Kwun Tong 26 - Year Mark in Hong Kong

A-Kay has a baptismal date!!! She has already been changing so much!! Buying only one pack of cigarette, and buying milk instead of tea or alcohol (we haven't even asked her to commit to word of wisdom yet!), and thinking and panicking a little, "what's happening? This isn't me!". She is also constantly turning to prayer and calls upon Heavenly Father, and her faith has been growing a lot. She is reading the Book of Mormon and came to church last Sunday despite how much she wanted to sleep in! She is really so prepared! Just seeing her change her life around is really touching me.

It has been quite the emotional week. A-Yih's brother has also been investigating the church before A-Yih ever did, and so the Elders ran into her one day, and then she called Elder Ng and talked on the phone for 2 hours with him about all the Anti things she has heard and read and came to a conclusion that she misses the sisters. Then she called me and told me that she wanted to come back to church, and that she wants to try and believe. So we scheduled her for Monday. On Monday we had 24hours companion exchange where Sister Wong came to serve with me in Kwun Tong for that time!! Wha, I had missed her so much! And it was perfect because on Monday we had scheduled: Hidy (someone who really misses Sister Wong), A-Yih, A-Kay, and Wendy! Sister Wong is a convert herself and when she first met with the missionaries she herself has also read many things online that were awful about The Church. But because the feeling she felt and what she has experienced seeing the missionaries, she didn't believe them and continued investigating. She was able to talk A-Yih through a lot, and for A-Yih, it seemed to have meant more for her to hear a conversion story of a Hong Kong sister who used to never believe in God and was taught in Buddhist school and had many family and life challenges, and then finally finding God and gaining testimony of Jesus Christ and seeing immediate changes and miracles after baptism and while serving missions. A-Yih then agreed to keep learning, and when she gave her closing prayer, she told us that she feels hot inside!

A-Kay was also very happy to see Sister Wong, and Sister Wong was also impressed to see Wendy. She had never imagined that Wendy could change so much, and that she could actually invite and share with her the Gospel! It was one of very powerful 24 hour companion exchange. We both have learned so much and experienced so much since we were companions in Macau, and was able to share much and to feel each other's testimony again. I truly admire her so much, she is definitely one of the people in Hong Kong that will influence and inspire me the rest of my life and into eternities.

Debby was confirmed on Sunday and she is doing great! She is already fellowshipping and bearing her testimony! It has been very emotional week. Also tomorrow is my year mark in Hong Kong. For some reason lately, more people has been asking me when I finish my mission and it's pretty tough to be reminded how fast it's coming up.

Hong Kong is truly special place. I can't believe a year have gone by already. Can the time stop? But then I think of all the ways I have grown and learned and all the people that I have seen come closer to the Lord, all the miracles I have seen, the special times I have spent with the Lord.

I can't thank Him enough, that He has allowed me to come serve in Hong Kong. I can't believe I am serving amongst these beautiful children of God. I love them, I love Cantonese, I am even enjoying the heat and being drenched in sweat, who knew! My heart aches, if I dare say, like Alma, if I were an angel, if I could be more than just me, if I could just call each and all of them to turn to our Savior, If I could take away their burdens, take away their blindness, have their trust and lead them to the right way, help them to see that each of their hard work can and will really be worth so much if they would turn that efforts onto our Savior's Gospel! I want to be the voice in their ear-phones, enter into their I-phones, TVs, commercials, mall windows, their group of friends and acquaintances and testify of the Savior! Our only true, our perfect best friend, our everything! The answer to all, the solution for all, the only way for true satisfaction and joy! But I am but me, and I know that Lord has called me here as I am, and so I am so humbled and grateful that He could use even me to further His work in Hong Kong. To be a blessing to the lives of the people I love so much.

I must go now, I hope that everyone is well and happy, and coming closer to our Savior. He is truly all we ever need.

Loves,

Sister Burningham

Kwun Tong 25

Debby was baptized last Sunday!!!!!

It was a bit of a hassle and a rush in a way because it was held after the Stake Conference in Wan Chai Chapel (the biggest chapel in Hong Kong, and the most expensive building The Church has ever had to spend on). The baptism was held 30 minutes right after the Conference, and Debby and her member sister Michelle's mother also came and stayed though the whole conference and the baptism and thanked us missionaries!!! But unfortunately she doesn't see the need of the gospel in her own life yet,,she thinks it is good for her daughters but not for her. So we will see what we can do to help the sisters' family.

Wendy has been progressing!!! I am so excited for her, she has a baptismal date of October 7th as of now, and last night when we reminded her about coming to church again at 9am she didn't say any excuses, nor second thoughts, nor complaints but an of course "yes"!!! We are already seeing her change and Father in Heaven truly is in control. Her prayers are so different now, asking for humility to accept God's words and commandments, and doesn't even ask for what she used to ask: a new and better job, and justice for all the wrong she's been through. And on Tuesday was the first time I ever witnessed Sister Dang pray in front of us sister missionaries!! Her husband is a member and a return missionary, and she already knows all the answers in the Sunday School and has heard all the lessons, but for some reason hasn't been baptized when they already have kids about 5-6 years old. Many missionaries have tried to help this family because they really need Christ's Atonement. It has been very slow and hard because originally Brother Dang didn't even want sister missionaries to teach her, and said not to push her to be baptized, etc. But I was really touched to finally hear her prayer after all this time I had been in Kwun Tong.

