Hello!
Well, we've definitely had a long week, partially due to the fact that preparation day was pushed till today because of Zone Conference. First, the good news.... we have our first baptism scheduled! Our investigator, Peter, is a 24 year old man that is a little mentally slow, but he loves the gospel and knows that it is true! We've had to work with him on remembering the things that we have been teaching him, but other than that, he's willing to go out and do missionary work! He's asked for pamphlets and name cards to give out. He has his baptismal interview tomorrow, and if all goes well, he'll be baptized on Friday! We're way excited and glad that the work is moving on in this area, with many more baptisms to come!
We're teaching a bunch of other people that are doing well. Their major concern are their families, who, more often than not, are severely opposed to them joining the Church. We're doing our best to help them build up the faith to the point that if they know it is true, then nothing else matters!
Been thinking a lot about my past companion, and my current one. They are similar in some ways, but different in many other ways too. I've come to realize that people are just different, and we have to accept them for who we are. To be honest, it's been very hard for me, especially since my temper runs on a shorter fuse than most. My Mom sent Elder Pace S. a package a few days ago. When she wrote to tell me that she had, I was extremely upset that she had done that,. and felt that she had betrayed me. Thankfully, there wasn't much that I could do about it. After a few days, as I pondered on it, I realized that my Mom was doing the right thing in forgiving him, because our companionship consisted of the both of us, and I played a part in that relationship. It's hard to forgive sometimes, but you just have to do it and move on! It was a very hard lesson to learn, but I got through the test! I called Elder Pace S. a few days ago to clear up any bad blood between us and it seemed to work out well. I guess that when you look at the grand scheme of things, there really is no point in being petty about other people's faults. We all make mistakes, and we learn from them, along with learning from other people. I'm definitely learning much patience and tolerance on my mission, though it still can be very hard at times. But, the Savior loved everyone, so I'm just trying my best to do the same. The Lord really does not give us any trial that we can't overcome. Though it might be very very hard, I've learned that through true humility, we can overcome all, because we get to a stage where we learn to forgive everyone around us, but more importantly, we forgive ourselves.
We've had a whole bunch of dinner appointments and they have been wonderful. The members are great, and it is definitely fun to inspire them in their quest to do missionary work. We've been working with the Bishop to work on that. Unfortunately, the ward and the Bishop don't have such a good relationship, so we're trying to help out with that, and build the member's faith in the Lord, so that they can help us, and not be so easily offended.
Just a few days ago, we had an appointment with Peter. After that, we showed him where the baptismal font was. After we said goodbye to him, we saw a Relief Society Enrichment Meeting going on where they had been baking. We managed to worm our way in to get some free goodies, and offered to wash the dishes after that. Unfortunately, as I was washing one of the bowls, it slipped and broke in the sink, cutting my finger. That wasn't the bad part though. When we told the sister, she put her hands up to her mouth. That was the reaction from a couple of other sisters. It was a really nice gift that she had received from a friend and I felt horrible.I kept apologizing, then went on our way, planning to buy a new bowl for her. The next day, we went into the office to get some stuff. And, lo and behold, there was a container of cookies from me. It turns out that she had baked those cookies and told the office Elders to make sure that I did not but her a new bowl, she would be angry if I did. What love and forgiveness! Even though I broke her bowl, she brought cookies! That is the pure love of Christ that I wish I had, that I hope I will be able to develop someday.
My uncle from Thailand visited, and it was wonderful to see him. We were able to arrange a lesson with him, and my Mom now tells me that he'll read what we gave him. I love my family very much and hope that they will all accept the gospel someday.
I never really did missionary work in high school. After watching the "By Small and Simple Things" production, I'm now working with the expatriate Elders to pass out copies of The Book of Mormon with my testimony in it. The goal is to get the members in the ward to write their testimonies in it too and pass it on to teachers and friends that we have in common!
Last night, we had dinner at a member's home, along with the Shutes. Had a great time, and Shute gave the spiritual thought. It was on prayer and just how important it is. He shared the story of the brother of Jared in Ether 2, about his experience where he was admonished by God for not "calling upon the name of the Lord." It is so important for us to pray daily, to thank the Lord, and also to seek his advice. He also talked about the financial crisis hitting the world now, and how the Brethren have always counseled us to have food storage, and not to speculate too much in financial markets. So, have food storage! :) The last thing that he talked about was about the truthfulness of The Book of Mormon. As he bore his testimony, he told us of a group of apostate scholars who meet every half year, on the Sunday evening as General Conference ends. They get together to critique the Brethren, and also try their best to discredit The Book of Mormon. Unfortunately for them, they still haven't, that's why they have to keep meeting!
It was a wonderful week, but it's also been exhausting. Missionary work is definitely not what I expected it to be in many aspects. But, when I had to come home the first time, I realized what I had lost. So, I just continue on, knowing that the Lord is helping and guiding me along the path. Thanks for the letters I've been receiving! They're slowing down though, so do keep them coming!
Love,
Elder Ee Chien Chua
Showing posts with label love. Show all posts
Showing posts with label love. Show all posts
Friday, September 19, 2008
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
"Changes"
Woot!
I'm done with my In-field training and I am now a fully trained missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! :)
As for the week, we had a great week in terms of people who we were able to teach this week, and our lessons with our investigators have gone pretty well. With the Oon family, we were ably to teach Brandon and Christopher, the two younger brothers of Alex. For some reason, Alex seems to have lost interest, but Brandon is doing great! He has been getting his Mom to bring him to Church every Sunday for the last few weeks, so we are definitely very happy with his progress. We will just have to continue working with him and hope that his parents consent to him being baptized when the time comes. We got caught in the rain on the way down and got pretty wet, though we were able to stay sufficiently dry, because a woman who was walking happened to have two umbrellas. We were able to talk to her and she said that she had already met with the Sisters before. Hopefully, this particular meeting will re-spark the flame in her.
Elder Nixon, one of our Zone Leaders, headed back home yesterday! It was definitely sad to see him go, but we now have Elder Tuckfield, and he is also a great person. Went on an exchange with him on Monday, and that went really well, especially since we have a lot of the same interests. In addition, he is also good friends with one of my best friend's family.
We were able to go over to our Elders Quorum President's home for dinner on Thursday, where we able to discuss less-actives. In addition, I was able to talk to his inactive son, who I knew very well and who used to be very active in the Church. Unfortunately, he has fallen by the wayside, so we'll just have to try and get him back on the path again. He is still a great kid, and says that he remembers the good feelings that he had at Church. Unfortunately, he doesn't really know what to do about it anymore.
Taught, Alex, my grade-school friend once again. We don't really know what to do anymore since he won't commit for Church, and since he's already been taught so many lessons. I guess that we'll just have to try and work with him on that, though he is in Thailand for the next week or so.
