This week wasn't too crazy! I’ve decided I should probably start bringing my journal since every week is just mixing and I am not really sure what happened this past week!  Work, work, work! Haha when you're working the time goes by fast.. really fast. I can't believe it's already been a week since last time I emailed you all.

We didn't meet with Ho Hingdaih cause something came up so he called us and cancelled and rescheduled for this upcoming Tuesday. (good sign- he didn't fong us)  He also came to church with us.  He is such a nice guy! We also met a man named A-Sing Singsang  I met him on the pier and asked if he had seen the Book of Mormon and he said he had.  Then he said he also read it and prayed about it, and when he prayed he felt really happy. I asked if he had met with the missionaries and he said he hadn't. He currently goes to another church. I believe a Baptist church. The Lord definitely will lead you to people that are ready to hear the gospel. I'm soo excited to see where he goes.

I love the opportunity to be here and to be bringing the Hong Kong people unto Christ. Like I’ve said time and time again, diligence is the key!! Jesus Christ suffering on the cross for us wasn't easy and if we are supposed to take up our crosses and follow him, we can certainly expect it won’t be easy as well.  I don't remember if I said this in the last email but go watch the mormonmessage about a bush getting cut down. And when you watch it close your eyes and just listen, like truly listen. I love you all and hope you have a great week! till Next week..

 Love, Elder Cederlof

Before I forget, I met Sister Smith! She is Kristin Page's friend that Sis Page told me to look for!  We had a dual zone conference in Kowloon Tong and they said her name because her birthday is coming up so I went and talked to her after the meeting and found out that she was the Sister Smith from Bountiful!!  Small world!! 

Well this week is kind of all a big blur. Vickie texted us and said that she doesn't want to meet with us anymore because she has her own church.  All I could do was bear my testimony and tell her that if she ever wants to learn more she can call us. We did find a couple solid contacts this week and we were going to teach Ho Hingdaih but he cancelled because he was in the hospital for a couple tests but he is okay.  We set up another appointment and hopefully we'll also be able to teach his family!!  

The language is still a work in progress. We had pass offs which is just a little language thing the President just started, and every missionary has to do it. Once a week we go to the zone leaders and pass of certain language/teaching things. That is cool because I passed it! haha  My Cantonese is still total laahpsaap  but it’s okay!  With diligence it will come!!

Cool story for the week. On Friday while we were on exchanges (or Saturday not sure) I talked to this random guy smoking.  He didn't seem too interested, but while we were talking a lady came over (might have known him cause their stuff was by each other) and she started saying how we weren't Christians we were Mormons.  So I just made sure to remember who I was representing and showed her our tags, the Book of Mormon and the picture inside the Book of Mormon of Christ.  She continued to say stuff but then the guy pointed out the Book of Mormon thing and I said our message is to invite people to find out for themselves and he asked where he could find out more. So we swapped numbers and it turns out he is from mainland so hopefully we'll be able to get that situation sorted out!  But the spirit in that moment was soo strong even though the lady was saying all sorts of things right next to us. I could definitely feel the spirit testifying!!

Love you all!

Love, Elder Cederlof

Finally...Pictures!!

Since the last email was only a couple days ago there won't be as much stuff as usual but it's still been pretty good!! Language is coming.  Just trying to get my sikteng up but every missionary is working on that! Just about everyone I talk to can understand me  so its definitely improving every week. Oh and random side note.  We were at fuk loa and I saw a mom and her daughter walking (daughter was like 10 or 11)  so I went and started talking to her while she was walking and the mom totally ignored me but the little girl was like "you speak cantonese" (this whole conversation was in cantonese) and I said "ya a little bit" haha and she's like "wow" and she was just super happy and nice and then I said "ok well see ya later" and she said "bye see you later" in English. It was the cutest thing! hahaha Now if only everyone I talked to wanted to talk to me that bad!! That's the plus to being white here because no matter where I go people are like what - there's a white kid speakin cantonese so they turn their heads! So they at least get to see the badge and maybe hear the church's name even if they won't stop and talk.  

   We taught Adi and at first we just answered some questions she had about the bible and then I gave a little lesson on the basic points of the gospel:  temple, home, satan, atonement, faith, and love using a piece of paper. Remind me in a couple to show you. it's actually super cool. 

  Ho Hingdaih came to church again and we are going to meet with him Friday. The rest of his family are not members (wife and 3 kids) so we are hoping and praying that we will have the opportunity to bring his whole family to church!  That would be Awesome!! 

  We didn't get to teach Vickie or Chiu or any of our other potentials cause they are out of town or busy but we should be able to this week!! The work has been moving forward and I'm excited to be a part of it here in Hong Kong! All of the hard work, dilligence, obedience, love, and long suffering will all pay off!! It's exciting to see the growth in the church throughout the world.

