Dear Elders and Sisters,
This past week was a great one for Sister Blickenstaff and
me. We enjoyed attending the 60th Anniversary of Missionary Work in
Taiwan devotional last Saturday. It was very nostalgic for me to reflect on the
many changes that have taken place and the tremendous growth of the Church that
has occurred in the last 60 years. It could not have happened without the
consecrated service of many missionaries and leaders and without the help and
guidance of the Lord. I feel so blessed to have been able to spend 5 years of
my life serving in Taiwan. I am so grateful for all that the Lord has given me:
a great companion, a wonderful family, health, strength and emotional
stability, opportunities to serve in the Church, and the blessing of being able
to be a missionary.
I love Taiwan: I love the people, the language, the culture,
the food and everything else about it. I love being involved with missionary
work and missionaries. I love seeing firsthand the changes that come into
people’s lives as they accept the restored gospel and come unto Christ. I will
be forever grateful for the blessing and opportunity to serve in this
remarkable place.
Yesterday Sister Blickenstaff and I attended the branch
conference in the Xinying Branch of the Chiayi District. It was a beautiful
day. The chapel was full. The branch president gave a great talk about the
children of Israel as they prepared to enter the land of
Caanan. He talked of the faith that they needed to follow Moses and leave their
homes in Egypt. He talked of their struggles and suffering in the wilderness as
they learned many important lessons and prepared to receive the blessings that
the Lord had in store for them in the promised land. President Liang, first
counselor in the district presidency, then spoke and further elucidated the
lessons that the children of Israel learned as they wandered in the wilderness.
His talk was a very powerful and doctrinal lesson on the blessings of keeping
the commandments. Both of these great leaders bore testimony of the power that
comes into our lives as we exercise obedience.
As I listened to the talks yesterday I could not help but
think that Chiayi is well prepared to become a stake of Zion. I hope that it
will happen while Sister Blickenstaff and I are still here, but “it mattereth
not” (Ether 12:37) as long as we have been faithful and have done everything we
could to bring it to pass. We should hear back in the next week or so whether
the application has been approved. Please keep the members and leaders of Chiayi
in your prayers this week.
I also could not help thinking that the talks given
yesterday also applied to each of you as you serve your missions. Sometimes a
mission can seem like wandering in the wilderness and facing many trials. As we
learn to put our trust in God and keep His commandments, greater strength and
power come into our lives to help us do the work to which we have been called.
We learn many important lessons in the process and prepare ourselves for
greater blessings (and trials) that lie ahead in our lives. The only difference
is, we have already reached the promised land! Taiwan is truly a land of milk
and honey!
I am grateful that each of you have chosen to serve a
mission and for the opportunity that has been mine to labor alongside you. I
know that you will be happier and have a greater sense of fulfillment as you
work diligently and faithfully and learn to be obedient.
President Blickenstaff
Mentor of Obedient Champions
No comments:
Post a Comment