4th email

DaJia Hao!

how is everyone's week? i am so grateful for all the letter and dearelders! they keep me going throughout the day. we get mail twice a day here at the MTC and it'll be weird once we only get it once a week out in the feild. i'm so spoiled here! i really am loving being here. Luke asked about my teachers- they are wonderful! they both served in taichung. Wen lao shi has been back about a year. we all really love her. her testimony of Christ is so stong and she really teaches us about so much more than just teaching the lessons. she inspires in us a love for this work and for the people. my other teacher is ruan laoshi. he has only been home 3 months. he is still getting used to this job- we are his first district. but he is a great teacher. he really pushes us to speak chinese and we have all been blessed by his example. i love my classes as we study the book of mormon, preach my gospel, and chinese. i am growing to truely love this language and the people. sister chord and i pray for them any chance we get. i know there are people there waiting for us and our influence

in district meeting this week, we had an amazing spiritual disscussion about the influence our actions have. many stories were shared about how one person's life has lead to generations being changed. i shared with them dad's story. i know that we will bless many lives, but i think the most important lives we will change are our own and our future families. i cannot express enough gratitude to my father, who served a faithful mission. i told the elders to touch as many lives as possible- 25(ish) years later, their daughters might come back and get the chance to continue the work in Taiwan. I love this mission and i love the people. I am so excited to go back to asia and change lives with the gospel.

Our older generation leaves on wednesday. some of them have already gone. an amazing elder is going to NYNY south, so tell austin to look out for elder liston. i am always overwhelmed when i think of all the amazing examples that have walked the halls of the MTC before me (cheesy, but true). So many of my cousins and friends, my older brother, and my dad. i am so grateful for this opportunity to learn as they learned and to be able to serve. I am praying to live up to their examples. so with our older generation leaving, we should have our younger generation arrive here in a couple weeks. the time is flying by so fast and i'm trying to use every moment. i love this work.

i was reading in my patriarchal blessing the other day and i can't believe how much all those blessing can relate specifically to my mission. I know patriarchal blessing are gifts from God and mine has blessed my life in so many ways. i have gained so much direction, not only from the words, but from the spirit that comes as i read it. the spirit here at the MTC is so strong and it really accelerates my learning and growth.

I was reading in Doctrine and covenants 19:16-20 the other day. It talks about all that Christ did for us, and if we repent, we will not have to go through the pain He did. i was so overwhelmed by love for my Savior. He suffered so that we don't have to. in verse 20, it says that we feel a small portion of that suffering when the spirit withdraws from us when we sin. the spirit withdrawing can be such a blessing if we use that to realize that we have sinned and then do everything we can to get that spirit back into our lives. the spirit is so important. i cannot stress that enough. He teaches us God's will and His promptings to us will guide us on our paths. i have been overwhelmed in all our teaching opportunities at how much the spirit is there. it tells us what to say and how to say it- i have felt my mouth be filled as i have the faith to open it. i don't know all the answers and i really don't know all the chinese, but i know enough for the spirit to use me. i am anxious to be a tool in the Lord's hands.

one of our investigators (its a role play- so it's just our teacher pretending. the situation might be fake but the spirit, that is always present, is real) has accepted baptism and we are working to get her ready to be baptized on the 18th. the elders are all having a hard time with this investigator and i am beginning to learn that the Lord needs both His sons and daughters to be serving. the sisters touch hearts in a way that elders cant. and the elders testify with such power and touch people in a way only elders can. i have loved getting to see so many worthy elders striving to do this amazing work. and the sisters here are wonderful! i found out this week that in taiwan, only sisters teach single sisters, and only elders teach single brothers. i am so thrilled to be able to see the spirit come into the lives of prepared women in taiwan. they are so ready for this message and the peace and joy it brings. i am excited to bring families together.

