Email Home April 18th --8 more days!

It's hard to focus when I'm being taken out or going to a members home for 2 or 3 meals a day! But we're still working. We'll be meeting with a new investigator tonight :) We only know her as Mary. She's from English class.

So, I went to the temple to do baptisms for the dead... turns out my recommend was expired. So I sat on a bench by the entrance by the guy who checks your recommend while everyone else went in. It made me think, I've got to remember to keep everything in check because I don't wanna be waiting outside the Celestial Kingdom when everyone else is headed in.

On Sunday I decided I didn't feel like wearing my glasses... Then when I got into sacrament meeting I realized there were too many faces and I couldn't distinguish who was who. And then the Bishop came down during the congregational hymn and asked me to give a farewell talk at the end of sacrament meeting. I talked about how just like I need my glasses to get through everyday, we all need the Lord every day. We can't go one day thinking we'll be fine without him.

Well, LOve ya! see ya soon!

--

• Elder Benjamin James Eddy
• 狄俊明长老

Email Home April 11th 2011

Well, going home doesn't seem like a big looming scary thing to me anymore. In fact, it feels that that's just what I'm supposed to do. I guess the way my mind was thinking was that on my mission I can give full attention to serving the Lord but afterwards I have to switch my focus to other things. But as I've been praying and studying I've realized that I have serve the Lord just as well off my mission as I can on. The Lord wants me to get and education, to prepare to get married, to get a job. All of those are still ways of fulfilling his commandments. My focus is still gonna be finding what God wants me to do and doing it.

The greatest thing I think I've learned is that being obedient and working hard is not for myself. It's to help me become the person God wnats me to be so I can help others. That knowledge is going to be a springboard for everything I do. All the skills and tools I gain in school and the success I have in work are all to acheive that. I'm staying focused and helping the other missionaries too.

I don't know when I need to go to DC. I tihnk I'll wait until I'm home to figure that out. But maybe the end of may. There's still lots of details about teh work I don't have yet and asked Cui Xiao Feng about it last week but he hasn't had a chance to email me back yet. I got the suit.

I attached some pictures from Jing's baptism, and Chen Yi Di's from the weeks before. Chen Yi Di wasn't in our teaching pool but he wanted to take some pictures. He's also from Chang Le (lots of people I really like are from there)... It's too bad it's really far from Xi'an. Hope I can go there someday :)

Let Grandma and Grandpa know I love them and pray for them!

Love you all!

Elder Benjamin James Eddy

• 狄俊明长老

Email Home April 4th 2011

Conference was great! and Jing, who's been investigating since September, was baptized. The testimony she shared at her baptism was amazing. The Relief Society Presidency was there and they were SO impressed and happy to welcome her. She tends to have a hard time making new friends but everybody was SO willing to take her in.

I feel a lot better about going home now. Even excited. I think a lot of it is because Dillon Maughan sent me a letter and it just helped me realize that no matter where I am God has something for me to do and people for me to help.

Making marriage a priority, like they said in conference, kinda worries me a little. I still feel so young and unprepared... But it is what the Lord wants me to do. I also really loved all the talks about service. Conference really inspired me to be like Captain Moroni who used all his power and influence to glorify God and help his fellow-man.

I have to go to DC because we live in Idaho (http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/zmzlglj/t84229.htm) or else I'd pick New York or LA. And I'll probably want to visit the family in California.

Thank you for all your support and love! I'll see you in a few weeks!Elder Benjamin James Eddy

• 狄俊明长老

(To Elizabeth)

Yeah, the General authorities have been called 'to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant' (Jeremiah 1:10)

and they do their job. It definitely makes me want to really be productive after my mission. It's hard not to be now but I know how easy it was for me to be lazy back home. But I'm excited to go and try. Scared that marriage needs to be a priority for me now... Really scared. 23 days? crazy. I guess it's 22 now right? well, see ya soon!

--

• Elder Benjamin James Eddy
• 狄俊明长老

Email Home March 21st 2011

An other's week's gone by. We had transfers and for my last transfer I'll be staying with Elder Hanson. Elder Long and Elder Kwok came from Brooklyn after nearly a year of service there for the two of them. It was the first time for either of them to leave an area or teaching pool. But the two of them are exited to be here and working hard.

Jing's doing great and set to be baptized on General Conference Sunday.

