I got a haircut!

"I got a new haircut"

We have been so blessed this week with new investigators, referrals, baptismal dates. Sister ___and ___are still set for the 18th of October but of course have their own difficulties and schedules we need to work with. Sister ____ and ___ we haven't taught this week, although they came to church. we are excited to teach them soon about Joseph Smith and how he can be their great example of taking truths he had learned growing up and acting on them. We are excited to show her how the gospel can more fully enhance the principles she has already treasured and made a part of her life by learning about other religions. ___ needs so many prayers because she is sooooo ready to have the gospel in her life and has such sincere real intent.

Sometimes Sister Taylor and I get kind of stressed over all the things we are missing or just running back and forth from. This week has been a lot better and we have both committed to enjoying our time a bit more. I'm just really super grateful for her and her friendship. I can tell she really cares about me.

Last Wednesday we did companion exchanges with the Sister Training Leaders. I don't know if you remember Sister Chan from the MTC but she came to serve with me in Kwai Fong. She is one of the most Christlike people I know and truly emulates His example and love. I learned so much from her and especially love talking to her about how we can more fully accept and embrace all of the blessings that the Atonement gives us. It seems that sometimes we are prone to holding up an umbrella over our heads which could represent fear, doubts, unworthiness, or pride. If we just decide to close the umbrella and let Heavenly Father shower the blessings on us that we need to be happy. She also talked about the difference she saw in me from when she first lived with me in the Kwai Fong apartment at the beginning of my mission. It was really nice and quite a spiritual experience talking to her about it. I will forever be grateful for her. (see link to talk below)

We are now teaching a family!!! The ___ Family. The reason why they are a family is because the father/husband just passed away from cancer a few months ago. So it is a mom and her ten year old daughter, ___, and her 15 yr old son, ___. (that is the english name I would pick  too if I was from HK) They are actually a member referral and have been super solid in coming to church for three whole weeks. They are going through a very difficult time and I can tell how much their father's death just weighs on the kids. Please pray for them.

Last but certainly not least, we bumped into ____my previous investigator yesterday!!!! So happy to see her and we rescheduled her for this week!!!! We also rescheduled Sister ___ and ___ but she is too busy working night and day. 

Sounds like you guys are doing great. I can't believe I will be home in three months. Time flies by but also has felt like 5 years sometimes haha. I hope that I can more selflessly serve this last part of my mission and make Heavenly Father proud of my service in Hong Kong. Thank you for all your love and support.

My fav script of the week is Mosiah 2 King Benjamin is my hero and totally understands the concept of charity. I invite you all to take a look!! 

Love you all,

Sista Ha

PS. Cliff bars would be awesome!!! Or any kind of granola.

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/10/living-the-gospel-joyful?lang=eng

Corn is Sister Ha's favorite food!

This is a sign one of the new converts brought to church.  If we could all keep our enthusiasm for finding Jesus Christ.
LOVE IT!!!!

Sister Chan

Beautiful fashion in Hong Kong

This is a blog kept by Sister Hadley's family to let family and friends keep up with what/how she is doing as she serves a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  

DRAGON FRUIT, MY FAV!

This week we've seen soo many small miracles that really have meant a lot to both Sister Taylor and I. That is why I look so tired in this pic of the week. We go literally non stop. I  need MORE ENERGY!! Maybe its best not to put this pic on the blog.

The best miracle was Sister ____ accepting her baptismal date on the 18th of Oct. So soon!! It was totally led by the spirit because in our lesson yesterday she told us she herself had actually been looking at her calendar thinking about which day would be best for baptism. Its her time!!! We just need to work real hard and help her avoid any kind of setbacks or temptations that she may run into these next few weeks. We are having different ward members contact her each day. Any other suggestions. Thank you so much for your advice on her in this week's emails. I just need to translate that into Chinese bwaha. The weird thing is, the tides have kind of turned a bit. Because now ____is saying that he wants to look into other religions before accepting baptism. ha he's such a cutie:) I think it should be all good but we do need to address the concern. Please pray for them. They may be a big part of why I came back.

 

Our less active, ____, who was such an awesome active member and good friend of mine when I served here last year, is coming back to church.  In testimony meeting yesterday at the end of bearing her testimony she says " I'm back brothers and sisters. Name of Jesus Christ amen." haha its so ____.

 

This week we totally slammed our goals!! We only had about three numbers left and totally met almost all of the others that we set last week. I've never done that before but we have been working soo hard to do so. Sister Taylor is the hardest working missionary I've ever met but she does it in a loving way. She is da beeest as Nacho would say.

 

I fasted yesterday for _____ because I literally have no idea what to do about her. 

 

Love you all. You all look great. Sophia, stay on the outskirts of the dance floor please. no middle. George, behave yourself. I found your Asian doppelganger this week!! haha he is as sassy as you are too.

