Aurelia Wilcox LDS Missionary to Hong Kong: May 2018

Sister Aurelia Eve Wilcox

China Hong Kong Mission and New York New York North mission

October 14, 2015 - May 16, 2018 +

Miracle of a Mission

My journey starts in Provo, UT. I prayed and prayed to have a strong desire to serve a

mission-- and it worked! I had many spiritually building experiences that led me to the point of

sending in my mission papers. Later, in Vienna, Austria (on a study abroad), I skyped my family

to open my call. Expecting a call to Austria or Germany (I had been studying German for a

while), my roommates and I were astonished to see China Hong Kong Cantonese speaking, to

say the least! None of my family members had ever served anywhere near Asia (not even in my

entire genealogy lineage documented). I had never heard of Cantonese before. I was surprised

and excited and left with a great feeling of duty and respect and love for my Father in Heaven

and His children!

Hong Kong. It was a whole different world. A new culture-- new experiences. Fun,

adorable people, with a unique way of living and doing things. However, inside the church, it still

felt like home. It was still the church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints. When in Tuen Mun

Hong Kong, I experienced the gift of tongues so strongly. I remember praying so hard constantly

that I could just speak the language enough to communicate with the people and share with

them the principles/ lessons of Jesus Christ's restored gospel. My trainer and I set a plan to

never speak English. It was after making this plan, and the constant prayers, that one day… the

language just clicked. The vocabulary still had to be learned little by little, but everything else

began to be fluent and easy to communicate. It was truly a miracle for me to witness this answer

to prayers and to be given this gift! To be able to communicate the gospel to the wonderful

people of Tuen Mun (they spoke with an accent and quicker than the people we taught at the

MTC!).

I remember the fun we had as missionaries in Hong Kong. We really enjoyed every

moment of the work, and loved meeting the people who were so cute and full of humour and

life! I remember how strongly I felt the spirit as a missionary here and how strongly I felt a love

for the people. My investigators, like my first convert a-Yan, meant so much to me. I cannot

explain how deeply one comes to love their investigators, after you've shared such spiritual

experiences and growth together. What a choice opportunity to be gifted a fraction of the love

that Heavenly Father has for us. To be able to have that deep love for them. It means

everything to me. I have never forgotten those feelings. A-Yan is so sweet; she means

everything to me. I will never forget the sincere questions she asked of how to know if Heavenly

Father really had heard her prayers, and how to recognize the spirit. She was willing to listen

and to learn. Her heart was prepared. She once asked if she was “dreaming,” because she had

never before felt the love that she experienced when she was meeting with members and

missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. She became so happy and

full of light. Meeting and working with her was life changing!

I will also never forget the things I learned from my trainer. Charity, patience, exact

obedience.. my trainer and I had such an awesome relationship. I love her with all my heart.

She changed my life in so many ways. Even after the mission, we have kept in touch. We call

each other sometimes (though she lives in the Phillippines). The thing that means most to me, is

how receptive to the spirit we were as a companionship. We chose to be exactly obedient. We

had such a love for the people we met. We hummed hymns and lived our missionary lives with

bliss and service. She would constantly be cooking something to give to someone we knew who

needed food.

It is no wonder that through these experiences, I knew I had to return to the

mission field. I had to finish what I had started. The most important part of missionary work to

me, was the spirit that I felt, the love and desire for the eternal salvation for the people around

me, and the gratitude and love I had for my Father in Heaven and for my Savior, Jesus Christ.

I found much healing in the time period home, between Hong Kong and New York City. It

was a much needed spiritual, physical, and emotional healing, and it does not happen all at

once. Healing takes time, and it has helped me learn to continuously rely on/ turn to my Savior

and Redeemer. I have come to know Him more and use the atoning gift of His life and sacrifice

to find that comfort, healing, and a fullness of joy. I also had the blessed opportunity to serve as

a ward missionary in California, Glendale YSA (the California Arcadia mission). Being set apart

in this ward as a ward missionary was another life defining moment. It was a spiritual experience

that I will always look back to-- one that will always turn me to remembrance of the how much

my Father in Heaven knows me, and just how true this restored Gospel of Jesus Christ is. I

remember in the blessing being told, “Sister Wilcox, think of this as the next transfer of your

mission.” The blessing told me how much my Father in Heaven loved me and how there were

people in this area who would find the Gospel because of my efforts. This brought me to tears…

Leaving the mission field early was such a sensitive subject to me. My mission meant everything

to me. I would never choose to leave it, while I was in Hong Kong. To hear the words of this

blessing, and then this Brother’s response, really affirmed to me the truthfulness of the Gospel

and the love that Heavenly Father has for each of His children. It also proved how divine a plan

our Father in Heaven has for each one of us. He leads and guides. He is at the helm. This

brother sat me down after the blessing and told me that I had to explain, because he had no

idea what any of that meant. He had no idea why he had said those things. He didn’t know

anything about my background. Our loving Father in Heaven knows us; He has a plan. It is

awesome that through living in this area and serving my calling fully, some of my friends in this

area came to know more of the Gospel and come to church, and one young man that my friend

and I found after church one Sunday as we were visiting less active members, ended up joining

the church. Through this, he also discovered he had a friend who was a member. His friend

began to come to church as well. I am so glad that we followed the promptings of the spirit and

taught the Restoration, even though we weren’t full time missionaries at the time. We are

always missionaries. Let us always strive to be disciples of Christ and to serve love and teach

as he would.

