I love my Arcadia Mission Presidency calling:  I have all of the joy full-time missionaries experience with seeing peoples' lives change by keeping God's commandments, but, unlike the missionaries, I get to kiss my "girlfriend" every night.

May was baptized today!  She is so awesome!  She is studying to be an elementary teacher and has been investigating for about 3 months.  When she first met the missionaries, she said that she was "born-again" and would never join the Mormon church.  With some excellent teaching from Elder Channel and North, and the many Alhambra Ward members who really love her, she worked through her most challenging questions:  1) How do I know that this is the true church?  This was resolved during a lesson that where I was able to tell my story of how I felt the influence of the Holy Ghost in a Baptist Church about 10 years before being baptized LDS.  During that former experience, that church did not have the proper authority, so there was no lasting influence or power either.  After the Elders shared their powerful conversion stories, they invited her to be baptized.  She felt that all 5 of us were staring at her, so she asked us to look away, so she could "inquire of the Lord."  After a few minutes, she flashed an knowing smile and said, "Yes." 2) How do I really know I am making the right choice?  She found her answer while reading in Alma.
She now teaches the Chinese ESL class in Alhambra where up to 70 mainly Mainland Chinese non-members attend.  She is amazing!  Ever since being called to be in the Arcadia Mission Presidency, and after I see anyone in the mission being baptized, I get an unmistakable feeling that causes me to tell the Lord, "I am delivering another child to you."  It gives me the feeling of great responsibility for the part I play in the mission work here.  Today, my joy is full!

Sister Zheng and her son Yoshi were baptized today.  The met the Elder Zheng and Brown at the ESL classes conducted by the full-time missionaries in Alhambra.  They came to the U.S. from PRC since Mr. Zheng is a visiting professor at USC.  Before accepting baptism, their family visited Temple Square in SLC and had a terrific time learning about the world-wide church and the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.  After their baptism today by Elder Brown, Sister Zheng was confirmed a member and the gift of the HG by Elder Zheng, since she will be returning to PRC in 1 week while her husband finishes his professorship here in January, 2013.  He did not accept baptism since he probably had to join the Communist Party and would be put in prison if he joined the Church.  What great faith his wife and child showed in being baptized despite the possible adversity they would face returning to a closed Communist country.  God bless them when they return. We will miss them greatly.  Hopefully, they will be the future of the Church's leadership in PRC.

Elder Channel and Freeman (fresh out of the MTC) taught May this evening.   Others were in attendance--Robert Kuo, Bro Chu's daughter and I.  I heard May had been reading anti-Mormon literature so I thought the lesson would be spent talking about how important it is to learn truth from the source rather than from detractors.
After introductions, May declared that she was Christian and believed in Jesus Christ.  Sincerely, she ask us when and how we knew that the Church was true.  We all shared our conversion stories.  The most touching was Elder Freeman's story of being raised in the church, then at the age of 14, going inactive for 4 years.  He was content with what was important in his life then--football and girls.  He then began to feel the emptiness of his life without the Spirit.  After being invited back to church by a friend, he felt that he had come back home when he returned to church.
We talked about the Great Apostasy and the need for a restoration of Christ's Church after those many years of spiritual void.
Elder Channel eloquently and deliberately read verses from the scriptures that related how Joseph Smith received the Melchezedek Priesthood at the hands of Peter, James and John.  Elder Channel also shared his priesthood line of authority tracing it back to Jesus Christ himself.
Contrast that with her pastor in the Chinese Church in Alhambra where she was baptized and served as a secretary for 4 years.  Without the details of her departure from that church, we mentioned that authority of given to her former pastor was from Biola College where he earned his Doctor of Divinity,  and not from Christ.
The Spirit impressed Elder Freeman to commit her to baptism.  With a facial expression of knowing that it was the right thing to do, she ask us to look away from her so she could have a moment to ponder privately.  When we look back at her, she smiled and nodded her head signaling that she would accept.  It was truly a precious moment.  She recognized the Spirit and she followed its prompting with faith.