That email title was for you, Dad.
Good
morning, evening, afternoon, or night, all! It's another great day here
in Taiwan, and I'm back to bother you with yet ANOTHER missionary
email! This last week has been crazy, and a little rough, but it's
already in the past! So I'm excited for a week of miracles and learning
even more to rely on my Savior as I continue to fumble along with the
language and my teaching abilities!
This
week, we didn't have any experiences that were too crazy, but we did
meet some interesting people! One day this week, we met a man who says
he is the younger brother of Bruce Li. We talked to him for a little
bit, and then he pulled out a bunch of fake dollar bills and had us look
at them. They all said "Not Legal Tender" in clear English, but he kept
swearing to us that they were real, and that he had a bunch of money
hidden somewhere that he was going to get and then give to us. So, not
to brag, but I might just be set for the rest of my life!... As long as
banks in the US take $1,000,000 bills.
We have
some weird experiences here on a mission, but we also have some really
special ones. I've gotten to meet some people who are truly looking for
peace in their lives, for a better lives for themselves and their
families, and I have been so blessed to be able to share a message that
brings true happiness, and a comfort, in knowing we have a Father in
Heaven who cares about us, and gave us this gospel to guide back home.
In Taiwan, we teach an English Class, and my companion and I are in
charge of teaching the Advanced Class. This Saturday
we were talking about poems, and for our spiritual share at the end, we
read a poem called "The Touch of the Master's Hand". For anyone who
hasn't that poem, I invite you to read. It is my favorite poem, and it
speaks so powerfully of our Savior. In the poem, an auctioneer is
selling a battered, scarred violin, and he asks if anyone is willing to
pay him a dollar for the instrument. Bids are slowly declared, and the
value finally gets up to about $3. The auctioneer is about to sell this
broken, seemingly worthless violin, when an older man from the back of
the room walks forward, and takes the violin. After brushing off the
dust, and tuning it up, he brings the violin up to his chin, and plays a
beautiful song. The melody is pure and sweet, and the man surprises the
audience with his playing. As he finished the song, the auctioneer
again raises the violin, and asks the crowd for bids. After a few
shouted replies, the auctioneer finally sells the violin, for $3000. But
what had changed? This was the same violin, it had the same scrapes and
scratches, but was now worth 1,000 times as much. The difference was
the touch of the Master's Hand. The man knew this violin, he knew what
needed to be done, and he knew what this violin was truly worth. And
because of His efforts, the true value of this old, worn violin was
seen. Each of us is just like this violin. We've been tried, and
challenged, and we bear scars, physical and spiritual. We sometimes feel
we aren't worth anything, that we're too battered and beaten to matter
at all. But if we allow the Master, the one who truly knows us, who
knows our true worth, to take us, and tune us up, then we, too, can once
again play the songs of joy, and remember the value we have always had.
I know, without any doubt, that our Savior knows us. That He suffered
for our sins, our trials, our weakness, so that He could know exactly
how to help us, to put us back in tune. He knows our worth, our
potential, and He wants us to know it, too. We are truly Children of
God, and our Father in Heaven knows we are worth 1,000 times what we
think we are worth. If we allow ourselves to feel the touch of the
Master's Hand, and seek to tune the strings of our lives, we can be
promised the blessings of Heaven, and the sure knowledge of our Divine
potential. I am so grateful for my Savior, and that through His
sacrifice, I can again be made whole, and feel hope and happiness.
I
love you all, and I pray that each of you can feel the touch of our
Master's Hand in your own lives. I can promise that it is joy greater
than anything the world can offer.
Love,
Elder Shope
施長老
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