The One Where Sister Mindy Mint Teaches Us To Set Goals!

GUESS WHAT?!?! I'M ALL CAUGHT UP!!! here is THIS WEEK'S email from our beloved sister missionary! :) (she didn't write last week and that is why slacker here is actually caught up).
enjoy!



GOOOOOOOAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLL(S)


Hello everybody!!

I am so sorry I didn't email last week! i'm struggling to manage my time well in emailing time but i promise i'll do better. (YEAH, MOM! Stop stealing all our missionaries time! we wanna hear from her too! ;) ) 

This week was a roller coaster of disappointments and surprises but Sister Christensen and I are trucking along. We had really solid referrals that we were certain were going to turn into investigators and some super solid street contacts that we were very excited to meet with again, but they all either cancelled meetings with us, told us they weren't interested, or didn't pick up their phone. We're struggling to figure out where we are going wrong and why things never seem to work out for us but I have faith and hope that incredible things are right around the corner. Miracles are coming and we're going to work hard for them. 

So, i'm going to share a little about what i've learned in the past few weeks. If you know me at all, you know that i am not good at setting goals. I set them but i'm not usually good at achieving them. But mostly I just do things spontaneously and I hope that everything works out. Usually by "sheer, dumb luck" things do work out for me but, missionary work is not like that. All of you that are preparing for missions (and life?), be smarter than Sister Adams. Learn how to set goals and work to achieve them. We've been talking a lot about SMART goals and being accountable when we don't achieve them and I can honestly tell you that setting goals is changing my mission. There's this quote in Preach My Gospel that says something like, "If you don't learn how to set goals and work to achieve them, then someday you're going to look back on your life and see that you only reach a small portion of the person that you could have become." I can testify that that is true. If I had been REALLY striving to set goals and achieve them, I think that there might have been some differences in my life. So i invite you all to analyze your life, find an area that needs improvement, set some SMART goals, and get it done!!

On a more spiritual note, I was reading in Helaman 5 the other day (i love this chapter) and there's a part of the story that I found really interesting. Nephi and Lehi (brothers not prophet and son) are preaching to the people. They get thrown into prison and the wicked people are wanting to kill them. While they and the wicked people are inside the prison a terrible darkness and fear overwhelms the wicked people and they become very terrified and upset. In the midst of the confusion and darkness, we can read that the Spirit is talking to the people, Nephi and Lehi are encircled by fire and angels are ministering to them. Pretty incredible. The part of the story that catches my attention is in verses 40 and 41. Once the wicked people realize that Nephi and Lehi are not surrounded by darkness like they are, they start to wonder how they too can be released. They ask, "What shall we do, that this cloud of darkness may be removed from overshadowing us?" The reply is simple: "You must repent, and cry unto the voice even until you shall have faith in Jesus Christ... when you shall do this, the cloud of darkness shall be removed from overshadowing you." As soon as they prayed and repented, the darkness dispersed and a pillar of light and fire encircled them. 

We all have darkness and fear that seem to overwhelm us at times. The first step is realizing that there can be a difference. The next step is praying and repenting until you have the faith necessary. I know that faith in Jesus Christ will bring light to your lives, just as I know that it can change lives in Hong Kong.

I love you all so much. Share some light this week.

Sister Adams

Sister Mindy eating her favorite street food in Hong Kong, egg waffles. 

The One Where IT WAS MINDY'S BIIIRRRRTTHHHHHHDAAAAAAYYYYY!!!!

This email is short and sweet, but it was Mindy's Birthday September 12th so even though this is a short entry, it gets its own entry and THERE ARE SUPER CUTE PICTURES!!! our missionary is super cute and awesome! LOVE HER! here is her September 12, 2016 email. enjoy!

THANK YOU!!!

Hello Everyone!

Thank you so much for all the birthday wishes! It seriously made my day. I hope you all know that I love you all so much and i truly am SOOOOO grateful for all your support and prayers. I am truly one of the most spoiled missionaries in the world.

I am completely out of time today, so no long email but i saw a picture of me from before my mission and I cannot believe how much I have aged and changed in the past (almost) year of my mission! I noticed it in Sister Ng as well. We get older and wiser REAL fast here on the mission but we're becoming exactly who the Lord needs us to be so it's worth the eye bags and wrinkles.

Scripture of the week is in Romans 5 but i can't remember the exact words or exact reference. Just a general theme for my week. Tribulation gives experience, experience brings patience and patience brings hope. I'm sorry my email is so pathetic but i love you all so much!

I know that this gospel is true. It's worth the sacrifices. It's worth the early mornings and late nights saying prayers and reading scriptures. It's worth the fight to get yours kids out the door every Sunday in order to partake of the Sacrament. It's worth it. Keep being incredible. The Lord needs us to be His hands and be willing to defend what we know is right. 

Have a great week!

Sister Adams

Birthday Crown for the Birthday Girl! :)

cute cute missionaries!

