Week #13/100‏

Dear family and friends,

How are you all?

This week that we just had was amazing. Our goal this week was to achieve the standards of excellence, which hasn't been achieved in a Cantonese area for a long time. We saw miracles that came because of the love that the Lord has for us. He cares about the work that we do.

Three weeks ago we were contacting at Seneca College and we talked to a student named Terek. He is from Fujian and he knows very little about Christianity. We got his number and we tried calling him a few times over the weeks. We could not get a hold of him. On Saturday night we were wondering who we could bring bring to church on Sunday. Since his number seems to be "dead", on Saturday we called him and decided if he doesn't pick up then we will stop trying. Surprisingly, he picked up. However, he said he was not interested. I tried harder to let him know how important our message is but he just didn't want to meet. We dropped him and decided that we would move on and never call the number again.

We kept calling some other potential investigators. Half an hour later, the phone rang. We picked up and could not believe that it was Terek. He told us that he had thought about it and he wants to meet us and come to church. We were so amazed that he had changed his mind. I know that it is the Lord that had done the work. I do not know how He did it but I can only be certain that He did. How often does someone reject you and then in such a short time call back and apologize and expresses the desire to learn from us? I'm not sure but it is the 1st time that it has happened on my mission. It is hard to believe that such courage and the humility came to him in just 30 minutes.

I know that you might think that it is just a coincidence. I do not think so. I choose to accept the fact that it is a miracle. I know that God foresees everything and because of the love that he has for us he provides help.

Happy belated Thanksgiving everyone. May all of you see little miracles in your life and thank Him for them everyday.

Elder Lee

Teaching in Cantonese is great!

Dear family and friends,

How are you all?

This week has been another good week. It hasn't been too crazy but we have been improving and making progress bit by bit. We have been spending a lot of time just talking with people on the streets and teaching them. This transfer is already half way over and we are working pretty hard so that we can see baptisms at the end of this transfer.

Teaching in Cantonese is great. Elder Hendricks is still working hard in learning Cantonese even though it is not hard to understand him at all!

We are constantly looking for referrals from so send us some if you know anyone who lives in Toronto(or nearby)!

Love,

Elder Lee

The Stone is Rolling Forward!‏

Dear family and friends,

This week has been a good week. This area is prospering and we are finding joy in the work. Elder Hendricks and I have been talking with a lot of people everyday and are teaching people on the streets. A lot of times the people we contact are Mandarin speakers. So my Mandarin is definitely improving. It is amazing to see how humble Chinese people are sometimes and how the Lord has worked on them before. Not too rarely do we find someone who is very prepared and it is very exciting and spiritually uplifting for us.

I have been thinking a lot about our callings as missionaries recently. Through the experiences I gained from here, I know that God really does help us, EVERYDAY. The conviction behind our voices and the feeling of the Holy Ghost testifies of the real reason why we do the work: to guide His children to become as He is.

I am thrilled for all the emails friends have been sending me about their mission calls. I know that each one of us can be a big part of the areas where we are serving or will serve in. The stone is rolling forward and we need to prepare the world for the Lord. Get working everyone!

Love,

Elder Lee

New Area! Canto!‏

Dear friends and family,

This past week was the last week of the transfer! I got a transfer call and I am going to serve in the Markham West area with Elder Hendricks staring from Tuesday, speakingCantonese! I have been so excited since I got the news, knowing that I can finally serve in my first language and I am hoping that it will be a good change. I am going to miss Don Mills South and all the people that I have met during this time. I hope that my investigators will continue to learn and be baptized soon.

So recently, for a special reason, I grew in my motivation to serve. I am really hoping that I will always serve with all my heart and will not regret anything at the end of my mission. Time is passing by faster than I would like it to and I realize that I need to be push and stretch myself constantly to become a more worthy and trusted tool in the hands of the Lord.

So day-light savings was on Sunday. I got an extra hour of sleep and that was nice. However, Hong Kong is now 13 hours ahead of Toronto (it was 12) and if you want to chat with me you might have to stay up a little later now.

Have a good week brothers and sisters!

Love,

Elder Lee

Canto Work‏

Dear family and friends,

This week has been an awesome week with my first Cantonese companion Elder Hendricks. We have been teaching a lot and Cantonese work is definitely going to take off in the coming weeks. We found a bunch of new investigators on the streets and we would just teach them and pray with them right there. People will stare at us when we pray out loud in public but I'm totally fine with it. It's just part of missionary work, ha-ha.

Our area is HUGE! It is the entire west half of the GTA. People up here in Markham and Richmond Hill are mostly Asian and are generally more humble than the people in the Don Mills South area. Also, teaching and contacting in Cantonese is unpredictable because I can't really tell if the person we talk to knows Mandarin or Cantonese until they respond. I would say at least 65% of them are Mandarin. I have never felt so grateful for knowing Mandarin. Poor Elder Hendricks would just have to stand on the side for those contacts though.

I met the family of Elder Aldus Wong, who I met in the MTC. They invited us for dinner and we taught a really spiritual lesson. The ward here is great because it is literally a big family. A large number of them are related and they are very helpful in doing missionary work as well.

Anyway, that is about it for this week. Hey if you have any friends that lives in Ontario please let me contact them. I know that the gospel is real and it will help people find joy in life. Amen.

Elder Lee

2 months in Toronto!‏

Dear family and friends,

How are you all doing?

As of tonight I would have been here for 2 months! I am having a really good time here in Canada. We have been working hard and talking to a lot of people everyday. I know that I have the help of God as I speak and the Holy Ghost speaks the message to that person's spirit. It is humbling to see that some people's attitude changes from rejecting to welcoming as the conversation goes on. It is not my eloquence but my obedience that does the work. Those people are the ones who recognize the authority that we represent and power that comes from the Holy Ghost through our voices.

It has been really busy and I had no time to write in my journal this week. Our investigator Lenny is 

trying to quit smoking so that he can be baptized on the 3rd of November. We are really excited for him and hopefully by next week he will be baptized. I will keep it updated.

Have a good week everyone.

Elder Lee

October 21, 2013

Dear family and friends,

This week has been another good week. The work is still going strong! How are you all?

Something special that happened this week was the Toronto Stake stake conference. It was good to hear from the authorities and it was my first time attending Saturday night adult session. It was also exciting to finally see the Cantonese and Mandarin missionaries in the stake. There was a couple of them that attended BYU: Elder Moore, Elder Hendricks and Sister Hsiung! I also met Elder Lai that is from the Ma On Shan Ward back home. I can tell that they are great missionaries and it will be awesome to work with them in the future.

I also met a recently returned missionary, Nathan Lim, who served in HK and has been back for 10 days now. It was great to speak Cantonese with him. The Lim kids are half Chinese and they are just awesome. They always love to help the missionaries in the ward.

I am so grateful for the help that I am receiving everyday by our Heavenly Father. We have been teaching along with members a ton. I am thankful for the opportunity to learn the gospel in my life especially when I see the people we teach struggle with their lives. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the way that the Lord has set up for us to be happy. 

1. Faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement

2. Repentance

3. Baptism by Authority

4. Receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost

5. ENDURE TO THE END

I have come to realize more and more each day that this is the way of life that the Lord promises us that we can be happy if we live it. Trials will still come but you WILL be happy with you live it.

It's so real.

I know that this Church is more than just a religion. It's all about God. Being a member of His Church is not just showing a belief, but infinitely more importantly is to LIVE the life of a Saint, someone that strives to follow Jesus Christ and learn TRUTH.

Have a good week everyone!

Elder Lee