Last week President Teh invited me to read 2 Nephi 4:15-35. It is great to remember that even Nephi, as righteous as he was, felt sad and discouraged at times (with brothers like Laman and Lemuel it is very understandable why he would occasionally feel that way!). I've realized that there were a couple of weeks during this transfer that I was feeling like Nephi did. I was a little bit discouraged and stressed out"because of the temptations and the sins which do so easily beset me" (verse 18) and other challenges of missionary work. I think it's important to understand that we all have weaknesses and Satan will continue to be Satan. That's ok though because, like Nephi, I remember in whom I have trusted (verse 19). I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have never let me down and I know they never will.
Here's a story that I sent to Christal today that I figure I might as well throw in here: The other day Elder Huang and I went to a place called Mos Burger to go meet some new people (Mos Burger usually has a few people that are just sitting around that we can talk to). On this particular day, however, there wasn't anyone who wanted to talk to us. On our way out, down the stairs, I saw a nice lady going up the stairs. We said hello and started talking to this woman. Turns out she had just been living in Oregon and one of her best friends is a member. Also, her son is a student of one of the members in the ward I'm serving in. She has great feelings towards the church. GOLDEN. She was busy but we got her number and said we would keep in touch. That's only half of the story though! After Elder Huang and I went to Mos Burger we went to the chapel and saw the sisters that serve in the same ward as us. They begin to tell us about a referral they got a few weeks ago. This referral had information all about a lady who had just back to Taiwan after living in America for a while. There was a big problem though... there was no phone number! The address for this lady was really far away so the sisters were waiting for a good time to go and find her. They then tell us that earlier that day they had gone to Mos Burger (the same one we went to). They start talking to a lady there and soon they find out.... IT'S HER. It's the referral! They have a nice chat and the sisters invite this lady to come to church and then they part ways. A few minutes later the sisters realize.... THEY DIDN'T GET HER PHONE NUMBER. They were devastated! After the sisters finished telling the story, Elder Huang and I pull out the contact card that this lady had written her information on and give it to the sisters. They read the name. IT'S THE SAME LADY!!!!!! That was a pretty amazing miracle. There are tens of thousands of people in Zhang Hua. The chances of the sisters running into a random referral that they got are extremely small. The chances of Elder Huang running into the same person on the same day are even smaller! The Lord definitely directs our paths. He leads us to those that are prepared and he leads them to us!
I am grateful each day that I can serve in this majestic part of the Lord's vineyard here in Taiwan. I love Zhang Hua and I love, respect, and admire the people here. After being here for as long as I have I feel a "clear change" in my nature. I'm grateful for Elder Huang and for this opportunity that I've had to learn from him and be his companion during his first 12 weeks as a missionary. I'm grateful for mission tour. I believe it has given me the spiritual boost and insight that I need to really make the most out of the end of this transfer!
A few months ago I saw this man get baptized and now he has a calling, a temple recommend, and the Aaronic Priesthood. This past Saturday we got to see him baptize his 9 year old daughter
彰 (Zhang1) - clear, evident, obvious
化 (Hua4) - to change, to transform, to become
化 (Hua4) - to change, to transform, to become
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