Some Answers Take Time

大家好!

This has been a busy week for me. This has also been a week full of some very poignant spiritual experiences. 

When it comes to our teaching pool, we are back to the typical Chinese fashion of deciding to avoid talking to the missionaries like the plague rather than just be out front and honest that they are no longer interested. I find that very hard to deal with, because we just end up chasing people down all the time without any real motivation. Francoise is unfortunately in that category now, which is really sad... However, we have someone else we are teaching right now. His name is Wang Pu, he lives up north in Richmond and was previously taught by the missionaries. We had a lesson with him all about how we can feel the Spirit and what it influences us to do. Elder Lee had the great idea to share Ether 12:6 with him (receive no witness until after the trial if our faith), and it really struck a chord with him. It taught me that in order to be influenced by the Spirit, we first need to believe that we will receive answers. Wang Pu is working on developing that faith. He is reading, and prays specifically that God will send him answers to his questions. It's cool to see him develop his faith like that. 

My favorite part of the week was Zone Conference, our first with Pres. and Sis. Durham. They both did a fantastic job. We talked about the importance of talking to everyone we meet, because "proselyting is talking to people." It's nice to realize that our success as missionaries, whether or not we are called to serve full time, is not determined by the number of baptisms we have, but the amount of people we share the Gospel with and invite to learn more. I think that's something a lot of people don't realize. It makes me more confident that I can do my part. We trained on finding, working in the Visitors Center, and studying effectively. We also received a special pack of conference talks and scripture references all about the Atonement. Pres. Durham testified that as our testimonies of the Atonement increase, we will have increased faith and desire to share the Gospel. I found the conference very insightful, and I really am trying to make my study of these new resources detailed. 

We took a challenge to have an engaging Gospel related discussion with at least 10 people everyday! As such, we have run into some pretty interesting people. We met Dr. G, a Holocaust survivor who couldn't stop talking to us about how much money he had, as well as a whole bunch of people while out and about knocking doors. One man was very surprised that we could talk to him in Chinese. It's fun pulling that out of our pockets and surprising people! 

The biggest thing we have been doing this week is service.... We are literally the go-to people for service projects. Sometimes it gets a little out of hand and leaves us little time to do actual proselyting, and that can get frustrating at times. Over the course of one week, we have passed out groceries, moved furniture, weeded, laid cardboard, and even organized the Mission Home Materials closet. It was busy work. Good to know people can count on us to help out, I guess. 

Things continue to move along. We've seen some miracles in regards to finding people this week as a Zone, and motivation among missionaries continues to escalate. I am grateful for the Gospel. I am grateful for my Savior and His Atonement. I am grateful for the time i have to spend getting to know him better. 

我爱你们! Have a great week!

Elder Butters 
包长老

Photos from Week 89

Our District picnic on P-Day.

Splits at church with Sister Hodges!  Fellow Dancers and Fellow Missionaries!

Trio Power Part 2

给位家庭朋友好!

This has been a pretty eventful week for me. Lots is going on, and I feel like I tried to make every second count!

The biggest change of the week is of course we now are back to a trio again! Elder Mitchell and I picked up our new companion Friday afternoon. His name is Elder Lee, is from Salt Lake, and has been permanently reassigned to our mission after returning home a few months ago from is original calling for medical reasons. We are excited to have him. He's a hard worker and has jumped in with both feet, ready to work (pretty much night and day from the last time I was in a trio). I am grateful for His example already! 

His first day was one that involved and experience that not many new missionaries get to have; we were on exchanges with the Assistants! Elder Peterson came and joined Elder Lee and I in our area, where we spent the entire day contacting people. We even met a new person who we will start teaching. His name is Wang Pu (yes, it's a pretty strange name...), and he previously met with missionaries. He had a lot of questions about the Holy Ghost and how he can learn the truth for himself. He agreed to read and pray, and we have an appointment set up for this next Saturday! I also had the chance to go on another exchange this week. I went with my Zone Leader, Elder Ballard, to the Spanish program for a day. He's a great leader. We had the chance to teach a few members from his ward, which was nice. It was cool to be able to feel the Spirit with them even though I barely understood what was going on. 

