Week 96

TEACH REPENTANCE

This last week was really busy!  We had two days where we were gone all day. Thursday we had a meeting up in Taizhong. We got on a train pretty early in the morning so we could get there early enough to make it to a meeting with Elder Evans of the Seventy. He used to be the head of the missionary department. He talked to us about teaching repentance and baptizing converts. He talked about how important it was for us missionaries to teach all the people we meet about repentance and teach them what it means to truly repent. After which, it is so important for the investigator to have their own experience with repentance. As we do this, these are the people who are going to be changed because of the gospel, really these are the people who are going to stay faithful for their whole lives.  So, we as missionaries need to do better to help our investigators have experiences like Alma and Enos. He also talked about finding new investigators.  We should not do anything that distracts us from our purpose as missionaries, regardless of how good of an activity it is.

Then on Friday we had the opportunity to go to Youth Conference. There was a youth conference for the entire country this last week and it was all happening in Jiayi, which is the city right above Tainan. So, on Friday at noon we headed up to Jiayi and once we got there we took a bus to a college. Once there we practiced singing. We sang "We'll Bring the World His Truth" and "As Sisters in Zion" medley in Chinese. While we sang it we were dressed up like the Sons of Helaman. Apparently it was a big hit. We talked to some of the youth who went and they said they were really moved. A lot of them decided that they were going to go on a mission.

While we were at Youth Conference I met David Archuleta. I guess I didn't really meet him. When we first got there he was just standing at the door and I just shook hands with him and greeted him. Then later in the night when we were singing he sang with us. Apparently he was sick, though. He is a really nice guy. He also shared about how he deiced to go on a mission even though there were a lot of people who thought it was not the smartest idea.  It was a really fun activity. I saw a lot of people I had met previously in some of my old areas. We also had Elder Evans come and share about some experiences he has had with missions and mission calls. He went to Japan on his mission. 

On Saturday we had a baptism interview for Pin yi. He passed it with no problems! He is super awesome. He has had a lot of experiences lately that have helped him know that the church is true. He loves reading the Book of Mormon and is currently at the end of the book of Mosiah. (We met him last month, so that might make you feel all guilty about how much of the Book of Mormon you've read in the last month!)  Since we have been focusing on teaching repentance lately, we wanted to make sure Pin yi has really repented and is ready for baptism. He shared with us his experiences so far. One of his experiences was a dream he had. While he was struggling to know if he had truly repented of the past sins he has committed, he had a dream. In his dream he was drawing a picture and the picture was a young boy who was on the ground, sad because he had committed sins. However, behind the boy were two hands and it seemed like the hands were protecting him. After waking up he knew that no matter what he had done, or what he will do, God will never forsake him. This Saturday he is going to be baptized!  He asked if I would baptize him, so I am really excited.

I love all you guys!  Here are some shout outs. Congratulations Zac and Nicole on getting married! Happy Birthday Allie! 

Elder Quist