Asia Area Mission, Preparation

The following is our talk given on September 18, 2016.  It explained the process of our journey in serving this mission.  We are so happy that so many could come and celebrate with us.  We are sad to leave friends and family behind but is excited to be serving members and leaders in Hong Kong.  

Families on Sunday after the farewell talks.

 The Nicholes and Mark Larsen came to support us at the setting apart!

Set apart by President Michael Anderson on Tuesday, 9/20/16

Audrey's Talk:

How do the things I say affect me and those around me? 

Opening:  Good morning, Brother and Sister,  I want to thank my family and friends who are here to show their support and love.  It is a miracle that we stand here today to address you.  Ted and I moved out of our home on the 31^st of August and have been making visits to our children and grandchildren before entering the MTC on the 26^th of September, the Saturday before last Sunday, we were sitting in my son, Justin’s home in Milwaukee and contemplating not returning here, so it is a miracle that we are back and how it is a miracle, I will leave that for Brother Yan to tell you!

My assigned topic today is “How do the things I say affect me and those around me?”  

Elder Jeffrey R Holland in his 2007 April General Conference talk titled “The Tongue of Angels” said,” There is a line from the Apocrypha … . It reads, “The stroke of the whip maketh marks in the flesh: but the stroke of the tongue breaketh the bones.”  He continues, “The voice that bears profound testimony, utters fervent prayer, and sings the hymns of Zion can be the same voice that berates and criticizes, embarrasses and demeans, inflicts pain and destroys the spirit of oneself and of others in the process. “Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing,” James grieves in James 3:10. “My brethren [and sisters], these things ought not so to be.”  

In James 3:2, we read “  For in many things we offend all, if any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man and able also to bridle the whole body.”  I proposed if we could work on the words we use in our daily conversation, we can all become a little bit more “perfect”. 

Elder Holland in the same talk continued, “the Savior said, “Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.”  A husband who would never dream of striking his wife physically can break, if not her bones, then certainly her heart by the brutality of thoughtless or unkind speech.  … A woman’s

words can be more piercing than any dagger ever forged, and they can drive the people they love to retreat beyond a barrier more distant than anyone in the beginning of that exchange could ever have imagined.”  I have experienced situations like this multiple times in my life.  At times I was the person who had used words that was unreasonable and demanding and found the recipient withdrawn and angry and the relationship becomes distant, then it takes kinder words, many apology, repentant and forgiveness to mend the pain that was inflicted.  Despite how much I feel I was right, I learned if I would put myself in the recipient’s position, I would understand more because it is not so important of what I said but what was heard!!  On other occasions, I heard accusatory words that questioned my characters, I found myself wanting to strike back, which further ruin a good relationship!

Elder Holland continued: “We must be very careful in speaking to a child, … And try not to compare your children, even if you think you are skillful at it. You may say most positively that “Susan is pretty and Sandra is bright,” but all Susan will remember is that she isn’t bright and Sandra isn’t pretty.”  This reminds me recently when I heard my little 3 years old Abby playing and talking with her little people toys what she often heard her parents said to her.  Have you ever wondered why a two years old favorite word is “NO”, it is probably because she had heard it repeatedly from the parents who kept saying “No, don’t touch that or don’t eat that and on and on!  We indeed need to be very careful, we need to praise each child individually for what that child is, and help him or her escape our culture’s obsession with comparing, competing, and never feeling we are “enough”.

In our quest to be more like our Savior, we can certainly work on being more perfect in our words, by speaking more kindly and positively, that we might build and lift each other up in our conversation and our works.

Now I would like to switch my topic  a little to “How do the things others said affect me instead”!  I want to do this because it leads up to why I am standing here today.

