Picking up speed

So many awesome stories from this week. And we found a ton of new people to start teaching. The train has left the station, we're picking up some momentum.

To start off, I'll talk about a great time I stuck up for my companion.

Some Chinese people are very disapproving of missionaries, especially my companion who is a native Chinese person. They think he is wasting his time and dishonoring his parents. This one old lady came up to us while we were advertising our English class and she began rebuking him in Chinese. I didn't understand all of it, but definitely enough to know that she was being very offensive. So, I decided to stick up for my companion. I interrupted her furious stream of Chinese swear words by asking her what her religious background was, if she had any friends who might be interested in the English class, and how her day was going. She was so confused by the fact that I knew Chinese and that I was asking her these things that she stopped and then just walked away bewildered. 

I called after her: ''祝你今天愉快!'' (have a good day!) I love the scripture Moroni 8:16 ''perfect love casteth out all fear''. If we just love people, we have nothing to worry about. I have found that all the stresses of life really just boil down to the questions: Am I loving God? Am I loving my neighbor? If we focus our efforts on answering these two questions, we will find that the other stresses and worries fall by the wayside. So, being a missionary and striving to focus on these two things every day really brings me a joy that can't be obtained any other way. 

We got a car this week, so now we can jet around town so quick. So much more effective now. 

I made my companion a peanut butter and honey sandwich which he really liked. He said 'it's soooo good. It taste like KFC' I confirmed that he knew KFC is chicken and the sandwich was not. He nodded his head excitedly 'I don't know how Americans make the bread taste like the chicken!!'

One day, a member named John Lichfield asked us to go with him to visit some less active members. John is an Australian man in his 70's and quite the character. Everything he does is by the Spirit and it's very inspiring. He texted us 'I feel by the power of the Holy Ghost that you Elders should accompany me today'. He picked us up and he's the type of person who just is instantly friends with you. Though we had never met, he spoke to us as if we were his buddies who he has seen every week for years. He is just so kind and there is a clear love that comes out of him. He just assumes that everyone is his friend and I love that mentality. 

We went with John to a lady's apartment named Jean. Jean is in her 80's and her apartment is in disrepair. It smelled very bad and there was stuff strewn everywhere. Jean herself looked fairly unhealthy, and her little dog looked pretty unhealthy too. But, I thought of the Savior and how He spent His time around people that society would choose not to. I tried to be humble and not prideful or feel above her. I went in with the intention of loving her and sharing about God with her.

John was a great example. He had no fear and just showed love to her. He would ask her questions, get to know her and simply be her friend. He explained the gospel in a very personal way and didn't try to convince her of things he could tell she had issues with. He seemed to be okay with her decisions and really just wanted to reach out in love. To me, John was very Christ-like and knew his place as well. He didn't try to judge her or get anything from her. He just came to show love to her and try to serve. Jean was pretty standoffish at the beginning and very long-winded in speaking. It was a weird situation, but eventually I found a place to bear my testimony. I shared with Jean some basic truths and I could feel her heart opening because I spoke with love. We were there for over an hour just talking and (mostly listening) to her. One pretty funny thing was that John said something nice to hear, and she started flirting with him or something. She said 'you must have been really cute when you were younger'. I've never seen a 70 year old man blush. He was tactful and just moved on to something else but not before I gave my companion with a look of 'what is going on'. Eventually we invited Jean to come to church and she said she would come twice a year. It was nice to invite her and help her make some progress. I was glad for the opportunity to be there and to feel humble because my initial reaction was from the natural man and it was prideful, like I didn't want to waste my time with her. But I saw a change in her, undoubtedly small, but a change for good. I had a positive influence on her, and as John stated in the car ride home, 'opened a door to a world of possibilities'. He was also very interested in family history so he got some of her ancestors' names and planned on doing baptisms for them in the temple. I learned a lot and gained a new perspective on the world from this experience. I hope I have more opportunities like that. And John is just a great man. I hope to be as Christ-like as he is someday. You can tell his entire mind is just focused on how he can help and serve and what is the Spirit telling him to do.

