December 24th, 2012

Merry Christmas everyone!! This has been such a unique Christmas and I am so grateful to be a missionary. This week has been so amazing and crazy...i feel like i write that every week. But it is true. the Lord is in this work and with Him, nothing is impossible. i love doing this work

we picked up our new companion this week. sister zhu is a powerhouse missionary and we are loving working together. she has been praying to come to nuntun and is so excited to be in this area. her english is perfect but she is really helping me with my chinese. i really want to use this time to improve my chinese. she likes to take advantage of my not-yet-perfect-chinese and make fun of me in front of the members haha!! she is the best. i have been working so hard in this area to get to know the members and earn their trust. i love the people in our area and i really feel a deep connection with them. it's amazing how going that little extra mile to say hello to a person or sit and chat can help develop a friendship. i really feel like one of the reasons we moved around so much growing up was to prepare me for a mission. i love getting to know people and i am so comfortable talking to everyone. i love it. i am so grateful.  

the baptism was perfect. we had a little trouble with the drain....like it didn't work. so we grabbed some tape and plastic and fixed it haha. Lin JM's husband and whole family came. The spirit was so strong as we talked about baptism and conversion. us three sisters sang a primary song and Lin JM was really touched. the ward was so great about talking with the dad and serving the family . i am so grateful for the wards here. i love this area so much. Lin JM's testimony was so wonderful as she testified of the light and hope that this gospel has brought into her life. we went to their house earlier this week to do FHE (so much fun!!) and there was a picture of the temple on their wall. this gospel changes life and i am so excited to help Lin JM continue to prepare to go to the temple. she has that goal and i am so excited. i will be able to attend the temple with her if she goes within the year. her husband, who isn't really interested in the gospel, came to church the next day for all three hours. we're continuing to pray for him. this work is so wonderful! i am so grateful for this chance to serve taiwan. Lin JM has become my mother here. i set up with her at about 3 tomorrow to skype you all. we might be a little early so be prepared :) i am so excited to talk to you all. you have no idea how much i love you. it is because i have such an amazing family that i decided to serve a mission- i want to help others have the same blessings. it is amazing to see the blessings of the gospel for families. 

being in a threesome has been crazy but so fun! our apartment is kinda small...too small for 3 women. especially the kitchen. haha but we have made it work. i am grateful that both of my companions are patient and so charitable. we are loving this work. i really felt like i was sent to this area for a reason and i think that reason was to help build relationships with the ward. the Lord has blessed me so much as i have tried to show others His love. i have been praying for chances to serve and they have fallen into our laps. i really have gained a testimony of Christ's love

the christmas activity was amazing. seeing everyone again was so much fun. i saw sister chord, my MTC companion. she says HI! there is such a special bond between mtc companions and districts. it was great seeing the elders from my mtc district. they are all doing so great. we went to an amzing little wood shop village and then to an all you can eat buffet (not like the one in china town in sanfran that dad took us to). this restaurant was SO GOOD! we're going there someday. it was so fun to hear about all the amazing work going on all over the taizhong mission. my heart is here in taiwan. i love this place and i love these people. one of the member in our ward, Zhou DX, told me that i am like ammon in the book of mormon. he sought to serve the people and be one of them. i want to be asian!! haha he told sister Zhu she is amulek- the native. together we are going to do miracles. i love this area. 

i am so excited to talk to you all tomorrow. you have no idea. i am so grateful for skype and for LIn JM. you all get to meet her tomorrow. she is beautiful and you will love her. i am so excited to talk to you tomorrow! i love you all so much. and WANG AYI GOT BAPTIZED!! why did no one tell my last week?? that is such a miracle story and i am so excited to hear more about. i am so grateful to be serving with my family in this wonderful work. i miss you but i know this is so important. i know that this is where i am supposed to be. i love this mission!

i will talk to you...when? TOMORROW!

all my love to all of you. 

