Week 59

Qin Ai de FAMILY!!!!!!!!!!

Oh how I love you so much!

It has been a great week! So many miracles!

We have been blessed with many wonderful investigators! Sister Yan is doing so great and really progressing to her goal. She talks about when she gets baptized and after she gets baptized quite frequently. She came to a Relief Society activity on Saturday and in the process received an answer to her prayers. She said that when she pulled up to the church it looked like the gates were shut. She was worried because she was late... she decided to pray and then the thought came to her mind that we wouldn't invite her if we weren't going to be there and that she should walk around. She found the open gate and came in. She heard the piano and found us. She also sad that her family has been going through some struggles lately and since she started meeting with us things have been getting better and her little sister would like to meet with us as well. So great! I love her!

Also the Wang/ Tong family that I have talked about the past few weeks... So as you know we have started working with Sister Wang's little sister who is amazing! We met with her this week and she asked us a really good question about her job... She reads palms and taro cards and stuff. Well she is going to school to learn how do to these things. Sister Wang (member and her older sister) told her that it is not right... and that that isn't how we receive revelation from God. So Sister Wang (little sister) asked how it was that we receive revelation. We share with her about the spirit. She asked how the spirit feels and we reminded her of how she feels at church and how she often has this feeling to cry... She said she feels it every time she comes to church and when she came to her nephews baptism. She also bore testimony of the blessings she is receiving from her prayers. Then she asked how she can receive answers to other things like about work, school, friends and future things because that is why people like the palm reading and stuff... So we testified of how the spirit can teach us all things and show us all things. We read with her in the Book of Mormon and anywho at the end she said that she is willing to pray about her job and to find a new one. WOW!!!! It was so amazing! The feeling there... It really was so amazing to see that change. And then her sister said "yep what you need to do is pray more, read more, and come to church every week and get baptized and you will see even more blessings!" So bold and so great! It was so amazing! What a blessing to be there!

We also had a miracle at church.... A woman that I taught in ZhangHua (my last area) came to church!!!!! Her name is Sister Huang and when I saw her I was so confused. We only met with her a few times and then she came to church twice but then stopped answering our calls and came down to JiaYi where I am now... She just decided to find the church herself and just come. And she was so surprised to see me there! It was so miraculous! So... I can't think of the English word except for saying that the Lord's hands truly are in all things.... WOW!!!!

So what a week it has been and will be....

I pray that the Lord will be with you all this week as we remember mom. This year has gone by so fast. So much has happened. We have all grown in our own ways and together as a family. I have felt our relationships and love for one another grow just as mom would want it to. I just want to testify again of the Plan of Salvation and what it means to me... not too long ago we had a Combined District Training Meeting where President Bishop shared with us about the Plan of Salvation... he paused for a second and then shared of when he found out that mom passed away and how he shared it with me and then he said "Sister Bray what does the plan mean to you?" and I said "Everything" "Why?" "Because it gives me hope..." It gives me HOPE!!!! It gives me purpose. It lets me know that we WILL see mom again... That we can be together forever!!! It is true! It is real! It is the plan that Heavenly Father has given to His children. It is the plan for OUR family!!!! I am continually grateful for this plan and so grateful for the opportunity I have to share this plan with His children. I am so grateful that in the past year I have been so blessed to feel so close to you all yet I'm so far away. I am so grateful that I have been blessed to feel mom's presence and have truly felt "angels round about me" just as it says in D&C 84:88... Mom continues to love us and help us. I am so grateful for all the beautiful lessons she taught us. For her light and her smile. For her many "I love you" 's and her singing and dancing.... I love her so much! I love you so much! I will be praying lots for you this week...

I love you all soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much!

Until next week!

Week 68

Dearest Family!!!!!!! and friends!!!!!

It has been another great week!

AHHHH! Time is going by so fast! It's crazy! Weeks fly by like days! SO FAST!!! Too fast!!! (breathing noise)  :)

But can I just tell you...I continue to love the work more and more. It is just pure joy! I love it so much!!!!!! I am so very grateful for this opportunity... words can't even describe it.... or my love for these beautiful people. I love this work and I feel so blessed everyday to be doing it!

I love my companion Sister Tanner.... She is so great... So I realized when I said she is from Canada I was really vague because Canada is rather large.... She is from Smithers which is 12 hours north of Vancouver. She is so awesome and she is picking everything up so fast. I LOVE HER!!!

