Blog Post #46: Safe!

Dear People,

Well, I didn't get a call saying I'm training, so I have some time to keep improving myself before I get to go back to an extra hour of studies every day. Hopefully I'll get someone amazing in here to whip me into shape so that I can learn how to be better! I'm not a speculator, so I have no idea who it could be, but I'm sure it's gonna rock once I get my new companion! I really only have one more day to wait! I'm so excited!

To celebrate my 3rd favorite February Holiday (the first is my brother's birthday, the second is my "Party Day", the third is Mardi Gras, the fourth is St. Valentine's Day) I made a HUGE pot of Gumbo, a peach crisp, and an apple crisp. The Gumbo was chicken instead of shrimp, was nice and spicy, and everything in it was chopped into perfect bite size chunks. The crisps were more like cobblers, and had pecans on top, but nobody complained about them.

Anyways, beside wishing I could have been with Elder Roper for another 6 weeks, I've had a blast! Being in a Tripanionship is a little awkward in teaching and street contacting situations, but it's not impossible, and if you're stuck with two companions it might as well best be your two favorite people in the Mission! I was in the MTC with Elder Allen, and Elder Lee lived with me for the first part of my time in TST,  and then he was my District Leader for awhile.

Beyond working hard and having a great time, my life has been the usual, but amazing, Missionary work I'm used to. Every time I read the Old Testament I see another way that God shows mercy and love to His children, and it gives me a desire to spread the Restored Truth to this people! So many of them are perishing in unbelief, and it's my calling to help them know that there's more to life than working, smoking, and getting old and frail.

I love God's Plan of Happiness! It's so obvious to me that it's true! Why do we look to our parents and older siblings for help and guidance? Why are we upset when those around us aren't perfect? It's because, in the life before this one, we lived with perfect Heavenly Parents and had a perfect older brother, Jesus Christ, who could help us with any question or problem! We want to rely on our families because our spirits still remember the time when we lived with our Eternal family.

I know that there is a life after this one because of our instinct to remember those who have passed on. Here in Hong Kong there are many people who say that they don't believe in anything after death, yet they worship their ancestors and pay great respect to them. This is because their souls remember when we were taught that this life is not the end, and that even though we may be temporarily separated from our loved ones, we will be united with them again.

I know that God, the Eternal Father lives, and that His Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior, Lord, and Redeemer lives. I know that they appeared to Joseph Smith, and that through him they restored the complete truth of the Plan of Happiness in this time when we can make the most of it; when we have the greatest resources to assist in spreading this Gospel to all the world!

I am proud to be a part of this work, so be a set-apart representative of Jesus Christ, to wear His name on my badge every day, and to be here in the China Hong Kong Mission. I know that so many of these people have been prepared for this message, and I wish I had more time to spread it! I love what I'm doing out here, and I love these people! I look forward to the next 14 months as a time to go all-out in the service of my God.

I know that what I have written is true, and I write it in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.