Anyways, I am just constantly awed, eternally grateful, and overwhelmed by God's mercy, His grace. Some time ago I had received a phone call during busy train travelling, and the lady on the other line named A-Kay, was looking for other sister missionary. I had just enough time to explain about the transfers and moves and that I can call her back later. Then I have been keep forgetting to call her back. Sister Wong (My Macau companion) is serving in the same zone as me right now, and Kwun Tong was her first area in Hong Kong, and she had an impression that she must call A-Kay. She looked back in her old planners to find her number and scheduled her for us Kwun Tong sisters to visit together for a turn-over lesson. A-Kay was first found by Sister Wong and at that time she had no big desire to change, but now she had the desire to see missionaries again to learn and understand more about the gospel of Jesus Christ and has been calling the Kwun Tong sisters for quite a while--each have answered in an inconvenient time and had said that they would call her back, but never did. It was when she has decided to just give up that Sister Wong has called her. It was extremely humbling, grateful experience, more because I know that Sister Wong's area is struggling so much to even find investigators to progress let alone towards baptism, and not much member support. It makes me feel more broken in a good way knowing that as a missionary serving in Kwun Tong, we have really been given such a huge responsibility. I need to work harder, more effective, become more worthy and diligent missionary to depend on the Lord. Because I myself really can't do it all at all. Everything really is in God's hands. He is in control. So many spirits are relying on us to be more worthy of these many prepared souls in Kwun Tong.  The Lord truly works in mysterious ways. He doesn't place the most capable, full of Spirit, most perfect person, nor great perfect harmonious companionship to do His work. He uses us, very inexperienced, forgetful, weak, and young missionaries like me to take care of so many of His precious children that are just waiting to be found. He really trusts me so much and it overwhelms me. He is so forgiving and loving and understanding, I never felt so loved in my life like He loves. And I know all I can offer is this little, small, inadequate best effort of mine. I could never thank Him enough. I couldn't ask for more. I am full of joy and am engulfed about the Lord's love. And I pray hard that He will consecrate every effort for the welfare of the people in Hong Kong. Time is flying by so fast. and I am so grateful, He can use me as His tool, it really is the best feeling, humbled yet so happy.

The past Monday in District meeting I was invited to do a sharing on how to help our investigators to progress towards baptism by having a baptismal date, and I bore testimony on the only thing that has kept me through my mission: Prayer. I had actually prepared a page of other doctrines and principles to share about that topic, then it all went out of my brain when I stood in front of my district. I bore testimony about Prayer, and about the prayers of the recent converts--how it changed and brought Suki, Debby, and others to develop the desire within themselves to be baptized, because they have felt God's love through their prayer. We are instructed in the Scriptures that we are commanded to read, to hearken unto the Spirit which teacheth a man to pray. I know that is the way we re-develope the forgotten relationship with our dearest, loving Father in Heaven again in this world. We are sent here on earth to learn, but we are not meant to do it alone, we must pray and keep in touch with our Father. We must pray always, literally. Prayer is where I find the love of God, it is my source of refuge, it is where I receive revelations and the clarity to discern. Prayer has protected me through so many things, has brought me to meet so many precious people in my life, has helped me to find what was lost, has helped me to learn and remember, has brought so many miracles in my life. And this testimony of prayer I credit to my mother, her living example of prayer helped me to know that it was so crucial ever since when I was young. I have truly been given so much in my life, the Lord had really been in my life whether I accepted Him into it or not. I am so eternally grateful that we are not left alone in life. So grateful that because of our Savior and His Atonement, no matter how unworthy we may be, we can still commune with the almighty God, the Father in Heaven, in Jesus Christ's name. No matter who we are, what we have done, we can always, where ever, whenever, about whatever, pray and commune with our Father. I love Him. So much.

And I love you my brothers and sisters, and I love Hong Kong.

Hope you are all praying and strengthening your relationships with our Father as well.

Loves always,

Sister Burningham

Kwun Tong 24 - 14 Month Mark

I am overwhelmed and I feel broken, in a good way. I am filled with love for the people of Hong Kong. I am coming to realize how much I really love them even more as time goes by. I think about the part member family Dang family, and how much they need the healing from the Savior's Atonement, I am so happy and humbled to see Wendy progressing, she is thinking less negative thoughts and is praying more, and is changing, slowly but changing nontheless, she came to church at 9 am for the first time last sunday!! Which means she sacrificed/gave up on a lot of her habbits to do it! Debby has passed her baptismal interview and she and her member sister Michelle are trying to invite their mother to the baptism, they are so happy and seeing them together I feel so much strength. Sister Law Poon's husband was just baptized last sunday! after 12 years of not willing to be baptized because of his habbits that he wasn't willing to give up. but for his family he changed! and he is smiling and grateful man! Sarah was out of the hospital to see him be baptized and the family is so happy! Not long more and they can be sealed for eternity,, :') We also visited Suzana's family again on Sunday with our beloved summer missionary Sister Leung, and got on the topic of church, baptism, and good influence of our church! they love having us come over! We thank sister Leung, we know it was her influence that opened up this family! We have more potential to introduce the gospel to this huge family! The twins are still doing so fantastic, they support us missionaries to spend more time helping others to come unto Christ though they miss spending so much time with us. They truly understand our role and purpose and show their testimony through their actions. Vicky, a former investigator, after meeting with us after eefy and explaining clearly our purpose and how gospel can help her, brought a friend specifically to meet us to hear the message of restoration and prophets! She wants to also learn more and learn the truths! Which was so incredible because we weren't sure what her views were because she isn't the kind of person to say  a lot or show any emotions, so this action really showed us how big her desire actually was and her faith. 

On Tuesday night A-Yih met with us after having just returned from mainland. She broke down and told us how happy she feels when she is with us, but, she must leave us because she doesn't believe the Book of Mormon is true. We discussed, and it was clear that she has no faith in the truth that there is a God that created us, that is our Father in Heaven, and she has too many doubts to even ask for an answer. So before things get too complicated, she wants to leave and not see us anymore. It really broke my heart. I don't understand why someone who has seen the light, instead of trying to find out what and how to have that light, decides to leave and remain in the dark and be unhappy she left the light. But, I know that the Savior understands her. I know that He will always be waiting for her to be ready to find out, it really pained me to know how much longer she would choose to not be happy, but I have peace knowing that that is why we have our Savior. I love the gospel, I love my Savior, I am eternally grateful for the mercy and patience He has shown ME, and I hope to bring as many of those that are ready to meet Him.

