I cannot believe I have already been out on a mission for 6 months. The time has flown by. This past week I really have drawn closer to my Savior. I really have learned so many things from being on a mission. Many things have contributed to the growth of a mission. President Hawks encouraged us to read a talk called "Quick to Observe" by David A. Bednar. I suggest everyone to read it. I will briefly explain of the of the insight I have recieved. Dealing with spiritual gifts, one of great value is descernment. Not only to descern the bad from the good around us, but to descern the good and bad within an individual, the good  in others, and the ability to be prompt in heeding the spirit.

Although my thoughts are scattered, and I remember little of this past week, I remember reading a talk called "Coming to Ourselves: The Sacrament, the Temple, and Sacrifice in Service" by Elder Robert D. Hales. IN this talk given at General Conference he said regarding Sacrament "I testify that the sacrament gives us an opportunity to come to ourselves and experience "a mighty change: of heart-- to remember who we are and what we most desire." I think of the covanents made in the temple, I think of ALL the marvelous blessings God has given us as long as we simply obey. I think of the opportunity to partake of the sacrament and experience a mighty change of heart, if we prepare. How can it be a powerful symbol? Elder Hales earlier stated, "For the sacrament to be a spiritually cleansing experience each week, we need to prepare ourselves before coming... We do this by deliberately leaving behing our daily work and recreation and letting go of worldly thoughts and concerns. As we do, we make room in our minds and hearts for the Holy Ghost." Think of Michael who later became Adam. Think of Saul who became Paul. The symbol of a name-- in essence is the reconstruction of one's very being! As we willingly and joyfully go to the alter and partake of the Sacrament, we symbolically change our essence. Our name may still be Matthew, Lawrence, or Stella, but our very soul is Jesus the Christ. The name of hope, charity, compassion, patience, endurance, obedience, humility, salvation and of service. What happiness can be found as we submit to the commandments of the Father.

As a living testimony I have literally and more importantly symbolically taken on a new name, the name of Jesus Christ, representing His church. I promise that when we covanent with God each week to bear his name in our hearts, we will be the people we want to be, we will be a standard to the world, and God will be pleased with us individually. We will "have an opportinity to come to ourselves and experience "a mighty change of heart" as promised by an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ- Elder Hales. I have witnessed it time and time again, and I know this change can occur daily when we focus on our Savior and our covanents with Him. I have so much to learn, I have so many flaws. But I do have a patient, perfect Father who will teach me, you, and those who are willing to change. "

And it came to pass that he (Alma) said, unto them... as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another;s burdens, that they may be light; Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of  God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life- Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, and keep his commandments, that he may pour our his Spirit more abundantly upon you? And now when the people had heard these words, they clapped their hands for joy, and exclaimed: This is the desire of our hearts." Mosiah 18:8-11

When we renew our covenant with God, do we rejoice? Do we clap for joy knowing that we have an opportunity to change?

I invite alll of you to ponder in your hearts the covenants that you have made and the desire of your hearts to know for yourself if you are true in your willingness to serve God.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen

So I heard about Ebony, that must have been stressful taking her to the emergency room on vacation. I hope everything went alright. I will pray for her.  As for me I am doing well. So the work is going forth and it is all because of Heavenly Father. He truly inspired my companion and I to prepare this special time to help one soul come unto Christ through baptism. It was quite interesting, I don't know if Lawrence and Tim know, but they emailed me about having stronger relationships with members, and using them to do the work more frequently. President Hawks also talked about how we need to be better to our members, and sacrifice more. I also sought revelation with my companion about receiving revelation, and both my companion and I worked toward helping members more fully. We truly have seen the rewards and the blessings because of it. on August 26 we have a baptism. It was working through the members that this was even made possible. It is interseting how the Lord inspires men to do the work, and... the work goes forth. So you can tell Tim and Law that they were made instruments in God's hand in helping Causeway Bay catch fire the vision of missionary work. The faith and hope of the members here have seen to be refeshed. The spark of the spirit has been lit and the work goes forth. Unfortunately, Causeway Bay has not had a baptism for over a year, and the last 3 baptisms are now less active, this has probably hindered the motivation of the work.

