February 12, 2009

Last week, we got Eric's e-mail a day early. This week it came a day late. When it didn't come yesterday, we were a little concerned, though with the variations we have seen in his schedule we weren't terribly surprised. Then yesterday afternoon, we got the weekly mission newsletter, which told us he was having zone conference yesterday and his preparation day would be today. As a result, we expected to hear from him this morning, which we did.

I don't know if I have mentioned the mission newsletter before. It is called the Leeds Leader, and is sent to all the missionaries every week. Its purpose is to send out news of the mission, including accounts of the success being had by various missionaries throughout the mission area. Whenever Elder E. Hansen is mentioned, they send us a copy. It's very exciting to see what is going on in the mission, and to hear stories of people accepting the gospel, coming to church, reading the scriptures, and being baptized. It's a great thrill when Eric is involved in some of those great stories. We are starting to get quite a collection of Leeds Leaders, which will make a nice keepsake for him after his mission is over.

Eric had several bits of news to share this morning. He enjoyed zone conference yesterday. Every zone conference, the mission president asks all the missionaries to prepare an inspirational message they might be asked to share with the other missionaries. He then calls on someone at random to speak, so it's important to be prepared even though the chance of being called upon is remote. At his first zone conference several months ago, Eric was chosen to speak, so he didn't expect to be selected this time. He apparently prepared anyway, which turned out to be good, because the mission president called upon him again. He didn't say what he spoke about, but he was glad he prepared.

Eric's zone continues to have great success. He reported to us that in the past two weeks, 10 people have been baptized in their zone. This of course includes Li Guang and Prince, and represents a great group of people whose lives are being changed for the better as a result of their acceptance of Jesus Christ and his gospel. There are also a number of additional people preparing for baptism in the next few weeks. Included in those are two Chinese students who have committed to be baptized on February 21st. Their names are John and Glume, and they are flatmates who are both very bright and who understand quite well what they are taught. Both are anxious to be baptized. They are very traditional Chinese, very kind and courteous, and they have invited the missionaries for several meals. The other day, John invited them for tea, and there were 8 people there, from 6 different countries, who spoke a total of 10 languages. As Eric said, I guess that's what you get at Sheffield International College. Eric said John and Glume really get along well with Elder Liu, as they have similar interests in things like computers and photography. Eric is glad he still has Prince to chat b-ball with.

Eric and Elder Liu had another interesting experience this past week. They got to take a train ride to Huddersfield, which Mapquest tells me is about 35 miles away. The purpose of their trip was to meet with a Chinese woman who is preparing for baptism. She has been taught by English-speaking missionaries, but the mission president felt it was important for her to be interviewed in Chinese before her baptism, and Elders Hansen and Liu were the nearest Chinese-speaking missionaries. For those who aren't aware, before a person is baptized in the LDS church, a missionary or church leader interviews them to make sure they understand what they have been taught, and that they are ready for baptism. As you can imagine, this is a pretty important step, and avoiding a language barrier is helpful. Eric was thrilled to have this opportunity which is usually reserved for more experienced missionaries. He said he had to go over a few things with her, but she was definitely ready to be baptized. He didn't say so, but I know from my own experience that these interviews are a wonderful opportunity to feel a person's humble desire to follow Christ, and to see the positive changes His gospel has brought into their life. They are experiences never to be forgotten.

On a humorous note, the woman Eric interviewed is pregnant, and during their conversation she asked Eric for ideas for a name for her son. He told her he thought Eric was a nice name, without, of course, telling her that was his name. She really liked the name, which made Eric laugh at the thought she might name her son after him without even knowing it. Eric gets to go back to Huddersfield on Saturday to speak at her baptism, so we'll see if there's any more information to come on that front.

That's about it for this week. Keep those cards, letters, and comments coming. Thanks to Becky for being our first commenter in quite some time. I hope someone is still reading this stuff.