First Email from TAIWAN! :D

Hi family! i am now a resident of TAIWAN. i am loving it here! the work is so exciting and everything is wonderful
the plane trip was really fun. i sat next to one man on the way to LA who had just gotten back from a trip with his LDS friend to china. he was on his way to singapore now (fun). he was actually reading the book of mormon on his kindle and so we talked about it and i suggested some chapters to read. then at the airport in LA i was able to talk to an old taiwanese couple and we talked about God and church and temples and families. they xing Wang and i just love them. i gave them a pass along card and it was great. arriving in taiwan and meeting the president and his wife was great. i got a solid 4 hours of sleep that night and then we went running. they did the timed-mile. carli- i'm not going to tell you my time because it was disgraceful but be proud that i actually RAN the whole time :) i have a lot to improve haha the second night we went out and contacted at a night market. the dan jones thing was pretty fun (i think presiden bishop said he was sending out a video). anyway, contacting was really great and i love the language!! chinese is so wonderful and the people here are great. 
ok.....here it is....my trainer is sister Vandegrift and we are in the nantun area :) dad- i think you at least got one half of that right, if not the whole thing. things are going great. we're working on getting more investigators right now- through the ward and through contacting. i love our wards. yes, we have three. we were at the church for so long yesterday just attending meetings and classes. i felt the spirit so strong and while i was learning so much, i couldn't help but think that me attending the ward is not enough. i need to bring others!! that is my purpose for being here. i am realizing how so many people need this!! i am learning the importance of getting investigators to church. the spirit is there and the members are wonderful at welcoming people. we are receiving tons of food and invitations. i was able to bear my testimony in 2 of the wards and it was so great meeting everyone. although i don't understand 100% (no duh) i am learning patience and seeking to know as much as i can. i feel like i am constantly rcieving revelation on how to help the members and what to say and who to talk to. i just really loved church yesterday. we set up an appointment to meet with one of the member families (the Li family) and visited them last night. we talked about how Christ blesses our lives and how he helps us. they gave us to referrals. those are precious to me. i love them and i'm excited to keep developing relationships with all the members in the ward. i wish i were asian hhaha luke- you're lucky. i am trying as hard as i can to immerse myself in the culture here. at church, the missionaries can tend to isolate themselves but i'm really trying to get to know as many people as possible. i have had two major things on my mind since i got here. 1. the chapter in preach my gospel about working with the members. it is the better way of doing missionary work. having member referrals is so wonderful. the members are willing to peikecheng and support their friends in learning about the gospel. its a goal to know 30 members in each ward. i was kind of overwhelmed yesterday with all the li and chen and zhou families haha but i was praying to remember and praying for the Lord, through the power of the atonement, to help me serve and love this ward. i love them already and again, i wish i were asian. haha it's a little hard feeling like an outsider but i know that as we serve them, we will have a great friendship. i am very grateful to grandpa for giving me all those paper and articles about missionary work. i am using those ideas and the spirit to guide my missionary work. 
