Monday, October 5, 2015

10/5 The TYPHOON

Birthday Boy!

Well folks, Elder Sargent reporting here. It has been a wild ride the past few days. Had a typhoon roll through and it hasn't stopped raining for days. Wind and such. Walked to church on Sunday and thought I was swimming. It was so windy our umbrellas were useless. Go figure church is like 2 miles away. haha It has pretty much wrecked our week. We have had almost no lessons and no investigators came to church, which I definitely understand. They may have blown away, who knows. So it has been a hard week. Trying to feel like I am doing something worthwhile and accomplishing a purpose. Chan Shu On got confirmed on yesterday, and we are headed back to the mission home again today to turn in his paperwork. As well helped an Elder in the ward move in the typhoon today which was super chaam, but interesting. 

I have been loving it out here! So happy to hear about the new Apostles and conference! I don't get to listen till this weekend, because they need to traslate it into cantonese, but I am SO excited!!! I haven't been to church on Sunday and completely understood whats going on for 2 months! I have never looked forward to hearing the prophets words as much as I have right now. I am so excitily to be spiritually fed. Which leads me to another point, the language! It is coming. It is so hard, but it is coming. I feel similar to times before, in that I feel I have been blessed beyond what I ever deserved. I can get around pretty good now. I don't know completely whats going on, but I get the jist and its coming. Thats all I ask and thats all the Lord can do. Humbling myself to the point of realizing the Lord isn't just going to through down and give it to me, I must learn. I am also in the point where I don't know great cantonese, and I am forgetting english and using chinese grammar. so basically im in the gray area of not really knowing anything. Its intersting. 

Last Friday we had a zone training at which point we watched a clip of Ephriams Rescue, which was so nostalgic haha watching all the horsemen. But it hit me hard as I continued to ponder it. The point we watched was when Brigham Young calls upon a group of men to save the dying saints. Several men in the group say they can be ready in a few days and even some in a few hours. Ephraim Hanks, one of my ancestors, humbly raises his hand as says to Brigham Young, another ancestor, "I am ready to go right now." Those words struck me. He was just willing, he was was ready. He was a pre-sanctified individual dedicated to doing the Lords will. That ought to be me. At that point I became almost emotional as I thought of my own father, uncles, and grandpa throwing down all they had to go search on horseback, in the rain for one of our dear friends. They were pre-sanctified. I think of my other grandparents who gave up what they had and sold their home to heed the call of the prophets and serve as mission presidents. My Nana served her last three years of healthy mortal life there. They are pre-sanctified. My other ancestors who have heeded countless calls from the church and from else where to serve their country and our Lord. Crossing plains and giving lives for freedom. That blood runs through my veins. My parents giving what they have and all they have, at all times for the good of others and our family. They are pre-sanctified. That blood fills my veins and pushes me throughout EVERY day. Where does this pre-sanctification come from? My dad wrote me today an inspired email having to do exactly with my thoughts. He brought up our motto, "We never give up we never give in....and always remember who you are and where you came from." I remember where I came from and all of us have many stories similar to what I have shared. I believe it was Elder Bednar who said that we as Latter Day Saints in this era must stop dwelling on what our ancestors have done as our own. We can talk about that all day. What are you going to do that will be worth talking about he posed. Who am I going to help. I wish to be like Ephraim and the Nephi of old. "Here I am, Send me." I am ready right now. I wish to sanctify myself so when that moment comes, and it will, that the Lord asks of us our all, we are willing to give it to him. Not in a few days or a few ours, the Lord needs now. I wish to be that individual. I invite those who read to do the same. Live our lives in such a manner that we are ready to go when the Lord needs us. Willing is just not good enough.

I love everyone! Thanks for being the people you are! 
Love, Elder Sargent

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