This last week was great, we've had a
blast this week! For P-Day this last week, we went to a basketball game,
Taiwan vs. The Phillipines! The Filipino team won, to the great
excitement of our Filipino friend. He was messing with one of our AP's,
who is a Taiwan native, for like a week afterwards! It's been so funny!
Also,
we had my first baptism this week! And because the Lord did not want me
to forget it, He made it the most interesting day on my mission thus
far! To start, we had English class in the morning, and we had to bike a
half hour from our apartment to the Church where we do class, with a
bunch of extra stuff for the baptism and our activities for the day. But
on the way, my bike hit a curb wrong and blew out the tire! So, we had
to walk the bike to English Class, and ended up being about 15 minutes
late! Then, immediately after English Class, we had to bike over to a
kickball activity we had planned at the nearby university, but I didn't
have a bike! So, we spent about 15 minutes going through the bikes of
old missionaries, and finally, one of the other Elders told us we could
use a bike he had just had fixed, so that was good. Then we showed up to
the activity, no one was there for about the first half hour.
Eventually, we had a really good turn out, though, and it was super fun!
I got a little sunkissed, so I'm a nice Tomato color now. Then, after
the kickball activity, we ran to another set of Elders' apartment, and
quickly showered, so we could run back and go to another activity at the
church. They were making Vietnamese spring rolls! And then finally,
after the activity was over, we began preparing for the baptism. At no
point during the day had I eaten at all, including the spring roll
activity, because there wasn't enough for us and others. So, hungry,
tired, and sunburned, I watched as Pei Jin was baptized, and it made
that whole day, my whole mission, worth it. Seeing someone you've worked
so hard with, someone you've seen work so hard, accept that first step
on the road back to their Heavenly Father, made the whole thing worth
it.
After his baptism, the Bishop asked Pei Jin
to share his testimony, and each of the missionaries that taught him to
share a little bit about Pei Jin and their testimonies. As I shared, I
couldn't help but think how grateful I was that I had gotten to be a
part of this man's experience of receiving the joy of the Restored
Gospel. I'm so grateful for this Gospel, for the opportunity my Father
has given me to change, to improve, to leave the past behind, and start
fresh. I am so grateful for examples I have seen, of people with so much
faith, changing their entire life, because they have come to truly
believe in and know for themselves our Father in Heaven's plan for them,
and they have felt that happiness it brings. I am grateful for my
Father, that He has restored His true and living church to the Earth,
that it is truly guided by His hand through a living prophet. I am
grateful that He speaks to us through the Bible, through the Book of
Mormon, and through His living prophets today. He wants us to know Him,
and He gave us a way to learn of Him. And if we are willing to learn of
Him, and follow the example of His Son, He has promised us blessings
beyond our comprehension.
I love you all, and I am so grateful for the examples of faith you have all been to me. Thank you so much!
Love,
Elder Shope
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