Simply Bearing Testimony

Yesterday we had perhaps the best lesson of my entire mission. We met this
girl named Nii in one of the parks in my area. We just chatted very
briefly, and I gave her a card with my name and number. A few days later
she texted me! After a week of trying to call/text each other, we finally
scheduled a time for Sunday afternoon at the church. We invited Daphne (my
friend who was baptized about a month ago) to teach with us. Anders, a 12
year old boy, also wanted to teach with us. He was baptized two years ago
and is the only member in his family. So at 3:00 pm Nii came in, carrying a
backpack literally the size of her. She had just gotten done doing training
for tai kwon do! She is super sweet and works at a Christian elementary.
She wanted to meet with us because she is pretty spiritual, but is a little
confused about specific religions. We shared the message of the
Restoration, and everything flowed so well. The questions she had, and her
understanding of God perfectly led into our message of Joseph Smith and how
we can personally receive direction from God. As I taught and testified, I
felt in my heart the absolute certainty of what I was saying was true. The
Chinese wasn't a hindrance at all, in fact it felt right, and the spirit
was present in an almost tangible way. It seemed the small table we were
all gathered at was exuding a sphere of light upon us all. As us
missionaries testified of truths learned in childhood, Anders testified of
the boy Joseph Smith, Daphne shared about how The Book of Mormon has
changed her life since beginning to read it this past year, and Nii asked
sincere questions about the nature of God, I just felt a peace that this
was the truth.
I am so grateful to be a missionary. I am so grateful that God really does
answer prayers. He hears every single prayer. *But in the gift‍ of his Son
hath God prepared a more excellent‍ way; and it is by faith that it hath
been fulfilled. Ether 12:11*
I know by having faith in Christ, he heals our hearts of sorrow and our
eyes of spiritual blindness, so that we can see that more excellent way.
I also loved studying John the Baptist this week. He is one of the best examples of humility in all of human history. I loved in Jesus the Christ when it says, "He made no appeal to the people through medium of miraculous manifestation." And then in the Bible Dictionary, "But magnificently fulfilled his assignment of bearing testimony of Jesus Christ."
This inspired me to not just expect or desire grand miracles (and by extension quick solutions, grand blessings or fast answers) but to find joy in simply bearing testimony of Jesus Christ.

Sister Milan and Daphne's Baptism

I am a mom! Hahaha, it's tradition in the mission to call the person you train here your daughter. She is absolutely amazing! Her name is Sister Milan, is from the Philippines, and is just 87 pounds of adorable and charitable energy and a strong desire to do what's right. Her Chinese is already so good, and she is such a fast learner!! I mention one grammar principle or word and she uses it a few minutes later, without having to ask twice, or write it down! The Bishop invited her to share her testimony in sacrament meeting since she is new, and she did a stellar job!

We also had Daphne's baptism!!!!!!! It was such a special thing. Leuhng Hingdaih baptised her. He got baptised this past Christmas, and has one son serving in Canada, and one daughter that just left to study at BYU Hawaii. His wife has waited 20+ years for him to join the church! And his wife is the one that introduced Daphne to us missionaries! My favourite part was singing I'll Go Where You Want Me To Go. That hymn is my theme for this year, and just beautifully encompasses why I am here, and also applies to Daphne so much. Her faith and testimony is truly inspiring. I am so humbled to have been able to be apart of her conversion process. I look forward to continue teaching her, and being friends forever! 

I love missionary work! I love Jesus Christ. I know He lives.

Training

I AM TRAINING!!!!!

Moves calls came last night, and leading up to those suspenseful calls, I was a nervous wreck! I did not want to leave! Since I've already been here almost 7 months, there was a big chance. Plus my companion is leaving next transfer, so we'd thought I'd "kill" her. So as I was pacing around our tiny apartment gripping the phone, it starts ringing and 4 sisters simultaneously scream. And I look and it's President Lam! Not just the district leader. I answered and President Lam said, "Well Sister Dopp I want to extend an invitation to you. You'll be staying, and I want you to train." I immediately felt a wave of gratitude, surprise, excitement, and joy! I could not be more excited to train. Even though I have so many weaknesses and things to work on (especially with Chinese), I know Heavenly Father is in charge. What a neat opportunity I have to introduce a sister to Hong Kong and re experience the newness and challenges with her!

