Dear Family and
Friends,
This week has been so fast!!! I can't believe it is
already October!! Where in the world did September go?? Ayyyeahhh! This
week has been a very great week. We are continuing to work hard here in GangShan
to find those who are ready to receive this gospel! It is such a great
blessing!! We are really working with the ward here - the bishopric
just changed. I am very grateful for the organization of the church and
the wisdom and humility the leaders have in directing this great work. I
know that Bishop Gao was called to lead and most importantly to serve the ward
here in GangShan at this time.
We had a great opportunity this week to be able to sit
down with him for about an hour and a half and just discuss some of our goals
and plans and missionaries and how we can best work with him and the ward to
accomplish his vision and desire for the ward. It was such a great
experience. He is really focused on helping the members develop habits
that would allow them to become the most spiritually strong they can be
personally and also strengthening the families. It was all so simple but
made so much sense. It was a great experience to sit and set some goals
together. I feel the love he has for the Lord so much when I speak with
him. It is amazing. I am really excited for this ward.
This week I really felt the power of the Book of Mormon
and saw it in action. We have been working with "..." who has really
been struggling. We were at the FamilyMart making some calls and I called him... he was still at work but he sounded so bad. He had no energy
or life or anything. I asked him if he felt that at any time he had felt
the Savior’s love in his life. He said no... and that this burden was so
heavy on him. I told him that that was the role of the Savior.. to lift
burdens. That night during our English meeting there were scriptures
shared in Ether 6 about the Jaredites leaving and being on the Sea for almost a
year. That really would be so hard...with all the animals and
everything.. It would be tough. However, in there it talks about
the wind constantly blowing them towards the promised land. I invite you
all to read Ether chapter 6 and really pay attention to the reaction when they
had reached the promised land. I knew right when I heard that scripture
that that was the one that "..." needed to hear. I knew it. Well
that night went on... we had English class and at the end he showed up...
he doesn't usually show up. I shared that scripture with him and invited
him to read it on his own.
The following day I got a call from "..." and he called
to tell me how happy he was. He called to tell me that he was going to
hang in there. I know that the Lord is always constantly pushing towards
the promised land. I know that as the Jaredites were on the sea it wasn't
always smooth and when the waves crashed over their barges it was often time
probably very scary, but I know that the Lord's hand was always there pushing
them towards the promised land. We all need to keep the faith and hang in
there... if we feel that we can no longer stand... that is the perfect time to
kneel in prayer to our Heavenly Father and cry unto him for help. I know
that the Lord answers our prayers.
I love the scriptures so much! I love you
all! Thank you for your constant prayers and love. I feel your
great love. I love you all!!
Love,
Elder Redding
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