Dear Loved ones, Last week, (Friday) Sister Sun returned home, her mission time complete wonderfully... a sad day, but I'm excited to hear what adventures she will have. This week I'm with Sister Bywater, she is so great. Her last transfer is next transfer but her companion changed to be the new temple sister (because the old temple sister was Taiwanese so went home on Friday with Sister Sun). SO this week we are covering Sister Bywater's area, and my area. Transfer meeting is next Tuesday, so at that time she'll get her real new companion but I'll get another temporary companion. You see, what had happened was... the government changed a few visa laws, so the missionaries who are supposed to be coming this transfer and the following transfer still don't have visas. I might not train for another few weeks or months, but it'll come one day :) It's still not confirmed when they will come, but one thing has been confirmed, THIS IS THE LORD'S WORK. He is in charge, and those a country's laws will not stop or hinder this work. I'm so grateful I get this week with Sister Bywater, I've already learned so much! I'm always so grateful that our stress can be reduced drastically when we remember that one simple thing, that the Lord is in charge.
This week has been great, though not normal :) I'm so grateful for this time. It's like a combination of what I imagine starting training is like. I'm the only one who really knows the investigators or what is going on in this area, but on the other hand Sister Bywater is a very experienced missionary so it's not completely new. I love learning from her, especially her faith! Amazing. Tucheng is a great area too. This week we are covering her area and mine. Another miracle, besides safety, is the ward, wow, it's really changing. The bishop told everyone in ward council to spread the word. He said the ward has over 100 active families, and if every family just invited one friend, that would help keep us missionaries from contacting on the streets 5 hours a day. Then every hour they talked about it. We've seen a great example of the bishop's family in bringing a son's friend into the church, it's so cool. It is amazing, and I'm so excited to keep really developing our relationship with the members. I'm super grateful I have a companion this week, and she is so amazing, so willing to put heart and effort into my area, and I'm striving to give the same amount of dedication in her's. I'll admit, it's hard to go from junior companion to senior companion. Even though I'm not really senior in the companionship right now, it's very similar responsibilities I'd imagine, and I'm really loving this week! Seeing so many miracles, and really building my faith. She's been teaching me a lot about the power in words of faith. It's true! As we at least have the faith to say it, to ask for things in prayer, the next step is to have hope and diligently work to express how much you really want it. I'm going to try to raise my expectations again, and get ready to keep up with the fire in the new sister, because I know they are all going to be so fired up to be here and work. Sister Bywater and I are really seeing so many miracles, and I think the Lord has really just taken our areas into His hands, and the members have never fed us this much. In the last 4 days, we've eaten I think 1 meal outside by ourselves. (Miracles... :) yummm) I love it here! I'm sure the Lord has a reason for the missionaries to be delayed, but we are praying they can come soon. I don't want any of you (especially grandmas...) worrying about this. :) Everything will turn out great, we can do hard things!! Want to ask, how's everyone's scripture reading going? Start of a new month, or of a new school year is a great time to start up again if the summer was hard to keep reading. Ask questions and He will answer, read His words and you will be inspired. I love you all so much! Praying, reading, and going to church are essential for all to "endure to the end". Lots of love, love, love!! Love, 司馬姐妹 News this weekSister Sun is leaving this week, returning home after a great 18 months of service, and I will be training a new missionary next transfer. When I say I'll be training, I mean that I'll be relying on the ward and the Spirit to know what the heck we are doing, and pray my "baby" can learn from our mistakes together :) Haha. But that does mean I'll be in this area for another 2 transfers... those of you who speak mission-time, that'll put me here in my birth area for 6 transfers. I love this area and this ward and these people!!!!!!!! Pondering gratitude and recommending reads!I've been studying about gratitude this week and was reminded how powerful gratitude is. Because gratitude, (not just being grateful FOR things, but having a grateful spirit and attitude) is a solid founation for optimism, happiness, patience, and hope and faith. SOOOOOOO important. Read Pres. Uchtdorf's conference address, "Grateful in our Circumstances" and I invite you all to find an area or something in your life that maybe it's really hard to be grateful about, and start praying that you can really feel gratitude to Heavenly Father for giving you that. It has really helped me and I KNOW gratitude will