Nihao!
Family and friends, I love you so much! Taiwan is awesome! I'm super excited to hear about all you adventures this summer! I hope you all write about this in your journals. That is so important or one day you will forget! If you are prepping for a mission, I can't even tell you how important it is to have and study Preach my Gospel. Also, watching the district is such a spiritual boost! Its good to realize that missionaries, no matter where you serve, or what language you speak, we all have similar problems, worries, frustrations, and joys and excitement! Speaking of which! Last night there was a firework show (some festival or something I'm not sure) and we turned off the lights during dinner and I started humming/ singing "Wishes" that firework show music from Disneyland and both Sister Jasperson and I had a little magical moment right there of singing and watching these fireworks go off. It was a great moment :) MIRACLES AND BLESSINGS 1) This week, wow, so many miracles; safe in the rain... a definite miracle! 2) Two new investigators! We were doing temple square tours and found them sitting in the chapel. Their first question was, "How do we join this church?" Sister Jasperson and I just looked at each other, I think to make sure we both ting de dong-ed... but then we taught about Christ and the Restoration and the temple and they seemed super interested, so then we got to the part where we asked where they lived (so the missionaries in their area can get in touch with them) and they said a street in our area! We were (again) so shocked. We are going to meet with them this week and we're super excited. They set dates for the end of this month, and really seem interested, to say the least. 3) An RC, Ye JM, we visited her and she seriously seemed so happy. Since her baptism you really can tell a physical difference. She laughs and smiles more and when we asked about how she felt the Spirit since her baptism, she said she feels like she is receiving revelation to help guide her family. How amazing is that?! It made me realize a bit more what we truly are offering to people. It's not just a religion to join, and baptism really is not an act to show your allegiance with a certain church, it truly is a covenant and ordinance, that as we follow the commandments, and seek for the spirit, we will be blessed. Our physical appearance changes to have more of a happiness and light and our spirits are lighter. I like in Preach My Gospel when it talks about how sometimes people don't even know they have guilt that is weighing them down, but as soon as it is gone, I think they really notice. :) Anyway, those are only a few of the miracles that happened this week! COMP APPRECIATION I think companionship inventory is such an amazingly inspired thing. We can talk about things that are working, things we need to change, and you get an opportunity to really think about all the good in your companion. I know at the end of WPS I'm always humbled as I pull out the sticky note I've kept little acts of service or really good points on, and realize how much Sister Jasperon does for me. I think I realized also this week that I'm living in a foreign country, with someone I've only known for about 2 1/2 months, and yet, from day 1 I've put a lot of trust in. This work is amazing as two young adults are talking to strangers on the street in a foreign language, and people actually listen! Truly is not us they are listening to (and you can feel the days we rely on our own ability rather than on the Lord). | EXPERIENCES TEACHING We successfully tried to visit all the Melchizedek LA's this week, and got in touch with half of them, and left notes with the other half, and 1 was at church! It was also really great this week as we prayed more while contacting. Because Elder Graves is sick, we had the opportunity to visit a family for them, a new investigators! It was so awesome to meet them, and teach the Restoration with examples and pictures to the kids, and to have the opportunity to serve like that. So cute, we asked them to read the Book of Mormon, 1 page a day, and the 8 yr old girl grabbed the book, and went to a corner, in a couple minutes came back and said she'd read her page for the day. And while the parents hadn't read the anything since the elders first contacted them, the 11 yr old boy had read the first verse or so in 1 Nephi. What great kids?! In my reading this week, I've learned a lot about Christ. He truly is our salvation. I particularly loved thinking about the well analogy in 2 Ne. 22:2-3. It made me think about how much faith I had there was water in the well, about the bucket that I'm using to draw water from, and my desire for that water. I'm excited to keep studying Christ as I start D&C. And in D&C 3:1 I found a lot of comfort. Even a 19 yr old sister who doesn't have a doctorate degree or anything, and makes a lot of mistakes, can't frustrate God's eternal plan. So what is there to worry about as I try to draw close to Him and just do my best? There should be none. The scriptures are amazing, really we can individually receive revelation for what we need, right when we need it. I'm also realizing, we learn things line upon line. I think I had this fear of looking back a couple months and wishing I had known things I know now, and while yes, that would've been great, I don't feel regret, just gratitude that I've been able to learn what I have learned and I learned it right when I needed to. Like it was planned or something... Crazy how that works. :) I gotta tell you, sometimes I become immune to the signs in Chinese and forget I'm in Taiwan. But don't worry, we soon will turn onto a street with horns and drumes and fire crackers surrounding a funeral procession... And I remember. It's such a cool, but interesting experience :) Well, I'm super excited for this upcoming week! It's going to be great with Zone Conference and everything. I love it here, love the gospel, Thank you for prayers and support! -Sister Smith |