Monday, February 25, 2013
BEST WEEK EVER!!!! Wasaiiiii
BEST WEEK EVER!!!! Wasaiiiii. There are about a billion things I'd like to tell you about, so I'll do my best and get started. First, for preparation day we went to Monkey Mountain!!!!!! It's a mountain you can hike with tons of monkeys everywhere. They're not afraid of you, so some of them come up really close. I attached lots o pictures. Sorry for the blurry ones (that's my camera haha, the others are from another sister's camera) We started off by biking to the MRT station, then taking MRT to Xiziwan, then walked to an ice place to eat a HUGE bowl of ice smothered with fruit. It was the best lunch EVER! A cool thing about that place is that you can write on the walls. Sister Xiao is a pro at drawing, especially comics, so she drew us 5 sisters! When I go back to Taiwan, we can go to that ice place again and I'll show you all! And then we can all eat a huge bowl of ice. We then caught a taxi over to the mountain and started our hike. At first there were not many monkeys, but as we hiked higher and higher, we saw more and more. They would come and stare at us, we'd stare at them, and sometimes they'd screetch really loud and freak us out haha. We also saw a tiny tiny baby monkey with its mom!!! It made me want to have a pet monkey, that is, until the dad came and started hawking at us, then I was just content to keep hiking. Hiking reminded me of living in Provo and going up to the mountains all the time. I love being outside!!! After a few hours, we made the trip back home, taxi, MRT, biking and finished out our preparation day. That night we taught English class and had lots of new friends come, so that was fun!
It has been so exciting to watch Wang JM this week! We could not have been luckier! She already knows chinese, which is what I spent a ton of time practicing and working on for lessons when I first got here. We get to focus so much more time on following the spirit and its promptings, teaching according to people's needs, and thinking of loving powerful ways to share our testimony. She was fearless from day one! For example, one day we, as a mission, set a goal to introduce several people to the Book of Mormon and how much it has blessed our lives. As we were riding to eat, I turned back to make sure we were all still together, and I saw Wang JM pulled over with a woman, sharing her testimony and a Book of Mormon. I was so excited!!! Here we are, her 'trainers', but she was the first one to share! After her great example, we all got fired up and saw tons of miracles!!! Several people were curious and willing to start reading the Book of Mormon, even a few families agreed to read it together. There is a power in sharing about the Book of Mormon and all the blessings that it can bring to our lives. It was one of the happiest days on my mission!!! To make this even more special, a few days later we were going to a lesson when we stopped and talked to a woman on the side of the road. She said that she had been given a book by missionaries just like us a few days ago, had started reading it and really liked it! Just two days ago, we talked with some of the people we had given the Book of Mormon to, and a few had started reading! One of them, a 16 year old girl, had read a ton of it, had lots of really great questions and wants to bring her whole family to church! MIRACLES up the wazoo. That night we went over to Huang JM (the woman who hadn't been to church in 2 years but came last week) to help her sand her walls. We were all working when Wang JM started to hum some hymns. We all joined in and had such a great time serving and singing. GEeeeeezzzz I love my life. Huang JM came to church again yesterday and was warmly welcomed by all the sisters :) We are SO HAPPY!
On Friday we had an awesome lesson with Zhang JM! We were able to share more on the plan of salvation with her and how we all can choose to be happy or not. With the hope and peace the gospel brings, we can all face adversity and trials with a brighter perspective. She is really starting to understand how the gospel really relates to her life and how it can help her overcome some ill feelings she has towards her family. She expressed a strong desire to follow Christ and is willing to work towards baptism next month. She is really excited, but will have to overcome some issues, boyfriend fandui & cram school on sunday during church. She is willing to work for it though and we are too! It is incredible how much different she is this time around. I think I've told you before, but we used to meet with her right when I first got to sanmin a few months ago. She wasn't super interested then, and didn't see how any of this could help her. She politely told us she wasn't interested and we said our goodbyes... until a few weeks ago! She met up with one of her Christian friends that she hadn't seen in a really long time and admired how full of confidence and truly happy she was. She called us up and the rest is history. It really helps put into perspective that no effort is wasted, and God has His timing for everyone and everything.
Saturday was focused on FAMILIES!!! Since our message is truly focused on families, our district decided to go to a park together, Dan Jones, and talk to all the families we saw. It was so much fun! Our companionship split up, me with one of our newer members Chen JM, and Xiao JM with Wang JM. The park was huge, the weather was wonderful, and there were so many families there. We went to a bridge overlooking the park and and started to shout our testimonies one by one. It was the neatest feeling as people started to come and listen. At first, Chen JM was too scared to do it, but after some pep talks, we decided to do it together! I started off bearing my testimony about how the gospel blesses families, then looked at Chen JM... She hesitated for a second, but then started sharing a beautiful testimony of how it has affected her own family over the last year. We took turns sharing and inviting all to come and learn more. After a while, we closed and felt exhilarated! Chen JM said she was suprised at how wonderful it felt, even though she was scared. I was so happy that we were able to experience that together and I know it strengthened her own faith! That night we had a missionary fireside, where we shared about how wonderful and important member missionary work is. It went really well! We talked about Elder Holland's talk from last conference about how Christ needs us to feed His sheep. We have a sacred and special calling to go out and help everyone feel God's love for them. Sunday was AMAZING and filled with so many cool miracles. We were able to have 5 friends who haven't been to church in a really long time, come back!!! We also shared with several people how to pray.
This week really was the best! But I am out of time, I love you all so much!!!! More pictures next week!
