this past week went by, I thought P-day was just two days ago and now it's another Pday again!!!
Today was our temple day! I am SO HAPPY!!!
Also on our way back home, on the MTR Train, I saw this cute baby sleeping in his mother's arm and I commented on how cute fast asleep he was to the mother and started talking to her, I found out that sadly, she was from the Mainland China and although she was interested we can't go to the mainland, so I gave her a book of Mormon, and received her email address to refer her later and ended up talking to the two ladies sitting next to her about the gospel as well, and it soon turns out the whole train has gone silent and they were all listening to me,,,,!! ^///^; So we basically bore our testimony and preached the gospel and I gave the ladies fliers as well and we bore testimony of how Jesus Christ can help us all individuals and that He has died for our sin, We hope that this has done some major ripple effect :) :) because we said some amazing things, I thought so, haha, but actually it was because the Lord was with us, just coming fresh out of the temple I was rejuvenated (mind my spelling,,) and I didn't care how awkward my cantonese was, I just came out of the temple with its fullness of blessings, and I see a mother with her precious baby who doesn't know that she can have him forever for eternity! I had to bear my testimony about the eternal family.
Sister Jau is still very amazing, we taught her the word of wisdom yesterday and apparently she drinks alcohol with her family quite regularly, but after teaching the lesson she just right away said, alright, I won't drink with my family, I will just play by their side, as if it wasn't a big deal, She has such a big faith! Because far as we know she still hasn't had a very recognizable strong answer or feeling yet, this is all just her believing, she loves reading the book of mormon and she prays and reads everyday, She's eager to find out what more commandments there are that she needs to learn about because they are mentioned in church each week and we have been meeting with her about 3 times every week, she is just so amazing, her motives are pure, she wants to be with people, people she can love and be with, friends, And our message is that throught the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we Will be with our loved ones for eternity, we serve eachother and help eachother to become better people, we mean nothing without oneanother, we mean nothing on our own, She loves our promise that people in her life may move, die, in one way or another, leave her, but Savior Jesus Christ will not, the scriptures will not, and so she wants to gain that testimony that we have, she wants to get to know the savior like we have promised.
There are so many potential investigator friends that are yet seeing us, because apparently this time is a test season and all students are busy stressed and has no time, we hope that we can see some of these people soon.
We had a multi Zone conference on tuesday and it was So great! I got to learn a lot about great questions I could ask my investigators to help them be guided to the truth on their own, and all sorts of inspirations for my investigators and for me as a missionary how I can do better, sacrifice more, be more obedient, exactly obedient!
I know that these past few days since has been filled with miracles because I strived to overcome my weaknesses to push harder to be exactly obedient, bed right at 11, no minute after, be up by 7 no minute later, just taking more attention and focus on ridding those little things has blessed us tremendously.
I was going to send all the pictures today but forgot again, next week!
but these are 1. Temple with Sister Farr today
2. Sister Jau and one of her two daughters!
Lots of love, always,
Leih Ji Muih
Sister Lee/Burningham :)

2 month mark in Hong Kong!

I have been in Hong Kong for over 2 months now! Crazy! I only have little over a year of my mission left, ahhhhh, but it helps me to value every day more, and to spend my short time more efficiently.

This past week has been VERY interesting, it's been all over the place,

first, this experience actually reminded me of Sister Em, I mean Emily Nakayu because it involves colors, haha

While we were planning for the next day one evening, as we prayed, we both came up with 2 different hours of the day where we could go finding, but we only had one hour to spare, 3 pm and 4:30 pm, I told Sister Farr that both felt good, but had different feelings, she asked what feelings and I said, 4:30 feels purple and 3 pm feels yellow,,,,

She thought it interesting and at the time she was staring at the map book and asked that she has 2 places in mind, and how Tai Wo and Fanling sounded, I said Fanling also felt purple, but I was convinced that I must be remembering the color tab of the page. It turns out that the page tab wasn't purple, and the area Sister Farr was staring at had a purple hand symbol in the middle of it. It was very interesting so we decided to pick that area. We were going on a 24 hour splits that next day so Sister Farr and Sister Cheung went to the area, and they ended up finding a very well prepared young man who had had these questions of the soul! They gave his number to the Sheung Shui Elders. On the other hand, I and Sister Bishop went on splits to her area and during her finding time she saw a yellow umbrella (it was pouring rain that day) from the distance and had the impression to talk to her, so we caught up to the lady and started to talk to her when we find out that she happens to be deaf! I asked her in ASL if she understands American Sign Language and she did! Sister Bishop and I both happen to know ASL so we signed to her! We gave her the Restoration pamphlet and bore testimony that we knew that the message was true which seemed to intrigue her, we also gave her Plan of Salvation pamphlet and a flier and invited her to come to church on sunday. We are very excited to find out how this will turn out. Apparently there is also a deaf ward in Yun Long, it is far away but that means there are deaf members that could fellowship this sister, Her name is sister Cheng by the way. We also met a lady from mainland that spoke Mandarin to us, and we called Sister Cheung who knows mandarin (because the mandarin elders didn't answer their phone) to help us, and she told us that the lady was only staying in Hong Kong for 10 days and will be going back and that we should give her the book of mormon. So we did and talked to her using the 10-ish Mandarin words and phrases I knew and she seemed grateful that we gave all those things to her for free.

