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| New comp, Elder Thorpe |
Hey hey hey!
How's it going? How you all doing this fine day? Things are going great here in Puli and have some sad and some good news. Sad news is that Elder Shang, my first Taiwanese companion has moved away, but the good news is that I have a new white companion, Elder Thorpe. He is from Draper and I love him already. Things have started off great within the few hours we've been together. So this past week was full of great learning and spiritual experiences, and today I'll share one of them with you.This past Thursday we were able to visit with a less active family, the Lin Family, and actually visited with the son last week. So we began off by seeing how much the son remembered when he was in primary. He didn't remember much at the start but we were able to bring some stories and primary songs to his remembrance. One we shared with them was about the wise man building his house upon the rock. One scripture I truly love is Helaman 5:12, where it teaches us that as we build upon the foundation of Christ, the temptations of the devil will have no effect over us. The mother added a few insights and then brought up Lehi's dream, and stated that she remembers this most. We continued to share about these two topics, and as we finished off the lesson we sang together "Families Can Be Together Forever." During the end of singing I noticed that the mother stopped singing and I watched her closely until we finished. As she lifted up her head, tears were streaming down her face and her hands began to tremble as she tried to cover them. She had felt something she hadn't felt in a long long time, and it was the Spirit that had touched her heart. As we rode home I began pondering upon what had happened and the things I had learned from that experience. Eternal families is the hope we all have, and that by "small and simple things are great things brought to pass" (Alma 37:6). As we do the those small and simple things in our life--read and pray daily as individuals/families, go to church, hold FHE, live and keep commandments, etc.--that we build upon the foundation of Christ and get a firmer grip on the iron rod. It is absolutely crucial that we keep this eternal goal in mind, and do the necessary daily things to attain it. I personally am grateful for our Savior, Jesus Christ, and for the example he set for us all. I know that He loves us all and it is because of this love that He was willing to atone for all mankind. I know it is as we follow his footsteps, his example, that we can experience true joy and and happiness in our mortal journey. I know that through the scriptures we can study eternal truths helping us build upon the rock of our Redeemer, and hold more firmly to the iron rod. I know that as we continue to endure on this path, holding firmly to the rod, that we can obtain a fullness of joy with our loved ones in the presence of our Heavenly Father. I love you all and hope you all can do those things necessary to enjoy this eternal joy. Til next week!
