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
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