Week 31: Much Prayer and Fasting, Exchanges in Fanling, Sister Lam Pass Offs.

Leih Hou Muiatgoyahn! 

So this week was the best week I have had yet on my mission so far! It is because of the thought I have been having the past months concerning the story of the sons of Mosiah and how they wanted to have the spirit to be more with them. What were they to do? They gave them self to much prayer and fasting, that is what! And, as the title of this email goes, this week was all because of a great experience I had!

On This weeks Episode of Elder Duersch China Hong Kong Adventure!

Exchanges: I had the opportunity to go to Fanling this week for an exchange. Since Elder Riley is a Zoner leader, I had to go to Fanling and be on an exchange with elder Gary. It was really fun because I haven't left Tai Wo yet, and it felt good to have a little break from my area. We did our studies and then went to do some finding around his area, which was totally fun! We did it mostly by the Train station cause that is where it is the busiest ,and it was so good. We would walk for a while and we would turn right around and walk with someone and get their number right before they went into the station cause we can't proselyte in there...hahaha. It as fun when we taught the kids English class and we sang "this land is your land" and changed some words for China locations and it was a total blast! I was able to play games with everyone if their apartment that night and it was good. It was Elder Gary,  and Ashton are from Utah, and Elder Duddfield is from Australia so it was a total blast!

24 Hour Fast: This for me personally was the highlight of the week. For the past couple of months I have had the impression to fast outside of a fast Sunday. I finally, on the day of the exchange decided to do it since I was in another apartment and didn't have food - hahahaha. In the morning at 8:30 I started my fast and as I was going throughout the day the spirit was coming so much and it was so strong. Then I was like hmm should I make this a 24 hour fast and I got a feeling to do so. It was a real struggle with food, but when the morning came to break my fast, I gave the most sincere prayer in my life regarding fasting and my heart"s desires. When I paused after my heart was full and I couldn't breath with the feeling I have had. I would STRONGLY ENCOURAGE you all who are having hard times and questions to fast and take them to the person who knows us the most! I can testify now of the power that comes from fasting and it is strong and real!

Sister Lam: So I decided this week to do a language pass off with Sister Lam because I have finished my language pass offs with the zone leaders. I walked in and she had a plate of brownies and was cutting one for me and then she paused and look at me slowly, "You are the one who wanted to pass off to learn characters right?" I just froze and sat there. "yes mam"! So she talked to me in Cantonese and explained since I took 2 years of mandarin, and that I know characters I had the clearance to only learn the Characters in the scriptures in order to help my investigators! I was so excited for this, and when we were done I had her sign my card and she said "just because you have them all signed doesn't mean you are good." She looked at me and just laughed and said "Slammed!" I was laughing so hard at that! She is the best and so is President Lam!

Well thank you all for taking time to read this out of your day. I would really encourage you all who are having hard times with thoughts, feelings, financial, or family, to fast and to take it to the lord for his help! I testify this church is true and that the lord loves to help us!

Yours in Fellowship and Love,󾓭🐲🐼✌🍜

鄧 長 老

Elder Duersch

Dahng Jeunglouh

Stan Theman

Week 30: Elder Stevenson, Tai Mei Tuk, helped the sisters move, and Connor!

Lieh Hou Muiyatgoyahn!

How are you all doing this great week? I am doing great!

SO!!! Lets get on to how I am saving China this week on this great Adventure I have and a true blessing it is to be out here!

Elder Stevenson of the 12: So this past Monday we had Elder Stevenson of the 12 came on P day and it was the greatest things ever! I was able to shake the hand of an Apostle of God for the first time in my life and when he walked into the room my chest just got so much pressure from how much spiritual power an Apostle has and it was nuts! I was the last Elder to shake his hand and when he read my name he said " I know your family in Cache County!" and I said  "Who?", he said "Are you related to a Ed Duersch?" and I was like "YEESSS, that is my grandpa!" He smiled and then I walked down the line and when I got to President Lam, he shook his head and said WOW! Later I shook the hands of Bishop Causse, Elder Evens, and Elder Christensen! They are so strong and are so great to talk to! They all had so many great things to talk about and the spirit was so strong! It was a true treat to talk to an apostle and it was so cool!

