Wherever You Go

One of the very best things for us here has been church. Just as I know that no matter where I am in the world the sun will still shine down on me in just the same way, I know I will instantly feel welcomed by a church family. A Mormon is a Mormon wherever you are- it is home to the soul. I don't have to adjust myself or get used to something new, it's all the same. We're all on the same page- I feel like I could begin a discussion with someone at home, and finish with someone here.

Although very consistent, church in China does provide for a different feeling. I feel so much more gratitude that I am able to be there. I feel sad that I can't share my faith with others. I feel a yearning for the temple. Yesterday I felt so happy when the Branch President announced that a new congregation had been formed in a nearby city.

Yesterday was Fast and Testimony meeting (the first Sunday of the month, the meeting is open to members of the congregation to come forward and share their testimonies of the Gospel). A little girl, maybe 7 or 8, came forward. She had to stand on a chair to reach the pulpit, and even then we could only see the top of her head. She then began to share the most beautiful testimony I have ever heard, and everyone in the room was in awe. She very tearfully told us about how her dad couldn't find a job here in China, and it was very hard for their family- she remembered the night her mom told her he had found a job and she was so grateful to Heavenly Father for helping them. She sincerely expressed how she learned that Heavenly Father loves her and will take care of her and her family no matter where they are in the world. I have never heard a child her age cry in this way, and her tears brought all of us to tears.

I think there was no better way to remind all of us of this fact than through the testimony of a child.