sister Paige Newman  

December 17th, 2012

MOVE CALL DAY!! it has been a crazy amazing week and we just got some great news about move call. sister vandegrift and i will be in a threesome with a sister Zhu for the next 3 weeks until sister V leaves for home. and then it will be sister Zhu and i. she is a native taiwan sister and i'm really excited to meet her and learn from her:):):):) sleepover every night! haha i'm kidding. i'm really excited for this opportunity and i'm really grateful that i will be passed off from my first da tongban to my second da tongban. i was really nervous of sister V leaving. it has been so great to serve with her and she seems to know everything. God knew my worries and has answered my prayers. this way, the three of us can work together and get sister Zhu oriented to the area and then we can power team it. i am so excited for the next couple of weeks. we have a baptism this saturday and we could not be more excited. Lin Jiemei came to church this week and attended an 8 year old's baptism with her two kids. she was so prepared and it has been amazing to watch her faith grow. we're having FHE with her this week and she has almost finished reading the book of mormon. i'm excited to get the ward involved in the new member lessons and help her receive a calling. we've been doing the 12 days of christmas for her- which i'm learning is really hard when a person lives in an apartment. we can't really ding-dong-ditch because of the guard at the entrance. but it's been really fun any way :) it reminds me of the real meaning of christmas- service, and love and letting the light of Christ into our lives.  

last monday, we had a wedding. it was a very very. very. small wedding but it was great! the couple met us and arranged the wedding in our area but then they moved. they are continuing to be taught by another companionship of sisters. the wedding was great and some of her friends came- i really felt the spirit as the bishop talked about marriage and performed the wedding. it was fun!!! its so strange the things that sometimes happen on a mission- many things that you really dont expect. haha they just get thrown at you and then you just have to learn from it and keep going. i'm learning that attitude is so important. as long as we stay happy and faithful and charitable, everything will be fine. the end of every day, no matter what has happened, i feel peace and happiness. i'm still striving to know where to improve and what more i can do. i really want to work this move call on taking advantage of every moment. the time is going by so fast!! 

we just learned that all the return dates and move call dates for missionaries will all be affected because of the new age change for missionaries. we're all still really excited to see how this new rule changes the work here in taiwan. we just got about 6 new sisters in the newest group of missionaries. HOW FUN IS THAT? i love being a sister missionary and teaching moms and sisters. its so much fun to see how this gospel can truly change lives. i felt humbled this week as i again realized that this is the Lord's work. it really has so little to do with me. the Atonement really changes people and helps them become better. through repentance and baptism, people can start on the path that leads back to God. what a blessing to know the way! 

we had an amazing christmas activity this week. there was so much practicing that went into this event and so many people showed up. it was a music extravaganza!! the missionaries got to sing a couple songs and it was great practicing and performing with the member in our area. this is the best time of the year! it was wonderful to feel the spirit so strong. 

we had an investigator come to church yesterday who has been coming the past couple of weeks but didn't really want to set up with us to teach her. i think there was some miscommunication but after the gospel principles class this week, she turned to me and started talking to me about baptism. i looked at her and asked if she wanted to get baptized. she said she did!- she wants that new start, she wants to better understand, she wants to learn. we are meeting with her every day this week to prepare her for a Christmas baptism! i can't believe it! she has faith in Christ and a desire to repent and be clean. her name is He JieMei and she is an older woman- she lives alone and i think she has had a hard life. i'm excited to see how the blessings of the gospel bring light into her life. the ward has been great about welcoming her and it will be exciting to have a baptism on Christmas. what a miracle right!? our district is seeing many miracles this week and we are so grateful. it's so exciting!

dad- thank you for your clarification. i have heard about those rumors and i'm grateful for your instruction. i'll say something to president bishop- i'm sure he's aware of the situation. i love you so much. i'm so glad the family is together for christmas! i'm so glad that i get to skype you all. when would be a good time to call? would like 3:00 be ok? i'm using Lin Jiemei's computer so i need to get things figured out with her

mom- dad said the chirstmas party went great as well. i'm sure it did. you are an amazing missionary and mother. i'm so excited to get your packages and TALK TO YOU IN A WEEK AND A DAY!! christmas kinda snuck up on us. haha i love you. you are my best friend and i feel such strength from you

all my love, 

Sister Newman 

December 10th, 2012

ALMOST THE END OF MOVE CALL 2!! where on earth does time go?! i really can't believe that i have almost been in Taiwan for 3 months. time goes by so fast and i am loving everyday. we have started doing a Christmas miracle list and it's amazing the little things that God puts into our lives in order to help us see His hand. We are completely dependent on Him and His mercy and i'm so grateful that He is a merciful God. i was reading in Mosiah 3 today and i was just amazed by the Savior's humility and love. i have been studying the Book of Mormon, seeking to better know Christ. Christmas time is the best time of the year. mom, i am so glad that the open house went well!! it sounds like an amazing success. we have been visiting members, less actives and investigators this past week, sharing the story of Christmas and helping people see the reason we celebrate. for so many people here, Christmas is all about the presents and the decoration. we couldn't even find a nativity. the world doesn't understand sometimes and tries to block Him out, but Christ is the Light and the Life of the world, a Light that will never be darkened and a Life that will never end. He brings light into my life and has brought eternal life to all those that will follow Him. Christmas time is amazing. 

