Ping Pong Champ

   This week has gone by really fast. First, yes I beat the Gwailou Larry 2nd counselor. Haha And we had some 98% humidity last week. Luckily it wasn't that hot, but you could feel the water in the air.  The mom and her two kids came to church and we met with them after and gave them a Book of Mormon. Right now they just have interest in learning about Christ’s story, but the more they learn the more they'll have the desire for the gospel. Adi got confirmed on Sunday. Our ward correlator did that and me and my companion were in the circle and also the Gwailou Larry 2nd counselor named Brother Chandler (he's from Salt Lake area) 

   We started a Friday movie night in Tsuen Wan. The 4 of us in our apartment watch Mormon messages in that little segment of free time we have. And everyone that reads this needs to look up one called "Enduring Love".  After watching that compare your relationship to theirs. It could be the relationship with your spouse, your family, or God. Now repent and set goals to improve your relationship.

    President Holland is in town and he spoke at the 65 year celebration of church work in Hong Kong. We got a text from President Hawks that said all missionaries were invited. We went with Adi and Ellorie because we wanted to take an RC and they didn't know how to get there. We traveled to the wan chai chapel and got there early enough to be sitting in the chapel that he spoke at. When he arrived he started shaking people's hands in the aisles. Ellorie was sitting on the end, then Adi, then me and elder Hartwig. He shook Ellorie, Adi and our hands. He asked us how we were doing.  I was soo happy for Ellorie and Adi because they wanted to go see him and wanted to shake his hand!! They were soo happy and the look on their faces was priceless!! They’re awesome!!  President Holland also has a special conference just with the missionaries on Tuesday.  Adi & Ellorie had a translator but his message was still powerful. This is the one and only dispensation in which we will not "flee from Babylon".   This is the one dispensation that is preparing the world for the 2nd coming. We need to start acting like it. One of the most terrifying verses of scripture is when it says that Christ comes and people say we cast out devils in your name and he says " I know ye not".  We can't just say we are LDS, we have to live it so that when HE comes, HE recognizes us. Elder Holland also said that he is more sure of Jesus Christ as our Savior than he knew that we were sitting here and he was standing there. Pretty powerful!

    The gospel is true. It's true whether you believe it or not, and it's our responsibility to share it. It’s not only an opportunity to share, it's a commandment. It's important. HK is sick!! I love it here! I love the people, and I love the gospel. Never been happier. My English is getting poorer but my Cantonese is improving, which is good.  Cantonese is cooler than English anyway. haha    Christ's walk on Calvary wasn't easy, so why do expect our walk to be easy?  

   Love, Elder Zach Cederlof 

 

1st Baptism!

Funyihng Daih ga!   This week has been soo good and I have been soo blessed!! Number 1: I got to start a new planner. That’s good because my old one was super old and dirty. 2. I’m still in Tsuen wan after the transfers. 3. I’m a missionary, need I say more? 4. I can talk to people in a language even I don’t understand. 5. ADI GOT BAPTIZED!!!!!!!!!!! That’s definitely the highlight of the week!! It was so awesome and her conversion story is amazing. Maybe I’ll share it with you all sometime. (Depending on how many packages I get in the next couple weeks) haha But she had to overcome so many challenges and things. At one point she was going to give up and she told us she didn't want to came to church. She pushed through and has now been baptized. For example, her parents are faht (buddhist) and they didn't want her to be baptized but she asked them every single day and they finally said yes! And she also had a lot of bigger challenges than that, but she overcame them all. This gospel is for EVERYONE no matter their circumstance or position in life. The gospel WILL provide a better life. Sometimes people feel like they're too smart for the gospel, like they don't need help, they don’t need a God, or a Savior. But they are 100% wrong and completely missing the point. We are all running the same race here. Some people's race takes them up and down hills, others through forests. Everyone can run the exact same distance but be rewarded completely differently. Our goal as missionaries and as members is to make sure everyone has the opportunity to be rewarded to their maximum potential. It doesn’t matter how smart you are.  It doesn't matter if you think you don’t need anyone's help. You cannot be rewarded to your maximum potential without this gospel. Simple as that. A lot of people are content with their life, not willing to change. Maybe they will feel happy without the gospel, but they will never reach their maximum potential. NEVER without the Savior.  This week has been amazing. Too many blessings to count. I love everyday here. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a 3 year mission like that one rumor said (all hk/china missionaries get a special phone call and stay for 3 years)  (that rumor isn't true) but I’m still hoping there's a chance!! haha I love you all!! Peace!  And like we all learned in elementary school, say no to drugs.  Love, Elder Zach Cederlof P.S.  We were supposed to meet an LA at a park but he didn't show up and while we waited a lady came and talked to us and asked if she and her kids could come to church. She came the next day and they all really liked it. Plus her two kids really like white cantonese speakers. they think we're funny! So that's just another miracle!!

Short & Sweet!

New name tags - apparently only mission in world that has both English & Foreign names

 

 

Well this week we followed a prompting and ran into a la that needed to see us that day! He lives in a not so good part of town and we had the feeling to visit him in the middle of the day and he happened to be home. We shared about the sacrament!! It was pretty aweseome. I love seeing how much the Lord loves his children and I'm lucky, and so grateful to be the one that he uses to help achieve that!! I love you mom!

Love, Elder Zach Cederlof

The all you can eat grill was sooo good! There was ice cream and donut thingys, but Chinese version, and all sorts of good stuff. They charged us extra cause we ate more than the "all you can eat” Chinese person does. I thought all you can eat was all you can eat, but it's okay. Still definitely worth it. haha   Adi is still holding strong! We will try to have her interview this weekend.  We are just trying to help her gain a testimony of Thomas S. Monson.  This week has been awesome! No pics today because we are at the MTR station. Libraries are closed because it’s still New Years time. Life is just soo good here! It’s kinda weird to think about because we're always working but we never have to worry about ourselves. Whatever the situation, if you focus on other people you'll always be happy. This life isn't about us, it’s about helping others. Yes, we are going to have to strengthen ourselves in order to achieve that, but that isn't the primary goal?  As long as the drive for things we do is not ourselves we will be soo much better off.  I don’t know if that made sense because my English grammar is getting bad and I can’t think of a lot of words haha but I love you mom!

Love, Elder Zach Cederlof