The primary song “I hope they called me on my mission, when I have grown a foot or two, I hope by then I will be ready, to teach and preach and work as missionaries do”.  When Bro Yan and I got married, we had always said that we would like to serve another mission when the time comes, that was 34 years ago.  I had served a mission to Hong Kong when I was 21 and that was the best and most fulfilling 18 months of my life, so serving another mission was definitely welcomed … when the time comes.  Well the time came, Brother Yan had been looking into his retirement from Boeing and had talked about retiring and serving a mission last year, but timing was not right, so in January this year when he told me he thinks that we should serve a mission sometime in September, 1-2 months after his retirement, I told him that there is no way possible that we could do it, actually, I could do it.  His thought was retiring in July or August and we would go in September, to me that left me no time enough to get ready to go.  My head keep saying no because you sisters will understand how much work it takes to get your house ready after 28 years of living and collecting things in it!!!

So came the first incident of what “other people said affected me”:  The very Sunday after Ted and I was discussing about a mission and my reply of “No”, Bishop Carl Graham tapped me on the shoulder while I was walking to primary.  I was surprised when he asked about our plan for my house.  He had heard that we will be serving a mission this summer.  I was shocked because Ted and I had just talked about a mission and I asked him if Ted had put him up to this, his reply was no.    I still remember my exact words to him; I told him that Ted thinks that he is going on a mission but I am NOT!  However, a few weeks later, I did talk with Melissa Davis and I am sure she will confirm to you I told her that no definite decision was made but if we were going, we would love to work with her family.

Bishop Graham would probably never know of the effect his question had on me, his words become an answer to my prayer and concern about my house and what to do with it, whether to sell or to rent.  I am definitely not ready to sell as we have lived in this house for 28 years and raised my family here!  So renting is the answer and Heavenly Father already had it taken care of!  Bishop Graham’s words reminded me that Heavenly Father is mindful of me and that the Holy Ghost begins to soften my heart, so my NO started to get warmer to a YES!!

The next big incident that affected my decision was the preparation works that needed to take place before we could serve.  In order for us to serve in September or October, we would have to have our papers in at least 6 months from our intended available date, which means by the end of March or beginning of April, which means we will need to get our physical done.  Ted had already arranged with his doctor to get his medical paper signed and physical at the beginning of March.  When I called my doctor’s office, the earliest appointment I could get was end of April!!! That was another reason why I felt was impossible for us to serve as Ted wanted to.  I want to testify to you that with Heavenly Father, nothing is impossible.  Most of you know I worked at the hospital and over the last 6-7 years I have 1-2 occasions of running into my PCP at the hospital.  The very next Saturday I worked after scheduling my physical for the end of April, I saw my doctor at the hospital.  I told her how hard it was to get an appointment with her and she agreed she only does physical one day a week.  After telling her of my situation, she thought she could get me in before the end of February, but I was unavailable because of my plan of staying in Utah to help my daughter, Alicia, with her new baby, there was no way to get me in the following week before my leaving to Utah for over a month.  She agreed to the plan of me dropping off the mission physical papers for her to review, she will then order the test that needed to be done and when I return at the end of March, I would go and see her so my papers would be done at least by the end of March, in time for us to submit our paper.  Little do I know Heavenly Father has a much better plan.  The Monday after I talked with my doctor at the hospital, I received a call from her MA reminding me that I need to drop off the papers. She then inquires of my availability for an appointment, when I told her I do not work on Thursdays, she was able to get me in on Thursday the very same week.   And by the end of the week, I had all my paper works and procedures done that is required for submitting our papers.  By now, I am reminded of the stories in Luke in the New Testament of a priest Zacharius,  and his wife Elisabeth, they were both righteous before God, they had no child because Elisabeth was barren and both were old, and Mary, the virgin, who will bear the son of God.  In Luke 1:37 the angel said:  For with God nothing shall be impossible.  I recognize Heavenly Father’s divine intervention and leave me no excuses to say NO to my husband’s plan of serving a mission. 

The time I spent in Utah helping my daughter was a time of retrospection for me.  I would like to serve and we have always planned to serve but when the time comes, can I really leave behind my children and grandchildren to serve?  Each Sunday, there were talks of service and lessons that might not related to serving a mission, but the Holy Ghost was able to use the words of the speakers and teachers to prompt and comfort me and my heart was softened.  I know that this is the time to serve my Heavenly Father again.  I knew I want to serve and the “someday” becomes “now”.  Ted and I received our call on June 11, 2016, the day our niece Elsie’s wedding, it was a blessing because of Elsie’s wedding, we were able to have our children with us when we opened our call on Sunday.  We have been called to serve under the direction of the Asia Area presidency to the Asia area missions.  This mission covers 25 countries and 11 missions in the Asia area.  We will be stationed in Hong Kong.

