Greetings one and all! It's been a very busy, productive 4 days since I last wrote! Allow me to fill you in...
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| Elder N. Andersen |
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| Elder W. Clayton |
Elder Neil L. Andersen and L. Whitney Clayton were the visiting general authorities, and we also had the 3 Asia Area Seventies in attendance as well. It was an incredible hour and a half as we all sat in the chapel and heard what Elder Andersen had to say to us. He's a very interesting guy and a great orator. We never felt bored for a minute and he spoke evenly until he testified of truths-- then he had "fire" and the confirming witness of the spirit. It was neat to sit and listen to him. He gave a lot of advice all revolving around our understanding and application of the Atonement. He said something that was interesting though. He said that if he were a missionary in Hong Kong he would focus all his efforts on ingraining this testimony of the Atonement into our lives and our investigators' lives. He said that is the message he would try and convey to everyone he talked to on the street; there is a Christ, he atoned for us, through his atonement we can have peace and enjoy forgiveness. I've thought a lot about this points over the last couple days.
Later that night we were back in our area, Kwai Fong, and having our weekly correlation meeting with our mission leader. The Stake President popped his head in the door and introduced us to a Sister C who is a member of our ward and who just finished her mission in Bangkok. She seemed nice enough but as she was leaving she asked the missionaries in passing if we knew an Elder Siebach. I was a little taken off-guard but said that I was him. She then said that the last district she had served in she had served with Elder Jesse Cosper from Alpine, Utah! I was floored! What are the chances of that??? She also previously served in a district with Elder Morgan Hunsaker (a friend of mine from when I lived in Japan). It was an awesome connection! I forgot to ask if she knew Elder Tim Matthews from Alpine, Utah.
The next day was Saturday and we spent an hour or so in the morning practicing the musical number that we were going to perform at L's baptism (we sang a rendition of Joseph Smith's First prayer). We did the normal missionary stuff all afternoon and then at 6pm we went to the chapel to get everything set up. L got there soon after. We had 4 investigators come to the service, L's mom came, and Leo brought and invited 12 friends and his Chinese teacher to come watch! Talk about Referrals! The service was amazing! Spirit was so strong! Tons of members were there too!
L bore his testimony after he got changed into his regular clothes and it was beyond powerful! He shared his favorite scripture which was 2 Nephi 31:17-20, all about following the example of Christ and then enduring to the end. All the members and friends were touched by the special spirit of the service. :)
Then on Sunday we had the best Sunday meetings I've had since my mission started. Everything just worked out so well! We had 7 investigators there and then the parents of one of our investigators, F, were there to check out the church. (His parents aren't willing to sign for him to get baptized because they think we are a cult and that he's too young--17 years old.) The topic in Sacrament Meeting was missionary work. An RM gave his talk, 3 recent sibling converts bore their testimonies, and the missionaries gave another musical number. Elder W was on the piano and played his rendition of Come Thou Fount and the Sister missionaries and I sang. For not being professionals we sounded pretty dang professional! Elder W and I also got to participate in the confirmation of L which was another great experience. F's parents were touched by the special spirit and messages that were shared, but are still not willing to sign. They are however, willing to meet with us and listen to our message. I just hope that in the not too soon future they will open and soften their hearts. I couldn't have asked for a better weekend for my mission. Elder Andersen, L's baptism, church meetings. It all just went so well!
As I was reading the scriptures this week I got to thinking about the law of Moses. Under the law of Moses, believers were to offer burnt sacrifices to the Lord. The Lord's new law requires a sacrifice of our desires; including a broken heart and a contrite spirit. I was thinking about which is harder and what the real difference was. I came to the conclusion that the end result was supposed to be the same. Through the sacrifices we showed God our dependence on him and our love. However, can you give an animal sacrifice and not really have your heart in it? I think so. God's new method requires us to give up of ourselves; not just of our substance. We have to change ourselves. It's like that quote from President Packer; "True principles, understood, will change behavior faster then the study of behavior will change behavior." The principle is the same in both sacrifices but it becomes internal and meaningful when WE sacrifice OURSELVES. Anyway, that was kinda my "A-ha" moment for the week. We need to have the right attitude in everything that we do. I can do missionary work with no motivation, or I can do the same work with a good attitude and only then will it become meaningful and lasting for me. There are some missionaries who just GO on a mission; I want to BE in a mission. I'm still working on perfecting it.
Hope everyone is having a good week! Especially Grace and Mom who are sick... :( Keep up the good work! Spiritual CPR! (Church, Prayer and Reading Scriptures).
Sincerely,
Elder Siebach
P.S. I want to thank G+G Beus for the sweet Japanese name stamp they sent out to me for my birthday! It's awesome! :)
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