#RepentanceIsCool #AgentForChange. It was amazing being called to NYNYN

Mandarin speaking. Partly, because part of me was really drawn to NYC Mandarin speaking

(the only other place I was drawn to for visa waiting was California Arcadia). This is because

one of my home teachers in Provo, UT who had really helped me and encouraged me in my

process of returning, had served NYNY Mandarin speaking. It meant so much to be called here,

because it was yet another testament of Heavenly Father’s awareness and love for me and for

each individual. In Chinatown I learned to trust. I learned little by little to have the spirit with me

moreso and to recognize it. I found healing. I think one of the most amazing things I

experienced as a missionary in Chinatown was I began to have a vision and hope for the future.

I found joy in remembering I would have a future family… And learned to empathize with others

more. I have so much gratitude for my family and for ability to return to serve fully. I had been, in

a way, stuck before coming here… and serving has opened so many doors and windows-- it

has brought me a light and hope for the future, and an excitement for it. We witnessed so many

miracles in Chinatown, and talked to everyone on the Subway and in the streets! I remember

when we were planning for Li Hai Yan’s baptism, and were so worried about how we were going

to get light refreshments for it. We wanted her to feel loved and special, and felt that it would be

important to bring something for her baptism all the way up in Lincoln Square. That very

morning, one of our investigators showed up at the church with two huge boxes of sandwiches.

Tender mercies like this, testify of how our simple prayers are truly heard and answered.

Teaching a cute investigator from Macau in Cantonese with Sister Tai was also amazing… It is

so special to see these converts become part of the humble Chinatown ward-- to be embraced

with open arms by loving members in a cute little office building in Manhattan. The Gospel is for

everyone everywhere. What a blessing to be granted a part in the work of Salvation! This is His

work.

In New Rochelle I found joy. I learned to find joy in each moment. As a trainer, I wanted

to distil faith and diligence into my sweet companion. In praying and working to do so, I also

found a strong testimony of it for myself. We have seen so many miracles. It has been a

blessing witnessing the light that comes to our investigators as they learn to change and to

repent; as they implement the joyous truths and commandments of the restored Gospel of

Jesus Christ into their lives, it is a great blessing to witness the happiness and unity that comes

to their lives and families. Seeing our recent convert Mamale enter the temple, and then give a

tear-jerking talk in Sacrament about how much it meant to her to do baptisms for her

grandparents… The testimony she has grown and conversion she has experienced is amazing.

She loves the scriptures and has a habit of reading, pondering, and applying. She teaches her

friends and family truths of the Gospel and invites them to learn and to attend church and watch

General Conference. Being in the temple all together and seeing how much it meant to Sister

Au and Mamale was such a faith-building experience. It really touched my heart! And the

members who love these converts and came with us to the temple, I will forever be grateful for.

I am so thankful for Angela and Aya’s families as well. Meeting both of these families

separately were undoubtedly spiritually guided miracles. Watching these families blossom in

friendship and conversion has been a gift! Seeing Abraham receive the priesthood and be such

a strength to his family and watching Angela give a Family Home Evening Lesson (where she

asked what makes us happy, and picked scriptures from the Book of Mormon to read together

and expound upon) has meant so so much. The spirit at their baptism and confirmation was so

powerful... it was truly a miracle to see the way their hearts were prepared, and to see and hear

their impressions of the spirit afterwards. Angela said she felt calm and a deep feeling just

sinking into her heart. She felt the spirit. And now they have that gift of the Holy Spirit to be with

them always. It brings me a peaceful feeling of spiritual confirmation just remembering what it

meant to her. It will always mean something to me.

What a blessing; what a gift to be a part of this great work. It is so much greater than us--

what a blessed ability to witness the finding and conversion of God’s beloved children. To

witness the joy of the Gospel as it is infused into their lives. I am so grateful for the strong

spiritual experience I felt in the temple, allowing me to know that I was truly to stay in NYNYN

mission, and that the Lord would have me to train Sister Au. Heavenly Father knows every one

of us perfectly. I’m thankful for the tradition my trainer set of always sharing your love for your

trainer and the good things with your trainee. A tradition of love and gratitude for all the good

and the miracles and the spiritual experiences. It is a process of gratitude and spiritual

experiences that will never end, and sets a spiritual and hopeful expectation for the rest of your

mission, and life. All of my companions have been blessings to me; they have each come at the

exact time I needed them; they have helped me to learn, to grow, and to love more fully and to

be loved. I am thankful for the members and leaders who love and lead by example. They have

supported and been a part of this work in every aspect. They are always lifting. May we strive

to do that as we serve those around us for the rest of our lives. What a beautiful mission

experience-- it has set a path for the rest of my life. I am hopeful and grateful and excited for the

future. I love this Gospel and am so thankful for my Redeeming Savior, Jesus Christ, and his

healing, guiding WAY that he has provided. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Aurelia Wilcox
LDS Missionary to Hong Kong

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Part 2: Week 37--HOME AGAIN!!

Thursday, May 10, 2018

Part 2: Week 36--Miracle of a Mission--My Report

Part 2: Week 35: Hello Goodbye

Part 2: Week 34--Overwhelmed