Feeling loved! July 28,2013

Sansiantai Bridge in Taidong county

Sara had a great week, is on fire again and seeing the Lord's hand in the work they are doing!!  I had the privilege of meeting a returned sister missionary who is a counselor in the program we are doing for 3 weeks - hosting 2 Students from mainland China.  She met Sara before she finished her time there and even got to go on a few splits with her.  She said Sara was a wonderful missionary!  So cute and fun and her Chinese was really good!  It was fun to hear about Sara from another's perspective and to get a hug from someone who has seen her more recently than I!  

"Family :)  I love you!

So sorry I didn't say much about my companion or anything last week.  She is from Farmington, Utah.  She was in China as a study abroad student at the same time as me.  I would stay at her house sometimes when we went to that that Nanjing branch in China.  I don't remember her well, but it was cool because when she stood up, I just had a huge witness of the spirit that I was supposed to be her trainer.  It was sooo cool.  Her name is xxxxxxx and she is 1/2 american 1/2 Italian.  She has been taking Chinese since 8th grade.  It is actually her major, so she is awesome already and we have very similar thought patterns so it is good.  We both feel the spirit really strongly too and that is awesome.  

I still have some of my challenges as well, but the lord has given me a lot of extra strength.  He truly qualifies who He calls.  I was so tired before I went to Taipei to train again, but now I have so much Faith and so much strength.  We have been seeing sooo many miracles this week!  I have realized that my challenges really have made me so strong... not only is my body strong from riding my bike around all the time, but my spirit is strong from all the things I have had to overcome.  My mountains to climb really have made me stronger and it was cool to have that witness.  As we talked about times in China it just reminded me of how much I really have grown.  

We saw so many miracles this week, but Satan was also working overtime to prevent the work from succeeding, but we worked harder! The elders (Elder A..... especially) have really been going for team Jesus and we have seen so many miracles. As we have started working as a team here in Taidong we have seen soooo many miracles!!! I felt like before it was much more of a competition, but now I can tell we really all care about each other's investigators and we are doing our best to support each other and work together to bring others unto Christ. We had an amazing experience helping the elders teach a lady they met on the street. I am sure Elder A..... will write about it today. It was exactly what we all needed to see. She was the definition of a golden investigator. She reminded us that though the Taiwanese may reject us, it is not our fault. Our message is true and because of the light they see in our eyes there will be some ready to open their hearts. She lives in Taichung... not even in our mission... but I did not care one bit. She was amazing and it was a privilege to meet her. The elders have not only been working together with us better, but they have been giving us investigators!! and we needed those miracles this week. 

The last miracle was very special. It is simple, but a powerful witness to me of the power of prayer. At the Hualian special conference, I remember President Saunders telling us about his mission experience and how he would pray that people could find him. I had never thought of that before, but it was something I couldn't forget. So my companion and I started doing just that. We have been praying every morning and lots of other times throughout the day that not only can we find the prepared children, but that they can find us.

Oh how quickly the lord answers our prayers. This Saturday as my companion was struggling riding her bike in a skirt, she got self contacted. A lady on a scooter asked her to pull over. She and her daughter wanted to come to church and they were wondering what our time was like. We set up with her at 8:15 the next morning right before church started and they came! The mom couldn't stay, but the daughter really wants to learn. She had a good experience at church and even better - set up a time for Tues. This kind of experience has not happened to me my entire mission and it's because I have never asked for it before. "Ask and ye shall receive, knock and it shall be opened unto you." I KNOW this is true! I know it is because of our desire to obey that we are guaranteed His answer. 

The lady we met with the elders was really an amazing experience.  Her name is L...... and she is an elementary school teacher.  She said she hadn't been to Taidong in 20 years because she doesn't like it there. She had planned on going to Gaoxiong, but for some reason changed her plans.  Meeting with us she knew why.  She said she was always afraid of our missionaries before, but she could see in our eyes our kindness and it opened her heart.  We were all there for a reason and it was a reminder to me that prepared children are out there.  I am going to send Matt her info and I hope that by some chance of fate he will get to meet her!  That is my small wish...  I want to meet someone and send them back to Taichung to have my brother help them get baptized... how cool would that be?!  

Anyways I love it here and things are going well.  Many more miracles have happened though I don't have time to write them all.  I love you and am sooo grateful for all the words of support you give.  I finally read the "Sacrificing the Lord's Way" talk you wrote and it is perfect for what we wanted to help our RC's with.  
I LOOOVE YOU!!! "


I LOOOVE YOU!!!