Aravin, the member's boyfriend, gave a us a surprise when we met up with him late last week. We had been pondering whether or not to ask him how he felt about the Church and whether or not he wanted to be baptized. Before the lesson, he told us that he needed to tell us something, and we weren't sure what to expect. He said then that he wanted to be baptized! Oh! That was wonderful! He just has to work on his family, but he is a legal adult so he doesn't need their consent. He has to figure out how to explain to them his decision, because there are certain rituals that he wants to do one last time, like fire walking! We know that he will receive an answer as he prays about it, and we hope that that answer will be good.
Changes! Elder Pace S. is being transferred to P.J., Malaysia, tomorrow. It definitely is bittersweet because he is/was my first companion, and we did alright together, though these past couple of weeks, and especially these past couple of days have been pretty stressful. He wasn't working too hard, and the leaders started noticing, so we talked to him about it, and since then, has been a very angry person, and it has been very tense between us, such that I got sick, and have had high blood pressure because of that. But, I still think he is a good guy, it will be nice to have a change though. My new companion, Elder Pace T. comes in tomorrow. The members are going to have a ball of a time when they see that they have the same last name. Change is definitely good. And I guess we just all have to accept that wherever we are, they is a reason for it, and we have to look at the bigger pictures. Changes can really be for better or for worse, but I guess we just take them as they come. Perhaps what I have learned the most in these past three or so months, is as Victor Frankl said, "When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves."
We will be having Stake Conference on Sunday, so that definitely should be great. District meeting was wonderful as per normal. Elder Colvin taught a lesson on what our purpose as missionaries really is, and that was a good refresher, to remind us what our purpose and duty as missionaries.
I guess that we'll have to see what this week brings!
I'm done with my In-field training and I am now a fully trained missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! :)
As for the week, we had a great week in terms of people who we were able to teach this week, and our lessons with our investigators have gone pretty well. With the Oon family, we were ably to teach Brandon and Christopher, the two younger brothers of Alex. For some reason, Alex seems to have lost interest, but Brandon is doing great! He has been getting his Mom to bring him to Church every Sunday for the last few weeks, so we are definitely very happy with his progress. We will just have to continue working with him and hope that his parents consent to him being baptized when the time comes. We got caught in the rain on the way down and got pretty wet, though we were able to stay sufficiently dry, because a woman who was walking happened to have two umbrellas. We were able to talk to her and she said that she had already met with the Sisters before. Hopefully, this particular meeting will re-spark the flame in her.
Elder Nixon, one of our Zone Leaders, headed back home yesterday! It was definitely sad to see him go, but we now have Elder Tuckfield, and he is also a great person. Went on an exchange with him on Monday, and that went really well, especially since we have a lot of the same interests. In addition, he is also good friends with one of my best friend's family.
We were able to go over to our Elders Quorum President's home for dinner on Thursday, where we able to discuss less-actives. In addition, I was able to talk to his inactive son, who I knew very well and who used to be very active in the Church. Unfortunately, he has fallen by the wayside, so we'll just have to try and get him back on the path again. He is still a great kid, and says that he remembers the good feelings that he had at Church. Unfortunately, he doesn't really know what to do about it anymore.
Taught, Alex, my grade-school friend once again. We don't really know what to do anymore since he won't commit for Church, and since he's already been taught so many lessons. I guess that we'll just have to try and work with him on that, though he is in Thailand for the next week or so.
Aravin, the member's boyfriend, gave a us a surprise when we met up with him late last week. We had been pondering whether or not to ask him how he felt about the Church and whether or not he wanted to be baptized. Before the lesson, he told us that he needed to tell us something, and we weren't sure what to expect. He said then that he wanted to be baptized! Oh! That was wonderful! He just has to work on his family, but he is a legal adult so he doesn't need their consent. He has to figure out how to explain to them his decision, because there are certain rituals that he wants to do one last time, like fire walking! We know that he will receive an answer as he prays about it, and we hope that that answer will be good.
Changes! Elder Pace S. is being transferred to P.J., Malaysia, tomorrow. It definitely is bittersweet because he is/was my first companion, and we did alright together, though these past couple of weeks, and especially these past couple of days have been pretty stressful. He wasn't working too hard, and the leaders started noticing, so we talked to him about it, and since then, has been a very angry person, and it has been very tense between us, such that I got sick, and have had high blood pressure because of that. But, I still think he is a good guy, it will be nice to have a change though. My new companion, Elder Pace T. comes in tomorrow. The members are going to have a ball of a time when they see that they have the same last name. Change is definitely good. And I guess we just all have to accept that wherever we are, they is a reason for it, and we have to look at the bigger pictures. Changes can really be for better or for worse, but I guess we just take them as they come. Perhaps what I have learned the most in these past three or so months, is as Victor Frankl said, "When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves."
We will be having Stake Conference on Sunday, so that definitely should be great. District meeting was wonderful as per normal. Elder Colvin taught a lesson on what our purpose as missionaries really is, and that was a good refresher, to remind us what our purpose and duty as missionaries.
I guess that we'll have to see what this week brings!
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
"Salvation Is Not A Cheap Experience"
Hey!
We've had a pretty decent week. A couple of setbacks with a couple of our investigators but also some progress. We had an investigator from China who we were teaching, and she was doing really good till we asked her the baptismal interview questions. That's where she started to rail on about how strict the Church was and how she doesn't want to be baptized because the Church is too strict. We tried explaining to her that they are guideposts to make sure we don't go off the cliff, but she didn't seem convinced. She said that she might join the Church sometime. In the meantime, she said that she would continue reading the scriptures and praying, so we'll see how she does with that. I guess all we can do is hope and pray that she'll eventually see the light. Met up with Alex, my grade school friend, to have lunch with him. I think that it's important not to just bombard them with doctrine. I think some missionaries treat investigators as statistics, but they are people! Children of God! It was nice to just talk about other things.
While we were taking the bus that same day, we got on a bus, thinking that it would take us to, well, where we wanted to go. Unfortunately, that didn't happen, so we ended up taking a huge detour. But, we did find someone who was pretty interested, so hopefully that works out! On the way home, as we were walking from the train station, it started drizzling. Suddenly, the rain just started pouring down on us. Elder Pace and I took off running, but I had to stop because I ran out of breath. Oh, we got completely drenched. You really do run into all sorts of different situations on your mission. It was really fun though. The simple things in life really are the best.
On Thursday, we headed over to the Shutes for lunch and had a great time over there. Elder Roberts and Elder Parker, the Mandarin Elders, were supposed to come, but never turned up. After lunch, we taught an investigator in Chinatown, then headed over to a food center by the Church to have dinner with a few members and an investigator. When we got there, we saw Elder Roberts and Elder Parker. Since we had some time, we sat down to talk. I was talking to Elder Parker while Elder Pace was talking to Elder Roberts. Turns out that the reason why they couldn't make lunch was because Elder Robert's Mom passed away unexpectedly. It was so shocking to hear, and I was deeply saddened by it. It also made me think about how much I love my parents and how much they have done for me. Funny how it takes an event like that to get you to really appreciate and understand what the most important thing in life really is. I love my family so much. The other thing that that news got me thinking about is how blessed we are to have knowledge about The Plan of Salvation, that, because of Heavenly Father's love for His children, we can live with our families for all time and eternity. I just hope that I can do my best now to show my parents just hoe much I love them and appreciate them. When I was growing up, I was always getting into arguments with them, especially my Mom, and thinking that it wasn't the dumbest thing ever, how strict my parents were and how I never got my way. Only now have I come to realize that I love my parents so much for all that they have done for me, how much my family has done for me, including my uncles and aunts. I just hope that I have enough time to repay them for all that they have done for me. The material things of this world are really nice to have, but they really don't matter at all if you don't have your family by your side. I have found true happiness and joy in my family. How grateful I am to have such loving parents and family members. Well, after talking to the Elders, we headed over and had dinner.
