TENDER MERCIES OF THE LORD

September 14, 2015

Family,

Thank you for the emails, the updates on BYU, and other insights and thoughts.  I appreciate them.  I got your package when I went into to Hong Kong on Saturday for my U-turn. Thank you lots.  

Good week.  Haven't been able to meet with Liu XS or Gao JM.  Tang Yang is doing good although we can't get him to church because of school.  I am starting to cry a lot. It's pretty bad.  We were teaching Tang Yang and reading from Alma 34 with him, that is where he is at, and I just couldn't hold it in when reading in verse 14 and 15 I think. Very powerful chapter and verses.  Tang Yang is such a stud.  A-xiang we commited to baptism which was awesome.  We watched the Restoration video with her, discussed a little bit and asked her to be baptized.  Xu JM is good, but can't come to church either.  Jin XS says he really felt peace and his worries leave him while at church last week, which was great, but didn't come yesterday.  Our recent converts we are teaching are doing well.

I am constantly amazed at the tender mercies of the Lord in my life.  The other day while waiting in line to get dinner, Ma Zhanglao told me that he was grateful to the Lord for blessing him with a humble companion.  I don't think anything I have done has merited that kind work, but it got me thinking.  I have been wondering how I can do better at serving with all my heart and giving my all to the Lord.  I have been thinking about how I can do better at opening my mouth and have the faith and courage to talk to everyone.  My father's voice and words are always ringing in my ears to talk to everyone.  Whenever I am on the bus or anywhere and not talking to everyone, the Holy Ghost brings his words to my rememberance. But still for whatever reason, I am not always heeding the voice.  I have been trying to figure out how I can better do this.  Ma Zhanglao's words reminded me about the importance of humility and eliminating pride.  Because of his comments, I decided to again review Beware of Pride by Benson to see how I can improve.  I feel like I talk a lot about this, but it must just be something that I really feel like I need to improve on and is important.  This time through I was impressed with what he said about emnity or a state of opposition.  He points out that when we are prideful, we pit our will against God's.  I think this is the answer I have been looking for.  I have been more in the Spirit of my will, not Thine be done.  I have been not talking to everyone because of personal embarassment or personal insecurity with the language even though I know I should be talking more instead of resorting to my vocab book.  It is my pride causing this.  It really is so important that we have the humility to submit to the will of our Heavenly Father, because only then can He use us to help Him gather his children.  It was a blessing from the Lord to help me see this and try to improve.  As I am writing this now, it seems pretty silly that I am not willing to talk to everyone.  I hope to change that now.  Maybe if you could include a question in your emails to me reminding me of this, to talk to everyone, that will give me someone besides my Heavenly Father to be accountable to, which should be motivation enough. 

I really like what it says in the 1st book of Nephi chapter 3.  Nephi's brothers were about to turn back in i think v 13 and then on verse 21 are persuaded to be faithful and stay.  Pretty remarkable turn around in just a few verses.  I spend some time thinking about this, because man how sweet would it be if I could better help my investigators, who are not that interested in continuing learning about the gospel or who do not want to keep commitments, change to desiring to be faithful.  I think this can apply to anybody we are teaching.  The first thing Nephi does in v 15 is show his determination to accomplish the commandments and his faith.  I think as I am teaching my investigators who want to turn away that we won't give up on them and the Lord won't give up on them. Show determination to help them come unto Christ and explain our purpose again to them. The second thing Nephi does is give them a call to action. He doesn't just leave it at that though, he give them a solution or a way for them to accomplish it.  He give them some guidance (v16). Then in v 17 and 18 He reminds them why they left in the first place and helped them see why they are now doing what they are doing. Then in v 19-20 he explains why they are back in Jerusalem.  This gives them mitivation to stay.  He shows the importance and significance of this action.  Then in v 21 they are persuaded to be faithful.  I hope to implement this more into to my teaching. To first show determination and faith, then give a call to action and some guidance of how that could be done, and then explain the why to the investigators.  I really believe it is important that they understand the why.  That has changed the attitude for me doing things many times, after I understand the why.

Thanks for your prayers. I know the Book of Mormon is true and as we strive to abide by its precepts, we can get nearer to God and better help others do the same.  

Love,

Elder Stratford

 Elder and Sister James (senior couple in Macau) treated us today for P-day lunch.  It was delicious.

 Delicious!