Love Sister Song
It has been so exciting to watch Wang JM this week! We could not have been luckier! She already knows chinese, which is what I spent a ton of time practicing and working on for lessons when I first got here. We get to focus so much more time on following the spirit and its promptings, teaching according to people's needs, and thinking of loving powerful ways to share our testimony. She was fearless from day one! For example, one day we, as a mission, set a goal to introduce several people to the Book of Mormon and how much it has blessed our lives. As we were riding to eat, I turned back to make sure we were all still together, and I saw Wang JM pulled over with a woman, sharing her testimony and a Book of Mormon. I was so excited!!! Here we are, her 'trainers', but she was the first one to share! After her great example, we all got fired up and saw tons of miracles!!! Several people were curious and willing to start reading the Book of Mormon, even a few families agreed to read it together. There is a power in sharing about the Book of Mormon and all the blessings that it can bring to our lives. It was one of the happiest days on my mission!!! To make this even more special, a few days later we were going to a lesson when we stopped and talked to a woman on the side of the road. She said that she had been given a book by missionaries just like us a few days ago, had started reading it and really liked it! Just two days ago, we talked with some of the people we had given the Book of Mormon to, and a few had started reading! One of them, a 16 year old girl, had read a ton of it, had lots of really great questions and wants to bring her whole family to church! MIRACLES up the wazoo. That night we went over to Huang JM (the woman who hadn't been to church in 2 years but came last week) to help her sand her walls. We were all working when Wang JM started to hum some hymns. We all joined in and had such a great time serving and singing. GEeeeeezzzz I love my life. Huang JM came to church again yesterday and was warmly welcomed by all the sisters :) We are SO HAPPY!
On Friday we had an awesome lesson with Zhang JM! We were able to share more on the plan of salvation with her and how we all can choose to be happy or not. With the hope and peace the gospel brings, we can all face adversity and trials with a brighter perspective. She is really starting to understand how the gospel really relates to her life and how it can help her overcome some ill feelings she has towards her family. She expressed a strong desire to follow Christ and is willing to work towards baptism next month. She is really excited, but will have to overcome some issues, boyfriend fandui & cram school on sunday during church. She is willing to work for it though and we are too! It is incredible how much different she is this time around. I think I've told you before, but we used to meet with her right when I first got to sanmin a few months ago. She wasn't super interested then, and didn't see how any of this could help her. She politely told us she wasn't interested and we said our goodbyes... until a few weeks ago! She met up with one of her Christian friends that she hadn't seen in a really long time and admired how full of confidence and truly happy she was. She called us up and the rest is history. It really helps put into perspective that no effort is wasted, and God has His timing for everyone and everything.
Saturday was focused on FAMILIES!!! Since our message is truly focused on families, our district decided to go to a park together, Dan Jones, and talk to all the families we saw. It was so much fun! Our companionship split up, me with one of our newer members Chen JM, and Xiao JM with Wang JM. The park was huge, the weather was wonderful, and there were so many families there. We went to a bridge overlooking the park and and started to shout our testimonies one by one. It was the neatest feeling as people started to come and listen. At first, Chen JM was too scared to do it, but after some pep talks, we decided to do it together! I started off bearing my testimony about how the gospel blesses families, then looked at Chen JM... She hesitated for a second, but then started sharing a beautiful testimony of how it has affected her own family over the last year. We took turns sharing and inviting all to come and learn more. After a while, we closed and felt exhilarated! Chen JM said she was suprised at how wonderful it felt, even though she was scared. I was so happy that we were able to experience that together and I know it strengthened her own faith! That night we had a missionary fireside, where we shared about how wonderful and important member missionary work is. It went really well! We talked about Elder Holland's talk from last conference about how Christ needs us to feed His sheep. We have a sacred and special calling to go out and help everyone feel God's love for them. Sunday was AMAZING and filled with so many cool miracles. We were able to have 5 friends who haven't been to church in a really long time, come back!!! We also shared with several people how to pray.
This week really was the best! But I am out of time, I love you all so much!!!! More pictures next week!
Love Sister Song
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
A "Cild" is Born!
February 19, 2013
Let us rejoice this day, for unto Sister Xiao and I, a baby is born! Sound super weird? It's actually really cool and exciting, but more on that later. Now that you're all super curious, I'll let you get excited and read about the rest of my week first.
Monday was POWER CLEAN day, so instead of the normal p-day we cleaned EVERY nook and cranny and made the place ultra ultra shinily clean. You guys would be so proud of how much cleaner I am these days. Organization is now something I thoroughly enjoy, along with a clean desk. You'd be proud. That night we went over to a members house for dinner and were able to meet all their family that was visiting. One of their brothers kept asking us lots of questions and we were able to share with him about the gospel and the Book of Mormon. He started reading it before we even left, and said the elders could meet with him. We were so excited and so was the member we visited. The dad was super funny and tried to speak english to communicate "secret messages" with us on how to best help his brother. For example...
Let us rejoice this day, for unto Sister Xiao and I, a baby is born! Sound super weird? It's actually really cool and exciting, but more on that later. Now that you're all super curious, I'll let you get excited and read about the rest of my week first.
Monday was POWER CLEAN day, so instead of the normal p-day we cleaned EVERY nook and cranny and made the place ultra ultra shinily clean. You guys would be so proud of how much cleaner I am these days. Organization is now something I thoroughly enjoy, along with a clean desk. You'd be proud. That night we went over to a members house for dinner and were able to meet all their family that was visiting. One of their brothers kept asking us lots of questions and we were able to share with him about the gospel and the Book of Mormon. He started reading it before we even left, and said the elders could meet with him. We were so excited and so was the member we visited. The dad was super funny and tried to speak english to communicate "secret messages" with us on how to best help his brother. For example...