Church didn't off too well because all our investigators didn't turn up, so we ended up going to another class instead of the normal class we go to for investigators and recent converts. We were supposed to teach, but there wasn't any class, so I guess we'll teach next week. Anyhow, while we were helping out with the lesson in the other class we attended, one of investigators did turn up! Yook Kuan, who I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, is Malaysian Chinese who we have been teaching in Mandarin. We've passed her to the, Mandarin Elders, but we were able to teach her one more time after Church. We were talking to her about the Plan of Salvation and answering her queries, when she suddenly broke down as she talked about her childhood, and how it horrible. She asked why she had to born into a family where there wasn't any love. We explained to her that it was because God knew that she could handle it, and that now, through the gospel of Jesus Christ, she can overcome it. She is a really great lady. As she talked about her hardships and tribulations, I once again thought about how lucky I am to have a wonderful family I have and how much the Lord has blessed me.
The Bertasso's, who used to live in Singapore, came back to visit. Brother Bertasso just finished his assignment as Mission President of the Brazil San Paolo North Mission. Anyhow, the point I'm trying to make is that the Church world is really small, because it turns out that they are buying my previous BYU Stake President's house in Utah. Went over to the Tan's home for dinner. Brother Tan is the Stake Patriarch. Anyhow, they also invited Elder and Sister Shute over, along with the Oon family. We have been teaching their sixteen-year old son, Alex. Brother Oon went to BYU but isn't a member, while Sister Oon has been inactive. Anyhow, we were able to fellowship them, even though Alex wasn't there. Brother Oon is the CEO of the Singapore Sports Council so he was telling us about Singapore's position in the sporting world, along with how we're doing in the Olympics. Ate a bit too much. Elder Shute says he's done trying to keep me on a diet. Oh well.
Elder Pace hasn't been feeling to well the past couple of days. He came down with the flu, but he's doing better now. On Monday, we were able to meet up with Alex, my grade school friend, again. We taught him about the steps in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, well, part of it, and watched part of The Testaments, a movie made by the Church about Christ's appearance in the Americas. Thought it went pretty well. We'll be praying for him.
Yesterday was great! We had district meeting with our new District Leader, Elder Colvin. Elder Colvin has been serving in Malacca, Malaysia, for the past year and a month. That is very unusual. He was very excited for the change. He taught a great lesson on needing to put in our very best as missionaries. He took excepts from a couple of talks by Elder Jefferey R. Holland, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. I took the liberty of taking an excerpt from one of the talks because it is so powerful, and it talks about how much effort we need to put in. The talks are directed as missionaries, but they apply just as much to every member of the Church. He said,
We must try our hardest while doing missionary work. We can do it because it will never be too hard.
Anyhow, after lunch, we up the hill to the Oon's house. It was drizzling, but we made it up without getting to wet. It was getting way dark and windy though. Alex wasn't home, but his younger brothers were. Brandon, the middle kid, said that he would like to meet with us also so that's great! Their neighbors were listening, and, as we were walking down the hill, they offered us a ride, and we accepted. Hopefully we can teach them sometime. They're way nice!
We ended off the day with Ming Lee, reviewing what we have taught him so far. He still hasn't read The Book of Mormon, but he has prayed once. We're hoping that he starts reading and comes to Church! Well, have an awesome week!
Till next Wednesday, take care! Do write! Thanks to all those who have been writing! :)
We've had a pretty decent week. A couple of setbacks with a couple of our investigators but also some progress. We had an investigator from China who we were teaching, and she was doing really good till we asked her the baptismal interview questions. That's where she started to rail on about how strict the Church was and how she doesn't want to be baptized because the Church is too strict. We tried explaining to her that they are guideposts to make sure we don't go off the cliff, but she didn't seem convinced. She said that she might join the Church sometime. In the meantime, she said that she would continue reading the scriptures and praying, so we'll see how she does with that. I guess all we can do is hope and pray that she'll eventually see the light. Met up with Alex, my grade school friend, to have lunch with him. I think that it's important not to just bombard them with doctrine. I think some missionaries treat investigators as statistics, but they are people! Children of God! It was nice to just talk about other things.
While we were taking the bus that same day, we got on a bus, thinking that it would take us to, well, where we wanted to go. Unfortunately, that didn't happen, so we ended up taking a huge detour. But, we did find someone who was pretty interested, so hopefully that works out! On the way home, as we were walking from the train station, it started drizzling. Suddenly, the rain just started pouring down on us. Elder Pace and I took off running, but I had to stop because I ran out of breath. Oh, we got completely drenched. You really do run into all sorts of different situations on your mission. It was really fun though. The simple things in life really are the best.
On Thursday, we headed over to the Shutes for lunch and had a great time over there. Elder Roberts and Elder Parker, the Mandarin Elders, were supposed to come, but never turned up. After lunch, we taught an investigator in Chinatown, then headed over to a food center by the Church to have dinner with a few members and an investigator. When we got there, we saw Elder Roberts and Elder Parker. Since we had some time, we sat down to talk. I was talking to Elder Parker while Elder Pace was talking to Elder Roberts. Turns out that the reason why they couldn't make lunch was because Elder Robert's Mom passed away unexpectedly. It was so shocking to hear, and I was deeply saddened by it. It also made me think about how much I love my parents and how much they have done for me. Funny how it takes an event like that to get you to really appreciate and understand what the most important thing in life really is. I love my family so much. The other thing that that news got me thinking about is how blessed we are to have knowledge about The Plan of Salvation, that, because of Heavenly Father's love for His children, we can live with our families for all time and eternity. I just hope that I can do my best now to show my parents just hoe much I love them and appreciate them. When I was growing up, I was always getting into arguments with them, especially my Mom, and thinking that it wasn't the dumbest thing ever, how strict my parents were and how I never got my way. Only now have I come to realize that I love my parents so much for all that they have done for me, how much my family has done for me, including my uncles and aunts. I just hope that I have enough time to repay them for all that they have done for me. The material things of this world are really nice to have, but they really don't matter at all if you don't have your family by your side. I have found true happiness and joy in my family. How grateful I am to have such loving parents and family members. Well, after talking to the Elders, we headed over and had dinner.