change lives and outlooks of trials. Another Pres. Uchtdorf talk I really encourage you all to read is It talks about three things that may stop us from fully living the restored gospel and claiming those blessings, 1)Selfishness, 2)Addictions, 3) Competing Priorities. Its so good and I know if you pray before you read it, the Spirit will give you hopeful encouragement on where you can change, and how to change. SO worth your time to read the words on Conference and the Ensign each month. Member missionariesThis week was great! The ward is really changing, recently I've felt a new support for missionaries, and it was so nice on Sunday to see a member bring two friends and to have that member introduce us but then find another member to sit with his friends, and then ANOTHER member came and turns out they are classmates (miracle), so the ward just took care of them and we were able to support other areas. Miracles everywhere. We've also seen great miracles this week as we focused on using the Book of Mormon to teach. Of course we don't hand out copies like tracts, but we've found as we started always trying to use it, it really can support the person's needs and bring the Spirit (as well as curiosity). We've used those pictures in the front to teach about baptism, the Restoration, importance of families, prayer, and faith. We have been really trying to let the Spirit guide and simply know our purpose is to provide an atmosphere the Spirit can teach in, such as invitations, prayer, scriptures, personal experiences, etc. It is amazing to see the Spirit and Book of Mormon open people's hearts. It's great also because in contacting this week we have had a good balance of time, and less stress and worry. We just are trying to let a lot go. the church in chinaWe met a couple of people from China last night and were able to give them a Book of mormon and share about the gospel. Let me tell you all something, if you are waiting or have a thought of "all the nations will have the gospel before Christ comes and China isn't open yet so I don't really have to repent and worry yet..." I'm just saying, think again! China has members and if full-time, set apart with a badge missionaries can't go to China, the Lord is bringing the Chinese people to other countries to have the opportunity. Continue to pray of course that the leaders hearts will be softened and so many of the Father's children can be taught in their homes, but know that no earthly government will stop the Lord's work, on the Lord's time, in His way. Just saying, China is a special place. I know that because I've felt the Lord's love for the Taiwanese people. This culture, these people are so precious and special, and so prepared to hear.
So, using the Book of Mormon can be counted as a success from this week, and I feel that our companionship also is. I love Sister Sun and am so sad she is leaving, but I know it's time for her to start her next adventure. I'm so grateful I've learned so much from her. I've realized that pride is such a stumbling block and could've really impaired my learning, but we always must be willing to try to ways, be ready to change and improve, because revelation can come, and will come! I've learned so much about how important the ward is. Without the support of the ward, our effort is almost wasted and is a lot harder! But when members let us visit their families and serve them, and bring friends, and just offer to sit wuth investigators at church even, it just takes so much worry and care from our minds. Yes, I'm super glad I get to stay in this area for another few months, I really love it. I'm so grateful that I'm here in Taiwan! That I can have the companions I've had and will have, the mission President I have, the experiences and miracles we are given EVERY DAY! I just love being here in Taiwan, serving these people and representing Christ. It is so fulfilling at the end of the day or the week (Sunday is a marvelous reflecting day) to realize this work is so much bigger than us but at the same time, is so personal to every person we meet on the street. I love this opportunity and trust that in the trials, and challenges and happiness that lies ahead, the Lord is in charge. Keep the faith. Keep learning and growing and loving others, and using the times the Lord has given us WISELY. Be humble and willing to change. Be firm in the faith. And be happy. Be happy and at peace. I love you all so much! Thank you for the prayers, the letters, the support, the stories, and the love you have given to me through the years. Love, Sister Smith Thanks for the support, and the prayers. Thanks for your love too. For me, and my companion. I've been blessed to have the experience of overcoming death of close ones, but this is Sister Sun's 1st really close person passing. Where to begin? LET ME BACK UP- This week has been interesting, but faith building. We worked with members and saw miracles, and were feeling so blessed for achieving almost all our weekly goals, but my companion started not feeling well on Thursday, and not sleeping well. Then Saturday night we got the call that two elders in our mission had passed away in the night, they think because of carbonmonoxide poisoning. One of the elders was