2019 Christmas card to missionaries

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Ting Zhang <zhangting0345@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Dec 23, 2019, 8:55 AM
Subject: Fwd: 2019 Christmas cards to missionaries
To: <hai.chen@missionary.or>, <hui.yi@missionary.org>, <jing.chang@missionary.org>, <rachel.berger@missionary.org>, <sawyer.halverson@missionary.org>, <songmingming@missionary.org>

Dear Missionaries of Ryde Ward,

This is Ting. Thanks for all the happy moments you help me to enjoy my life on earth. I am so fond of you guys, you made me want to be 10 years younger and serve a mission with you guys. Because I care so much that I really hope your success in your growth and your happiness everyday. Hope we can become long term friends. Please refer to the attached for a little Christmas greeting card (serves as a key to my house🤗).

love, ting

And I am excited to share my journal today titled “My big progress from September Stake Conference”

That was also around the time Jerron gets baptised. 

At first I heard the talk from a sister who had four boys and went through breast cancer and became a school teacher after her boys all grew up. She is a real warrior to me. She shares councils of getting kids to church on time every Sunday and having regular family home evening blessed her family to stay close together.

Then the mission president’s wife Sister Runia gave another wonderful and tender talk about how she learns Heavenly Father’s wisdom in loving her daughter. And she beams radiantly throughout the talk like always.

I felt such strong spirit teaching me something important. Because I broke down to tears and cried like a child. At first I felt very sad with my progress so far in the church especially I had been feeling pretty good with my changes in patience and charity and humility over the 10 years of gospel learning. But I felt so sad because I had a feeling that I also wasted a lot of time during the compound effect of a little bit of time every day wasted. I can see why there is this big gap between me and these angelic sisters I admire.

The amazing thing of the spirit teaching is that it also comes with the love of our Heavenly Father and our Savior. The sadness I felt did not wear me down to condemn me, instead, it is an infinite love that I was trusted with a noble expectation that I CAN become better, much better than now.

I purposely did not write these feelings down at the time of the stake conference as many times I do not try to remember things after I know I have recorded them on paper. I am glad that I held it these several months and witnessed the changes happened to me by the hands of God with a little bit of my desire. I almost feel like the wisdoms I have learned for these past three and a half months equivalent to my past 10 years of church membership. 

I learned to rejoice in listening to talks in my spare time and scripture reading with the help of ministering programs and missionaries. I overcome a weakness I always tried to get rid of - yielded to spending too much to finish a tv series without much learned or enjoyed from it. I had less difficulty in fasting. I can enjoy much more the time I have with my kids with an increased ability and wisdom and patience to build a good relationship with them.

I remembered the gospel seed for me was planted in April 2008 when there was the devastating earthquake in Sichuan and so many had died. Upon watching the news in Sydney, sorrowful tears accompanied by a deep self reflection of what I should do with the precious time I am given.

Reviewing these past few months, I am satisfied that I didn’t waste any time. The epic day would be last Saturday on the 21st of December. From 7am, Jay and his dad came to work on our garden, DJ, Jeremy, peter and I joined in to finish all the impossible work within 2.5 hours that I originally planned to take 2 weeks. I left early to fellowship a missionary discussion for Wei from 8:30am to 10am, which was full of light and spirit. I am so glad to help bring the smile back to Wei for that day. Then home eating early lunch with kids, afterwards going to Sydney plant market to get most of the plants we need so far. Exhausted, took a nap then missionaries came to help plant these plants with DJ and Tiffany. And then preparing the things needed for primary rehearsal the next day followed by fun basketball time. Picked mom up, tidied up the kitchen, showered, then wrote a letter to a very special mother. I didn’t eat much the whole day but did not feel hungry and felt full of strength. 

The feeling is like soaring through sky and time, very cool, very cool. I think this is the first time I tasted a portion what the scripture promised “run will not weary” and the “living water that I thirst no more”. 

And I know the good feeling does not come from how many things I finished that day, it is because how many people I connected to that day. True friendship with my kind friends working together joyfully; family united to get things done together; missionaries bring the light of Christ; served my primary children; expressed my heart to somehow I do not know.

This Christmas is the best Christmas I experienced so far with a joyful and peaceful feeling in my heart. I feel like if I ought to pass away any time from now, I will not whinge. I have gained sufficient from this life.

Ting

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please contact
61+(0)430452933

Sydney, NSW

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please contact
at 61+2+80335123
or 61+(0)430452933

Sydney, NSW