Today is Mother's Day and it was a lovely hot summer-like day. Xi'an is now experiencing its annual spring/summer influx of visitors. Our little 21-person branch swelled to double its size with tourists--two dads from Homer, Alaska traveling through China with their teenage daughters and an amazing large group of doctors here from Utah and other western states to perform surgeries on Starfish's babies to repair their cleft pallets and hare lips. What a wonderful group of men who had left the comforts of their profitable medical practices to come to China at their own expense to bless little lives.
These little children, often "thrown away" because they are perceived as somehow "broken" are being given a change to be made outwardly whole because of the skills and talents used by those who are willing to so serve.
Today in our Sunday School class we were studying lesson 17 in the New Testament--"What Shall I Do That I May Inherit Eternal Life." The subject matter seemed to me to be particularly appropriate as we read from Mark 10 of the rich young man who longed for eternal life yet who went away sorrowing when the Lord, who "loved him" instructed him to sell whatsoever he had, give it to the poor, and follow him. He just couldn't sacrifice the world when he had "great possessions." The challenge of covetousness and a love of riches with its temptation to focus on the world seems to be ever with us. Certainly that temptation is abundant in China as the gap between rich and poor ever widens and deepens.
With little foundational principles to keep them safe from the adversary's lures of the great and spacious building with all its worldly delights, many of them, as one concerned grad student expressed it to me at English Corner this week, have no barriers through which they will not push past in order to gain wealth. If it means (as has happened) that they market formula laced with cheap white chalk rather than milk powder in order to increase their profit margin, so be it. After all the population is so great, if a few babies die, it is a good thing! What a contrast to these good men, here to bless lives, giving of their time, talents, and energy. As Mark 10 goes on to teach, it is impossible for the rich who trust in riches to gain eternal life, but with those who trust in God, all things are possible (JST Mark 10:27). It was a happy thing to see the wonderful side of that contrast today.
Another happy part of our meetings was our Relief Society. It is my turn to arrange for lessons and conduct and I had asked Xiaoyu Belnap to teach the lesson concerning Developing our Talents. She is a fairly recent convert--a Chinese married to John's tall, red-headed, second counselor. A mom of a two-year old, still trying to figure out the gospel, motherhood, and all the interesting challenges the gospel brings into our lives as we embrace it. She did an awesome job with the lesson, full of funny little stories of her own struggles to figure things out. Amanda Delange, there from the beginning when Xiaoyu first joined and then married Patrick and came to Xi'an told of Xiaoyu's inability to so much as give a prayer in English.
Yet here she was, growing, as we all do, by accepting the assignments we are asked to do, and in the process finding our potential to grow and develop those God-given capacities. I couldn't help but think of D&C 46:9-15 about spiritual gifts (talents!) that we are given "that all might be benefited." We don't all have all the gifts, "for there are many" but we are all given a gift and we are blessed by our own and others around us as we use them. I am deeply grateful that it is so. I like to think forward to some future day, when the time is right, when the Lord will bring about his purposes in this vast land and think of the power that Xiaoyu and Ning Ning and the other Chinese members of this Church (those we don't even know about) will be as they become more and more seasoned in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Following our meeting block we enjoyed our monthly branch potluck and had fun with the visiting and sharing that is always further enhanced with good food--goodies from Amanda's kitchen made by her volunteers (she says cooking is definitely not her talent), cobb salad makings, bbq beef and potato salad, with a little touch of Chinese veggies to add some variety, even homemade bread that Ning Ning has become an expert in baking--developing a new talent--The Chinese don't typically do much with bread.
We came home and crashed for a much needed nap--our usual Sunday afternoon activity--but with happy hearts for having been part of the events of the day.
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