Loves always, I must go, I love Hong Kong so much,

Sister Lee 

Kwun Tong 23

Ok, this will really be a quick note,,

My new companion is Sister Taylor! She just came out of Macau to serve in Kwun Tong, like me! She was born (first area to serve) in Tai Po, Tai Wo, Sheung Shui after I left the area and served with Sister Farr! They helped Amy, Mandy's friend Leo's mother, come back to church after many many years of inactivity! She has moved to a new area every move after serving in her first area since!

Our beloved Sister Chan, our summer missionary just finished her mission last night, she will be so greatly missed!! She has been such a huge support and blessing to not only us missionaries but to our investigators and members, she is so humble and so willing to serve, so willing to follow.

But we just got a new Summer Missionary on the last minute today! Her name is Sister Leung, and she is so sweetly sitting by us doing her personal study as we email our families, I am really looking forward to get to know her :)

Wendy has a baptismal date, and Raven is praying for one! And Debby is being baptized on the 26th! It is truly a huge miracle to see these three people converting step by step, there is still much work to do. Our mission president, President Hawks just set a new standard of excellence with a great vision: in 8 years, there will be 25 new Stakes established in Hong Kong. And this great zion is established by the sealing of families. We as missionaries need to step up greatly in our faith, diligence and humility in this great work. We are to exercise our faith and all to find families to come unto Christ together, and rely on the Spirit evermore to utilize our time well, using more time and focus towards the less-active members and recent converts, finding families and meeting the families of our investigators.

This Vision is really helping me to be more effective, and to pray and rely on the Spirit evermore.

I know that family is the most important, the whole purpose of our life, and it is the key to happiness and exaltation. It is key to Zion. I love Hong Kong so much, and am so humbled and honored that I get to participate and put forth what best effort I could offer to support in this great cause,,

Loves to you all always, 

Sister Burningham

 Life is full of Miracles! Me and Sister Clements while we were on splits for Mission President Interview on several P-days ago

 Tai Wo Recent Converts!!! From Left: Amy (miracle lost sheep that came back through his son Leo's baptism), Ling Ling, Sister Farr, Mandy!, Sister Chan/A-Yih (Mandy and Angel's Aunt), Angel!, Leo (in front, Mandy's friend), Tony (Ling Ling's Husband), Me, Sister Fernelius, Sally(Mandy's friend), and her mom!

                               Summer Missionary Sister Chan, Raven, Sister Cook, Me

      Sister Taylor, Summer Missionary Sister Chan, Me, on Sister Chan's last night as a Summer missionary :')

Kwun Tong 22 - 11 Month Mark in Hong Kong

I am on a very slow computer today so this will be a quick note.

First of all, Suki, Annie, and Lucy are all confirmed and received their gifts of Holy Ghost!! Their testimonies are touching the people in our ward, they are so amazing! 

We also have New Summer Missionary, Sister Chan! She is from Ma On San Ward back in the Tolo Harbour Stake/Zone I used to serve in my first 3 moves in Hong Kong! And she has just returned from her trip to Korea and got assigned to be our companionship's summer missionary! She is so full of happiness and humility and enthusiasm and hard work, She has been such an enormous help, support, and blessing this past week! She has helped so many of our investigators to progress! 

Our zone has also started our EEFY Activity this week, English Especially For Youth, it will last from Monday to Friday with many activities and sharing of talents like the church activity/camp EFY. It has been going quite smoothly after some nervous scattered planning and preparation, and on Tuesday, Sister Clements and I even taught Drawing!

Our beloved Raven is also doing amazing, she has a powerful testimony of prayer and is really developing faith. She is so prepared and is progressing at a great pace for her.

Despite all the amazing miracles that are happening and the people progressing so well, the mission is still a challenge. It is hard, really hard. I think the biggest miracle and progress in a mission is the miracle and the progress that happens with in each of us as a missionary. I know that although things are hard, each of these challenges were arranged specifically for each of us in specific perfect way. I know that I would never have learned the things I have learned or grown the way I have grown if it wasn't for these specific challenges the Lord has given me. The only thing that holds me up is the support of my Lord. And that takes humility. In all we do, no matter what our circumstances, we are all tested of our faith which can only exist when we have humility. Whether our life may be easy, amazing, hard, worst thing ever, we are still tested of the same things. 

I think the true test in life is that, no matter what happens, no matter what circumstance or situation we are in, are we willing to be humble and exercise our faith to fulfill our duties of the time? Right now my duty is this mission in Hong Kong, in Kwun Tong, there is no excuses or exceptions as to why I am unable to fulfill my duty here right now. When my mission ends, I am to still accept the new duty as a member missionary and not dwell on the fact that I am not a missionary in Hong Kong anymore and lead me to not fulfill the new duty to its fullest. We need to be humbly be faithful to our duties. The Liahona of the last month helped me a lot in realizing this. Today, so many beloved missionaries finished their missions, including my beloved "step-mother" Sister Farr, and Sister Darcey who has been a great influence in my mission ever since my first week in Hong Kong. Sister Cheung who I admire so much and want to become like, and Sister Hsien such powerful encouraging missionary, and Sister Siddayao who has felt like a mother to me and helped me see the international side to Hong Kong and just opened my deep love for Philipean people. Today is also our moves day/transfers, and I am staying in Kwun Tong with 3 moves still left. Sister Cook will be moving to Aberdean and West Point. 