Church didn't off too well because all our investigators didn't turn up, so we ended up going to another class instead of the normal class we go to for investigators and recent converts. We were supposed to teach, but there wasn't any class, so I guess we'll teach next week. Anyhow, while we were helping out with the lesson in the other class we attended, one of investigators did turn up! Yook Kuan, who I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, is Malaysian Chinese who we have been teaching in Mandarin. We've passed her to the, Mandarin Elders, but we were able to teach her one more time after Church. We were talking to her about the Plan of Salvation and answering her queries, when she suddenly broke down as she talked about her childhood, and how it horrible. She asked why she had to born into a family where there wasn't any love. We explained to her that it was because God knew that she could handle it, and that now, through the gospel of Jesus Christ, she can overcome it. She is a really great lady. As she talked about her hardships and tribulations, I once again thought about how lucky I am to have a wonderful family I have and how much the Lord has blessed me.
The Bertasso's, who used to live in Singapore, came back to visit. Brother Bertasso just finished his assignment as Mission President of the Brazil San Paolo North Mission. Anyhow, the point I'm trying to make is that the Church world is really small, because it turns out that they are buying my previous BYU Stake President's house in Utah. Went over to the Tan's home for dinner. Brother Tan is the Stake Patriarch. Anyhow, they also invited Elder and Sister Shute over, along with the Oon family. We have been teaching their sixteen-year old son, Alex. Brother Oon went to BYU but isn't a member, while Sister Oon has been inactive. Anyhow, we were able to fellowship them, even though Alex wasn't there. Brother Oon is the CEO of the Singapore Sports Council so he was telling us about Singapore's position in the sporting world, along with how we're doing in the Olympics. Ate a bit too much. Elder Shute says he's done trying to keep me on a diet. Oh well.
Elder Pace hasn't been feeling to well the past couple of days. He came down with the flu, but he's doing better now. On Monday, we were able to meet up with Alex, my grade school friend, again. We taught him about the steps in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, well, part of it, and watched part of The Testaments, a movie made by the Church about Christ's appearance in the Americas. Thought it went pretty well. We'll be praying for him.
Yesterday was great! We had district meeting with our new District Leader, Elder Colvin. Elder Colvin has been serving in Malacca, Malaysia, for the past year and a month. That is very unusual. He was very excited for the change. He taught a great lesson on needing to put in our very best as missionaries. He took excepts from a couple of talks by Elder Jefferey R. Holland, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. I took the liberty of taking an excerpt from one of the talks because it is so powerful, and it talks about how much effort we need to put in. The talks are directed as missionaries, but they apply just as much to every member of the Church. He said,
"Anyone who does any kind of missionary work will have occasion to ask, Why is
this so hard? Why doesn't it go better? Why can’t our success be more rapid? Why
aren’t there more people joining the Church? It is the truth. We believe in
angels. We trust in miracles. Why don’t people just flock to the font? Why isn’t
the only risk in missionary work that of pneumonia from being soaking wet all
day and all night in the baptismal font? You will have occasion to ask those questions. I have thought about this a great deal. I offer this as my personal feeling. I am convinced that missionary work is not easy because salvation is not a cheap experience. Salvation never was easy. We are The Church of Jesus Christ, this is the truth, and He is our Great Eternal Head. How could we believe it would be easy for us when it was never, ever easy for Him? It seems to me that missionaries and mission leaders have to spend at least a few moments in Gethsemane. Missionaries and mission leaders have to take at least a step or two toward the summit of Calvary. “Missionary Work and the Atonement,” Ensign, Mar 2001, 8
We must try our hardest while doing missionary work. We can do it because it will never be too hard.
Anyhow, after lunch, we up the hill to the Oon's house. It was drizzling, but we made it up without getting to wet. It was getting way dark and windy though. Alex wasn't home, but his younger brothers were. Brandon, the middle kid, said that he would like to meet with us also so that's great! Their neighbors were listening, and, as we were walking down the hill, they offered us a ride, and we accepted. Hopefully we can teach them sometime. They're way nice!
We ended off the day with Ming Lee, reviewing what we have taught him so far. He still hasn't read The Book of Mormon, but he has prayed once. We're hoping that he starts reading and comes to Church! Well, have an awesome week!
Till next Wednesday, take care! Do write! Thanks to all those who have been writing! :)
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
"The Nine Society"
Hello!
Well, this week was wonderful, mainly because I learnt much about myself and about the gospel.
On Thursday, Elder Pace went down to the gym to work out, so I sat outside the door waiting for him. A couple of the security guards there asked me to move, but I really didn't want to. Elder Pace came out of the gym and we were pretty rude to them, though they let me stay where I was. As I was sitting there reading about the life of Christ, I realized just how un-Christlike our actions had been, so I went up to them and apologized. As Elder Pace and I were going back up to our apartment, we talked about how we were natural men, which immediately got me thinking about how, as King Benjamin said in the Book of Mosiah, that we have to be as children, submissive, meek, and humble. If not, we will not be able to enter into the Kingdom of God.
I was sick the most of last week, so we weren't able to go out much. But, we were able to teach one of the security guards in our complex. It seems to me that the Lord gives us opportunities to teach no matter what situation we are in.
Over the past week, I have had some differences with my companion, and have had some hard times. On Sunday, while sitting in Sacrament, I was brooding over my problems. I said a short prayer, and was still thinking when, in my own mind, I heard a voice saying "Why aren't you more obedient?" Oh, that was a huge wake-up call for me. I started thinking about all the things that had been doing on my mission, and I have come to realise how important obedience is. Our mission motto is "Obedience in Exactness," and I never really paid attention to it. Over the years in Church, I have heard over and over again how we have to be obedient, but I guess it's always bounced off my head. Only now have I come to understand that obedience is indeed "the first law of Heaven." If we aren't obedient, we cannot have the Holy Ghost to be our constant companion because the Spirit isn't going to be with someone who doesn't listen. The Lord expects us to be obedient so that he can bless us, and, as we see that, continue in that wonderful cycle of obeying the Lord's commandments and feeling of His Spirit and love for us.
An incident with one of our investigators taught me much this week. The first thing that I came to understand is how important and blessed we are to have families. Our parents love us so much, but at times, or, much of the time, we fail to see just how much they love us, and how much the Lord has blessed us to have parents who care for us and want us to grow to be good people. I have seen just how much my parents have sacrificed for me, and I am so grateful for their love and care for me over the years. The other thing that came to mind was how different a life can be if a person does not have the gospel in his or her life. Without the gospel, life can seem so meaningless. I was able to see firsthand how tough life can be without the gospel. Our investigator talked about how life was so hard. He said that the world was confusing and chaotic, and how it seemed that he was alone in this world. He talked of the disasters and wars in the world, and how he couldn't understand why this was happening. As I pondered on it later on, I realised that with the gospel, we know our purpose in life. We know that we are Children o9f our Heavenly Father who loves us. We know that man has his agency to choose between right and wrong. We know that as we trust in the Lord that all will be well. We know that as we place our hand on the arm of the Lord, that we can be guided. We know that this life is but a small moment in eternity, that as we strive to obey the commandments of the Lord and keep His covenants, that we can live with our families forever. Most of all, we know that the Lord is always watching over us, that He knows us and loves us, that nothing in this world matters as long as we have the gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives.