my companion's good friend from college, so Saturday night was also rough, and she couldn't eat. Sunday (that elder served in our ward for a long time before he was transferred last transfer) was also hard for her, but, why do I tell all of this? Because Sunday morning one of the elders in our ward gave her a priesthood blessing that she could sleep and have peace. This elder was friends with her and the elder who passed away since they were little kids. It was such a special moment seeing the priesthood in work supporting us and blessing us in this time of hardship. Yesterday afternoon and last night she was able to sleep and she said she hadn't slept so well in a long time. She usually has scary nightmares too, and she had no dreams she said. Besides feeling more of the importance of the Plan of Salvation and missionary work in the Spirit World, this weekend I've witness the power of the priesthood. And I just want to say thank you to all you worthy priesthood holders, for being worthy to hold the preisthood and use it to bless others' lives. Never take that for granted. I've also learned the power of companion prayer and scripture study. We have only grown closer as a companionship. We picked a chapter of the Book of Mormon to read together and just talked. Then she played the guitar and we sang. It lifted our spirits and I know that through prayer and relying on Christ we can do hard things. It is sad, and I believe it will take time, but Sunday I was pretty worried about her and now I know it's just the saddness that we all have when we won't see someone we were close to, for a while. It's amazing to see as we rely on each other we then can lean on Christ together. We so blessed to be here, at this time, to be the Lord's missionaries. To spread the message of Christ. This truly is His church, and I know we have the restored priesthood power. This church really is true! It is Jesus Christ's living church and through Him we can all do hard things. I've learned a lot about Christlike attributes charity, hope, and faith this week. We must have charity in companioships. No keeping score. No competition. No pride. Just serve. Just love for each other and love for Christ. Challenges this week: Sister Sun's health but the blessing and I think last night of talking and singing for a bit really helped our spirits. Successes? Jesus Christ overcame death, so we can all have the hope of seeing loved ones again. Another success? Working with members brings miracles. This week we worked with members more and we were blessed to acheive almost every goal, or get really close. I'm so grateful for this opportunity to be a missionary, especially in the Taiwan Taipei mission! I love Sister Sun, and love this work, and love the Savior. I am so glad I chose to serve the Lord, and I'm so glad I know who I chose to serve, our living Savior, Jesus Christ. I'm so grateful, not just to know that plan of salvation, but to know that there are missionaries in the Spirit World, and I know they are working hard just like we all ought to be down here. All of us. Members, missionaries, everyone. This is the Lord's work and we all need to serve Him the best we can. Miracles are all around us, just pray for them and look for them. Mosiah 16:8-9 has been on our minds this weekend. Keep loving this experience and best of luck with starting school! Send me pictures! -Sister Smith Family, Well, I just have a lot to share with you this week! First of all, I was so excited to hear about Rachael's baptism, and see pictures! I love hearing about your experiences in the summer. I had another Star Wars moment. I am honestly trying to focus on uplifting things, and recently I've been doing and feeling a lot better about my focus, BUT there is just something about riding your bike in between motorcycles and cars and then going on to the sidewalk and then back of the street that just sometimes makes me think of being in a star wars movie. Such is the life of Smilthling, I suppose. PARABLE OF THE TALENTS- Here are some insights and thoughts I've had during my studies this week and through my pondering... :) 1) D&C 60:2-3, 13. Don't be idle or bury your talents. I thought about how being idle is one form of burying your talents, also not just not sharing, but also not practicing or developing your talents is also a form of burying... Made me ask, what are talents God has given me to bless others that I'm ignoring or not developing. My time is short, but look up "The Call to Be Christlike". Maybe read and discuss at a family night? It is so amazing to realize that in this dispensation, we are no longer running, we are here to stay and here to fight for Christ. Satan is going to put up his best fight but guess what? (D&C 88:110-116) He's going to lose. I love that the Book of Mormon gives us clear examples of those on the Lord's side, and the enemy's strategies. So ultimately remember, the question isn't "Who will win?" Scriptures tell us who will win. The question is, "Which side are you striving to be on?" And trust me, as we are simple doing our best to repent and love others, the Spirit will let us know how we're doing and we will always feel Christ's love for us. Because He truly always loves us. Always.
