Whoso Believeth

July 4-10

Zone conferences and lots of activity this week! We did four multizonas in four days with our kids, driving to different edges of the mission to be with the missionaries closer to the areas where they serve. There are few traffic lights or stop signs throughout the city in Montevideo but it felt even more loose out in the smaller cities. We drove through beautiful green countryside with cows speckling the grass and spreading out among the clusters of tall, straight trees. They say there are more cows than people in Uruguay and that definitely appears to be true! There are lakes and rivers that cut through the green spaces and make things look so idyllic.

This week was a really good opportunity to meet all the missionaries one by one.  Because they were split up in smaller groups, we could do a group conference together and then shake their hands and meet them as they went in to eat lunch.  Our kids were able to take part to and do the whole mission tour!  We did a little PowerPoint game with everyone with six different family experiences and the missionaries had to guess which kid the story was about.  We shared a bit about the story of our family, and then the kids “Love One Another” and “I am a Child of God” with us in Spanish and Chinese. 

I shared with them one of my favorite symbols of the waves of the sea representing the words of the Lord.  “His words never cease” (Moses 1:4) and his voice is like the “rushing of many waters” (D&C 110:3)  We are all like stones on the edge of the ocean.  It is only when we choose to bring ourselves to the water and immerse ourselves in the words of Christ, hear His counsel, and follow Him in our lives that we are polished and changed.  We all are stones on the shore with jagged edges, but the Lord takes our willing heart and over time changes us to become smooth stones.  The water makes us something different altogether.  We become disciples where the word of the Lord is written on the “fleshy tables of our heart” (2 Corinthians 3:3).  

President Orgill, also known as Stu, has been teaching a lot this week about diligence and our missionary purpose.  We taught last week about setting meaningful goals where they were reasonable and could be accomplished.  President Orgill shared 2 Nephi 9:17 and how one of the most stunning characteristics of God is that he executeth all his words.  He perfectly does what He says!  When we set goals that we commit to, and work with faith and diligence to achieve, we can work with the Lord partnering with Him to see miracles in the lives of those we are teaching.  I loved seeing him in action teaching about the faith and diligence that is necessary to really fulfill our missionary purpose.  The Lord wants us to work hard, but diligence is more than that.  It is receiving tasks and assignments from the Lord and then doing everything we can with our efforts to complete the task.  When we are committed in our efforts, the Lord can magnify and expand our efforts.  I know we will see miracles in our mission as we are committed to giving the Lord our best effort.

On our preparation day, we did some exploring around Punta Del Este with the family.  It is a touristy beach town with lots of yummy gelato, shopping, and stretches of beach.  We took pictures at the famous “El Mano” (“the Hand”) statue and walked along the waves.  My favorite part was going to Punta Ballena to see Casapueblo, a beautiful white house built by an Uruguayan artist overlooking a rocky cliff and coastline.  It was such a perfect spot for a hike.  

June 27- July 3

It’s been an amazing first week in a place I already love.  Uruguay is beautiful!  There are beautiful coastlines, warm and friendly people, and lots of activity in a fun, bustling city.  It has been rainy and a bit cold because it is winter here, but we are all adjusting pretty well!  It was so nice to arrive off the airplane and immediately see our new assistants and President and Hermana Escobar waiting for us.  They had banners and lots of hands to help us bring out the 31 bags we brought with us and load it into a big van.

These missionaries are amazing!  They are confident leaders and know how to keep things moving with the mission.  We are being flooded with new information, learning all the missionaries names, figuring out all the zones, what challenges they have with the work here, and what we can do to help the missionaries to be successful and safe here as they serve.  We did a leadership council with our zone leaders, assistants, and sister training leaders the first day and I was so amazed by the strength and testimony of these good missionaries.  They are obedient and hard working.  They have light in their countenances and they feel joy as they work with the Lord to bring others to Christ. 