The One Where Mindy Tells Us About How Her Mission Is Worth All The Hardship

i have accepted the fact that i will forever be behind on this blog posting thing. Seriously, why was i put in charge of this?
Here is Mindy's September 4th, 2016 email. hope you enjoy! :) she's the cutest! And i LOVE her testimony that she gives in this email.




Hello Everyone!!!

Just a quick email because i'm almost out of time. But i am actually not in a companionship with Sister Ng and Sister Terry anymore. (sorry, i unintentionally lied). I got the call to train a new missionary on Tuesday morning with a "please come pick her up tomorrow." It was a little bit of a shock because Sister Ng, Sister Terry and I had finally gotten adjusted to the fact that we would be in a crazy trio for the transfer when we got the call. (Sister Ng will tell you that she saw it coming and that she was "waiting for the phone to ring" but i don't believe her. I saw her study journal. She was making plans for how to care for both areas just like the rest of us ;P). My new companion is Sister Christensen. She's from Gilbert, Arizona. Her cantonese already rocks, she already loves being a missionary, and she is a SUPER sweet heart. I love her already and I can already tell that it's going to be a transfer of miracles.

So, Sister Christensen and I will be tearing it up in Tsim Sha Tsui. Hitting the streets looking for prepared souls, loving our less actives in to coming to church, and serving our members. All the while, having fun while we do it and striving to become more like the Savior. For those of you who are wondering about what being a missionary is like in Hong Kong, let me tell you. It is the hardest thing that you will ever do. IT's hard phsycially, emotionally, spiritually and especially mentally but it is also SOOOO worth it. It is one of the happiest things that you could ever do! Just give it your all, love the people, eat the food, and work hard. the best things in life are the things that you make sacrifices for. There's a quote by a pioneer that says something like, "I would make those same sacrifices over and over again because that journey taught me about my Savior." That's what being a missionary is like. Stay strong. Keep Going. It's worth it. 

Anyway, I went to Zone Conference this week and we talked a little bit about the Atonement of Jesus Christ. One scripture passage that was shared is D&C 19:16-19. It truly is one of my favorite scriptures about the Atonement of Jesus Christ but my favorite verse in the section is actually verse 15. Verse 15 reads, "Therefore I command you to repent -- repent, lest i smite you by the rod of my mouth, and by my wrath, and by my anger, and your sufferings be sore --(and here is my personal favorite part) how sore you know not, how exquisite you know not, yea, how hard to bear you know not." I like this verse because if there is anyone that has the authority to call us to repentance it is most definitely the Savior of the World. He can call us to repent because He's the one who had to bear the burden of that sin. HE KNOWS what if feels like. He has every right to be righteously angry when we refuse the gift that He has given us because the gift was incredibly hard to give. It cost Him His life. We literally cannot comprehend, we cannot know the pains and harships the He went through for us. The only things that He asks in return is that we repent, we let Him take the burden He's already felt and we strive to be better. I, myself, truly hope that I did not cause too many drops of blood to be shed for my sake. I'm grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ and I am grateful that I have the scriptures so that I can learn of and remember Him. The scriptures always say things much better than I can, So i'm grateful for their words and for the witness and light that they bring to my life. 

I love my Savior, I love Tsim Sha Tsui, I love Sister Christensen, and i love being a missionary.

Have a great week everyone!

Love, Sister Adams

Sister Adams with her companion, Sister Christensen!

Sister Mindy at her super messy desk. 

The One Where Mindy Tells Us About How We Can Find Rest In Our Souls

Always behind...hope you're used to it :P
here is Mindy's Aug 28th email. she included pictures on this one! enjoy :)


"Never weary of good works"

Hello Everyone!

Not much for you this week, other than the fact that I had to send home my companion, Sister Villasin on Thursday. :( I miss her a lot already but i'm proud of her and i'm grateful for all the things that I was able to learn from her. My two new companions are Sister Ng and Sister Terry. We are now serving over two different areas! Kowloon City and Tsim Sha Tsui. It's been really hard to balance time in two different areas and balance speaking time between three different people in a lesson but we're figuring it out and laughing our way through all the mistakes made. We're having lots of fun even though we feel confused 98% of the time. HAHA

None of us are really sure how long this trio is going to last, because the Tsim Sha Tsui and Kowloon City Elders are in a trio too, so we're all feeling some big changes in the air but i'll keep you updated and let you know what happens. Unity is going to have to be a big emphasis in the next transfer (not that it wasn't already) and we'll have to go to a lot more meetings..lol! It's gonna be great though and i'm excited for the new challenges ahead. Hong Kong is ALWAYS an exciting place to be a missionary.

