WEEK 7
A lot of cool things happened this past week. I use the word "cool" because there are no words to describe the feelings you get when you are serving the Lord on a mission.
On Thursday, Sister Scholl and I were scheduled to serve in the Visitor's Center during night shift 3pm-9pm. It was the most unique night at the Visitor's Center. Three Chinese people stepped into the building. A woman by the name of Winnie Lau introduced herself as a member of the Relief Society presidency in the Beijing group in China. She was called by the Area President (previous Taiwan mission President) who used to be our current Visitor's Center president's next door neighbors! Small world! She brought with her Mr and Mrs Zhang who has a son now in LA studying. Their story is amazing! Mr & Mrs Zhang came to America with a sole purpose to find missionaries to teach their son all the gospel lessons necessary so that he can be baptized here in California, and then serve a mission. This Zhang family has met with the Beijing group and felt the Spirit in China. They gained a testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel even before they understood anything about the Church. They came to America to find missionaries for their son and to do the necessary paper work for him as he expressed his desire to serve a mission for the Church in the future. Sister Scholl and I were the assigned Mandarin speaking missionaries at the Visitor's Center that night. We shared with them the Christus narration. Sister Scholl bore pure testimony of the Savior in her simple Chinese. This Chinese couple felt and recognized the Spirit – something that is rare among the Chinese people who have never known God all their lives...We then shared with them about prophets and apostles and about the purpose of Temples and eternal families. We gave them Chinese copies of the Book of Mormon – one for their son and one for them to bring home to China, and other church materials to read. The whole time, Sister Scholl and I could feel how the Lord had prepared these people to receive the gospel. They were thirsting and hungering for the true word of God. Missionaries weren't seeking them out, THEY were seeking missionaries out! Mr Zhang expressed to me how he knew that the only way they could fulfill their purpose in coming to America is with the help of God, through the power of the Holy Ghost. I have never heard such powerful words before.
As I thought about what just happened that night, I found it ironic that the first tour I ever took, several weeks ago while training at Temple Square, was for a man straight from mainland China with the same last name as me – Mr Zhang. (Refer to Week 4 Part I) Here in Oakland, I met yet another couple straight from mainland China, with the same last name as me! Who knows, maybe were are related =)
This brought my thoughts to exactly 4 years ago when I first received my Patriarchal blessing. As I felt so strongly about serving a mission after that day, I felt the strongest impression that I would be called to speak in my native tongue and serve my people – the Chinese people. They are my people. At first, I was a little hesitant, maybe afraid, because Mandarin was not my favorite language to speak. At age 17, I had the vocabulary of a 12 year old, since I only studied in a Chinese school for about 8 years in my earlier childhood. And most of all, I had no knowledge of Church terms in Chinese. Eventually, I let myself overcome that fear and embraced my Chinese heritage. Taking Chinese tours at the Polynesian Cultural Center in BYU-Hawaii was the first step I took. Finally, I took a Chinese language class in BYU Provo and that helped me prepare even more for the mission call that I would receive 8 months later. I accepted the call to come here to Oakland California, Mandarin speaking, with a special assignment at the Visitor's Center. In everything that I do, I could not see any more directly than now, how Heavenly Father has showed me the way and has placed me where I am supposed to be. I have so much more to learn and to experience. As I am looking at my own life and how things that were fore-known are coming to pass at this very moment, it is just amazing to me. My own life is a miracle in itself. If nothing significantly big happens with the people I teach and come in contact with on my mission, I know that in my own life, this mission has already changed me for good forever.
On Thursday, Sister Scholl and I were scheduled to serve in the Visitor's Center during night shift 3pm-9pm. It was the most unique night at the Visitor's Center. Three Chinese people stepped into the building. A woman by the name of Winnie Lau introduced herself as a member of the Relief Society presidency in the Beijing group in China. She was called by the Area President (previous Taiwan mission President) who used to be our current Visitor's Center president's next door neighbors! Small world! She brought with her Mr and Mrs Zhang who has a son now in LA studying. Their story is amazing! Mr & Mrs Zhang came to America with a sole purpose to find missionaries to teach their son all the gospel lessons necessary so that he can be baptized here in California, and then serve a mission. This Zhang family has met with the Beijing group and felt the Spirit in China. They gained a testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel even before they understood anything about the Church. They came to America to find missionaries for their son and to do the necessary paper work for him as he expressed his desire to serve a mission for the Church in the future. Sister Scholl and I were the assigned Mandarin speaking missionaries at the Visitor's Center that night. We shared with them the Christus narration. Sister Scholl bore pure testimony of the Savior in her simple Chinese. This Chinese couple felt and recognized the Spirit – something that is rare among the Chinese people who have never known God all their lives...We then shared with them about prophets and apostles and about the purpose of Temples and eternal families. We gave them Chinese copies of the Book of Mormon – one for their son and one for them to bring home to China, and other church materials to read. The whole time, Sister Scholl and I could feel how the Lord had prepared these people to receive the gospel. They were thirsting and hungering for the true word of God. Missionaries weren't seeking them out, THEY were seeking missionaries out! Mr Zhang expressed to me how he knew that the only way they could fulfill their purpose in coming to America is with the help of God, through the power of the Holy Ghost. I have never heard such powerful words before.
As I thought about what just happened that night, I found it ironic that the first tour I ever took, several weeks ago while training at Temple Square, was for a man straight from mainland China with the same last name as me – Mr Zhang. (Refer to Week 4 Part I) Here in Oakland, I met yet another couple straight from mainland China, with the same last name as me! Who knows, maybe were are related =)
This brought my thoughts to exactly 4 years ago when I first received my Patriarchal blessing. As I felt so strongly about serving a mission after that day, I felt the strongest impression that I would be called to speak in my native tongue and serve my people – the Chinese people. They are my people. At first, I was a little hesitant, maybe afraid, because Mandarin was not my favorite language to speak. At age 17, I had the vocabulary of a 12 year old, since I only studied in a Chinese school for about 8 years in my earlier childhood. And most of all, I had no knowledge of Church terms in Chinese. Eventually, I let myself overcome that fear and embraced my Chinese heritage. Taking Chinese tours at the Polynesian Cultural Center in BYU-Hawaii was the first step I took. Finally, I took a Chinese language class in BYU Provo and that helped me prepare even more for the mission call that I would receive 8 months later. I accepted the call to come here to Oakland California, Mandarin speaking, with a special assignment at the Visitor's Center. In everything that I do, I could not see any more directly than now, how Heavenly Father has showed me the way and has placed me where I am supposed to be. I have so much more to learn and to experience. As I am looking at my own life and how things that were fore-known are coming to pass at this very moment, it is just amazing to me. My own life is a miracle in itself. If nothing significantly big happens with the people I teach and come in contact with on my mission, I know that in my own life, this mission has already changed me for good forever.
Labels: mission
posted by Su Chong at 3/19/2007 01:15:00 PM
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