Yeah yeah... from the title of my email itself. Sometimes I wonder why as a missionary I'm having these wild experiences.
• we were invited by a Wan Chai member to have lunch together since she needed help with a few documents. She needed us to translate a few things and so we met in the Ritz Carlton Hotel. Yeah yeah... CRAZY!!!! And so we went up to the 103rd floor. Yeah yeah... EVEN CRAZIER!!!! And then we arrived and it was so fancy. We had a 4-course meal and she paid $1,050 for each of us. Yeah yeah... WILD!!!! And then she only had 1 question about the document. It was a fun experience and opportunity to go to that hotel and have lunch in the sky! The view of Hong Kong was simply amazing. She even said she made sure we got the best seats especially for us 2. ♡♡♡
Anyway! This is probably the time where my emails turn a little more spiritual than usual. I have learned too much in this area to not write down my thoughts. Well... I have a lot of thoughts and it can be a little overwhelming but allow me to share some things I've been pondering about this week.
I love the Ricciardi Letter with my whole heart! It's such a good talk / letter:
That “One Soul” is Yours
"Every missionary goes through a drought period in their mission life. A period of time where they are fighting homesickness, praying harder than they ever have, are living more righteously than ever in their lives up to this point in time, and no one seems interested in hearing the gospel. It is at this time that the Lord tests you as a missionary. The reason, I have always believed, is to see if you can be trusted. Father in Heaven has an incredible work to do to prepare the earth for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. The mission field has a dual purpose to bring souls unto Christ, and to sift us as missionaries into the parts we will play throughout our lifetime in building the Lord’s kingdom – to prepare us for “leading” OR prepare us for “following”, both are important, but what are followers without leaders? The missionaries who recognize the drought and remain strong to the higher law of missionary work (absolute obedience) end up converting the most critical investigator of all… themselves. You will be your greatest conversion in the mission field. In D&C 18:15-16 it says:
And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father! And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!
I contend that the “one soul” is you. Imagine the insanity of sending 19 to 21 year old young people all over the world to be the ambassadors of something as critical as the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. Frankly, it sounds crazy. But factor in a couple of things. Do most missionaries enter the mission field converted? I can only speak for me. I wasn’t. I had good feelings about the church, seminary, Joseph Smith, the Gospel, etc., but converted? Not to the degree the Lord desires. That is the beauty of the mission experience, the Lord entrusts us to dispense his critically important message, knowing full well that in the process of delivering that message an unusual process occurs where the teacher of the message and the hearer of the message are both becoming converted AT THE SAME TIME. Not every hearer will be baptized, even though they feel the spirit. Not every teacher will become converted. But here is what I do know, if you are absolutely obedient to the mission rules, YOU will become converted, and at that point you have accomplished what should be the greatest result of your missionary service. At the same time you have the opportunity to bring others along the conversion path smack in the middle of your own conversion. That is why mission success CAN ONLY HAVE ONE GUAGE, YOUR PERSONAL CONVERSION. This only comes from one attitude, that of absolute obedience. Baptisms happen or don’t happen. Teaching opportunities can happen or don’t happen. The blessings of the converted missionary last far beyond the mission experience. Learn this critical principle, all you need to do for 2 years is make sure that nothing but the truth comes out of your mouth to every single person you can possibly speak to (in golfing terms, just swing). Leave the conversion part to the spirit, but your own conversion comes from that type of focus, baptisms or not. “How great shall be your joy when you bring save it be one soul” unto the Lord, and that soul is yours. That is the answer to what in my mind (and experience) constitutes a successful mission. Ricciardi did not let the statistics keep him from becoming a powerful missionary. But his effectiveness came from his own conversion to the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the mission field.
You will find that 80% of the missionaries do 20% of the work, and 20% of the missionaries do 80% of the work. It is unfortunate but true. That is why the greatest conversion that should take place in the mission field is your own! That is what is so incredible about missionary work, the closer you bring others to Christ, the closer you get to Christ yourself. I am not just talking about when you teach investigators and less actives, the missionary work you will do to help your companions come closer to Christ, and they for you, is a powerful work in and of itself, let alone the work to those who do not have the gospel. Ricciardi would say “All you have to do is open your mouth Elder Humphrey, that’s all”. Ricciardi and I would challenge each other that once we walked out the apartment door we would not let one person walk by without telling them who we are. I remember many mornings where we never left our street because there were so many people to stop. Ricciardi taught me to work smart. Every weekday at 3:30pm we stopped whatever we were doing and would never schedule appointments at that time of day. Why? Because we would go to the local elementary schools and greet parents as they were picking up their school children. In England, parents walk to school to pick up their kids. We would find a few families and walk them home as we discussed who we were and what we taught."
I've been experiencing that drought in my mission. We've been talking to SO many people everyday. We've been meeting people who have the potential to become a relief society, or a priesthood holder or a future family that can be sealed in the temple someday but they are not yet the people who God has prepared for us. Someone else in the future will harvest them. I've been asking Heavenly Father "why? We're obedient, we are living the rules and we love the people, we are united in the right reasons. Where are the blessings? Where are the progressing people? Where are the elect?" And then I changed the way I spoke to God, "I promise to be obedient and see the small miracles everyday. Please trust me." This area has helped me develop a lot of Christlike traits and a more deeper understanding of the work. I am still doing the Lord's work even if the results are not immediate. I'm still doing the Lord's work even if there aren't people who want to continue learning. I'm still doing the Lord's work because I am helping myself better understand the role of God and Christ in my life and the role of the Spirit in this work. Just like the prophet said in his recent talk, did the church change because he gave his $1.50 tithes? No but it changed him. My experiences of this "missionary drought" have also changed me. But I have been filled spiritually!
我热切的祈求圣灵会将我的见证带你们心中。我知道天父爱你们。 耶稣基督时我们的救主，他有能力拯救和医治我们。
XUE JIEMEI
薛姐妹
SISTER SY
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