Sister McKenna Tracy: HUGE ANNOUNCMENT- July 21, 2014

So I have a huge announcment...dreams do come true.

The father I have been working with since I got to Hua Lien is finally getting baptized!!!!!!!!!!!

LI SHI HAO!!!!!!!!! He hasn’t smoked in the past week and he got interviewed yesterday and he is getting baptized this Saturday!

This whole process has been a miracle. I remember when I started teaching him my faith in him was super high, but as time went on and he kept relapsing my faith got lower and lower. I had a really hard time trusting him, and soon I had a hard time trusting anyone for that matter. But the important thing I have learned and am still learning is that...God doesnt give up on people, and neither should we. That is easier said than done. But I think what helped bring about this miracle is that we never gave up on him. We tried every idea possible from calling a Smoking Rehab Center to calling him everyday to fasting...for awhile no immediate changes...but, we never gave up.

The other day on exchanges I was with my Sister Training Leader, Sister Peay, and I told her that lately I felt I had developed trust issues. She said something really inspired. She said, "Do everything with your people to show them you have faith in them." I really felt the Spirit tell me to work on that. So my companion and I set some goals to show more faith in Li Shi Hao.

We prayed for him every day in every prayer, we fasted, we called every day and rather than asking "Did you smoke today?" we asked, "How did not smoking bless you today?"

Then this last week, he did it. He didn’t smoke. And now he's going to get baptized!

We cannot give up on people! We just can’t. God doesn't and neither should we. We do our best and then God takes it the rest of the way. We cannot lose trust in others or in God. We just can’t!

I am so thankful for this mission. I think the biggest blessing has been seeing more and more every day how REAL this Gospel is. It is so real. And it is the ONLY thing that matters ever, forever.

I will never forget the bright feeling I had when Li Shi Hao came out of his interview beaming with happiness! It will be an even greater feeling when he's baptized!