I had a dream last night that us missionaries were in a hospital trying to rescue Elder Greiner who went home last week because he got cancer. The hospital we were in was full of lasers and ninja security guards. After we got out we ran to a house that was under construction and I fell asleep on a mattress there. I peed the bed in it and was really embarrassed because everyone saw. Then I woke up and thought I had really wet the bed but turns out I hadn't... A few nights ago I was being chased by wolves in my dream and found out they could speak Fuchowese (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuzhou_dialect), so, in my broken fuchow I told them to eat someone else and they left me alone I got away.

Sang Yanf Yang got the aaronic priesthood yesterday. Kevin Lin, Jason An, and Bob Tut are starting melch. priesthood prep classes. woo!

My time is short but I'll let you know I love you and see ya in a few weeks!

Email Home March 14th 2011

That's awesome about Megan. I hope I'll be home for that! Thanks for that email about trusting people. I know I've just gotta focus on doing the right thing and not worry about the consequences. Thanks.

I wish I could know a little bit more about the tsunami and what not but I'll find out soon enough.
I still haven't got the extension... Hopefully it'll come soon.Matt's in London? Cool. I'd really love to go to the British Isles. People in New York love to ask where you're from, usually meaning your forebearers. I'll have to head to France, Sweden, and Switzerland too then. I wanna see my ancestral homeland. Chinese people have a great love for their ancestors and even members of the church will maintain traditions of burning fake money and clothes for them on New Years. In Confucius thought, like the restored gospel, the family is the most basic and most important unit of society. Confucius taught that to spread peace around the earth you must first cultivate yourself, then your family, then your community, then the world. But If you succeed in self and family the rest just naturally follows. Brigham Young taught if you want Zion it has to first exist in your heart and then your home. The President of Taiwan quoted (I don't remember which prophet)'s saying 'no success can compensate for failure in the home'. It's no wonder that the KMT wanted to eliminate the organization of family. I watched a video on mormon.org about an artist. he said 'some people think family is a good way/good thing. I think it's the only way'. I love the gospel and I love you all. I don't have to question your intentions but have full faith and trust in you and I'm glad we're all in this together. The sealing power is amazing.

I love you all!

• Elder Benjamin James Eddy
• 狄俊明长老

Pictures March 7th 2011

Email Home February 28th 2011

(General)

I still don't know anything about China. Sorry. ONce I do I'll be sure to let you know.

Something that's been tough on my mission since... last spring or summer. Is my ability to trust in others. A lot of it had to do with the whole green card thing (people joining the church to get a green card)... But I guess it hurt most last summer when it was an investigator that I felt I really gave my all to help him come unto Christ turned out to ... initially be for a green card. It's something that's kind of left me very weary of trusting others. My patriarchal blessing has a line that says 'some who you've trusted may prove to be false'. My hope is that no matter what people's initial intentions are that I can be an instrument in bringing the atonement into their lives and that in doing that their hearts will change... I feel if they no I care and feel God's love thay will change. That's the aatonement.

Today Chen Long and Chace will be coming from Brooklyn to visit me. I told Elizabeth this too, but I feel before my mission I was a pretty prideful and self righteously exclusive person. But my mission has helped me so much to see the good in others. In everyone. And also to see the good I can when I recognize the good in myself. That's one reason I'm just a little worried to leave. I think I've had more friends here than I've had most of my life and I don't wanna leave them. I guess it's a good thing that modern technology makes keeping in touch easier. And there will be people for me to love and help nomatter where I am.

I can't wait to go home and see you all and Cami. I love you all!

--

• Elder Benjamin James Eddy

(To Elizabeth)

I'm a horse, so maybe it was because this year's the year of the rabbit?

Yeah... I'm almost done. It's super super super weird. I feel so torn sometimes between here and there. But it's not a desire to go home as much of a desire to stay here. Looking back I tihnk I was a pretty exclusive person - pharasaic if you will. I honestly feel I've overcome a lot of personal flaws for other people and in doing so I've been able to make a lot of friends. I think I have a lot more friends here (not just missionaries but members and investigators) than I did back home... But on the other hand it'll be fun to try out my new self back home. Like the Hobbits going back at the end of the Lord of the Rings.

Good luck with everything going on. Maybe we can learn how to cook chinese food together when I get home. I need something to fill up my time. I'm scared of laziness!

We have an investigator, Jing. She used to be pretty scary to teach but she's changed so much. She's become such an optimistic and cheerful person. I love seeing people change. I gave a talk yesterday and read the 13th article of faith. One of the best things I've learned to do in my mission is look for the things that are 'virtuous, lovely, of good report or praiseworthy' in others and helping them bring that out. In doing so I've also found that it helps me sort through the good and bad within myself. Have a great day!

I love you,

Elder Benjamin James Eddy

• 狄俊明长老