A Colorful Week

This week has been filled with so many colorful experiences. At the beginning of the week I felt a deep sorrow. I tried to help one of our investigators find dental help. She was in so much pain because of her tooth infection that she couldn't do much else other than try to cope with the pain. She said that she cannot sleep through the night because it hurts so much. We gave her a priesthood blessing on a bench in a park, and then looked for a member of the church that might be able to help her. I found one member in a nearby ward, and put them in contact. But it turned out they were unable to help and it ended up costing our friend more money. Apparently it's very hard for her to get along here as a school teacher. She says in China medical work is so cheap to get done. The doctors have a list of procedures with prices and you just pick which one you want! Pulling a tooth there would cost $10 while it costed her $300 here. She isn't returning to China for a few months so she is just trying to make it by. I really wanted to help her, but wasn't able to. That made me sad. On the other hand I we got to teach a lot of new people this week! There is this couple that I met when I first came on my mission, that attended the first baptism we had and then a lot of church meetings after that. I guess that is one of the advantages of having been in the same area for a while, I know where a lot of the people are! I had one of the most tender experiences of my mission yesterday. Even though you always have your companion with you on your mission, it's still easy to feel alone. Your family is far away, you don't see your friends, it can be very isolating. But as I was waiting to pass the Sacrament with the deacons, I sat with the president of the quorum and just started talking to him about 12 year old things, and I didn't even notice my arm was behind him just like I like to do when I sit next to my little brothers. Then his dad came over and sat on the opposite side of me. He commented on how it feels like I've known their family forever! He asked me how long I have left on my mission, and I told him I still get to be here for another year. He lit up and smiled and expressed how grateful he was for me and that I would be there for a while longer. I felt so loved, I felt true joy. It was a strong reminder to me that people around me are not just strangers. They are my heavenly family. And if we learn to love each other like Christ loves us, we will be so happy! Don't miss opportunities to put your arm around someone like Christ would, to tell them how much you love and appreciate them. It's heaven on earth!

歸向基督 - Come unto Christ

The greatest missionary in the history of life once said: "Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success." (Alma 26:27) 

I cannot describe the joy that fills my heart! Yesterday was one of  the best days of my entire life. Paul and Celia Feng followed the example of Jesus Christ and entered the waters of baptism together! It is so rare for a family to make that choice together! Yet their faith and love for Jesus Christ and each other brought them to act and receive this holy ordinance. I had the privilege of baptizing my good friend Paul. Even in his mid-seventies, he was willing to undergo the baptism by immersion. That's not so easy when your body is aged! His faith to proceed increased my faith. As I put him under the water and brought him up into his new life, I felt the love that the Savior has for him. That made me so happy! Then for some reason I could all of a sudden remember my own baptism 12 years ago. That feels like so long ago. It started a journey that brought me to where I am today. A prevalent theme that was discussed at the service was the difficulty of the journey ahead for this couple. The path of leading a faithful life is not easy in the least bit, but it is ever so rewarding! I feel so humbled that even though I've made mistakes and left that path, Christ provided a way for me to get back. My joy is far greater than any pain that I've felt. In a way I feel relieved for Paul and Celia, that through this act of faith they have obtained access to a great power that can bless their lives forever. I felt that even immediately after the service they seemed more solemn and holy. The other day Paul said that the day he met the missionaries at the library changed his life forever. It changed mine as well! Remember that we can each experience that miraculous change throughout our lives, as we take the steps to come unto Christ. Another Book of Mormon prophet said: "And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved." (Omni:26)

Never give up, Never surrender!

I can't believe it snowed AGAIN! People were telling us that there wouldn't even be an inch accumulation, and then we get hit with 8 inches!! Is it March or what?? I feel like it's still December! So our preparation day was cancelled yesterday, and that's why my blog is coming in a day late. So many wonderful things have happened. I'm at one of those points where you feel like it's just too good to believe :) We've been meeting with this young man in his mid 20s that works at the local Chinese supermarket in Rockville. Our English class teacher met him while she was looking for treats for the class and tried to ask him for help. His English is very poor and so she invited him to come to the class, then he came! He was also interested in learning about our church and Christianity in general. He had questions like, 'Why do so many people worship Jesus Christ? What did he do that was so special?' As we have taught him about the restored gospel, he has come to be very interested in the doctrine of Jesus Christ. He feels like he needs forgiveness in his life for some of the things that he has done. That is a universal feeling, for there isn't a single person other than Jesus Christ that will not sin. We all make mistakes, that's the reality of it. But as we turn to Christ, we can have power to change, and power to be redeemed for those wrongs that we did. We're actually going to still meet with him today because we made an appointment last week! Yesterday we were told to continue to do missionary work, but we couldn't use our cars. That's so tough when our area has a 20 mile radius. But our good friends Paul and Celia only live 3 miles away, so we decided to brave the elements and make the walk through the snow! It got really tiring, but we made it within 40 minutes. By the time we got back home, we were so tired! But we knew we needed to go back out and try working more. This time the roads were pretty clear so we could use our car. We saw this jeep spin out of control on this off ramp, but we were safe! Nobody wanted to meet with us, and it came to be 8:21pm. Usually we are supposed to work until 8:30pm, but nothing was happening! And it would take at least 10 minutes to drive home anyways, I was ready to call it a day. But my faithful companion 公孫長老 pressed onward! We went to visit one more member. We knocked for a few minutes, and there were two women inside that were ignoring us. Eventually with some persistence the man came to the door and he invited us right in! We got to meet 2 new friends and share about the Book of Mormon. That was such a treat! I definitely learned my lesson about always sticking out to the very end. Always choose the higher road, the journey is so much more blessed :)

