Hello! It's getting ever toastier over here in Taiwan (I still remember one of the first reactions to my mission call from a student in my Game Theory class who had served a mission in Taiwan: "Get ready to get sweaty"). The last week has been full of the usual sort of excitement: Zone Conference, interviews with President Hsu, agonizing over the salvation of souls, etc. Zone Conference was excellent. The emphasis was Preach My Gospel chapter 13, which is all about working in unity with local leaders. In my experience so far, this usually requires a conscious and continuing effort, but one well worth making.
We went to help a member weed her flowers the other day. And if you're picturing a little flower border by the front walk, think again. She's a flower farmer, with hundreds and hundreds of flowers potted in a netted enclosure a fair distance from their house. She also has children, including a 3-month-old baby. Walking into her kitchen felt like a trip back to Mexico, plus running water (anyone who has seen the kitchens where my food was prepared in Mexico will know what I mean by that--unfortunately that group is rather small). The work of weeding wasn't too heavy, but definitely overwhelming to go at alone. I told her I was sure my mother would be pleased to hear I've been weeding (one of your favorite pastimes, right Mom?).
I received a couple of blessings this week that really gave me a boost. One had to do with our investigator, Kivi. It occurred to me a few days ago that we could copy the beginning part of Joseph Smith History and drop it in her mailbox for her to read and ponder on. We did, and when she showed up to her teaching appointment last night she had read it. She said she could understand why we wanted to give it to her, because it helped her understand his experience and our approach to other religious denominations (which is very important to her--she doesn't like hearing churches criticize each other). I realized that I really had no particular motive in giving it to her, except that the thought had popped into my mind. To her, it felt like we understood her needs and how to meet them, and to me, it was another witness of the One who actually knows her needs and will help us meet them if we just do as we're directed.