sister chord and i are doing so well! we love this work and we're taking life one day at a time. We'll be in taiwan before we know it and that will be a whole different adventure. yesterday, after companionship study, i was so tired. i offered to say the closing prayer. as we put our heads together and folded our arms, i started the prayer 'feng yesu jidu de ming..." ("in Jesus' name...") we both burst out laughing for 5 minutes and the second attempt at prayer was interrupted by our giggles. haha

it sounds like everybody had fun at the lake. i'm glad you're all safe. have a wonderful time at the reunion- i'm excited to hear about it! there might be a surprise from me while you're there. i love you all so much. i am praying for you all at this time of transition. you are in my thoughts and i'm glad i know the Lord will care for you when i cannot. turn to Him and let Him be your support. i have fasted that the move will go well and each of you, indivifually, will be cared for and be able to feel loved. my favorite scripture right now is 2 corinthians 12:9-10. in our trials, we can be made strong through Christ. Glory in hardship, because through hardship, we come to know our Savior and His grace and power. i love you all so much.

keep sending me letters. i am praying for you all.

yours forever,

sister Paige Newman 

Week Three

Hello all!

Third P-day in the MTC and it has been really great. They gave us these stretchy bands when we first came (resistance bands...i guess you would call them) we tried working out with them this morning but it just turned into us laughing and talking and NOT working out. haha the best laid plans. speaking of working out though- the gym here is so great. not like the actual place is really great but it's one of my favorite parts of the day when i can just go there and burn off some stress. mother- thank you for being my workout guru. you inspire me. the funny thing is- at the gym, all the girls come and ask me what work outs to do. apparently i look like i know what i am doing (they are easily fooled haha) so i do cardio and then work with the weights and it's so great. all the girls in my zone are complaining to me how sore they are. and my companion keeps showing off her "muscles" haha she's a twig. but it's so fun. i'm wondering if there is something i can do when i get home to get certified as a personal trainer or something. that would be really fun. anyway- mom all my girls think youre wonder woman. i told them- youre my workout idol :) i love you.

 

this week has been incredible. we had TRC last saturday. that's where volunteers (mostly RMs) come in and we speak to them and teach them in chinese. it is AMAZING. the spirit was so strong. we had two lessons on saturday. the first one was with a returned elder and a convert from GuiLin. She was amazing. we just shared our favorite scriptures and testified to them. the spirit was so strong. and the woman (lucy) just started telling us how excited she was for the Chinese people to recieve the gospel. she quoted the scripture that says the last shall be first and the first shall be last. The chinese people may be the last ones to hear the gospel but they will be the first ones to accept it. they are so ready and when they hear the truth, they recognize it. What a blessing for our family to be so heavily involved in the Lord's work in asia. I have never been more excited in my life than when i found out i was going to be preaching God's word in mandarin. like dad said- it's in my blood.

 

the language is coming along. I LOVE IT. there are hard days and days when i get frustrated. but on those days, God sends me comfort and peace. i was able to almost teach the first vision memorized. the spirit was so strong as i used Joseph Smith's own words to teach of that sacred event. Learning this language is such a blessing for me. It just feels so right as i speak and testify. we have a goal to testify in chinese once a day and that has brought the spirit into my life so much. even though they cant understand it, those who hear it can feel the spirit of our words. i feel like it might be the same when i get to taiwan. they wont understand my chinese (haha) but they will be able to understand my love for them and feel God's love for them. we taught a lesson to a progressing 'investigator' yesterday. wow. she had many questions and as we struggled to teach her, we found that we had the answers. they weren't complex answers because we lack the vocabulary. but they were the answers that she needed. she prayed with us there and it was a sacred experience as she asked if God was there. it reminded me of king lamoni's father. we were kneeling and the spirit was so strong. She could not deny that God knew her and was sending her His love. we committed her to baptism. We may not know everything but we know enough. God will take us as we are and use what we have. and help us become more. through small and simple things (i would say that describes me) great things are brought to pass. this is the Lord's work. He is the Master and I get to watch as He touches lives.