Thanks for the baby pics, Ar.

 Thanks for taking care of Rachel.

Do missionary work.

I love you.

Sista Ha

 

One of the best parts of this week was being able to see my previous investigators at church, Sister ___and little (not so little anymore) ____!! It was so great to see that they are still investigating the church. ____has been ready since the first day we found them. We had a lesson with them after church and he is just like a little angel. Everything he says you can tell is really coming from his heart. Even simple statements like, "Because I know Jesus is real." We can tell that what he says affects Sister ____ and hopefully she can overcome some of her fears about joining the church ( giving up buhddism). I think she is scared that baptism is just going to completely change her identity and get rid of all the many other things that are a part of her and her growing up.

 

Sister Taylor and I have been soo excited to work with the members in this ward. We made an awesome plan that just basically consists of building a rock solid relationship with each member and it has been working so far so good. Any suggestions? What have the missionaries done in our ward that helps you build your trust in them? 

 

"Here is Hope" is a song that I sang at our last zone training meeting and in the lesson with Sister Jeung and Sam. The verses are very meaningful to me:

"He who healed our sorrows, here was bruised and broken,

He whose love no end knows

He was forsaken, left all alone.

Here despair cries boldly, claiming this its victory,

Sweeter peace unfolds me.

Hope did not die here, but here was given.

Here is hope.

 

He who was rejected, He knows well my longing,

He so long expected

Carried our burdens, bore every sorrow.

Here is hope. And ours is the victory.

Here is hope."

It is from "The Lamb of God" if you want to look it up.

 

_____ is an investigator that Sister Kartchner and I found sitting on a bench one day. Sister ___ is super golden awesome. But her husband has a lot against Christianity. Apparently some christian in some place offended him one day or something? 

Anyways, we gave her a baptismal date of Oct. 18 if you could please pray for her. She has to get an operation before then so doesn't know if she can, but nonetheless set the goal.

____ is another investigator that Sister Kartchner and I called up one day.  Wow, she has changed a lot though! The gospel does amazing things. she has a bap date for oct and a quit smoking date for this week. Pray for her please.

 

More about Sister Taylor:

She is from Alpine Utah. She has six older brothers and one older sister, all of whom have served full time missions. Her parents are currently serving as senior couple missionaries in South Africa. She played on Celtic Storm soccer club team. She works really hard and we are both exhausted.

 

I love youall. Share the gospel this week. And tell Amanda Happy B-day. I am writing her a letter.

Sister Hadley

 

PS I wanted your advice on teaching people with learning/mental/physical disabilities . Seems these days we have A LOT of those kind of investigators. 

 I am now back in my baby area Kwai Fong and it has just been the biggest blessing ever! Sister Taylor, i have gone on exchanges with her, is just the best missionary and is such a sweet humble and kind, loyal friend to me. We are very similar and both want to serve so badly. She works so hard too! And we literally talk and teach every one within sight. We have already seen soooo many miracles and it is just the absolute BEST being with her!!!!! I can be the missionary I have always wanted to be and Heavenly Father knows I can be when I am with her, so yes Dad you're right, these next months will be full of joy and blessings. I was welcomed back into my ward with the most loving arms. Haha I am even crying writing about it now. I didn't think they would remember me but the night that we went to go clean the church, nobody had yet heard i was back. They were blown away and just gave me the biggggest squeezy hugs ever!!! I just felt so remembered and loved. Not only that, but soooo many of the people I had found and taught while I was serving here before are now investigating. I have had the amazing opportunity to see the seeds I have planted here as a missionary that really had no idea what she was doing but was nonetheless being led by a loving Father in Heaven. 

Just about the bestest thing happened this week. I was talking with another
member at a stake relief society activity when I heard someone behind me
shout "Ha Ji Muih!!!" I turned around to see a most happy, glowing, and
beautiful Sister ___ from Kwai Fong my first area. When Sister Kartchner
and I were there we helped her come back to the gospel and become
reactivated. You wouldn't even believe what the gospel has done for her.
She is like a new person now. I was so happy I almost cried. She gave me a
big squeezy hug and sat by me and we talked. Really she was just glowing
with light I was so surprised I forgot how to speak chinese! haha...later
that night looking back on it, I truly felt the happiness that the prophets
and apostles talk about achieving when laboring among Heavenly Father's
children. It very real and at that moment, everything was again..all worth
it:)) 

 ____ is doing pretty well. We taught her forgiveness this week and have
been assigning her to do little acts of service like sitting by a member
who had just had surgery this week at church. She calls me gungjai, which
is like a little doll or something haha.

 _____is super golden awesome. We are going to give her a baptismal date
this week. She asks great questions and has expressed to us that she is
already beginning to truly feel God's reality and existence in her life. 

