So this is week 3 in the field, I guess. Every week is better and better, but time is also going by so fast. I feel like I was just sitting here writing last week's letter. Ahhh!
Anyway, highlights of the week:
One of our investigators accepted a baptismal goal which means we talked to him about baptism, then asked him if he'd be willing to be baptized when he knew that our message was true. When he said yes, we asked him if he could prepare for [insert date here] to be baptized and he said yes. So sweet! His name is Liao. He's from Hong Kong originally, but he goes to school in Tainan and lives in Yongkang where I am. He's 20 and he said he's investigating the church because he's never really looked into religion before and he thinks it might be able to help him relieve some of the stress from school. Pretty good intentions, I'd say! Anyway, he's super sharp. He has a really cool motorcycle. And he's set to be baptized on December 7th which is super exciting!
We have one other investigator with a baptismal date right now. His name is Chen and he's also super solid. He was referred to us from the other ward's elders. They taught him the first 3 lessons so we'll teach him Lesson 4 and then he'll be baptized hopefully! He has a really great desire to baptized. We read Mosiah 18:8-11 and he said that was him. We are so excited for him. The only problem is going to church. He's very busy with work and lots of times he has meetings Sunday mornings when church is happening. He also has to go to Taipei every third Sunday on business. So I hope we can work that out. He went to church in Taipei last time he went, but he hasn't gone here yet so hopefully we can get this figured out.
We've got a lot of other investigators who we've only met with once or else they aren't really progressing very much. We're also working with a lot of recent converts and less active members, trying to help them either come back to church or keep progressing. Right now, only a couple of them are making progress. It's so sad when you feel like you're doing everything you can do but they aren't going for it. I have to force myself to remember that you can't force people to accept and live the gospel. Everyone has the ability to choose for themselves. In a talk that Elder Bednar gave to mission presidents, he said that we only have the power to "bring the message unto their hearts. It is up to them to let it enter into their hearts."
As for me personally, I'm doing really well. Yeah, it's tough. I don't know the language very well so conversations that get anywhere past "what do you do for work?", just go right over my head. I'm not a very good teacher. Missionary days are long and pretty tiring. Even though it's late fall, Taiwan can still get pretty hot. Can't wait for summer. Yaaay:) But even though all this is pretty rough to adjust to, I can take solace in the fact that I've only been here for 3 weeks. That's nothing. That's a little less than 3% of my entire mission. Things will get better soon. My trainer, Elder Sumsion has been a huge blessing in working through things with me with the language or in learning how to best present the lesson material. He tells me about his trainer and how they didn't get along very well. He was told the first week that he "shouldn't ask questions". That he'd just "figure it out". I'm so glad that's not what I'm having to deal with. I feel so blessed and I feel confident that I'm going to have a great mission. I just have a few weaknesses right now that I need to work on and Ether 12 tells us exactly how to strengthen weaknesses. In verse 27 it says "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." My mission president sent out this scripture this week in his letter and had some great comments that really helped me. He pointed out that our weaknesses can't be strengthened without our effort. We can't take advantage of this power unless we come unto The Lord of our own free will and choice, humble ourselves and have faith. So good.
Thank you for your prayers everyone! Please pray that I can have that humility and faith in order to make my weak things become strong.
I love you all!
Elder Brendan Smith
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