 

it's moments when i'm teaching that i feel God's hand in my life. He urges me to speak or act and I am learning how to listen. God is there. He is always there and He is helping us IF we will let Him.

i had a realization the other day. i was studying the cycle of apostasy and dispensations. we were preparing for a lesson that day. i realized, or more, it really sank in that this is the fulness of times. God has taken His gospel off the earth before but not again. we are living in a time prepatory to the Savior's second coming. we don't need to fear the future. we will ALWAYS have a prophet who holds the keys. we will ALWAYS be able to attend the temple and learn. We can be safe knowing that God has revealed His gospel and given us the ability/means to gain eternal life. this gospel will go forth as long as the earth shall stand. HOW AMAZING IS THAT. i feel so blessed to be a part  of this work. i am learning how to be a life long disciple of Christ. My parents have been great examples of that to me.

 

one last note. remember to use the power of prayer. in the bible dictionary it talks about prayer being the way to secure for ourselves blessings the Lord is already willing to give us. if we just ASK. i know that i am living below my potential. in enos it says that God promised Enos that their writings would be preserved because of his faith. because he asked. i wonder how much the Lord is willing to give us if we ask, with faith. i know as a missionary, i am in constant need of His gifts. they are ours if we will ask and seek and knock. my companion and i pray for the gift of tongues and that has helped us so much. we are blessed to know what to teach, study, and say at the moment we need it. i have also been praying that God will soften my tongue and my heart. i can be harsh sometimes and through Christ, and His gift of charity, i know i can change. whatever you are seeking, i know the Lord can provide.

 

family- i am praying for you as you are getting ready to move. i understand the feelings you're all having. but more importantly, Christ understands them. There is a reason we're destined to be asian (luke is the only one who actually looks the part) God is leading us all back to China and there is a reason. As we follow Him, He will reveal that reason. i love you all more than words can say and i am so glad our familiy can be together forever.

all my love and prayers,

Sister Newman (paigey)

July 17th, 2012 - 2nd letter

HELLO FAMILY!

week two down. I hope you are all doing very well. I'm sending some stuff snail mail so you should be getting that soon. how long does it take mail to get from provo to bountiful?? like a day?....

this week has been really great. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR MAKING MY BIRTHDAY THE BEST! i seriously could not have asked for a better birthday. thank you to the family for the ring (perfect), the hair comb(beautiful), the M&M's (much needed), the journal, the robe (lifesaver), the sticky notes, and the bubbles. thank you so much to dad- for the cookies (which i shared with my diqu (district?)) and for the note that was snuck into my suitcase. i love you all so much and i was overwhelmed by your love for me. it really was such a great day. my companion (SISTER CHORD :) sang happy birthday every 2 seconds and my district sneakily grabbed party hats and surprised me with singing and a card. they really are such great elders and we have really wonderful discussions. i feel like the difficulty with the language makes us more dependent on the Lord, which brings us closer together.

i had a hard day on friday. just one of those moments when you wonder if the Lord knows what He is doing. i want to testify that He does know. He gives us challenges and supports us as we strive to live His path. I know a mission will never be easy and moving or going to school may be overwhelming. but i also believe in 1 Nephi 3:7. God will provide a way to help us complete what we have been called to do. my teacher yesterday said that every time the spirit speaks to us, that is a personal commandment from the Lord for us at that specific time. He will give us the POWER to perform what He has told us, through the spirit, to perform.

my companion and i are getting along really well (sorry- i think i might have made some of you assume otherwise. i got many confused emails about that haha). we study really well together and our conversations flow. she is from washington and is studying astronomy at BYU. She is a support to me on days when i need it. but she also lets me be there for her. I often (usually) feel the spirit when we are talking about the gospel, or planning our lessons. she has a lot of insight and i love her. I'm learning how to work with another person. i don't know if you know this about me (haha) but i'm pretty independent and driven. its interesting to have to compromise and change (usually for the better) in order for us to have a united companionship.

