My amazing family and friends! I don't know how, but every week brings more and more blessings I don't know how I deserve. In 6 short weeks, I don't exaggerate in saying my life has truly been changed forever. And I look forward to 16 more 6 week periods!
Wednesday, August 17, 2016
I finished emailing and I went back to class. We had an alright lesson, and then we had a class about asking inspired questions. I was paired up with Elder Van Slootten, and our teacher told us to really think of a need, and the other missionary would start teaching. NO INDICATION whatsoever of the need the other person had picked. We began, and I was first, I thought for a few moments, and not of my own volition chose to ask him if he understood why he has trials. He looked surprised, and we continued our lesson for a little bit, then the teacher told us to switch. We evaluated, and he told the teacher that my question directly answered the need he had picked, this fake investigator with an invented need and God directed me to know exactly what to say. Why? Because I was willing to listen. This is not an extolling of my own righteous virtues, it is a testimony of our all-powerful, all-loving Tianfu, who never forgets our tiny lives for a single moment. When I came to know this, he provided me with such strength as I never before had felt. We switched, I said a little prayer to know what need I should pick, and it came to my mind that "my wife and I fight a lot." Seconds later, without previous dialogue, Elder Van Slooten asked me how my family relationships were.
Thursday, August 18, 2016
Today was a very important day for me. It was my day of the Lord's tender chastening. Today was our last day teaching Zhou. Our teacher, Sun, promised to tell us about this man. We all sat and listened as he described the exact same Zhou that he had portrayed, tired, disinterested, didn't really progress at all. And then he said they got him to be baptized. How? He said that one day his companion and him decided to go, pray with Zhou, and wait for him to receive his answer, having faith that he would. After the prayer they helped him prepare and after a few minutes of silence, he declared that he had received his answer and wanted to be baptized. I say this because remember the lesson I thought was going to go amazing, then didn't? I said I didn't know why and might never know. Now I knew. That same day of the supposed-to-be amazing lesson, I had a very strong and vivid prompting that we should pray with Zhou during the lesson, and wait with him to receive an answer. When it came to the lesson, I felt awkward, thought it wasn't a good time, and chose to ignore the prompting I had. You can imagine the heartbreak I felt. I was truly devastated. I'm not just saying that. The Lord had told me for a fact through this teacher that I had ignored a special prompting from the Holy Ghost that would have helped this man come to Christ. Now, as you read this, don't feel bad for me. I'm not saying I'm an evil sinner either. I just feel that this is a very, very important thing to share. I had a lot to make up to the Lord, and I feel like I've been able to make it right with him. But it makes me eternally grateful for the atonement, and the second chances it gives us. And thirds, and fourths... I love the Savior and his Atonement. I know he did what he did for me, and for everyone I'll teach. And I will never deny the Spirit again.
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| We've decided that it is Christmas tomorrow, are giving each other secret santas, and we have a santa suit. |
Friday, August 19, 2016
The Lord's mercies never end. We had a substitute today, and a class called "Demonstrate Teaching." We all enjoy it because we're the observers as the teachers "Demonstrate teaching." I volunteered to be the investigator, and he was teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. No play-acting. Just me. I didn't really expect anything, but afterward the teacher described how he was directed to change his teaching to fit my need. And this was the day after my chastening, I felt very very weak and foolish before the Lord, and he began discussing how, if I had faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, it not only gave me forgiveness, but could heal my heart as well.
Saturday, August 20, 2016
We had our last in-person TRC, which went fairly well. It always impresses me so that the Spirit is the teacher. If I do it right, me and my abilities have absolutely nothing to do with the success of them feeling the Spirit.
Sunday, August 21, 2016
I know I say this every time, but it's so true. Now that I have nothing to do but "Church-stuff", the Sabbath Day "Church-stuff" is absolutely the best. About a third of our branch is moving out to Taiwan Taipei on Tuesday morning, so they sang a beautiful number for sacrament meeting. And in preparing my talk for Sunday, I had some cool thoughts. It was about the Book of Mormon, and as I read, I realized that missionaries and the Book of Mormon are a lot alike. I don't know where, but some scripture says that they wished they were mighty in writing like unto speaking, because if they could speak, it were not possible that any man could not believe. We stand in proxy for the ancient prophets. We are their voices, the ones who sacrificed and labored to bring this work about in our day. They can't speak, so God called us to be their voices. And just as the Book of Mormon is a testament of Jesus Christ, so do we testify of Christ. Also, the Nashville tribute band came back today, second time in five weeks. We sang again, and it was "pretty sweet."
