Cindy

Earlier this week I went teaching with the Richmond Sisters—Shahamati (from Canada, Iranian heritage) and Mathialagan (from India).  We went to visit Cindy, a woman from mainland China.  We have been meeting with her for a long time, and a couple of months ago we were going to ‘reflect’ her.  That is the nice new missionary word for dropping them.  This was my second lesson with her, and I was pretty nervous, never being part of a ‘reflecting’ lesson.  By the time the lesson was over, it was clear that they should not reflect her.  So, we have persisted.  The lessons have been sporadic, and the Sisters teaching has changed as well.  I even texted her myself once just to see how she was doing.  Her husband left for China about 2 months ago, to work their business.  He will be there for an extended period of time. She has a lot of responsibility because she works and has two young sons 12 and 5.  It is understandably difficult handling all of this by herself.  They are in contact fairly often with FaceTime.  A couple of weeks ago I went to another lesson, this time with Shahamati and Gamble and McKee (the Sister Training Leader).  It was a good lesson, but we never seem to make much progress.  When we would try to talk to her about God, she tells us—I say ‘tells us’ because she has told us this same thing many times- that she feels like she has to do everything on her own.  If anything gets done, it has to be done by her, no one helps her, she does not feel like God is there helping her, she is alone in her duties and responsibilities.  It’s really sad to me that she feels like this.  I suggested that we do everything we can, and the Lord magnifies our efforts and we are able to do much more than we really could do all by ourselves.  This effort was to no avail.  She has maintained that she does it all by herself.  After the lesson, Sister McKee suggested that they turn her over to the Chinese-speaking Sisters.  They both speak English, but for the times when she just can’t quite describe how she feels, or does not really understand what the sisters are teaching her, the Chinese sisters could communicate with her in her native tongue.  I felt at the time like that was pure inspiration.  It was what Cindy needed.  So that was the new plan.

When we went last night, I went in with Shahamati and Mathialagan.  They were there for about 10 minutes, and the Chinese sisters arrived—Sister Yeung (Hong Kong) and Sister Edvalson (American Fork—adopted from China).  Then Sisters Shahamati and Mathialagan left.  It was a smooth transition.  We met Cindy’s parents, who have come over from China to help her, and will be here until September 30.  She says she can’t go to church while they are here, but she will come as soon as they leave. 

So we are reading in Alma 32, discussing faith.  Faith is a difficult word to describe, and there is also the language barrier.  She wants to do everything in English, because English is the language of Canada.  The sisters gave her an English and Chinese Book of Mormon, but her husband took the Book of Mormon to China with him on this last trip.  She wants it all to be in English.  So we are talking about faith, and belief in God.  She again brings up that we are all on our own, no one is there to help us, etc.  Sister Edvalson then says to her.  It is like your little boy.  He wants to do things all by himself.  You let him, but you watch over him.  You make sure he is safe.  He continues by himself, but you (Cindy) are there, and she holds her hand out with her palms up, showing how Cindy would be ready to catch him if he were to fall.  Then, she compares this experience to the way our Heavenly Father watches over us.  He watches us as we perform our tasks.  He is there, even if we don’t’ know.  He is standing by, and is ready to catch us if we fall.  It was the most amazing thing.  I saw the understanding come into Cindy’s eyes.  She got it!  She said, I heard what you said and I am happy.   It was soon time for us to go, and she asked them to leave her an assignment, like a teacher.  They asked her to continue reading Alma 32, but she said it is too big.  So Sister Edvalson suggested verses 27-29 and verses 42-43.  Then she said, why don’t we read it together in Chinese, then when you are studying it during the week, you can read it in English.  Cindy agreed, and read it herself.  It was brilliant.  Cindy was a different person.  She suggested that we meet next week at the same time.  She was the one suggesting when we meet.  It felt like she was finally progressing.   I thought of this scripture:

D and C 90:11 - For it shall come to pass in that day, that every an shall hear the fullness of the gospel in his own tongue, and in his own language, through those who are ordained unto this power, by the administration of the Comforter, shed forth upon them for the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Hearing the gospel in her own language made all the difference.  I don’t’ know where things will go from here, but it was a breakthrough.   The church is true.  These young missionaries are so inspired.  Loving life in Canada.