I know God has blessed my companion and I, our area has been on of the lowest baptizing missions, and the ones that have been needing new member support. Now our area is one of the highest in the mission, I know it is because of attitude as well as accountibility. I know numbers don't mean anything, in fact I hope I do not sound prideful. When I first came into Causeway Bay, there was an attitude of hopelessness and an discouraged area. I did not know that, nor did it affect me when I did hear from other missionaries regarding it. I don't know when we change our attitudes to fit the attitude God wants us to have we will have success. The members of Causeway Bay are spiritual giants. They are the heros of Hong Kong. Faith changes with attitude. When we are responsible and accountable for our actions, not making any excuses on why we could have been better or start comparing ourselves and our success with others, there comes a spirit of success. We learn from our mistakes, we look to the past only to be learned from, we utilize the atonement frequently, and have a positive attitude. When Satan blows us down, we are quick to rise and face the new challenge with responsibility and a positive attitude. I hope we can all face our challenges with a positive attitude, never waivering in faith or finding excuses on why this or why that. When we are accountable to the Lord with a sincere desire to change, it will happen and the work goes forth. I challenge all of us to be positive in all aspects of life, seeking for the good in which God has given us,

Mosiah 4: 11 And again I say unto you as I have said before, that as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his goodness and have tasted of his love, and have recieved a remission of your sins, which causeth such exceedingly great joy in your soulds, even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your won nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even un the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come, which was spoken by the mouth of the angel.4:12 And behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with love of God, and always retain a remission of your sins; and ye shall grow in the knowlegde of the glory of him that created you, or in the knowlegde of that which is just and true."

God promises that we shall "always rejoice" when we look in the goodness of God, that includes not envying, not coveting, being selfish, and making up excuses. So let us forget ourselves, and the work goes forth.

 

Love,

 Elder Liu

Sorry it has been so long since I last wrote you all. I have been extremely busy with the work in Causeway Bay. Two weeks ago there was a typhoon in Hong Kong, I remember staying indoors because eventually the storm turned into a typhoon Level 10. The following day I went out to do missionary work, and down one whole block there were planted trees spaced out on the concrete. Of all the ten trees, two of them were standing; the rest were uprooted and toppled. This had a large impact on me because the trees looked pretty strong, but, the roots were only about two feet deep into the soil. Unfortunately this reminded me of the people of Hong Kong and Jacob chapter 5. How in the Lord's vineyard some seeds were planted in rich ground and others in stony ground. It didn't really matter where the seeds were planted, even the ones planted in the richest part of the soil had corruption, but it is when the branches takes strength in themselves and not the roots that the tree whithers. If we do not exercise our faith, if we do not humble ourselves, as James said in Chapter 2 verse 26, "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." We need the spirit for all things good, we are nothing without it. With the spirit we are also nothing, unless we have works with our faith. We cannot expect to survive the storms nonetheless the Level 10 Typhoons of Satan if we do not enrich our roots in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and "humble ourselves to the dust." Sometimes it is hard, but we must always look for ways to grow in the gospel. We cannot be those eight trees out of the ten to fall. We must endure, we must remember "whence our blessings come from." I know this is the only way to be happy, nothing else.

Love,
Elder Liu August 2, 2012

Dear Mom,

 

I am doing absolutley fantastic! Thank your for your inspired email. I really just want to take the time to thank you for the amazing parents both you and Dad have been for me. The spirit of revelation has truly directed my life and has confirmed everything you have shown me by example is true and I am grateful for your decision to be baptized especially. I am grateful for you to have listened to the spirit's promting to go to BYU Hawaii and move to Utah. I look out here in Hong Kong where the "soil of faith" is hard. Where Satan has a strong hold on the people. I do not know what I would have done if I grew up in an area like this. I feel strongly impressed that I truly have "stewardship" over these sheep as said in Preech my Gospel. I am grateful for teaching me hard work. I have learned much regarding patience, humility, and love for everyone around me. I know many things which I learned at home has sustained me here in the field. Knowing that this mission is the one you were baptized in, it makes this place THAT much more special. Hopefully I can find one person who can be just like you, enter the waters of baptism and completely change their life around through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Raise a strong, large, happy family, and be happy becuase they have the restored Gospel in their lives. Your story, our story is a living testimony that Jesus is the Christ, Heavenly Father loves and protects us with the promptings of the holy ghost. This is my testimony to all of Hong Kong. I have five investigators with baptizimal dates right now, it was a miracle that 7 of my investigators came to church the following day. I have been telling my investigators about our family and how they need to meet you all. They have a strong desire to know how truly the Gospel has changed your life. Perhaps if they do get an opportunity it will be at Church this Sunday. I have one in particular named Roddy. He is a law teacher at the University of Hong Kong who is a really good person. I wish he could enter into Christ's fold. I am grateful for your email, I feel your prayers continually. I went to the temple today, and there recieved peace and inspiration. I know this last half of the move is going to be life-changing for many people, including myslef.

