Chapter 83: Exchanges, interviews, There and Back again.

Elder Connor R. Duersch(Stan Theman鄧長老) Ministering to Hong Kong 1 by 1! Chapter 83

你好!!!  

Good morning! How are we all. This email may be a bit long because it has been a couple of days since I have written. There is a lot I am going to need to remember ha this could be tricky. Apparently it is still winter in Utah? Wow! The weather is not even close here. It is starting to get to that point again when humidity rises and so does the temperature. Just walking a few steps and you are completely soaked ugh! 

I heard that General Conference was super super good and I really look forward to watching it this weekend cause we have to wait for the translation. But we will watch in English but we get to wait for the translation to come in. 

We had our interviews with President and Sister Phillips and it was super fun to spend time with them and talk. I always want more time with them to talk. Super blessed to be able to see them every so often. 

The ward this week had a cute little talent show for the primary kids and they had such cute little performances! They all sang, danced, or other things. Hearing some of them sing I am a child of God was so powerful! Little children really are alive in Christ and it was so cool to see that this week from our little primary kids. 

We also had an English class activity elder Thomas and I planned. Since it was Easter we did an Easter egg hunt. We got every thing set up with eggs with candy and some that did not. The kids didn't show up on time and I was so sad that they didn't come. But this was a test of patience for me and then they finally came and it was so cute to see them run after the eggs we hid in the church. 

I was able to go on exchanges with an elder in my district named Elder Lagaña and he is super cool! He is from the Philippines. He has such an amazing testimony and scripture knowledge. I went to his area in Tung Chung and in the morning we decided to take a place to a bus called Tai O. It is a tourist spot way on the other side of the island and it took about an hour to get there. Turns out it is a little village that has lots of dried seafood and lots of tourists. I saw a dried shark skin and that thing was massive! The exchange was super fun and I was very glad to get to know more about Elder Lagaña. 

I also was able to go on another exchange with Elder Finklea. He is also from Utah and we also had a super great time! We talked a lot about our lives back home and what we liked to do. Turns our he loves movies and some of the games I played back home. So we chatted about that for a good long while throughout the day and had so much fun. 

Now as for this part I am not able to disclose lots of information, but I can tell you that we helped a man come closer to Christ yesterday. Sorry that is all I can say haha. I can tell you more about it in person soon. 

As a district we are also doing what we call District Call centers. This is where our entire district will get together and we will focus on one area by calling through "formers", returning members and so on. It is a super fun way to build unity in a district and to get work done effectively and as a team. 

Also the reason I am emailing today is because today is temple day. Sorry forgot to mention that. 

On the spiritual note for this week, I was learning more about patience this week and what can come from it.  I am learning about Patience bring Blessings and so I decided every day to look at a time I was patient and see what the blessing was that came from it no matter how big or small it was. Patience is a Christ like attribute I am working on and it is so cool to be able to see the path Heavenly Father wants each of us to learn and to grow at our own pace. I promise you that if you ask Heavenly Father on what you can do to improve he will tell you. I know he will. 

That about does it for this week! Look forward to talking with you all again. 

Have a great week love you all! 

Love ya!

Yours in Fellowship and Love,🐲🐼✌🍜

鄧 長 老

Elder Connor R.Duersch

Dahng Jeunglouh

Stan Theman 

Chapter 82: The Book of Mormon testifies of Christ, pride Rock, New ideas...

Elder Connor R. Duersch(Stan Theman鄧長老) Ministering to Hong Kong 1 by 1! Chapter 82

你好!!!  

Hello all how are you doing today! This email may be a bit short cause not to much happened this week. 

First I want to thank you all for wishing me a happy birthday! It means a lot thank you all so much! I love you all and am grateful for your support in helping me while out serving. 

So we started off the week with going on a super fun hike called Lions Rock. It was pretty steep at some parts and then the view from the top was super cool! You could see all the way to the main island and then you could see my old home of Tolo Harbour. It was fun to go out with our group. 

Elder Thomas and I tried lots of different finding techniques this week to see what could work. We put some scriptures on some little cards and folded them up, put them in a jar, and asked people if they had hope or knew what it was. We opened it and gave them one. 

Next, we wrote down 6 questions on a board and asked if people have ever thought about it before. Then if they did we placed a tally mark on the question and played a 1 minute video to answer the specific question. 

It was super fun to try. 

Ya, that was pretty much it for this week I know it was a super short email and I am sorry for that. The week went by super quick and I really can't remember what happened. 

