Blessed are the Pure in Heart...

Dear Family and Friends, 

This last week has been great!!!  It has been such a blessing to be serving with Elder Cox!  He is a

great missionary with an amazing attitude!!  This week we saw some amazing miracles and I can't wait to tell you all about them.  This week it has gotten really cold here in TaiBao... well I think it is cold anyways!! hahaha!!! It probably would feel great to you guys but I think that I have become Taiwanese!!! hahahah!

On Tuesday right after we finished our studies we had planed to walk (because Elder Cox's Bike hadn't been moved yet) to this place in Taibao.  As we left the door we had the feeling to go a different way to this place.  It didn't really make sense at the time because TaiBao doesn't really have people anyways and if we walked this other way then I felt like there really wouldn't be anyone... I thought it might be a waste of time... I thought about it for a sec and decided to act on it.  Sure enough... there weren't a whole lot of people... haha and right when we were about to get where we had planned to go we saw this lady sitting on the swings at the park with her little girl.  We decided to go and talk to her.  It was so cool... the more we got talking the more open she got with us and then shared about a recent divorce that she had.  She has 3 kids and only 1 of them live with her.  We were able to talk about the peace and happiness that the Savior brings.  It was so cool!!  She said that she would be willing to come to church sometime... maybe for the Christmas party?? (We have a branch Christmas party on the 25th).  It was such a huge miracle.  We then had to hurry and take a bus to JiaYi City for DTM.  

The DTM topic this week this week was the DL's choice.  So I decided to teach it on how to have an effective personal study.  As I was preparing the DTM it really hit me how vital the hours are before we leave the door every morning.  The literally make or break the day.  It is the key to keeping our spiritual fuel from running out for the day.  So we talked about some key things to having an effective study in the morning.  I think that it was Elder Holland who once said the a missionary will either make or breaks his mission in the first few hours of every day.  The DTM was very uplifting and motivating.  In the end it came down to something that I have heard President Blickenstaff say a few times now.  " This is your mission, you are responsible for what happens out here ... take control of it. " It is simple.  This is our life that our loving Heavenly Father has given us.  You better believe that He wants us to have success and happiness.  It is up to us to take control of it.  The beauty is that in this process we are not alone.  As we use the gospel of Jesus Christ and His atonement to pattern our lives it as if we are never alone.  He is always right beside us.  

I came away from that DTM with a greater desire to study the gospel and change myself.  In our apartment on the wall there is a scripture.  It has become one of my favorite scriptures... 

Mathew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

This scripture means a lot to me.  I have read it over, and over, and over this week.  It has hit me seeing God, we will all have the chance to do that some day... but when we purify our hearts we have the chance to see him every day.  We can see him in every little thing around us.  We will see his hands in all things!  I want more that anything to purify and allow the desires of my heart to see God in everything that I do.  We we see god in everything we do we will be filled with the Holy Ghost.  This is literally Heaven on Earth.  

Christmas Party

This week we also had the opportunity to participate in the JiaYi City parade!!! It was so cool!! It so amazing to see the streets of Taiwan filled with Christmas cheer.  There was a special power in our little band of members.  There was a difference.  I was so happy... I also got to see an old friend named Chester.  I met him in DaKeng when he came and visited Elder Munger.  It was great to see him!!  

Family, I love you all so much.  Thank you for always making Christmas so special for me.  You have made this time of year unforgettable for me.  I love you all.  I pray this you all can be filled with the love of Christ in these next few days.  He loves you is always ready to remind you of that love.  I hope that in the next couple of Days you all get a chance to sit alone in a quiet place and think of the Savior.  Imagine you were there sitting next to that manger.  Just you and Him.  And you could look into His eyes... those pure eyes and know and feel the deep love that he has for you!!! I love you all!!!  

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! 

Elder Redding