It’s the everyday little things that are kind of exciting in a new place.  I love going to new countries and scoping out groceries stores.  There is more here than I expected to find!  Maybe I have a Beijing context, where I was so excited to find anything American, but I am surprised to find things like chia seeds, almond milk, ricotta cheese, home decor items, clothes hangers- simple things that I often couldn’t find in China.  Jackson and Hallie went with me to see our new grocery treasures and particularly loved the yogurt and condiments sold in gushy plastic bags.  The stores here have a fun feel and it is a cool mix of European and Latin America wrapped up in one.  I love talking to people here and am adjusting to the accent that sounds like Spanish with an Italian accent.  The good thing is that they still understand my simple Spanish even though I definitely speak more like a Mexican than a Uruguayan.  I have to say though, it is super fun to be here!  I already know I’m going to love this place.

The kids set up their rooms and so much was prepared for us so it was pretty easy to get up and running fast.  Benjamin and Julia have a Panda Spider-Man room that definitely makes life more awesome.  We pulled out a comfort food favorite and had roast and funeral potatoes for our first Sunday dinner together as a family in the mission home. 

The highlight of the week was Saturday when Stu and I were able to attend a baptism service. It was held close to the mission home and was so neat to help us get a feel for the church community here.  It was so powerful to be uplifted by their friendship and faith.  Elder Roosa and Elder Lestina told us about Sofi and how much the gospel has answered her questions and helped her find hope and purpose.  The Lord has prepared and guided her and I know even more blessings are in store for her. 

The message of the gospel is that Christ is the way we follow to come to know God. His restored church has all the ordinances and power to  I know that God is our Father and loves all of His children. He provided a Savior for us to rescue us from the pain and sadness of mortal life.  We can all be clean and whole if we choose to obey.  We are meant to learn and grow from the hard experiences around us.  We are meant to rise above them as we make covenants that bind us to Him.  That is the way to real contentment and peace in this life. 

June 22-26

When Stuart was nineteen years old, he served a two year mission in Mexico City teaching people about Jesus Christ and baptizing them to be a part of His church. He learned how to trust God, how to work hard, and it has blessed his life ever since. He had a married couple with a family who also lived there, who served as mission president and companion, and were his mentors while he was there to help him grow and develop. That is what we have been asked to do for a group of young missionaries in Uruguay. We will teach and serve alongside them for the next three years. I am humbled and so grateful for the opportunity. We also get to take our six kids with us and I know these experiences will teach my kids so much. Living in a foreign country always opens your world view and helps you realize how we are all children of a loving God, no matter our culture or background.

This week we went to the MTC to attend the Mission President Seminar. It was so special.  In our faith, there is a quorum of 12 apostles just like in the Bible. Their commission is to take the gospel to all the world. We share in that commission as fellow servants when we serve a mission.  At the MTC or Missionary Training Center, we were taught by all the twelve apostles, as well as our current prophet President Nelson and his counselors.  

President Ballard bore powerful testimony the first day that the mission would be the three sweetest years of our life and that the Lord would trust us to help accomplish miracles.  He spoke without notes and finished a few minutes early so President Oaks stood and told us he felt impressed to share one more thing with us.  He said that we would have a temptation to imitate people we admired, but the most important thing to remember was that we have specific gifts that we have been given.  Use those gifts.  Be who you are and magnify the abilities and talents that you have.  I know that is true. God has a specific work for each of His children, and there is so much power when we develop who we are with the Lord’s help.

One of the most powerful experiences of the seminar for me was sitting next to a Bolivian couple at dinner.  They had already begun their service and only had 15 days notice to relocate and begin serving as mission president and companion because the previous leader died from Covid.  They talked about how they felt the Lord’s hand in their lives, how they had missed their son’s wedding and the birth of a grandchild- but it was all worth it because they knew God had called them and he was sending them blessings.  They loved working with the young missionaries and bore testimony of how they could trust them and use them as accomplished leaders to teach people about Christ.  I was touched by their testimony and how devotedly and gratefully they were living their faith.  