(us:missionaries, Tian DX:member who's house we went to, Brother: Tian DX's brother who we were sharing with)
us "So Brother, have you ever seen missionaries before?" chinese
us "So Brother, have you ever seen missionaries before?" chinese
Tian DX :"Teach brother gospel. get address. get address teach" english (he knows his brother doesnt understand english)
Brother: "Yeah, but its normally foreigner boys. Are you guys all the same?" chinese
us: "Yeah we are also missionaries....blah blah explain explain. So do you have any specific religious beliefs?" chinese
Brother: Not really, just traditional buddhist and blah blah explain" chinese
Tian DX: "Teach gospel. Get the address.Teach gospel! He likes buddha. He has son" english
us: "Wow, so is your whole family pretty traditional then? etc etc.
I hope what I'm trying to say is coming out... It was so funny because Tian DX kept muttering english to try and give us "hints" on how to help his brother. While it was funny at the time, as I thought about it more and more it became really sweet to me. He loves his brother so much that he tried to speak all the english he knew to help us know how to help his brother. We love our families and friends SO much that we try to share the gospel in any way we can. Sometimes we don't go about it the best or most eloquent ways, because we are imperfect, but that desire is a good one. We just want our families to live together forever and be happy. How to make that happen is found through the gospel, and that is the message we bring to everyone. Because we are ALL God's children, we share that message with everyone. I love being able to share that sweet message with my dear Taiwanese brothers and sisters, and was grateful to be able to go to Tian DX's house and share with his family.
Tuesday we had some really cool lessons with Penny and Cindy, Huang JM, and Yang JM. Penny and Cindy are sisters that joined the church while they lived in California a few years ago. They are wanting to receive their patriarchal blessings and were curious how to get that going. We talked a lot about the Lord's will and how we can get to know His plan for us through personal prayer and scripture study. Huang JM's husband likes us more and more each time we go visit! He doesn't yell at us to leave anymore and even jokes and laughs with us. We are SO excited about the progress their family is making. Yang JM is a new friend that has a huge desire to be baptized, but we want to make sure its for the right reasons and in the right time. She is only 16 years old and her boyfriend is a member, but meeting with her is great and we hope she can continue to progress.
Wednesday we saw a lot of miracles. One of them was with another Huang JM. It was our first time meeting. When she walked in, you could tell the weight of the world was on her shoulders. As we got to know her, she opened up and shared with us some of the trials that have made her lose all hope in anything good. Family and health problems have taken their toll on her heart, but we were able to share with her some of our personal experiences with prayer and how we can find hope in even the darkest of times. After she said her first prayer, there were tears coming down her cheeks as she testified that she knew Someone was listening. She still doubts a lot, but she knew that prayer was real. We testified that as she continues to pray daily, she will be able to feel her divine nature and come to know that she is a daughter of God and can once again find hope through the gospel of Jesus Christ. As I found myself walking back to my bike after that lesson, I couldn't help but think about God's love for each and every one of us. Even if my whole mission was a waste and nobody wanted to listen, but I was able to meet with Huang JM that day and help her start to pray, it would still be worth it. Thankfully there are many people who want to listen and are ready for the hope the gospel brings, but if not, the worth of ONE soul is still worth it.
Thursday Friday and Saturday we were able to meet a lot of new friends. I'm especially excited about the Chen family!!! Mom, dad and three adorable little girls. They are all willing to listen and are hoping the gospel can help them sort out some family troubles. The daughters are 1, 6, and 10 and cute as can be. The two older ones were excited to show us one of the dances they have recently learned. The parents are kind and loving and work really hard to make sure their children are raised in a loving environment. We are so excited to continue to meet with them and help them! Sunday we had a HUGE miracle when another Huang JM (sorry, so many people with the last name huang) came to church!!! She hasn't been for over 2 years due to some ill feelings towards some church members, but we've been meeting with her for the last few months and came yesterday!!!! We were THRILLED!!!!!! We love her SO much and hope she will continue to come.
Now for the big news... Yesterday we went to Taizhong for a meeting with ALL the missionaries in our mission. We had 2 special guests, Elder Watson and Elder Evans. They were able to share with us some ways we can more effectively use preach my gospel as we prepare for all the new missionaries that will soon flood the mission haha. Due to the age change (girls 19, boys 18) of when people can serve missions, many have heeded the Prophet's invitation and missionary work is rolling forth like never before. We are sooo excited! They also talked a little bit about how we need to grow up really quick, no matter how long we've been in the field or how old we are. It was a really great meeting that I learned a lot from and got a lot of new ideas to try in Sanmin. After the meeting, Sister Xiao and I got a little suprise! aka a new companion!!! Meet Wang JM, our new baby. The first area you serve is where you are "born" as a baby. Your trainer is your mom (in this case we are mom and dad I guess... I'm taller so they pinned me as the dad...) Wang Jiemei is fresh from Taibei and is our new missionary! She is waiting for her visa before she goes to Canada to serve a mission, while she waits here for a month or two, she will be trained with us here in Sanmin. Training is normally 1 on 1, but we get to try it 2 on 1. It will be new and weird and we'll have so much fun doing it! She is already so great! We're looking forward to our time together and know we'll see a lot of miracles.
Well folks, that's all I've got for today. Pday will be on monday next week, so fear not. Sorry for the one day delay, but I love you all!
Love, Sister Smart
I hope what I'm trying to say is coming out... It was so funny because Tian DX kept muttering english to try and give us "hints" on how to help his brother. While it was funny at the time, as I thought about it more and more it became really sweet to me. He loves his brother so much that he tried to speak all the english he knew to help us know how to help his brother. We love our families and friends SO much that we try to share the gospel in any way we can. Sometimes we don't go about it the best or most eloquent ways, because we are imperfect, but that desire is a good one. We just want our families to live together forever and be happy. How to make that happen is found through the gospel, and that is the message we bring to everyone. Because we are ALL God's children, we share that message with everyone. I love being able to share that sweet message with my dear Taiwanese brothers and sisters, and was grateful to be able to go to Tian DX's house and share with his family.
