Oh Little Town of San Jose...

Aloha Everyone!

This week has been amazing! I can't believe it's December and here starts my final full week as a full-time missionary in my area. Time seriously flies by. This has been such an amazing experience. But before I get too caught up with reminiscing (because I'll have the rest of my life to do that...hah) I AM SO EXCITED FOR THIS WEEK! We have so many investigators that are just at the beginning of their journey closer to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. And what better time than now... the time of the year that we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

I have been thinking a lot lately about how wonderful it is to have the knowledge that we do that we have a Father in Heaven who knows us individually, who loves us unconditionally, and who wants us to succeed. So much so that He knew we were going to mess things up and He provided us with a glorious gift. Our Savior and His Atonement. We've had the great opportunity to share with many of the families we meet the video "He Is the Gift". I love it! It starts with the materialistic commercialized Christmas that we all participate in and then brings it to Christ and how He is the greatest gift we have ever and can ever receive. Well, when I was in high school, one of my math teacher's taught me to read word problems like an equation. The word "is" meant "=". With that in mind, He, meaning Christ, = the Gift. There's a part near the end of the video where it says, "Discover the Gift. Embrace the Gift." The invitation the video is making to all of us is simple, to discover Christ and to embrace Christ in our lives. What a beautiful invitation that is... 

One of my favorite scriptures is in Romans 8, it says, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?...Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creatures, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord...What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?"

Our Heavenly Father loved us so much that He gave a Savior to provide a way for us to be with Him forever. Who can be against us when we have that kind of love penetrating every aspect of our lives?

I know that our Heavenly Father loves us. I am so grateful for this Christmas season that we have to remember our Savior and I am so grateful for the sacrifice that He was willing to make for me and all of us! I love you all! I hope you have a wonderful week! I'll see you soon!

Love,

Sis. Ellis-Lui-Kwan

 Here's the beautiful video that Sis. Ellis mentioned above.  Enjoy it and remember to keep Christmas in your hearts all year long.  We are all so blessed because of our Savior!  Love to you all, Anela

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

Aloha my wonderful family and friends!

Wow. It is December! How fast time has gone by I can't even wrap my head around it! I can't believe that 2014 is almost over. This has been the fastest year of my life. This week was wonderful! We had a wonderful thanksgiving! We ate so much food. Oh my. It was great!

This week we also had a branch conference with the Samoan Branch. It was a huge party all weekend! Haha! But really though...it was also the one year mark of the branch and so everyone was so excited about it! We had a dinner the night before and it was like a full blown luau. Each auxiliary performed something and so did the missionaries! I got to dance a hula! Haha whoo! So I really did dance hula all the way to San Jose. Prophecy fulfilled. Ironic how Bro. Finau, the high counselor who spoke at my farewell talk mentioned that I would, and now I did! Coincidence..I think not! Haha. The Branch Conference was amazing. The Branch President spoke and so did Pres. Mella. It made me so grateful for the opportunity I have to work with them both. Both such great leaders who really love the work they do and love the people with whom they work. Just amazing!

But this week was really great! We had so much fun! A lot of our regular people were out of town or unavailable because of the holiday but it's okay because we were able to see others that we don't always get a chance to see! Pretty great! We're super excited for this week we have a new potential investigator that we're really excited about! I really hope it works out! She seems like she's going to be amazing! So much work to do! I love it!

Well, hope everyone has a great week! I love you all! Here's a picture of thanksgiving. All the food on that table...is not even the actual food. That was on another whole table. That stuff was like the amount we took home with us. Haha yeah...it's real life. My wonderful companion is the two from me on the left. 

Love,

Sis.Ellis-Lui-Kwan

Sis. Young Yen is is two from me on the left. : ) A VERY Happy Thanksgiving! : )

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Swimming in Deep Water

Aloha everyone!

 

This week was just another amazing one! We have really just been blessed! I seriously don't know how this keeps happening but it's truly amazing!

This past week one of our recent converts was finally able to be confirmed a member of the church and receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost. She was baptized a little while ago but she went into the ER and then the member she is the caregiver for went into the ER. It was a whole lot of crazy. But Heavenly Father definitely takes care of His children and she was able to receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost finally this week! I was so happy to be a part of it!

We were able to do a lot of work in the Samoan branch this week. They are all hilarious. And man....the food. By thursday my mouth was seriously tired of chewing. I just drank a smoothie. Haha. But haha...it's real life. 

Anyways, in addition to that we now have two wonderfully golden investigators. I mean I joke about this area being the celestial kingdom but I'm coming to realize that maybe I was actually right. One investigator we just picked up last night and taught her for the first time. She referred herself online to learn more about the church and she is so excited about it. She couldn't wait for us to give her a copy of the Book of Mormon! It was amazing. She had so many questions and pretty much invited herself to be baptized. Haha! Seriously, I don't know where this wonderful individual came from but man...she is great! She is super excited about the Gospel and the church and I am again so overwhelmed with this sense of gratitude to Heavenly Father for blessing me with yet another great opportunity!