WEEKLY MIRACLE TRACKER- This week first and foremost I need to acknowledge the miracle of me speaking Chinese. It truly is amazing sometimes I have these moments I hear myself and I'm like, what? Chinese is coming out of my mouth? The gift of tongues is definitely real! This week we had a super cool experience. A lady we just started talking to on the street (after almost walking away and we shared a couple of HBT phrases) stayed and asked me, what is your testimony? I was totally caught off guard, so she asked again, what is your testimony of this message? And I had the great opportunity to say, I know Jesus Christ lives. And then she asked, how do you know? And I was able (remember, in Chinese!) to tell her a little about how through Christ's atonement I've felt of His love and my family relationships have gotten stronger. I've been forgiven of mistakes, and I know who I am... have a sense of belonging. After that she said, why don't you give me your number and if I have a need I'll call you. She was going to just walk away at first! The Spirit works amazing things, as we are worthy, and as we seek to find people willing to listen to the Spirit. That has been the biggest change and really helped us this week. We saw great miracles while contacting because we were trying to follow the Spirit and we were praying to find people, not prepared to become our new investigators, but that would be prepared to listen to the Spirit. We just had plans to do all we could to create an atmosphere the Spirit could teach in. It was amazing to feel, after 5 hours on the street Friday and another 5 Saturday, so at peace, and spiritually uplifted, and we met some really great people (who we then sent the referral to where they live, but as long as they are feeling the Spirit and learning the gospel, it doesn't matter which missionaries are doing it). FACEBOOK FINDING- Facebook, by the way, it an awesome tool! We are loving posting on members walls and then we write down if their friends like our post, and which post. We can then ask the member about that friend, and invite them to open a gospel conversation or some small thing. Also, we have started posting on the ward missionary page pictures and scriptures but also miracles we see while doing the Lord's work. We hope this will help the members get to know us better and be more excited about missionary work. Put on the armor of God! Pray! Read! Go to church and the temple! Serve and love! Stand strong in faith in Christ. Love you! -Sister Smith Wow, it is transfer 4 already (to put things into perspective with those of you whose lives aren't counted in transfers, I have 12 transfers total. Ah!!)
MUSINGS-Well, this week was long, hard, but so good too. Funny how often those attributes coincide. This we (like the past few weeks) we've just been contacting, trying to find new investigators. People either don't live in our area or don't want to set up, but I'm really learning that maybe Heavenly Father sends people to DaTong to work or play just so they can meet us and the missionaries where they live can get in contact with them. It's good. It's hard not having investigators progressing toward baptism. That is probably the hardest part right now. We have people who will meet with us but will not or have not yet set a date. We have a few we are hopeful for that this week, if they pick up their phone or respond on facebook, that we can meet with them and set dates... get them really moving on their way to salvation. CHARITY- I'm excited for this month as we together focus on developing Christ-like attributes, but particularly charity. Charity for members and everyone! Charity really is a miracle feeling. We are told to pray for charity and in doing so has really strengthened my testimony in prayer. I have had moments when I just feel so much love for a person I just want them to be happy and accept the gospel so they can recieve the blessings and we can live together for eternity! :) But then agency comes, and I'm very grateful we have agency. But boy is it hard to accept that others have agency and even if they've had spiritual experiences they still sometimes choose to not pursue this course. Really though, our companionship might be the biggest success this week, which I think is okay. We really trust each other, and share about our feelings, promptings, and thoughts. I'm realizing the Sprit works so subtly through our thoughts sometimes and when we share them the Spirit can then testify that it's a good thing to do and we can do it! Wow, this week was just great recognizing moments of unity and improving moments of not so much unity. I love Sister Sun so much! She is so precious, and I think one of the biggest things that changed is we are no longer afraid of a language barrier. While she tries to speak lots of English and I try to speak mostly Chinese, we can understand each other if we have to express ourselves in our native language. Doctrine and Covenants- I have goals of finishing reading D&C this transfer and I've really loved it. It has SO MUCH about missionary work and hope that this