Tuesday we had some really cool lessons with Penny and Cindy, Huang JM, and Yang JM. Penny and Cindy are sisters that joined the church while they lived in California a few years ago. They are wanting to receive their patriarchal blessings and were curious how to get that going. We talked a lot about the Lord's will and how we can get to know His plan for us through personal prayer and scripture study. Huang JM's husband likes us more and more each time we go visit! He doesn't yell at us to leave anymore and even jokes and laughs with us. We are SO excited about the progress their family is making. Yang JM is a new friend that has a huge desire to be baptized, but we want to make sure its for the right reasons and in the right time. She is only 16 years old and her boyfriend is a member, but meeting with her is great and we hope she can continue to progress.
Wednesday we saw a lot of miracles. One of them was with another Huang JM. It was our first time meeting. When she walked in, you could tell the weight of the world was on her shoulders. As we got to know her, she opened up and shared with us some of the trials that have made her lose all hope in anything good. Family and health problems have taken their toll on her heart, but we were able to share with her some of our personal experiences with prayer and how we can find hope in even the darkest of times. After she said her first prayer, there were tears coming down her cheeks as she testified that she knew Someone was listening. She still doubts a lot, but she knew that prayer was real. We testified that as she continues to pray daily, she will be able to feel her divine nature and come to know that she is a daughter of God and can once again find hope through the gospel of Jesus Christ. As I found myself walking back to my bike after that lesson, I couldn't help but think about God's love for each and every one of us. Even if my whole mission was a waste and nobody wanted to listen, but I was able to meet with Huang JM that day and help her start to pray, it would still be worth it. Thankfully there are many people who want to listen and are ready for the hope the gospel brings, but if not, the worth of ONE soul is still worth it.
Thursday Friday and Saturday we were able to meet a lot of new friends. I'm especially excited about the Chen family!!! Mom, dad and three adorable little girls. They are all willing to listen and are hoping the gospel can help them sort out some family troubles. The daughters are 1, 6, and 10 and cute as can be. The two older ones were excited to show us one of the dances they have recently learned. The parents are kind and loving and work really hard to make sure their children are raised in a loving environment. We are so excited to continue to meet with them and help them! Sunday we had a HUGE miracle when another Huang JM (sorry, so many people with the last name huang) came to church!!! She hasn't been for over 2 years due to some ill feelings towards some church members, but we've been meeting with her for the last few months and came yesterday!!!! We were THRILLED!!!!!! We love her SO much and hope she will continue to come.
Now for the big news... Yesterday we went to Taizhong for a meeting with ALL the missionaries in our mission. We had 2 special guests, Elder Watson and Elder Evans. They were able to share with us some ways we can more effectively use preach my gospel as we prepare for all the new missionaries that will soon flood the mission haha. Due to the age change (girls 19, boys 18) of when people can serve missions, many have heeded the Prophet's invitation and missionary work is rolling forth like never before. We are sooo excited! They also talked a little bit about how we need to grow up really quick, no matter how long we've been in the field or how old we are. It was a really great meeting that I learned a lot from and got a lot of new ideas to try in Sanmin. After the meeting, Sister Xiao and I got a little suprise! aka a new companion!!! Meet Wang JM, our new baby. The first area you serve is where you are "born" as a baby. Your trainer is your mom (in this case we are mom and dad I guess... I'm taller so they pinned me as the dad...) Wang Jiemei is fresh from Taibei and is our new missionary! She is waiting for her visa before she goes to Canada to serve a mission, while she waits here for a month or two, she will be trained with us here in Sanmin. Training is normally 1 on 1, but we get to try it 2 on 1. It will be new and weird and we'll have so much fun doing it! She is already so great! We're looking forward to our time together and know we'll see a lot of miracles.
Well folks, that's all I've got for today. Pday will be on monday next week, so fear not. Sorry for the one day delay, but I love you all!
Love, Sister Smart
Monday, February 11, 2013
Happy New Year!
February 11, 2013
Happy New Year! According to the lunar calendar, February 9th was "New Years Eve" and the 10th was New years! Here, New years is a HUGE deal. People keep feeding us EVERY DAY! It's so weird. People we don't even know invite us to eat with them.Anyways, more on guonian (new years) later.
Monday I was a thief. We went to a bookstore to buy red paper and a calligraphy pen so my companion could write fancy letters to put on people's doors (I don't know how to say what it really is in english... but its way cooler than it sounds) anyways, and I was like, hey I need a new pen, so I grabbed one. We were super rushed because it was almost our time to email so my companion handed me her money and asked me to help her buy a part of it while she ran and got some other stuff. I quickly checked out and waited by the door for her. We then ran off to email. Then you were all graced with an email from me. Then we went out to eat. Then I had this weird feeling to look in my bag. Then I found that pen. At first I thought, hmm weird. Did I buy this? Of course I did, I would never steal anything in my life. But I kept having this weird feeling... Did I buy this? Xiao JM, Did I buy this pen? She said she didn't know because she wasn't there... I eat a little more and the feeling won't go away. We dig through our bags to find the receipts and lo and behold I AM A THIEF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I STOLE THAT PEN! I was a wreck!!!!!!!!!!!! First, I've never stolen anything in my LIFE. Second, I'm a MISSIONARY in a foreign country where police can beat you up if they feel like it. I was a mess. I ran to my bike and rode as fast as I could back to the bookstore. The whole way there I was a wreck, torn in a thousand pieces. Here I was, a FELON on foreign soil. I asked my companion about a dozen times if I would be killed... She kept laughing but wouldn't say what would happen if they found out! Of course, it was an accident, but how am I supposed to explain that in chinese!? I kept rehearsing how to say "I accidentally stole this pen. I'd like to pay for it now" while freaking out and feeling ultra GUILTY. My companion kept laughing and laughing. Longest 10 minute bike ride EVER. We pull in and I throw the pen on the counter and say I'm so sorry! The check-out girl blankly looks at me and says, "oh did you forget to put this on the counter? No problem. 40NT." I pay and promptly leave. GEEZZZZ all worked up about nothing. However, I will be much more cautious about merchandise from now on haha.
