Danshui

Blog

This is the Beginning of the halfway point of this transfer! Wow that’s an odd thing to say isn't it. Well this week hasn't been too crazy, but there are a few things of note that I would like to discuss!

I really am loving my district. Saturday the Elders in my area of Danshui accompanied us to the temple for a wedding! (not ours...) Two members of the ward were getting married for time and all eternity. The hour train ride was actually a blast both there and back, swapping stories and tales. They are both very interesting young men, and we have a lot of fun.

Tuesday we cooked baked apples together in the chapel’s kitchen, rather I cooked and they brought lunch and we told tales. It was hilarious. I am making good relationships and good memories here. I feel more connected to the people, missionaries, investigators and members of Danshui than I did in Taiyuan, possibly because I understand more.

But back to that wedding! It was tons of fun and wonderful to see a couple that was so happy get married for eternity. Chinese receptions are interesting. They have everyone seated for a program of speeches and things before the food and the talking. They don't have gifts or a reception line either. But the food was in plenty and fantastic at the end.

This week we also went on exchanges for the first time this transfer. We will have exchanges at least once a week from this point on because Sister Li is the coordinating sister (that’s like the sister version of the zone leader) and has to exchange with all the sisters in our zone. It’s going to be nifty. I will get to meet a lot of sisters and maybe go see all of the areas. This time I went to JiLong, a city about 2 hours away.

Jilong sits on a harbor too, and is a thriving harbor town with high rise shopping and beautiful views, and just a little of that fishy smell that accompanies that line of work. Much like Danshui Jilong sits on a large hill, of which the sister apartment is half way up, so they divide their area like we do into an up and a down section. I loved that hill; it was vicious to the thighs.

Anyway, I got to be with my first purely American companion (even though it was only exchanges) a Sister Howell. She is a cute little red head. But the important part of this story, I saw my first real missionary miracle! It was amazing so I'm going to just tell ya all about it!!

So Sister Howell earlier in the week had been out working with her companion and suddenly had the misfortune of having an overactive bladder. So they tracked into a house on the pretense of really, really needing the bathroom. This crusty old woman opened the door and they gained a lesson, then a new investigator, even though she was a staunch traditionalist.

A day or so later they returned and this old woman (she is so spunky) threw a fit because they had not called before coming. But she let them teach her, amidst the distraction of her grandchild screaming and throwing balls. She told them that her daughter wanted to meet.

Then I came. We almost didn't go visit this woman, she lived at the top of the hill and we were short on time, but something told us we should go. So go we did. We biked all the way up that hill! And when we got there, soaked with sweat and maybe a little red in the face her daughter met us at the door. She said "My husband has something to tell you." as we entered and sat down her husband said from the other room where he was assembling a book shelf, "I've been waiting for you"

They gathered, we met Joy and Greene (their English names.) and we taught the first lesson. I have not felt the spirit that strong in a lesson yet on my mission. It went very well; I even got to recite the first vision all the way through for the first time (with only a couple of pauses and mistakes). Then we got to the big question, we felt we should extend the baptismal invite.

His answer was definite and absolutely without hesitation. Yes. Then he looked at his wife expectantly "What about you? Are you ready?" She was a little slower coming but agreed as well. Then he told us his story.

He had never been religious. He had never had a faith. But recently his life was down and looking empty. He was not satisfied with the direction it was taking, or the person he was, or the father he was. He realized that he was lost. So for the first time in his life, he decided to pray. He prayed hard and earnestly, asking quite simply, is there a God? God, he said, if you are there I don't have the faith to go find you. But please send someone to my door. If you send someone to my door I swear to you that I will always follow you.

The very next day Sister Howell and her companion knocked on his door and taught his mother in law. When she told them the day following that the missionaries had come by and were teaching her he was completely floored. Not only had his prayer been answered, it had been answered the very next day. So he told us that no matter what he wanted baptism. The Lord had spoken to him, had shown him what was right and he was going to take it.

Wow, how much more direct can you get than that? It was a miracle, and it was truly awesome to see how we can be tools in someone's hand. I may not get to see that family progress and eventually receive baptism, but I saw the certainty in that man's eyes. And I saw and felt for the first time what it is to be the answer to someone’s prayer. An answer that will change their life forever.

That’s my sharing time for the week! I love you all and I hope that you are all happy and well. Have a great week and I miss you tons!