Monday, August 22, 2016
Sorry if you all want to hear more about the things I do, the fun stuff that happens. I try to include it, but more and more my "small plates" are the only things that are important to me. But today we did our first Skype TRC. We tried two people who didn't answer, and I'm pretty sure the third one was in a BYU dorm, but we spoke to her in Chinese. The highlight was when we talked about Christ and His example, I could feel the Spirit bear witness through my shoddy Chinese that what I was saying was true.
Tuesday, August 23, 2016
The Lord's mercies never end. We had a substitute today, and a class called "Demonstrate Teaching." We all enjoy it because we're the observers as the teachers "Demonstrate teaching." I volunteered to be the investigator, and he was teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. No play-acting. Just me. I didn't really expect anything, but afterward the teacher described how he was directed to change his teaching to fit my need. And this was the day after my chastening, I felt very very weak and foolish before the Lord, and he began discussing how, if I had faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, it not only gave me forgiveness, but could heal my heart as well.
Saturday, August 20, 2016
We had our last in-person TRC, which went fairly well. It always impresses me so that the Spirit is the teacher. If I do it right, me and my abilities have absolutely nothing to do with the success of them feeling the Spirit.
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| Building our Christmas tree. |
I know I say this every time, but it's so true. Now that I have nothing to do but "Church-stuff", the Sabbath Day "Church-stuff" is absolutely the best. About a third of our branch is moving out to Taiwan Taipei on Tuesday morning, so they sang a beautiful number for sacrament meeting. And in preparing my talk for Sunday, I had some cool thoughts. It was about the Book of Mormon, and as I read, I realized that missionaries and the Book of Mormon are a lot alike. I don't know where, but some scripture says that they wished they were mighty in writing like unto speaking, because if they could speak, it were not possible that any man could not believe. We stand in proxy for the ancient prophets. We are their voices, the ones who sacrificed and labored to bring this work about in our day. They can't speak, so God called us to be their voices. And just as the Book of Mormon is a testament of Jesus Christ, so do we testify of Christ. Also, the Nashville tribute band came back today, second time in five weeks. We sang again, and it was "pretty sweet."
Monday, August 22, 2016
Sorry if you all want to hear more about the things I do, the fun stuff that happens. I try to include it, but more and more my "small plates" are the only things that are important to me. But today we did our first Skype TRC. We tried two people who didn't answer, and I'm pretty sure the third one was in a BYU dorm, but we spoke to her in Chinese. The highlight was when we talked about Christ and His example, I could feel the Spirit bear witness through my shoddy Chinese that what I was saying was true.
Tuesday, August 23, 2016
A fun lesson with our new investigator Han. She is a great investigator, and every time I have a lesson, I have to remind myself this is God's work, and He loves them. He won't let my flaws interfere with their feeling the Spirit.
Wednesday, August 24, 2016
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| Pre-haircut (Attempted Selfie) |
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| Post haircut! |
Temple day. It was a very special temple day. My family sent me some names they had and some I had prepared before I left. We did initiatories. It was good, and then I got to the three names that I had worked to find before my mission. I knew from finding them that it was a father and two sons. As I started to proxy for them, I imagined the joy that they were experiencing as, one by one, they were getting closer and closer to having their family together eternally. I began to truly feel the joy that they were feeling. I believe that they truly were there in the temple that day, knowing that work was about to be done that would bring them immeasurable joy. These words can't do justice to what I felt, knowing that this family I found was getting this opportunity. Before I came on my mission, I would always look at challenges that missionaries sent home with appreciation, but think to myself that I had stuff to do, and them being on a mission and all their spiritualness forgot that I have a lot of other stuff to do at home. But now I know why they challenged me. It's because they began to feel the love of the Gospel in a way they never had before. And they knew that, if I was willing, I could begin to feel the same love that they did. I don't want to be anywhere else right now. And I challenge you to find these families, that are separated by death, and unite them through the temples God has given us.
I've talked long enough, and I've said much too much. But thank you for reading, and thinking about my challenge. I truly love you all, and may someday learn to write shorter emails. ;-)
Ni Zhang Lao
I've talked long enough, and I've said much too much. But thank you for reading, and thinking about my challenge. I truly love you all, and may someday learn to write shorter emails. ;-)
Ni Zhang Lao
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