That night we went out to eat with Chen JM (who went through the temple this week!!!) She was really excited and left Tuesday afternoon. After she went through, she was able to attend a sealing/wedding Thursday morning. She said there was such a special spirit there, and she is SO happy she was able to go and so are we!!! Tuesday we had a wonderful district training meeting.I was asked by our zone leaders to share with them my experience with crazy people lately and how to deal effectively but lovingly with them. To make a really long story short, there are a few people with mental problems that find their way to the church because we accept everyone. There is no problem with that obviously, but on a few occasions they have acted inappropriately (it just took me 6 tries to spell inappropriately... wah!) and we've had to escort them out. Many missionaries have been concerned about the balance between love and safety, President Chen came and talked with us and gave us some advice. We were all really grateful for his help and are looking forward to keeping the chapel a safe and peaceful place. Afterwards, we met with Zhang JM. She is progressing wonderfully!!! She had some questions about the plan of salvation that we were able to help her understand. Sometimes we feel that life is unfair because of things that have happened in our lives, but once we see the big picture and understand our divine potential, we are able to realize that these things are for our good. The longer I'm on a mission, the more I am grateful for all my life experiences that have been able to help others overcome adversities in their lives. God really does have His hand in everything.
Remember how 2 weeks ago we had that fancy english meeting and got lots of new things to make our class more professional? Well one of those things included this big fancy banner to put up at the doors when people come into English at night. As english leader, they trusted it into my possession. We left Wednesday morning with it in hand so we could take it to the church before we went to our lessons that day. After a few random unexpected visits to people's houses, we found ourselves at the chapel a few hours later, but without the banner! Those things are ultra expensive and my companion is freaking out because she was the one who grabbed it that morning. We quickly said a prayer to know where to go to find it. Both of us had the feeling to go back home, so we raced there. In a country where things are often stolen, we were so grateful to find it sitting against a tree by our apartment! Yayy!!! That day happened to be "practice english day" so Xiao JM said she would offer a prayer of thanks that we were able to find it. "And thank you can find big... fancy... tube..." hahahha it was the cutest english ever. Days where she speaks english take a lot of patience, but her english is really improving! I'm so proud of her. Every time she says a prayer in english I feel like a mom who's kid just tied his shoes for the first time. Atta girl!!!
Thursday we had interviews with President Bishop which happens about ever 3 or 4 months. I never really know what to say in interviews, but they always make me so grateful for President and Sister Bishop's love and dedication to this mission. It is not an easy task to be mission president, but they do it really well. I'm grateful for all that they do. They go home this June, and we will get a new president. Today it was announced who they are. President and Sister Blickenstaff. I'm excited to meet them and of course will tell you more when the time comes. Friday we had a crazy service project... We helped one of our investigators clean her house... more correctly, her clothes. She has more clothes than our whole family COMBINED probably. Her house is not a house, it is a closet. She has not washed clothes nor worn something more than once or twice in several years... and she doesn't throw any of it away. I was absolutely shocked. We were able to help her get a good start and hope we can continue to help her break this crazyyyyy habit. She shops daily (except sunday, which is a great start!) Saturday we had a really wonderful lesson with another sister who was treated poorly as a child. Boy verses Girl is a big issue for some families, and in hers it was really bad. She still feels a lot of hatred towards her family and doesn't understand why we all want families, especially for eternity. We shared with her about the plan of salvation, and Enos 1. At first, Enos wants to change himself. As he repents and helps himself become a better person, he has a desire to pray for his family and brethren. The Lord can truly help us change the desires of our hearts if we let Him. Just like coming on a mission. I was set on Italy for the longest time, but once I started to pray for the Lord to help me make the right choice, my desires began to change and serving a mission became the priority for me. I love how the Book of Mormon is filled with stories and examples that can bless our lives and help us understand why things happen the way they do. I love getting to testify of its truthfulness every day! Sunday we had some new friends come to church, so that was really fun! The streets were empty, but we were able to visit some families and "bai nian" with them, or celebrate the new year. I love these people so much!
Well my time is coming to a close. I just ate a ton of food, and tonight will eat even more. Guonian is terrible for my desires to look halfway decent by the time I get home, but tastes REALLY good. Oh well. The atmosphere around here is really exciting with the new year. It will be celebrated all this week, so that's fun. I hear fireworks ALL the time, but can never see them because there are too many skyscrapers. One downside is that mail is shut down for a few weeks.. GAHHH. I sent a few letters to some people, and I apologize that they won't get them for a long time. SORRY but I still love you all. I am so happy we were able to surprise skype!!! Thank you so much!!!
Keep being wonderful!
Love, Sister Song
Happy New Year! According to the lunar calendar, February 9th was "New Years Eve" and the 10th was New years! Here, New years is a HUGE deal. People keep feeding us EVERY DAY! It's so weird. People we don't even know invite us to eat with them.Anyways, more on guonian (new years) later.
