May 19, 2013

What up Americans? Are you reading this as you bask in the smell of B.O. and second hand smoke, sweating in an internet cafe too? No? You should try it some time... :D 

     Wow, what a week!! It started off INCREDIBLY hot!! I honestly feel like I'm in an oven! But what to our surprise when we woke up Friday morning, still sweating, to the sound of CRAZY hard rain outside... it didn't stop until last night!! You gotta love summer in Gaoxiong! Well, first things first, my new companion! He's from Lancaster, CA!! He's a super cool guy, really chillax and he's got an awesome testimony! I love teaching with him and our companionship studies are always really insightful! He reminds me a lot of Elder S actually! It's really funny actually, I met Elder M my first day in Tainan. He was serving in the second ward and the Saturday I got there, we had a big service activity. I worked with him for a little over an hour, talking and joking, and then he left for the north the next day. And now we're companions! Kinda cool the way things work out, huh? We had a super busy week, and it absolutely FLEW by! Lessons were jam-packed everyday!! We honestly barely had any time to go out and contact people because we were always in the chapel teaching people! We met a couple new people this week and we've set up some more baptismal dates, so the work is really going great! We've got this one investigator that we're trying to help quit smoking, it's been a battle! He told us that he quit, and so we were hoping that he could get baptized in the next week or so... but when he came to church yesterday, I found a pack of cigarettes in his shirt pocket!!! I was so sad!! I took the cigs from him, gave him some money, and he promised he wouldn't buy any more. He's now got a goal for the 1st of June, and I really think he can do it!! I'm so excited for him, he needs the Gospel so bad!!! I love him to death! 

     We had another lesson on Thursday (or Friday, I lose track of the days out here guys, give me a break!) with a new investigator that I met at the train station a few days ago. He was super interested in learning English, and that was pretty much the only reason he agreed to meet with us... at first! We started talking to him, and I had an impression to say a prayer with him. Not exactly a weird impression, but while I was praying, I had the distinct impression to bless him and his family, and to be a little more sincere in the way I talked with God. When I finished my prayer, I had another impression, DON'T SAY A WORD!! I sat there and looked at my investigator (everyone else in the room must have had the same impression, 'cause that room was SILENT.)... just stared at him. After a minute or so, he looked at me and said, "I feel so good!" I about ran over there and hugged him! We taught about the Spirit of God and the gift of the Holy Ghost, and then gave him a baptismal date for the 15 of June... the next day we found out that he lives outside of our area... super sad, but it is what it is! He'll still be willing to get baptized, and that's the important part!

     Those are basically the highlights of the week! It's been super great!! My spiritual message of the week is this, "Savior, Redeemer of My Soul, Whose mighty hand hath made me whole. Whose infinite power hath raised me up, and filled with sweet my bitter cup." Not totally sure on the exact wording of the lyrics, but that's pretty close! This song really sums up my testimony of the Savior pretty well. I testify that He truly is our Savior and Redeemer. Through His mighty Atonement, we can be made whole! No matter our background or the situation we are in right now, we can look forward with a brightness of hope, knowing that the Lord will make us whole if we allow Him to. His infinite power and Loving nature will lift us to heights we've never dreamed of, and it will fill every bitter aspect of our lives with a sweetness no earthly word can describe. I know these things our true. I know it not only with my mind, but every fiber of my being testifies of these things and cements my faith! I promise you, if you lean on the ever out-stretched arm of the Lord, your faith will be cemented and no matter the size of the storm, nothing will be able to tear you down. 

     I love you all! Love, Elder Noll