Taichung Time
We were a little bit busy this
week... Monday and Tuesday were spent in preparation for our trip to
Gaoxiong this week! I love going down there. It's gotta be one of the
best places on earth. So on Monday, we had a great time as we helped the
assistants with a mini transfer (happens all the time) and made sure
that everyone had a nice smooth experience moving to a new place. Not a
whole lot of changes, but it still took some time to make sure that
everything would go alright. On Tuesday, we spent all day in sprint mode
as we cleaned out our van, loaded up hundreds of boxes full of
missionary supplies for the Elders and Sisters down in Gaoxiong, and
hurried as fast as possible to finish our weeks worth of work on Tuesday
night... We were up a little later than usual that night. ;)
We had some miracles save our lives on Wednesday
morning. We got out on the road at about 6:30 in the morning, making
great time. Drove for about half an hour and noticed we forgot the
projector, like the most important part of us going down for Zone
Conference! So we drove back and hit a little traffic, making us
incredibly nervous because of time! We were for sure going to be late
now. We got back on the road at about 7:50!! And we still had 2 hours to
go! We were just praying that there would be no traffic... we crossed
the boarder into Gaoxiong and it looked like we were gonna make it, and
then we hit the traffic. we were completely stopped for at least 30
whole minutes. There was a really serious accident just up ahead of us.
They even needed to send in the helicopters the clear the mess! If we
wouldn't have gone back and gotten the projector, we very well could
have been right in the middle of it! Pretty eye opening!
Anyway, Zone Conference went really well, and I got
a lot out of it! Even though it was my 3rd time seeing basically the
same conference, the Spirit is still really strong every time! AND, I
didn't have to translate this time! Yay! This was the first time! I
turned around and had to translate for 6-7 hours the next day, so I
didn't really get off too lucky in the end! I'm happy for those
opportunities though, I think it's really helping my Chinese improve a
lot more!
We just barely got home yesterday! One week went by
just like that! One of the best highlights of the week was the chance I
got to go see the Lingya/Shizhong English program on Wednesday. That's
my old area!!! I saw a bunch of old students and a few members, but my
favorite person to see was my old investigator. Do you remember the guy I
told you about that had the dream? He still goes to church and English
every week, but still hasn't been baptized. When I saw him, my heart
just melted. I love that guy to death! I feel like I share a
special bond with him. I didn't see it at first, but the Sisters told me later
that in class, they'd asked the class to share about their happiest
memory. This guy stood up and told everyone in the room that meeting me
and learning the Gospel was the happiest thing that had ever happened to
him. That was enough for me. When I heard about that, my heart was
completely full. If I hadn't baptized a single other person out here,
knowing that I was given the opportunity to touch this man's life is
enough for me.
I'd like to end this email as I always do... with a
spiritual thought!! Matthew 10:38 tells us that we're to "take (His)
cross upon us..." Well, that doesn't sound very fun, does it?? A cross sounds
pretty heavy to me. So heavy that even Christ, the greatest of all, stumbled under it when he was weakened, and was forced to share that
cross with another. What crosses do you carry? What makes you stumble?
What weight are you crumbling under? Matthew 11:28-30 expounds this
scripture. "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I
will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you... and ye shall find rest unto
your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." I have no
other words to add... But Elder Russel M. Neilson sure does! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMwKxmTLaCs&index=37&list=PL4E784EC0770935C0 Copy this url and watch this video.
I know that the Savior loves and is aware of each
and every one of us. I know that He is willing to shoulder our burdens
with us and walk alongside us every step of the way. That doesn't mean
that He will take everything off of you. We need a little pressure in
order to grow stronger! But His presence alone will strengthen you
enough to let you walk with ease underneath your burden, no matter how
heavy.
Have a great week and party on! Love you guys!
Elder Noll
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| Ryan got beat up by a wall playing basketball:) |
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