i have seen the light of Christ in the life of our progressing investigator Lin Jie Mei. She is getting baptized on the 22! i am so excited and i feel so lucky to be a part of her conversion. words cannot express my love for her and gratitude that i get to be her fuyin Jiemei (gospel sister- what they call the sisters that teach you here in taiwan). she has been struggling the past week about some life decisions and she has been praying and reading the Book of Mormon looking for guidance. she has so much faith and i have loved seeing her change. we are so excited for her. We are doing the 12 days of Christmas for her family and had all the sisters in our ward write her a note. we're going to go drop one off daily with a little treat. her little family is wonderful and i'm excited to see her continue to change and grow in the gospel. She is taking the first step- baptism! and i know that the Lord will bless her. we are so excited. we prayed together about her baptism date and she said that later that day, she had a friend call and cancel an appointment so she could come to church. i am learning the power of prayer and seeking to be humbly dependent on Heavenly Father. i feel Him so close and i know that He loves all His children personally. He hears us and loves us infinitely. turn unto Him and the plan of redemption will immediately be brought to pass in your life (paraphrase from the Book of Mormon). Christ knows how to succor us and will not let us sink- we just need to call to HIm.

this week, we had sister exchanges and i stayed in my area with a sister yen. wow- she is amazing. she has so much faith and is such a diligent missionary. she's the kind of missionary that quietly influences everyone around her to be better and reach higher and work a little harder. she wrote a note to an LA in our area that wasn't home when we went to visit her. she took her time to help me learn how to be a better planner. she has a lot of love and a lot of patience and i'm so grateful for all i learned from her. i am a little nervous about getting a new companion but as i have talked to the Lord, i have had a peace given to me. the Lord knows me and knows what i need. i am praying for Sister Vandegrift as she gets ready to go home- i want to help her end on a high. we are doing so great :) i love being a missionary. i feel like i learn something new everyday (sometimes the hard way) but the Lord is helping me become a missionary and a disciple. i am striving to improve something, some-one-thing, daily and focus on staying close to the spirit. something i really learned this week is the power that comes from performing the invites from our leaders. the mission president, zone leaders and district leaders give us invites weekly. they are inspired and as i strive to act on my commitment to their invitations, i know i am blessed. our church is guided by inspired men who love and obey the Lord. as we follow their counsel, we cannot go astray. general conference is amazing and the opportunity that we have to read and study the words of living prophets and apostles is a blessing that only our church offers. the priesthood is an amazing blessing.

mom- i love you so much. it was so great to get your email and hear about all that you are doing. you are an amazing mom with so much love. all of us kids love you so much. you tie us together.

dad- thank you for your guidance and leadership in our family. i love you so much. i am so grateful that you are a righteous priesthood holder and that you seek the Lords will. seeing your example has brought me to where i am today. ps- we're about to go to costco to get a COSTO CARD. ohhhhh yeahhhh :) i loveyou

thank you to everyone for your prayers and your support. i truly feel it. i was praying last night and felt so much love. i know that love comes from the Lord and also from all of you. i am so grateful for our family. we are eternal and that is the best blessing. i know that Christ lives and that through Him, we can change. we can bless the lives of others by following the Spirit's guidance, and we can be worthy of the spirit through repentance. the way is prepared for us. Chist is the way. i love Christmas time

all my love

Sister Newman  

paige's address :)

HEY! paige is still in taiwan and still has the same address :) fancy that! it's christmas time soon! you should write her a little christmassy letter :)

Sister Paige Newman
404-46
Taiwan Taichung Mission
No 498-11 Wu Chuan Rd.
North district, Taichung
Taiwan, ROC

pictures of thanksgiving

December 2nd, 2012

DECEMBER!! when did that happen? where did november go? time goes so quickly and i can't believe i've almost been in taiwan for 3 months. one part of me feels like i have always lived here and another part of me feels like i just got here. i love taiwan so much and i am loving serving the Lord and seeking to do His will. sister Vandegrift and i have rededicated ourselves to giving missionary work 110 percent. our days are so full of finding and teaching and serving and i love every second of it.

