Just kidding. Thats what I keep telling people here though. Everyone asks me when I'm going home, I just say oh I've got about 2 years left. They laugh, say that's not possible, and I continually avoid the question. I don't want them to know or make a big deal about it. I just want to chuanjiao.
Last night we had an awesome ward activity where we got the Joseph Smith movie (the longer one) only recently translated int chinese and watched it with everyone in the 3rd and 4th ward. For most people here, it is the first time they find out how much persecution and sacrifice Joseph Smith and all the early pioneers made. Many were crying the whole movie. Afterwards, Shen jm and I led a discussion on how they felt. The overwhelming feeling was that sometimes we are tempted to think that God asks too much of us, however, truth of the matter is, we are often the ones that ask too much of Him. He knows how we can be happy, so He gives us the gospel. He invites all to follow, and promises happiness and blessings. We were all touched by so many examples of faith and dedication in order to translate the Book of Mormon and restore Jesus Christ's church.
I keep thinking about all the examples in the Book of Mormon, in church history, and in my own life that help me see that living the gospel is truly the way to happiness. I realized that as a missionary, we are daily sharing examples from the Book of Mormon. We talked about Captain Moroni with Cynthia to help her have courage and faith to do what she knows is right. We shared about Alma the elder, who prayed for his son to come to the truth, and later, Alma the younger who becomes a great missionary and blessing to thousands. We shared with Mibo about Mormon and the sacrifices he took to compile the Book of Mormon and protect his family. We talked about King Benjamin's righteous example of a leader with Bai JM when she was confused about how to take care of some problems. The truth is, the stories in there aren't there just to take up space, they are there for us to learn from, grow, study, and apply in our own lives.
The greatest example is Jesus Christ. As we shared about His life with Zhou JM, she was touched and wanted to know how the atonement works. I have no idea haha! I don't even know where to begin, but I do know that it is true. I know that when we want to change, we can. I know that when we trust Christ, we can have hope. I know because it is real in my life.
After we watched the movie and talked about it, we handed out Book of Mormons to everyone and invited them to write their testimony and share it with a friend. I invite you to do the same! Think of how much that book has blessed your life, and share those blessings. If you haven't felt its power in your life yet, that's okay. Try it out and read it. You'll find that it will give you more hope than you could have on your own. I love you all!!!!!
Love, Sister Smart
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