After staying up till 3:00 a.m. surfing the net, I thought I'd be able to sleep in with Monday being p-day. Nope. That little auto alarm clock inside woke me up at 8:00. Having a lazy day. Went out to get a few groceries.
At 6:00 we had a meeting with Sister Mendoza and Sister Ng to meet with Phoenix and Constance. It was good to see them. Constance has come a long way since our first meeting. He still doesn't talk much, but you can see him contemplating and in deep thought. He has some very thought provoking questions. We can tell he is very intelligent by the way he reads the scriptures. Phoenix didn't participate in the discussion today. She still has some serious mental issues, that unless she gets them resolved, I'm afraid there will be little progress. Constance was struggling with the concept of the apostasy. Being Catholic, I can see why this would be a struggle for him. We hope he will do his reading assignment and pray to know if what he is being taught is true. He will continue meeting with the Sister Missionaries next week.
After our meeting, we took the Sisters out to dinner at the Japanese restaurant in Hung Hom. It was nice to get to know them. Sister Ng is half Chinese and half caucasian, though you don't see any asian in her. She's from Washington, and has only been here for 3 weeks. Sister Mendoza's father was a minister, but left his church in search of something better. After investigating the LDS church, and praying about it in faith, he knew that it was the true church of Jesus Christ and so became a member. Interesting, everyone has a story to tell.
 |
| Sister Mendoza from the Philipines and Sister Ng from Washington |
January 5 (Tuesday)
Overall, just another day. The lull before the storm...?
January 6 (Wednesday)
We knew it would be busy today because a bus full of members from Mongolia came in yesterday. It's always so exciting to have new people come to the Temple. The spirit was overwhelming as there were 15 new endowments! The sacrifice that these saints make to get to the temple is so humbling. It reminds us not to take being so close to a temple for granted. For some of them, this may be the only time in their life time, that they will be able to make such a trip.
It's hard to express the feeling one gets from participating in temple work. Suffice it to say, one must just experience it to know what I'm talking about. It was a most fulfilling day. These Mongolian people are amazing. Though there is a language barrier, the language of love need not be verbalized. We'll get to enjoy their company all week. I hope we will have an opportunity to get some photos with them before they leave.
January 7 (Thursday)
Another busy day with the Mongolians. It is so rewarding to be able to work with them. They are so excited to be at the Temple. One sister could hardly contain herself with the excitement of doing temple work for her mother, grandmother, and husband's mother, as we played charades trying to figure out what she was trying to tell me. To see their joy and excitement was so refreshing from our normal day to day routine. Oh, the stories that they will tell and the memories that they are making will be passed on to their families.
I felt exhausted after this busy day and actually went to bed early. It was nice to get a good nights sleep.
January 8 (Friday)
Nothing much to report today, so thought I would share this miraculous story with you. Enjoy.
Chun Chen was just a little boy, not yet four years old, when his parents took him to a playground.
He wandered off and found an arcade where people put coins in machines and played video games. He was mesmerized, but suddenly he realized his parents had disappeared. His tears brought people who tried to help him, offering him food and comfort.
They asked him many questions, but his parents had carefully taught him that he should never talk to strangers. Eventually a kind couple took him to a police station where there were more questions he would not answer. After a day or two he was taken to an orphanage where he would remain until he was sixteen.
His frantic parents looked everywhere for him. When they went to the police they were told that their son had probably been kidnapped, a common occurrence in 1990 in Taipei, Taiwan. They shed many tears as the years slowly passed.
The boy was given a new name, Chun Chen, and he gradually learned to live the highly regimented life at the orphanage; wake up at 6 a.m., eat at 6:30, then shower, change clothes, go to school, return at 4:30, dinner at 6, homework at 7, to bed at 9 and asleep by 10. He went to church on Saturday to play basketball and on Sunday to study the Holy Bible.
Now serving in the California San Jose Mission, Elder Chen said, "Although it (the orphanage) was run by a Christian church, it felt like a prison. There were about 70 children, ranging in age from toddler to junior high school. Bullying was rampant and I was often the target."
As he grew older and focused on his homework he earned little prizes for good grades, but the other children were jealous and the bullying increased.
"Even the teachers bullied us. I think the orphanage couldn't afford good teachers so they hired anyone who was available," Elder Chen recalled. "About the fifth grade I began to grow taller and stronger and soon I defended myself. They left me alone, but, sad to say, I became a bully myself. I thought this was the way the world works, use violence."
He called this the dark period of his life. By the time he finished junior high school he was impatient to leave and the orphanage was happy to see him go. He lived with a friend for a while, but was soon on his own. Several years passed and he gradually realized he wanted a better life.
One day he happened upon a church and decided to go inside, but the doors were locked. As he was turning to leave, two Mormon missionaries came riding up on their bikes. He asked them if they played basketball. They did. Soon he was learning about their religion and meeting new friends.
"The members of this church were so different. They didn't ask me who I was or even my status," Elder Chen said. "They were friendly, happy and treated me as though we were family. The darkness in my life began to lift."
The missionaries asked one of the women in the congregation to help teach him the lessons. Sister Houng invited them to her home and often cooked delicious food for them.
One day she said to Elder Chen, "I feel like I've seen you before. You are familiar." She asked him many questions, but he didn't want anyone to know he grew up in an orphanage so he fabricated his answers. Then she wept as she told him about her lost son. She felt he was her son and pleaded with him to go with her to have their DNA tested.
"We went together and they took a small sample of our hair and swabbed our mouths," Elder Chen said. "After two weeks we were told that we are a 99 percent match. I truly am her lost son!"
 |
| Chuen Chen reunited with his Mother after 12 years of separation. |
The Church had brought them together. He met his family: an older brother, a younger sister and a younger brother. His mother was elated. She told him that she had saved all his clothes and toys but had finally given up hope about five years before and had thrown everything away. After all those mournful years she thanked the Lord for this miracle.
He learned that she had come to Taipei, Taiwan, as a young woman to find employment. She got a job working for a dentist and they fell in love and got married. Soon thereafter they joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His father died before Elder Chen found his family.
When he first met the missionaries and learned about the Church, he had many questions. Because of his mother's faith and their miraculous reunion, he gained a testimony and was baptized in September 2011. His mother wanted him to learn English so she sent him to the United States.
 |
| Elder Chen serving in the California San Jose Mission |
Elder Chen, now 28, serves as a full-time missionary. Although missionary life reflects the regimentation of the orphanage, he no longer feels lost. Through serving the Lord, he has found that charity is the pure love of Christ and he loves serving his fellow beings as well as his family members. Doing this has helped him have a greater love for both his family and the people he serves. He is happy and eager to share the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
(From LDS Church News by Lila Bringhurst - May 2015)
January 9 (Saturday)
7:45 - 2:00: baptisms, confirmations, initiatory, endowments, sealings...another busy, fulfilling day at the Temple. Home for a nap and an easy night of doing nothing.
January 10 (Sunday)
Today was Elder and Sister Ball's last Sunday at church before their mission ends. As with all missionaries, this is a time of mixed feelings, excited to be going home to family, but sad to say good-bye to all the wonderful people you're leaving behind. We'll have dinner with them tomorrow, then another farewell gathering on Thursday with other missionaries, and Saturday will be their farewell at the Temple. Next Sunday will be their last temple assignment as we have the special quarterly Sunday Temple Opening. Wednesday following they will be on their way home. Thanks for being our trainers and all you have taught us. Thanks for your testimonies and friendship. See you in Boise!
 |
| The Ball's Farewell Branch Meal |
No comments:
Post a Comment