the thanksgiving party was wonderful :) it was so fun. wednesday night, we started baking with a bunch of women in the singles ward. the elders showed up for a time and helped us peel potatoes. we had some investigators come as well. it was so great to be in the kitchen again!! i really missed that this thanksgiving- i hope the turkey was less of a hassle this year at midway :) it was great to feel that sisterhood with the women here. i am learning that the most important thing is helping people FEEL something different. if they feel that love and that peace of the spirit, that's not something they will forget. i think the key is creating an environment where the spirit can come. mom just told me about her experiences teaching english and i am so inspired!!

we spent most of friday baking as well, with members and investigators coming and going, helping us pick things up and get things ready. we were blessed with so many miracles as we prepared for this activity. and then the party was that night :) we had about 100 people show up. everyone loved the food. i think they were a little scared of the stuffing at first and the green bean casserole, but once you pop you can't stop! they LOVED it. everyone was coming up to me and telling me how i am going to be such a great mom. i wish they could see my mom- she puts me to shame :) all things that are good about me i owe to my angel mother and her example. mom and dad have helped me become who i am and they continue to influence me. i love you two and i felt very close to you this week as i celebrated thanksgiving as we do at home (ok- not exactly similar. our turkey usually doesn't have its head STILL ON). after we were done eating, we all went upstairs and had a mini church tour. our relief society, YW leader, Bishop, and family history consultant were able to talk a little about the different organizations in our wards. it was great and when the bishop talked about the sacrament meeting, he read the sacrament prayer. i felt the spirit so strong as he talked about the cleansing power of baptism and sacrament. it was great and we met many of the member's friends. we ate leftovers with some members yesterday after church for dinner and that was super fun. i love the wards here. it's incredible the strength i have felt as i have tried to remember and get to know people in our three wards. they are so wonderful. we are trying now, under the direction of the bishop, to do some training with them about how to share the gospel with their friends. we invited them this week to pray for the desire to share. i know that as we pray for and seek missionary experiences, the Lord will give us the desires of our hearts. i have seen this in my family as they have had opportunities to bring others closer to Christ. the Lord is giving them opportunities to be examples of Christ in China, where they are not allowed to openly proselyte. surely, if He can help them have missionary experiences in a place where they can't even teach than He can help us have missionary experiences in a place that has religious freedom (taiwan, american, europe). nothing is more important in the world than this message of the Lord's gospel. i love the joy that comes from learning about and sharing these "glad tidings of great joy"

i was able to receive a blessing this week from an elder in my district. i felt so much love from my Heavenly Father and so much support. our district right now is really fun. we are supportive and service oriented. i love it. being a missionary is such a unique experience. i am so grateful for the power and authority of the priesthood. i want to help families see the blessings of this gospel. i want to help fathers see how it can help them preside and protect. i want to help mothers see how it can guide them as they nurture and teach. this gospel is for families!! i love it.

i am so grateful for sister Vandegrift. i have felt a deep love for her and a desire to help her continue to be the best missionary she can be. she has taught me so much about diligence and charity. we were able to have a really wonderful conversation about the spirit and the gospel of Jesus Christ. i am grateful that i was able to be her trainee and i am grateful for all the times i have been able to serve her. she has been patient with me and helped me smooth out my rough edges. i love her.

all my love to my family and friends. i love this missionary work and i am so grateful for your support. Christ lives and guides us. He is our Master.

yours,

sister Newman

pictures of thanksgiving!

November 27th, 2012

mom- you are so clever. put the date in the subject box of course. problem from last week solved. 

the photos were so great!! holy cow- that trip to yangshuo looks like so much fun. we are so lucky to have these totally awesome experiences!! very few of my friends can say that they have been to the meiyou restaurant or the crazy glow in the dark cave. that is so cool!! yangshuo is such a cool place :) thank you so much for the package!! it was perfect and i don't think i have taken off those cashmere sweaters since i got them. they are so comfy and warm. and the jacket came just in time!! it has been raining and chilly the past couple of days. but oh so wonderful :) this week has been a good one. so much is happening. we actually decided to celebrate thanksgiving on the 30th.....no one is going to tell us otherwise. haha so our party is this friday night. we are really excited and so many miracles have come together because our wards are willing to attend and help. we had a pretty small budget and we were worried about getting turkey until we had a member call us and say he was willing to supply the money for the turkey (which is ridiculously expensive here for some reason). his reasoning was "who wants to join a church that doesn't even have turkey on thanksgiving? they'll eat the turkey and think- wow, this is good turkey; i want to learn more about your church." haha we are so grateful for him and so many other members. i feel so lucky to have this opportunity to serve them. we are praying so hard that many people show up and have a wonderful time. we're baking with some members and investigators tomorrow and i am so excited!! i haven't baked in so long. i'm so blessed to have this family away from home. my favorite memories are baking in the kitchen with my mom and sisters and this year i get to cook with my taiwanese family. i'm really excited. we have a little church tour set up as part of the activity where we're going to have several people explain the different auxiliary organizations in the church. we're really excited. our district is so great. the elders are so willing to help and serve us. the light broke off my bike a couple weeks ago and after church on sunday, i found that my zone leader had fixed it for me. i am so grateful for other's service. i am looking for the small things that i can do. i know that service is so important and that as we love people, we are doing the Lord's work. 

