Attitude of Gratitude

This past week here in Taidong was pretty good. Elder Neidfeldt and I were able to see some great miracles and learn some important lessons.
I will start first with the miracles: 

We met with our 11 year old investigator name Lin Feng Xiu this past week. He is the son of a recently returning less active sister in our branch. He has been coming to church with his mom for about the past 4 or 5 weeks. We started the lessons with him and invited him to baptism on Saturday. When we first asked him if he knew what baptism was he said "its a new start in life!" we were pretty surprised he already knew that. Then we taught him the rest about it and invited him to follow Jesus Christ and be baptized. His reply? "YES! I really want to be baptized!" He didn't look to his mom or anything. This was totally from his own desire. I was truly filled with joy from hearing his reaction and decision to be baptized! His date is set for the 28th of this month and im sure he will be able to make it. Elder Niedfeldt and I are sooo excited!

Another miracle: we were finding on Sunday night and up to this point in the week we didnt have too much success in finding, so we were really praying that God could lead us to his prepared children. There was a family that we had tracted into the week before who had let us in and listened to a message, but because they were more devout Buddhists they didn't seem to show great interest. But we went back last night and met with them again. They had really changed! They allowed us to pray with them and the wife even said she would pray. They also told us how they really want to come to our church and are going to try and come this next week. One again, Elder Niedfeldt and I were humbled by the experience and understanding that the lord prepares His children according to His time. And now we have a new investigating family!!! It was a pretty cool experience, especially since it was a straight down pour of rain that night when we were finding.

Another great lesson that Elder Niedfeldt and I have learned this past week is the importance of prayers of gratitude. As we were on exchanges this past week with Elder Glaittli and Forbes, Elder Forbes gave Elder Niedfeldt an invite for us to say prayers of gratitude after we see success in finding whether we find a new investigator, get someone's phone number, or even talk to a nice person. We have started to do so and truly we have been feeling a difference. I have really noticed that the spirit is more fully with us and they I am more humble and understanding of these people. I think it has made finding much more happy! I'm grateful that Elder Forbes gave us this invite. I know that expressing thanks to our Heavenly Father frequently is so important. Sometimes we get caught up in seeing what our life is missing or focusing on what our struggles and challenges are, and seem to look right past the many blessing that the Lord has already given us. This type of thinking can blind our lives and lead us to live in sorrow, but as I can testify and Elder Uchtdorf did in conference that as we focus on having an attitude of gratitude the Spirit will permeate our lives and new measure of happiness will flood in.

Well this about sums its up for the week. Hope everyone is doing well at home!

Love you all!

Elder Bastian