It was a wonderful week and ended with a special meeting where we could have a sacrament meeting with President Nelson. He spoke to us about the importance of praying in our closets and finding sacred, quiet times to ponder on the truths of the gospel and to ponder on our covenants. He also encouraged us to write this scripture and post it where we would see it often. “Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life.” It is a privilege to be a missionary and a representative of Jesus Christ.

On Saturday, once we had Jackson and Hallie back to us from FSY, we had the opportunity to be set apart by Elder Andersen. He has interviewed us several times and been our contact throughout this whole process, so it was so meaningful to share that time with our kids where he could give us blessings and encouragement. I am humbled by this assignment, and grateful that I can serve the Lord in this way. We also got to take a family picture together in front of the big map at the Missionary Training Center. It was a sacred experience to spend these few days here.

Lehi saw in a vision that Jerusalem would be destroyed. He knew unmistakably that the Lord had spoken to him and that required action on his part. It meant leaving everything they knew and taking his family across the wilderness. It meant doing something hard, on purpose, that tore his family apart. But he knew what he had seen and he taught it fearlessly.

In Chinese, prophet literally means to see before. It is like the image of a watchman on a tower who knows when the enemy is approaching because they are on higher ground. I feel so blessed that we have a prophet on the earth today. The world needs that kind of foresight more than ever.

As Covid-19 has spread and scared people into their homes and various lockdown situations, I have thought of the foresight of a prophet. In October 2018. he announced a shift in our Church mindset so that the responsibility of gospel learning rested on the family and emphasized that the most important learning should be done there.

As Latter-day Saints, we have become accustomed to thinking of “church” as something that happens in our meetinghouses, supported by what happens at home. We need an adjustment to this pattern. It is time for a home-centered Church, supported by what takes place inside our branch, ward, and stake buildings.

Russel M. Nelson, Prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Home centered church has been a huge blessing- and no one imagined how uniquely relevant it would be during this unique time. Do we watch a recorded church sermon from our congregation? No, we teach our children the gospel, have the sacrament, and use the extra time as a family. These Sundays have taken out all the extras so we are just left with the essentials.

I am grateful to sustain Russell M. Nelson as the Lord’s prophet.

These are faces I miss dearly.  This is Lisa and JingJing, KeRui and Yvonne.  For the past six months we’ve been doing what I call Chinese Book Club- we meet at Lisa’s house for traditional Chinese tea- I drink hot chrysanthemum tea because well, that’s what I do.  And then we talk. We learn, we discuss, we act as a window for a culture that is unfamiliar, and we just enjoy each other.  

And then a weird virus swept in and our Beijing community evaporated overnight- stuck in holiday locations wondering when we can fly back, quarantined inside all day, or sent out of China on some sort of evacuation mission.   We were in Mexico seeing the slow creep of Coronavirus cases rising in WuHan; now in Texas we are waiting things out. Yvonne left after Chinese New Year and is waiting things out in London with her girls. And our Chinese friends are stuck in their homes all day every day while one member of the household is allowed to go out and buy groceries once a week.  A bustling, chaotic and beautiful city shuttered and stalled, breathless and optimistic, all trying to hold on to hope and sanity. Hard to do when every time you step outside you have to wear a mask and wonder how long until things can go back to the way they were. 

I honestly feel like I am having China withdrawals.  I love learning this language. It makes my head hurt, there are daily reminders of how far I still have to go to do basic tasks, but the whole process is exhilarating.  And there is magic when you can ask about a new word, try out a sentence, debate why a sentence is said one way when in English it is completely turned on its head. I miss talking to these ladies, talking about Chinese idioms, reading through things, talking about silly expressions in English, and having real, everyday relaxed conversations.  

The biggest gain was connecting with language in a real way to get to know real people.  To become friends and to let each other in to our lives.  

Let me take you back to a few months ago. 

November was a busy month for me- we were in full swing with two hour Chinese lessons, class parties where I am teaching kids how to make pumpkin pie and mashed potatoes- but I still tried to make time for these sweet friends. 

