October 14 Letter--Hello

Hello family!

Things are so good here!

LIN XIU ZHU is baptized! And so are her two beautiful children! I have been 
working with her since I first moved here to Zhunan and after more prayers, 
tears and laughs than I have ever experienced before she is now on the path to 
the Celestial Kingdom! I have told Sister Price she needs to make sure she stays 
active. And keeps those kids in primary! Sister Price has willing accepted the 
invitation so that makes me so so happy! The new members will be in good hands 
with her. 

We have a mom and a daughter and two more sisters who are going to get baptized 
on Sunday. The Lord has really blessed us this move-call. I feel like He has 
tried us in so many different ways that now He is just piling on the blessings. 
I really have a strong testimony that you must sow before you can reap. We did 
lots of sowing and we will have the opportunity to see ten people baptized in 
this last move-call. What a blessing that is! 

Wow, I think this is the hardest e-mail I have ever written. I don't really even 
know what to say... it is weird.

They say when you don't know what to say as a missionary either bear testimony 
about the Restoration or the Atonement. So maybe I will try that.

Aha! I know... we had district training meeting on Monday. My district leader, 
Elder Bowen, asked me to speak about focus. (Don't worry, I learned a lot and am 
a focused missionary... hehe) So as I began to write my talk, I wasn't really 
sure where to start. So I started to think what is a focused missionary? And 
then I thought of the section in Preach My Gospel (p 10-11) that says you will 
know you are a successful missionary when... and then lists several different 
bullet points. Three of them clearly stuck out to me as having a direct 
correlation with focus.

 The first one was developing Christlike attributes. Of course, you would have to 
be focused to do that. How could you develop attributes of someone if you 
weren't focused on them? Think of it this way... whenever we go on trips to 
Minnesota, we all come home and Laura and mom always get on the Minnesota 
accents. It is because they have been submerged in grandma and Aunt Gin and 
Sharon speaking. And they naturally have picked up on it. The same is true with 
developing Christlike attributes- if we submerged ourselves in studying, 
learning, and living all about our Savior we would start to develop Christlike 
attributes because of His Atoning Sacrifice. So the first thing we need to do is 
to be so focused on the Savior so we start to develop Christlike attributes such 
as patience, charity, hope, faith, knowledge, diligence, virtue, etc.  

The second bullet point talks about working effectively... (sidenote: sorry I am 
doing this all from memory so if it doesn't make sense just ignore it.) As we 
work efectively, we have to be focused so that we can prepare, plan and act. If 
we are just running around wasting time here and there it is probably because 
there has been no thought as to the preparation, plan, goals, or actions to be 
made and taken. So in order to be focused we must plan, prepare, set goals, and 
act effectively.

The last bullet point talks about how we need to be anxiously engaged in a good 
cause. I am pretty sure how everyone can see that that would be directly be 
connected to being focused... so I will let you all think and draw your own 
connections on how the two could possibly be related... 

So I might add that this could apply to us as people as well... A focused person 
is a successful person... and in order to be a successful person, we must 1. 
develop Christlike attributes, 2. work effectively (that is found in the 
planning, preparation, goal setting, and action), and 3. be anxiously engaged in 
a good cause. Not sure if they made any sense to anyone... it does to me. 
Hopefully, something made someone stop and think. And then let the Spirit teach 
them more.

That is something I have learned a lot on my mission. What converts the people 
isn't what we say, but it is what gets the person to stop and think and then 
INVITES THE SPIRIT TO REALLY TEACH THEM and helps them to feel the truth. My 
Chinese isn't any good, but the Spirit is better than good! So it all works out!   

Well, I love you all and can hardly believe only one e-mail left.... ai yo! 

Where is the time?

Wo ai nimen!

Sister Shaver