Kwun Tong 7, Month 10

Just realized I have just past my 10th month mark in my mission last week, Where did month 9 go??? It's all going by way too fast.

Last week was so special, well, I guess every week I realize that my past week has been very special; I am grateful for e-mail times not only because I get to communicate with my family, but also because I get to reflect back my week and realize how wonderous and miraculous it had been, and how much I have learned and grown in such a short time.

I can't believe all the things that has happened the past week, it all seems so long ago, yet I feel like P-day was just 2-3 days ago and it's already here.

Last Friday-Sunday was a very overwhelming period for many of us in our areas. One of the sisters living with us in our apartment, her relative has passed away very suddenly who was very personal to her and was one of the hopes and blessings she prayed for as she went on her mission. There were also other many very crisis moments that happened all at once for so many people around us, even for me as well. And the most miraculous, unifying part of it all was that we all overcame each of our crisis through the same power: the Atonement. I would not be able to fully describe how amazing, how incredible, I can't describe what we all experienced, only that it was so very special, we are really trusting in the Lord, and we can feel His strength, and, ah, it's SO incredible, we are changing, we are becoming ever more humble, ever more meek and broken hearted, and the Lord is able to purify us and help us become more like Him.

The World will never be able to understand, how those who apply the Atonement of our Savior daily can do what they do, how we can still laugh and look out for someone else in their crisis while in the midst of our own, and how we are able to invite the Spirit to let it lift the burdens of our friends whether they be members or investigators or whoever they may be, how we can remember someone else's needs and include them in our prayer of faith, how we can list lists of blessings after blessings and really sincerely thank God for everything--even our painful moments we are experiencing, how we are able to just continue to do our best efforts in the Lord's work, how we can just let go of others' offences and mistakes, how we can just forgive and accept, to move on and trust and obey, how we can look at some one in the eye and tell them "I know God, my Father in Heaven loves me, and I know He loves you". God is so merciful, so patient, so kind, so loving. I am grateful that such a perfect, all mighty and all loving, glorious being is our Father up above. We really can trust Him, because He really does have all the best in mind for us. Mission has really been different than what I had expected. The Lord is ever so mindful of us each. He uses specific people, blessings, trials, and opportunities tailored and personified specifically for each of us to help us grow and learn and become more like Him. And as we realize we really are His baby, ever in need to rely and trust in Him, as we humble ourselves like so and accept our brothers and sisters who are also given weaknesses as we have been, we are letting the Lord change us into who we were made to become. And the price for all that mercy and privilege has already been paid through the Atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I am thankful for all the prayers and fasting and other supports on my behalf,

so grateful for this privilege to serve a mission even though I have so many weaknesses, the Lord truly qualifies those He calls, He makes sure He fixes them up :) And Loves us so SO much.

I am so grateful to be alive

to have all these experiences in this mortal life, to know my Savior and can feel of the power of the Atonement,

His Grace, I will eternally be grateful for, it is my source of survival,

I am super grateful I had already chosen my Savior even before this life to receive this body of flesh and bone :')

And as always, I love you,

and what more, our Best Friend, Jesus Christ loves you, Perfectly.

S2, Leih Ji muih

Zone Activity today, we went to Tai Po!! My baby area!! I have missed it so much! Felt so good to visit it again :') 

Kwun Tong 6

This past week was unique,

we went on a zone find and during the find they exchanged the companions and I got to be companions with Sister Cheung (we were in the same zone & apartment my first area and recently she was moved into this zone --but different apt.--so we are reunited in the same zone! :D) And we found a new investigator together who was willing to pray and hear our lesson on the street, her name is Skye, and she loves art as well :D she asked good questions and though it is Sister Cheung's area so I won't see her in their next appointment, I am really excited for her to come closer to the Savior, and she expressed that she wants to :)

And on Monday I helped Phoebe with her English homework and she thanked me saying she was able to get it done much faster than she would have if she struggled on it by herself, so since she has been to busy to read the Book of Mormon, I congratulated her for this extra time that she has just discovered to actually read the Book of Mormon now! And she really did read! I was SO happy! Because of the way she grew up she was convinced that there cannot be God and was hesitant to try having faith and gain answers to her prayers, so we came to a conclusion that the only way she can overcome those doubts and be convinced to try it out is through the Book of Mormon, and she is a reader herself as well. So we are slowly trying to help her find her faith. Her younger brother on the other hand is preparing himself to be baptized on the 29th! We hope the changes he will go through through the gospel will also help Phoebe develope the seed of faith to plant.