ok the second thing on my mind is a quote in PMG from ....brigham young. as i'm biking this quote often comes into my mind. it says something like: "how can we travel quickly from place to place when there are souls perishing on either side?" (terrible paraphrase haha) but that's how i feel. i am trying to contact as much as possible. i think i need to work on my contacting skills. i am not shy about approaching people but i'm seeking the Lord's help in better knowing what to say. i need both in order to bring souls to Christ. the people on the street are so nice and i love speaking chinese. i don't know if i can say that enough. i'm really trying to syl (speak your language). sister V doesn't really put an emphasis on it but i really know that as i strive to speak chinese as much as possible, the Lord will bless my efforts and i will be able to communicate with these people in a way that allows us to understand one another. i know that it is only when i give it my all will the Lord be able to bless me with the gift of tongues. i have felt that gift and power here. i am so grateful for my background in speaking chinese and my love for this language/culture. i feel so blessed to have you all living in china and studying and speaking and loving this language. it is wonderful. and so fun! if anyone has any advice about contacting that they learned on their mission, let me know. 
our apartment is really nice. its on the 9th floor and i get my own bathroom :) it is good'n'hot here!! i've given up on my hair and most of the time it is sticking out/plastered to my forehead. i guess not worrying about myself is kindof liberating. i know i'm a dorky american riding a pink bike and wearing a helmet that slips back haha. but the work that i'm doing here isn't about me! i am able to talk to everyone about the wonderful joy of the gospel. i am able to help people feel the spirit. our first night here, we taught a first lesson about prayer and the book of mormon. i was able to bear testimony and i felt the spirit. this work is wonderful. today we're teaching this same woman (zhong JM) about jesus christ and the atonement. 
i'm really seeking the spirit's guidance. i feel like there is so much we could be doing and i'm learning how to firgure out what is most important. i really feel like i have hit the ground running. i have really just been trying to throw myself into this work and let Christ guide my efforts. i left the MTC feeling like i didn't take complete advantage of that opportunity and i do not want that same feeling out here. i did work hard in the MTC but often it wasn't my best. i really feel like i have been serving with my heart, mind and strength (i usually collapse into bed haha) since i have gotten here. i need to improve so much. sometimes i am not as proactive about contacting and i get lazy in talking to people. every moment is another chance. 
our first day as a companionship was full of miracles. we had a lady we contacted at lunch qing us, even though she really didn't have much interest in the church. we also were traveling and i prayed to find someone prepared and we contacted a less active girl and now we're arranging to meet with us and get reactivated (we're praying). every time i am able to speak in chinese it is a miracle. The language program here is called phase one and i'm working on passing off lesson 1 this sunday. i am very excited to continue learning and loving this language. my mtc teacher has had a great effect on me as a missionary. her chinese is amazing and she is the example of a driven missionary. i have too little time here to waste. i want this mission to change and shape me. i want to become asian!! haha i wish. even more than that though, i want to become an instrument for the Lord to use. i seek to let go of my pride and let Him guide and shape me. i want Him to use my skills to bring others to baptism and eternal life (3 nephi 5:13..i think)
biking is so much fun! i'll try and send a picture. of course my bike is small (i'm small) and it's got a little basket on the front. i get that feeling of amazement about once a day when i realize- oh. ok. cool. i am a missionary. riding a bike. in taiwan. 
thank you to everyone for the support and love. i haven't heard from anyone yet but i look forward to getting an email next week and hearing how the lessons in shanghai are going. i am so proud of all of you and the wonderful examples you are to me. i know that we are building the kingdom of God here on this earth. i know that Christ is leading this work and this church. i know that the Book of Mormon is true and that we are an eternal family. i think of you all everyday. i love you all so much. happy birthday again to davis and dad. i had a moment of celebration for you on saturday. i love you. 
mom dad blake kelly davis luke and carli- i love you. you are my best friends and examples. let me know how you are doing. i love you all. i pray for you everyday. 
all my love,
sister paige newman