Hope you have a safe trip, PS, I haven't told President Hawks that you are coming in town.

I am dropping off some gifts for the family, I think Tim will be picking it up at the mission home tomorrow at 10ish. Inside are family ties and scarfs. I think it would be really neat if we all wore the ties I got when I have my homecoming. There should be enough for each male member in our extended family.

 

Love,

Elder Liu

Dear son,

How are you this week?  I am glad to hear that you and your companion both LOVE to work, it really takes two to do missionary work, actually any work, two people make work more fun and more accomplished.  I just realized something about myself these last few days.  I realized that I am not a lazy person!   Subconsciously, I do try to live and enjoy each day to the fullest.  I work over 50 hours a week at the pharmacy these last 4 weeks.  At home when I am off work, I run errands, have helped Emily and the Young Women for a service project, clean house, plan for our upcoming trip, prepare for meals, get a good night rest, despite not feeling appreciated sometimes but I quickly forget that feeling and keep going.  I truly feel the Lord's tender mercy in moments when I am discouraged and stressed that He visited me with little things like hearing one of my favorite songs on the radio, avoiding things that are not right to do but I got caught in between and He saved me!  I wished one night last week that I could talk to Tim, knowing unlikely it would happen, yet it did happen and he called me on my cell phone before Church the very next morning and we had a nice visit...A patient in the pharmacy last night asked me for the name and address of my boss so she could send him a letter to tell him she is thankful for me because I have caught a mistake in her prescription that her doctor made... I am always thankful for such nice place to live and to raise my own family, great neighbors and friends of high values and standards, beautiful nature surrounding us, I just love life!  These are the Lord's tender mercy which I can "count one by one".

This life on earth is tough!  I am grateful for the knowledge that we are not living this life alone!  We have our "Spiritual GPS" which is the Holy Ghost like Elder Ballard said in the last General Conference.  We have the Atonement of Christ when nothing can help.  We think we can be totally INDEPENDENT sometimes but not really. Humility brings us strength, as we humble ourselves and let someone, like parents, friends, old or young, of great examples to help us, listen to their advice and learn of their wisdom instead of relying solely on our own ability, we will be amazed how much MORE we can learn and grow from them.  Being independent is a good thing but learning, accepting, and letting other people and the Lord help us is of greater value.  Remember that we are not always right!

I am excited about our trip to Hong Kong this summer and it is happening in a few days.  I am planning to visit your Mission President, President and Sister Hawkes while we are in Hong Kong.  I also would like to go for an endowment session in the Hong Kong Temple with dad and Lawrence, with Emily doing baptism for the dead.  There is indeed a lot of things we can do over there.  I would like to bring our family to visit the beach where I was baptized 33 years ago on a Wednesday afternoon September 4, 1979, this day and place have changed my life for the best and forever. I am eternally grateful for my classmate and the two sister missionaries who "knocked on my door" in the summer of 1979.  So, it is going to be fun and memorable.  Well, we might bump into you and your companion in Hong Kong and if we do, so sorry :)

We love you,
Mom  Wednesday 7.18.2012 9:57 AM

Dear Family,

 

