June 11, 2012

This week has gone much better, thank you for your prayers. At Zone Leader Council on Friday I gave a training on "ATTITUDE- Never a bad day." I feel I was prepared the week before to be able to train on that topic so I am grateful for the opportunity and experience it gave me in preparation. Chinese I feel will always be a struggle here in England, so I am hoping one day I will get to immerse myself somehow in the language in the future. How exactly are you going about making and selling these brownies in so many different places? Do you make them at home and then take them there, or something else? Haha, so did Dad's comment mean he almost couldn't keep up with you, or it was painful to run so slow? Hey if you run the Ragnar, I'll join.

All I can really say for this week is, "Life is good because the gospel is true." As the trials of life swirl around us sometimes that is all we can tell ourselves to keep going. Right now in Liverpool we are struggling with those we have dated for baptism. It seems that they are willing to set baptism dates as "Goals" but are having a hard time with actually having a sincere desire to be baptized to follow Jesus Christ. Elder Cai and I are trying to figure out what we can do to help them gain a greater vision of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and its truthfulness. We are really hoping that the upcoming YSA Conference here in Liverpool will help them to see that other people their age and same type of lifestyle live the gospel and are able to see the benifit of it in their lives. Currently we have 12 chinese members and investigators planning on going.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Zone Leader Council we had last Friday with Elder Kerr. After the meeting I was speaking with some of the other Zone Leaders and it was mentioned multiple times that we had all been thinking and discussing within our companionships about certain obstacles keeping us from progressing as a mission. We all agreed that during that meeting most of the points of how to overcome these setbacks were discussed, taught, and then we were invited to apply those teachings into our work as leaders. Some of the principles and quotes I took out of the meeting were: Testifying to others of BLESSINGS that come as we live the gospel. Not changing the frequency of correction but the method. Follow Up with love and respect. Putting all our worries and cares on the High Counciler and not the Bishop or Stake President. I loved the quote, "coincidences are what happen when God wants to remain anonymous".

Yesterday we went to Ward Council at 7:30 a.m. Normally that would be really early for us, but as a missionary you don't really notice or think that it is so early. :) It just gives me a greater appreciation for the organization of the church and the willingness of so many members of the church to sacrifice their time, efforts, and skills to move the work along, even if that means waking up at 6:30 a.m. to go to a meeting on a Sunday morning. During the meeting the Bishop spoke briefly about the topic of complacency and how they as the Auxileries leaders need to set an example of Losing themselves in the service of God and magnifying their callings. It seems it is much to easy to get complacent in the every day habitual routines of life. We get comfortable where we are and then we don't want to move. I guess that is why the Gospel of Jesus Christ is supposed to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. It just comes down to asking myself, I am feeling comfortable right now? Because if so, I need to repent and do something more.