We had a great miracle this week! Sister Wang son got baptized. Sister Wang use to be less active... but we started working with her and she started to come back. Along that process we started working with her 9 yr old son Tong didi... he got baptized on Jan. 1st and has been such a great example to his family. Especially his older brother.... Tong gege :) We started meeting with him then the Elders started meeting with him and yesterday he was baptized. A beautiful family! Sister Wang also has a daughter that we hope we can start sharing the gospel with. Sister Wang also invited us to start teaching her mom and little sister. They are great! They came to church the past 2 weeks but the mom is still having a hard time accepting the gospel but I they both often cry as they have heard about the Atonement and eternal families. The little sister has said that she feels something special that causes her to cry.... So I have faith that they will continue to progress. I am in awe at the change I have seen in Sister Wang. It amazes me... we'll have to ask her what made that change? What changed that helped her come back?..... I feel like her experience and testimony could really help other less actives.

We also have some other really great investigators right now. Sister Yan is really progressing! She has been praying and reading and came to church. After she stayed for the baptisms and was like "I might need 2 men to help me do that... I'm scared of the water!" It was so cute. Not only did we find out that she has a fear of water but we also learned of her desire to be baptized and that that is her goal and her plan. Even though she has this fear she is willing to go and do... she just might want some extra help just in case :)

We really see miracles everyday! It is so miraculous.... obviously. Yep, that was redundant. But really... It is amazing and glorious. I am continually amazed by the atonement and the love that God and Christ have for all of us.... It has been testified over and over again that I am not doing the work. They truly do all the work. They change their hearts. They do the work... I just pray that I can continue to become and always be an instrument in Their hands.

It passes all my understanding!
 
Well that's about it for this week!

I love you all soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much!!!!

Until next week!!!!

Week 67

DEAREST LOVED ONES!!!!!

 

WOW!!!!! What a week!!!! I have a new companion!!!!!! She is just off the plane.... Yep, I'm training again!!!!! She is so great! Seriously so great! I love her so much already! Her name is Sister Tanner. She is from Canada! CANADA!  I love Canada! She plays rugby and she is super cool. I love her so much! She is so great!!!! She is such a trooper! She has such a huge desire! She wants to share the gospel with everyone! She loves the people so much and I love her dearly! She really is so amazing! I know we are meant to be together.... She has helped me so much already.... Her mom passed away a few years ago and I believe this is a reason Heavenly Father wants us together. She has already helped me so much....I am so grateful for her... so grateful! She is doing great. I love her!!!!!

 

We had some wonderful miracles at church yesterday. The cute little new member and his mom are truly helping their family come unto Christ. Both her mom and her sister started meeting with us this past week and came to church yesterday. It is so amazing to me that this sweet sister use to be less active and now look at her... there every Sunday and trying to help her whole family receive the same joy she is experiencing. Both her sister and her mom really felt the spirit at church yesterday. It was amazing!

 

It has been such a great week! It always is! I love this work so much! I love this gospel. I am continually amazed by it everyday. EVERYDAY! I am so grateful to be a missionary here in Taiwan. I love these beautiful people so much. I can't believe this time has gone by so fast... too fast.

 

I love you all so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 Until next week!

 

P.S. We had hot pot with some wonderful members today.... here's some pics!

 

P.P.S. I met Elder Tang (Teng) from Cali.... He came in with Sister Tanner and he showed me the picture of the Thompson/ Bray family and said that you are the best member family. He loves you so much.... I love you so much!!!! The picture was worth so much... it brought tears to my eyes! You all look so great! And your new home is beautiful!!!!! Thanks for sending him with that! Love you!

Week 66

Dearest Loved Ones!!!

 

It has been such a great, great, great week!!!! I LOVE this work!!!!

 

Sweet Sister Ye got baptized on Saturday. It was a beautiful service. She is so amazing. I know I use that word a lot but seriously.... she is just fabulous and I love her so much. She bore a very powerful testimony. She also shared how the day of her baptism she didn't have the best of feelings. She didn't understand why... It was her baptism day. She started getting nervous... She kept praying and praying but the feelings didn't go away... Then she came to the church and she said right when she walked in the feelings went away and she testified of how she knows that the church is the Lord's home. She said it feels like coming home. She feels the spirit there. And when she received the gift of the Holy Ghost she was like "your right, this is a good feeling." Oh I love her so much!!!! So much!

 

We also had some really amazing things happen with new members and less actives this week. So you remember cute Tong Didi? The little boy that was baptized the first of this year... (I love him) Well he is quite the little missionary. Through his baptism his mom has started to come back to church. She bore her testimony in church yesterday and it was amazing. He has also started helping his older brother and sister. We were able to meet with his brother on Sat. and he came to church on Sunday. The Elders are going to start working with him too. Tong Didi is such a good bot. I love him.

