Sister Webb in Hong Kong: Patience

"Patience is the capacity to endure delay, trouble, opposition, or suffering without becoming angry."

This week I've learned a lot about patience and joy. I've been having a hard time with homesickness. crazy right! (; But I also learned this week just how close we can be to God. I feel like I always turn to that “current bush Mormon message” when I feel like I’m struggling. (https://www.mormonchannel.org/watch/series/mormon-messages/the-will-of-god-2 ).

I love the idea that we have a purpose and a plan, but it’s God that directs us if we let Him. He knows how to shape us and knows what we can handle and what we can’t. Sometimes we need to be cut down like the current bush so we can grow in the way God needs us too. God's plan for each of us is to make it back to him one way or another. I’m learning that sometimes it hurts to be trimmed and cut back. Sometimes it tears away pieces of our hope and it requires a lot more faith and effort on our part to just turn to God and endure with patience and joy. I have learned this week through some really miraculous and personal experiences that God is real and as I trust in Him, He will help me grow into exactly what He needs me to be! In hard times, I testify that If you turn to God for hope, joy and patience, he will be closer to you than at any other time!

On another note, we did have a lot of fun this week! We had a birthday party for a sister in our district. For English class we made ice cream and got 2 new investigators out of it haha (: Also, two old grandmas in our ward took us out for traditional Chinese food, so that was super cute (:

OH! We had a SUPER cool experience this week. So for our zone service we serve at a place called Crossroads. It's really amazing what they do, If you have time check out this link: https://www.crossroads.org.hk/global-x-perience/

To thank us for our service this week they set up a Poverty Simulation. It was insane! We had three 10 minute sections. Each section was equal to a week so it was like experiences a life of poverty for three weeks, but we really only spent 30 minutes in the simulation.

We were split us off into families, and for each week we had to make enough money to live and pay for rent ( 280 HK$). We made the money by making paper grocery bags and selling them to stands. When the first 10 minutes started, the "land owner" came around with a pot and a bong-thingy . He started hitting them together and got super close in our faces. He yelled at us and told us to work harder or we would die. He also took the paper bags we were making and tore them because he said they weren’t "good enough quality." At one point our family couldn’t afford to live in the slums anymore, so he kicked us out and we lived under the "bridge" where we still made paper bags but couldn’t sell them for money. We just gave them to the landlord. At another point we didn’t have enough paper bags for the landlord, so I was sold to him as a "second wife." It was the most interesting experience of my life. It really felt like we were living in poverty for 30 LONG minutes! We are so blessed to have what we have. I realized so many things during this experience and I am so grateful for all the many things I have been blessed with.! My parents, a stable family, and not fearing how I’m going to survive.

Anyway, I love this gospel and I'm grateful for everything I'm learning on my mission. It’s the hardest thing I've ever done, but it’s changing me day by day and I love it!

Thank you for all your letters love and support!

Love you all!

Love, Sister Webb

More pictures of The Peak