Sunday, October 30, 2011

T.G.I Fridays in Taiwan

Things are going great here. Sister Morey and I just rushed back after traveling to a mall to eat lunch at T.G.I Fridays.  It was a Zone (a geographic grouping of missionaries) activity, and it was fun to go out, do something different, and be with other missionaries.  It was so weird to be in the mall because I felt like I was back in Danbury; they had Coldstone, Starbucks, and all the same cosmetic counters they have in America.  
  
I have told you about Cindy before; she is the sweetest soul.  She told us that she reads the Book of Mormon every night, and she loves it because it answers the questions of her heart.  When we went to teach her the other day, I noticed that her book mark was way at the end of the book.  I thought it was too good to be true, but she confirmed that is where she is the Book of Mormon!  Her favorite chapter is Alma 24 or maybe Mosiah 24.  She is really willing and wanting to get baptized, and Sister Morey and I feel happy that she is truly experiencing conversion because she is acting on the commitments we give her and because she is having spiritual experiences. It is not just that she enjoys the company at church. We are a little concerned about her mother though.  It is difficult to teach younger people because their choices are not completely their own.  Her mom is a less active member and lately we have been worrying that her mom feels like all of this is a bit of nuisance. We are still a little worried because we don't just want Cindy to get baptized and then fall into inactivity because her mom objects to her going to church if they have family over or if she has school work to do.  We want to make sure that Cindy really can live up to her baptismal covenants before making them.  We are hoping to talk to her mom this week to talk about how things are going with Cindy and to keep her involved.  We are also hoping to ask Cindy to share what she is learning with her mom and to share how much it means to her and is blessing her life, so that her mom doesn’t just see it as us using up her daughters time but as something that really matters to her daughter.  
  
One of our other investigators is Huang.  Her husband is a recent convert. They have one 5 year old son and a new baby, which makes it really convenient to meet with her because she is home a lot.  Her baby is so cute, and I am so sad we are not allowed to hold him.  The sweetest thing ever happened when we were teaching her about the Plan of Salvation. She was comforting her baby who was crying and said, “Oh, do you want to live with me forever?” -  or something to that effect. It was so sweet, and she has acknowledged how much praying every day has blessed her family.   

I haven't shared an embarrassing story in a while, so just to let you know that I haven't changed, I will share one from the past week.  In district (a geographic grouping of missionaries smaller than a zone) training meeting for some reason my district leader told us all that every night he does 75 pushups.  I, who struggle to do 10 pushups, was somewhat shocked by this, and in an exasperated voice, I said, “That's a lot!”  My companion then turns to me and asks me what I had said. I told her that I said, “That's a lot.”  She then tells me that she thought I said, "That's hot.” At this point, I am completely mortified and start worrying that my district leader may think that I just called him hot, which would be totally inappropriate. I still don’t know what he thinks I said but my companion has assured me that it is fine.  
  
I love this gospel so much, and I love these people so much.  I want to think and talk about them all the time!  It is the most special thing in the world to see the light in their eyes when they hear the gospel. I know that this church is true.  I know that Joseph Smith truly restored the gospel and because of that we have the priesthood power and the way that allows us to return to God's presence.  What a tremendous blessing this knowledge is.  It points us towards that ultimate and eternal goal of living with our Father in Heaven with our families again.  

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