 

Also the Luo family. We have been working with them for a bit but helping them come to church consistently has been hard. Well we met with them on Sat. and the Spirit was so strong. We shared about the sacrament and the HUGE blessing it is. Sister Luo (mom) shared how she has good feelings at church. She is away from the world and she can just think. She also talked about how we are not perfect and how partaking of the sacrament helps us wash away the guilt. It was a great lesson and .... They came to church!!!!!!!

 

Such a great week! I love this work so much!

Well... I know this is short but we had an awesome zone activity of kickball, volleyball, and food... so we are short on time.... but here is some pics....

 

I love you all soososososooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooosoosooosooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Until next week!

Week 65

Dearest Family!!!!!!!

 

Wow! What a week!!!! We were busy, busy, busy with a lot of power!

 

Power week was so great! It started with a great Sister exchange. We go on sister exchanges every transfer and it is always so great. This time I had a sweet new missionary come with me. Her name is Sister Hsiao. She is from Taipei. It was her 4th week in the mission. It was so fun! It was also really great because my first time as senior companion her trainer came with me and at that time it was her trainer, Sister Yen's first transfer. So It was so much fun to see Sister Yen and to work with her sweet companion. I learned so much from Sister Hsiao's humble spirit and her desire to learn and improve. She is so loving. It was so much fun and a great learning experience.... Guess where my companion went? She went with Sister Smith, my MTC companion! They had way too much fun! I love them both so much! It was really good to see Sister Smith for a few minutes.

 

The rest of the week was go go go!!!! I love busy days. We saw many great miracles even with the wet and cold rain.

 

First miracle: Sister Zeng. She is a former investigator that was taught by my previous companion Sister Wainright. She had her baptismal interview and everything was going so great and then a week before I came she just disappeared. She wasn't at home and she wouldn't answer her phone. Sister Wainright would try to call or go out to her house (she lives in the country so it's quite the bike ride there) but never any luck. Well this week we went out there and there was luck. She was home but busy so we set up for another time this week. We went back with a great member that we found out lives right by her :) This sweet sister remembered Sister Zeng and actually remembered a question that she had had before that she went home to study for. It was such a miracle that we found her again and that the member we called knew her and prepared for her without us even knowing... The Lord's hands are truly in His work!

 

Second miracle: Lisa. She is super cute. She actually self contacted the Elders a few weeks ago and said that she really wants to come to church. So the Elders referred her to us but when we called her she said that she couldn't come to church and didn't seem to interested. Well every Wednesday we have free English class. I went into my class that had only one student and it was Lisa. It was so great because I was able to sit with her. She asked me all sorts of questions about my family, my mission, why I'm here, and the church... so we skipped right to the spiritual share and I shared with her the beautiful message of the restoration. The spirit was really strong and she was quick to commit to praying and reading. She even set up for the nest day. She is so great! It comes to show  that you really can't read a book by it's cover.

 

Third miracle: Sister Ye. Wow I just love this girl so much! Her faith is growing so much! Yesterday morning she called us and said that she wouldn't be able to make it to church because she had a family thing. We were really surprised and talked to her for a bit and tried to see if there was any way she could come to sacrament meeting and promised her the blessings she would receive if she came. She said that she would talk to her mom and try to change the time so she could come. We were sitting in sacrament and we just kept praying and praying that she would come... Then she walked in and she stayed all 3 hours! It was so amazing! She is so amazing! She is preparing for baptism on Saturday and really needed to come and receive the blessings and help from church attendance. Her faith is growing. I love her so much!

 

Fourth miracle: Mrs. Xu and Mrs. Jiang. Last night we were riding around contacting when I went to talk to this cute little old lady. She seemed lost so I asked if we could help her. She is from China and showed me the address of her Hotel and asked if I knew where it was. I told her I knew where the street was and asked if we could walk her home. Her and her friend were so grateful. They were so cute and just lost on the streets of Taiwan. Her friend is a Christian. We were able to share a short message with them as we walked. My heart was so full of love and pure joy helping these 2 sweet children of God find their way home.

 

I feel so blessed that that is what I am able to do everyday. Help God's children find their way home. I love this work and I love this gospel.

 

I love all of you so very much!!!!!!

 

Until next week!

Week 64

Hello sweet family!!!!

 

I love you all so much!

 

Warning: this might be a short email because this week is power week and today was power cleaning which means Sister Bray is exhausted and would really like to take a nap... I'm sorry.

 

It has been a really great week!

 

We saw many great miracles.....