Yesterday was wonderful. In district meeting, we talked of gratitude. We read through the story of the ten lepers, and our distract leader mentioned something that John Bytheway had said about how there are two societies that we can be in. One is "The Nine Society" while the other is "The One." Ten of the lepers were healed. Nine never returned to thank the Lord, but the one did. How important it us to be grateful, especially to our parents and to the Lord, who have given us all that we have. I hope to always be in "The One," to always remember to thank the Lord for our blessings and knowledge of the gospel. Throughout the rest of the day, we were able to get much contacting done, and we went over to a member's home and teach her family, who are non-members. Our last appointment was with a referral from Salt Lake. The referral's name is Ming Lee. It turns out that he had been in Utah for five months for training. Over the course of those months, many of his co-workers, who were members of the Church, fellow shipped him. They showed him love and care, they shared their beliefs and taught him the gospel. He was able to watch the movie on Joseph Smith in the Legacy Theater. He said that he felt "nice" when he watched it. Member missionary work is so important, and by our examples, we can bring others to Christ.
I hope this didn't sound like a sermon. I will definitely try to include more on our daily activities next week. Please write! I would love to receive letters!
Well, this week was wonderful, mainly because I learnt much about myself and about the gospel.
On Thursday, Elder Pace went down to the gym to work out, so I sat outside the door waiting for him. A couple of the security guards there asked me to move, but I really didn't want to. Elder Pace came out of the gym and we were pretty rude to them, though they let me stay where I was. As I was sitting there reading about the life of Christ, I realized just how un-Christlike our actions had been, so I went up to them and apologized. As Elder Pace and I were going back up to our apartment, we talked about how we were natural men, which immediately got me thinking about how, as King Benjamin said in the Book of Mosiah, that we have to be as children, submissive, meek, and humble. If not, we will not be able to enter into the Kingdom of God.
I was sick the most of last week, so we weren't able to go out much. But, we were able to teach one of the security guards in our complex. It seems to me that the Lord gives us opportunities to teach no matter what situation we are in.
Over the past week, I have had some differences with my companion, and have had some hard times. On Sunday, while sitting in Sacrament, I was brooding over my problems. I said a short prayer, and was still thinking when, in my own mind, I heard a voice saying "Why aren't you more obedient?" Oh, that was a huge wake-up call for me. I started thinking about all the things that had been doing on my mission, and I have come to realise how important obedience is. Our mission motto is "Obedience in Exactness," and I never really paid attention to it. Over the years in Church, I have heard over and over again how we have to be obedient, but I guess it's always bounced off my head. Only now have I come to understand that obedience is indeed "the first law of Heaven." If we aren't obedient, we cannot have the Holy Ghost to be our constant companion because the Spirit isn't going to be with someone who doesn't listen. The Lord expects us to be obedient so that he can bless us, and, as we see that, continue in that wonderful cycle of obeying the Lord's commandments and feeling of His Spirit and love for us.
An incident with one of our investigators taught me much this week. The first thing that I came to understand is how important and blessed we are to have families. Our parents love us so much, but at times, or, much of the time, we fail to see just how much they love us, and how much the Lord has blessed us to have parents who care for us and want us to grow to be good people. I have seen just how much my parents have sacrificed for me, and I am so grateful for their love and care for me over the years. The other thing that came to mind was how different a life can be if a person does not have the gospel in his or her life. Without the gospel, life can seem so meaningless. I was able to see firsthand how tough life can be without the gospel. Our investigator talked about how life was so hard. He said that the world was confusing and chaotic, and how it seemed that he was alone in this world. He talked of the disasters and wars in the world, and how he couldn't understand why this was happening. As I pondered on it later on, I realised that with the gospel, we know our purpose in life. We know that we are Children o9f our Heavenly Father who loves us. We know that man has his agency to choose between right and wrong. We know that as we trust in the Lord that all will be well. We know that as we place our hand on the arm of the Lord, that we can be guided. We know that this life is but a small moment in eternity, that as we strive to obey the commandments of the Lord and keep His covenants, that we can live with our families forever. Most of all, we know that the Lord is always watching over us, that He knows us and loves us, that nothing in this world matters as long as we have the gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives.
Yesterday was wonderful. In district meeting, we talked of gratitude. We read through the story of the ten lepers, and our distract leader mentioned something that John Bytheway had said about how there are two societies that we can be in. One is "The Nine Society" while the other is "The One." Ten of the lepers were healed. Nine never returned to thank the Lord, but the one did. How important it us to be grateful, especially to our parents and to the Lord, who have given us all that we have. I hope to always be in "The One," to always remember to thank the Lord for our blessings and knowledge of the gospel. Throughout the rest of the day, we were able to get much contacting done, and we went over to a member's home and teach her family, who are non-members. Our last appointment was with a referral from Salt Lake. The referral's name is Ming Lee. It turns out that he had been in Utah for five months for training. Over the course of those months, many of his co-workers, who were members of the Church, fellow shipped him. They showed him love and care, they shared their beliefs and taught him the gospel. He was able to watch the movie on Joseph Smith in the Legacy Theater. He said that he felt "nice" when he watched it. Member missionary work is so important, and by our examples, we can bring others to Christ.
I hope this didn't sound like a sermon. I will definitely try to include more on our daily activities next week. Please write! I would love to receive letters!
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
"Open Thy Mouth Wide"
Hello!
We had two visa-runners over this week, Elders Parrot and Etable. They are both really cool. Elder Etable is a Filipino from Sabah and Elder Parrot is half Caucasian, half Polynesian from New Zealand. Having visa-runners over can be fun. This mission is unique in the sense that most of the Elders and Sisters have to go on a trip every three months so that they can return with a new visa stamp, so they have to leave their area for a few days.
Anyhow, it's been a good week. On Thursday, we were walking to Church when we passed a guy who was looking at us in a weird way, so I stopped and talked to him. It turned out that he was a naval diver stationed in Asia, a former member of the Church who was ex-communicated a year or so ago. My heart went out to him, he seemed to be in his early twenties, and he told us of his struggle of whether or not to return to the Church. I gave him a card with the Church address on it and invited him to return. Meeting him that day has made me all the more thankful for the atonement of the Savior. How wonderful and beautiful the sacrifice of Christ. If not for him, all of us would have no way to return to live with Him and our Father in Heaven. As a missionary, I have felt the love for people around me increase, and I love that increase of feeling and emotion in me, as I strive to be like the Savior. There really is no way that we can keep the gospel to ourselves when we see how much it has changed us, and how we can help others to change for the better and come to understand the great plan of happiness that each of us can come to understand and enjoy.
