Deeper Gratitude for Our Prophet and Apostles!

Dear Family and Friends, 

What a crazy busy and awesome week!!  It has been a week where I have felt a deeper level of gratitude for our Prophet and Apostles than ever before. I am so grateful that we have the chance to receive over 8 hours of pure instruction from their mouths.  They have been called of God.  They are receiving revelation to guide and direct us today.  They know. As President Hinckley said... it is wonderful! This week was crazy... here is how it went!! 

On Tuesday we had ZoneTrainingMeeting and after the Zone Leaders wanted to go on exchanges

Lunch After Training Meeting

again.  I got to go with Elder Hamula!!  I love him.  I was so grateful to be able to serve with him again.  I count him as a companion.  We have been on like 4 or 5 exchanges together plus the week we spent together with Elder Ju in DaKeng.  I knew that going with Elder Hamula we would see miracles.  I went to his area and Elder Chi came to GangShan with Elder Christensen.  Elder Hamula and I went first to the Stake President's home (He actually translates for the prophet in general conference and has some incredible experiences with the brethren) ...anyways we went to their home to teach a new investigator.  She is a friend of the wife.  Elder Hamula and I knew of the importance of a first visit, and as we were there we just relied on the Lord.  The lesson went amazing.  There were questions that we asked here that were really guided by the spirit.  I love teaching with Elder Hamula.  When we teach together it always has just felt so smooth and really has just felt like the spirit has been guiding us. We invited her to be baptized at the end of the lesson and she said that if she came to know it was true that she would be.  We shared a lot about the Holy Ghost.  As we taught that lesson and we and Sister Yang (presidents wife) bore testimony, you couldn't help but feel the love in the room at that time.  It hit me so hard then how important it is that we work through the members.  That is the way to do missionary work. It is more effective and has more meaning.  After we had the lesson we ate with the whole family.. and guess what we ate???  HAWAIIAN HAYSTACKS!!!  hahaha hawaiian haystacks in taiwan!! what the heck?? hahaha!  it was so great!!!  Overall the exchange was awesome!!  I love being with Elder Hamula and it really hit me how important the members are in this great work!!

Wednesday we were traveling again.  Elder Christensen is already half way through training!!  Crazy!!  we had a follow up meeting with all the other trainers and new missionaries in GaoXiong!  It went awesome and was sweet to see President and Sister Blickenstaff!  It is a lot more rare that we see them down here in the South! It was a great treat!  

Thursday we had a lesson with a Filipino and Jonathan came to help us out.  It went awesome! He accepted the invitation to be baptized.  We are still working on a date with him.  The lesson was so interesting.  Haha.. we speak English and then sometimes they just start speaking tagolic.. haha and we don't understand most of the time but the spirit directs us what to say next.  His name is "J"... and he came to General Conference and met some of the other Filipinos in our ward.  It was great!  

Friday we had a cool stake activity.  It was a sports/hiking/running thing!  It was great!  we went with some of our ward.  I will try and send some pics... just for the record GangShan came in first... hahah but some of the other wards weren't really racing... haha but we were! ;) haha

Saturday and Sunday were so special.  I just love the church.  I left all my notes at the apartment... my bad.. haha and you know how at the end of it all it kinda all gets jumbled in you head? haha!  However... I must start out by saying Thank you mom.  You are amazing.  The talk following Elder Holland's reflected on Fathers...  So I must add a big thank you to Dad.  Thank you Dad.  I think that it is fair to say that I have been blessed with the greatest parents in the world.  They love me and they understand me, I can't comprehend how much they love me... but they let me feel it.  Thank you.  Speaking of parents... I loved what Elder Renlund said about loving.  That once we are looking through the eyes of a parent, even our Heavenly Parents is when we are able to really see others as they are.  I loved that.  So I just love you guys. haha

It saddened me to see President Monson as he was, however I know that the short council he gave is important.  As members of His church we have  a responsibility to let our light shine before others.  To be an example of the believers.  The world isn't getting any better or any easier.  All the more reason that we need to be an example.  This world is so confusing right now... it is imperative that we let other see very clearly how this church has blessed us.  With all President Monsons strength and power he shared this with us.  I know that it is important.  

There were a ton of other things that I learned but one last one that I would like to share is that I am not a Ponderizer!! :) I loved that so much.  As I listened to that talk it helped me realize that ponderizing is a way that we can more fully honor our covenants.  As we center Christ in our lives we become ACTIVE covenant keepers.  It just so happens that the covenants we make are all centered on the Savior.  This is the plan.  As we take time to read and ponder the scriptures every day... we put him at the center of our lives.  IM A PONDERIZER!! hahaha 

The last miracle for the week happened yesterday.  Last night we went to ShiHua's house for dinner with the "..." Family.  I was talking to "..." at church and he was telling me that how when he was at church it helped him forget all of life's stresses and worries.  I pondered this and realized that this was the Holy Ghost, but that he might not fully realize that.  So after dinner we shared about the Holy Ghost and brought this up.  We invited them to be baptized.  They accepted!!! :D  They will be baptized on November 7th as a family!!  He has never been ready and always said that he would need time and wouldn't set a date.  I am so excited for them.  They will hit their goals.  I really have faith in them.  

I love you all so much!!  Have a great week!! 

Love, 

Elder Redding