Good, Better, Best

 This Wednesday I get to do my first baptismal interview! That means I get to represent the Lord Jesus Christ, and determine a candidate's worthiness and readiness to be baptized. That's such a huge responsibility to me, it's such an amazing privilege for a 20 year old, I'm kinda nervous! But I am so grateful for all that God trusts me with, and I hope to be able to take care of His children the way that He would if He personally were here. I got to sit in council with other district leaders and talk about the current state of the missionary work in the zone that I serve. I felt like a part of the vision and goal for the work in the area. Something very important that I learned is that we will never be able to do all that can be done. There is always another person to help, a greater form of service we can offer, another degree we can obtain, a greater level of performance we can aspire to. If we view our efforts in this perspective, we will never reach a "done" point. A point where we just rest and can feel satisfied because everything is operating at full potential. The point that I learned is that we can still feel the same effect, if we just prioritize correctly. Put the best things first, the better things after, and then do all the good things that we can. I wish I could help people see their lives in this light! They say they have no time to do the best things. Reading scriptures, saying prayers, going to church. Spending time with your family, serving your neighbor, spreading the gospel. Concerning this subject, Jesus Christ taught this: "Behold the fowls of the air, for they sow not, neither do they reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you." When I feel like I'm running in overdrive, and I can't possibly perform well the tasks I've been given to do, I stop. I cut out everything that I think I need to be doing and I open my Book of Mormon. I take time to kneel and talk with my Father, and everything works out better than I could have accomplished. I can run around frantically trying to make my English class work, knocking on more doors to try and get people to listen to me, or stay up all night reading Chinese. OR, I can put Heavenly Father first, and let Him take care of the rest. I challenge you to put the best things first.

Here's a 'good' thing! Learn the Lion dance ;)

Redemption

We got snowed in again! It seems like this winter is never going to end! I feel like this March brings a new beginning, a redemption of sorts. I haven't taken a chance to really write much about it on my blog, but anyone who reads through the entries of 2013 will discover that there is a sudden stop in entries after February 27th, 2013. One day later it was determined that I would be sent home from my full time missionary service. I haven't felt the right time to really share some of my experiences from these events until now. That day was devastating. I'll never forget the way that I felt, so helpless. I was willing to trade anything for the harsh consequences that I was forced to face. I didn't want the plane to land in Seatac, WA where I would need to face my parents, and my dear friends that loved and supported me. My natural instincts were to run away and hide, rebel and hate the world. In that moment of greatest despair, I chose to have faith. I prayed with all the energy of my heart to my God, and I felt something within me. I felt a power come over me, a comfort and a determination that I cannot explain. I felt to love and forgive everyone that would judge and criticize me. That point of decision has made all the difference in the past year. It gave me the strength to change my ways, and to not give up hope. It helped me save up to pay for most of the remainder of my mission, meet new friends, and get back to the temple for my sister's wedding, one of the greatest moments of my life! It brought me back into the mission that I love, with added opportunities to lead and to serve. Recently my dad shared with me a few stories of similar redemption. One of my brother's high school swim teammates forged a signature to pass grades for sports and was expelled for the season. A family was killed by carbon monoxide poisoning while two children were serving missions. In this life we will all face various magnitudes of pain, loss, and heartache. In that moment that we are down, we have a choice. The path of fear or the path of faith. AJ's teammate got his honesty and grades together and took home 3 state titles this year. Those missionaries are comforted with knowledge that they will see their family again because of their temple sealing. I get to be a missionary! As though I had never fallen. I feel redeemed! I hope that you find redemption, when you choose to have faith in someone that helps you find it, even Jesus Christ.