But I will leave my Testimony with you all. I just finished the Book of Mormon this week and I finished my project of highlighting the  references to Christ and it really has ope es my eyes to how much the book of Mormon does testify of him.

Try it! It is so fun! 

Have a great week love you all! 

Love ya!

Yours in Fellowship and Love,󾓭🐲🐼✌🍜

鄧 長 老

Elder Connor R.Duersch

Dahng Jeunglouh

Stan Theman  

Chapter 81: Zone Conference,families, and Exchanges

Elder Connor R. Duersch(Stan Theman鄧長老) Ministering to Hong Kong 1 by 1! Chapter 81

你好!!!  

Hello all how are you doing today! This email may be a bit short cause we are prepping to go on a hike. Next week also not have time to send an email because we will be doing some big stuff cause it is a very great day on pday next week! 

But to let you all know first I testify that God has given us our families for many reasons. I know that through families God answers our prayers. They are there to give us love and support and an ear to hear when we are down. A shoulder to cry on - and arms for hugs and hands that bring us back up when we fall. I love my family more than my own life and for all they have done for me. I know that families are ordained of God and that your family loves you more than you can imagine. Even if you don't see or feel it at times, they always and forever will love you! 

We had zone conference this week and we were introduced to a new pattern on how to teach and also learn about gospel topics and how we can develop them. Here is the outline. 

Topic:

Doctrine:

Scriptures:

Questions that you or others have:

Promised blessings from it:

Invitations or thi gs to try. 

Other Sources of information:

I ha e tried this everyday in my studies this week and it has been a real eye opener to learn the doctrine clearly with scriptures to answer my questions and the promises that come from on high. It was so cool to try it. 

If any of you have questions about something in your life, give it a try and see what you learn. 

I was also able to go on exchanges this week with elder Paulsin! Last time I was able to do that was back in Tai Wo! It was a super great time! We went out finding and within 40 seconds we met a great man and we invited him for a chapel tour and taught a lesson! Then elder Thomas and I taught him the Restoration and it was super good. The exchange was so cool to be back with a good friend I lived with for more than half my mission hahaha. It was such a great day and it made me so happy! Super fun time! I really loved it. 

That pretty much does it for this week sorry for the short one but I will leave my witness that Christ lives and he really does comfort us in times of need! 

Have a great week love you all! 

Love ya!

Yours in Fellowship and Love,🐲🐼✌🍜

鄧 長 老

Elder Connor R.Duersch

Dahng Jeunglouh

Stan Theman 

Chapter 80: Off the Streets, We found the Ark! We're Back! Members.

Elder Connor R. Duersch(Stan Theman鄧長老) Ministering to Hong Kong 1 by 1! Chapter 80

你好!!!  

Sorry we are actually on week 80 ha. 

Hello! Wow this week actually went by super quick. Literally felt like yesterday I was emailing. But this week was super interesting because as a mission we did a whole week of no street contacting to help us try some new things to help us get creative and to find new, fun, and different ways to find the lords elect. 

I will talk about Pday real quick. It was super fun. We got to go with a group of Elders to a mall called the Dragon Center. We went with some other Elders and Elder Allen came as well with Elder Francome and elder Adam's. I havent seen them in a while so it was super good to catch up. We went to a Japanese curry place where there was a giant meal called Mt 🗻 Fuji! So elder Allen and I looked at each other and we decided to split the meal. And I was glad we did because it was huge! Super good memory to have haha. Good group of Elders to be around! 

I found the Ark:

Then the week Started with no street finding. There is an island in our area that elder Thomas hasn't been to so we decided to go on an adventure to see what it was like. The island was the quietest place ever! Seriously! It was a little town with a private estate and some village houses. There was like 3 roads and then a little main road with shops and stuff on them. Elder Thomas had lots of super creative and interesting ideas. One of which included finding a pet store to offer service for the week. We tried it and the ladies at the shop were super confused and we all had a good laugh! We tried many other things this week to find opportunities for service including clergy at hospitals. We'll that didn't work as well but it was a good try! 

But on the island was a tourist attraction called Noah's Ark. I thought it was going to be a little playground amusement park. While walking around the island we rounded a corner near the coast and whoa and behold... It was the actual ship! It was huge!!! I really think that they might have made it to scale! We thought maybe we could teach about the apostasy, but it was an amusement thing so probably not the best. 

We're Back! 