So many has happened, been happening lately, so many things I can't even begin to describe that are trying to break in and destroy my peace, So many drastic changes are happening and we all knew changes are coming soon, and there is so much mixed up emotions that draws me evermore close to my Lord. I want to fulfill His will for the people here. The work He has given me. I want to be pleasing to Him. In all the things that are happening everywhere, He is my anchor, my only hope, the only source of constant love and light that guides me. The only reason why I am still alive and here, the only reason I'll ever need. The only source of opinion that matters. And I gain it all from His Book of Mormon, through prayer, fasting, and His Spirit. I am so grateful to be a member of His sheep. I know that as I keep holding onto His light, I can't fall, can't fail, can't get lost. He is my everything.

He is the Love that I hope you all can feel today and always,

Sister Burningham

Kwun Tong 21

SO Much is happening and no time ever to tell it all,

but, wow, Kwun Tong is truly a special place with so many prepared people, so ready to be harvested, ,,,

The Twins, Annie and Luci passed their baptismal interview on Saturday and were baptized on Sunday!!!

And what is more,,, Suki also was prepared to be interviewed on Saturday so she did and she also passed, and was so excited!!!! So excited that she expressed how she even wants to be baptized the next day instead of waiting until the planned date of August 5th! And so we called everyone that would be affected by this last minute change/arrangement and no one had a problem! So we had an unexpected Suki's early baptism!!! It was truly a special Sunday! Annie and Lucy wrote their testimonies on a piece of paper and shared it after the baptism, they were so prepared and their testimony invited the Spirit so strong, several of us cried, their reason for being baptized is truly purely for their Savior Jesus Christ, it is so definitely apparent, and when they were being baptized the Spirit also flowed into the room and filled us all, we know this was a right decision for them, and a choice that is eternal. An eternal covenant, they have just entered on this road back to our Eternal Father, so so happy. Suki is also very strong, she is so happy and caring and loves the church so much. She had to move to a completely new apartment the past week and made many other sacrifices and changes so she can keep the commandments of God. She has already helped us fellowship and teach lessons before being baptized, always willing to help, and even looks after our recent converts and members. So fantastic.

We also found out why Hoi King couldn't come to church! She has had a surgery on her head/face! She didn't tell us because she was afraid we would worry her to death, which we pretty much already did because we couldn't get a hold of her and thought she was avoiding us for some not good reason, but she has told Sister Lee who used to serve with us as a summer missionary, and so we now know why. She will be coming to church this week, so we are looking forward to it very much.

We had so many miracles happen this week as well, we were also able to meet up with one of the moms in our childrens' English class to explain more of our purpose and she is willing to learn the Gospel! yay! Also the Mandarin Elders were also able to grab two mandarin speaking moms after the class and teach them!

Debby, Michelle's little sister is also preparing to be baptized on the 26th of August, she loves the church and is happier, is learning so much, and is growing in the gospel, and desires to join the family of the Lord. She has been keeping all of her commitments, and willing to keep the Word of Wisdom, loves and appreciates Joseph Smith so much, she really understands the importance of Restoration and knows this church is true. She reads the Book of Mormon, she is so prepared and Michelle is such a wonderful fellowshipper :)

Anyways Kwun Tong is doing very well!

I love you as always and miss you,

my prayers are with you every day,

hope you all are also coming closer to our Savior, remember Him.

Luvs,

Sister Lee

Wow, I haven't sent pictures home in a long time!

here comes loads!

 

     Suki and the Twins baptism:  Suki and the elders

     S. Cook, Suki, me, Becky Ng-suki's fellowshipper

      The Twins and Sister Law Poon: Luci, S.Law Poon, Annie

     Becky Ng-also their fellowshipper, S.Cook, Lucy, Annie, me

      Everyone together! E. Perry, E.Bingham, Luci, Annie, S.Cook, Suki, me, Becky Ng! 

     When we went to the temple 2 weeks ago:  Sister Cook and I 

Our zone sisters! In front: Sister Darcey, Sister Hinze, In back: S.Mercado, me, S.Clements, Sis.Wong, S.Cheung, S. Cook

,,,and

Cindy Wu, a member referral, we are teaching her English in her beautiful glamorous, very fancy palace looking apartment! Originally, there was only English interest, no interest in religion whatsoever. But, Cindy has now started to be in a habbit to pray as she studys! We will be meeting her mother soon who also is a great person and wants to improve her English, their family all speak Mandarin and we will let them meet the Mandarin speaking Elders soon!

This is also about 2 weeks ago when we visited Sarah, Sister Law Poon's daughter in the hospital, she is now all good and came back to church last Sunday with her whole family, including her non-member father! He has chosen to be baptized this month of August!!! Has been refusing for 12 ish years now and finally because he wants to be with his family forever he has chosen to be baptized!!! So Happy!!!!!!!!! Such awesome strong family!

Kwun Tong 20

Our new mission president, President Hawks came to our district meeting this monday! And taught us such a wonderful message about how we can teach families. He shared that when he himself was a missionary he baptized a family in Kwun Tong ward. He shared that he knows if we pray to be able to teach families, that we will be able to find and teach them. He shared those messages because he thought a lot about the common problems this mission faces: under 18 investigators not being able to be baptized because their parents do not give them a permission, or after baptism some converts can't go to church any longer because of their non-member family situations. He shared what kind of parents would we hope our investigators would have: those that don't care what their children do with their lives and just let them be baptized or whatever else, or those that actually care. He gave us a demonstration of how we can follow the Spirit to invite our investigators to let their parents know as early as possible about their interest in the Gospel (instead of bringing it up all of a sudden just before their baptism for their permission), and find opportunity to visit their parents/guardian to answer any questions and concerns that they have--which we appreciate--because we know that means they care about their children and want what is best for them.

So we have been praying for a family since then, and have been diligent and focused on our purpose in any teaching situations, whether it be English, Gospel, Guitar, anything. And it has felt so good to establish some expectations and be on the same page as some of our investigators. We know we can more confidently teach and share our messages with even more people now.