We had a great 4th of July! We had a couple of great lessons. First, we taught these two Filipinos who were referrals. Rosanna has met withe the missionaries before while Emma hasn't. They were both very receptive and seemed to understand the plan of salvation. After that, we met up with Cajan, a Sri Lankan who I met a couple weeks ago with Elder Grant, and whom Elder Pace and Elder Hatton, our district leader, taught while we were on exchanges. The main focus of our lesson was to show him The Restoration video, which we did. The difference was that we watched it in Tamil, not English. As we watched the video, I marveled at just how just and true and beautiful and unique The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is. We were sitting in a room in Singapore, with a Sri Lankan, an American and a Singaporean watching a video about a young boy who saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. And, we were watching it in Tamil. How wonderful the gospel of Jesus Christ is. It transcends cultures and languages, and reaches out to reach out and touch the children of God, to tell them, to teach them that the Lord has called prophets and apostles once again, to lead and direct His church, and organized the same way as it was when Christ was on this Earth. I felt the Spirit as we sat in that room that day, because it really doesn't matter what language we speak or what our background is. We are all children "of our Heavenly Father who loves us, and we love Him." We ended the day with a wonderful 4th of July celebration by having a barbeque, and fun and games at the mission home. It was very fun and a nice break to have. We watched a LikenIt movie, David and Goliath, that's a musical movie. It was amazingly spiritual and I learnt much from it. In one of the songs, David is singing while he is picking pebbles from the brook to use against Goliath, and he sings about how we are all stones in the Lord's hands. The Lord calls many put few are chosen, and that we need to prepare ourselves, to smoothen and refine ourselves so that we can be used as the Lord would have us to be used, to stand on His side, and follow His command. The movie and the music was wonderful, and I would encourage all to get it! http://www.likenit.com/
Sunday was my birthday! I'm 20 now! Old! But, I did have a great few days. On Thursday, we went over to the Petersens for dinner, and they baked for me my favorite Banana Cream Pie! We had a good time at Church and we had three investigators come! That is the most we've had since I've been on my mission! We went over to the Iths for dinner, where we had great food and a cake! On Monday, we went over to yet another home, the Lims, where I had a light Japanese cheesecake! Ah, how time flies. The mission has been and will continue to be an amazing experience. I know that I will have fun times, but also days that are hard and long. But, I am in the service of Him who has felt all our pains and sorrows, and I know that he will lift me up and help me as I strive to do His work with all my heart, might, mind and strength.
Yesterday, I couldn't breathe properly and felt that I had some heart palpitations so I went to the doctor. Had to do a bunch of tests and I am on a twenty-four hour monitor. I'm sure that all will be well. We had a great district meeting where we talked about how we can overcome our fears to talk to people, about how we can open our mouths and spreqad the word of the gospel. In Psalms 81:10, it reads:
I love the Lord for the marvelous blessings He has given me. I was reading the insert in the Ensign about President Hinckley yesterday. How I miss his words of kindness and cousel. I love and respect him. How I hope that as I strive to follow his example, I may draw closer and be more like Christ, increasing "in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man."
We had two visa-runners over this week, Elders Parrot and Etable. They are both really cool. Elder Etable is a Filipino from Sabah and Elder Parrot is half Caucasian, half Polynesian from New Zealand. Having visa-runners over can be fun. This mission is unique in the sense that most of the Elders and Sisters have to go on a trip every three months so that they can return with a new visa stamp, so they have to leave their area for a few days.
Anyhow, it's been a good week. On Thursday, we were walking to Church when we passed a guy who was looking at us in a weird way, so I stopped and talked to him. It turned out that he was a naval diver stationed in Asia, a former member of the Church who was ex-communicated a year or so ago. My heart went out to him, he seemed to be in his early twenties, and he told us of his struggle of whether or not to return to the Church. I gave him a card with the Church address on it and invited him to return. Meeting him that day has made me all the more thankful for the atonement of the Savior. How wonderful and beautiful the sacrifice of Christ. If not for him, all of us would have no way to return to live with Him and our Father in Heaven. As a missionary, I have felt the love for people around me increase, and I love that increase of feeling and emotion in me, as I strive to be like the Savior. There really is no way that we can keep the gospel to ourselves when we see how much it has changed us, and how we can help others to change for the better and come to understand the great plan of happiness that each of us can come to understand and enjoy.
We had a great 4th of July! We had a couple of great lessons. First, we taught these two Filipinos who were referrals. Rosanna has met withe the missionaries before while Emma hasn't. They were both very receptive and seemed to understand the plan of salvation. After that, we met up with Cajan, a Sri Lankan who I met a couple weeks ago with Elder Grant, and whom Elder Pace and Elder Hatton, our district leader, taught while we were on exchanges. The main focus of our lesson was to show him The Restoration video, which we did. The difference was that we watched it in Tamil, not English. As we watched the video, I marveled at just how just and true and beautiful and unique The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is. We were sitting in a room in Singapore, with a Sri Lankan, an American and a Singaporean watching a video about a young boy who saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. And, we were watching it in Tamil. How wonderful the gospel of Jesus Christ is. It transcends cultures and languages, and reaches out to reach out and touch the children of God, to tell them, to teach them that the Lord has called prophets and apostles once again, to lead and direct His church, and organized the same way as it was when Christ was on this Earth. I felt the Spirit as we sat in that room that day, because it really doesn't matter what language we speak or what our background is. We are all children "of our Heavenly Father who loves us, and we love Him." We ended the day with a wonderful 4th of July celebration by having a barbeque, and fun and games at the mission home. It was very fun and a nice break to have. We watched a LikenIt movie, David and Goliath, that's a musical movie. It was amazingly spiritual and I learnt much from it. In one of the songs, David is singing while he is picking pebbles from the brook to use against Goliath, and he sings about how we are all stones in the Lord's hands. The Lord calls many put few are chosen, and that we need to prepare ourselves, to smoothen and refine ourselves so that we can be used as the Lord would have us to be used, to stand on His side, and follow His command. The movie and the music was wonderful, and I would encourage all to get it! http://www.likenit.com/
Sunday was my birthday! I'm 20 now! Old! But, I did have a great few days. On Thursday, we went over to the Petersens for dinner, and they baked for me my favorite Banana Cream Pie! We had a good time at Church and we had three investigators come! That is the most we've had since I've been on my mission! We went over to the Iths for dinner, where we had great food and a cake! On Monday, we went over to yet another home, the Lims, where I had a light Japanese cheesecake! Ah, how time flies. The mission has been and will continue to be an amazing experience. I know that I will have fun times, but also days that are hard and long. But, I am in the service of Him who has felt all our pains and sorrows, and I know that he will lift me up and help me as I strive to do His work with all my heart, might, mind and strength.
Yesterday, I couldn't breathe properly and felt that I had some heart palpitations so I went to the doctor. Had to do a bunch of tests and I am on a twenty-four hour monitor. I'm sure that all will be well. We had a great district meeting where we talked about how we can overcome our fears to talk to people, about how we can open our mouths and spreqad the word of the gospel. In Psalms 81:10, it reads:
I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thyAs we declare the word of God, we will build our testimonies, and the Lord will fill our mouths with His gospel.
mouth wide, and I will fill it.
