Up to our Knees in Moon Cakes!

HAPPY AUTUMN FESTIVAL everyone!!

Okay it's technically not till Thursday but holy cow everyone and their mother has been giving us moon cakes these days. Our fridge is stuffed full of them! And for those of you who aren't sure what a moon cake is...... it's not that great. It's got like a salted egg yolk in the middle surrounded by lotus paste. It's sweet, but I'm not a huge fan of them. Everyone is obsessed with them though! Not sure what else autumn festival entails besides moon cakes and lanterns everywhere..... guess we'll see!

ANYWAY. How is everyone this week?! I miss you all like crazy but this week's been amazing. It didn't really start out that way, though....

On Monday after P-day, we went finding. We had NO success. Everyone we talked to rejected us. After a while, rejection starts to hurt. We have the truth and no one in interested?! Whyyyyy??? Anyway, we got on the train to go home. (Everytime we get on the train, we split up and talk to different people.) So anyway, I start talking to this lady. She doesn't respond at all. Doesn't say a word. So after a while of me talking to her and her saying nothing, I asked her if she spoke Cantonese. She said she did. So then I started asking her more questions about religion and such. No response. Then a man came up behind me and said in English, "She doesn't understand you." I responded back in Cantonese, "Well, I'm speaking Cantonese, and she said she understands Cantonese. I'm sharing about Jesus Christ." He said back in Cantonese, "Don't talk about Him! Nobody in China believes these things! No one will believe you! Why are you doing this? What are you doing? STOP trying to talk to us. We don't believe those things. We believe Buddha. Go back to America!" He was really mean. And it was the last straw. They got off the train and I started crying. I don't even know what was wrong with me. Usually I shake it off like it's nothing and move on to the next person. But he was really mean. We got off the train and Sis Aldana had to comfort me for a minute and then I was fine. But man. Talk about discouragement!!!

But that is when Heavenly Father stepped in. After we got home that night, we were making some calls and we tried Y JM. SHE ANSWERED. Oh my goodness, you guys, she is the most golden investigator of all golden investigators. I feel so incredibly humbled to be teaching her! She is sooo wonderful. She'd been in mainland last week! that's why she hadn't responded to our calls/texts! Of course! Why did we even doubt?! I was so grateful. Heavenly Father truly has things in control. Why do I allow myself to doubt Him and His plan?

A few days later, we got another call from Y JM. She told us the most amazing story. One of her friends that she hasn't had contact with for 10+ years called her up. They were chatting and catching up and then her friend randomly started talking about Christ and how she'd come to Christ in the past few years. Y JM said, "She didn't even know I'd been looking into religion!" She thought it was the biggest miracle. She just kept saying how "sahn keih" (miraculous) she thought it was. When Sister Aldana got off the phone with her and told me the story, I just started crying. We dropped down right there and said a thank you prayer.... Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us Y JM. She is so wonderful! She is so prepared! Amidst the other uninterested people, there ARE people that God has prepared for us to teach. We just have to keep having faith that we can find them. And we can. I know we can. Heavenly Father is on our side. He goes before our faces, on our right hand and on our left, and His angels bear us up. I feel His support every single day.

On Sunday Y JM came to church and we were THRILLED. Sunday was the best day of my entire life. She was the only investigator we had at church, but she's so good she counts for like 50. Ahhh I love her SO much!! After church she stayed for a baptism and she loved it. The baptism was amazing. She kept asking if that's how her baptism would be and we said yes. She's so wonderful. I feel sooo grateful I have the chance to know her. She's taught me so much about faith and trusting in God. We want to get her baptized in the next few weeks!!!

um hello WHITNEY!!! Where are you?! are you alive? I'm sitting over here in China thinking about you in college!! Can't believe it. How is it? how are the roomies? how is BYU-I? what classes are you taking? SEND ME YOUR ADDRESS! i wrote you a letter but don't have your address. i miss you and love you sooo much!

Well fam. I have to get off. My hour is up. I love you more than I could say. Thank you for your continued love and support and prayers! I absolutely LOVE what I'm doing. I'm learning and growing so much, and I get to help other people come unto our Savior, Jesus Christ. There couldn't be anything better in the entire world. I love it. I love this mission. I love my Savior. I love my life. I LOVE all of you!!

Keep the faith! Love you always!

Love,
Shay
Gwok
xoxoxoxo