Slow Start, Great End

This week started off really slow, but it ended pretty well.  Sunday was a bit more restful then it was the week before.  We had the FHE/Home Teaching combo again this week.  More of the married couples came, and it was good to be able to see everyone.

Monday was a pretty good day.  I did wake up with a terrible earache, but by around 2pm it was no longer bothering me.  Around 10:30am there was suddenly air raid sirens blaring.  I remember looking up, thinking “oh well, this is China after all”, then putting my head back down and working again.  You just get used to weird stuff while living in China.  Later I found out the sirens were to commemorate the attack on Nanjing by the Japanese in WWII.

The day wrapped up with FHE at the Hales.  It was actually really fun.  We all just talked about various experiences we had with our life.  We also played a couple rounds of psychiatrist.  We ended FHE with sundaes from McDonalds.  A very happy FHE if you ask me!

 

On Tuesday I finally watched a Chinese movie that did not end sadly.  It is called 剑雨.  It is actually a really good movie, and I would encourage anyone to watch it.  It was a little hard to follow at first since there was so much language that was Buddhist.  Still I really enjoyed it.

Tuesday was also the day that the weather got cold.  There was actually snow mixed in with the rain.  I was not a fan.  It isn’t as cold as Utah, but when the wind blows it cuts right through all that I am wearing, and it is freezing.

 

Wednesday was more of the usual.  I accidentally slept in and got ready and to the bus stop for English in about 20 minutes.  Quite an impressive feat if you ask me.

Thursday was also pretty slow, but at night I went over to the Shurilla’s and played some games with the boys.  It was a lot of fun.

 

Friday was a really slow day.  For breakfast I had french toast, which is the first thing I have actually “cooked” in my kitchen.  It actually turned out really well.  I like the sweater Chinese breads when it comes to french toast.  I did realize they I had nothing to put on them, and no forks to eat them anyways.  So I poured Hershey's chocolate syrup on them, and ate them like normal pieces of toast.  They were actually pretty darn good.

In the afternoon I went shopping with Trevor to find Christmas gifts for some secret Santas that are happening soon.  It was fun, and we got some pretty good deals.  Trevor tried to eat everything in sight, which was something else fun to watch.  I certainly found some stuff I might by and send home.

After that I headed to the Farely’s for their Christmas party.  It was a lot of fun, and the popcorn and cookies were just heavenly.  Those cookies were some of the best I have had in years, mmmhh…. chocolate chip…

After the party on the way home two interesting things happened.  The first was after Trevor got off the train and two of the girls by us started talking about how me and Trevor were not together.  Of course they didn’t think I could understand what they were saying.  I thought for a second whether I really wanted to tease them for this, and eventually decided that I did, so I offered my seat to the one girl still standing up.  I made sure to speak just enough Chinese so that she would be sure I could speak Chinese just fine.  The two were so embarrassed when they realized I had understood them.  They huddled together and continued talking about it, and laughing.  It was funny.  I probably shouldn’t tease Chinese girls so much, but it is fun and easy.

The other cool thing was seen after I left the subway.  The tallest building in Nanjing had all the lights around it on.  They were all blue.  Around the building other spotlights were waving around it.  It looked really awesome.  I found out later it was because the building was finally starting to be used.

 

Saturday also had nothing interesting happen until late afternoon.  For dinner me and Trevor went and got some really good Malaysian curry.  It was really good.  Still not as good as Tai curry though, but later that night I did see a place that just might have Tai curry…

After dinner Trevor, his roommate, and I went and did Karaoke.  It was a lot of fun.  By the end of the two hours I couldn’t sing anymore, my voice was just thrashed.  It was awesome!

 

So that was what happened this week.  It was pretty darn good.  To answer questions from my family about Christmas gifts, I would say don’t get me anything for now, or if you do DO NOT SEND IT TO ME.  For all we know I will come home on the 15th, and even if I don’t I just don’t have the room in my suitcase to bring home anything you send to me.  I am already at weight limits when I got her, and if I bring back anything from here I will be over.  It is already something I worry about, so please don’t add anything more.

 

 

As for what I have been pondering this week, for the first time in weeks it hasn’t only been about what to do in regards to next semester :)  This week I have been thinking a lot about the value of souls, and how little we seem to understand this concept.

As all of us know we are children of God.  This alone makes our souls of more value than most people on earth give them credit for.  Even more than that we came here as obedient children of God, willing to follow the plan he gave all of us.  As such our value is higher than I think nearly anyone thinks it is.

Two situations that made me really think of this were as follows:  When talking with a friend, I said that I had a similar to experience to one he had.  Jokingly, but with some truth to it, he said “stop it, you are making me feel less special.”  How silly of us to think that an experience is somehow tied to our worth.  How could something so transitory truly effect something so permanent?

The second was reading another article about a mother who had a child born with disabilities.  She then talked about how it was a blessing that she could have a child that while mentally limited, was so easily able to show forth love and other Christ-like attributes.  I know some of you are not going to like this statement, but while her statement didn’t cross the line, it reminded me of how often in Mormon culture we are apt to put disabled into some kind of super moral category.

Nowhere in scripture, ancient or modern, can I find any support for the fact that disabled children are somehow the first class citizens in Gods kingdom, given those bodies because they were the best of gods children, and best able to handle them.  To me this is absolutely ridiculous, for this very thought put those of us born into normal circumstances as some kind of lesser being.  I refuse to think  that Joseph Smith, and other prophets were somehow what was the best spirits left over after those “too valiant” spirits were given disabled bodies.  It is just ridiculous.

Now in my dislike of this concept I actually have no disagreement with the state of those disabled children of God.  I think the core of the idea they are trying to express is correct, I just think that in their attempt to express it they add a lot that is not true.  My problem with this though is not that I think it puts disabled people too high, but rather that through this sentiment we fail to understand the value that we personally have.  There value is in no-way defined by the physical and mental limitations they have, just as ours is no way defined by the lack of those limitations.  We are equally children of god and of equal in value.  Those born without these defects are often just as caring and Christ like as those born disabled, but somehow we fail to see it.

That is what the core of my thoughts on value is, we just do not realize the value we have as souls.  We spend so much time being proud, comparing ourselves to each other precisely because we do not understand our own value.  If we did we would realize that it is completely unrelated to how we compare to others, and rather is something innate to us.  Something that has becomes a part of who we are.  Our values as souls is not transient, something to be lost over a little mistake, and not to be gained by a couple of good acts.  But rather it is the accumulation of all that we have become.  And that is precisely why it is so great.

We just like the disabled, the “noble savages”, and all of God’s children are of great value.  The problem we have in our society is not overrating any one groups values and likeness to God, but rather our inability to see this value in all of them.

I personally hope that I can become the person that sees as God does, on the heart of people.  I hope that I can stop looking at people, and seeing their physical and mental challenges and accomplishments, and using this to judge them.  I wish to be able to see as God does, and see the spirits of light that are God’s children.  When I see with God’s eyes, I see the infinite value of those around me, I only hope that some day I will stop relying so on my own eyes and my own understanding, and instead come to see as God does.

 

Wow, I am really jealous of Moroni.  He only had to feel like his writing was inadequate to express what he wanted, but I feel that both my writing and speaking are equally inadequate.  How I yearn for the day when we can have a purer form of communication.  Until then I will just have to pray that the Lord can help you feel what I am trying to say, and that you will not dwell on my inadequacy in expressing it.

 

Well, that is enough for me today.  It is time for me to write an email to Dr. Bougerie about my plans to return home, something I am not to happy to be doing =/  I hope that you are all enjoying your Christmas break.  Merry Christmas to you all!