I love the Lord for the marvelous blessings He has given me. I was reading the insert in the Ensign about President Hinckley yesterday. How I miss his words of kindness and cousel. I love and respect him. How I hope that as I strive to follow his example, I may draw closer and be more like Christ, increasing "in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man."
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
"What Could I Have Done More?"
Ni Hao!
This week has been great! Full of challenges, fun, and learning opportunities. I finished up with Elder Grant (the visa-runner) on Thursday. Learned a lot from Him, mostly how to talk to people in different situations. A more important lesson that I learned is how to work with different people with different personalities and who work in different ways with various people. I was very grateful to have Elder Pace as my companion. We get along well.
Last week, we had a really good district meeting. I learned a lot from it. The lesson that we were taught was about separating the what from the tares, and, one scripture that the district leader used was from Jacob 5:41. The allegory is that of the master of a vineyard who said,
We receive referrals from Salt Lake which normally never really work out. However, it worked out this week! Most of the referrals that we receive have fake numbers and addresses. The two that we received were real! We were able to visit both places, one who wasn't too interested. But, we were able to place a Book of Mormon in his house. Sometimes, it really just is about planting the seed. The other referral worked out great! We went to the house, where we found out that the people who had filled out the form were still in the States. But, we were able to teach their daughter, who was pretty receptive to what we taught. We set a return appointment and were ready to go. Unfortunately, we received a call from the girl's Mom, who had been in the States with her husband. She said she had no interest in hearing discussions. She just wanted to read the book. But, we were able to talk to her daughter who doesn't mind listening more. She seems to be open-minded to religion so hopefully that works out!
We had a decent weekend contacting, and Sunday rolled around. Priesthood and Relief Society had a combined class since it was the fifth Sunday of the month. Elder Shute, one half of a Senior couple, conducted some training. Just a quick note on Elder Shute. At a very young age, he was called as a mission president, then a temple president. He has served as a regional representative and has served in many capacities in the Church, so he is very well versed and trained in the gospel and the Church. He gave a lesson on working on reactivation of members and retention of new converts. Unfortunately, a member was offended and walked out. How sad it is to see members who are offended by another member and who never return to the blessings of the gospel. How trite it is. Elder Shute talked much on forgiveness. He told a story of a prominent woman in the Church who was found guilty of adultery. Because of the prominence of the woman and her family, President Kimball, then President of the Church, took it upon himself to preside over her disciplinary council. They went through the motions, the woman was found to be guilty and excommunicated from the Church. A few weeks later, President Kimball was asked to give a talk in his home ward, and it so happened that the woman and her family lived in that ward. After he had finished his talk, he shoved his way past the people who were greeting him, found the women, and gave her a huge hug, telling her that he loved her. What a profound message, that we are to love one another no matter what the circumstance. We need to reach out top the new converts and to the less actives. Elder Shute talked of three things that everyone in the Church needs. 1. A friend 2. A responsibility and 3. To be nourished by the good word of God. We can provide much of number one and help them with number three.
On an amusing note, we were studying in the morning when the doorbell rang. We had no idea who it was so Elder Pace went to get the door. When he looked through the peephole, he wasn't sure whether to open the door. Eventually, Elder Nixon did. What we saw was, how would you put it? Spectacular. There was a Japanese man standing at our door in his white briefs trying to cover himself with a newspaper. Apparently, he had locked himself out of his apartment while trying to get the newspaper. So, Elder Nixon lent him a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. After he had left, we were laughing when the doorbell rang. It was the man again, asking if we had a piece of string to tie the shorts together because it was too loose. The man was gracious enough that night to return the clothing, along with a cheesecake.
Went on my first exchange. Elder Pace went with Elder Hatton, the district leader, while I went with Elder Haycock. It was a fun experience, though I spent half the day with another Elder who needed to go to the doctor and the dentist. There are a few missionaries who are returning home today. They are done with their missions! One of them, Elder DeWitt, has actually lived in Asia for awhile so we know a lot of the same people! I can't believe how time must fly and I can't imagine what it will be like when I'm done with my two years! Today is the month anniversary for me being out in the field.
I have learned much in this past month, more about the gospel and life, how to deal with different people and different situations. But, most of all, I have learned to depend, trust and lean on the arm of the Lord. How wonderful it is to know that he is always there. I have come to realize just hoe important my parents are to me, how I love them and cherish them. They have taught me much in life, and have raised me to their best of their abilities.
Well, need to go on with preparation day! There are things to be done!
Do write!
This week has been great! Full of challenges, fun, and learning opportunities. I finished up with Elder Grant (the visa-runner) on Thursday. Learned a lot from Him, mostly how to talk to people in different situations. A more important lesson that I learned is how to work with different people with different personalities and who work in different ways with various people. I was very grateful to have Elder Pace as my companion. We get along well.
Last week, we had a really good district meeting. I learned a lot from it. The lesson that we were taught was about separating the what from the tares, and, one scripture that the district leader used was from Jacob 5:41. The allegory is that of the master of a vineyard who said,
"And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard wept, and said unto theI have pondered much on that scripture since, about what more I could be doing for the Lord as his missionary. It moves me to know that the Lord weeps over his children, and hoe much pain and grief he suffers as He sees his children following different paths on the Earth. As missionaries and as members, we can help our Savior by following the revelation given in Doctrine & Covenants 4:2-3.
servant: What could I have done more for my vineyard?"
"Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve himWe can do so much more for the Lord. Serving Him with all out heart, our might, mind and strength is what we can do, to help bring his Children back to Him, so that he can shed one less tear, one less moment of grief as one of his sheep return to the fold.
with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless
before God at the last day. Therefore, if ye have desires to serve God ye
are called to the work;"
We receive referrals from Salt Lake which normally never really work out. However, it worked out this week! Most of the referrals that we receive have fake numbers and addresses. The two that we received were real! We were able to visit both places, one who wasn't too interested. But, we were able to place a Book of Mormon in his house. Sometimes, it really just is about planting the seed. The other referral worked out great! We went to the house, where we found out that the people who had filled out the form were still in the States. But, we were able to teach their daughter, who was pretty receptive to what we taught. We set a return appointment and were ready to go. Unfortunately, we received a call from the girl's Mom, who had been in the States with her husband. She said she had no interest in hearing discussions. She just wanted to read the book. But, we were able to talk to her daughter who doesn't mind listening more. She seems to be open-minded to religion so hopefully that works out!