Annie and Lucy, I don't know if I have shared about them yet, they are twins, a turn over from Tai Po! :) They are preparing themselves to be baptized this Sunday! They are so amazing and special. When they were taught about the Word of Wisdom they were actually drinking Tea in front of us, then they were all like "we need to throw this away right now!" They were just taught about Sabbath Day and Law of Chastity about dressing modestly and they are willing to make those sacrifices to keep the Sabbath Day holy and take off extra earrings. They love Jesus Christ so much and that is their motif to everything!

Suki is also preparing to be baptized on the 5th of August! She is already making many changes to keep all the commandments! She has just opened up to us about how she has actually been getting anti-ed by everyone lately but she doesn't care nor believe them because she knows we are all good people and feels happy at church. She has told us this because lately we have been concerned about Hoi King who has gone to mainland and so we haven't been able to see nor talk to her for 3 weeks, and just two days ago was able to talk to her on the phone and something seemed different about her. She won't open up to us about all the reasons but said that she won't be seeing us until the 5th of August on Suki's baptism. It is really strange because she is also preparing to serve as a summer missionary this summer yet she hasn't been praying nor reading the scriptures. Suki isn't even baptized yet and she is already trying to help Hoi King to come back, we are so grateful for her strength and love.

Christy is really in tune with the Spirit, we weren't able to teach a full Restoration message with her yet because of lack of time, but she felt so uncomfortable and bad attending other christian churches to see some of their leaders lately, she never wants to go back, she didn't know why she felt so different, seeing that they are all Christian churches, but after hearing about the Restoration she now just wants to quit her job now and come to church on Sunday as soon as possible. She has some fears because basically all of her associates and friends do not like our church, but she loves God more so she is willing to give it all up: her home--she is moving out, her friends, her job, everything. Just so that she can be happy in His love.

We are praying hard and diligently for many people here. We love them all so very much.

Kwun Tong is such a special place. It is a very humbling place. What is more humbling is that, the Lord's grace and mercy is so indescribably overwhelming, we really do not deserve all the miracles and success we are having here. We as missionaries, are not perfect either, and I feel in Kwun Tong more than any other place that I am really utilizing the Atonement like our investigators are. We are all coming closer to Him together, and I guess that is what I love most about Kwun Tong. As we are humbled together, God is lifting us all higher together. These people are so precious to me, so so precious.

A quick news: A-Yan from Macau, me and Sister Wong's convert is now serving as a teacher in Relief Society in Macau Branch! and she is also serving as a summer missionary this month!!

Also, A-Yih, Mandy and Angel's Aunt that Sister Farr and I taught together just got baptized last Sunday!!! These news made me even more joyous beyond belief. :'D

Loves to you all as always,

Sister Burningham!

P.S. In English Class an investigator told us there was a pretty big shooting that happened in Colorado, I hope everyone is safe and well, my thoughts and prayers are especially with Jayne and her family. Hope all is well.

Kwun Tong 19

hello everyone!

I hope you are all doing wonderful!

Did I write about our new mission president yet?

We have a new mission president, President Hawks and his wife Sister Hawks,

and President Hawks used to be a BYU Provo professor/faculty/manager/director, something in the Computer engineering dept,,, and he knows my animation faculties!!! :D Because I am not a native and don't have to speak Cantonese to communicate with him I haven't had the opportunity to hear his cantonese yet but from the native missionaries I heard his cantonese is great! He has served in Hong Kong as a missionary back when he was 19! Anyways we are excited to see what kind of things will happen in his leadership.

Today was our zone's temple day! It seemed so so long ago since last temple day, then I remember how privileged we are to even go to the temple almost every move! many missions don't get such an opportunity. The Lord really knew how much I needed the temple in my mission and in life, so he blessed me with the opportunity to serve in Hong Kong! Wow, this Sunday is my 13 month mark in my mission, time is very precious, I can't even begin to describe,,,

I am so grateful for my mission so far. I am so grateful for my Lord. He knows what I must become and He is with me all the way through to help me as I strive my best.

Kwun Tong is going well, very very well! Suki is progressing towards her baptismal date of August 5! And the twins, we have investigators Annie and Lucy and they are twins, they also want to be baptized very much, they are progressing towards 29th of July!   

Christy, a former investigator we re-found through our girls' night activity, is thirsting, hungering for the gospel and she will quit her job at the end of her contract and start coming to church on sundays to be ready to be baptized by the 9th of September! and Mona, who is also a former investigator that has never progressed before, made it to church for the first time and ended up staying for 3 whole hours instead of 45 minutes she previously said was all she could stay for! She loved church so much! She also really needs to hear the Plan of Salvation if she would let us have opportunity to teach! We had 3 investigators get Anti-ed the past week together, one of their mothers told her she couldn't come back to church ever! but the other two sought us out to talk to us about it, they were so confused. We had a big lesson on prayer and Holy Ghost and finding answers, they were very in tune and focused more than ever, and promised to continue to pray so they can find their own answer from God and not from other people. They are both gone to Mainland this week for summer (many of our investigators are going to mainland for summer vacation,,,,) and so we are hoping and praying they won't forget what they have felt and to pray and to read the scriptures. they promised to come back and learn more as long as one of us is still serving in Kwun Tong. little nerve racking but I know if they do their part and we do ours, all will work out :)

It is a miracle how much I am still able to wake up on time every morning, truly a miracle the Lord has given me. I know all the things I am able to do and accomplish here are all because of the Lord. So truly honored to be used as His instrument.

I have been in Kwun Tong for a while now and people are starting to say that I will be transferred, I want to give all I can to Kwun Tong before I have to go,

I love Kwun Tong. It is so so special.

God be with you all,

loves,

sister lee

Kwun Tong 18

Wow, I don't know what to say, so much is happening, so many people are coming closer to the Lord,

So humbled to be called on the Lord's errand here in Kwun Tong to be used as His tool to help these souls come unto Christ.

