Temple!

October 26, 2013

Dearest dear ones,

Well, this is the last time you'll hear from me as a full-time missionary in Taiwan. It's a bitersweet time, I'm sure you understand. The last year and a half have been rewarding beyond measure. I feel like I am finally starting to understand a tiny piece of the gospel. I feel so blessed to have been able to serve here in Taiwan among these people I love so much. Today I get to go to the temple with Liang Mama. I dont know if you remember, but she was baptized just over a year ago. If not, let me refresh your memory :)

Liang Mama is one of my favorite people in all of Taiwan. She is the most sarcastic, funny, loving, ama you will ever meet. She makes everyone smile and always serves others. She also felt she was far too old to change her ways, however, Liang Mama was 78 years old when she was baptized last year :) It started off simply, Liang Mama would pay attention for about 1 minute before she would try to feed us more food or tell us about her neighbors, or say something sarcastic . We'd steer the conversation back to the gospel, and eventually got more and more creative, bringing pictures and making big murals to keep her attention. We would invite her to be baptized, and she'd say "Sisters sisters, I'm about to die! Don't worry about me." However, we never gave up. We kept visiting her, helping her meet people in the ward, and could see her testimony growing each day. One day we walk in and she goes, "Sisters... I would like to be baptized tomorrow. Can you arrange that? Alright, thanks." We helped her prepare instead for the week after, and she was baptized last year in September.

Now, the last week of my mission I will be going through the temple with her. I'm grateful from head to toe! This last week has been a wonderful one, visiting the people I love. Riding along the beach with Cynthia as we chuanjiao'd together, helping Pan JM, seeing Mibo, Yuli, throwing the best haunted hause ever for our english party, seeing Zhuang Bei bei, and so many more.

I love you all! I'm sad to leave but I promised Heavenly Father that I'd go where He wants me to go, say what He wants me to say, and be what He wants me to be. I can't wait to see you!

Love, Sister Smart

No email this week

October 21. 2013

Family and Friends,

Sister Smart did not write an email this week.

Hopefully, there will be one more email from Taiwan before she returns home on October 29.

The following email message was sent to us from a friend or member in her local area:

Hi. This is cynthia, the friend of Sisters smart. She says tomorrow she cannot email you. She is go to temple saturday and will write saturday. She love you a lot. Thankyou. 

Christmas songs

October 14, 2013

We've begun singing Christmas songs, and I am utterly thrilled to celebrate the Savior's birth in a few months! I'm again sorry about the lack of time to write a decent email last week. I'll do my best to quickly write about this last week as well, but again, my time is short. We don't have much time and I have to do a bunch of random things since I'm going home soon, sorry, but here's some highlights, I'll tell details in a few weeks

 

We had another baptism this week! With the help of a loving ward family, Qiu JM decided to be baptized last Thursday 10/10 on Taiwan's independence day. Yeh yeh! She was so cute and happy. She shared a really strong testimony about how she knows the Book of Mormon is true and talked about how it has blessed her life.

 

I went on exchanges to Douliu with Sister Parkinson, a great girl from Michigan. We did a lot of tracting, and found some really nice families that invited us to come over again another day. 

 

English was pretty funny... Right before it started, an elder threw up all over the place. My class was thankfully in another room, and we had a great time talking about opposites and then general conference.

 

Speaking of General conference, it was amazing!!!! I watched it in chinese this time, but the spirit was just as strong. I learned so much from every single speaker. I really loved President Monson's talk and I'm so thankful we have  living prophet to guide us now. One of our friens, Ming Zhen came to all 8 hours, and loved it all! Yuli also came for most of it. The music was also really beautiful. I saw Lanni!

 

We visited Chen JM in Yongkang again. Her 95 year old mom is a gem and speaks a mix of japanese, chinese, taiyu, and english. She's really cute and likes to hug me.

 

We had a really neat discussion with Su Jm at Pan JM's house. They are both friends, one is Mibo's mom, who joined the church a few years ago. The other is one of our new friends who really wanted to learn about the plan of salvation. Her husband passed away 5 years ago and she has raised her 7 year old all on her own since. Tears came to her eyes when she realized she will see him again. The plan of salvation is so important and brings so much comfort and hope into our lives.

 

My time is up, but I love you all! The time is far spent and there is little remaining, so I'm going to go out there and give it my all. Have a great week!

 

Love, Sister Smart

Sorry!!

October 7, 2013

Dearest dearest family! I want to write so much, but my companion threw out her back yesterday and we are going to the doctors in a second. No time! If we have time afterwards I'll write more. I'm so so sorry! Know that my last week was great, I love you all, and that Heavenly Father is really great! Have a great week!!!!

Love, Sister Smart