Family and Friends,
Hey everybody! How's it going
lately? So yes, it is Wednesday and feels weird having preparation day
today. Monday we had a Mission Tour where Elder Evans from the missionary
department came and talked with us, and then today is temple day for my zone,
but because we're too far in the mountains we couldn't go . . . So it's
p-day. One thing I forget to write in last weeks letter was HAPPY
BIRTHDAY SPECER! You're 18, and what does that mean? I hope that
filling those mission papers out soon goes smoothly for you. This past
week went pretty good, and this week has been off to a great start.
The most interesting thing that happened
this past week was when we visited former investigators. We went and
visited a Wang family and they invited us in. We sat down with the dad
and his son and began sharing about the gospel. Well, the dad's interest
wasn't there, but his son just so happened to be attending a Christian school
in the area and quite loved reading the Bible and praying, and so it was easier
to focus the attention on the son. Well, as things were wrapping up, the
mother came down and decided to join the conversation and was just prepared to
listen. Ever since her son began attending this school, she herself opened
her heart to Christianity and began to read the Bible occasionally and pray as
well. We will be visiting with them again this Friday, and even though we
don't know the turnout of this lesson, it just goes to show that the Lord truly
is preparing people to receive this message. This family wasn't prepare
five years ago when missionaries began visiting, but who knows, this may be the
time they have been prepared for. It was just a testimony builder to know
that the Lord continues to prepare people to accept this gospel. It's almost
like hide-and-seek. We just gotta go out and look for them and not give
up.
Last week we visited with Brother Xu and
his son Jia Xiang, the one we are working with to get baptized. Long
story short, Jia Xiang changed our entire lesson plan, but it was for the
better. We had originally planned to finish teaching the Message of the
Restoration with him and focus on giving him a spiritual experience and
desire to actually want to be baptized. Well, in previous appointments to
be funny, him and his little brother would go through the hymn book to find the
shortest hymns and would only want to sing those songs. Well, this time
he found one of the shortest verses in the scriptures which was Alma 18:27,
where Ammon is teaching King Lamoni about God. He helped change the topic
on to where we needed to focus the lesson for him. We were able to help
him know more who God is and what relationship He has with him and everyone of
us. He really enjoyed the lesson and was able to share with us the things
he learned about God. Teaching Jia Xiang this time really made me think
about Landon because they are about the same age. Hey Landon, can you do
something for me? I want you to read Alma 18: 24-32 with either mom or
dad, or both, and to talk about who God is and what relationship He has with
us, especially with you. And then in next week's letter you can write to
me about what you learned, ok?
I began thinking about why it's important
to know about God. I then thought of the scripture John 17:3 that
says, "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only
true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." Eternal life is to
know God and His son, Jesus Christ. As we come to know more about God, we
come to know more about the plan of happiness he has for each and everyone of
us. Without going into a whole lot of detail, I was able to see how
important it is for each of us to have a firm testimony of the plan God has for
us. Life is uncertain, and can come to an end when we least expect it,
and for that reason we need to be prepared at all times, and in all
places. It is only the gospel of Jesus Christ that can unit families for
eternity. As our knowledge and testimony of this plan grows, so will our
determination to serve Him to the end. I'm know that Christ is our
Savior, and His atoning sacrifice is the center of this plan. I know that
through faith, repentance, keeping and living our covenants, and enduring to
the end, we can be stand blameless at the last day and be welcomed into our
Father's kingdom. This is the wonderful message I have to
share each and every day and I'm grateful for
it! Thank you all for your prayers and support!
Elder Nick Smith
司馬長老