work will continue. Many warnings too, about raising standards and repenting, and relying on the Lord because He really is coming soon. I hope that you can all are always finding ways to step it up. We live in the last dispensation to prepare the way for Christ to come again. We ought to strive to live celestial lives (I know that seems high, but it's ultimately what we are working towards, right?) Find those things in your life that are not helping you grow closer to the Savior by serving others, developing talents, developing your testimony, or encouraging others to come unto Christ, think about what it is making you into. Just a thought. I've started noticing things I can always improve, but isn't it so great that Christ WANT us to improve, will HELP us improve, and is BY US the whole time? Love this gospel. It's true, 2 Nephi 26:24, EVERYTHING Christ did and does is for the benefit of the world. I'm excited for this week of adventures, miscommunications, rejections, acceptions, English class, and miracles. This is truly the most amazing work I've ever seen, and we are so lucky to not just be on the front row, but participants in this miraculous, eternal work! I love you all so much!!!! Hope you're all getting ready for a great school year, because it WILL be awesome! Keep the faith, and keep serving. Love, Sister Smith This is my helmet hair! Like it?!?! This week has been great! I totally love my life here. Facebook: we have seen miracles, friends of members liking our posts and investigators liking or watching things to bring the spirit into their lives. Just the other day we were on, and an investigator messaged us. We started a conversation in which we used HBT phrases and were able to bear testimony (this investigator always talks so much and always brings up the word of Wisdom so we never get a good chance to peacefully talk about Christ, but we were able to, and they didn't bring up the word of wisdom once. It was so cool to hear about their family a bit too. This week there were a few days we worked with members and those are the days miracles like exploded, lessons and new investigators. It's hard because like 7 active households live in our area so members are a bit of a challenge. But we have a new plan for this transfer! We have decided to take the members who will work with us and help them get into Preach my Gospel and give them good experiences with us that hopefully it'll spread, this fire for hastening the work. I'm so grateful for sister Sun and her past experiences, I think it will really help this area, and I know it's already helped me learn more of my purpose here. Another cool miracle, an investigator who says he can't be baptized (still working on the ancestor worship issue) but always reads, prays, and usually comes to church, wore a white shirt to church yesterday! Usually it's just polo shirts. MIRACLE TRACKER REPORT- (The Tree Incident) Another miracle, we were safe again while traveling! I did have a run in with a tree, but my bike, the tree, and myself are all unharmed. :) haha. Afterward my companion (who is Taiwanese, said in English) What were you thinking? I said I was just deciding if we should turn or not, which would be faster and then a tree was right there. then I asked her what she was thinking and she said. "What is she thinking?" Yep. There's a glimpse into the dignified, spiritual life of sister missionaries. ;) I read in D&C about being clean, and I realized my study area is probably not as tidy as it could be. As a companionship, we are doing great. I really love everyday, I trust Sister Sun, and we are working together really well. We both agree it was a rocky start but we were both so grateful to hear we had one more transfer together.(no one moved this week at transfers) This is special for Sister Sun because she usually is with a companion for 1 transfer then they switch (I'm number 12!) but her trainer, Sister Su and I have had the opportunity to be with her for a little longer :) Speaking of D&C study, I saw a very interesting and important pattern lately. In D&C 39 and 40 it's revelation about a man, he told Joseph he would do anything the Lord asked him to. What did the Lord reveal He wanted him to do? Preach the gospel (note #1, the Lord wants us to preach the gospel to everyone, it's so so important!) and in the next section verse 2 it tells about how Satan used fear of the world to make this man afraid and decide to not do what the Lord asked. (note #2, Satan uses fear as one of his strongest tools to stop us from being happy and try to stop the work of the Lord.) I just took a bit of time to think about what things I might be afraid of doing, and why I'm hesitant to do them. I realized as we grow in our love for the people here in Taiwan and grow in our love for the Lord, that fear will decrease because like the Bible dictionary and John state :Perfect love casteth out fear. Exciting things are happening here in Taiwan. This transfer 20 new missionaries came in and 32 are coming in next transfer! How crazy! and the transfer after that 20+ are again coming. that mean