Our Branch is seeing miracles. Elder Mitchell and I had the chance to go on splits with some Priesthood brethren the day before Elder Lee's arrival. I went with our 2nd Counselor in our Elders Quorum Presidency, Edward Szeto, to teach a less-active man named Bro. Tan, who only speaks Cantonese. Edward is a Cantonese native, so it was good to have him there. We came to find out that Bro Tan formerly worked in his home province of Taishan as a Snake Hunter! He sold wild snakes in the market place for outrageous prices, some selling as much as $4000! It was so cool to relate to him and hear his stories, but sad to hear that he feels looked down upon by the Branch, because he is illiterate and only speaks Cantonese is a branch of Mandarin speakers. It's tough when members feel that way, especially because the last place they should feel looked down upon is at church. However, he still came to church yesterday. Not only him, but three other brethren we've been working with recently attended church. We had 18 PEOPLE IN ELDERS QUORUM!! MIRACLE!! It was awesome to see that though we may not have many solid people to teach right now, our work is being blessed in other facets. Church was awesome this week! We had lessons all about Pioneers, focusing on the pioneering efforts of the church in China. It was fascinating, and a day at church that was particularly close to my heart. 

Time on the mission continues to fly. I cannot believe how much I continue to learn about myself and my Heavely Father every single day. A lot of my studies have been focused on how one can become a true disciple of Christ. I was particularly impressed by talks given by Pres. Nelson and Elder Hales in previous conferences. The scripture 2 Peter 1:5-7 is something I really want to emulate in my life a lot more. 

I am grateful for this experience. It continues to impress me, stress me out, freak me out, and blow my mind! Mostly, it has brought me a lot of growth. The Gospel is true. 

Have a fantastic week!

我爱你么! 加油!

Elder Butters/包长老 

Benjamin's Missionary Motto

Found on a wall in downtown Oakland and also found at the end of every letter sent to me from Mom!

#88: Unexpected Lessons Learned in Unlikely Circumstances

DaJia Hao!

This has been a busy busy week for the three of us. 

Firstly, Francoise is still doing great! We taught her the Restoration on Thursday, and were able to help her solve some of her concerns related to prayer. She was worried that because her prayers wouldn't be long or have any fancy-sounding words, they wouldn't be good. We told her that the opposite is quite true. I'm grateful for a loving Heavenly Father that wants to communicate with His children, regardless of how beautiful or sophisticated their prayers sound. I would definitely be in trouble if prayers had to be fancy. I've been saying quite a few recently, and I'm grateful to know that there is always someone listening. Anyway, Francoise is enjoying the Singles Ward and is now asking a lot of questions about the Temple. We are excited to relate Temples to the Gospel of Jesus Christ this next week. 

With other work and appointments, we tried to contact more of our Elders, unfortunately to no real avail. We also had a dinner appointment with a potential investigator, where we were able to talk about the power of Personal Revelation. We had a District Meeting on the new improved version of Preach My Gospel (printed copies come out in August, and I could not be more excited to get my hands on one!), and a whole bunch of last-minute service out in the sun. We did a massive finding blitz in Oakland Chinatown, where we sadly met some really rude people, but had a memorable conversation with a marine corp veteran.  I also had a fantastic interview with my new Mission President, Pres. Durham. He is a great example of kindness, charity, and sincerity in my life already. He's AWESOME!! 

This has been a week of realization for me. Elder Graham is a missionary that I learned a lot from. Unfortunately, we said goodbye to him this week as he returned home. I will be honest, I had a difficult time relating to him, and I feel like I could've handled the situation differently. I thin kit might have been a missed opportunity to grow a little more. However, like I said, the weeks we had together taught me a lot. I learned that no matter how much we try, other people have their own agency, and we need to respect that. I learned that I need to step up my game in some parts of my service. I learned that I need to do better at trusting God, and putting away "false Gods" I might be worshiping instead of Him in order to trust Him completely. I learned more about the Allegory of the Olive Tree, and I learned that I want to make changes in my life, but need patience and focus in order to do so. Yeah....when God sends me an opportunity to learn, I guess He dumps a whole lot on me. When it rains, it truly pours!

