This week we began teaching a Shaman. That is a little different than just another
person who follows the traditional Hmong animism. It is equivalent to teaching paid clergy. His income revolves around his spiritual
practices. That aside though, he is letting
us teach him and we aren't keeping any secrets about where we see this all
going---baptism. His name is Khai, he
has been in the states since the mid-90s, and he is very intrigued by the Book
of Mormon and the joint concepts of apostasy and dispensation. That is a miracle. I bought a Hmong story book at the New Years
that I have been using in language study, and in the initial contact with Khai
we talked about some of the folklore, and that is a big part of why he let us
start visiting. It is so neat when you
know that God has prepared you to meet someone.
We were tracting the Hmong families out of a neighborhood (a
very long process, but an enjoyable one) and within minutes of arriving there a
saleswoman from a solar company ran up to us and asked if we were Mormons. We said yes and she said that she used to go
to church as a young girl. She had never
been baptized, and said that she had heard some rumors about the church that
she didn't like and wanted to fact-check.
They were very standard questions about some commonly misunderstood
aspects of church history. We answered
here to the extent that we were qualified too and began to answer her last
question "can I have one of those pamphlets?" by teaching her the
message of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. She loved it, took the pamphlet and a copy of
the Book of Mormon, and we are handing her off to the YSA elders in Fresno to
do the teaching. Heavenly Father puts us
in the right places at the right time.
God leads us and guides us.
One of my favorite things about missionary work is that it has taught me
to be aware of that influence. God loves
us and watches over us. I know this.
Count your many blessings this week!
Elder Cummings
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