Besides that big news, this week truly was amazing. We taught a woman we met in the park a few weeks ago. We scheduled it out quite far because she is from the Philippines and doesn't have many free days. It turns out we'd also gotten her wrong number, so we weren't able to contact her. But she remembered the appointment and came! We taught the Plan of Salvation and it was so sweet. She asked the best questions and was so happy. When we gave her The Book of Mormon, she was so joyful! She kept saying "I'm excited to read this book!" She also accepted a baptismal date!!!! After she goes to the Philippines to visit family and see her son graduate, we'll meet with her again and introduce her to the Tagalog sisters. It was cool to sit with her and talk about how all 3 of us were away from our families right now. Her children can't come to HK, but she needs to stay here for work to support them and their education. We testified that we as missionaries leave our families because we are also willing to sacrifice to bless them, and that we were here to help people understand how they can have an eternal family. 

Daphne is getting baptized next week!!!! She is so prepared and happy! She came to Stake Conference yesterday and met President Lam. Stake Conference was SO good! It was all about missionary work and I felt so blessed to be there as a full-time missionary. I'm so grateful for the members' support, love, and gratitude. They love their missionaries!

Hong Kong is where I'm supposed to be. I am so excited to train and I would appreciate all the prayers for my trainee! 

"..as we plead for His joy to be given to us, our joy will increase. Joy is powerful and focusing on joy brings God's power into our lives." -President Russell M. Nelson

D and C 123:7, 9

John 14:27

Sacrifice

A highlight this week was going on exchanges and teaching with Sister Ng. She is absolutely amazing, and if I had the time or space, I'd write a novel on her beautiful characteristics and inspiring testimony. But alas, I have 6 minutes left.

We taught Daphne together with the Bishop. We taught about the Priesthood and church auxiliaries. As we shared personal experiences, I realized that although I've grown up with the Priesthood in my home, being away from family has made me more empathetic to people that do not have the Priesthood in their home. I am so thankful for kind church members who bless others' lives by worthily holding the Priesthood and serving selflessly. Pok Fu Lam ward is my home right now. I shared in the lesson how in the church, we can find one big family. And the organization of the church helps us care for each other and gives a sense of family and a unity in all coming unto Christ. At the beginning of the lesson, A-Huhng shared that what sparked her interest in the church was being in a Christian school when she was young. When she learned about Jesus Christ, she wondered why someone would be so willing to sacrifice so much. I am so grateful we could help her understand why, and come to know who Jesus Christ is. The bishop, at the close of the lesson, tied that back in. He talked about how Jesus Christ was willing to die for us, and said "Douh Ji Muih is willing to sacrifice her family. You can tell she loves them (*because I was of course crying a little*), but the gospel makes people that are willing to sacrifice. Jesus Christ is our example. And Douh Ji Muih didn't know in utah that you would be here waiting for her. We just have to have faith and then we can come to understand why jesus Christ would be willing to sacrifice everything for us. For you personally."

I'm sorry if that Chinese to English translation doesn't make sense, but I just want you all to know that I know Christ lives. This is his church. The priesthood is on the earth today: God's power is available for every single one of us. In so many different ways. I am eternally grateful I have access and knowledge to all of those different ways here in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

I love you all!

Sanctify

This week I would like to begin with two scriptures that I really loved this week. Romans 8:25 "But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it."

and "Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you." ~Joshua 3:5

My mom emailed me this morning with a thought, or really just one word, for me to think about and apply. That word was SANCTIFY. This word is so fitting, because this morning in my personal study, I read Joshua 3:5 and immediately wrote it on a sticky note and placed it on my desk, eye-height. She also said something I really liked, "Don't let anything dull your sparkle, not even discouragement."

I am thankful Heavenly Father commands us to hope for better things to come, because they always will. I know this is true, especially when we are obedient. As we develop the Christ-like attribute of patience, we can also have HOPE. I think a reason we need to develop patience, is to have a process of coming to be more humble and submissive to God's will. So that when those blessings do come, we will have come to hope for something better. I know all of Heavenly Father's promises will come to pass, and in the mean time, we can become more like His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ. I know that patience in the Lord helps us become sanctified. 

Definition of sanctify

1. transitive verb

2. 1 :  to set apart to a sacred purpose or to religious use :  consecrate
3. 2 :  to free from sin :  purify
4. 3a :  to impart or impute sacredness, inviolability, or respect tob :  to give moral or social sanction to
5. 4 :  to make productive of holiness or piety observe the day of the sabbath, to sanctify it — Deuteronomy 5:12 (DV)

Our investigator, whose English name is Daphne, is getting baptized March 26th! She is absolutely amazing. She is 28 and working and preparing to do more testing to get into university. Who knows, maybe she'll go to BYU Hawaii!