we had an incredible fireside on sunday. jenny baker, a violinest, came and did a musical fireside. get her cd. do it. she is fantastic. also, while youre at it, look up the song "wonder" by mac wilburg. also look up the song "still
" or be still or something. it's from an efy cd...? It's about missionary work. send me the lyrics please. good. anyway, i sat in the fireside thinking- wow, how could i ever touch as many lives as she does with her music? i am amazed and inspired by her talent. i started wondering what talents God has given me that i can work on as much as she has practiced hers. living with Stephanie really helped me see the dedication musicians have to the talent they have been given. throughout the entire fireside, God kept telling me things, talents that i have and how i can use them. God is the master orchestrator. He has given us all talents and He knows what we must do in order for the music to flow. we just need to give Him our time and attention. He will guide us and help us be more than we could on our own. One of the elders in my district said "set goals that you KNOW you can't accomplish on your own." when we do that, we invite the Atonement into our lives and show God that we are ready to rely on Him. we show Him that we are ready to show the world His power. how else could little sister Newman be teaching the missionary lessons and reading the Book of Mormon in Mandarin? God is the center of my power. we are able to do all things because He loved us enough to send His Son.

i am amazed by the power music has here. as a district, we sing really well. we have a bass AND a tenor. some of the most sacred times are when we are singing. being here reminds me of the line "and Jesus listening can hear the songs i cannot sing." as i try to pray in zhong wen, Jesus understands all that I am saying as well as what i can't yet express. He knows the desires of my heart and blesses me. I know sometimes we don't know what to do, and sometimes we don't even know what the right thing to ask is. But i know that Jesus knows us. He knows us so well and as we bring our will in alignment with His will, we will be blessed.

preparation days are great. they are a much needed break. we wrote letters this morning and did a little shopping at the bookstore. most days, we are going pretty hard. no sleeping in. haha. but it is wonderful. i have been so blessed. the scriptures are a wonderful source of strength and peace for me.

ok- i need to work on my speed typing. sister chord definatly wrote like 4 times as much as me :/ sorry you got the short of it. thank you to everyone for their letters. it was really great to hear from Jaz beckwith and Shelby olsen. and Jason, and Lisa, and Deborah and my best friends- my family. My birthday was wonderful and i am so grateful i have an angel mother and a fantastic family. I really am overwhelmed. Kelly- can you send a thankyou to chanel for the cupcakes. tell her we sat in a circle with the other taiwan sisters and took turns passing each cupcake around and taking bites. haha I really love it here.

have a wonderful week! i love you all. keep sending me letters. it is a goal to respond haha

all my love and prayers,

Sister Newman (Li Jiemei)

 

July 9th, 2012 - Paige's first letter

da jia hao!

oh my goodness it has been a crazy first 5 DAYS here at the MTC. has it only been 5 days? I am loving it very much. I am learning and going faster than i ever have. My first day was wonderful. We were in class by that afternoon and our teacher was only speaking mandarin (thank goodness for 10 years overseas). i truly feel that i have been prepared for this. I say it's because i put that i speak mandarin on my papers that i got called to Taiwan. but the Lord had a plan for me and it probably is because He knew that he needed me in taiwan that i was able to learn mandarin in china. What a blessing to know that the Lord knows me and is mindful of every aspect of my life.

the third day here, we taught our first lesson. i was nervous and we have been praying like crazy. prayer is my lifeblood right now. i have felt so much power come as i have prayed in mandarin. the lord is blessing me with the ability to retain and learn faster than i ever have. our first lesson was good. very simple. and of course i started crying (thanks to my mom- the original sob-er). but i felt the spirit so strong. we taught our investigator about God and Christ and this wonderful plan. we then asked him if he would pray to know if what we taught him was true. he told us he didn't know how to pray. thus begins sister newman’s sad attempts to teach him using my sorted mandarin. i was so grateful for the spirit that filled in the blanks my poor chinese left. it was an amazing feeling to witness an investigator say their first prayer (even if it was a role play. trust me though- when you’re in there teaching, it feels real). the love our Father has for us is incredible and i'm beginning to feel that love and catch glimpses of it. our Father wants us to communicate with Him because He loves us so much. I love being a part of bringing others closer to Christ and our Heavenly Father. I'm realizing that for a missionary to ask an investigator a question- about how they feel or what they are thinking- takes a lot of faith. I am trying to rely on the spirit to be able to understand and be able to have the words to answer. God does not expect more of me than i can give. as i try to answer, i know that He will help me use the vocabulary i know to teach others and bring them closer to Christ. i am praying that my mandarin will continue to improve through my entire mission so that i can better understand people’s needs and help them learn how the gospel can fill their specific needs.  

