Another Week, Another Foot Fungus :)

Yes, as the title states, the Funk (as it's lovingly called here in our mission) has decided to ravage my feet again. Super awesome...not.

Anywho, this has been a good week. Chinese New Year is still going on strong; we had our branch's Chinese New Year Party this past Saturday night. That was super fun, and I got ang pao! (For those of you who know what those are :) ). Another fun fact about Chinese New Year: Me and my companion are currently having a debate as to which of us is Mariah Carey and which of us is Whitney Houston in the song "When You Believe" from the Prince of Egypt. Pretty fun :) Now that you've had an awkward glimpse into the unknown lives of missionaries, we'll be moving on.... :)

This morning during Personal Study, I had the opportunity to read from Jacob 1:7, which says:

"Wherefore we labored diligently among our people, that we might persuade them to come unto Christ, and partake of the goodness of God, that they might enter into his rest, lest by any means he should swear in his wrath they should not enter in, as in the provocation in the days of temptation while the children of Israel were in the wilderness."

We can cross-reference this scripture to D&C 84:23-25. I won't quote it right now, but you should definitely go read it. In it, we learn that the "rest" that Jacob speaks of and that the Lord talks to Joseph Smith about is actually the "fulness of His glory". The Lord was, in the days when the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness, trying to have them seek His face. He wanted the children of Israel to stand in His presence, sanctified and holy. They hardened their hearts, though, and were unable to endure His presence. 

However, we, in this day and age, with all of the covenants and blessings, even the fulness of the everlasting Gospel, at our disposal, need not be hardened in our hearts. As we learn from the song, "Sweet Hour of Prayer": "...He bids me seek His face, believe His word, and trust His grace". As we do these things, we will enter into the rest of the Lord, even the fulness of His glory. 

I love you all and hope that you have a magnificent week! Remember who you are and what you stand for! :)

Till we chat again,

Mai Zhanglao :)