I was able to go on some exchanges with Elder Seely again this week.. It's been pretty cool being around him so much lately. I enjoy talking about some of those old people I knew in High School with him.. He is a great missionary. We had some cool moments together out on those streets.
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| The XinZhu Zone |
For our weekly planning session this week we made a huge cookie for us to eat.. That was interesting I guess??
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| our cookie |
I've learned a bit about a principle lately out here that is important to know if I really want to see some good success in the future, although I'm not positive it's my favorite thing as a missionary? I'm still deciding. It is what Warren Buffett said "No is just the beginning of the conversation." When I was finding with Elder Seely, we had 10 minutes left to contact people before we had to go home. I saw a woman walking down the street and decided she was the last one. I said hello and she said "No," to which I shot back "Wait one second!" She stopped. She was reluctant to talk at first, but got more and more relaxed and eventually she let us say a prayer for her. She ended telling us about her life and the troubles she's had lately. She didn't believe in God but wanted someone to tell her He exists. She ended up being super happy we talked to her. We will meet her again this next week!
As people in general take only a couple seconds to cast their judgments on people (proven by studies in the past) it is easy to not stop for a moment and give people the time of day to say what they have to say. But if you can just get them past that first "No," sometimes they will end up thanking you for it. That was a neat experience for me. Get past that first no, then it may take a few unexpected turns? Life lesson learned.
The best past of the week was in a lesson and then again during sacrament meeting. We had a member in a lesson with us to share his testimony and we taught the Law of Chastity. We didn't want to go into too much depth with it so we saved it for last. Little did we know that our really good friend had a MAJOR testimony of that Law of Chastity...not only that, but little did I know how open some Chinese people are with other people sometimes as well.. Either way, he tells us his huge story during the lesson of why he knows breaking the Law of Chastity is bad in the fullest detail you could possibly ask for... I couldn't keep myself together. I lost it unfortunately.
I think that lesson served us all even better though during sacrament as our friend must have realized that not lots of people know this story of his. So he announces it again in the same detail over the pulpit in fast and testimony meeting. I was bewildered. Not at our friend this time, but at everyone else in the congregation. People were so moved by such an awesome story of repentance and many people told him they loved what he shared afterwards.
It was something foreign to me being there at that moment. But I was so moved by the love and acceptance for the man amongst all our members yesterday. They look at people in the eyes of God, they see you for what you are becoming and what direction you are heading, not for who you were or what you did. I was truly blown away! I hope to be more like these amazing people here who can look at all people in such a way.
The weeks just keep flying by! Life is beautiful!!
Love you all! Have a great week!!
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| Elder Dong's little brother was at the temple when we were! I got do the confirmations for him too, super cool. |
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| Justin our man going to the temple for his first time! |
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