The Zhao Family

2025-12-30 Elder Zhao assigned to be New District Leader

This is the email we received from Elder Zhao's mission president this morning:

30 Dec 2025

Dear Elder Zhao,

It is with great pleasure that we write to inform you that you are being assigned to be a District Leader.

We want you to know that Sister Hill and I love and admire you and we know that Heavenly Father loves you as well. With this assignment, you will have the opportunity “to lift and serve others, develop greater love, and learn of the Savior as (you) follow His example and serve with pure intent (see 2 Nephi 26: 29-31)”¹.

Being a District Leader is a special responsibility. District Leaders are in a unique position to both train and influence our missionaries. As Mission Leaders, we have been counseled to “select individuals from among your most capable missionaries. They should be obedient and trustworthy. They should lead by example and show kindness, patience, and love.”¹They should also be missionaries recognized “for their faithful dedication to fulfilling their missionary purpose.”¹ This is why you are being given this assignment.

Please use your best efforts to continue to build our mission culture based on discipleship, love, and dedication to the Lord. We encourage you to build the faith and confidence of your District by praising their talents, skills, and efforts. Help your District to remain focused on their Missionary Purpose and consistently teach from and refer to Preach My Gospel.

Please refer to the guidance given in Missionary Standards for Disciples of Jesus Christ: Supplemental Information, section 7.1 often, as it clearly outlines those things you should focus on as a District Leader:

Leads, trains, and counsels with missionaries in weekly district councils.
Conducts baptismal interviews (see 2.3.6 in Missionary Standards for Disciples of Jesus Christ).
Conducts companion exchanges with elders in his district (see 2.3.1).
Works with local ward leaders and members to coordinate missionary efforts.
Reports directly to the Zone Leader.

Elder Zhao, please remember the Lord called you, He trusts you, He will help you – and so will we!

We love you!

President and Sister Hill
China Hong Kong Mission

cc: Parents

Response from Abbey:

Dear President Hill and Sister Hill,

Thank you so much for your email.

We are excited to hear Elder Zhao is serving as District Leader. We are grateful that he is serving diligently in the mission field.

Not only we are amazed with the experiences and miracles that Elder Zhao shared with us weekly. We are blessed to see how much he has grown as a disciple of Christ.

We will continue praying for him and support him from afar.

Thank you for all the love and support you provide to our son and all the missionaries in Hong Kong.

The Lord’s work is hastened and we are all witnessing it in the front row.

Sincerely,

Abbey Zhao

205-12-29 MCB Youth karaoke / games night

For the Holiday break, FF invited our branch youth to come over for karaoke and games night. They all seem to enjoy coming to our house to sing, laugh, and being themselves!

2025-12-29 Elder Zhao Week 29 - Beginnings

Merry Christmas everyone!! 聖誕快樂！

This Christmas-filled week was so so busy, full of events, responsibilities, and sprinting home to get home on time, but man, it was such a special, special week.

To begin, I want to share my favorite part of the week. From a lot of preparation, faith, and diligence, the family Maria, Marvin and Vino were baptized just yesterday, on December the 28th!! Meeting several times a week for the past two months, this mother, father and son have worked so hard to make time for Christ in their lives, even when it seemed impossible to. Because of it, I have seen the pure light that it has brought into their home. They are such a bright and joyful family, and I am beyond grateful to be able to watch the love of Christ come to them through the Spirit. It has been beautiful to watch their faith grow as they integrated His Gospel into their lives, and I will not forget this opportunity for a long time :)

Now for the rest of the week! This first Christmas away from home was so packed with activities. Starting in the morning on Christmas day, we had a white elephant exchange as a zone, and then went together to the mission home in Kowloon to celebrate together as a mission. We had food, games, and watched "The Other Side of Heaven" together which was awesome. We haven't met as a mission in a while so it was super fun to see everyone. Following we had a ward party until we had to go home at night, which filled our whole day with festivities! Even the next day, we had a Christmas party with the English Branch, which meant Elder McClellan and I celebrated Christmas thrice this year haha.

//

I named this week's email like so because this week is the last week before what we call our "blackout" year on the mission, which means that I will be going into and also finishing 2026 in Hong Kong! While thinking about this holiday season this week, I found myself thinking about home, and also the things I would do if I were there.

What I realized after thinking about it for a while was the profound truth that this mission is not just about helping others come unto Christ but also coming closer to Him myself. This mission may be the one and only time in my life to look inwardly, reflecting on how I could become better for the future.

Mosiah 27:25 reads,
And the Lord said unto me: Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again; yea, born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters;

Becoming born of God can very easily mean what we normally use it as; receiving the gift of Baptism and the Holy Ghost as Maria, Marvin and Vino did this week. But what it can also mean is to continually become perfected in Him— changed to "a state of righteousness."

Even though I have been a part of this church all my life, this mission has given me a special chance to change. Thoughts, actions, attitudes and habits. This special year in Hong Kong will be a time of new beginnings!

//

This email has been a yapper so I hope you didn't mind. I hope you all also have a fantastic New Years and I will see you all next week!!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/qkaoEe965etiYQuj7

新年快樂，
趙長老