The weird smell had gotten to us and our brains felt foggy. So we ate lunch and then planned. We were feeling a little discouraged since basically everyone was not interested that we had in the area book. But I had faith and we went to a new park and neighborhood to go finding. I wasn't feeling too good but I knew if I was obedient and worked hard then we would have awesome experiences. It seemed like today most people actually wanted to talk to us or were at least very friendly. We were in a more family friendly neighborhood, and in just under an hour and a half, we found 4 people to come back and visit. This was really great and a blessing that we were able to find these people. I felt a lot of love for the people and I think I was able to express it. I think the Spirit touched their hearts and opened them enough for them to allow us to come back. I found that being a little more bold works well too. At one house I was talking to the man and then asked if we could come in and talk about it. He agreed and we taught a 15 minute lesson right then and there. It was very powerful and he said we could come back anytime.

At the park I went up to this Asian lady walking her dog, and within 30 seconds I was walking her dog for her while my companion exchanged information with her so that she could come to English class. Little fun miracles like this are so uplifting. I had a great time walking the dog in circles and letting it sniff other dogs in the surrounding area too.

That lady came to English class along with Enjoy and Joy. It was a blast once again, and Enjoy said to me at the end :

"Sank You. See you .... last week!"

We still have some work to do.

We taught a lesson to a man named Xue from China. We met with him outside the bank and I felt better about my Chinese than I have in the past. I was able to express myself pretty well and understand a lot of what he said too. I was grateful for the Lord helping me improve step by step.

We had Zone Conference this week and I has a great time getting to know some other missionaries and learning a lot from our mission president. He really focused on being creative in how we find people. This led to me thinking we should go find people to play basketball with. So the next day we did that.

During finding we knocked on a certain door and a middle-aged man answered. He didn't open his screen door so we couldn't see him, just his silhouette. I happily told him that we had a message to share about Jesus Christ. He said 'okay, what is it' in a flat tone that told me he just wanted a chance to argue. I asked if we could come in to share it but he said we would be just fine right there. Undaunted, I began to share about how through Jesus Christ we can have peace in our lives and live with our families forever. He jumped into a series of increasingly complex and ingenuine questions, clearly just trying to get us to trip up and be able to tell us we're wrong. I answered simply and plainly, and after a few I just told him that it seemed like he had a lot of questions. He then turned the conversation into a lecture. I had a very good opportunity to strengthen my faith and exercise patience while I spent 20 minutes listening to this man talk about how I was cocky and came to the door with no knowledge of who he was and acted like I could share this thing that would change his life. He said I didn't understand the world and that he hoped I learned eventually. He went on and on, ridiculing me in a condescending way, but the way that feels polite enough that you can't just walk away. Like the fake kind of advice that is really just meant to make you feel small and insignificant. He was very intelligent and spoke with eloquent and piercing language. I did my best to keep smiling, but his comments were actually pretty penetrating and had my mind going in circles a little bit. My first reaction was to argue, to get defensive, to bite him back. But after he finally got done railing me and took a breath, I looked through that screen door. I was full of the Spirit of God and I was full of peace, along with a burning energy in my heart. I told him that I didn't want to force any beliefs on him. Then I said:

"Sir, I know I'm young and I have a lot to learn, but here's what I do know. I know by the power of the Holy Spirit that God lives. He is our Heavenly Father and He loves us. He knows our struggles, He knows our trials and He wants to help us. He has a plan for us to have eternal happiness and to live with our families forever. In order to help us reach those blessings, He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for us and our shortcomings. Through Jesus Christ, every single one of us can have peace and joy. I left my home and my family and I came here to Australia so that I could spread this message. I know it's true. I want to invite you to know it's true also". 

When I spoke to this man and bore my testimony, I felt the Spirit testifying through me so powerfully that I was taken aback. It was like I was on fire and God, through me, was shooting a ray of burning light through that door and into his heart. I know this man felt it too. He was quiet for the first time in almost half an hour and then seemed to get uncomfortable. He closed up and just said something about not wanting to waste any more of our time. He started to ridicule again, defensively. He didn't know what he was feeling and so he feared it. But I know he felt the Spirit just as I did. Seeing his reaction, I then told him:

"We are here to teach those who are ready to accept this message. You're not right now, and that's okay. But sir, when you are, when that time comes, and missionaries again come to knock on your door, let them in. See what they have to say. Because it's important. Will you do that?"

He agreed and hastily said goodbye. As we walked away, I reflected. I know that experience changed him. It changed me too. It forced my faith to be tested in the face of opposition. I was a little shaken, but then the Spirit took over. God testified through me of truth and I can't deny that. And I realized that it doesn't matter what I don't know or what I can't say. All that matters is the truth, a gift which I do possess. And there's nothing anyone could ever say or do which could take this truth away from me. I know it's true and it's changed my life forever. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I was grateful for the experience. I grew a lot, because we need that opposition and those challenges to be able to grow. I came out better and stronger because of it. I was glad that I acted in a Christ-like way.

