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I'm hoping the title of my email will entice more people to read this. Then again, it might also get people to delete it as spam... This is a risky gamble.

BUT ANYWAY! This week was full of fun surprises and miracles! We had a really amazing lesson with a new investigator named Ann! She has lived in FengLin for about 3 years, and works as a nurse. We met her one night on the way home, and talked to her for a little bit. She told us she would love for us to come by and share more! She has such an earnest desire to know the truth, and to know who God is. I am so happy we have the opportunity to share about the Restoration with her, and God's plan for her! She is awesome! 

Also, we had a crazy English Class on Saturday! Previously, we have been doing our English Class on Wednesdays, but without much success. But about 2 weeks ago, we had a very nice lady come up to us after church on Sunday asking about our English Class! She told us she has a few friends that were interested, and we told her we would need about 10 people to really be able to start another class. And wouldn't you know it! This last Saturday, this cool lady, and 12 of her closest friends, won an hour and a half all-expenses-paid trip to the FengLin chapel for English Class! And it was crazy! Ha, we really enjoyed it, and I'm glad to see English Class might start becoming a really effective missionary tool in FengLin!

We also tried another, slightly less-effective activity that night, as we set up a table at the FengLin night market to hand out free copies of the Book of Mormon! It ended up raining, and we had no umbrella, but we were able to share the Book, and the truth of our message, with a few people! It was an experience to be remembered! And there's some pictures of it on the Google Drive. It was a good time.

This last week, and these last two transfers, have taught me a lot about our attitude changing our environment. FengLin is a small town, with large rural area in between it and any other nearby towns. The people are great, but most have seen missionaries before, and can tend to be a little less than friendly. We bike for long periods of time, and don't find very many people to talk to. On top of that, I have an amazing companion, but he does not speak English, and so it is harder for us to communicate effectively. And it has been a really difficult experience for me. I have spent a lot of time on my knees in prayer, and much time in the scriptures, trying to figure out how I can improve. But, I finally realized this week, that sometimes things are just gonna be hard. Not every day gets to be your best day. Not every hour is the best hour of your life. Sometimes, things are just hard. But you can't allow those hard times to get the best of you. Each and every one of us is a divine Son or Daughter of the Most High God. We have infinite potential, that is not defined by our abilities, our wealth, or our looks. It is defined by the very fact that we are children of an infinite Creator, who loves us more than we can possibly comprehend. If we can find a way to remember that truth, to hold fast to it as the winds and rains of life beat down continuously, and sometimes torrentially, upon us, if we can truly find the treasure, and the joy in the statement, "I am a Child of God', then even in the darkest hours of our lives, we can find peace. We can find hope. and we can continue on our path, never being thrown off by temptations or trials. I know God lives, I know He is my Father, and He loves me so much more than I can imagine. I cherish the knowledge I have of my Savior, of His eternal sacrifice, and His infinite love. I would not give this knowledge away for anything in this world. I invite each of you to ponder for yourself how much your relationship with God means to you. How much do you love Him, and want His help? How much do you believe He can help you? I testify, with my whole heart, that He will help you, He will guide you, He will strengthen you, an He will never leave you. He gave us the ultimate gift, His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Don't waste that gift.

Love,

Elder Shope

P.S, I'd love to hear from everyone how life is going! You can shoot me an email, and I will definitely respond as soon as I can!

新年快樂！

I have just been informed by another Elder that I have just begun something ominously referred to as "The Dark Year", one full calendar year spent entirely on a mission. I don't know why it is called a Dark Year, I have actually loved my mission, and all the things I have learned! Maybe we can change the name to something less scary, like the "Your Friends at Home are All Getting Married this Year" Year... Yeah, actually that might be worse.

This week was crazy awesome! We had Tian Mama's baptism, she is such an awesome lady! She got up and bore her testimony after she was baptized, and she just kept saying how grateful she was for the opportunity she had to be baptized, and have her sins washed away! It is so amazing to see people make the choice to do the things and make the changes that might be hard at first, but will bring so much joy and peace. I am so excited to see Tian Mama continue to learn and have the guidance of the Holy Ghost as she grows closer to her Heavenly Father! 

We also went to Fengbin this week, a place in our area that is about a 3 hour bike ride away! Thankfully, modern transportation has reached FengLin, and we were able to take a bus there. The ride was still forty minutes, but that was much more manageable than a 3 hour bike ride. Fengbin is a nice, small town right next to the ocean, and the people there are nice! The first person I talked to was from America, and he was very surprised to see missionaries all the way out in Fengbin. We were a little surprised to see someone from America that far out, as well. We might head back to Fengbin later, but because of the distance and time required, it might be a while. I'll keep you all in the know (that means I'll keep you updated, sorry if I'm speaking too hipster for everyone). Also, FengLin hosted a barbeque activity this morning, and quite a few people came! We had members from North and South of us come as well! It was busy, so that is why this email is making it out so late! I will put some pictures on my Drive!

It's so weird to think that it is 2018! Not only because I will still be writing 2017 for 6 months, but because it's crazy to think back to how much has happened! I'm almost 20! I've almost caught up to my mom, at 29! But as the New Year dawns, and we set our resolutions and goals, I hope we can earnestly ponder not only the person we want to be this year, but the person our Father in Heaven wants us to be this year. What does He want us to accomplish, what does He hope we can become? I sincerely hope this year that I can grow even closer to my Father in Heaven, and to His Son, Jesus Christ. I want to be the best I can be, and I know that the only way to do that is through them. I still have imperfections, a lot of them, but I really do want to do my best, to make my Earthly parents and my Heavenly parents proud of who I am becoming. There is nothing better than families, than the gospel, than the peace that Christ offers. I know that with all my heart. I hope that everyone can find a way this year to make a Savior more a part of their lives, and partake of the fruit that Lehi called "most sweet". (1 Ne 8:11) 

I love my Father in Heaven, and I know He loves me, too! And I hope you know how much He loves you, and knows you. He will absolutely help you on this journey through life, if you let Him.

Love,

Elder Shope