the temple today was amazing. it has been so long since i have been there. it felt like coming home. the sisters there are angels. we were able to do a session and i felt so much love. i learn so much every time i attend the temple. this time i learned about how God directs us. He gives us the step by step. line upon line. as we accomplish what he asks of us and are accountable to Him, He will continue to direct us- give us the next step. i was really seeking peace at the temple. every week on the mission is so different and some days are harder than others. but God always lets me know He is there. i was praying in the temple and seeking direction on how to better keep the covenants i have made. the blessings God has promised us are so incredible. i was reminded today of how i am never alone. i don't have to rely on my strength because i have the Lord on my side. it's not my love that will help people change; it's His endless love through me that will touch others and allow me to be a tool in His hands. i have so much to learn and change---but that's the exciting part!! through the Atonement, we can be better and learn and progress. God is waiting to direct us; we need to listen to Him. 

this week on sunday, i was having a hard day. after church i was praying and talking to God about what i needed to do better/what i want to change. i was feeling slightly lacking in direction and i was searching the scriptures for direction. as i was sitting there, a man in our ward whom i respect very much walked over and sat next to me. he asked me about the work, and i just opened up to him. He is the former mission president of GaoXiong. he was an answer to my prayer. we talked about how to help the people in our area need to see how the gospel can bless their lives. we talked about teaching people on their level- for understanding and relevance. i think a lot of taiwanese people see Christianity as an outside, foreign religion. we need to be able to bring the gospel into people's homes and help them see how their relationship with Christ can bless their lives. i have really strengthened my testimony of the Savior this week. i am coming to know Him and i want to help others see His hand in their lives. i know that God answers our prayers- he answered mine through a friend. Zhou dixiong (brother Zhou) told me how proud he was of me and how grateful he was to my parents for raising me. it was just the direction and encouragement that i needed. Christ through him is pushing me to make a difference. i want to be a better missionary and i want to turn this area around. i want to use my personality to serve God. our teaching pool right now is pretty small but i have faith that as we work hard and love these people, we will see success. i love this work. it is amazing to put on my badge every morning. i love it. 

the president invited us to look for ways to serve this week and to pray for charity. i felt an increase of love for my companion and everyone in my area. these are our brothers and sisters!! i think of all the blessings i have received from knowing my relationship with God- there is so much power in knowing your are the beloved daughter of an almighty Heavenly Father. i want these women to know that and to feel His love. our investigator Lin JM is doing so well. she is keeping all of the commandments and reading through the book of Mormon and her family is so wonderful. she is having a hard time coming to church because of family visits and trips. but she is doing great. she's coming tomorrow to help us bake and get ready for thanksgiving. we're thinking about having a family home evening at her home- we're really wanting to help her husband see how this church can bless his family. 

i think we need more direction on how to work with our wards. they are so willing to help in every way and i don't think we're using that to it's full capacity. i want to come up with a game plan with sister Vandegrift after our Thanksgiving activity for what we want to do to strengthen and bless our wards. i'm really excited for this activity and the holiday season in general. what a wonderful time of the year. 

all my love as always. dearest family, you are my strength. i love you so much and i'm so blessed to have you all. i am grateful for the temple and the blessings of eternal families. what an amazing gift from our Father. i love you all

yours 

sister Paige Newman 

November 19th, 2012

i never know what to put in the subject box. i don't want to be sappy or try to be clever. and i never know how to sum up a week in like 2 words. so as they say here "suan le" which basically means "forget it"

