When you attend church services in the Shanghai branches, you never know who you’ll meet. Recently some of us have had the privilege of receiving the sacrament from a tall, energetic, youthful man who humbly serves others in spite of being a celebrity both in China and in the US. This particular celebrity, Jimmer Fredette of BYU fame, has energized Shanghai, at least for sports fans, with his athletic prowess. Jimmer has temporarily left the NBA and is playing this season for Yao Ming’s team, the Shanghai Sharks, and is drawing a lot of attention and a lot of fans. But when you meet Jimmer off the court, you wouldn’t know he’s a star. Just seems like a cheerful, outgoing, courteous young man who has deeply impressed those who are close to him.

Jimmer scored 47 points last week, and 51 a while before that. He has helped the Shanghai Sharks have 8 straight victories recently. The Chinese state media, CCTV, did a 5-minute clip about him (I think this link from a WeChat source requires WeChat or other software to view the video). Awesome. I’ll be attending a Shanghai Shark’s game next week (sold-out tickets hindered my first attempt). Can’t wait! If you’re a Jimmer fan, come join us in Shanghai! I bought two extra tickets, and don’t know yet who we’ll be bringing along. Could it be you?