The time between waiting for our call, and preparing to leave were uneventful.  Ted retired on August 1, but because of the special offers of voluntary layoff, he was able to use his vacations for two months before he was actually layoff and retired.  We were able to clean up our house, did some needed repairs and remodeling and traveling before entering the mission field.  I feel thankful for each of you for your words of encouragement and examples, you have been an instrument in Heavenly Father’s hands in helping me in the decision to serve NOW and not some day!!!  In retrospect, I can see Heavenly Father’s hand in pathing the way for us to serve Him.

During this process, my testimony of the prophet Joseph Smith has been strengthened.  I shared my story in detail today because I want to relate this to the story of the restoration of the gospel in this last dispensation.  The last time I taught Seminary two years ago, we studied the Doctrine and Covenant.  One thing some students or even adult members have trouble with was that there are multiple accounts of Joseph Smith’s vision.  Each of the account were written or related by Joseph to different groups, and each has some details that was a little bit different than the others. As a church, we read mostly the account found in Joseph Smith history in the Pearl of Great Price.  I am saddened to know some members to have left the church because of this.  I have never doubted Joseph Smith’s account because each time I read it or talked about it, the Holy Ghost witness to me that the First Vision really happened and that the fullness of God’s gospel has been restored and is here on the earth today.  During my preparation process in serving a mission, I have at multiple times related my story to different people and in a slightly different wordings some more elaborate than others, so if 100 years from now, someone might read about why Audrey Yan served a mission in 2016, there might be different accounts of it.  So to make it an official account, my talk today will become part of my journal for my posterities to read so there is no question about it.    

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency in his October, 2013 general conference talk titled, Come, Join with Us, said to members of the Church, “Some struggle with unanswered questions about things that have been done or said in the past. …—there have been some things said and done that could cause people to question.

Sometimes questions arise because we simply don’t have all the information and we just need a bit more patience. When the entire truth is eventually known, things that didn’t make sense to us before will be resolved to our satisfaction.

Sometimes there is a difference of opinion as to what the “facts” really mean. A question that creates doubt in some can, after careful investigation, build faith in others. …

Some might ask, “But what about my doubts?”

It’s natural to have questions—the acorn of honest inquiry has often sprouted and matured into a great oak of understanding. There are few members of the Church who, at one time or another, have not wrestled with serious or sensitive questions. One of the purposes of the Church is to nurture and cultivate the seed of faith—even in the sometimes sandy soil of doubt and uncertainty. Faith is to hope for things which are not seen but which are true.7

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters—my dear friends—please, first doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith. We must never allow doubt to hold us prisoner and keep us from the divine love, peace, and gifts that come through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.”

I have never doubted the truth of the First Vision, but I do have questions.  With my experience these last few months, I gained little more understanding and my questions were answered.  The Holy Ghost was able to reaffirm to me of the testimony I already have of the restored gospel.  I know Joseph Smith was a prophet called of God to restore His church on the earth and we have a living Prophet and Apostles today, who directs this church under the direction of Jesus Christ. 

I stand here today because Bishop Graham said something to me 9 months ago, his words had affected him because his daughter now has a place to stay for the next two years, his words had affected me because we are now going into the mission field to serve my people in Asia.  I pray that my words today have touched your heart and help you strengthened your testimony of Heavenly Father’s love for us.  I would like to express my love for my Heavenly Father and my Savior, Jesus Christ, without Him, we would not have a chance to return to live with Heavenly Father again, I am indebted to Him.  In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Ted's Farewell talk:

Often time when the Lord give us trials, He want to help us growth and to gain new experience, He will show us His love and to help us realized His blessings.  

