CALLED TO SERVE: Temples and Exchanges

5/15/16

This last week we went on exchanges with the zone leaders in our area. It was super fun having them up in XinFeng, and we worked so hard when they were here. We did almost a weeks worth of key indicators in a single day. We learned a ton from them, and it will be exciting to try to repeat the success we had with them in the upcoming week. It was weird talking with one of the zone leaders, Elder Scovel, because he went to Davis High and knew a ton of people from Viewmont. The craziest thing we did though was eat a $700 (US $25) cua bing. Cua bing is shaved ice with sliced fruit, beans, tapioca, and syrup on top. This wasn't any old cua bing though. This thing is meant to feed 30, and us 4 elders ate the whole thing in one hour. My stomach hurt so bad and my mouth was pretty much numb, but it was super fun.

We got to go with Emma to the temple! When our recent convert goes to the temple for the first time we get to go with them, so on Saturday Emma, my previous companion Julian, Elder James, and I went in to Taipei. When we got there, we realized that I had forgot my temple recommend and that because there was a marriage that day the time scheduled for baptisms for the dead was moved up an hour. Emma had said prayers the night before that it would go smoothly though, so of course it did. The temple president made a phone call and I got a temporary recommend, and somehow they were able to find someone who could help baptize Emma so that they could extend the time they were doing baptisms a little longer. Emma has incredible faith, and the whole time I was just thinking about how heavily she relies on prayer. Her answer to everything is to just do a prayer. I thought about how I could more heavily rely on prayer and follow the principle in Alma 34 to cry unto the Lord over everything and when we are not crying unto the Lord to let our hearts be continually drawn out in prayer.