Her whole family is baai sahn, which is like a traditional Chinese belief that believes ancestors are really important. Her family's heart has been softened though, her mom and sister are now willing to attend her baptism! This past week we taught Lesson 5, about learning, teaching, and serving in the church. I felt like we should read Ether 12:27, even though it wasn't very related to the lesson. She said that humility had actually been on her mind lately, and we had a great discussion on humility. Humility is something I am still learning. But I am coming to understand how humility and personal worth and self esteem are so interconnected. I feel that humility makes us rely on God, and it also teaches us our divine identity and potential. I think C.S. Lewis words it perfectly, "Humility is not thinking less of ourselves, it is thinking of ourselves less."

I know that humility and patience help us become sanctified and HAPPIER :) 

Our purpose here is to BE joyful, and it is not something you necessarily find. You seek and cultivate and choose it. 

Alma 28:14

• Book of Mormon

And thus we see the great call of diligence of men to labor in the vineyards of the Lord; and thus we see the great reason of sorrow, and also of rejoicing—sorrow because of death and destruction among men, and joy because of the light of Christ unto life. 

--

Sister Dopp

Waiting Patiently on the Lord

I finally have some time this week for a group email!
Over the past few days I have learned some very important lessons that I
never expected to experience or come to understand on a mission. It has
cause heartache and soul-searching and faith. As missions do. Basically, it
is just the simplest gospel truths that I have learned, but I have learned
them in new capacities and depths. One example is AGENCY. My RC missed
church yesterday, our investigator with a baptismal date is too busy this
week to meet with us, I get rejected daily, and most people don't listen to
our message. A message that could bring joy, forgiveness, peace, and
indescribable blessings! Hope and peace has been instilled in me throughout
my mission, but in these cases, that hope and peace felt selfish. Of course
it will work out for me; I have a loving family, the gospel, a home in a
free country, opportunities to pursue a college education, loving parents,
and a testimony of eternal truth. But what about the people here? That
continue to live their lives after my 18 months here are done. That
continue to work in difficult, monotonous jobs, or among difficult family
situations, or other trials. I just want others to be able to have the
blessings that I have had in abundance my whole life. Was I doing enough?
Why couldn't they just listen and accept? Why do I have these immense
blessings when others obviously do not?
Then we had a lesson in Gospel Doctrines and I again realized how
opposition and agency are central to our purpose here. We CAN have eternal
life, with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. We CAN be happy here,
right now. We CAN have the help of a perfect, empathetic, loving Savior to
conquer all of life's trials. But we must choose. And many people simply do
not choose that TODAY. But that doesn't mean that they won't tomorrow, in
10 years, or in the spirit world. My perspective is so small and all I need
to do right now is give people the choice.
I am not sure if I am even explaining this well, and I know it's kind of
heavy stuff. Really, I am so happy, and more of my time is spent having
lovely conversations in Cantonese with kind people, laughing with my
companion, reading scriptures, sharing my testimony, having my breath taken
away by Hong Kong's sights, and prayerfully thanking my Heavenly Father for
well..everything.
Today we are making guacamole, cookie dough and making a tent fort and
writing letters. So it is going to be a very fun, relaxed P day. YAY! Ether
12:4 has been on my mind, and this scripture from D and C... 1 Verily I
say unto you my friends, fear not, *let your hearts be **comforted*; yea,
rejoice evermore, and in everything give thanks;

2 Waiting patiently on the Lord, for
*your prayers have entered into the ears of the **Lord* of Sabaoth, and are
recorded with this seal and testament—the Lord hath sworn and decreed that
they shall be granted. 3 Therefore, he giveth this promise unto you, with
an immutable covenant that they shall be fulfilled; and all things
wherewith you have been afflicted shall work together for your good, and to
my name’s glory, saith the Lord.

I have also come to understand that we can choose to have our hearts be
comforted. Pray, let the love and peace God gives be enough, and be
patient. Words cannot express my feelings. I wish I could bear my testimony
in Cantonese through the computer, but just know that I know that Christ
lives. He truly loves me. He directs this church. I KNOW this is true.

Love you all!

--
*Sister Dopp*

Changes

No time for a long group email again this week, but just know everything in
Pok Fu Lam is going great and it's about to change a lot! Sister Gomez is
leaving!!! I am looking forward to lots of news and firsts! The World Wide
Missionary Broadcast was a highlight of my week. So many quotes and
messages that I really needed to hear. "Fear is the opposite of faith.
Faith is a principle of action." "Teaching involves a constant spirit of
prayer." "The Holy Ghost will operate through us in spite of our
limitations." I love you all! Thank you for the prayers.

--
*Sister Dopp*