So it turns out that crossroads is still a thing where I am serving! It is t a weekly thing last my last area but we still have a chance to go and help in Sunny Bay in there storage area! We got to go with elder Siddoway and Clarke and it was so much fun! I got eaten Alive by mosquitoes! Hurt so bad love it! 

Members

For the week we focused lots more on meeting with members and with people returning to church to build stronger bonds in the church and to see if they had friends or family we could get to know. So far it seems to be working and I am excited to get to know the ward members more. We met with lots of members and got to know more about their lives and how they came to know the church. The members are great and they have lots of Faith and missionary spirit! 

I was also reading Camp fire of Faith by Elder Gong today and I really liked how he tells us to be creative just like our father in heaven because he is a creator and wants us to be like him and ha e the faith to create and try new things. I know God lives and Jesus is our savior! 

Have a great week love you all! 

Love ya!

Yours in Fellowship and Love,🐲🐼✌🍜

鄧 長 老

Elder Connor R.Duersch

Dahng Jeunglouh

Stan Theman 

Chapter 79: BBQ, Goodbye Xroads, Tsing Yi, another Miracle of prayer.

Elder Connor R. Duersch(Stan Theman鄧長老) Ministering to Hong Kong 1 by 1! Chapter 81

你好!!!  

Hello everyone! How are we all? So first I think I might have screwed up the Chapters a bit so I believe we are actually on chapter 81. I think that is right if not some one point it out and I will fix it for next week! There is so much rain happening this week we are so soaked ha! I had to say goodbye to some members and friends in Tin Shui Wai and it was sad but I was grateful to be with them and to serve them. 

So this week is full of lots of things that ha e happened and more new things to come, so let's just jump right in and start swimming! 

Mongolian BBQ:

For Pday we went with some Elders to a Mongolian BBQ where you can make as much stir fry and pizza yourself and they will cook it for you! I have been before with another group so it was fun to go with this group of elders to eat. Elder Sagal a is super funny! He told lots of stories and Elder Allen was there as well with more stories. There are so many amazing elders out here in the mission it is just crazy! 

Elder Robinson also wanted to get protein as well cause he likes to work out so we spent like 2 hours trying to find this workout shop and it turns out it was like right next to the BBQ place the whole time. Ugh face palm! But ya it was a super fun Pday! 

Good Bye Cross roads:

This week was my last week at crossroads and I was super sad to leave all the friends I have made and the service we got to do for this community. We wen to electrical and I was able to say goodbye to my friends Paul and Mongai. They are amazing! We had to help lift mini hotel fridges up to a vacant room so they could be later transferred to a hospital so they could put medicine in them. We moved about 61 fridges! We were also in a trio for the day with Elder Holt because of some zone leader business. I will miss that place. Super fun and great time there! 

Tsing Yi:

Right so this week was also transfers and I am now on the yellow line of the MTR map. I live on the tung chung line in a house that was a branch meeting house for the church. It is actually a house house! The room is so big! I was shocked when I walked in! I live with elder Lagania and elder Finklea they are in my district. There is also some weights in the apartment so I guess now I got to get pumped - ha. 

Elder Thomas is my new companion and he is from Hurricane, Utah. Almost all of my Companions are from Utah so that is pretty cool! He came with me the same time to Hong Kong so I know him a little already. We don't actually li e in our area to proselyte so we have to take a bus and a train to our area and it is like 45 minutes ha. The area is an island and I am very glad to see ocean again! We also have lots of industrial area as well. Also a nice park and a pier. There are still tall buildings though so can't really escape that ha. I am excited to see how things go this transfer and how being a district leader is. 

Another Miracle of Prayer:

On the spiritual side of my email we had another miracle this week of prayers being answered. We have 2 people we are teaching named Jacky and Gung jai. They are both good friends. They haven't been able to come to church for a while and so we called up members and asked if they could pray that our friends could come. Elder Thomas and I prayed really hard and when Sunday came church started and they weren't there. So we called them and they were both on their way. Such an amazing blessing! 

I know that god hears and answers our prayers. It is in his timing and his own will when and how we get the required results. 

Love you all and I can't wait to talk to y'all next week and tell you more about my adventures serving the lord. A sneak peek for this week is we aren't aloud to go street contacting this week to get new ways to find people! Should be super fun! Tell ya all how it goes next week. 

Love ya!

Yours in Fellowship and Love,🐲🐼✌🍜

鄧 長 老

Elder Connor R.Duersch

Dahng Jeunglouh

Stan Theman