In other news, Elder Mitchell and I are back to the two of us...for the next five days. We will be welcoming Elder Lee into a trio with us on Friday. Now, lest we get confused, this is not the Elder Li that trained me. Elder Lee will be returning to the mission field after a short hiatus to be permanently assigned to our mission. He'll be jumping head first into a really really busy week! However, Elder Mitchell and I celebrated by challenging each other to eat really spicy ("atomic," in fact) chicken wings today. That was fun! 

We are always moving and always involved in something right now, and I like being busy. Thank you all for your prayers that are contributing to that. Good things are happening. I'm grateful to Heavenly Father for the experiences He gives me, and I hope to learn from my mistakes. I want to encourage you to remember that when you have a trial, its for your good. I hope to make sure that next time I take more advantage of such situations. I think their is more growth for all of us. 

Xia Ci Jian!

Elder Butters/Bao ZhangLao

Email 87: Land of the Free Helpers!

NiMen Hao! 

Happy 4th of July to you all! I am grateful that I was not only born in this wonderful country, but also that I have the chance to serve a mission in it. It truly is a remarkable place, and I hope we can find better solutions to keep it that way!

Well, I'll be honest. I've been pretty stressed this week. Lots is going on and my companions and I find ourselves trying to juggle it all. 

Some great news - Francoise is now a Progressing Investigator! We had another lesson with her this past week, focusing primarily on the importance of having a relationship with God and the significance of Christ and His Atonement. It was a lesson that involved a lot of testimony, and tied perfectly into sharing the Book of Mormon with her. She is intrigued and willing to read and learn more. Although she doesn't feel quite ready for baptism, she attended church with the YSA Ward in Walnut Creek! We were very excited for her. We are planning on working with the YSA Elders much more to collaborate how we can best help her. 

Some more great news - we have the potential to start teaching a family. While contacting potentials this past week, we ran into Lily Lin and her young family, who've met with missionaries previously. We were able to talk very briefly about the differences between our church and other Christian faiths. She has incredible faith in God, and we may be able to have a teaching appointment at the Visitors Center this week! 

We are finding a lot of people to work with right now, which is something I haven't been able to say in a very long time! Some of those people include our members. While on splits one night, Elder Graham and I were able to give one of our members, Sis. Xie, a blessing. We also visited with the Vietnamese woman, Sis. Tong, who we tracted into last week. She was able to come to church! Little miracles are happening, particularly in the Branch. As we focus on the people in the Branch, they seem to be getting more united and more open to hear from us and work with us. We've even been to some of their homes over the past few weeks for dinner appointments (which up until now NEVER happened in the Chinese program...), where we've been able to give specific ideas for how the Branch can improve and how each of the members can get involved in missionary work. 

We also have been involved in a TON of service activities. We have passed out free food, helped people get ready for summer BBQs, recorded a book for our beloved old professor friend, cleaned out a cluttered living room and kitchen, and weeded, shoveled, and raked. Seriously, missionaries are the Swiss army knife of the work force! Elder Graham got a nasty cut on his finger from cleaning razor wire off the roof of a storage unit. At least he will now always be able to remember Oakland. 

