Hello all again - 33rd email from Hong Kong

And thank you for all of the wonderful Birthday presents. I really enjoyed some of the chocolate yesterday and am looking forward to eating a lot more today :) Plus the colour by numbers will be fun, as will playing with all of those new drawing pens, and attempting to make food based on the recipes from Bethany.

I just picked up the package yesterday at Mission Conference - and yesterday was a busy day! Mission Conference in the morning, then we met with Kelvin and committed him to baptism on the 29th of June; we then met with J H D, our Mainlander, who is still really struggling with not drinking tea, and with not really understanding the Restoration. We were teaching him on Tuesday, before another new investigator showed up - but it went on longer and we suddenly had two investigators there at the same time! What to do? I decided that if we watched the Restoration DVD and taught about prophets and the Book of Mormon, it should keep them both occupied - and the lesson seemed perfect for both the new investigator and J H D, who I don't think really understood the idea of a modern prophet before, and is still a little apprehensive about praying, thinking that only really holy people can pray.

Finally last night, we went to see a really good Less-Active family called the L family. Their teenage daughter is completely active, but nobody else is - she's a really great example, though, and so we meet with the family every week. We taught a simple lesson about the Atonement and Adam and Eve, and shared a scripture in 1 Corinthians; "As in Adam all die, even so in Christ, all are made alive." It went really well.

Last week in Priesthood Executive Council, the Bishop talked over the three key things they had to do in order to get things going - 1. Pray for the victims, 2. Telephone family members to make sure they are okay and 3. Begin preparing for the packages. This is the first time I've been near a natural disaster like this, and it was interesting to see the way the church leadership got going immediately. Unfortunately, the packages are being assembled by the ward members in Shenzen, which is just on the other side of the border between Hong Kong and the Mainland, so Missionaries can't really help - we're not allowed to be there!

Interesting to hear that Reading offers Chinese - that's something good to look into. As far as any specific university goes, I don't really mind. Royal Holloway would be nice, but I expect my grades are far too low to get in there, even possibly as a mature student.

The period of time that I've spent here in Tai Po this Moves with Elder Sharp has been the most amazing time of my mission so far - investigators that are really progressing and growing, and a constant wave of new people willing to hear the Gospel. It's wonderful; I certainly hope I get to stay here with Elder Sharp next moves, as we've had just so many miracles together - and, of course, Kelvin is getting baptised next Moves, which is as good a reason as any to want to stay. But I've noticed that generally the thing we want the most isn't necessarily the best thing for us, so I'm ready to go anywhere else I'm needed. I look forward to the future, and know that things can only get better from this point on. I remember D&C90:24 - "Search diligently, pray always and be believing, and all things shall work together for your good..." A wonderful scripture, which has been a great comfort to me throughout my mission and which I am seeing the blessings of now.

I love you all and pray for you often,

Elder Matthew Loffhagen

羅 長 老