that by winter about half of the mission will be on their 1st, 2nd, or 3rd transfer. Crazy! But I'm so excited because new missionaries bring fresh ideas, new faith, and miracles. Seriously. It's so cool. Love you all so much! Keep studying, sthe scriptures, and PMG. Use all the resources you have, the Bible dictionary, True to the Faith and lds.org even. This gospel has so much to learn! Then take that reading and APPLY it in your life... or it won't do much good. Love you all soo sooooo much! Have a fantastic week! Love, Sister Smith STAR WARS SILLINESS- Brothers, you'll like this, actually, all the Smith cousins I think will particularly like this story. So it was raining this week (a typhoon on Tuesday night to wednesday night... super small. don't worry) anyway, so I used my umbrella a lot and my umbrella, you push a button on the handle and it extends then expands... so, I started being a little more dramatic in raising my arm, about a 30 degree angle from my leg them pushing the button and then I realized why I felt powerful with it--- it was like a lightsaber! As I'm walking out of a building I just raise my arm, push the button and zzzz, my weapon is extended against the rain. Yep. We keep it real and focused here in Taiwan- but when you're contacting in rain for a while, you've gotta find entertainment somewhere :) Boys hope the summer is keeping you busy! And not idle, and that you are working to serve family members and to have a great time making memories together! Wow, about one year to go, and I'm determined to use this time well in turning attention to the Lord! MY RUBBER BAND ANAOLGY- This week was great! Boy, I love my life. Missionary work is hard, not gonna lie, it's harder than I thought it'd be. I had in my mind it would stretch me, but it's stretching in areas I didn't expect, but it's good! This week I felt more like myself, happy and more optimistic. It's kind of like a rubberband. Training was taking the rubberband out of the packaging and testing it a little to see how elastic it is already and then breaking is like putting that rubberband around a big posterboard. There is a chance it could snap, but, after a few weeks of being sometimes painfully stretched, you realize one day it doesn't hurt as much. Why? Because this rubberband has stretched out and is now bigger than it was before, and more capable to hold bigger things than a poster. I feel like that. This transfer has stretched me, and made me tired and ache and pray very hard, but, while I'm still being stretched, it's not painful. I think thinking of others and trying to help their pains really helped me. It's true, when you think of others, you can't also think of yourself. It is also amazing what the Spirit will reveal to you as you turn your thoughts to understanding where the other person is coming from. Thats all I'll say about that, but, it has been an awesome week. TECHNOLOGY AND TEACHING- Sunday we saw so many miracles, and, a lot came from our effort using Facebook. (We've both been using Sister Sun's and it's been great, if I'm not transferred this week I'll open my account too) We don't have many investigators right now and members are very busy, but we have really been working the past few weeks on developing our relationship with members, and in trying to use this new tool facebook to proselyte. It is awesome. It takes a few weeks to get going, but now everytime we're on we post spiritual messages on a few members' pages, and then we post on ours, and we also share images, scriptures, and videos with investigators. Get this: This week an investigator we met with like a month ago and hasn't been answering our calls, called US! He asked what church was like, what it includes and meetings and such. It was so cool to talk to him about it and he sounded interested to come, where when we first met him he didn't really want to come to church. True, he slept in, but interest is a great start! We are sure it's because the posts we've been able to share on FB. Also, we met a great lady at a park this week while contacting with a member (with a member... that's important!) and she didn't want to give us her number but gave us her FB. Well, we had a great lesson with her (and a peike) and she said she really felt that this was great, felt peace. So Sunday, we were just finishing Facebook time (we had added her and sent a cute little message) when the temple sisters called us and said, "Hey, you have an investigator here." We were shocked, and it was the park lady! She and her husband had been in the area and she came to our chapel by herself to find us. She only had like 20 minutes, but we were able to sit down and teach her about the Plan of Salvation, which she liked. The only hesitancy of setting a baptism date was her schedule conflict, and she asked to have another Book of Mormon to share with her family! Facebook is turning out to be a cool tool. It defintiely at first was hard to think, am I really making a difference? But it's just like the Book of Mormon scripture texts each day, people actually read them and we are able to help