 

First, I just want to tell you again how much I love my companion. She is so sweet and so amazing! I am learning so much from her and so much about myself. I love her!!!!!

 

Second, sweet Sister Ye is so great! Her faith is just growing and growing. She always has something great to share with us. I just love her so much. It is amazing how she is changing and how you can see it and feel it. It's so beautiful. She is truly doing her part to prepare for baptism. She is amazing!

 

We have seen many blessings this week with less actives. We have been working with Sister Liu since before I came to the area... we have been trying to help her remember her testimony and the "why" of the gospel. The ward has also been very involved. Our Branch President invited her and us over to their house for a great lesson. She kept telling us she would come.......... and she finally did! It was so amazing! I really was so happy and so in awe! WOW! The members were so welcoming to her... Oh it was just so great!

 

I love our Branch!!!!! (so I know I often say ward but I'm really serving in a branch:) ) They are so great. They are very willing to help and have a great desire to share the gospel. But we still have some of our branch family missing. There are many less actives here... but we are doing all we can to help them come back and endure to the end.

 

This week is power week...  That means we leave earlier because there is no language study and we eat on the go so we will have more time to be active in the work. I'm really excited for power week! Mighty miracles come during power week!

 

I'm sorry this is so short.

 

I love you all so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

And I love this work! And I love this gospel!

 

I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!

 

Until next week!!!!!!

Week 63

HELLO FAMILY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and friends!

 

What a week! I have a new and wonderful companion named Sister Amelia Jean Wu (Amy). I just love her! I met Amy during my second transfer here on the island and since then we have been following each other around. She is 18 and originally from GaoXiong (the south). You might be wondering how she is 18 and serving but it's because she is a short term. She'll be with me until the end of this transfer so a total of 5 weeks and then she back to being normal... kind of :) I love her! She went to school in ZhangHua, my last area, so we became the best of friends. She would come visit us. She surprised me for my birthday. She wrote letters right when I needed them. She is one of my dear, sweet friends... and little sister. She is so amazing and just loves the work. She contacts, teaches, studies and just does it all. I am learning so much from her. I love her!!!!!

 

So this week we had a good old Chinese New Year. We ate way way way toooooo much!!!! We had everyday lunch and dinner with members! We just kept eating and eating and eating! It was so much fun! I loved getting to know them all. The members here are so amazing. I love hearing their conversion stories. They are always stories of great faith. Often times their families opposed their baptism. They all had their own trials but it is so amazing to see them now. I love seeing the families and hear the children's testimonies of how their parents joining the church has blessed their lives. It is amazing to me how far they travel to come to church or to go to the Temple. I feel so blessed to live so close to our church and to have several Temples within a 30 minute drive. Sometimes I think we take that for granted.

 

As for the food this week..... lots of interesting things..... pigs feet, cow stomach, duck liver, well I'm sure more than just duck liver, and lots and lots of fish.... all of it was so good! 

 

Because of Chinese New Year a lot of our investigators went home for the holidays... So that was a little hard. I feel like I haven't seen them forever! I should tell you that Sister Xu stopped meeting with us. She said that it's just not her time. It was really hard for us to hear but I know that her time will come. We have some new investigators. A really cute Sister Ye. She is close to my age. She is so great! She loves the Book of Mormon. We had invited her to read certain parts to help her with her questions and to prepare for the next lesson and she came having read all of those parts... So we invited her to start from the beginning and she said "I already have. I'm on chapter 17." WOW! Her prayers are so beautiful and sincere. She came to church yesterday and really enjoyed it. She loves the peace that she receives there. I love her!

 

We also had a great miracle with one of the less actives we have been working with. When I first met her she seemed really, really sad. You could tell she had burdens that she needed lifted. We found out that her husband opposes her coming to church. It actually makes him rather angry so that's why she hasn't been coming. She said that she continued to pray but she had not been reading the scriptures. We invited her to start reading. Well this week when we met with her it was totally different. She had this beautiful light about her. She had a smile and a glow. She said she felt different. We read with her in Mosiah 24 about Alma and his people not being able to pray vocally so they prayed in their hearts and the Lord came and comforted them. He didn't change everything and take away their trials but He gave them the strength they needed to face their trials and He made their burdens light so that they could bear them. I love that story. It testifies that the Lord truly visits His children during their trials and afflictions. I know this to be true for I have seen it and I have felt it many times in my life.

 

I am so grateful for this gospel. I am so grateful for my Savior and for His atoning sacrifice. He has provided a way for me to change and improve. I am so grateful for Him. I am so grateful to be doing this work!

 

I love you all so very much!!!!!!!

 

Until next week!