Debby, our recent convert's little sister brought her friend Christine to go to Sports Night with us on Friday!!!

We taught about prayer and had our two other recent converts Ying Ying and Cassandra share their testimony of prayer. Then they both were willing to pray, so we had two "closing prayer"s! And they were so heart felt and sincere prayers! Debby especially expressed how she had been doubtful about prayer and everything but "as I really did pray to you, I felt that there really was someone who listens, very close by me, with me, and understands me and my feelings, and it leads me to want to learn and listen more, so please help me know you more I am willing to see these missionaries, to learn more truth." I am so grateful for how open they each are with their prayers and to let us hear them, take glimpse into their heart. I feel so trusted and honored to hear their prayers.

Suki prayed and chose a baptismal date!! She wants to be baptized on August 5th!! She is so amazing! So special, ha, she is so child-like, so pure and honest and simple. Though she has big issue she first need to take care of before her baptism, she isn't stressed out at all about it and is willing to communicate with the parties involved to resolve them nomatter how hard or complicated it may be! She really wants to be baptized and establish an eternal family in the temple.

On Sunday we had 7 people come to church! and not only that, our neighbor investigator that we teach, Susanna, invited us to her Sunday family dinner,,,,

,,,where we met her entire extended family!!!!! :O

there were her parents, her husband and kids, her brother and sister, and their wife/husband and kids!! The three families eat together every Sunday (we turned down the offer of beer, lol)  and liked us missionaries so much(I don't know why really) that they invited us to come again next sunday and eat with them! 

I am so excited for the future of Kwun Tong, there are so many potential domino rows ready to start, we are really entrusted with so much and we are working very hard and doing the best we have ever done to take on all this!

Got to go now, but so much gratitude!!!!

Loves, 

Sister Burningham

Kwun Tong 17

Last week's miracles were overwhelming, we had five people show up to church! I have never seen so many in my whole mission so far!! So we got to grab members to go on splits to different rooms afterwards and teach some of them after church!

And we have been given overwhelming amound of new investigators and the Lord really has been blessing us with so many teaching pool for our Summer Missionaries it seems!

I know I don't deserve even the half of all the blessings and miracles we are experiencing right now, it really humbles me, this really is the Lord's work.

Last Sunday we also had planned a Consecrated Finding time from 3 to 5 from our weekly planning, and we felt a bit confused because we had already so many new investigators more than we could handle, and was even debating if we were willing to still go even though we "don't need it", I feel very hurt or sad from even having that thought come across, I repented,,Of COURSE the Lord still wants us to go and has planned something specific for us in that time. We are so quick to forget and be weakened in faith. Anyways,

we planned to go finding in Kowloon Bay during that time and we prayed together to seek the Lord's forgiveness and seek His comfort and confirmation to still go finding, Then, He gave us a prompting: Michelle lives in Kowloon Bay, why don't you go visit her and perhaps you will meet her little sister?

I was very excited and nervous at that thought during the prayer, we have been wanting to meet Michelle, who is a recent convert, her non-member little sister for many weeks and it just never worked, she wouldn't come to meet us for any activities or anything. But we told Michelle about our prompting, she then immediately called home to ask her little sister who IS home if that's ok. She said that she would be bringing some people home for surprise. :)

Then Hoi King said we should also visit her home and meet her family, who still doesn't know she has been baptised and she had been avoiding to let them know because they would be very upset to find out. But she has got a job this past week that required her to work on some Sundays and if she were to quit her family will have to know why. But we fasted with her on Sunday--all four of us missionaries. And she talked to her boss again and he didn't have problem of giving her sundays off in addition to the two weeks she already has asked for days off for when she becomes a summber missionary!!!

So we split, me and my summer missionary sister Yam went with Michelle, and then Sister Cook and her summer missionary sister Lee were going to go with HoiKing when the phone rang and Suki wanted to come see us now! So we decided to go ahead and they could stay and teach Suki and go over to Hoi King's later.

So when we visited Michelle's home, her little sister was there, and despite her big interest in Korea and our excitements to meet her, she was very shy? or anti-social about it all and just walked into her room and shut the door, we then just stood there wondering "Dim Syun" like,, "what now? What do we do?" Then she came back out and I just straight forward told her I am here to meet and get to know her and we had her sit with me and we just talked, or, she didn't want to talk so I talked and she listened,,,

But, something amazing happened, she started to ask really good questions, she loves to read and she seems like a thinker, and asked some deep questions that Michelle being a recent convert didn't know how to answer. But we answered them through the plan of Salvation and invited her to learn more. Because God loves us nomatter who we are or what we do. and always is inviting us to learn of His truth so we can have answers and peace and assurance and guidance in this life and eternal happiness in the next life. And I asked her if she would be willing to learn of it herself, and meet with us missionaries and she said yes. She even agreed to come to Sports Night on Friday evening and is even bringing a friend! We are so excited!!!!!!!! And by this time she finally let me know what her English name was! She was unwilling to let us know for some reason,, and so her name is Debby and we are very excited for her, and for Michelle, and for the Lord!!! So looking forward to Friday :) :)

Anyways, it was really a miracle, that Consecrated finding we plan during our weekly planning with the Lord really is true, and if we are faithful to it we will really be blessed. That meeting with Debby lasted exactly 3 to 5. In Kowloon Bay. We knew we had to go to Kowloon Bay at 3 to 5 and find someone, and we really did!

Mission is so full of miracles like this, but I sometimes wonder and believe, it's not that there are more miracles in the mission than anyother time in our life, maybe that's true, but I believe that it really is happening every day anywhere and everywhere, it all just simply depends on our planning and learning to recognize them more.