Tai Mei Tuk: Elder Riley and I decided to walk to Tai Mei Tuk this week for finding, and it literally took 4 hours to walk there since it is in the end of our area and it was so long ugh! There was no one to talk to so when we got to the end, we went to an american store and bought root beer and took a bus home! I was so tired! hahaha!

Sisters Move: We had to help the sisters move this week because there apartment doubled in rent and so we had to help them move to a new home across the river! SO close to their old home that we could have walked to there and back with the stuff! I saw elder Beeson with the moving van and it was really funny to watch him drive on the wrong side of the road because its Brittish owned here! SO Funny! 

Connor!: We had a really  great day yesterday at church cause we had Connor there! He came after sacrament and it was so great cause we had a lesson with him third hour and bishop was there to talk to him about baptism and he wants to get baptized after he is 18. So we talked to him about senior missionaries who can help him out with this issue with his family and this Wednesday we will meet with them and Connor to help him out! I am so glad he is now starting to get things in order!

Well that is some of the great things that have happened this week and I am so grateful for all your love and support each week! 

Yours in Fellowship and Love,󾓭🐲🐼✌🍜

鄧 長 老

Elder Duersch

Dahng Jeunglouh

Stan Theman

Week 29: Ward New Years Party, Korean BBQ, and The Adversary hard at work(DANG-IT!)

Lieh Hou Ngohge Gatihng!!!!

Wow it was good to hear form you all from your lovely emails! Also🎂🎂🎂Happy Birthday mom!!!生日快樂 I hope you had a great day and you get a lot of cake! So there is a lot of stuff that happened this week with all the works of the Adversary unfortunate as the topic of this email has stated. There was some really good highs and also some very big lows this end of the week for us in our area. But that will not sway us from our course here in Hong Kong to bring these lost sheep back to there master and to make them have eternal happiness! So shall we get on to the good stuff that happened with this great week.

On this Weeks episode of Stan Theman Hong Kong MIssion Impossible!

New Years Party!!: So it might seem weird that we are having a new years party so late in the year from the actual Hong Kong Chinese New Year. But it was really fun and there was so much laughs and so much fun! There was a Karaoke Machine that we sang some songs on and the ward loved it when we did that! There was some really good Chinese food that was home-made, and not Panda Express! There was a part when Joe Joe a guy in our ward dressed up as the Chinese god of wealth and Fortune and it was so great to see him do that and all the little children loved it when he did! There was a lion dance that the little kids did with a lion head and traditional music. There was also some riddles in Characters that people could solve and then they would get candy for each one they got right! There was so much going on that it felt so good and it was a real Chinese experience! Lots of investigators from other missionaries came and they got along great with the ward!

Korean BBQ:  So there is a thing here in Hong Kong that all the missionaries go to and eat all you can eat Meat Buffet with the tables having little stoves on them and you can eat and drink as much as possible! It was so much food and there was a lot of great conversations from the other Elders across Hong Kong to hear there stories and to laugh and have a great time! I would love to have a KBQ stove in my house and just eat Meat all day! It would be really nice!

The Adversary: Don't let this title fool you! There is great work being done here in Hong Kong! But we had a devastating  blow this sunday with Derek. He has decided to stop meeting with us and to not come to church ever again. I know it was hard for both of us to hear this and that there was so much hope for him but the Adversary got in the way and then things just weren't meant to be. We will keep trying to reach out to be his friend and to see how he is doing and who knows, maybe some time down the road in his life the missionaries will return and teach him. He was truly grateful for our service to him and all we did for him. He texted a ward member to let us know his final choice and it was hard for us. But we will continue to work hard and to do what is right for the Lord!

I know that the adversary is watching all of us and does not want us to keep the work of the lord going on this earth. We must stay strong and put on the whole armor of god in order to combat him. We must use the Sword which is our testimony to push him back and to bring all Heavenly Fathers Children home! I love you all and can't wait to hear from you all again next week, but until that time comes, Remember that I pray for you all every day and that our savior is always there for you when you need him any time of the day!