Sunday here was great. after having 3 hard days of class and planning and stress, relaxing and hearing the pleasing word of God just made me so happy. Our sacrament meetings are mostly in mandarin. we are all assigned a topic and we all write a 5 min talk. then the branch president calls up two people to speak. the spirit was amazing. and i learned the word ‘shoulder’ from our opening song (‘bangkang’ i think) we have a fireside every sunday and then we are allowed to watch a talk that is being broadcast. the man who spoke encouraged us to review the way we look at baptism. is it an evidence of our success? or a sacred evidence of other's success to have faith, repent, and follow Christ. Missionary work isn't about me. I am here to teach people how to communicate with deity. only through THAT communication can they gain a testimony. what a sacred calling.

my companion is great. she and i get along very well. I am trying to be a support to her as we learn mandarin. I have more experience with the language so i am really taking the lead most of the time (that doesn't sound like me at all does it? :) she loves avatar and the avengers and so i know we can be tight. it's hard learning to work with someone else- like when i want to go use the gym but she would rather play frisbee. but we are really getting along. we have a really open relationship where we both feel comfortable sharing our thoughts and opinions. i am learning that as we both strive to be close to the Lord and do what He would do, we can be closer to each other. This week, she has been the senior companion so i have encouraged her to direct and take the lead, but next week- i have the power! i'm kidding. i'm excited to have that opportunity to serve and lead as the Savior would. my district is great and we are getting along better. we had a really great discussion about the love we need to have and our purpose as missionaries. and we all sing really well together, which is a blessing for me.

i learned this week, that usually in order for us to gain a testimony on a subject, we have to act. God needs to know that we will use our agency wisely and as we do, He blesses us with strength and knowlege. as we desire to learn more or have greater faith, the most important thing is for us to act on the knowledge that we have already been given. as i use my time wisely here- to study and plan- He blesses me with greater ability than i could have on my own. follow Jesus Christ and let Him make you better than you could be.

i love you all so much. family- thank you for the note i received when i left. i can feel support and your love. this gospel means so much to me. nothing but a knowledge that this church is true and than even one soul in taiwan can learn of Christ through me would take me away from those i love so much. please keep each other safe and loved. help mom as she is packing. i know it gets really boring but we need each other. we are a family for a reason.

i love you all dearly,

li jiemei

(dad which li is it- the one that means multitude? is that like a fat joke...?)

for future reference- send me dearelders before monday- that way i wont use the 30 mins on preperation day to read and write. but i can focus on the wiriting.

ps- i think the hair on my legs grows slower here. blessings of being a missionary. God knows i don't have time to shave as often.

pps for my birthday i have two requests. a robe for after i get out of the shower so i can change in my room and not in the shower (a modest one that has sleeves and goes to midcalf please). and a new watch. my CK one is water logged. oh fake calvin klein chinese mechandice.

oh and please make sure everything with my back account is ok. i haven't had any problems, i just want to be safe :) love you all and thank you.

alma 5: 45-46 fast and pray and act to KNOW

More Pictures of Paige and Family

Paige and my Dad's parents 

With her cousin, Deborah. love that girl :)

with Blake's girlfriend, Kenzie. i just adore her. 

Isn't she so cute? :) 

Last Pictures of Paige!

here is paige and her ghetto bags. rock the purple. :)

one last family picture. in the rain. 

there she goes!

Paige's MTC Address

Sister Paige Elizabeth Newman
MTC Mailbox # 96
TAIW-TCG 0920
2005 N 900 E
Provo, UT 84604

I report to the MTC this Thursday. I am so grateful for everyone's support. Write me if you need a service project ;) Love you all