I'm so excited for this coming week! My favorite holiday is coming up and we're booked to eat with some of the 49ers. Haha. Oh the Samoan program! I think I'm going to fast this whole week until Thursday! I hope everyone has a wonderful week! I love you all! 

Love,

Sis. Ellis-Lui-Kwan

(Aloha Family & Friends - I just wanted to let you all know that I just received her travel itinerary this weekend. Sis. Ellis will be coming home on Wednesday, December 17th on Alaska Airlines, Flight 837 arriving at 12:48pm from San Jose. Come join me to welcome her home if you can.  WE have been so blessed by so many wonderful family and friends who have supported us both throughout these past 17 months. We love you all dearly! May you all have a wonderful and very happy thanksgiving! love, Anela)

TALOFA!!!

Hi everyone!

This week has just been as crazy as ever! You know sometimes I think that life can't get any crazier and then...I'm wrong and it can! Haha! But as always. It's just as great as ever.

This week we had transfers and I got a new companion and a new area! Haha! Our areas are now combined so now we cover the Los Gatos, Saratoga, Campbell wards, and the Samoan Branch! The branch is just hilarious and full of hilarious polynesians. It reminds me of home. We had a baptism this past week and of course, there was more than refreshments after. It was like a full blown baptism luau. Nah...not really! But there was a lot of food. I think I've so far gone to like three different buffets. Oh man!! Haha. But don't worry I'm taking my half an hour of exercise seriously! 

My companion is great! Her name is Sis. Young Yen and she is from Samoa. She has been out 11 months exactly as of today! She is super funny and I am so excited to be working with her!

In addition to all this transfer craziness, we also had a wonderful meeting with Elder Bednar this past week. He spoke to our mission and the Oakland/San Francisco mission. It was super interesting he had us kind of participate in this huge discussion. He asked a few open ended questions and missionaries responded to which he then sometimes asked follow up questions. It was so interesting to see the way the meeting took different turns and how differently everyone learned different things. Super amazing. He testified with such power and authority! It was truly an unforgettable experience.

Sorry this is so short. Somehow I seem to have run out of time. I love you all! I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Love,

Sis. Ellis-Lui-Kwan

(Aloha Gang! Sister Ellis-Lui-Kwan has a new address: 141 Saratoga Ave., #1132 Santa Clara, CA 95051.  She'll be home in a month!!! Woohoo!  Thanks for all her birthday cards and gifts too! Love, Anela)
 

Another One Bites The Dust

Alooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooha!

I hope everyone's week was just lovely. This week we had so many things happen! It was amazing! We picked up a new investigator. We just barely played a game of Ultimate Frisbee with the youth. We contacted a man, invited him to church and he walked miles to come. We had a WONDERFUL double baptism. We had a Zone Training Meeting. We had Sis. Ikegami's "funeral." We found more Burmese material on LDS.org. We sang a duet in church...acapella. We planted native plants. We went on exchanges. We ate ribs. We did service at a Thrift Store. We went to the Outgoing Fireside where Sis. Ikegami gave a beautiful testimony. We saved a dying bird through prayer. We taught the Relief Society sisters the ten commandments. Then...to top it all off. We may even become famous because a photographer came to take our pictures doing missionary work!

So all in all. It's just...oh another week in the wonderful glamorous life of being a missionary. 

Haha! Nah...but really though, this week was great! We were able to have some amazing lessons with some amazing people who I love so much! Like I mentioned a little earlier, we have had some amazing miracles this week to end this transfer!

Miracle 1: We contacted a man from India on our way to an appointment the other day! He was so grateful that we took the time to just get to know him and talk to him that he was moved to tears. He's endured so much hardship since he moved to America to be with his wife, who has since passed away. He was really excited to hear about our church and wanted to come. We offered him a ride and he said he didn't need one and he'd just walk. (We knew it was far away and so we kept pressing him offering to arrange a ride. Still, he declined.) So we figured he probably wasn't going to come...for at least this Sunday anyway. Well, guess what! Yes...he walked all the way to the church and came and LOVED it! It was amazing! Talk about doubting your doubts before you doubt your faith.

Miracle 2: We met this woman the other week who lived in our old housing complex. She said she's been meaning to talk to us but never seemed to catch us at the right moment. She invited us to come to her home and we invited her to take the lessons and she said, "Of course, that's why I invited you over here. I need that peace in my life." Yeah...it's real life.