A week ago Saturday evening while visiting my son Justin in Milwaukee, as we were sitting down to visit and watching TV,  Justin noticed a growth on my leg that have been there for the past 6 months and expressed a concern that it might be skin cancer.  Immediately he took pictures of my wound and send them to one of his friend Tim, a dermatologist for his opinion.  He confirmed and agreed with Justin that very likely it might be skin cancer.

What go through your mind when you hear the word “Cancer”?  In our mind, this growth might mean a delay starting our mission, it mean I might need to stay in Milwaukee until it get heal.  All of our plans to serve the Lord might be impacted and need to be changed.  That mean we will not be able to stand in front of you today.

As a surgeon himself, Justin also texted one of his local networked dermatology friend to see whether I can be seen and care for.

That evening after we received the confirmation of possible skin cancer, both Audrey and I along with our children decided we will fast and asked for the Lord’s blessing that this wound will not impact our opportunity to serve the Lord.  Our decision to Fast was not a coordinated effort, we felt the need to inquired for the Lord’s help and decided to hold a special fast.

Late Sunday evening Justin received a response from this local dermatologist that he will be able to squeeze me in his scheduled. I later learned he have just returned back to his office after taken a leave of absence from taken care of his newborn infant daughter.  Since we only have 1 week left in Milwaukee, he quickly rearranged his schedule, requested for an expedite support from his Pathologist and made an unscheduled surgery on Friday morning for me.  He was able to remove all the cancer cells with a single cut. Before the surgery he told me only 40% chance of having all cancer cells remove with one cut. Here I stand before you is a witness blessing from all the prayers being offered on my behalf from many of you, my families and from our special fast.  I thank my Heavenly Father for His love and for giving me His blessings.  

The topic assigned to me is

Why do we fast?

To fast is to go without food and drink voluntarily for a certain period of time. Fasting combined with sincere prayer can help prepare ourselves and others to receive God’s blessings. Fasting also includes giving a generous fast offering to help those in need.

Fasting combined with sincere prayer can help prepare ourselves and others to receive God’s blessings. On one occasion, the Savior cast a devil out from a child and used this experience to teach His disciples about the power of prayer and fasting. His disciples asked Him, ‘Why could not we cast him out?’ Jesus answered: ‘Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. How be it this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.’

Prayer and fasting can give added strength to those giving and receiving priesthood blessings. The account can also be applied to our personal efforts to live the gospel.

If we have a weakness or sin that has struggled to overcome, we may need to fast and pray in order to receive the help or forgiveness we desire. Like the demon that Christ cast out, our difficulty may be the kind that will go out only through prayer and fasting.

What does it mean to fast?

The purpose of our fast may be a very personal one. Fasting can help us overcome personal flaws and sins. It can help us overcome our weaknesses—help them become strengths. Fasting can help us become more humble, less prideful, less selfish, and more concerned about the needs of others. It can help us see more clearly our own mistakes and weaknesses and help us be less prone to criticize others.

Our fast may have a focus on a family challenge. A family fast might help increase love and appreciation among family members and reduce the amount of contention in the family, or we might fast as a couple to strengthen our marriage bonds. A purpose of our fast as priesthood holders might be to seek the Lord’s guidance in our callings, or we might fast with our home teaching companion to know how to help one of our families.

Some years ago, a young missionary who was very ill. After weeks of hospitalization, as the doctor prepared to undertake an extremely serious and complicated surgery, he asked for the missionary’s mother and father. He advised there was a possibility the patient would not survive the surgery.

The parents came. Late one evening, the father and the mission president entered a hospital room in Toronto, Canada, placed their hands upon the head of this young missionary, and gave him a blessing prior to the surgery the next morning.

The missionary was in a six-bed ward in the hospital. The other beds were occupied by men with a variety of illnesses. The morning of his surgery, the missionary’s bed was empty. The nurse came into the room with the breakfast these men normally ate.

She took a tray over to the patient in bed number one and said, “Fried eggs this morning, and I have an extra portion for you!”

The occupant of bed number one had suffered an accident with his lawnmower. Other than an injured toe, he was well physically. He said to the nurse, “I’ll not be eating this morning.”