On Saturday we visited our less-active recent convert Jenny and that day we also met her older sister Ada as well! Ada is a former investigator who skipped on her appointments with past missionaries and this rare opportunity we were able to share the messege with her with her siblings--Jenny and her very active older brother/Ada's younger brother Marcle. And Jenny offered the closing prayer where she expressed her hopes that her sister Ada and her parents would also come to believe in God someday and it was so beautiful. Since Jenny's learning the gospel, the relationship with her and Ada were improved, and we could see that her prayer drew them even more closer, we also could see that Jenny actually deep within really did love the gospel and realized that we just needed to encourage her to wake up on sundays so that she can come to church, so her sister and her parents can also see her love for the gospel in action. I have made an agreement that she may sit next to me and watch me draw her some pictures during church, which she seemed to be excited for.

This week we also had 24 hour exchange in our zone, and I had the opportunity to be companions with Sister Kelly again from the MTC!!! and we didn't realize how much we had really missed being companions until that day, we had such an amazing unity and were able to experience the application of basically everything we learned in the MTC and Preach My Gospel! We could see that the same time we have been apart that we learned so much ourselves and it just came back together so smoothly and really helped us to feel the potential of well unified companionship applying the new principles introduced in the MTC. And we were very happy and it really helped us to know that we really have grown and learned more than we thought we did since coming to Hong Kong.

I am truly learning so much, more than I have enough space or time to record it, let alone email it, time is running out, but I just want to share I am so happy to have this privilege to be used as the Lord's instrument in His work. Really overwhelmed by His grace and mercy :')

Loves always

Sister Burningham

Kwun Tong 5

Last week was Hong Kong's General Conference!! And I am glowing and floating and giddy with such a feast for my soul! And as usual it answered my questions! I am so grateful that we can have such a meeting and gathering with the Saints all over the world and be strengthened together.

Anyways, I am becoming closer to our recent converts and less-actives and our investigators. I am getting to know them more and we are becoming better friends, I just need to help this relationship to slowly be passed onto the Savior, so that He can be their Constant best friend, like He has been for me with all the changes I've gone through :)

It will take some time as I help them gain more out of the Book of Mormon, but I know it can happen, because it already has in my past areas, and it's what we have been called by God to do.

 

Pictures this week are Korean food! well, I have desperately been missing Korean food more than I ever have in my entire life this past week, and I attempt to cook something somewhat close to it, but my beloved companion had her birthday past week and a member took us out for dinner and since my companion also loves Korean food, we went to a korean "fast food" booth and had some! hehe <3 it's SO much better than my attempted cooking in the limited time we have as missionaries :)

 

Short and sweet this week, hope to write more next week!

Loves to you all

from Hong Kong :) :) :)

Sister Burningham

Kwun Tong 4

Sunday last week was so awesome, Kobe the elders' investigator was baptized and bore strong testimony, he's so great, loves the gospel so much, so happy to see him so excited to keep growing and improving. Last Sunday was also a special My Conversion Story Fireside with Songs of the Heart Choir for Easter season for the whole Hong Kong. It was held in Kowloon City and we all traveled there and got there early to look around the temple together, Kobe was so excited. It was his first time in Kowloon and he even gets to see the House of the Lord. It phases me everytime how the temple stands in the midst of busy Hong Kong streets and despite how noisy the street is with cars and buses once we enter in the temple grounds, it is actually quiet and so peaceful within--and we haven't even actually entered into the actual temple itself! It truly is the House of the Lord where it points us to look to God.

The Choir program was great and powerful, I just wished we could have had our investigators to come but they all thought it was too far and too late in the evening, because the fireside is for everyone and anyone and the spirit is so strong, and the recent converts of the missionaries ending their missions share their conversion stories and why they believe. So good.

It was a bit funny, a bit of a culture shock to be at the fireside because basically everyone in Hong Kong was there, including the members and missionaries in my first area, I must have been away quite a while it was quite overwhelming to see them all again,

time is running short already, (yay send picture days), I love you all so much as always, thank you for your support and prayers.

Leih Jimuih

The recent converts of Kwun Tong Ward: (from left) Kobe (baptized that day), Elder Ho, Earnest, Elder Farnsworth, Cassandra (baptized a week before), Michelle, Sister Wan, Carry, me

 

With Sister Chang, her last Sunday as missionary in Hong Kong, I heard about her since the MTC and met her my first day in Hong Kong and really was a great example to me, I will miss her and her smiles so much!! 

Harbor side of my area, from our beloved Thailand sister, Sister Pang's balcony, she treats us for dinner basically every Thursday and we eat in her balcony with this beautiful harbor sceneary :)