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
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