5/6/13 "We're your friends!"

"We're your friends! We're your friends! We're your friends to the bitter end!"

(paula's note:  this is a song sung by vultures in the Disney movie "Jungle Book")  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEvoKVrrhf4

While we were biking down the street one day, we saw some vultures doing their business to some roadkill at the side of the road. Elder Fulton and I stopped to watch for a minute or two in horrified fascination. We all know that vultures eat dead things, just like we all know that cats catch mice, but to actually see them do such things is a different story. It was fun to watch, in a gross sort of way. Maybe it's because I'm a guy. One thing the Jungle Book did do right is that vultures really do hop when they walk.

Suffice it to say, it's been an interesting week. Elder Fulton and I were happily going about our business this week, when suddenly a middle-aged lady in a car pulled up in front of us and rolled down her window. 

"Hey! I love you guys!" she said in a thick Chinese accent. She quickly introduced herself to us as Betty, quickly explaining that we had knocked on her door the other day and that she had moved here from Hong Kong 7 years ago. She informed us that she was already saved, but she invited us to come attend the Asian Festival at the nearby park on Saturday, where we could watch her compete in the Dragon Boat racing. She then said, "God loves you! Don't let people get you down!" and drove off, leaving us somewhat stunned at what happened.

So, we accepted her generous invitation and met up with Betty the following Saturday, where we (briefly) observed some Dragon Boat races, which are basically teams of rowers on long, thin boats. At the head of each boat sits a drummer, which, of course, brought back Ben-Hur memories. (Duhhhhh-duh! Deeduhhhh-duh!) It was pretty fun to watch, and I took a few videos during our short stay there. To win, you have to row at Ramming Speed. After one particular race, we met with Betty again, and she gave us a few Gatorades and invited us to come see her at her house at a later time. "You have my number!" she called to us as we walked away. "Don't disappoint me!" What a sweet little Chinese lady!

On Tuesday we met an older woman, Mrs. Norman, who is coincidentally older than the Lake Norman that I live next to. (lake norman is a huge man-made lake in charlotte that was built by the electric company) She saw that I had a Book of Mormon in my hand and said, "Hey! I got one of those!" I at first assumed that she thought I was holding a Bible, but the 80-something year old lady shuffled back into the house to bring out her own copy of the Book of Mormon, bookmarked and worn. It had missionary material from the 1980's stuck into the pages. Apparently some sister missionaries had given her a copy years ago, and she has been reading it regularly ever since. Someone at her Presbyterian Church had once seen her with her Book of Mormon and told her to throw it away, and she had told them no because she knew it was God's word. We were quite surprised at this.

I was Super Music Missionary this week, as well. I had two Primary teachers ask me to play piano for both Senior and Junior primaries, and I also had the ward choir director ask my help to sing. The Zone Leaders also asked Elder Parker, Elder Fulton, and myself to sing at Zone Meeting. Of the three, being a primary pianist was by far the most stressful. It turns out that playing the "Hello Song" is actually quite an intense experience for the uninitiated.

I've continued reading through the Book of Mormon. I am always amazed at the great spirit that book contains. The Gospels are wonderful, as are the other scriptures, and they contain all manner of teachings and instruction, but the fact is the Book of Mormon just has a unique feel about it.  The prophets of the Book of Mormon were always writing with us in mind. It was written, preserved, abridged, and translated from prophets, and the result is a 531-page package of spiritual power. Study the Bible and the Doctrine and Covenants, but be sure to read from the Book of Mormon every day.

This last readthrough the Isaiah chapters made sense to me. Is that a bad sign?

Well, that's about it for the stories of this last week and I haven't gotten any huge revelations to share. I love all of you, and I'll talk to some of you on Sunday! Hurrah for Israel!

Elder Fisher