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| In Mugumuyu |
Hello everyone! So this week was quite the experience, I had another exchange and we had Chinese new year, which has been awesome.
First things first, last p day we biked 45 minutes out to a beautiful place at the opening of a gorge called 慕谷慕魚, pronounced "moo goo moo ü" (for the ü you hold your tongue close to the roof of your mouth and say an "e" while making an oh with your mouth). It's pretty funny to look it up on Google maps because the "魚" literally means fish, and the other three characters I guess are imitating the aboriginal name for the place, so the English on maps ends up being "mugumu fish", which we probably found a little too funny but oh well 
Anyway, there we went to a famous aboriginal knife shop, which did not disappoint. There were HUNDREDS of handmade traditional knives that were all way sick, we spent a ton of time there it was so hard to decide (and of course I bought one, which was about $80, which is pricey, but I can't think of very many cooler things I'm going to be able to buy here!) . We learned a lot about aboriginal culture and the different tribes represented in their selection, which was super cool.
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| The aboriginal knife shop and the knife that Elder Ogden purchased. (Side note from Missionary Mom Des...I am not sure what Elder Ogden is planning on doing with this knife, but I guess it is pretty cool as far as knives are concerned. Lol.) |
As for 過年- guònián, or Chinese new year, we've had quite an interesting time. At this time of year no matter where they are, Chinese people return to their home town to be with family (and eat A TON of food). It's really cool. As a result of that tradition of the season though, missionary work as we usually do it becomes extremely ineffective. The streets are almost empty. All the shops, aside from big chain stores, are closed. It's rare for any investigator to be willing to meet. It feels very stagnant. What we end up being asked to do here is DEEP clean our apartment, which has been a very enlightening experience we'll call it....
Haha
The great thing about 過年 (Chinese New Year) though is that the members all sign up to have the missionaries over for a meal, at which we can eat delicious food (except the sea food and pigs foot...) and really strengthen the members and our relationships with them. It's been really cool to get to get to know them better, to meet friends and family members of them, and to learn about the culture send this time of year. There's a saying they have for 過年 that my dad taught me that has been really fun to use, and it's the subject of my email. People will congratulate each other and wish them a prosperous year saying "恭喜發財！" (Gōngxǐ fācái-congratulations, "Get rich!"), and a common joke is to reply with the rhyme "紅包拿來！" (Hóngbāo nálái- "Give me the red envelope!" ) This references the red envelopes with gifts of money and things that get exchanged during the festival.
Spiritual thought: So, in light of the huge focus we've had on new missionary work, I read a talk by Elder Oaks called "Sharing the Restored Gospel", simply enough, and it was way good. One thing that really stood out to me was when he said: “Missionary work is not just one of the 88 keys on a piano that is occasionally played; it is a major chord in a compelling melody that needs to be played continuously throughout our lives if we are to remain in harmony with our commitment to Christianity and the gospel of Jesus Christ.” As we have been meeting with members, we share this scripture from 3 Nephi 18:24-25:
"Therefore, hold up your light that it may shine unto the world. Behold I am the light which ye shall hold up—that which ye have seen me do. Behold ye see that I have prayed unto the Father, and ye all have witnessed. And ye see that I have commanded that none of you should go away, but rather have commanded that ye should come unto me, that ye might feel and see; even so shall ye do unto the world; and whosoever breaketh this commandment suffereth himself to be led into temptation."
All of this has just made me think about why we do what we do. Why we as missionaries come out here and why we as members are asked to go out and invite people to come unto Christ. I came to the conclusion that honestly, the answer, and our motivation, should be as simple as this: only through following the example of Jesus Christ can we achieve our maximum potential for happiness and fulfillment, and because we strive to follow Him we to want that happiness for everyone!
Everyone has the light of Christ inherently in them, and when we make letting that light shine a part of our every day activities, no matter what challenges come our way we have a firm foundation on Him that keeps us from being swept away in the storm, and we can know everything will work out in the end for those who have that strong foundation. We've been inviting members here to think of one person for whom they can do at least one thing that will be meeting their light shine, allowing them to be the hand of the Lord in their friend's life! I want to invite you all to do the same and make that not just a one time thing but a way of life! I need to work on it too, but as I've tried to implement this invite myself I've definitely seen more light and fulfillment in my life, and I know you will too!
我愛你們大家!-wǒ ài nǐmen dà jiā, I love you all!
Elder Joshua Ogden
Missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
Missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
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| More pictures of Mugumuyu |
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| Elder Ogden's caption for this picture was...Yum🤢 |
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