this week has been amazing. every week is amazing. and the parts that aren't as great are swallowed up in the joy and love i feel from Christ. i am learning so much about the Atonement and how amazing it is that we can be better everyday. we are not who we were yesterday or two years ago. we can grow and progress as we are honest with our faults and allow Christ's grace to shine through the flaws in our character. i had the opportunity to translate in our ward yesterday for a Korean sister. i have never felt so inadequate. i'm pretty sure she was confused the entire time. and i just kept apologizing. but at the end, she turned to me and thanked me and said she felt the spirit. i almost started crying. despite my poor Chinese and English ( and absolutely no Korean), Christ was able to help her feel the spirit. i also got to help her obtain a temple recommend from the bishop. she is so sweet and so pure and i could just see how worthy she was to enter the temple. i was so grateful that i was able to help her in a small way. this was a very humbling experience for me and i am so grateful to the Savior for helping me be better than i am. i love the opportunities God gives me to serve. i had prayed that morning that i would be able to be attentive during church and stay awake (with 3 wards, this is something i am struggling with) and God answered my prayer. no way was i going to sleep while translating. haha i was so grateful for this opportunity.

i have sent two letters to the family in shanghai. before i send any more i want to make sure that the letters are getting there. if not let me know. i don't know how long it takes. you wouldn't think too long but i guess we never know. haha i am excited to get a package!! i love you all so much and i'm grateful for your prayers and thoughts and constant support. i am working to be as good of a missionary as i can be. i know our family is being blessed and that motivates me to work hard.

we had a lesson with our progressing sister Lin JM. we met with her and talked about the word of wisdom. she has so much faith and she is willing to obey. we then talked about her attendance at sacrament meeting and about when we can schedule her baptism. she says that the next month of weekends is booked and there is mei you banfa to come to church. my heart hurt as she was talking to us. we are continuing to work with her and help her see the need for church. i am praying and thinking about her so much. i know that God will help us and that everything is according to His timing. i am praying that we can know how to help. last Friday was a miracle as we met with her again at the bishops house. we had planned to talk about tithing but when her husband showed up (MIRACLE) we quickly changed to eternal marriage and the temple. her husband has never met with us before and we were so grateful that he came. the lesson was perfect. as the bishops wife taught about eternal marriage and the blessings of the sealing, lin JM said "i want that. i want to go to the temple and be sealed" her husband is very quiet but we are so grateful he was there. when we sang the opening song, i looked over and saw their little family of 4 huddled around the hymn book singing, i felt the spirit and love for them so strongly. they will be an eternal family and am so grateful that i have been able to be a part of their progress. we are hoping to help her use this desire for the temple as motivation to come to church. her little family is perfect and we love them. as we were leaving, we were talking about this drink "dong gua cha" which is a type of melon tea (not against the word of wisdom) and she jokingly pulled me aside and said "li jie mei, you're not drinking TEA are you?!? that would be against the word of wisdom!" i laughed so hard and i am so grateful that my investigator is helping me, the missionary,keep the commandments. (to clarify- i am not drinking tea!! dong gua cha is just a melon drink. i am keeping the word of wisdom and being obedient :)

oh next week we're going to the TEMPLE!! i am really excited. i haven't been in so long and i am so excited to feel the spirit and learn and get that boost that always comes from attending the temple. what a beautiful place. i am so grateful for the covenants we have made or will make that empower us and lift us. temple days are on wednesday and that means that our Preparation day is moved to Wednesday. so dont worry when you don't get an email. it will come late wednesday afternoon.

this week we have been working on using the book of Mormon more in our teaching. there is such power in the scriptures and they say things much better than we can. :) we are working on being better at inviting people to act and read and then following up. i think the following up part is where we are struggling. i love Christ's patience with me as i try to become a better missionary. i have been learning this week to lean more on Him and not on myself. every contact is a chance to help someone feel the spirit and i need His help to have any success. i have been praying more on the road than i have my whole mission, seeking His spirit and guidance.

this church is true. the book of Mormon teaches truth clearly and beautifully and protects us from the sorrows and harms of the world. Christ lives and lifts and strengthens. i love Him and our Father in Heaven.

yours,

Sister Newman

another wonderful week! - November 11th, 2012

hello all!

this week i feel like so much happened! that's how it is every week, i guess. i think back to last Monday and wonder...was that really THIS WEEK? the weeks go by so fast but they are full of so much!! i finished my language evaluations this week, only to realize how much i need to STUDY! haha i love speaking Chinese and i have many good examples of missionaries who master this language. something i really want to work on is being able to just be myself and not let the language stop me. i'm a pretty bold personality so it hasn't been too much of a problem. one of the new missionaries in our area has really inspired me to be better. we are all brought to these particular places because we have something personal to offer- we can't let anything get in the way of accomplishing God's will for us. i know sometimes His will for us may seem daunting (callings, assignments, goals), but with faith, we can do all things. He always provides the way. i want to be more faithful in my studying and teaching and finding. with faith and obedience, we can do so much good. i have been studying obedience this week. obedience develops faith and is the way that God is able to bless us. no happiness comes from disobedience. God has so many blessings He wants to pour out and He is just waiting for us to obey. He loves us so much and wants us to be happy. we will never regret obeying Him and His spirit. 