the Spirit testify to them hopefully daily. This week we had challenges as always, mostly with finding and contacting. The typhoon didn't really effect our finding time, it actually expanded it because English class was cancelled. We were super tired though by Saturday because most of the week was trying to street contact and calling people to set up and them not having time. But we met some super awesome people and were excited to send their information to their area's missionaries. Love ya'll, Sister Smith I love hearing about your lives, your experiences/ testimonies. Keep growing studying, and helping this missionary work by your examples. You all need to know, members are KEY to missioinary work, especially invesigator activation retention. Love you all lots! XOXOX to all my cousins! PERSONAL REFLECTIONS- This week was great, but hard. I've learned that change hurts... it hurts because it usually involves pride stripping away, and I'm still working on that, but I've learned that it is a necessary, wonderful thing. Without change we can't become who He wants us to be, so it's a good path, though rocky at times. Sister Gagon shared a great scripture with me, Doctrine & Covenants Section 95, verse 1, then said she had learned to "cherish being chastened." I loved that! I thought to when you are in a sport or a performance and the coach or director is always correcting you, giving you ways to improve... they do that because they want to help you become better than you are, and the very best you can be. Christ is our perfect coach. He encourages, helps and chastenes. He helps us see our weaknesses so He can them help us become stronger in Him. When I was reading the Book of Mormon in Ether chapter 12, the first line of the well loved scripture stood out to me, "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness." At first I thought, wait a second, He is always asking us to come unto Him, but as we do He'll show us weakness? Yes, and then as we are humble, and rely on His grace and Atoning power, those weaknesses can become strong. I'm so grateful that this transfer I've had experiences that made me do a self pride check, and realize how much I do need to rely on Christ. I feel like I still have a long way to go, but it's a start.
HAPPENINGS THIS WEEK- Miracles include (but are not limited to... :D) safety while riding on the streets, drank water so still healthy in this heat. A woman one night came up to us and said "I want to bring my children to church." (IN English!) So we gave her information but she left to their piano lessons before we could do more... hope she comes! Another miracle, when you are open and loving and have no contention, you can physically feel a lightness to any burden. Numbers don't express how successful you are, but when you feel you are working and are obeying and still 0s, it's just a faith building thing I guess. We're still determined to work to help those numbers improve. We are focusing on really working with members and getting to know them recently so... I love, every night after planning, we've started doing a little bit of art together. Making cards for members and writing messages for LAs we'll visit this week. It's a pretty good team... She's super amazing at drawing and I can cut paper and glue it together and use stickers :) I hope the members (who are super awesome and faithful just busy and stressed) will see our effort and let us serve them. I'm excited for the opportunities this week will bring to work with members, to contact, to use facebook, to teach, and to represent Christ. With all of this, there are so many miracles and successes. Our companionship is closer everyday, we received referrals this week! I almost know 1/4 of Phase II and I feel tired, spiritually and physically stretched, but happy, love, and hopeful for the future. For today! and tomorrow! This week has been a great experience,from the temple to church to hours on the street, to meeting members and crazy LAs. I love Da Tong District! I'm so happy I'm here, and that Heavenly Father loves me. Wow. How blessed are we to know Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father, the 2 most powerful and glorious beings in the universe know me, love me, and are watching over Siser Sun and me. I'm just excited for the possibilities they have in store for us. Love, Sister Smith Four sisters photo: I'm by my "mom" (trainer), my "grandma" (Sister Jasperon's trainer), and my aunt (Sister Lee- grandma- also trained sister Pieper) Cool huh? With the tsunami we were all in the south!! Pitcures like this don't usually happen. Nihao!! Well, this week was probably my hardest week yet out here on a mission. I guess no one better to tell than my family... Wow, this week was like a roller coaster. I learned so much, about contacting, Taiwan, myself, and the Savior. Not gonna lie, this week was hard. But so much fun too!! The "Tsunami" experience was amazing. Heading down to Taidong with 27 other missionaries with the sole purpose of finding new investigators and setting up potentials... and it is so pretty down there! And