Yesterday we got on a wrong bus and was on a 1 hour detour, but on our way back I heard Korean and ended up talking to these 2 Korean men on the train. It was hard because my gospel korean isn't very good, and my korean can get awkward here and there etc. I only had the Restoration Pamphlet in Korean  and gave it to them, it was a very overwhelming experience. Sister Farr who have been observing said they were entertained and that I did them good. The men although uninterested and busy said meeting me was uplifting and that they felt good, and that that is enough. I have been since praying that they will not be able to forget about what I said and what they felt until they act upon it,,,,For I told them of the eternal significance of this message and bore my testimony of it.

So yes, my mind has been very busy and confused with so many different languages and people, but at the same time my Cantonese seem to be improving nonetheless because people tell me so.

So many things happen daily here, talking to so many different kinds of people with their own concerns and circumstances. It gets overwhelming to constantly thinking about each and one of their eternal welfare, dealing with their salvation, it is a huge responsibility to represent the Savior and invite them to come unto Him. And struggling to communicate, because  I am not perfect or am founded in any language,

The Lord my Savior really is my only security, my foundation and base, No matter how much I feel like I am neither accepted by or feel belonged by People in Hong Kong, Korea, America, or having lived with so many different family circumstances, it gets quite lonely or feel insecure at times. But I do know that I am a Child of God, I belong to Christ, He is my foundation and security, He has given me absolutely everything, a complete family, examplary people in my life that I can call true friends, the road back home, the Holy Ghost, His light, Everything, and although people here may feel that they have their family and life is good, if they have not God, God who is love, His love which is Charity, for which without, we are nothing, we have nothing. I am here to offer them this everything, to all those that will accept, I love you back home, I am grateful for your words, thank you family for writing me weekly, it really helps me, I have been missing hugs and affection, but your words really help me feel better than I am.

In Christ we all shall be together forever,

Love,

Sister Burningham

Week 8 in Tolo Harbour

Where to start? I feel very exhausted right now my fingers have no strength to type, yet I am at peace and happy inside.

Sister Jau came to church with her two daughters on Sunday! And they loved it! They also had the Primary program in Sacrament and her daughters also participated (TaiPo Ward has Sacrament meeting last) and the daughters made friends and were holding hands together by the time church was over and begged their mother if they could come again to church next week :) :) :) :) so cute

Sister Jau herself is doing very well as well, she has kept every single one of the commitments we gave her and although she isn't sure she believes them yet she is willing to try them out. We challenged her to pray for an answer on Tuesday and described to her about our experiences with the Spirit, and last night when we called her to follow up on her commitments and give her a new chapter to read from the book of mormon, she told us that she feels she has obtained a small answer. Glimps of quietness. We told her to keep praying and doing as she has been and promised her that the feeling she felt will grow larger. We are very excited about her progression, we have seen her twice a week, and this weekend she is also coming with us to the Family Geneology activity on Saturday at Sha Tin! She loves the church and the members, we are very excited.

We have come up with a plan for our two friends, whose parents have not given them permission to be baptized until a long while, Zoe [Zo-ee] and Elock, We have decided to teach them all the rest of the lessons so that incase their parents have softened their hearts they will be ready to be baptized before the parents change their minds again. We want to ask them if they are willing to ask their parents their baptismal permission for Christmas Present. We have great hopes.

The other day, after Korean Class, I was on splits with formal Summer missionary Wilma to buy some supplies, when I spotted Heison!! We ran after him to talk to him, he said he was on work hours and returned to the store, and so now, I know where he works! (that sounds a little creepy,,but it's a good thing) It is a drink shop, so Sister Farr and I went their to buy a drink and he saw us, and I smiled, we hope that he would start to loose up from his guiltiness and hopefully he feels he is welcomed whenever he feels he is ready to come to church and whatever he is going through is resolved. I pray for him everyday still.

Elsa hasn't been coming to church and for some reason she is very busy and cannot see us until sunday, it is very confusing to know what her priorities are and if she really is interested to learn more and be baptized or not. last week she had to cancel our appointment on sunday because she was sick, hopefully she makes it this week.

Tuesday during FHE, our correlator Brother Lam shared his thought and he shared about an article in the Book of Mormon edition of the Liahona about the man who washed his hands before touching and handling the sacred Book of Mormon. It was the first time I saw him cry, it was very touching and powerful as he testified of the Book of Mormon and the Restoration. On Friday we had a dinner with the Choi family in Sheung Shui, and the father works in the Hong Kong Temple. He shared his meeting with a family from Thailand that saved up their money to come to the Hong Kong temple to be sealed. Thailand that day had a great flood, he asked if their home was ok, the mother smiled and said that their house and everything they owned have been swept away, their house is no longer where they left it, but she said that it was ok, their family is sealed for eternity and because of it they will always have a home, it didn't matter if they had a house or not, they have their family for ever, so they have everything. Brother Choi was so touched by the family that he shared it with us missionaries, and I am just so thankful, so thankful for incredible saints all around the world, their faith also strengthens my faith, we have amazing members here in Hong Kong, their examples are powerful influence in me, I learn more everyday how after mission I can be the member missionary I ought to have been, how to be the member missionary that we all should be.

I will probably end my mail here, I hope that everyone is doing well, there's hardly enough time to write a letter here on P-days, especially because sometimes thursdays are only open day for some investigators, and there are more errends to run, chores to do than MTC :) So I hope that people read these posts, because it's hard for me to write them personally. I really hope that, as always, that each of you are also growing closer to the Lord and becoming more awesome of a person than I left them. I love you very very much, always, and most importantly, the Lord loves more than anyone can ever comprehand. Study His words, everyday, especially the Book of Mormon, having been written specifically for us in this time and our day.

God speed

Leih Jimuih