June 29, 2011

Week 32

I LOVE THIS WORK!!!!!

Oh it has been such a great week! Full of miracles and and tender mercies!!!!

Zhang Hua (Chang Hua) is so great! So I might have lied a little last week when I said it was like Salt Lake City... MUCH BIGGER! Its really city like... We do have some mountains which in a way makes it country side:) There are so many people everywhere. We have a university close to our house so its a pretty busy place. So fun!

Oh the people! I love our investigators! We have 5 investigators in their teens and they are all so much fun and they love the gospel! Zhang Jiemei is 14 and has such a strong testimony. She loves everything about the gospel. She is so amazing. But her mother won't let her get baptized... and said that for the next few weeks she can't come to church :( But she is SO strong! I love her!!! Then there's Wang Jiemei...wow! She's 17 and has been searching for the gospel. She asks the best questions...She came to church yesterday and LOVED it! I talked to her after and asked her what kind of feelings she had while she was at church. She said she felt like she was going to cry but didn't know why... the Spirit! We sat down with her and she said that she had the same feeling... the Spirit! We had a cute member that is also 17 with us and she testified to Wang Jiemei that is was the Spirit! Wang JM was so happy and asked "really?" "is this really what the Holy Ghost feels like?"... Then she said "I love this feeling." WOW!!!! Oh it was beautiful!

This week I have had a wonderful feeling of joy! So grateful for the gospel! Yesterday, I was asked to bear my testimony in both our wards because I'm the new missionary. Well as you all know I am usually a crier but yesterday... I was so filled with joy that I just wanted to shout "THE CHURCH IS TRUE!" I almost couldn't contain my joy and was just full of smiles all day... because... the church is true! It brings so much joy! It is beautiful! And this work... oh this work... It is the Lord's work and I LOVE IT! Oh it has been a great week

I believe this week has been so great because mom is here in Zhang Hua... I have felt her so much this week! I have felt her love and support. I have felt her while on the streets, in lessons, and at church. It has been such a beautiful blessing... It has reminded me of a scripture in D&C 50:40-44 "Behold ye are little children and ye cannot bear all things now... " It is true that we cannot bear all things now but the Lord sends us angels to help us... I have felt that this week and I am so grateful. Oh it has been beautiful!

A great week!

I love you all so so so so much!

Until next week!

June 22, 2011

Week 31

Nimen hao!!!!

Well hello again!

I'm so happy to hear that the family is doing well and that the trip to St. George was so fun!

Well I have so news.... I moved! Just today haha I moved from the south to the north of the mission. Which means I am in the middle of the island in a place called Zhang Hua (sorry I don't know the old pinyin way of writing it but it's just south west of Tai Zhong (Taichung) I was told that I was going to the country side.... but I think not. So far it seems like Salt Lake City, just in Asia, and more crowded. But, I love it already!

My new companion is so great! (Yes, this is my 4th transfer and my 4th companion!) Her name is Sister Li. She is from Taipei. (I have really been so blessed with the natives) She has been a member for almost 4 years! She is amazing! I can already tell that she is a go getter. She loves this work. She loves setting goals and hitting them! She is so sweet and so helpful and it's just day one... I'm excited for this transfer!

As for leaving my old area... I has a mix of emotions when I got the call Sat night. I was so sad to leave my previous area. #1 because I love the people! We had some really great investigators progressing. Like Xu Jiemei (last weeks email) is getting baptized on Saturday. And Wang Jiemei (also from last weeks email has a goal to be baptized in 2 weeks) Oh I just love the people!  #2 I love the wards (which I guess can be included in the people) I honestly feel so blessed to have served in those wards. Shi Zhong and Ling Ya... Oh just amazing! I feel that the Lord sent me there because He knew my trial and He knew that the members and investigators would help me with out knowing my situation or knowing that they were helping me... Truly so blessed. I cried pretty hard in both wards bearing my adieu testimony... Such a great place!

One thing that was really impressed on me this last transfer was the power of the atonement. I felt the power of the atonement continuing to heal me. I also realized that sometimes I fall short and sometimes I make mistakes but through the power of the atonement I can be forgiven and the Lord can make my weaknesses become strengths (Ether 12:27) It is so beautiful!

Sorry this is so short but I hope the pics make up for it!

I love you all so so so much!

Until next week!

Pictures!
1-4 Dragon Boat Festival

Pic 5 is this beautiful building called the 85... so cool!