I was reminded that I'm living on an island! (I saw the ocean... good reminder.) I think it also helped me put things into perspective, that this work is huge and is so much more than me and my companion in DaTong District. I was companions with sister Lee (my "grandma") and it was different but fun. I learned more phrases and methods of contacting, but Taidong contacting is so different from Taibei. In the small town, people will talk to you, no one is heading anywhere too fast, and there are a lot of dogs. (I didn't like that part... I think that those houses or streets with dogs, I'll just give them more time to prepare for the gospel, or another, less scared missionary...). It was miracles everyday! So many people were willing to set up and pray with us, and I found the fun again in contacting. It made coming back to Taipei a little hard, but we're doing okay. It's just so different. Here people are going somewhere are rarely want to stop and talk, especially about religion. But I've loved realizing most Christians will at least pray with us :) Miracles of safety and health can be reported this week! We literally were just finding and contacting for 8 or 9 hours everyday (Tuesday-Friday). So crazy long, but so fast! Successes: I felt successful after the "tsunami". I'm excited for all the people they met down there! Phase 2 is going well, and proving quite useful! Also, prayer works. This week I started feeling kind of discouraged, and almost hopeless, not pertaining to the work, which I saw progressing so much, but to myself. I was stressed, not in a good way. I don't know how it snuck up on me, but I wasn't that happy and Saturday was the peak, it was hard to get out and work. I felt physically and spiritually weighed down and I didn't know why. I was also so tired. So so so exhausted, taking a nap at lunch time just to make it through the day... Missionary work is tiring but shouldn't be like that. I felt unsuccessful, worried, and ... yeah. Sunday was a miracle, I fasted and during studies turned to "Adjusting to Missionary Life",[in Preach My Gospel] it was then that I realized I was at like orange level of stress, which is NOT good. I read about stress and different ways to reduce it, and after just reading about it I felt so much better. During sacrament meeting also I felt this burden lighten and... it was almost like my heart had been tightly holding onto something and it loosened its grip. Honestly, freeing is how it felt. Prayer and the Atonement truly can save us. I'm learning afflictions aren't always outside forces, but sometimes it's internal and self induced... but Christ is there. Really, I can't describe the feeling of release I felt sitting in sacrament meeting, praying and giving Christ that burden, that stress, that weakness. It was humbling too to realize I had a problem, that everything wasn't okay, and that (I know this sounds silly) I can't do this, I, myself, can't be a missionary, but when I rely on Christ, I can. When I let Him be on control, and have faith that when things happen (that are outside of my control), HE has it all taken care of. I'm still learning and I'm sure it'll take a bit to get fully back on track, but I feel full of hope and love again. I have certain things I'll do daily and write and sing and remember... I'm happy again, and singing too :) Wow, I love being on a mission and my journey to become a loving, faithful, Preach My Gospel-missionary. It's a long road, and this journey has bumps and hills that I may not expect, but I'm learning what it means to rely on Christ, to let Him guide me. I'm learning how amazing the Book of Mormon is... this book of application, really. I feel like the Bible teaches a lot of doctrine and really, in the Book of Mormon you can see the consequences of obeying or disobeying the gospel and commandments. I've come from (in high school) feeling pressure and guilty a little for not reading at least a verse everyday to (now) reading and absorbing things from it for an hour and still thirsting for more. I hope one day you can feel that same desire, because it is a desire that will ALWAYS be satisfied through reading. I love being here, especially in Taiwan. Everyday I feel like I think, "oh, yep, that's why I needed to come here." Everyone is sent to the place the Lord knows can help them become who He knows they can be... also I've realized I'm here to serve the people here. I know, that sounds so basic, but I'm kind of understanding what that means. I love this work and the trials and the miracles and the heat and the sweat (you just sweat all the time... standing, sitting, but biking is the best because you get a breeze :D) and the rain, and the Chinese, and especially Christ. I love you all and am so grateful for this opportunity to serve the Lord, but more, to learn who He is and His role in my life. Love it! Love, Sister Smith |
AuthorI'm Sister Smith, missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I'm serving in the Taiwan, Taipei mission until July 2015. Archives
June 2015
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