As I have been travailing on my mission, I have realized what it truley means to "serve" a mission. When I first decided to serve, I had no outlook on the outside world as well as what life in the gospel really has to offer. I had the great privilage to listen to Elder Oaks speak to all the missionaries on the 22 of May. He said many and great things which I will not emphasize at this moment, what I want express is what Sister Oaks talked about before Elder Oaks spake. She said, "Elder Oaks has come so you may recieve personal revelation from an Apostle of the Lord. Revelation may not come from the words he speaks, but from the feelings you recieve." Although many things he spoke did have a large impact on me, and I was seriously moved by his words; what struck me the most is the feeling I recieved. In Enos verse 6, also in Mosiah somewhere, there is an account where Enos as well as Alma both were "struggling in the spirit." When Elder Oaks spoke, I was struggling in the Spirit. I had compassion for Elder Oaks, he himself told us  a joke that we should be gratefule that after our missions we will return to "civilian" lifestlye, but that his calling ends the day he dies. An apostle of the Lord can laugh and devote his whole life to the building up of the Church upon the earth until the day he dies. This is truley cosecrating his time to the building up of the church on the earth. My thoughts afterwards were of desire. What is life's purpose? Is in not to build up the kingdom of God? As coming from the Liniage of Ephriam as many of us are, is it not our obligation as well as our life's calling to build the church and bring those to the gospel of Jesus Christ? This thought, for a moment, was very somber. I want to be worthy to be God's instrument. I want to be able to share the gospel to all those who live on this earth. Now when I entered the MTC, I realized my calling more fully, "to put away childish things, and to become a man." (I think 1st Corintians) As I entered the field, the "dimension of missionary work" has made manifiest of applying my lifestlye of the Gospel to others. And now when I heard Elder Oaks talk 2 days ago, the "dimension of missionary work" has once again changed. It isn't about "Just doing missionary things," it is doing missionary work. I understand now why we are given callings, it is because God trusts us. In fact, if God calls you many times in your life, how would you FEEL? Honored? For me it would be humbled. Humbled to know that I am trusted by the Lord to do his ministry and work upon this earth. Elder Oaks talked what a name means. A name isn't just a lable, it is the essence of who we are. When Saul was converted, when Abram was chosen, their names changed to Paul and Abraham. This is because their lifestyle was in accordance with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and that their outlook in life is changed into another Dimention of Missionary Work. For me this is true, my name will not nessicarily change, but indeed my essence already has. I toil in the spirit, to know which way to turn, I desire to be and represent Jesus Christ the savior of the world. The gospel isn't jsut about being baptized, reciving the Gift og the Holy Ghost and going to the temple and getting married and enduring to the end, it is about doing so, and doing more, doing what the Spirit wants. To convert the world and fulfill the porimises and convanants made in the Book of Mormon and by Latter Day Prophets.

This is my testimony that we can have this desire and love who we are because of what we stand for. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen

 

Love,

Elder Liu

May 2, 2012

Dear Readers,

 

I have had such a great experience regarding finding. Before I came, my companion Elder Glazier and his Companion Elder Neild made a street display board about the Restoration. They were only able to use it once because the police came by and told them they were blocking traffic and that they needed a permit to do so. What is amazing is that every effort counts in the sight of the Lord. One person stopped by to look at the display board. Her name is Sister Mercy. She later started taking discussions from the missionaries and was baptized 2 months later, which happened to be last week. Although Elder Glazier and I are Cantonese elders and she is from the Phillipines, he had the privilage to baptize her because she wanted him to. Even though it may have "seemed" to be a waste of time to go buy the wood, a waste of time to buy the screws and assemble this makeshift board, it brought one soul unto Jesus Christ. Though our efforts, creativity, and patience, the Lord can work miracles in our individual lives. Today I challange you to make a way to share the gospel. It doesn't have to be creative, it doesn't have to be time consuming; All it needs to be is sincere. I know as we first pray to find those we can help, the Lord will inspire us to touch their lives. In Hong Kong there are spiritual giants. Looking back, if I grew up in Hong Kong, I don't know if I could stand the adversity's blows. Hong Kong= Busy, Fast-Pace, exciting, bright, shiney, stylish, technological, cheap, loud, creative, large, and rich. How stong my testimony is now, how fortunate I am to have known the gospel, how grateful I am to share what I have with others.

 

Love,

Elder Liu