August 23, 2010

Weekly Report from Donggang

Well, it's been a really great week here. As you'll notice, I've attached a couple of pictures of a baptismal service! Yep, (name) is now a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He's great, the branch loves him, and we're so glad the Lord blessed us to meet him. In fact, watching him be baptized in that little swimming-pool font and hear him bear his testimony afterward was an experience I won't forget. The Spirit was so strong. He has come to know his Father in Heaven and his Savior and make sacred covenants with them. These are experiences I'd never get to have anywhere else, and I thank the Lord every day that I've been blessed to come here to Taiwan and share the gospel. I know that that's what I've been sent out here to do--help more people accept that same gift. They're out there, and I just have to work my hardest and I'll be able to find them.

I also have had some real faith building experiences this week. In fact, just last night we had a goal to get six new investigators and things weren't going very well. I was starting to get discouraged, which you don't want to do. That's a lack of faith. So I prayed hard that I would have the faith and confidence to find those who were ready. About three minutes later, a guy called me over as I was riding by and asked if he and his two sons could come to English class. I set him up to meet with us and he set a baptismal goal. Three new investigators. It was truly a tender mercy of the Lord.

Now I'm running kind of low on time. Some fun-side stuff this week. I tried bingsha for the first time, which is this really tasty milkshakey thingy (to use a Dillon term). So good. What else? 4 minutes.

That's going to be it for the week. I love you all so much. I still pray for you every night. Please continue to study the scriptures every day, sitting up and writing your thoughts in a journal. I know that as you do you will, as Mom said, feel the love of the Savior and feel that the scriptures were written specifically for you. They were. Please also remember to read Elder Bednar's article. And about school--have fun with it. Do the very best you can, but don't worry yourself too much over it.

Love you all.

Carter