Pic 6 cool sidewalk art

Pic 7 cool statue art

Pic 8 Zha Bo Bo! This is the cute old man I told you about a few weeks back! He is 93 and so great! And by the way his cute nurse is reading the scriptures! He is amazing! What a missionary! (oh and yes that is my cute previous companion Sister Chen. She came for a visit this weekend... I love her so very much!)

P.S. It was so good to talk to the fam for Father's Day! I love you!

Sorry that's all for this week... I'll try to send more next week!

LOVE YOU!








June 13, 2011

Week 30

NI HAO!!!

What a week!

First thing... it is burning hot here :) I walk outside and I'm dripping in sweat... okay not dripping but it's bad. Luckily this week we had a blast of wind which leads me to a funny story... so we were traveling on our bikes to go help a new member move. It had been really windy all morning and it kept getting worse. Well when it's windy it's kinda hard to ride your bike unless you are going with the wind... any other direction... not fun. So I was on my bike and we were coming up on an intersection and I saw a woman on her scooter so I was riding up to go talk to her. Well right when I got up to her (while still on my bike) this big blast of wind came from the side and knocked me over and I fell on her.... SO AWKWARD and so funny. Don't worry she was okay but I still had to talk to her so I smiled. apologized. and then invited her to church in a very awkward manner... oh it was so funny! (Not to mention with the wind your skirts do interesting things... I'm pretty sure I don't need details with this one but its been a good, funny time)

This week we meant a wonderful former named Sister Wang. She is adorable! She said that she has been baptized but we haven't found her record anywhere. Anywho she is so great! She's read the Book of Mormon 4 times and is currently in Jacob... WHAT? Oh amazing. Well on Sat she invited us over to go meet her friend Luo Baba. So we went to where Luo Baba lives which is next to the highest building in Taiwan called the 85 (so pretty) well he lives across the street in between these two bike trails like the one behind our house. He had these 3 little shack things. Its really cool. Well Luo Baba loves to garden. He has this big tree in the shape of an elephant (yep Edward scissorhands style) Then some cool heart, sun, and moon trees. Oh do you want to know how old he is...72 and he is still climbing these trees. He also has a big bench press and I'm not even sure what other weight lifting equipment but I tried and could not move a thing but oh can he still do it. He does pull ups and gymnastic tricks and he is 72.... AMAZING! He is fun and Wang Jiemei is great so we are going to try to figure out the baptism thing and help her really enjoy the blessings of the gospel. And Luo Baba too :)

We have a few great investigators progressing right now. One, Xu Jiemei, is so great! We started meeting with her 3-4 weeks ago and she is so great! She has so much faith! She sweeps the roads so she is outside for most of the day. Her husband, mom, and dad are all sick so she is taking care of them. She is amazing. She wants to learn. We taught her the Word of Wisdom and she was just like "oh I didn't know that.. I will obey. I'll get rid of all my tea tonight." I was like "Wow!" such faith. No question just "I will obey." Love her!

So last week was the great Dragon Boat Festival!!! So fun! We went with the other sisters in our zone. We also found this really cool art area that had this awesome skate park. Sonny, you would love it! Its in an old art museum... so cool. It was a fun day!

Sorry this is so short and random but it has been a good week!

I LOVE YOU ALL!

Until next week!

p.s. pics next week!

June 6, 2011

Week 29

Ni hao with love from TAIWAN!

It's been a good week...

We had some ups and downs. Two of our investigators stopped progressing. Both have been in investigating for a few months. One seemed to drop and the other has stopped progressing. Both are wonderful and I love them. So that wasn't too fun... We have been focusing a lot on finding. This week we were blessed with a few great finds. A few a little on the crazy side... literally. Which led to some interesting lessons this week...

This week my testimony of prayer has been strengthened. As missionaries this is one of the first things we teach and I am amazed by the true power it has. It has been amazing with our interesting lessons how saying a prayer truly invites the spirit and can change the mood of the lesson completely. It has also helped bless and change investigators during lessons... So amazing.

We had a great ward activity on Saturday. It was so fun! The Relief Society President asked us missionaries to come up with some games to play at the activity. Well seeing as we all still have some kid in us we thought musical chairs would be a big hit and it was! I laughed so hard. We also had an egg toss (don't worry hard boiled eggs) Also very funny! And then a great animal efy game (yep my idea) SO FUNNY! The teenagers loved it! It was so fun and so many people were there. It was so great! A few investigators came and loved it.

As for a random side note... I have a new love.. MANGOES! Taiwan has the best fruit and this week my companion, Sister Hsin, introduced me to mangoes. Oh those delicious things!

Sorry this one is a little on the short side but we better get going to the dragon boat festival! I'll try to get some good pics for next week!

I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!

Until next week!