Monday I was a thief. We went to a bookstore to buy red paper and a calligraphy pen so my companion could write fancy letters to put on people's doors (I don't know how to say what it really is in english... but its way cooler than it sounds) anyways, and I was like, hey I need a new pen, so I grabbed one. We were super rushed because it was almost our time to email so my companion handed me her money and asked me to help her buy a part of it while she ran and got some other stuff. I quickly checked out and waited by the door for her. We then ran off to email. Then you were all graced with an email from me. Then we went out to eat. Then I had this weird feeling to look in my bag. Then I found that pen. At first I thought, hmm weird. Did I buy this? Of course I did, I would never steal anything in my life. But I kept having this weird feeling... Did I buy this? Xiao JM, Did I buy this pen? She said she didn't know because she wasn't there... I eat a little more and the feeling won't go away. We dig through our bags to find the receipts and lo and behold I AM A THIEF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I STOLE THAT PEN! I was a wreck!!!!!!!!!!!! First, I've never stolen anything in my LIFE. Second, I'm a MISSIONARY in a foreign country where police can beat you up if they feel like it. I was a mess. I ran to my bike and rode as fast as I could back to the bookstore. The whole way there I was a wreck, torn in a thousand pieces. Here I was, a FELON on foreign soil. I asked my companion about a dozen times if I would be killed... She kept laughing but wouldn't say what would happen if they found out! Of course, it was an accident, but how am I supposed to explain that in chinese!? I kept rehearsing how to say "I accidentally stole this pen. I'd like to pay for it now" while freaking out and feeling ultra GUILTY. My companion kept laughing and laughing. Longest 10 minute bike ride EVER. We pull in and I throw the pen on the counter and say I'm so sorry! The check-out girl blankly looks at me and says, "oh did you forget to put this on the counter? No problem. 40NT." I pay and promptly leave. GEEZZZZ all worked up about nothing. However, I will be much more cautious about merchandise from now on haha.
That night we went out to eat with Chen JM (who went through the temple this week!!!) She was really excited and left Tuesday afternoon. After she went through, she was able to attend a sealing/wedding Thursday morning. She said there was such a special spirit there, and she is SO happy she was able to go and so are we!!! Tuesday we had a wonderful district training meeting.I was asked by our zone leaders to share with them my experience with crazy people lately and how to deal effectively but lovingly with them. To make a really long story short, there are a few people with mental problems that find their way to the church because we accept everyone. There is no problem with that obviously, but on a few occasions they have acted inappropriately (it just took me 6 tries to spell inappropriately... wah!) and we've had to escort them out. Many missionaries have been concerned about the balance between love and safety, President Chen came and talked with us and gave us some advice. We were all really grateful for his help and are looking forward to keeping the chapel a safe and peaceful place. Afterwards, we met with Zhang JM. She is progressing wonderfully!!! She had some questions about the plan of salvation that we were able to help her understand. Sometimes we feel that life is unfair because of things that have happened in our lives, but once we see the big picture and understand our divine potential, we are able to realize that these things are for our good. The longer I'm on a mission, the more I am grateful for all my life experiences that have been able to help others overcome adversities in their lives. God really does have His hand in everything.
Remember how 2 weeks ago we had that fancy english meeting and got lots of new things to make our class more professional? Well one of those things included this big fancy banner to put up at the doors when people come into English at night. As english leader, they trusted it into my possession. We left Wednesday morning with it in hand so we could take it to the church before we went to our lessons that day. After a few random unexpected visits to people's houses, we found ourselves at the chapel a few hours later, but without the banner! Those things are ultra expensive and my companion is freaking out because she was the one who grabbed it that morning. We quickly said a prayer to know where to go to find it. Both of us had the feeling to go back home, so we raced there. In a country where things are often stolen, we were so grateful to find it sitting against a tree by our apartment! Yayy!!! That day happened to be "practice english day" so Xiao JM said she would offer a prayer of thanks that we were able to find it. "And thank you can find big... fancy... tube..." hahahha it was the cutest english ever. Days where she speaks english take a lot of patience, but her english is really improving! I'm so proud of her. Every time she says a prayer in english I feel like a mom who's kid just tied his shoes for the first time. Atta girl!!!
Thursday we had interviews with President Bishop which happens about ever 3 or 4 months. I never really know what to say in interviews, but they always make me so grateful for President and Sister Bishop's love and dedication to this mission. It is not an easy task to be mission president, but they do it really well. I'm grateful for all that they do. They go home this June, and we will get a new president. Today it was announced who they are. President and Sister Blickenstaff. I'm excited to meet them and of course will tell you more when the time comes. Friday we had a crazy service project... We helped one of our investigators clean her house... more correctly, her clothes. She has more clothes than our whole family COMBINED probably. Her house is not a house, it is a closet. She has not washed clothes nor worn something more than once or twice in several years... and she doesn't throw any of it away. I was absolutely shocked. We were able to help her get a good start and hope we can continue to help her break this crazyyyyy habit. She shops daily (except sunday, which is a great start!) Saturday we had a really wonderful lesson with another sister who was treated poorly as a child. Boy verses Girl is a big issue for some families, and in hers it was really bad. She still feels a lot of hatred towards her family and doesn't understand why we all want families, especially for eternity. We shared with her about the plan of salvation, and Enos 1. At first, Enos wants to change himself. As he repents and helps himself become a better person, he has a desire to pray for his family and brethren. The Lord can truly help us change the desires of our hearts if we let Him. Just like coming on a mission. I was set on Italy for the longest time, but once I started to pray for the Lord to help me make the right choice, my desires began to change and serving a mission became the priority for me. I love how the Book of Mormon is filled with stories and examples that can bless our lives and help us understand why things happen the way they do. I love getting to testify of its truthfulness every day! Sunday we had some new friends come to church, so that was really fun! The streets were empty, but we were able to visit some families and "bai nian" with them, or celebrate the new year. I love these people so much!