On top of all of that, I spoke in Sacrament Meeting and my companions and I taught the Elders Quorum Lesson. The topic for my talk was Agency, something I've learned much more about in my time as a missionary. I have really learned that decisions do indeed determine destiny. It is the whole reason we have God's plan; without the ability to choose, we would be unable to learn, and therefore unable to progress. This understanding motivates me to make the best choices, instead of just good ones. At a meeting with our New Mission President this week (forgot to mention that, Pres. and Sis. Durham have arrived, and they are really kind people with very good expectations for their missionaries. I like them already!), Sis. Durham mentioned that we need to choose the Celestial Kingdom NOW, rather than have the judgement we receive be a complete surprise to us. I like that thought. Knowing that Heavenly Father gave me Agency lets me know He wants me to choose the Celestial Kingdom, and I can choose to get their NOW. If that is our choice, all other choices we make that follow will be influenced by that choice. That tied well into our lesson in Priesthood. We shared the most recent talk given by Pres. Oaks last Priesthood Session, all about magnifying our Priesthood callings. To be Celestial, we need to do Celestial things with the power of the Priesthood, and that all starts in the family! If the Priesthood isn't a prominent part of our family life, it won't be a part of out lives anywhere else. I love the inspiration from the scriptures and the teachings of our leaders. 

Well....its been an insane week. Its also included night time pushup competitions with Elder Graham, and lots and lots of thinking...Holy cow, with the amount of thoughts that go on in my head, I may drive myself insane!

Love you all! The church is true. I know it! I'm grateful for it!

Till next week!

Elder Butters/Bao ZhangLao

New Companion; A Trio Set Up; Final Photo with President

The apartment set up for three!

This is what it looks like to be a District Leader for over a year.....

Someone needs a nap and Elder Mitchell needs some enthusiasm.  We have a great time together.

Last photo with my terrific Mission President and his wife.  I love this man!

Email 86: Trio Power!

大家好! 

Well, my 14th transfer in the field officially started this week, and we have hit the ground running. This transfer has brought a lot of change.

The biggest of the changes is our new companion. Elder Mitchell and I welcomed Elder Graham this week to our area. He is from Arkansas and is awaiting his visa to Taiwan where he was originally called. I am his trainer, and he will be here with us for the transfer. I haven't been in a trio since the MTC, so this week has been quite the readjustment. We've been busy with new missionary training and a host of other meetings we've had to attend. Elder Graham is adjusting well. 

Another change; President and Sister Frandsen left us this week! It was very sad to see them go. They have made quite the lasting impact on my life and this mission. I am grateful for the opportunity I had to serve under their stewardship. We welcomed President and Sister Durham on Saturday, and from the word I've been getting from home recently, he already knows who I am... We got to chance to meet him in the hallway just moments ago, which was very cool. He has heard a little about me and is very knowledgeable and friendly. Should make for a fun last few months of my mission. 

We found a new investigator this week! Her name is Francoise, and she was a referral from missionaries in Hong Kong (Elders Clark and Hayden, both of whom I knew growing up in China!). Her mother was previously baptized, and she has come to the States for the summer to get some college courses under her belt. We had the chance to sit down with her on Diablo Valley College campus and talked with her about the purpose of life. She told us that she wants to be apart of finding the cure for cancer! We congratulated her on her noble pursuit and taught her about God's plan for all of us, and our purpose for being on Earth. We have a return appointment scheduled for later this week, where we will talk a little more about the nature of God and the relationship we can have with Him, something I am continuously learning about here in the field. Things are looking up when it comes to finding people. We had the chance to do a lot of finding, too. With more people to talk to as you walk between doors, tracting is easier. We knocked into a lot of interesting people this week... I, unfortunately, got all the mean people behind all the doors I knocked. One person on the street even spat at me and told me that Satan loves me...that was fun...

We also have continued to search out our less-active Elders in the Branch. We went all the way up to Hercules one night to contact Bro. Fang, who works in a restaurant up north. We shared a pretty simple message with him, but we are happy to be tracking down so many of our missing members. Things are happening.

Needless to say, it has been a stressful week, but we continue to move along. I am finding I really need to learn to trust in the Lord and carry on. I have faith, but trust is something that I need to develop a little more, and I think that is exactly what this transfer will do for me. 

I love you all! Thank you for the continued support, prayers, thoughts, and love. 

Have an amazing week!

Elder Butters/Bao ZhangLao