She had a cup of dried chrysanthemum flowers waiting for me on the low tea table.  I had already wiggled out of my snuggly winter boots and exchanged then for some festive Rudolph slippers- those or the pandas, rather than the conservative bamboo variety- they always caught my eye.  

Lisa’s house is a blend of traditional and exotic in every sense: porcelain basin fountain in the entryway with perfect porcelain koi fish inside, elaborate ginkgo tree spreading in the corner, traditional Chinese table with all the pouring and mixing tools, all the while a perfectly decked Christmas tree stood by the door with presents already carefully placed and English books on the the wall to wall bookshelves.  Yes, in China Christmas is exotic. A nod that you love a culture that is not your own, that those holidays have a place for you too.

Lisa approached me about having a more intimate study group back in September.  She, JingJing, and KeRui already spoke well in basic English and she wondered if I knew any western moms who would join.  Yvonne, my pithy and practical friend from Ireland immediately came to mind. We’re some of the only foreign moms seriously studying the language- and my friend Tulay from Germany was taking full time classes and was otherwise disposed.  

Our little book group was born. We started picking out texts- simple essays school children would read.  We read about Rosa Parks, the story of the Statue of Liberty, and the biography of a few Chinese American artists.  In Chinese, we read about FanJu and the warring states period and the intrigue of competing kingdoms. Everything in China feels more formal at first- they really wanted to talk about vocabulary and understand the textbook material.  But the most helpful to me has always been the side conversations. We pick out words, try to use them in other applications- laugh at the awkward way we try and fail to use them properly. But we learn. Little by little we learn a lot.

That day in November was simple and perfect.  As our discussion was winding down and we were about to end so we could run over to the school to pick kids up from their classes, I ventured an invite.  “My family is planning to do a traditional American Thanksgiving. We would love to have you and your families join us.” They were so gracious and flattered- and I got to pull out all the stops and make a big meal for a crowd of people who was fascinated to learn more about the tradition and try all the foods.  

Thanksgiving was extra special this year because it made me grateful for all the experiences living in Asia has taught me. We have our own cultures and experiences, but we all love our children and we all want to push ourselves to be better.

China has been a treasure and I can’t wait to keep learning.  China, get well soon! I am ready to go back.  

I’ve felt a nudge for a long time to write a blog. It’s like the idea that follows you around but you’re pretty sure you’re going to fail at it. Ignore the lack of sparkle as I stumble through this new adventure. I’m going to give it a go.

There is a lot of research out there that the act of writing things down helps your brain sort out the important from the trivial. Writing triggers memory and helps you hold on to the things that matter. This is why I try to spend some time writing every day. I love keeping a journal, spilling my thoughts, and processing my day. It heals me. It helps me focus. I am always working on being better at it.

Blogging is another vehicle. And maybe it helps me remember in a more public way. Shouting my gratitude from the rooftops.

My faith and my family mean everything to me. Being able to share a little of that here in this format, I know will increase my memory and my gratitude. I know that is always what the Lord does with our efforts too- He magnifies them.

You plus God always equals more.

The name “whoso believeth” kept circling my brain because more than anything, I want you to know I believe in Jesus Christ. He is real in my life. I know that anyone who chooses to believe, can expect miracles and greater happiness in their life. I love the scripture in Ether that says, “Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God.”

Because I believe in God, I know there is reason to hope for a better world to come. God wins in the end and we can be a part of His work. “All things are possible to Him that believeth.” Mark 9:23. I have seen so many miracles and blessings in my life, and hope to do better at remembering them here. And maybe it can help you do better at remembering too.

Because remembering might be just we need to ignite our faith.

Almost three years ago, my family took a leap of faith and moved our young family to Beijing. My husband Stu and I had always wanted to share an experience like this with our kids: immerse ourselves in a new culture, learn a new language, understand something that felt really foreign. We are loving every minute and while there are daily roadblocks, that is all part of the adventure.

When every day feels like a crisis, you see miracles every day too.