Well my time is coming to a close. I just ate a ton of food, and tonight will eat even more. Guonian is terrible for my desires to look halfway decent by the time I get home, but tastes REALLY good. Oh well. The atmosphere around here is really exciting with the new year. It will be celebrated all this week, so that's fun. I hear fireworks ALL the time, but can never see them because there are too many skyscrapers. One downside is that mail is shut down for a few weeks.. GAHHH. I sent a few letters to some people, and I apologize that they won't get them for a long time. SORRY but I still love you all. I am so happy we were able to surprise skype!!! Thank you so much!!!
Keep being wonderful!
Love, Sister Song
Monday, February 4, 2013
THISWEEKWASTHEBESTEVER!!!!
February 4, 2013
Haha I laughed SO hard when you told me Dad looked up "whipplets." You're right, it's not a word, but there are not very many W words to go with weekly so I had to improvise.
THISWEEKWASTHEBESTEVER!!!!
We had a 19 year old "duanchuan" or short term missionary with us for the week. She is INCREDIBLE and brought so many miracles!!! I will try to go through many of them, but just know that this week was seriously the besttttt. Tuesday we had some great lessons, one with Chen JM (our investigator) went really well as we talked about the Holy Ghost and following its promptings. We played a game where we hid something, and she had to find it by following our voices singing I am a child of God (closer louder, farther away quieter) Just like following the spirit, we have to act in order to find what we're looking for. At the end of the lesson, Heavenly Father gave us a really cool opportunity to practice what we preach!!! Chen JM was about to walk us to our bikes to say goodbye but she couldn't find her keys. She started to look all over and Sister Xiao and I looked at each other with a little sparkle in our eyes. PERFECT! "Chen JM, how about we say a prayer and let Heavenly Father help you find your keys through the Holy Ghost." She thought it was a great idea and said a humble prayer. Not even 10 seconds later, BAM found those keys. She was so happy and we were too!!! It doesn't matter if it is small or large, our Heavenly Father loves us and wants to guide us if we let Him and listen to the Holy Ghost's promptings.
Thursday was SO NEAT. First, one of our friends that missionaries used to meet with but stopped having interest called us up and asked if we could go meet at the church that day. We said sure! Turns out she met up with one of her high school friends from a long time ago and was super impressed with how much her friend has changed. Her friend said it was because Jesus Christ and His loving influence in her life, so Zhang JM decided she wanted Christ in her life and called us up. Lin JM (our duanchuan) was able to really connect with her and testify of forever families and Christ helping her overcome many adversities. Lin JM has a beautiful way with words and Zhang JM was truly touched. She was willing to start praying everyday and also came to church yesterday and loved it! We are so excited we can continue to help her find the light and happiness she is searching for. We later went tracting and again, Lin JM was a pro!!! We were able to meet some wonderful prepared people! Including a family, and a cute ama. So wonderful! That night we also found out that our lovely Chen Ming Zhu JM is going to the temple this week!!! She was baptized a year ago today, and is going to make more covenants with Heavenly Father this week!!!!! WE ARE SO EXCITED!!!
Friday we had a meeting in Gaoxiong about our english program and how we are going to change it and make it more professional. We got new textbooks, tools to teach, training, advertising materials, and so much more. As english leader of our chapel I got a lot more responsibility, but I think it will make english class so much better so I'm really excited! I also got to witness something really cool by another sister. There are some sisters that really love to gossip and know "all the scoop." Most of us just kind of stay out of it and don't worry about it, however, I got to see Sister Taylor be a perfect example of how we stop it. A sister came up to her and said, "Ahhh how are you doing? I know alllll about your companion, you can tell me how you really feel" At this point, Sister Taylor could have easily complained or kind of ignored it, but instead she just simply said, "Sister Chen is a rock-star, so amazing. Seriously, I am so glad I can learn from her and be her companion." She said it with complete sincerity and then changed topics. The other sister just kind of shrugged and walked off. I don't think Sister Taylor knows I heard the conversation, but that really impressed me. One of the things I love about being on a mission is all the things I get to learn from other people. Ways to make me a better person, bless my family, stop contention, and so many more that will be invaluable for the rest of my life. Sometimes I feel like we think we have to change everything all at once, but through the gospel of Jesus Christ, we know that we just need to take it day by day. Start with humble prayer and a desire to do better, and the Lord will help you change a little bit each day.
Saturday was crazy too! The elders had a baptism that morning we went to. As Lin DX (guy who got baptized) shared his testimony afterwards, he said as he went into the water, he could really feel the Savior's love enfolding him. He knows it was a new start and he is excited to have his own eternal family one day. It was really wonderful! We went over to Chen JM's house after (one who lost her keys) and were able to sit with her for a while too. She said that she's been starting to really feel the Holy Ghost influencing her life and several different ways. She is really starting to connect the gospel teachings to her life and that is the best thing a missionary could ever be a part of! After another lesson later that day, we were pulling out when a woman came up to us and asked if we represented Jesus Christ. Well in fact we do! She said she wants to find a path she can guide her family on to be happier and have more peace... Came to the right place!!! She wanted to see our chapel right then so we went over and had a lesson with her. She also came to church yesterday and loved it!!! Miracle after miracle keeps us going and I love it!!! Later we had another wonderful lesson with Zeng JM who had some questions about how to better study the Book of Mormon. We were able to help her see that it helps answer all the questions of life and showered her some wonderful scriptures. She is so excited to continue reading. I think that day we had 3 or 4 people come up to us themselves saying, hey, can I give you my number so I can learn more about your church? jaw drops to the floor........... WAh!!! Miracles up the wazoo.