Well that is all I have for this week and you all are lovely and beautiful people hahahaha! Have a great week!

Yours in Fellowship and Love,󾓭🐲🐼✌🍜

鄧 長 老

Elder Duersch

Dahng Jeunglouh

Stan Theman

​​ 

Week 28: Derek's final choice/Did he just hop a fence?!, Ng Gatihng visit, Main land opening?

LIeh Hou Muiyatgoyahn!!!!

Oh what a treat it is to hear from you all, and to see how you all have been doing over this week! I can tell ya that this week was was absolutely one of the best yet on my mission and I can't wait to tell you all what happened! So I will not wait any longer reading a long email - so lets dive in head first shall we!

Derek's final choice: So this week we met with Derek after a long time because of New Year and also he has just been busy lately. We went to the church early in the morning to do personal studies and then he came in for our lesson. Elder Riley was the first one to meet him way back when this was his baby area so he chatted for a while and caught up on stuff over a years worth of time. I said the opening prayer and we went right into the lesson with scriptures relating to our purpose in this life and to why we are hear on earth. He was kinda in the zone but then he wasn't. So we asked him why is it that you are still meeting with the missionaries after a year of time and he said "my house is pretty boring" so that was the Que to bring in the big guns. Elder Riley pulled out a Temple recommend card that had the Hong Kong temple on it and in characters our purpose it was really cool looking. He read our purpose and told Derek that our time here is sacred and our purpose is to help people come closer to Christ. He told Derek that since he came back and the time he saw him a year ago to be honest he said you have not changed a bit. And so we looked at his reaction and he nodded. Then Elder Riley looked at him and said are you know going to work hard to start now living the path and coming closer to Christ? He looked up and said yes. Then at that moment we both felt it was right and asked him, " Are you willing to follow the example of Jesus Christ and Be baptized on May 22. He looked at us and said YES!!!! We were shocked cause we thought he was going to say no! We asked why in the past he was scared to get baptized, and he said that he was afraid of making a mistake after getting something so holy! We shared scriptures as to why we are here to learn and to grow. After he asked if we could move it sooner and we said we will see because of church attendance. He prayed at the end and said twice to move the date sooner. When we ended we looked at the calendar and said, "alright if you really work hard you can get baptized on April 8.", and he said lets do it! We were so happy for him and as he walked out of the church he just screamed and almost cried. Then during our celebration we saw him going to the church gate and we could have opened it to help him, but then we just froze because he just climbed the fence and he was gone. So that was the funniest thing ever. Which makes us ask....how did he get in?!

We are so excited for him can't wait!

Ng Gatihng Visit: We went to give the sacrament to the Ng gatihng this week and they asked us after if we could visit them more ,and that pierced our heart to the core! So we went this Thursday to see them with the sisters and the Mandarin sisters. We shared Alma 40: 23 about perfect bodies cause of brother Ng and his condition of not being able to move. We laughed and then he started to cry and it was so intense that we didn't now what to do! So sister Burtenshaw leaned over and asked if I had a Hymn book and I said no so sister Clark did and it was in Mandarin. We sang I am  a child of God, and it was so hard to sing cause I was crying so hard and the spirit was so strong. They were crying and it was the most touching thing ever! I love them so much, they are so sweet!

Main Land Opening?: So we have received word that President Nelson and Elder Holland are coming to Hong Kong in April and every one is thinking this could be the time and the place! There is a lot of hype going on and it could finally be happening soon! But there is no sure evidence of this! Just thought I would let you all know! Also Elder Stevenson is coming next week as well!

Well that is all I have for this week and you all are lovely and beutiful people hahahaha! Have a great week!

Yours in Fellowship and Love,󾓭🐲🐼✌🍜

鄧 長 老

Elder Duersch

Dahng Jeunglouh

Stan Theman

​ 

Week 27: Elder Riley, Curtis and Ricky!, Soccer ball and a plane, my new leadership rolls!

Lieh Hou Everyone!