I love the Lord so much, and I wish I could help everyone know how Awesome He is, and share all these miracles with everyone,

well, I must go now, but I love you all so very much,

always,

Sister Burningham

     Girls' Night Even Bigger Success than the last!!! (another miracle I didn't have time to tell)

    Our wonderful Summer Missionaries finished their two weeks yesterday, we will really       miss them :')

Kwun Tong 16

Wow, we've been having so many miracles with our summer missionaries! Being able to see investigators that has dissapeared for quite sometime has come back and especially our new investigators May and A-Miu!!!

they are both missionary contacts from other areas in Hong Kong whose numbers other missionaries have given us to contact, and it was so hard to get a hold of them and this week we saw them both!!! And especially May (who was an English interest referral) just texted us out of nowhere and said she wanted to come to our church on Sunday and we met her at church and she is an awesome investigator with pure desire to know the truth!! And I love Suki, and Mona, and so many miracles!! Hopefully I can write about them more next week because I really got to go now!

Love you all, sorry this was so brief today but enjoy the pictures!! :D

Sister Lee

    With my summer missionary! the Brother and Sister Ho took us missionaries to a restaurant for dinner!

   With K-K, a Young Woman in our Kwun Tong Ward, she left last week for school in Oregan, USA, we will miss her!

    With Hoi King, before her baptism at Picasso museum on P-Day.

 

    Picasso Muesum

   With Sister Law-Poon, she is our Thai member, she is totally awesome, and so is her conversion story!! This is the day she treated us missionaries (Elders with their summer missionaries then) out for lunch!

   one of our Kwun Tong member Granny Ho

  

  When we visited her she has a pet parrot!! and I was fascinated, until its eyes zoomed in and out creepily at me, but it was just getting ready to fly and jump up onto my shoulders--not to poke my eye out xD......................                                                it jumped upon my shoulder, pretty excited because birds are my fav. animals!  

Kwun Tong 15 - YEAR MARK

So much to write about and so little time, today has been busy!

We have a pair of summer missionaries starting today!!! We picked them up this morning and dragged them both throughout our P-day errands and they are both dead tired, feel bad, but, They are so wonderful!! I can't wait to see what kind of miracles we will be experiencing these following two weeks!!!

So,

First of all, 2 weeks ago on Tuesday we met our new investigator Hoi King, who now has an english name of Parley. The Kowloon Zone sisters introduced us to her because she lives in Kowloon Bay which is part of Kwun Tong Ward. She has been to church in Kowloon Ward for three weeks with her friend from school so far and wants to become a missionary, and we met together to help her smoothly transfer to the ward she belongs. That following friday we were weekly planning where we realized every investigator whom we wanted to give a baptismal date to, when we prayed about them, we both felt like they should be baptized on the 17th of June, which is only a little over a week away. So we decided that Heavenly Father wants us to have someone baptized on that specific date but no one was ready. However, because the feeling was so sure we made that goal of one baptism for the coming new week. Then we planned specically who and how we can prepare each of possible investigators to meet that baptismal goal. Then the next day was my birthday and we couldn't get a hold of anyone yet still, then Hoi King just walked into the church with her guitar!! We taught her and asked about her feeling towards baptism, she said she wanted to be baptized as soon as she can, she said she really wanted to be baptized. She happily accepted her baptism date of 17th and we were all in awe.  The following week was very challenging week, the opposition from Satan is strong of course, but God is stronger. Michelle who also lives in Kowloon Bay fellowshipped the following lesson, and Carry who is also a recent convert bore the most strongest recent convert testimony to Hoi King for her baptismal interview questions review questions, which not only helped Hoi King, but also Carry to really solidify her previous shaking testimony and rid of any doubts she has previously has had recently. Through prayer and fasting and doing our best, the concerns that arose during the following week was resolved, the week was truly miraculous and it's sad I won't be able to describe how incredible and miraculous it had been. Everything worked out and Hoi King was baptized Sunday the 17th! It was very faith testing week, it was difficult to discern where the source of our impressions and feelings were coming from, but I can't begin to describe how amazing the week was.

Second of all, Suki, our investigator learning English with us wants to be baptized! She also came to church that sunday and stayed not only the 3 hours but Hoi King's baptism too! She kept asking, "when I'm baptized..." questions!!! We really didn't expect her faith to grow so fast! She used to be so hesitant in having Christian influence, but now she loves it, and said she will definitely come again next week! She also participated in Family Home Evening the next day and loved it, asked us to invite her to more of these activities! She is starting to hunger the gospel it is SO Exciting!!!

Out of time, but those two, (three including Carry's solid testimony) has been the biggest blessing and miracle of the week, I am extremely happy and so overwhelmed with joy!! Tomorrow, I will have served my mission for exactly a year, it's all going by SO SO FAST!!!!! There are so many miracles God wants us to have faith to see, and so many people to bring unto Christ, I can't waste a single moment, and I am truly growing in ways that is perfect for me, the way of the Lord, and my faith is growing and my confidence is starting to bloom. I hope to continue to trust and follow the promptings of the Lord, I am so grateful that He trusts us so so much. He is truly so so great.

I love you all, time is over, but I hope you all could feel at least a little bit of the spirit of the week I had!

God be with you, Loves!!!!

Sister Lee!

    suki, sister cook, hoi king, me

                       me, elder ho, hoi king, sister cook

    me, suki, michelle, hoi king, sister cook

Today for our one year mark, our MTC District met together again and ate together at the Indian Buffet to "celebrate", It felt really good to see them all together again, wow, we really have come so far in Hong Kong, I felt like some-sort-of-home somehow being with these silly bunch :) far left next to me is my summer missionary companion Sister Yam!!! :)

Kwun Tong 14

I had the best birthday of my life last week, thank you all so much again, and most of all, thank Heavenly Father so so much.

