4-05-15

Happy Easter!

復

So, things are going good here. This last week had its ups and its downs, but nothing to unusual. We woke up each day, did our studies, then went out and did what us missionaries do. The only difference, though, is the heat. The past three and a half months haven't been too bad, but now it is beginning to kick in, and you can really feel it. And, of course, it is very, very humid. I've begun to call it The Stick. It seems that no matter what you do, the instant you begin to move around your entire body becomes sticky. It's quite fun.

Much of the time it has been cloudy/smoggy, and the sun gets stuck behind it all, so the worst is fended off. But sometimes the clouds clear and the blue sky comes through and the sun bakes you like an episode with the Kranks at their sun-tanning salon. 

It's not too bad when you're talking to people and simply standing or sitting, but once you start walking you feel like a fish in a Straight Jacket. Your shirt sticks to your body instead of moving freely like it should and your collar tries to strangle you and you have to wipe the sweat from your face, but every time you touch it, it just gets worse. 

So yah, all in all it's quite the adventure. One good thing, though; we can now use the AC at night! Last night was the best night of my life. Before, because I sleep on the top bunk, it's been really hot and the floor fans never blow on me, or the other top-bunk-elder in our apartment. But, now that we can turn the AC on, it blows right on us and it got cool enough that I could actually sleep with a blanket! 

As for Easter, not much happens here in Hong Kong. It's not one of those Holidays that they celebrate very much. Essentially, Easter for them is really a five day holiday, like Labor Day, which begins the Friday before and goes until Tuesday. Most people get off work and so the streets are packed full of all of the Filipinas and the Indonesians who don't have to take care of the kids or the old peoples. Finding people to teach is difficult. But, such is life.

We had a great miracle happen just this last week. It all started with a phone call from the Zone Leaders. They asked Elder Barker if he was prepared for a trail of his faith. He thought that meant that he was being transferred or something of that sort, but no, he's still my companion. In any case, he answered and they proceeded to explain that they, under the direction of President Hawks, were extending the challenge to have someone baptized on the eighteenth of April, which just happens to be this month. They had been thinking about our current investigators and who was most likely, and the one that came up is Bro. Yau.

Bro. Yau is a very humble seventy-year old man who is retired. He has no religious background, and learns very, very slowly. Up until this point we had made good progress with him and he was accepting the things that we were teaching him, but we both knew that baptism was a long ways away. But, with this challenge extended, we gave it some serious thought, and decided that it was what we needed to do. 

We actually had previously scheduled to meet with Bro. Yau that very day, only a few hours after the call, which made it all the more amazing. But as we went to teach him, I, myself, was struggling to banish the doubts from my mind and allow my faith to work. I couldn't see how we could possibly extend such an invitation, and how, if it was accepted, he could possibly meet the goal. To me, there was just no way. But, we put our faith in God, and ended up teaching the best lesson we've ever taught together. Not only just in the way that we had the spirit and we were teaching according to his needs and using analogies and examples, but also in the fact that things around us seemed to be aiding in current needs. 

We invited him to be baptized, and he accepted, saying that it makes sense and he wants to follow God. Then we invited him to prepare himself to receive baptism on the eighteenth. Of course, he was shocked and stated that it was far too fast and just not possible. But at that moment the smog parted and the sun shone through right on us and we bore simple and powerful testimony that this was what God wanted him to do and that if he would accept this date we would do all we could to help him, and that God would prepare a way. 

Now, he's scheduled for the eighteenth.

I suppose it was a bit of a shock to us to have our faith tested so much and to receive a miracle so fast, but, it happened, and we are very excited.

My Family - I don't have much time left. Can't send pictures because we were originally going to the Apple Store again because all the libraries were closed today, so I didn't take my SD Card Adapter, (you can plug the card right into the fancy computers at the Apple Store.) But then, turns out that the library really is open and so now I don't have any way to send pictures. 

In any case, I'm doing fine and hope things are going good with you all. I'm loving the mission, despite The Stick and the language and all the other little things that make it difficult. But then, better this way than the easy way that gets you no where. Easter was really weird being that there was no celebration at all. Well, I did get to eat a cupcake, but that was about it. 

I have written a few letters already, but there is just so little time to sit down and do things like that. I'm going to try to get them sent out sometime this week, or perhaps next P-Day. But, as soon as possible. 

Just know that I'm safe and healthy and although I might die of hypoburnia, it will be alright in the end :D

Love you all and have a good week!

I just realized that I forgot to finish writing out Happy Easter in Chinese characters. That first one is "Fuhk," which is the first character in the word "Resurrection," Happy Easter being "Happy Resurrection Day!" 

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