i don't have much to report this week other than just loving being a missionary and doing the little things. i am really seeking the Lord's will to know how i can improve. i know there are so many things i need to change and i'm trying to find where the Lord wants me to start. i have faith and i'm learning patience as i seek His will. 

i am learning the power of apathy. Satan is working just as hard as we are for the souls of these people. I need to make sure i am giving it my all to help them come unto Christ and have those spiritual experiences. satan will make us think, it's ok that you didn't read the Book of Mormon- you were SO busy. or it's ok that you didn't go to church- you were REALLY tired. apathy is one of His biggest weapons against us. it's really hard as a missionary to help people fight against that apathy, to give people a reason to want it. the blessings of the gospel are so wonderful and so vital. they are essential to our salvation. i am just feeling really determined to be a better missionary- to fight this war against sin like Christ would, with love and with the power of the spirit. 

things with sister vandegrift are going well. we are good examples for one another. i enjoy working with her and we are determined to be better :) i love this area. our three wards are great and we are getting things rolling for a thanksgiving party. we want to prepare some traditional food and then have our members help bring more food. we really want to help them invite their friends. we have organized a church tour with stations for family history, relief society, youth programs, and sacrament/batism. we missionaries also want to put on a little play/musical about thanksgiving. we an elder with a guitar so we're excited. hopefully we can have this be a real success. we love our wards and i am making so many friends whom i love dearly. 

we attended a meeting with sister cook and sister reeves of the general auxiliaries. they taught about the new resources for teaching the youth (SO COOL) and about personal worthiness and purity. it was great to learn from their wisdom and spirit. it is an amazing time to be a missionary and member of the church. we are excited about all the new missionaries that will start coming in the next few months. we are literally going to flood the earth with this message. their are so many people who are prepared and we are getting the reinforcements needed to find them and teach them and bring them to christ. i love it! at the meeting, i saw sister wang from tian jin!! it was so crazy to see her and think about how much i have changed since then ( not so much in height, but in testimony and...maturity...?...psh) she is a wonderful example of joy, faith, and love for the gospel. 

mom- thank you so much for the pictures! wang ayi looks great. i love her so much and it was great to see pictures of her. i am glad you had a wonderful time. i missed hearing from you this week but i have felt your love and strength. i think about you all the time. thank you for the postcard!! it was a perfect surprise. HONG KONG. how i miss it.

i love you all very much. i know that this work is so important. i know that nothing is more important that our relationship with Christ and with God. They love us so much and They are waiting for us to come to them. all the blessings that God has can be ours if we choose to follow Him. do those little things that keep you on the Lords side of the line and He will bless and strengthen you. i love you all

forever yours

sister paige newman

Another amazing week! - November 5th, 2012

Hello all! 

wow. every week is filled with little miracles and stories. i am so grateful for the Lord's hand in my life and for my increased ability to see that power. i am grateful for every person i get to talk to and every time i am able to teach and fulfill my purpose. today is the start of my second movecall. i have been thinking a lot about what i have learned these past 6 weeks (that went by very very quickly). i think overall, i learned the power of the little things. i have been working on memorizing scriptures and this one sums up how i am feeling. Doctrine and Covenants 64: 33. "wherefore be not weary in well doing, for you are building the foundation of a great work. and out of small things proceedeth that which is great." the Lord works moment by moment to help us know what to do. and we just go about doing good. i think missionaries often want the massive baptisms and the large miracles. but as we count numbers at the end of every day and think about all the people/experiences those numbers represent, i am so grateful for the small things that i am able to do. one day, those people that i talked to will know the truth and we will rejoice together. i can't get discouraged while i'm contacting- i have this joy that fills me as i view these people with a more eternal perspective. when we meet in heaven, we will remember that one time on da dun nan lu (a road) that i was able to talk with the spirit and they felt it for a moment. and that moment brought them closer to Christ. i love this work and i love the work of small and simple things.

