January 28, 2009

Exciting news in Eric's e-mail this morning. Li Guang was baptized on Friday, and is very happy about it. Eric was asked to perform the baptism, the first time he has done that. This is what he had to say about Li Guang:

"The gospel has really opened Li Guang up. He has definitely received a spiritual confirmation that it is true and is willing to follow the gospel of Jesus Christ. He was willing to do whatever it took."

Another of their investigators, whose English name is Prince, is scheduled for baptism this week. He attended Li Guang's baptism, and could hardly wait for his own. He loves to pray and has already read most of the Book of Mormon. Quoting Eric:

"I love going to teach him. The other day we went over to teach him. We started off by reviewing the previous commandments we had taught him and he said 'I know we talked about that last time, teach me more commandments, I want to learn more.' "

It's great to see the gospel of Jesus Christ change lives, and to see the enthusiasm with which some people digest it.

In less happy news, the other person who was scheduled for baptism last week, Xuan Xuan, was not baptized. She had to go to the airport in Manchester to drop off a friend. According to Eric, she says she still wants to be baptized, but doesn't seem ready to truly commit to it. Eric remains hopeful that she will feel the promptings of the Holy Spirit, and develop the necessary commitment.

Eric is enjoying his new companion, Elder Liu. He is optimistic and enthusiastic about missionary work. Eric said they both feel pretty green, but he is confident they can be successful together. He didn't say much about it, but from his comments, I assume Elder Liu didn't speak Chinese before his mission. This creates a challenge for them as they both are trying to improve in their ability to speak Mandarin. However, Eric said they are learning a lot from each other. They are hoping to have a lot of success together. I'm confident that will happen as they continue to rely on the Lord for guidance in their labors.