"Don't Let the Perfect Become the Enemy of the Good "

As I serve in the 3rd most diverse city in the whole world, and the great metropolitan areas, I've come to learn that we all are God's children. There's much more that we share than we don’t. Many of these people are searching for purpose in life. They are concerned for their future and their families. “They need the sense of belonging that comes from knowing they are children of God and members of His eternal family. They want to feel secure in a world of changing values. They desire peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come” (Doctrine and Covenants 59:23)." The needs they are seeking are justice and reconciliation with others, themselves, and with their relationship and standing with God.

As I serve here in this DIVERSE place, the Lord has blessed me with the opportunity to be part of the Mandarin branch and the ASL branch. (keep in mind I don’t speak Chinese or know sign language) These branches (also referred to as groups) function within a ward of English and ASL speakers. They are organized under what we call, the "priesthood keys" of the bishop. These priesthood keys are permission from God to carry out his work in HIS name here on Earth.

This week Sister Black (Her and President Black are our mission leaders) Came down to visit us. She spent the day with us and I was privileged to get to spend most of the day with just her. When I asked her if she had come to go out visiting with me? Or if we were going to go tracting? She told me that she had come down specifically "To minister to me". When she said this to me I knew Heavenly Father had heard my heart and knew that I was in need of a lift. He heard my prayers and sent Sister Black. She truly did minister to me. We spent the day talking, and studying our scriptures and it was wonderful. I am so grateful to have such wonderful mission leaders.

Although the ASL group is VERY small, one or 2 people are actively coming (we are working on that). We have ASL class on the 2nd and 4th Sunday. It has been special to see more people coming to learn so they can communicate with the Deaf members that do come! These participants of the class can also translate what is happening in the church.

As far as the Chinese group goes, we teach an English class on Thursday Evening. As we Jump around acting or drawing pictures on the board I am reminded. We judge intelligence not by the level at which they can understand us but by the way they try to understand us.

This weekend we had what we call a moon festival. It's a mid-autumn festival. We made flyers for it for individuals who speak Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese) and handed them out like candy!!! I’ve learned that "Missionary work is as DIVERSE as the people we are missionaries for." Many individuals think "missionary" work is knocking on doors, talking to people, and go go go go going.... yet I've come to learn that everything that helps people receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and his atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and, and enduring to the end.... is missionary work! Sometimes it's what we call “the long game”, “the eternal view”, “thinking Celestial”, “the rabbit hole”, or just “simply perspective”! So making flyers may not seem like productive "Missionary work" but it is because of those flyers that almost 80 people came to the moon festival and it was because we made church invite flyers ( in Mandarin) that we had 15 or 20 people from the moon festival come to church the next day and it was the flyers for English class in English and Mandarin that Juang and his son came to church and are now coming to English class on Thursdays!

Here are some pictures of the Moon Festival!

Missionary work is diverse and isn't a ONE-TYPE FITS ALL. It's updating records and paperwork. It's lots of texts and calls. It's making flyers and heart-attacking doors, it's lessons with members and lessons with friends, it's digging a ditch, fetching water or clearing some cobwebs, missionary work is going to mutual, and tracting some doors( which we only do if we feel prompted to knock them ) it's commenting on posts and messaging random people, it's listening and talking, it's silence and music, it's a hug and a tear, it's studying by yourself and studying with your companion. It's taking time DURING the day to plan and regroup; it's going to lunch and dinner appointments or simply taking the time to meditate. But ultimately missionary work is God's work and if it helps God by aligning with key indicators and is within the standards that the Lord has set then it is good, and we should preserve it. Don't fret about it being the best or most perfect.

As my father always says"Don't let the perfect become the enemy of the good !"