Hope you all doing this week! Sorry that this is a short one but here is the good stuff for this week! I hope you all are feeling the savior in your life cause it is always a good thing to have!

 

On this weeks episode of Stan Theman China Hong Kong Mission

Elder Riley: So as you all know I have a new companion this week and he is really cool! He loves Marvel and we talk a lot about nerd stuff and are just having so much fun. It has only been a couple of days here with him,  but his first area when coming to Hong Kong was Tai Wo, so he is so glad to be back with better language skills and to help the area in any way he can! If you are wondering how he sounds and acts, he is more or less like Ross from the TV series Friends, if any of you know that! He is helping me out with language and it is really helping finally! I am now starting to understand people when they talk to me! He is from Chicago and has been out for almost a year and a half! Cant wait to see what we are going to do to change the area for the better!

Curtis and Ricky!: So I finally got in touch with Ricky who if you all remember was stalking us on the bridge during December! He finally got home from america and he wants to meet soon and learn more about our message. SO glad he is still in contact and wants to learn more! I love teaching out here it is so great! We also finally got to meet Curtis in person this week at his English class and it was super fun to help him out with his little kids learning English, and they all thought I was in my 40's-50's...I have gotten that so much out here it is so funny. They all should have seen me with my beard - ha! I miss that lush beard hahaha! We will meet with them soon to start lessons and it will be great! Cant wait!

Soccer ball and a Plane: We went hunting the other day and Elder Riley was doing member calls and there was a mom and 2 little kids trying to get a ball and a plane out of a tree! I didn't even hesitate, and went over and asked her if she needed help and so I started to shake the tree like crazy and then Elder Riley came over and helped and it came out. We talked to her for a bit and gave her our number, and asked if she had interest in out church! It was a great learning experience cause I almost had the ball and plane out but with more help from my companion it was easier!

Leadership rolls: Since everyone in my district has a leadership roll and I have nothing, I was promoted to English Class President to make the classes, and am now the Apartment leader to make sure we all don't die from carbon Dioxide and stuff hahahaha. I saw that coming from a mile away ha!

Well that is all for this week sorry for the shorter email but there is something cool I found this week that was in Enos 1:15 and It talked about how if we pray in faith in the name of Christ what ever we pray for will come true and to pass!  I absolutely love that scripture!

The church is true, and I am still staying happy, and still being my goofy self - there is nothing to worry about haha!

Have a good week for me back home!

Stay Safe and Weird for me!

Yours in Fellowship and Love,󾓭🐲🐼✌🍜

鄧 長 老

Elder Duersch

Dahng Jeunglouh

Stan Theman

Week 26: New Year,,Deep Clean, Zone Conference, Transfer Calls!

Lieh Hou muiyatogoyahn!

How are you all doing!? I hope you are good and also having a good Chinese New year for all of you who celebrate this holiday hahaha. Well i will not waste time and just get on with it.

NewYears: So everyone who lives here for a while who is a missionary knows that Chinese new year is the time of the year where all the people you talk to go to main land and then vanish for like months. Yup I now believe that cause all our investigators went MIA and we will hopefully get in touch with them soon. We are meeting with Ricky these week for the first time to help him teach English to his students and he is really excited for us to come and help him. We met him around Christmas and he came to the ward party and he loves our church so we are so excited to meet with him. The streets were empty and there was literally no one so it was so weird to have thousands of people walking around and then BAM no cars or people! Stores are all closed and no shops are open and ya. So we didn't do much just tried to find people and there was no one so ya that was it. There was also no fire works cause there was a bus crash in our area and 19 people died so they canceled the fire works to help the families which was really cool.

Deep Clean: We deep cleaned our apartment and it was so gross hahahaha. It took all P-Day and there was so much gross stuff hahaha. I cleaned the Kitchen and I am glad cause I didn't want to clean the toilet hahahaha. It was actually really fun!

Zone Conference: We had a zone conference and it was about the Atonement of the savior and I would recommend you all to go to the BD and look up atonement and really do some digging cause it really has changed my point of view on things.