ok... so this is for real the last letter from the MTC

Good morning everyone! 

we decided to get up a little earlier and have some time to email home. thanks to everyone who sent me dearelders or letters that last day. I feel so loved and i am planning on using some time on the plan to resond to your wonderful letters (oh the beauties of a 16 hour flight- dad you know what i'm talking about)

this past week has been a crazy one but i have really felt the Lord bless me. we have been spending our time packing and cleaning and saying good byes and studying and praying so hard. we are so excited to go to the airport today. we had a day last friday called in-feild orientation where we got to learn more about making plans and goals, working with members and contacting (all of the things we didn't really get to focus on here) i learned the importance of working with members during that day. wow- when members are involved in missionary work, the work is able to soar. i am so proud of my family being able to participate in helping people come unto Christ. teaching in a members home with a member present is really the ideal setting. i loved carli's last letter and her enthusiasm for teaching. carli- your last letter touched me so much. i am inspired by the missionary work you are doing and for your love of the gospel. I hope i get the chance to talk to you today. i know the time schedule is weird but i hope it works out. i am so excited to talk to everyone! 

our devotional this past sunday has had a profound effect on me. the speaker was the director of proselyting for the entire church. he spoke to us about the Book of Mormon. the first thing he did was show us a clip for the Book of Mormon musical ( do not look up any part of this musical- it is crude and anti-christ and should be rated R). the clip was the opening song, where the producers decided to show missionaries talking about the book of Mormom. as we watched that clip, i have never felt so empty and sad and like there was a hole inside my chest. the spirit was not there and i felt so awful inside. how could people destroy something that is so sacred to us? he showed us this clip but then showed us what the church was doing to fight back against this power of satan. they bought time on a jumbo-tron in time square, set up kiosks, put up billboards, signs on taxi cabs, and pictures all over the subway in new york with the 'I am a mormon' adds on them. this church will not stand idle and watch our values be mocked. we have been put into a world where the things we know are sacred are being put on display and viewed as strange or old fashioned. but we have been given the charge to stand as a witness at all times, in all things and in all places. i love the example of carli, who told me that her and her friends are doing missionary work at lunch time. you do not know the effect you are having on those around you. you are a light. i know that this world may seem turned upside down. even those we think we can trust in can sometimes make us doubt our own testimonies. but we must always have faith in Christ. we must always be WORKING to strengthen our testimonies. we cannot be lazy and un-diligent (?) and then expect to have God help us when we need to stand for truth and righteousness. we must have integrity and diligence. we must be doing everything we can every day to strengthen our testimonies- especially reading in the Book of Mormon and praying. people think that because we're missionaries, we have it easy testimony-wise. i want to tell you that it is not easy. we have to work just as hard to remember to diligently study every day. we have to work just as hard to remember to pray every moment. we are all missionaries and representatives us this church. we must be doing all we can, so that when God needs us to speak for Him or act in His name, we will be prepared. we never know when we will be called upon to do a great work. when that time comes, which it will, we must be ready. luke and davis- NOTHING is more important right now that for you to be preparing to serve a mission. i mean preparinig spiritually. i have felt real power in some missionaries here at the MTC whom i know have been preparing to be here for a long time. those are the missionaries that will perform miracles. i have also felt the absence of the spirit with some of the missionaries here. they talk about things that i don't want to hear and they do things that an average 19 year old boy would do. we have been called by a prophet and set apart to be the Lords servants. the setting apart literally means a setting apart form the evils of the world- it means seperating ourselves from worldly things and staying pure and righteous. you can start your "setting apart" right now. you can choose to be clean and different. then when the Lord calls you to this great work, you will be ready. i love you and i''m so proud of both of your decision to stay clean and to be examples to those around you. i know the scene in ShangHai can be a little tough with all the ex-pats, but i am so proud that you are rising above that. I know the Lord is proud to. He has faith in you

i'm off my soap box. i love you all. we're going to get breakfast now and then off to the travel office and then off to the airport. I'll be calling the home phone when we get to LAX. and i'll call blake and kelly too. i love you all so much and im forever grateful that we are a forever family. you are the best support team i could ask for. this Church is Christ's true church and He leads it. the Book of Mormon is true and brings me closer to Christ and God every time i read it. Thomas S Monson is a prophet and receives revelation from God on how to direct this church. I know that Christ stands at the head of the Church. I know that I have been called of God and that He has a plan for each of us. I know that through the Atonement we can be cleansed and be given the power to become like Christ. I know that Christ is my Redeemer and that He loves each one of us.

i love you all and ill talk to you soon

all my love

Sister Paige Newman

ps mom- it's a good hair day

pps blake and dad- i'll say Hi to taiwan for you. im so blessed to be carrying on our mandarin tradition. i love every second of it :)

New Address :)

Paige will be leaving the MTC next tuesday. she will then be on a plane to Taiwan! so exciting! her new address will be

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

write her a letter!

Last letter from the MTC

last Preperation day at the MTC! oh my goodness. ok- there is a world outside of these gates.

