From Jon 8/21/2008

Subject: Cov dej uas kho mob

Nyob zoo!
John Powell's baptism went wonderfully! He was baptized in the Kickapoo River on the 16th. I am glad we were able to get someone to drive us down there, as it is an hour away. I have pictures, but I can't get them to you this week.
John is very happy and very excited. He gave a talk the Sunday of his confirmation that left not an eye dry.
Zone Conference rocked. It was one of the best I've had. It was about using time wisely and planning and goals.
At Zone Conference we learned about some changes in the rules, including: no board games except chess and checkers, and those games must only be on p-day or when waiting for transfer calls and may not continue past that day; no card games; no keeping score in sports; no more EFY music, only Mo-Tab and Hymns in their original form (no re-mixes), only spiritual Christmas music, and Christmas music is only allowed after thanksgiving; and a few other things. These adjustments will help us have the spirit stronger and help us focus.

In sacrament meeting I happen to glance over the shoulder of the little boy in front of me and I noticed the author of the article he was reading in The Friend was strikingly familiar. He was reading "Benjamin's Name" by Annette Bay Pimentel. Have you seen that article? Neat stuff.

I came across a painting in the ensign called "They Put Their Trust in God" by Walter Rane and I really like it. It is of Helaman's "little army" after one of the great battles in which they fought. The Ensign only shows half the picture; words cover the rest.
As much as I love brother Friberg and his work, I feel his portrayal of the stripling warriors makes them seem like rippling warriors, and you don't get to appreciate how much faith they had and how much of a miracle it is that they were preserved. These were very young men who had never fought before against an innumerable host of strong and seasoned adult warriors. Rane's painting seems a lot more like how I imagined it, and really conveys more to me of what is important about that story. How can I get a printout/poster of that painting?

Did I tell you about Lori? I think I might have. She is a new investigator whom we met right after her mother died and she was just thinking of how lonely she was and how much she wished she could talk to someone else who believed in Christ when we biked by. She has had some traumatic experiences in her life including getting shot in the face with a silenced Glock which put her in a coma for a few months. She is really excited about the gospel and felt the spirit a lot when we were teaching her. She is an avid Bible student and compares translations with the Hebrew etc. to try to find the truth because she recognized that the Bible is sometimes unclear and can appear to contradict itself. She was thrilled to hear that there is a prophet and more scripture that hasn't been tampered with. She's coming to church this week.

Richard is progressing very well. He now feels the BoM is true, but doesn't KNOW it. We set a goal for him to work toward being baptized on the 9th of September. I love being a missionary.

Tell grandpa hi for me, and tell him I love him!

-Elder Moua Ying