Miracle 3: Our wonderful Burmese investigator! Oh she's just the greatest. We hadn't seen her for two weeks and we got the chance to visit her. We came and she was so happy to see us. She shared a scripture with us and said it was from her favorite packet we had left her. We were both confused because we didn't know what packet it was from and figured out it was from the "Law of Chastity" pamphlet. We left her seven pamphlets/packets and that was one of the last ones. We asked her how many she read and she responded that she had read them all! She asked if there was more material available and we found her some of General Conference. The next day we came back and she had watched all of it! She is so prepared. It is amazing!

Miracle 4: Our investigator got baptized. Need I say more? :)

The baptism was beautiful and she was so ready to make a covenant with our Father in Heaven.

Well, sorry this was so long. Hopefully you all actually made it to the end. Sis. Ikegami is heading home this week and I get a new companion for the last five weeks. Man...haha. Saratoga just can't get rid of me. I keep shuffling through companions like nobody's business. What's up with that? Haha. I'm excited for this next transfer. The windows of heaven are just wide open pouring out blessings and there's seriously not room enough to receive it. I'm pretty sure I've said this before...but thank you to whoever paid their tithing.

Have a great week!

Love,

Sis. Ellis-Lui-Kwan

P.S. Sorry...hopefully pictures to come!

You Know You're Missionary When...

Aloha everyone!

This week was another wonderful one! Our lovely investigator is getting baptized this weekend and we are so excited for her! She is just great and I am so blessed to have met her! She had her baptismal interview yesterday and we were talking to her beforehand and it was just so tender. She was really nervous about it and we explained to her that she has nothing to be worried about. Just to reassure her even further we "re-reviewed" the questions for the interview with her and she bore such a powerful testimony to us about each gospel principle. So of course, Sis. Ikegami and I were smiling from ear to ear and she told us she used to get mad when people did that. She was like, "at first I didn't get why all you people would smile when I started getting emotional but it's such a happy crying." To which she then started describing how she feels the influence of the Holy Ghost in her life! It was a pretty glorious moment. Definitely worthy of being on The District.

This week has been so full of amazing little tender mercies and miracles. We had people that we hadn't see in a while call us and ask us to come and visit! Haha! We bother and bother and bother with no response and then they call and ask us to come! The Lord seriously works in mysterious ways! 

Then this week, I had yet another hilarious moment! At least this time it wasn't out in public almost falling into people on a bike or something...it was just in our apartment. So we were just all talking and one of the hermanas quotes something and I'm sitting there racking my brain trying to think of what scripture she just quoted. Meanwhile, everyone continues with the conversation and the same sister points out that she just quoted from Pride and Prejudice. HAHA! She quoted Jane Austen and the only literature I thought anybody could quote from was the scriptures. Hahaha! Only a missionary would think that! HAHA! It was pretty hilarious! Maybe..it was one of those you-have-to-be-there moments but I thought you'd all appreciate that anyways! 

I'm so excited for this week! It so bittersweet! We have a baptism this Saturday and this is Sis. Ikegami's last full week in the mission field and it's surreal to see her go. 18 months felt like so far away at the beginning of my mission but now it's just gone by all too fast. Seriously too fast. I'm starting to experience this weird kind of emotional constipation. I really don't know what to think! Haha! Well, have a great week everyone!

Love,

Sis. Ellis-Lui-Kwan

MYSTERY SPOT!

Alooooha!

 

Hi everyone! I hope everyone's week was as great as mine! This week we were able to find so much success! The Lord is seriously smilling down on the Saratoga Stake!

 

We found someone in Sis. Ikegami's last area that speaks Burmese and we gave our investigator Burmese church materials and she just loved all of it! She was so happy to be able to read anything she could and she was so happy for the opprotunity to communitcate with someone who spoke her language! It was amazing to see her desire to really learn the Gospel! I was getting a little discouraged because I didn't know how much she was actually understanding I felt like we weren't teaching her well enough. But then, when we brought the member who speaks Burmese she just started bearing her testimony about almost everything that we taught her! It was amazing! She pretty much understands the entire first lesson all about the Restoration of the Gospel and the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. It was amazing! Definitely a miracle!

 

We also had an amazing dinner with one of our members. She invited a friend who wasn't a member of our faith to come and we were able to meet this amazing woman and talk about our beliefs. It was super cool! She came all the way from Turkey and now she just finsihed her Ph.D. and she's like in her thirties. So cool!

 

Then we also had the opprotunity to go to the Mystery Spot this week! It was so fun! I've been seeing everyone's bumper stickers for the past year and a half and now! I have two! HAHA! If only I had a bumper to stick it on... Haha. Nah. But I have to go. Sorry the email is so short! I love you all!

 

Love,

Sis. Ellis-Lui-Kwan

We had so much fun here! http://www.mysteryspot.com