“All right, we shall give your breakfast to your partner in bed number two.”

As she approached that patient, he said, “I think I’ll not eat this morning.”

Each of the five men declined breakfast. The young lady exclaimed, “Other mornings you eat us out of the house and home, and today not one of you wants to eat! What is the reason?”

Then the man who occupied bed number six answered: “You see, bed number three is empty. Our friend is in the operating room under the surgeon’s hands. He needs all the help he can get. He is a missionary for his church, and while we have been patients in this ward, he has talked to us about the principles of his church—principles of prayer, of faith, of fasting wherein we call upon the Lord for blessings.” He continued, “We don’t know much about the Mormon Church, but we have learned a great deal about our friend; and we are fasting for him today.”

The operation was a success. When the mission president attempted to pay the doctor, he countered, “Why, it would be dishonest for me to accept a fee. I have never before performed surgery when my hands seemed to be guided by a Power which was other than my own. No,” he said, “I would not take a fee for the surgery which someone on high literally helped me to perform.”

You might ask: What is a proper fast?

For those who are physically able, fasting is a commandment. Speaking of our monthly fast day, President Joseph F. Smith said: “The Lord has instituted the fast on a reasonable and intelligent basis. … Those who can are required to comply … ; it is a duty from which they cannot escape; … it is left with the people as a matter of conscience, to exercise wisdom and discretion. …”

If all we do is abstain from food and drink for 24 hours and pay our fast offering, we have missed a wonderful opportunity for spiritual growth. On the other hand, if we have a special purpose in our fasting, the fast will have much more meaning. Perhaps we can take time as a family before beginning our fast to talk about what we hope to accomplish by this fast. This could be done in a family home evening the week before fast Sunday or in a brief family meeting at the time of family prayer. When we fast with purpose, we have something to focus our attention on besides our hunger.”

We should not expect our young children to fast for the recommended two meals. But let us teach them the principles of fasting. If fasting is discussed and planned in a family setting, the small children will be aware that their parents and older siblings are fasting, and they will understand the purpose of the fast. They should participate in the family prayers to begin and end the fast. This way, when they reach the proper age, they will be eager to fast with the rest of the family.

In my family, we have done this by encouraging our children between 8 and 12 years of age to fast for one meal; then as they have turned 12 and received the Aaronic Priesthood or entered Young Women, we have encouraged them to fast for two complete meals.

We should begin and end our fast with prayer, expressing gratitude and asking for help with special needs we or others may have. Fasting will strengthen our self-discipline, fortify us against temptations, and bring the Lord’s blessings into our life.

What blessings come from fasting?

The Lord describing the proper fast in Isaiah 58:7:

“Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? When thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?”

It is truly a wonderful thing that through our fast offerings today we can feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, and clothe the naked.

If we fast properly the Lord promises:

“Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; …

“Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. …

“And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity and thy darkness be as the noonday:

“And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not” (Isa. 58:8–11).

My sister Nancy is a great example for me, she don’t have much, but she have always volunteer to help those in needs, she always mindful of feeding the missionaries, making sure the Lord’s servants are always  being taken care of.   A few months ago she was diagnosed of having an early stage of breast cancer. We were all shock to learned from her. She have always taking good care of her health. Eat well and exercise. She told me she had a very strong impression one day that she need her doctor to prescribe for her a mammogram.

After discoveries of the cancer, her doc recommended immediate surgery, as a family we all fasted and prayed for her. The surgery went very well, and was very successful.  Afterward she was prescribed for 16 doses of radiation treatments instead of chemo. I was with her as she completed her radiation treatments. The doctor and the stuffs cheered for her. Now she is on a long term medication to help prevent the cancer from reoccurrence. I know this is one of her many blessings from the Lord.

It is my prayer that we can improve with our fasts so that we can enjoy these beautiful promised blessings described in Isaiah. It is my testimony that as we “draw near” to the Lord through our fasting and prayer, He will “draw near” to us.  I testify that He lives, that He loves us, and that He wants to draw near to us. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.