Ah, SO MUCH has happened since I last wrote, I guess it's like that every week, so sad I never have enough time to write about it all,

Suki, the girl a little older than us that we met in our favorite restaurant in Kwun Tong by eating there--she's a waitress there--has been doing incredibly well! She didn't know ANY English to start with but she has been progressing already in 3 weeks? And she has no background in Christianity but has started praying and has been feeling the peace and happiness and good feeling from it, and has been asking questions that we are actually teaching her the gospel much faster paced than we'd originally thought we would! We last saw her yesterday with Sister Becky Ng, our member friend who has fantastic English, and she prayed with us by the end to find out if God exists and hears her prayers, the Spirit was strong as she prayed, we could feel of God's love. Afterwards she said that she is feeling something very special she hasn't felt before, and stayed kneeling for a while. It was really special to experience that with her,,

As for my Birthday, it became more of a birthday week and it was so Awesome, SO MANY Miracles!!! One of which is still continuing, we are looking forward to its results, I will know by next week so I'll tell you all about it next week, SO EXCITED!!! :') Oh and the members even prepared a surprise lunch for me that day and one sweet recent convert Michelle even cooked Seaweed Soup!! It was really so special, I felt very very loved and thought about, so so grateful that day,,!!

One of the recent converts Carry is doing better than before, we have been quite worried about her lately but as we saw and talked to her last time the spirit guided our conversation, it was so so gooood!! I also was able to draw a picture of Savior for her, hopefully it will continue to help her.

Yesterday's miracle is so incredible, the two mothers that Elder Ho and Bingham and their Summer Missionaries contacted last week brough 6 other mother friends with them to this newly started childrens' English class!! there were so many kids it was quite overwhelming when the two mothers we scheduled to teach English to their kids showed up to church with what it seemed like an army of mothers and kids! And it went smoothly and well, the kids loved the class! We shared about prayer, and they were so good with it! And so now we have established our weekly Childrens' English Class by Study and by Faith! We are excited to see what kinds of fruits would come from all this, we are definitely going to find members to help us in the class as well! So Excited!

Anyways, time is almost over, but I also wanted to add on really quick, Happy Father's Day!!! I can't believe it's already been a year since last Father's Day when I gave my departing mission talk, time really does go by so fast! And I am so happy that my relationships with both my Heavenly Father and Earthly Father has improved since my mission even when I am away from home! I love them both even more now, miss them both very much, but feel like they are near me, Can't wait until Father's Day really comes on Sunday! It will be a Great Day!!! :D And I may also add that I really love and appreciate my companion Sister Cook!

Loves always and forever :D

Sister Burningham

Kwun Tong 13

Wow,, I have received the birthday present on tuesday and just today I watched it,

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!! It meant so much for me to hear all your voices!

I am very blessed to have such thoughtful parents and friends, I would never be able to thank the Lord enough for this huge blessing.

The past week has also been such amazing week full of miracles, including JENNY CAME TO CHURCH!!!!! AND STAYED SMILING THE WHOLE TIME!!! I was SO happy!!! Now we just need to keep this continuing, she pulled out a picture I drew her of her sitting on the lap of Jesus Christ and she keeps it in her wallet and shows it to me everytime she sees it, I know it has been the quest on her part to come to church, we hope to keep her coming!

Also there's one particular miracle that I would like to share, On Tuesday we went on another Consecrated Finding (where we decide on the day and time and place to go finding--China Hong Kong Mission way of doing tracting--in advance in our weekly planning and don't let any other appointments replace it because we dedicated that time to the Lord and the Lord wants us to be out finding during those hours) and we saw a boy about our age who we felt that we should talk to but was hesitant because he Is our age and it might be a little awkward having two sisters contact a guy, but when we started talking to him the first question he asked us was if we were from Utah in English. And it turns out, his name is John Wong, he was born in Hong Kong, grew up in Hawaii and went to BYU Hawaii and has a girlfriend in BYU Provo whose whole family is member of The Church and lives in Hong Kong and she wants to serve a mission, and he is a Seventh Day Advantist who has been through the Marines for 3 years and has so many similar interests and personality as Sister Cook, and knows our District Leader Elder Cuevas from the Marines while serving in Afghanistan!!! He is now traveling the world and Hong Kong is his first stop. And when we bore our testimony the Spirit was very strong, and we bore testimony and shared our process of how we chose to come finding there not knowing exactly why. We exchanged numbers although there's a great chance his dying phone won't survive and at least a good word of "see you again in Provo after mission". And it did not end there, when we told Elder Cuevas about him it was a very special miraculous experience, because Elder Cuevas remembers him and has had a deep conversation about God back in the Marines and John told him that there was a reason why he met him and had the conversation. Elder Cuevas then didn't see him again and he even thought that he had died there. And we prayed together for him and cried, because, we felt an overwhelming feeling of having found our long lost brother. We haven't been able to get a hold of him since, his phone has died, and it doesn't help that he had planned to travel to Taiwan next, um, Today! But we know that that meeting was inspired and arranged by God. We feel so much love for John, he's been on both of our minds since and it is another testament that God is really so aware of us all individually and the fact that He could arrange things so specific as tuesday's meeting and how much us 3 all needed that meeting to turn to our God more, I am just continually overwhelmed by how grateful I am to my God, how much I love Him. This experience also reminded me of Zen Zang, he never replied to my email I sent with President Chan's permission, but I feel the Spirit's comfort that I have done my part that God wanted in their road to find Him. I really hope I can see the fruit of both instances among many in my life time, but I know that I will definitely see it in our glorious family reunion in the Kingdom of God after this life. I am grateful to get at least the glimpse of that eternal fullness of joy, I am so happy with my mission and so grateful. And although I am so happy and blessed, it amazes me how much I am still growing and learning, especially from Sister Cook. She is a truly amazing teacher and I am infinitely blessed to have her as my companion.

Time is up and I got to go, but I love you all so very much, thank you so much for the birthday wishes again, the mission is also making sure it's not forgotten as well haha :)

Loves always

Sister Burningham!