After that experience, we walked down the street to the basketball court we had planned to visit. My spirits were down a bit as we walked, and God knew that. So, He showed me how mindful of me He is. We came the the basketball court and there was one person there. We approached and it turned out, he was a college student from China named Shawn. The perfect opportunity. We started playing with him, and then after a few minutes, one of our recent converts showed up out of the blue. He just happened to decide to want to play basketball that day. So now we had a new friend who we wanted to share the gospel with, AND a perfect member to fellowship him with. It all came together so beautifully that I knew God had orchestrated all of it. And it was a blast playing basketball, though my church shoes made it a little harder. We were a sight to see, a couple of white shirts and ties on the court. We got to know Shawn pretty well and agreed to meet up later that week. God is good. He's always there.

We happened to run into a member in the library one day before our lesson, and she asked if we could teach Chinese class to her kids that night. We happily agreed and taught her 4 kids (ages 3-13) in the chapel that night. I loved being around the kids, and got creative keeping the little one entertained, who was a complete ball of energy and just looking for the next thing to throw across the room. The mom looked exhausted and I was glad to give her a break while my companion taught the other three Chinese and I kept the little 3 year old occupied in the corner with all sorts of little games and magic tricks. It was sweet to be with the little kids. There's something so precious about them and I just love them. We could all be a little bit more like kids. 

Then we taught JunJie. He's 18, been taught for a while and just hasn't progressed much. His family are members but he hasn't made the commitment to get baptized yet. So, we shared about Enos and how he found out the truth. The Spirit again acted through me as I told JunJie how he could gain a testimony in a very simple way. I felt it powerfully and I could see that JunJie was moved. There was a renewed vigor in his eyes as he agreed to pray and to ask God if all of this is really true or not. And one of my favorite feelings is being able to promise people with an unwavering assurance that yes- God will answer your prayer. 

When finding in a new part of town, we came across a dilapidated house that had 5 cats sitting obediently in the front, surrounding a big statue. It was one of the strangest things I'd seen, so naturally we went to knock on the door. No answer, but when we turned around, we saw an Asian lady coming up the sidewalk exclaiming 'MINE MINE MINE' (She sounded a lot like the birds from Nemo). She approached in a frenzy, trying to ask in broken English why we were trying to break into her house. We realized she spoke Korean, not Chinese. We explained who we were and that we honestly just wanted to ask about the cats. She got her English speaking  son on the phone and we took our opportunity. He didn't know what he was getting into- we had him translate a short version of our gospel message. Either he translated it poorly or she wasn't interested, but either way, after hearing her son's words she took off in a hurry. The 5 cats watched the whole thing.

We found a lady named Joey who is awesome.

We are never sure what to expect when we meet someone for the first time, but she was so nice. To apologize (not that she needed to) for rescheduling so much, she brought us these super good mango drinks. She is around 30 and so full of joy. She is from China and speaks no English, but I'm actually able to understand a lot. I explained our purpose as missionaries and she told us that she loves Jesus and wanted to come to church. So then her and her daughter came to church on Sunday.

In priesthood meeting, everyone was speaking Cantonese and translating into Mandarin again. I was actually able to understand a lot, and I can feel the gift of tongues working on me every day. The Lord really is magnifying my abilities. Then the Elders' Quorum President gave me a small passage to read in English, chuckling and saying I must feel so left out. I was excited to finally get to speak. I read the passage in English and then promptly translated the main points into Chinese and gave some of my own insights as well. Many members seemed pretty shocked. From that point on I seemed to have won their respect. They no longer felt like I needed translation, and would look to me for my input just like anyone else. I'm officially Asian now.

Then we went to an appointment with Mr. Wang, who we miraculously met when the Spirit led us to him. We felt like we should go to this fish shop, and he was right outside. He is so kind and wanted to learn about the gospel. My testimonies are sure and powerful. I know he felt something and I pray he continues to learn. He has an open heart and I love learning about these people, and especially being able to help them progress toward God.

I loved that he told us that when he saw us on the street, he had a feeling to talk to us. Then when we talked to him he was so excited. He could tell we were God's servants and really wanted to learn from us. I cherished being recognized this way.

There were so many uplifting experiences this week. It's getting better and better. I love being a missionary. I just get to go around and make people smile all day and give them the good news of the gospel. It's pretty awesome.

加油

Elder Halverson