We had a decent weekend contacting, and Sunday rolled around. Priesthood and Relief Society had a combined class since it was the fifth Sunday of the month. Elder Shute, one half of a Senior couple, conducted some training. Just a quick note on Elder Shute. At a very young age, he was called as a mission president, then a temple president. He has served as a regional representative and has served in many capacities in the Church, so he is very well versed and trained in the gospel and the Church. He gave a lesson on working on reactivation of members and retention of new converts. Unfortunately, a member was offended and walked out. How sad it is to see members who are offended by another member and who never return to the blessings of the gospel. How trite it is. Elder Shute talked much on forgiveness. He told a story of a prominent woman in the Church who was found guilty of adultery. Because of the prominence of the woman and her family, President Kimball, then President of the Church, took it upon himself to preside over her disciplinary council. They went through the motions, the woman was found to be guilty and excommunicated from the Church. A few weeks later, President Kimball was asked to give a talk in his home ward, and it so happened that the woman and her family lived in that ward. After he had finished his talk, he shoved his way past the people who were greeting him, found the women, and gave her a huge hug, telling her that he loved her. What a profound message, that we are to love one another no matter what the circumstance. We need to reach out top the new converts and to the less actives. Elder Shute talked of three things that everyone in the Church needs. 1. A friend 2. A responsibility and 3. To be nourished by the good word of God. We can provide much of number one and help them with number three.
On an amusing note, we were studying in the morning when the doorbell rang. We had no idea who it was so Elder Pace went to get the door. When he looked through the peephole, he wasn't sure whether to open the door. Eventually, Elder Nixon did. What we saw was, how would you put it? Spectacular. There was a Japanese man standing at our door in his white briefs trying to cover himself with a newspaper. Apparently, he had locked himself out of his apartment while trying to get the newspaper. So, Elder Nixon lent him a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. After he had left, we were laughing when the doorbell rang. It was the man again, asking if we had a piece of string to tie the shorts together because it was too loose. The man was gracious enough that night to return the clothing, along with a cheesecake.
Went on my first exchange. Elder Pace went with Elder Hatton, the district leader, while I went with Elder Haycock. It was a fun experience, though I spent half the day with another Elder who needed to go to the doctor and the dentist. There are a few missionaries who are returning home today. They are done with their missions! One of them, Elder DeWitt, has actually lived in Asia for awhile so we know a lot of the same people! I can't believe how time must fly and I can't imagine what it will be like when I'm done with my two years! Today is the month anniversary for me being out in the field.
I have learned much in this past month, more about the gospel and life, how to deal with different people and different situations. But, most of all, I have learned to depend, trust and lean on the arm of the Lord. How wonderful it is to know that he is always there. I have come to realize just hoe important my parents are to me, how I love them and cherish them. They have taught me much in life, and have raised me to their best of their abilities.
Well, need to go on with preparation day! There are things to be done!
Do write!
Thursday, August 30, 2007
"He Sees Into the Eternities"
Dear All,
Some of you might know, but the rest of you won't know this. I've been released from my mission at the request of my father. While I was training at the Manila MTC, my Dad called my Bishop, Stake President and Mission President, and informed them that he wasn't allowing me to serve a mission.
I had no idea about this till I returned to Singapore from training and found my parents waiting for me instead of the missionary couple who were supposed to pick me up.
The rationale that my Dad gave was that he couldn't accept the fact that an insitution could prevent him from seeing his son for two years, and not allowing him contact except though email and three phone calls a year.
I have been instructed to obey the will of the Patriach of my family, and as such, I have. Pressure has been placed on him by my relatives too, who don't understand that they are taking away my agency.
I am hurt, and confused, and distraught. But, I trust that the Lord will show me what to do in time, for I have learnt in the 3 weeks in the MTC that the Lord will bless thse who serve him faithfully, but in his own time. We just have to wait patiently, and know that he is there, and he knows all, for he sees into the eternities.
I have come to love him so much the more for the gift of his Son, and I know that he lives, and I know that my Redeemer lives.
I will be at BYU in three weeks, for those of you who are in Utah. So, I'll see you then.
Whatever happens in the future, I know it will be well as I trust and believe in the Lord.
Take care and God Bless.
--
Ee Chien
Obedience is the Price
Faith is the Power
Love is the Motive
The Spirit is the Key
Christ is the Reason
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Eternal Families!
Hi Everyone!
We've watched a few videos here, two of which I've already watched, The Restoration and The Testaments. When I watched The Testaments this time, I really felt the Spirit. It's wonderful being surrounded by people who are so eager to serve the Lord. I am proud to wear my name tag each day. It's wonderful being surrounded by people who are so eager to serve the Lord. I am proud to wear my name tag each day. As much as I love the MTC, I can't wait to get out into the field. The other video that I really loved was a devotional that Elder Bednar gave on becoming a missionary. He said that there are many people who serve missions but never become missionaries. We are on a higher plane as we serve the Lord. I hope that you young men will prepare to serve a mission worthily. Know that the Lord loves you and wants you to serve Him. Trust Him and not in the arm of flesh. Another thing that Elder Bednar talked about was about how we should go home at the end of our missions but never leave the mission field. We also learnt about retaining new converts. I've come to realize how important that is.
It's been a good week. I'm really gaining a testimony of the Lord and of his sacrifice and the restoration of the gospel. First things first, Grandpa and Grandpa Chua were sealed today! I was proxy for Grandpa and Sister Smith, the MTC president's wife, acted as proxy for Grandma. It was such a special experience. Elder Yapa Gopal, one of the missionaries whom I'm really close to, was sealed to his family, and he acted as proxy for his father when his parents were sealed. Oh, the Spirit was so strong in that sealing room. I also went through two more endowment sessions.
The day before yesterday, we were able to go across to the temple and teach people there about the plan of salvation. It was a little awkward at first, but, oh how sweet it was when we got into the work! I taught the section on the atonement of Christ. That was the first time I've truly understood it! We can't comprehend it, but we sure can understand the love that our Savior has for us! The feeling I had inside was amazing, and I truly felt the love that my Savior has for me. I talked to Brother Orlando there who plans transportation for visiting groups so I told him about the first ward visit that's coming up over Thanksgiving.
My MTC teachers are really great. My two favorite teachers are Brother Cardino and Brother Lozano. We have a rowdy district but they are really nice and patient. They truly show us the Christlike love that each of us should have within us. The kitchen staff is treating our district really well. They know we don't like fish so they cook curry and other dishes specially for us. Elder Shewe, my companion, is growing in the gospel but it still gets frustrating at times because his English is bad and he doesn't understand much. His knowledge of the gospel is severely limited too. I'm learning to be more patient.
We've watched a few videos here, two of which I've already watched, The Restoration and The Testaments. When I watched The Testaments this time, I really felt the Spirit. It's wonderful being surrounded by people who are so eager to serve the Lord. I am proud to wear my name tag each day. It's wonderful being surrounded by people who are so eager to serve the Lord. I am proud to wear my name tag each day. As much as I love the MTC, I can't wait to get out into the field. The other video that I really loved was a devotional that Elder Bednar gave on becoming a missionary. He said that there are many people who serve missions but never become missionaries. We are on a higher plane as we serve the Lord. I hope that you young men will prepare to serve a mission worthily. Know that the Lord loves you and wants you to serve Him. Trust Him and not in the arm of flesh. Another thing that Elder Bednar talked about was about how we should go home at the end of our missions but never leave the mission field. We also learnt about retaining new converts. I've come to realize how important that is.
Take care and God bless!
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