The week of REAL missionary work...and the power of setting goals on a weekly basis...week 27

So this last week Elder Powell and I finally got tired of not having anyone to plan for baptisms. We set a goal that we would have baptismal dates by the end of the week, specifically deciding who we thought would be ready and seeking inspiration from our Heavenly Father. This is what happened:

Ng Sin Saang: We recently found him. Right now he is a little shaky on the restoration, but we actually found out that he was a former investigator. We met with him and tought about the Book of Mormon and invited him to read Alma 32. He didn't. We read it with him together and the Spirit was there. Elder Powell and I looked at each other, and then proceeded to invite him to excercise his own faith by following the example of Christ to be baptized by someone holding HIS authority...He said yes. March 20th is the date. He came to church. We're seeing him tonight to help him learn about the restoration. Solid...

Simon: This has been a little rough for him. He completely understands what we say and believed it. We invited him to be baptized after our first lesson with him. He will also be in March. We hope he will be the 27th. He didn't come to church because he found some anti-material online and said he wouldn't go to church until we answered his questions. He also made us agree to not have any members with us when we teach him. We hope that it will be okay. He's definitely got a powerful spirit, and I have faith that if Elder Powell and I are worthy, this will pose no problem. It's all about Simon's faith though...

Leo: We actually had not seen him for a while. That is, until yesterday. We called a bunch of formers and asked if they would like to eat dinner with us and a member who makes the most amazing food I have eaten here (I know I keep saying that, but it really does just keep getting better). No one was answering, and we almost skipped Leo because he actually never answered his phone beforehand. We had faith though, so we called...and he answered, proceeding to agree to meet us and eat with us. After we ate and were satisfied, we taught a member present lesson about the plan of salvation. He believed it all, and said that it helped him so much to know it. Everything makes so much more sense as far as why missionaries are here talking to him. The spirit was there, and he accepted a date of...March 27th. We just need to get him to wake up and get to church. That and get his mom's permission.

Dicky: This is actually a story that I feel bad about. This situation was actually the most powerful spirit of the week, and we were positive he would be accepting a date. He said no though. We didn't understand. We read over his record though. There was a lot of stuff and he is known as THE Tai Wai eternigator. His family is all members except for him. He supports his family and says that he loves the members. We have asked him repeatedly why he doesn't want to be baptized, but he continues to tell us that he feels that he doesn't fully understand what the church and the Gospel are. Well, we didn't understand what we meant until we realized that every single missionary that he had ever met simply assumed that he knew the gospel because his family was members. They would just come over and ask him to be baptized and tell them the same answer every time about not understanding. No one ever thought to invite him to take the lessons so that he could FINALLY understand what it was. We immediately called him and he told us that he would be happy to take the discussions. He even said that he wanted his 8 year old recently baptized son to be there with him when we tought. So happy to finally realize this. Hopefully it won't be too long before he's baptized too. His wife has been waiting for almost 20 years after all.

So many miracles, and a huge explosion of success in our faces. Elder Powell and I spent more time than ever on our knees praying for a sign of progress, and this is what we got. The windows of Heaven really can open. You better be ready to catch all of it though.

Scripture of the Week: Words of Mormon Chapter 1 verse 7 - God works in me according to HIS will.

Miracles are real. Never would I ever be able to deny that fact. Though we didn't get the 4 accepted Baptismal invitations, we got more than we could have possibly done on our own. The Lord is God, and He loves us. If we choose to give up our sins, He will carry us home. My prayers are for you all, in hopes that you will feel any portion of the spirit's strength as to what I felt this week. Love you all!

Elder Taylor   /   戴長老 (衣永)

Additions from Mom:  "There are times like that where you will be walking and randomly hear people shouting angrily about things that are LITERALLY of no value. Old people are both hilarious and profane here. Sometimes I wish that I didn't know what they were saying though. Tough ride."

Pictures for the week:  

Sister Pin, Sister Pin's sister whom I don't know, Sister Chan, and Brother Au (or chairman). It was for Brother Au's birthday. 

 Dim sum

 Chicken feet (cantonese direct translation is actually "Phoenix Claw" because that sounds a lot cooler.

So first we have me back in my first area that I spent two weeks in. Me and Elder Belknap (also from the Hobble Creek west stake) are there in the so called "dirty mall" where we got lost multiple times and bought gummies that taste way better than normal American gummies, and I don't say that just cuz I'm in China. Left to right: Elder Taylor, Elder Belknap, Elder Powell, Elder Boyd, Elder Merrell, Elder Leddinham! 

We also have Lions Rock, and if you look at the top left portion, you can see Lion's head.

This last one is Ng Hing Daaih (Brother Ng) who is going to be my first baptism in China. WOOOO!

 Finally, after a deprivation of a few months, I got a gift from a member: Gatorade. It even had Lionel Messi on it. I was happier than I should have been, but juice and sports drinks in Hong Kong just are not the same. They're either disgusting or they have a TON of tea in it. Happy times with Gatorade. No they don't have it in Hong Kong (as far as I have seen when I go to buy groceries).