Transfer Calls: So Sunday I was sitting in my office doing a audio journal and then we got the call for transfers already! Time has really flown by fast and it was crazy! There was a trio in a area called Ma On SHan and Elder Newbold is leaving up there to that area. He is still in our zone and my new companion is Elder Riley who is just trading spots with him. So my apartment now has a Dl and both Zl's so that will be crazy and the sisters in my district are also STL sister training leaders. So this is going to get nutz real quick!

Well that is all for this week and I also read up on The Liahona for February and I absolutely love the part when it talks alot about Peter and how he relates to all of us. I would really recommend it to you all it is such a good read. The work is progressing here and I am so grateful for all your love and support! Have a great week!

Stay Safe and Weird for me!

Yours in Fellowship and Love,󾓭🐲🐼✌🍜

鄧 長 老

Elder Duersch

Dahng Jeunglouh

Stan Theman

Week 25 : Pixar Museum, Investigators, Friends, and sacrament to Soho

Lieh Hou muiyatgoyahn!

How are you all doing! So glad to hear that you all are doing great and that you are all warm. I cant believe that there is no snow in Home and that it is warm. I am praying really hard that there will be snow and that rain will come to make life easier for you all in the summer. Not much happened this week but there are good things that are coming our way and that there is always fun in China!

So here is the latest on what happened this week with Elder Duersch Hong Kong Mission!

Pixar Museum!: So for P-Day this week we went to the Chinese Herritage museum and they had a really cool Pixar exhibits with how they came to be made and how all the things of Pixar work. I think some of my favorite ones are the Up and Brave exhibits. They went into so much detail about how it was made and all the Clay models that they used in order to make them work. If that makes sense. I have some pictures that will be attached and hopefully you will be able to see them. It was really cool they also have a huge Bruce Lee exhibit there as well with a lot statues and his famous yellow spandex suit he wore. We coulnd't take pictures of that cause it was not permited but I did get a good shot of one of the statues out side. It made me feel back at home and also how much fun Disney and Pixar are. I love those movies ha!

Investigators: So currently at the moment we have an investigator pool of 5. Connor, Derek, Tom, Ricky, and Justin. They are all as I know doing well. We haven't met with Tom in a while and we think he is just out of the country for a bit so we will see. Ricky is a man who we haven't met with yet but he was at our ward Christmas party and he loves the church! He is really busy lately with New year stuff and after it is over we are going to meet and he is all in for learning about our gospel and how it can help his family. Justin is a brand new investigator and he is also looking really good for wanting to learn more. He is young and has a lot of questions and loves our teachings. Connor is a bit busy as well with new year. Derek is doing well. We meet with him every Saturday and we have our lessons and catch up. He is getting there and he is such a great guy to talk to. They are all doing well and they are learning so much and I love them with all my heart!

Friends: So also every week we meet with a Less active named Brother Chihng and he is so busy all the time that he wakes up at 4 and goes to work as a taxi driver and then gets home around 6 in the morning. So he is really busy and all he does is work and sleep. When we come we just read with him the Book of Mormon and he really likes that and it helps him remember things and also helps us with the language. We also meet every week with a man named A-Wing and we always do language study with him and he loves to meet with us and talk about life. They are doing great and the ward is going to help us find ways to help them out.

Sacrament to Soho: So Soho was a RC who went less active and then he came back to church and he is now doing really well. He didn't come to church yesturday and we wanted to know why. So our Elders quorum President asked if we could go to his house. I had to lead us there since I knew where it was and he was just sick. So Elder Newbold and I had the oppertunity to give him the sacrament. It was so powerful and so interesting to say it in another language cause it makes it have more depth.

Well that is all for this week sorry it is so short and things are normal here. It is the new year here and that means that it is the time for family. That is what I love about this gospel is that we have eternal families and that we are always and forever will be together. I love you all and you all are my family! I know this church is true and that I would never give up this great oppertunity that I have to serve my savior!

Stay Safe and Weird for me!

Yours in Fellowship and Love,󾓭🐲🐼✌🍜

鄧 長 老

Elder Duersch

Dahng Jeunglouh

Stan Theman