3 Down, 21 To Go

Sorry everyone, I forgot to make a note in my last email, our P-Day was changed to Wednesday this week because we got to go to the Taipei Temple! It was such a neat experience, and I so appreciate the peace and joy I can feel there. The Temple is truly a special place. This past week (and a half) has been so awesome! We have been teaching some really great people, and we have 5 people preparing to be baptized! We are truly seeing miracles here in the field! It's so crazy to think I've already been out on a mission for 3 months!

This week I had some crazy experiences! We went on exchanges with the Assistants to the President, and it was a weeeeird day! We ended up having to go to a basketball game to meet an investigator, and watched ten minutes of the most intense basketball game of my life. No joke. It was wild. Then we were headed home, and we started talking to a Buddhist monk. She was super cool, and she actually said she wanted to sit down and talk with us again! And we snapped a selfie with her! Taiwan is literally the best. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be here, and get to know these amazing people.

So, this week I have been thinking a lot about church, and the importance of attending church. We attend a Chinese ward, and I understand almost nothing. So it gives me a lot of time to ponder, and as I was thinking about it, I had some ideas. Church, first and foremost, is where we take the sacrament, and renew the sacred covenant of baptism. It makes us clean again, and spiritually renews us for the coming week. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to be made clean again, and to remember the love of Jesus Christ and our Father in Heaven, for providing us a way to overcome our mistakes. I also was thinking about our life on Earth, and how hard it can be. Everyone has to walk their own path, to make their own choices and to use their agency to make the right decisions. And that's a lot of responsibility, it's scary, and sometimes we don't know if we're doing it right. And ultimately, we do have to make the scary decisions for ourselves, but the Lord, in His infinite love for us, has put amazing people in our lives to help us. People who have experienced similar things, who have learned the pitfalls and the cliffs of our paths, and want to help others avoid them. The Lord puts these people in our path so we can learn from them, so we can feel their testimonies, and we can avoid the hardest parts of the path. And as I was thinking about the people who have helped me the most, who have helped me avoid the pitfalls, or helped me when I have fallen down, I realized, most of them have been church members. And that's why I love church. No one is perfect, we all make mistakes, but when you go to church, and partake of the sacrament, you know you are surrounded by others who are just trying to do their best. None of us are perfect, but we want to help each other grow. We are here to "mourn with those that mourn, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort". I love verse 9 of Mosiah 18 (in the Book of Mormon), because it outlines our purpose as members of the church. To help others, and to stand as a witness of Christ at all times, in all things, and in all places. I am far from perfect, every day I make mistakes, and every day I need to improve. But I am grateful that, even though this path is one I may have to choose for myself, I have others who love me enough to help me keep going. Our journey towards God is a hard one, but God doesn't want us to walk it alone. He has given us people to help us along the way. And those people are at church, trying to do their best to be more like our perfect example, Jesus Christ. I love you all, and I know our Father in Heaven loves you, too.

Love,

 Elder Shope