Each Tuesday and Wednesday as our International Office meets and greets the newly-arrived missionaries who enter our doors from the four corners of the world, they enter often exhausted, fearful yet excited to begin their new life of service. Steve and I realize that today is our 'hump' day in that we have served one-half or six months of our twelve month mission a the MTC Provo. It seems appropriate that we share and record a couple of our recent miracle stories.

• Of greatest note is that the past 2 months we have had a mainland Chinese missionary enter our door to serve a full-time mission. Each of their conversion stories are absolutely incredible, primarily because it is against the law for the Church to proselyte in China. Each has literally been 'hand-picked' by the Lord, as they have visited a relative in another country who has found the gospel, been taught and literally accepted the gospel of Jesus Christ. To us, the fact that not only are they taught about modern-day prophets and of Joseph Smith, but also that there is a Living Heavenly Father who knows them by name and love them. Additionally, and not circumstantially, some of these Chinese miraculously appear at the 'right time' and the 'right place. For instance, Sister Tseng, a recent college graduate from China, was awarded a scholarship in Geneva, Switzerland, to pursue her Master's degree learning her third language, French (she already was fluent in Mandarin and English). While there, she was walking across campus and lo and behold, two Mormon missionaries approached her and as they say, "the rest is history." Nine months later, she was baptized (two years ago), and now she is at the MTC studying Preach My Gospel and headed for Montreal, Canada, French-speaking!!


• One of my special assignments is to also work with the "Advanced Russians" who enter the MTC. This group consists of Russian/Ukraine/Armenian/Khazatstan elders and sisters who fly to the MTC Provo to specifically be schooled in Preach My Gospel, for four intense weeks, to be exposed to the workings of the Church in the U.S. For instance, they are allowed to visit Primary in a home ward to catch the vision of that organization, take out their temple endowments and to receive their patriarchal blessings. Find on this blog a photo of our latest group of Russians at Temple Square on a tour we hosted for them. Elder Coutrerier, the elder on the far right has a most interesting and moving story. At the age of 14, a wealthy Catholic husband (a doctor) and wife flew to Russia and hand-picked 9 Russian children who lived in orphanages, adopted then and returned to their home in Minnesota where their two biological children awaited their new 'siblings.' Because the Catholic school required that each of the children be baptized in the Catholic church if they attend a Catholic school (and, of course, his parents were fervent Catholic desiring their children accept their faith), Elder Coutrerier felt 'inside' that this religion wasn't right and he refused to be baptized; consequently, his 'parents' sent him to Utah to live with a 'cousin' (good friend), who was a non-member married to an inactive member. The rest is history, so they say. He learned to speak excellent English and became acquainted with a fifty-year-old member of the Church who introduced the Gospel of Jesus Christ to him. When he joined the Church , 2 1/2 year ago, his 'parents' in Minnesota disowned him. To make a long story short, Elder Coutrerier always remained loyal to his 'parents' and fully understood their dismay and disappointment of his Mormon conversion. He fully understood their position and never blamed them for their feelings; however, when he announced that would serve a full-time, two year mission, his 'mother' flew to Utah, met with many Mormons and her heart was softened. She even sang "I Am A Child of God" at his missionary farewell and she and her husband are financially supporting him. What a Miracle!!

We'll add more miracles later. We're off to the MTC!