My title today is from the scripture in Alma 37:33-34. Alma is instructing his son, Helaman, and says, "Preach unto them repentance, and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; teach them to humble themselves and to be meek and lowly of heart; teach them to withstand every temptation of the devil, with their faith on the Lord Jesus Christ. Teach them never to weary of good works, but to be meek and lowly of heart; for such shall find rest to their souls." I can testify that this is true. I find the most rest for my soul when I am serving other and not being weary of doing good works for others. I find rest for my soul when i'm being humble and meek to what the Lord, my mission leaders, my ward leaders, and my companions ask from me. I have peace in my soul when I am teaching others to resist temptations, overcome sin and humble themselves through faith in Jesus Christ. 

Hard times come. They always will, but instead of resisting them, be humble. Do "good works." Share with others, serve others and you WILL find rest in your souls. Doing these things will bring you closer to the Savior and help you grow your faith. They will help you overcome temptation and truly help you repent. Don't be weary of good works. Serve others and give them the opportunity to serve you. If you don't let people serve you, you deny them blessings that could be theirs. 

Christ lives. Christ loves. I truly know that we can find peace and rest in our souls if we will be humble and trust in the Plan that God has for us. I know that Christ truly died for us and Atoned for our pains, afflictions, sorrows, and sins. I know that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we all have the opportunity to be made whole, to be made perfect, to have peace. 

I love you all. Have a fantastic week!

Sister Adams

Sister Mindy and Her old companion Sister Villasin

Mindy with her new companions and the companion she sent home

The One Where Sister Mindy Tells Us About Teaching The Less-Actives

Slacker here, posting her email from last week! hope you enjoy :))




Hello Everyone!

We had another fantastic week of meeting with less-actives. Our less-actives have lost the feeling of the gospel or as President Uchtdorf has said once, they have stopped "hearing the music." It's not beautiful for them anymore and I feel that it's because they have stopped having a personal connection with Jesus Christ through applying the Atonement into their lives. It's interesting to think about the difference between a knowledge of Jesus Christ and having faith in Jesus Christ. A lot of my less-actives have great knowledge of Jesus Christ but they lack the faith to apply His teachings into their life and be TRUE, firm followers of Him. It's incredible to watch God bless them as they start to re-apply their faith to see them RECOGNIZE those blessings. That's my favorite part. When we sit down in a lesson with them and they say, "God answered my prayers this week." It's never how they expect God to answer them but ti's always in a way that they learn from and remember. I sometimes think that my less-actives are like Laman and Lemuel. I feel like Nephi saying, "YOU'VE SEEN SIGNS AND ANGELS!!!!! YOU'VE HAD SO MUCH EVIDENCE! WHY WON'T YOU JUST BE OBEDIENT AND BE BELIEVING!!" But then again, I find myself being a bit like Laman and Lemuel as well. God probably thinks all the time, "Sister Adams, have I ever led you astray?? Just trust me and stop resisting the things I want to teach you." We're all walking the same path back to Heavenly Father, some of us are just walking faster than others. 

On another note, Sister Villasin and I will FINALLY be starting the "Family Mission Plan" that I have been trying to get going in my ward the entire transfer. It wasn't until this week that the members have been free enough to schedule us (perks of having a companion return home). The family mission plan is basically just a piece of paper with a list of a bunch of different ways to do missionary work and a place for them to write down the goals that they set for themselves. It also comes with a spiritual message from the missionaries, with a pinch of "you can do better to follow the prophets counsel" sprinkled in. The purpose is basically to get the members to realize how easy being a missionary can be and that it truly is their responsibility as members to be bringing people into church. I understand why they're afraid. I really, truly understand because i was afraid at first too but doing missionary work will bless them and change their lives. I'm also hoping that by making them aware of what their responsibility is, they'll be able to lift each other, support each other and my ward will grow. A shocking amount of members have negative feeling towards missionary work (not necessarily about missionaries but about DOING missionary work) and an even more shocking amount don't even know that they are supposed to be doing missionary work. It was said by the prophet himself, "now is the time for members and missionaries to work together" to bring people into the church, the prophets words are God's words. Being obedient to the prophets word will ALWAYS bring blessings. Be obedient. Be courageous. "Doubt not, fear not."

I have to send my companion home this week but I jsut want to let you all know that God gives you companions because YOU need them. Not necessarily because they need you. Sister Villasin is wonderful and I'll miss her a lot. She's taught me a lot and although it's been a tough transfer, I truly learned that having "sunshine in your heart" makes all the difference. Having a happy heart, a happy way of looking at life is a choice and it's also a blessing. I encourage all of you to strive to find sunshine in your heart (it starts with gratitude). It'll change your life and your burdens will be lighter. Pray for light and you will get it. I can testify of that. I've been blessed with some of the best companions in the mission and I don't know why God loves me so much but I won't question it. I'm excited for the new things coming my way. 

Keep listening to the "music" of the gospel and keep being missionaries. I love you all so much! I am blessed to be a missionary in Hong Kong.

Love you!
Sister Adams

P.s. sorry no pictures this week. The computer i'm on doesn't have a USB port. SORRY MOM. I promise i'll send one next week.