 We are teaching a less active sister named Sister _____. she is just about
the cutest little grandma ever and when she hugs me she just nestles her
head right under mine. She is so tiny!! She brought a friend to church this
Sunday as well. We have a lot of little grandmas that we teach
who absolutely know they need to come to church.  

 You all look great and I'm so glad you got to see little Penny Lane's baby
blessing. I love the pictures, but you're all changing too quickly!! Just
wait 'til I get home pleasssse!!

 P.S. I'm just really nervous for moves calls.
Please Please Please pray for me.  everything is okay as long as we have the gospel. right? My
favorite scripture this week Alma 37:44-46 Bom is da bomb.

PPS Phiphs you are gonna be the queeen of Skyline!! Don't worry about the
bagged rats they only give those out on Tuesdays. Just be your awesome self and
be an example of Christ. 

 PPPS George: As Thumper says " If you can't date girls that are not
emotional messes, don't date at all.:)" 

 PPPPS Aria and Penny, I love the cute little scrapbook pictures you sent!
Thank you so much for keeping in touch and letting me be a part of your
lives all the way across the world. 

 See yall in four

Monkey Mountain.  Well, at least she is taller than the monkeys.

This week has been a nice break with lots of meetings and companion exchanges.

President Gong, area president of the Asian missions came and spoke to us for mission conference and mission tour. so basically mission tour is just when they have cool leaders like that come speak. big news is that by next April Hong Kong is going to add two more stakes. There are four at the moment. Way cool!! It was fun to be with other missionaries.

Compin with the Kartchner was literally the biggest fresh of breath air. It was so needed and was a huge blessing to me. We taught a lot together and I got to see what an absolutely amazing missionary she has become. talked a lot about my companionship and she gave me some good advice. Man, I just love that sister!!!

Last monday I literally got dissed like three times by some sassy old ladies telling me how bad my skin was and that I need to take a shower once I get home. haha good thing I'm used to how blundt they are here.

___is our new awesome investigator.  Kwai Fong sisters found her for us. She came to church with us and is totally great! She is super smart and wants to learn the gospel. She also agreed to baptism. She has had some really hard things in the past. 

The other night while saying my nightly prayers, I just realized how lucky I am to be here and that Heavenly Father is slowly but surely changing me and answering my prayers. I realize how much I love the people of Hong Kong and hope that feeling can stay with me forever!

Anyways, thanks for all your emails and love and support. You guys are awesome. Do you ever get chances to teach with the missionaries? is rachel open to seeing them>? 

Love you all

Sister Ha

ps both grandmas letters are in the mail.

pps Jazzy hymns is a reference to a hymn I sang jazzily haha at our ward talent show

Ying Ying my Siu pahngyauh, Tiff comes to town!, Jazzy Hymns‏

Hello Bahba, Mahma, gaje, mui muih, sailou!
This week was pretty good. We had a lot of great things this week. We also had a bit of unfortunate news so we'll just get that out of the way now. We think ___ got Antied :( She just keep hanging up on our phone calls and we haven't seen her the whole week. So Yeah I was pretty bummed about that. To say the least. But to make up for it, we had a better week as a companionship.

Siu pahngyauh means child in chinese, but the direct translation is little friend. And that she was! Ying ying was a little girl that sat behind me on the bus one day. She was the most adorable thing ever!!! Right when I said hi to her she just went off like a rocket asking me questions and telling me about where they are going what they are doing, her family, her friends..you name it. haha we were insta  best friends. I thought only phiphs could make friends with somebody that quickly. I will never forget little yingying she made me soo happy! too bad her parents didn't leave their number or anything. its okay. I'll find her again!

T., my member from Sha Tin has been living in our apartment this week and it has been so fun to be with her. She is doing the missionary program where they act as full time missionaries for two weeks. She will be here this week as well. She is my best buddy/chinese twin! We also have another summer missionary with us so that makes six people in the tiniest apartment ever. Needless to say, I get kind of claustrophobic at times!!

This email is from my trainer. She is the best.  A sweet letter from Tessa's trainer followed.  We are so grateful she was sister Ha's trainer.

哈姊妹!! 

鍾姊妹

____is doing well. She has come to lots of activities and church and has been gaining more friends.

Thank you sooo much for the package! You know all my favorite candies, mom! Made me so happy. P.S. I'm not a bit upset that rachel is living in my room or that you smelled my dirty laundry bwahaha.

Dad, i want you to send more missionary stories! Every night I pray to become as good of a missionary has you were

Love you all. I'm doing good and Heavenly Father answers my prayers every. single. day.

Especially with my favorite scripture this week. 1 Ne 20: 15-17.

P.s. I will go on exchanges with sister Kartchner this week! and we have zone conference and mission tour. it will be a fun week!

pps tell grandmas (both) I amsending letters soon. and i am sorry.