   Other random things: we had KFC for lunch today. haha It was pretty good but they still have an asian touch. You get like a bowl of rice and soup stuff with the meal. So far no sicknesses or anything weird like that.

    Oh, we had zone training and me and elder Tong taught about "how to begin teaching" in PMG. Me and my companion still get along super well!! We're hoping we get to stay here in Tsuen Wan together another move, but since we get along so well we're bound to get split since the only companionships that stay together for two moves are the ones that have probs.  Everyone in the apartment is awesome! Elder smith went to Viewmont a year ahead of me, not sure if I told you that already.

 Well that's about it for the week!! Love you All!!

 Love, Elder Cederlof

 

                                                             Zach at KFC

                                  View from his apartment window in Tsuen Wan

                                                        Hong Kong Temple

                                                           Dragonfruit

                                                             McDonalds

ooh lahngjai (Pretty boy)

So not a super crazy week, but it was still cool. Oh first I want to ask how many people are in our ward back in Centerville? We were talking about that the other day and I couldn't quite remember how big.

 

This week we were supposed to meet Vickie but she ended up being super busy so we never did and she said maybe next week. We were hopeful that she was serious, but usually when people say that they don't mean it. But then she called us a couple days later and we set up a time.  That time came and we were going to teach her the plan of salvation but it started raining. In Hong Kong most people really don't like the rain. The streets will be crowded and then once the rain starts it slows down quite a bit.  But we're hopeful again for this week!  

 

We didn't get to see Adi on Friday because she was busy and that was just the start of the miracle day.  Friday we were out tracking and President Hawks called Tong Jeung Lou and told him that his grandpa is in the hospital (in HK) and we could go visit him and give him a blessing because he isn't a member. We decided to go Friday since we weren't teaching Adi. We got on the MTR and got off on the wrong stop so we called the missionaries that were in that area and asked them which bus we could take to get to the hospital. They said they'd find out and call us back. While we were waiting, a guy from Chicago ran over and said "you're the missionaries right?  Tell me about your church".  Well as a missionary in Hong Kong, I can tell you, that NEVER  happens.. haha or at least very very rarely.  So we shared the first lesson with him and answered any questions he had. We then exchanged phone numbers and since he is from the US and is studying here for 9 months we sent his info to the international elders.  We were pretty happy after that. We then got to the hospital and there is a word in Cantonese that means cancer or tumor and so everyone thought he had cancer.  They decided to talk to the nurse and ask and they said it was only a tumor! So that definitely beats cancer!!  We also gave his grandpa a blessing which was really cool cause it was all Cantonese!  

 

Other random things that I thought of:  today on the way to the temple we took the MTR of course and being the only white person on, with a missionary name tag I stood out. and the MTR was packed but there was a little circle around me haha I could spin around with my arms half extended... too funny.  Also because I'm white and wear a suit, people are like ooh lahngjai (pretty boy) and stuff like that and Chou Singsong said I looked like an american movie star - haha kinda funny. That's the good thing about being like the only white person in HK haha and then on the other hand when they see that I'm a missionary it's like oh cheh gau (evil church) or gwai lou (devil/white ghost)  haha funny to see the contrast.  

 

This week, when we were tracting, I went up and talked to a guy and he straight off said "oh sorry I'm bisahn" (buddhist) and I said oh cool,  well this is what we share and I started talking about the gospel and stuff and we exchanged phone numbers and he actually texted me that same night and said he wanted to have a spiritual discussion!! Woohoo!  He also said he's never had an american friend before... I'm hoping he texted me because he wants to hear more about the gospel but hey if the only reason he texted me was because I'm white I guess I can't complain. Oh and people from mainland rarely ever see white people and they'll come down for conferences and stuff and they'll want to take a picture haha fun fun stuff. 

 

Last week we were calling less actives and inviting them to church and so it was my turn and hearing over the phone is soo hard cause I'm listening for the tones and stuff but the very first guy I called said ya i'll come to church with you! He came and I think he had a pretty good experience because we asked him if he would come next week and he said he would if we went with him!! And of course we will!!!  

 

The work is forever progressing here!! Some weeks a little faster than others, but as long as we all focus on our purpose as missionaries and as members we'll be okay.  Long suffering, patience, humility, charity, with an eye single to the glory of God will help us. We also always need to remember the big picture. As humans we tend to want results now, but sometimes we won't see any results for weeks, months, or years. As long as we remember our role in this life and know that it is all in God's time and according to His will we'll be okay if we also are diligent and do everything we can!!

   

Hopefully pics next week.... but following the usual pattern thus far... don't expect any! haha jk

 

Love you all!

Elder Cederlof