hello all!
it seems crazy how fast the weeks are already going by. i've been here a month and i am loving it! taiwan is wonderful and being a missionary is so wonderful. i am so grateful for this opportunity. i feel a deep connection with God through the Holy Ghost. scriptures or quotes will pop into my head and they will be directly applicable to a certain situation i am in. the Holy Ghost can guide us if we will let Him. i was thinking about Thomas S Monson's example. He has so many responsibilities in his calling and so many things that he needs to focus on. He is able to lead this church and serve so many people as he follows the promptings he receives. i think sometimes i think "i can handle this part of my life just fine on my own but i really need the Holy Ghost in this other part." as we rely wholly on the Lord and His guidance, we will be doing God's will. we will truly be a tool in His hands all the time and miracles can happen. we need the Holy Ghost's constant guidance. it is something i am working on and i have faith that as i seek, i can find.
we had zone conference this week and we talked about working with the members in this great work. we have some amazing ward missionaries in our wards and it is great working with them. i am still trying to get to know the members and find ways to serve. we had a new member fireside last night at it was really fun to feel the strength of new members and their excitement. sister Vandegrift and I are in the process of organizing a thanksgiving activity. we are praying that this will be an opportunity for the members to bring their friends to an activity and invite them to meet us. we don't have many progressing investigators right now and i'm seeking the Lord's will to know what to do. missionary work needs the whole ward if it is going to succeed. i am so grateful that mom and dad get to be ward missionaries :) i love that we are both involved in this great work. sometimes we have rough lessons or feel really inadequate. but when we do things with charity, we do not fail. charity is key. i am praying so hard for more charity. i think of Christ. He was the greatest teacher and people still rejected Him. i don't think we would ever consider Him a failure though. He accomplished God's will and had charity, the greatest of all the gifts. i am learning that i need to change so much in order to be the person i believe God wants me to be. but i know that through Christ's atonement and because of His endless charity, i can change and become like Him. it is through constant diligence that we build ourselves. the daily effort to be better and higher and more like Him. studying the Christ-like attributes in PMG (Preach My Gospel) is really helping. i want to devote more attention and time to that. ultimately, the only thing i have control over is my own development and growth- how am i going to let this change ME so that i can better help others change. i was studying 'a successful missionary" in PMG (pg 11?) and i felt some comfort.
this week we had the opportunity to go help a ward member move and clean her house. i couldn't help but think of my family and how i missed helping them move. i felt like this was a way to make up for missing that. as i was cleaning, i was just thinking about mom the whole time. i know i could be there to help you move but God gave me this chance to help another mom. we went and visited an LA this week and i had a tender moment as i talked about the love of a mother. i could feel the spirit there so strong as we talked about eternal families and love that is strong despite any distance. i feel that love for my family and i could feel it from this mom for her daughters. it's through moments like this that God lets me know He is aware of me.
there is a Zhan jeimei that might be calling our home phone. she is heading to shanghai and i told her to look you up!! her number is 0934148160. call and qing her. she has served us missionaries so much, as all the ward has here. every week, our members give us fruit and cakes and meals. they are wonderful. the taiwanese as so hospitable and giving. i truly think they are wonderful examples of seeing how everything we have is a gift from God. none of this really belongs to us. God gives us all things so that we can use that to bless others. our time on earth is our greatest gift from God and we should use it to do His will. i am seeking to do that.
i'm trying to be a preach my gospel missionary. i feel overwhelmed at times with how much i feel like i need to change and learn. recently i've been trying to become a better planner. planning my studying and our companion studies. and really planning our day. every day goes by quickly and i just feel like i don't have time to waste. i am praying that i can know if what we are doing is God's will. i feel lost sometimes- being a junior companion is hard in its own way sometimes. i'm seeking to have faith. i just remembered something sister Chord told me when we were at the MTC- just be better at one thing that day. you can't be perfect every day but you can seek to improve at least one thing. if we are seeking that, the Lord will see our efforts and magnify them through the atonement. right now i'm reading the Book of Mormon again and really seeking to better know my Savior. the promise in the beginning of the Book of Mormon is that it will bring us closer to Christ than any other book. i am loving what i am learning about God and His relationship with us. His constant character allows me to put complete faith in Him. He knows all things and is in all things. He has a plan and i'm seeking to follow it.
everyday here is amazing. we meet so many wonderful people. i think that what i love most. is just seeing the people the Lord puts in our path. even if they dont want to listen about the church, i am so grateful that i get to interact with them and just feel so much love. president Bishop told us that the most important thing is making sure they feel love, a fruit of the spirit. people will remember that feeling. I love it!!
on our way home last night, we got stopped by a parade. yup. lots of glowing, giant costumes of asian warriors. it was GREAT!! they had a very loud band playing and fireworks. and then us- the two clueless waiguo sisters just taking everything in. so funny. no pictures because it was too dark but it was great. haha
well, we have sister exchanges tomorrow. MY FIRST ONE!! i will let you know how it goes. i love you all very much. i am so grateful i get to email you weekly and get to feel your love and power.
all my love
sister newman
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