Beijing 1st Branch

Church in China - what an experience. We have had a great week, done some fun things, made a lot of progress in our apartment, but all week long we are just waiting for Sunday to come again. We are members of the Beijing 1st Branch, the people here are incredible, and the church is so strong.

The Branch is surprisingly large! There are typically about 120 people in attendance with a primary of over 40 and about 10-12 youth. This week, today, Alex and I actually got a calling from the Branch Presidency to serve as the Nursery Leaders. Hooray! There are 13 kids in the nursery right now so I think that every week will be fairly exhausting, but a really great experience. I really feel like we were given this calling for a reason and we're excited to get to know the kids, their families, and the other nursery workers.

As most people know, the LDS Church is not allowed to engage in any form of proselyting in mainland China, however religious practice is permitted. We are very grateful that we're able to meet with other members of the church here and partake of the blessings of the Gospel. Our branch is one of two in Beijing that are specifically maintained for foreign passport holders. There is one branch in Beijing for Chinese Nationals who were baptized out of the country and are allowed to continue to practice here. Although we meet in the same location as the Chinese National Branch, we are not permitted to communicate with them in any way. Every week at the beginning of Sacrament Meeting the Branch Presidency reads the information printed on the back of the program about the guidelines of practicing religion in China and the strict admonition to not disobey or disrespect the guidelines in any way. The church has worked very hard to lay a strong groundwork here and it would be unthinkable to be responsible for damaging or reversing that.

The Branch is about 45 minutes (on the subway) from us, which really isn't a bad commute. There are lots of members who live closer to us which we'll be able to get together with and get to know. Most people in our Branch are expats from the states living and working in China with their families. Others from the Phillipines, Korea, Japan, England, and Africa. There is quite a large contingent from BYU-I that are here on study abroad, and a group of older couples from the Kennedy Center at BYU who are here to teach English. Then there's me and Al who are just here...no group, no work assignment...just here cause we want to be. :)

We are so grateful for the consistency of the Gospel and cannot thank our Father in Heaven enough for his knowledge of us and the many saints in China. Our testimonies are growing every day as we can feel the constant companionship of the spirit. We continue to pray for Alex's job search and for our safety - as well as the safety of our friends and families back home. We already cherish the relationships we are forming here and are grateful for the opportunity to experience the church in China and the Beijing 1st Branch.