we had an amazing halloween party at our english class this wednesday!! it was so much fun and our whole district had so much fun. the elders were really amazing as they taught about the traditions of halloween to the older participants. sister vandegrift and i handled the little kids with face painting, mummy wrapping, coloring oranges (carving pumpkins...?) and coloring pages. it was so much fun! i am so blessed to be here. we had one woman attend who we are starting to meet with tomorrow. after our spiritual share, she asked to take a Book of Mormon home. while talking to her, i learned she was from China! i get so excited every time i talk to someone from dalu. i love these people so much. the elders also really headed off the spiritual share. the Lord creates miracles out of our small efforts as we have faith and have no fear. elder Allen taught about the Book of Mormon for a minute and then we had a scripture scavenger hunt. we gave them the question and the reference and they wrote down the answer. i loved every minute of our party :) we ate "halloween pudding" afterwards- which sister V and i made that morning. haha. the whole day was an adventure.

halloween was the first day it rained since i've been here. i was so fun! i feel like such a greenie all the time but i hope that never goes away. every experience is exciting :) we biked up this super steep hill to visit and member and an investigator. we talked about prayer and the power of prayer. i loved feeling the power of the spirit bear testimony. we talked to her about praying everyday and the importance of keeping that commandment. we also shared an experience we had the day before. we lost our cell phone as we were going into a lesson and had no time to look for it at the moment. we were praying so hard and we got the feeling that we should go back to a park. we looked once and didnt see it. we went off to look at the church but the spirit led us back to the park where we found the phone. on the ground 3 hours after we had lost it. it was just starting to rain as we found it. i know that God hears our prayers and answers them. i have really learned about earnest sincere prayer this week. i have been being more open in my prayers and pouring out my soul to God. i have felt an increase of the spirit and an increase in direction. i have never prayed as hard and heartfelt as i have the past couple of days. i am wondering why i didn't pray more earnestly before. sincere prayer fills me with light and love and the spirit. i learn as i pray and i truly develop my relationship with God. He is our best friend and knows us better than anyone. i am so grateful for that. when you pray, talk with God. every prayer is different (every person/day/culture is different) and it can be such a personal, sacred experience. i love the power of prayer

i had the opportunity to meet with a long term investigator again. we read the scriptures together and i am so grateful for the spirit for guiding me. we were able to discuss her questions about prayer and the scriptures. i helped her set a plan to study the scriptures everyday. i am really hoping that as she starts this, she will see a change in her life and be ready to make some changes. the first time i talked with her, i was just really focused on trying to get her to think about baptism and i don't think my heart was in the right place. this time, i just wanted to help her in some small way. i just wanted to help her take that next step. God works with us line upon line and precept upon precept. i need to remember that in my teaching. I am grateful that God leads me by the hand and teaches me according to my needs. i need to be more that like kind of teacher.

our progressing investigator Lin JM attended a baptism this weekend with her two angel children. we love this family and we are fasting that we can get the husband involved in the teaching/learning. the baptism was beautiful and i felt the spirit so strong. Lin JM was able to meet so many women in the ward and we are excited to include them in the conversion process. She has so much faith and light and i'm excited for her little family. on saturday night we received a call from some other sisters that a progressing family is coming to our ward. they are all interesting in getting baptized. we are so excited to start working with them and help them on the road to enduring conversion. meeting them on Sunday was great! the daughter is so cute and i just love them. our wards, again, were so welcoming i feel so grateful for the miracles God puts in our lives. all success comes from Him and i am blessed to be a part of this work. i am learning so much about serving the Lord. i really feel like this mission is preparing me to be a life long disciple of Christ. Serving in the place we have been placed, in the calling we have been given is all Christ asks of us. i am grateful for the example of my family and of Lisa. you have been a wonderful dedicated YW president and i'm excited to see where the Lord will use you next. elder Eyrings talk at RS conference really helped me learn more about the power of being dedicated to our calling.

i love you all very much. it was great to hear about wang ayi. send pictures and tell her that i love her so much. send her to taiwan for a weekend and we can teach her :) haha i will love the opportunity we have one day to teach her and her family. i love these people so much and this work is going forth nobly. the new missionaries coming in will help us fulfill the prophecy that this gospel will literally flood the earth. i am grateful to be a part of this work my whole life long. Christ is at the head of this work but He is also with us individually as we seek to do His will. I hope everyone at midway was safe and had a wonderful time. i love you all more than words can say and i am grateful for your prayers and strength. i couldn't do this without you.

all my love.

sister Newman

pictures of the mish