One reason I love being in Shanghai is that there are so many people here. It's the world's biggest city (based on the population within the official city limits) and I've been surprised at how much I enjoy that. Shopping tonight at E-Mart, just below our 18th-floor apartment with its beautiful view of the world's greatest skyline, I was surrounded with a sea of people it seemed as I waited in line to check out. I normally dislike lines and crowds, but my attitudes are different here, sometimes.

To comply with the rules we must keep in exchange for the privilege of running our own church services and religious assemblies, we don't proselyte and even quickly shift gears when Chinese citizens ask about our religion. But as I look over the sea of people here, including many noble souls who have experienced and overcome much, there's one thing I wish I could teach them: who they are. So often I look into their faces and find these words echoing in my mind: "Do you know who you are? Do you know that you are sons and daughters of God with a divine purpose here? Do you know that you vast potential now and unlimited potential after this life, through God's merciful plan of happiness?"

Do you know who you are?

That question, though, quickly leads to bigger questions: "Do you know who God is? Do you know how much He loves you? Do you know His Son and what He has done for you?" To know God truly is to know who you are and why you are here.

I wish they knew. I wish all of us knew.
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