we are all getting really excited to be leaving. i have really truly loved my time here at the MTC but i'm excited that it is almost time to move on. we were in the temple today and i was so overwhelmed with the love the Lord has- for me, for my family, and for everyone. i have such a love for this gospel that i felt so strongly in the temple today. the celestial room is the goal i have for all those i meet and teach. to be able to have those blessings and promises is the ultimate goal for this life. i have grown in my knowledge of the gospel and everytime i learn something new, i am just more and more grateful to the Lord for the perfection of the plan. i am so grateful for this gospel and this opportunity to serve. as i was in the temple, i was also thinking about so many of you. i truly felt your love. i saw the faces of each of my family members and i cannot tell you how much you mean to me. i pray for you multiple times a day and i know the Lord is watching over you. i am so grateful for your prayers and your love- i can feel it. this is the last time i will be going through a US temple for a while. fear is not the first word that comes to mind when i think about leaving. its more like HOPE and FAITH. i know that God is watching over me and i am praying to be in the right place at the right time every time. i am praying to see those that are prepared. mom- i know that Jim is prepared to hear this gospel. and i know that "God has gone before your face" (like it says in the scriptures) and He has been a part of Jim's life, even if JIm didnt know it. there is something that he needs to hear. study for Jim and what you think his needs might be. i am most impressed to tell you to just be a friend. just love him and then teaching wont be scary or stressful. it will be an opportunity to tell a friend about our Best Friend, Jesus Christ, and allow Christ to communicate with them. it really is never about what the missionary says or how well we explain things. it is about bringing the spirit and letting the spirit guide our words. in TRC this week, we were talking about gaining revelation in church and there was a pause in the conversation. i sat for a moment thinking about what i wanted to say. and then, i started talking about service. and how at church we can serve others and how we need to look for service opportunities. i asked the volunteer if he would be willing to pray for opportunities to serve. he said yes, and then said it's strange that i would bring that up because they were just talking about service on sunday and he felt like this was God telling him he needed to be looking for service opportunities. whatever i said were not my own words- they were Christ's words and His promises and His love for this volunteer.' "as to my own strength i am weak, but with Christ i can do all things" i felt that this week. i will never be good enough. even if my chinese is perfect. even if i am an excellent teacher. i will never be enough by myself. none of will be. but with Christ, we can be enough. as we work to improve, we can be better tools in HIS hands; but He is always the Master. we need to let Him work through us and make us better than we could ever be on our own. i am so grateful that i can constantly reminded that i can't do this without Him. mom- let Him use your love and your compassion and your ability to set people at ease. let Him speak His words through you. i love you and i'm praying for you as you begin to teach. we had a fake baptism this week and we all had a chance to participate and i spoke on baptism. it was really great and it just made me so excited for when it's a real investigator and a real baptism and a person really gets to start a new life in Christ. baptism is such a blessing.

Chen JM was sick on sunday and slept most of the day which means i got a lot of time to study. she is better now and i love her to pieces. We are doing wonderfully and she has been the best first companion. i am praying for my trainer and hoping she is ready to get a greenie like me. i love her already.

ok we got our flight plans this thursday- it's a big deal to get plans and everyone was really excited. they come on red pieces of paper. so for the last 3 weeks we have been jealously looking at everyone with red papers. but it was finally our turn this week!! we leave the SLC airport at 11:25 am- which is great because it's not too early. and then we arrive at LAX at 12:25 and have a 3 hour layover. we'll be leaving for TAIWAN (ok- this is really happening) at 3:15 LA time. we will be calling home between 1:30-4pm utah time. so between 3:30-6:00 am your time i think. I AM SO EXCITD TO TALK TO YOU ALL. and i'm sorry that the timing is terrible. dear elder me when would be the best time in that block. i don't want to miss this cahnce to hear you all. blake- please dear elder me your number so that i can call you too. kelly- i am calling you- and THANK YOU for posting those pictures. i'm glad my package got to you safely. if you want to send me a letter or anything, do it so it gets here by monday. i don't want to miss it. anyone sending dearelders should send the last one by sunday because they don't forward those on to us. and i wouldn't want to miss it. i really don't need anything package-wise. i am just so exctied to get out there and i feel very taken care of. i am so grateful for all your love and support.

mom and dad- i got the translator!! i am so exctied to use it and i am grateful for the gift. your support means so much to me. i love you both so much. and i really can't tell you how much your letters mean to me. i am praying for you everyday

sorry that this letter is shorter and more business-y but i'm sure i will have alot to say next week. WHEN I'M IN TAIWAN!! i can't believe it.

i know Christ lives and love us. i know that He can constantly be teaching and guiding us if we let Him. I know this is His church restored on the earth. He is leading Thomas S Monson. I have been called of God and I am so excited to bring others closer to Christ. 3 Nephi 5:13

we bore testimony to a man in english today- that was the hardest thing i've done for a long time!! i have been given the gift to speak mandarin to bring taiwanese daughters of God back to His prescence. i am so grateful for this opportunity. i love you all. thank you for your letters and love. 

talk to you in a week!! i am so excited!