We had a wonderful Sabbath day. We had a wonderful week. We are truly lucky to be here and even though things get crazy sometimes, it is all worth it. I love you all!!! I miss you all!!! Ekjflaksjeflawsikejf;laskjeflaksejf <-- that's how I feel. Crazy good.
Love, Sister Smart
Haha I laughed SO hard when you told me Dad looked up "whipplets." You're right, it's not a word, but there are not very many W words to go with weekly so I had to improvise.
THISWEEKWASTHEBESTEVER!!!!
We had a 19 year old "duanchuan" or short term missionary with us for the week. She is INCREDIBLE and brought so many miracles!!! I will try to go through many of them, but just know that this week was seriously the besttttt. Tuesday we had some great lessons, one with Chen JM (our investigator) went really well as we talked about the Holy Ghost and following its promptings. We played a game where we hid something, and she had to find it by following our voices singing I am a child of God (closer louder, farther away quieter) Just like following the spirit, we have to act in order to find what we're looking for. At the end of the lesson, Heavenly Father gave us a really cool opportunity to practice what we preach!!! Chen JM was about to walk us to our bikes to say goodbye but she couldn't find her keys. She started to look all over and Sister Xiao and I looked at each other with a little sparkle in our eyes. PERFECT! "Chen JM, how about we say a prayer and let Heavenly Father help you find your keys through the Holy Ghost." She thought it was a great idea and said a humble prayer. Not even 10 seconds later, BAM found those keys. She was so happy and we were too!!! It doesn't matter if it is small or large, our Heavenly Father loves us and wants to guide us if we let Him and listen to the Holy Ghost's promptings.
Thursday was SO NEAT. First, one of our friends that missionaries used to meet with but stopped having interest called us up and asked if we could go meet at the church that day. We said sure! Turns out she met up with one of her high school friends from a long time ago and was super impressed with how much her friend has changed. Her friend said it was because Jesus Christ and His loving influence in her life, so Zhang JM decided she wanted Christ in her life and called us up. Lin JM (our duanchuan) was able to really connect with her and testify of forever families and Christ helping her overcome many adversities. Lin JM has a beautiful way with words and Zhang JM was truly touched. She was willing to start praying everyday and also came to church yesterday and loved it! We are so excited we can continue to help her find the light and happiness she is searching for. We later went tracting and again, Lin JM was a pro!!! We were able to meet some wonderful prepared people! Including a family, and a cute ama. So wonderful! That night we also found out that our lovely Chen Ming Zhu JM is going to the temple this week!!! She was baptized a year ago today, and is going to make more covenants with Heavenly Father this week!!!!! WE ARE SO EXCITED!!!
Friday we had a meeting in Gaoxiong about our english program and how we are going to change it and make it more professional. We got new textbooks, tools to teach, training, advertising materials, and so much more. As english leader of our chapel I got a lot more responsibility, but I think it will make english class so much better so I'm really excited! I also got to witness something really cool by another sister. There are some sisters that really love to gossip and know "all the scoop." Most of us just kind of stay out of it and don't worry about it, however, I got to see Sister Taylor be a perfect example of how we stop it. A sister came up to her and said, "Ahhh how are you doing? I know alllll about your companion, you can tell me how you really feel" At this point, Sister Taylor could have easily complained or kind of ignored it, but instead she just simply said, "Sister Chen is a rock-star, so amazing. Seriously, I am so glad I can learn from her and be her companion." She said it with complete sincerity and then changed topics. The other sister just kind of shrugged and walked off. I don't think Sister Taylor knows I heard the conversation, but that really impressed me. One of the things I love about being on a mission is all the things I get to learn from other people. Ways to make me a better person, bless my family, stop contention, and so many more that will be invaluable for the rest of my life. Sometimes I feel like we think we have to change everything all at once, but through the gospel of Jesus Christ, we know that we just need to take it day by day. Start with humble prayer and a desire to do better, and the Lord will help you change a little bit each day.
Saturday was crazy too! The elders had a baptism that morning we went to. As Lin DX (guy who got baptized) shared his testimony afterwards, he said as he went into the water, he could really feel the Savior's love enfolding him. He knows it was a new start and he is excited to have his own eternal family one day. It was really wonderful! We went over to Chen JM's house after (one who lost her keys) and were able to sit with her for a while too. She said that she's been starting to really feel the Holy Ghost influencing her life and several different ways. She is really starting to connect the gospel teachings to her life and that is the best thing a missionary could ever be a part of! After another lesson later that day, we were pulling out when a woman came up to us and asked if we represented Jesus Christ. Well in fact we do! She said she wants to find a path she can guide her family on to be happier and have more peace... Came to the right place!!! She wanted to see our chapel right then so we went over and had a lesson with her. She also came to church yesterday and loved it!!! Miracle after miracle keeps us going and I love it!!! Later we had another wonderful lesson with Zeng JM who had some questions about how to better study the Book of Mormon. We were able to help her see that it helps answer all the questions of life and showered her some wonderful scriptures. She is so excited to continue reading. I think that day we had 3 or 4 people come up to us themselves saying, hey, can I give you my number so I can learn more about your church? jaw drops to the floor........... WAh!!! Miracles up the wazoo.
We had a wonderful Sabbath day. We had a wonderful week. We are truly lucky to be here and even though things get crazy sometimes, it is all worth it. I love you all!!! I miss you all!!! Ekjflaksjeflawsikejf;laskjeflaksejf <-- that's how I feel. Crazy good.
Love, Sister Smart
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