all my love,

Sister paige Newman

2 weeks left

dear family,

ni hao! i hope everyone is doing well. sounds like the dog is an adventure. she is a cutie though. mom- make carli and luke walk her. haha. luke- thank you so much for the pictures! you look awesome!! i'm sure rugby is great and that you have so many cool kids on the team. when we moved around so much, i learned that the best way to love a place is to get involved in everything!! you guys are doing great at that (i just typed elders instead of guys....haha they are training me well here). luke i am so proud of you and all you are doing. international school is hard but it is so much fun and you'll be so much smarter than everyone else haha. carli- i heard you hung with some friends this weekend. how did it go? tell me all about everyone in your life. sometimes it takes a little while to get used to a place- especially one half way around the world- but have faith that God has a plan and that you are living that plan. i have so many moments when i think to myself "wow- i am actually a missionary" and i think about how i decided to become a missionary. any time i question my desicion or start to get distracted, i pray so hard. i ask God to comfort me and guide me. and He always does. He sends His spirit. sometimes it doesn't happen immediately but as i keep going and seek happiness and comfort, God puts it in my life. this week i was really missing school (weird right?!). i don't want to dwell on it too much but know that i know this is where i am supposed to be. change is hard and when i go to taiwan i feel like i'll be better able to sympathize with you all. the culture, the language, the food, the people- everything is different. i want to bear testimony to you that God loves our family and has a plan for us. i know one of the reasons we lived in china before was to prepare blake and I to serve mandarin missions. maybe God is preparing you for His work to. we are in His hands and as we seek to serve Him and others, He will make us tools in spreading this gospel. i am so excited for wang ayi and her family. oh my goodness. they are so dear to me and to all of us. this week is practice teaching, we were practicing the word of wisdom and i was pretending to be an investigator. i pretended to be chen shifu. this was a very touching moment for me as i thought about how much we all love him and how he is now receiving the gospel. i hope he has amazing missionaries that are helping him come unto Christ. I know that our family was a great example to him and i'm excited for the day when we can see him again.

we had a meeting with a general authority this week. all the mandarin speakers were called to meet with elder perkins of the 70. it was great to hear him talk about china and the gospel work progressing. one of the missionaries asked when china would be "open". He said it already is. the Lord is doing the work in china in a very different way. His ways are not our ways. instead of sending us in, as missionaries, He is taking people out of china and bringing them to places where they can learn, accept, and live the gospel. then He is sending them back, to help establish the many branches that are developing all over that nation. i am so exctied to be a part of this work and to be planting seeds that will one day change many people's lives.

i was so happy that i was able to see Blake this week. i have been praying that if it is God's will, to let us see each other. and i walk out of the MTC and there he is on his bike. it was so wonderful. i feel so blessed to have you as an example of faithful missionary service and love. i am so grateful that i was able to share my testimony with you on sunday and just feel so much joy. i love this language and i know you love this language and i am so proud of you. i pray for you every night and think about you and your diligence. the Lord will bless you during this semester and seek for His help.  

i have learned so much this week about the sacrament. i really felt the sacredness of that ordinance this week. i have been really working on repenting daily and striving to be better. i know i receive forgiveness everytime i sincerely repent. through the Lord, this is possible. because of Him, we can start every day fresh. we don't need to let what we did yesterday (that we have repented of) distract us from living today. as i seek the Lord in prayer, He shows me what to repent on, what to work on, and how proud of me He is. because of the Lord, we can be completely clean. as we strive to daily repent, then on Sunday when we partake of the sacrament, we can truly be washed clean of our sins and shortcomings that week. we can truly be made as clean as when we were baptized. with investigators, they must first bring forth fruits of repentence and be seeking to change. then, when they enter the water of baptism, they can begin a new life, completely independent of who they used to be. the baptism finishes their repentence progress. as we are striving to endure to the end, we must weekly bring forth fruits of repentence and be seeking to change. through this, we are worthy of the sacrament and it's cleansing power on us.

 let the Lord cleanse you. let Him influence your life. and forgive yourself when He has forgiven you. i know that His power is real. I know that wants to help us improve and CHANGE. only through Christ can we be clean and ONLY through Christ can we return to God's presence. 

i love you all very much and i am so grateful for our yongyuan jiating. i am so grateful for temples. i am so grateful for the power we receive as we are faithful to the covenants we make. we are praying for you all by name daily. i love you and i am so grateful for your support.

keep praying and keep loving one another.

i love you all

Sister Paige Newman