by the end of this week, i will have been in taiwan for 1 move call. this is unbelievable.
family-
thank you so much for the package. carli, i'm glad you didn't steal the
shirt- it is very comfortable. i loved the package so much. i was
showing it to everyone and just feeling so much love from you all.
sister V says thanks for the treats. the chopsticks are so cute and i'm
looking right now for a cute case for them haha. the granola might
honestly be my favorite part. when i eat that in the morning with some
soymilk, i just feel like i'm at home. it is so weird the little things
that bring comfort. haha. it is delicious. thank you so much. i loved
hearing from the family and it felt like christmas. i am so grateful.
thank you so so much!! thank you dad for sending it from taoyuan. it was
crazy this week thinking that you were on this little island with me.
sometimes i forget how small taiwan is. it seems so big and busy and
there are millions of people. i am so grateful that God has given us
this little part of His kingdom to serve in. i had a realization while
reading PMG this week where it says that "you are Christ's chosen
representative in your area" i am honored and humbled by that calling
and responsibility. it really helps to think about that when i'm not
feeling 100%. Christ always put others before Himself and i have been
striving to remember that when hard times come. Elder Bednar says that
the character of Christ is to turn outward in love and service when the
natural man would turn inward. i have seen Christ turn my hard days into
wonderful days as i strive to not think about myself and just pray for
chances to serve. i know that God will put opportunities in our path as
we seek them and prepare ourselves. i was so excited to read Luke's talk
about missionary work and hear the amazing opportunities the family is
having. i am so grateful that i am a part of this family. keep seeking
those missionary experiences!! God will trust you with His prepared
children. i love the people here so much. street contacting is so much
fun as we talk to people help them feel love and the spirit. the best is
when they pull to the side and we are able to invite them to learn more
(to come to Christ). as they act on that invitation and decide to set
up a time with us, i am praying that they are feeling the spirit that
what they are doing is right. this work is great. not everyone stops.
not everyone sets up a time. and not everyone agrees to keep meeting
with us. i am grateful for agency and any opportunity the Lord gives
these people to interact with His missionaries and the gospel. it is
preparing them to one day accept. this week, we had so many miracles.
everyday there are small miracles. i have really been seeking to see the
Lord's hand in my life and i am. To me, every time i speak in Chinese,
it's a miracle. every time i have a scripture reference come to mind
that is a miracle. i am nothing, but with God, i can be made strong. all
good things come from Him and it is so wonderful to see those good
things in life
ok, so this week was beyond crazy. we went on sister exchanges on Tuesday
and it was so much fun!! i got to visit another area and help teach
their investigators and spend the night with sister mitchell. it was
really fun and interesting to work with another missionary. i was really
happy to come back home and be with sister Vandegrift. we have been
having a great time recently. just striving to become better
missionaries and give it our all. and i am really enjoying this work.
that's something i am so grateful for is just the love what i have been
blessed with. so, on Thursday
they announced that they would be doing a zone scramble this week.
that's when all the elders and sisters just get jumbled up (elders with
elders, sisters with sisters....of course) i just had this feeling that i
would be left in my area and that sister V would be assigned to a
different area. i have to say that i was really nervous. sister V is
great with maps and directions and I AM NOT. haha i follow her lead and
most of the time i'm pretty lost. so i was praying for peace and sister V
was so patient to write out directions and help me feel better. Christ
really gave me peace. and you know what, the day didn't go too badly. it
was kind of fun :) we got slightly lost on the way home but made it to
our lesson and it went great. she's a 25 Li JM studying dentistry and she
has read through the Book of Mormon. She knows the church is true and
knows so much but she doesn't really have a desire to be baptized. we
gave her a triple combination and invited her to read it and think about
covenants and how they can bless her life. it went really well. when we
walked in, it kind of hit me that "ok, i am basically the senior
companion right now" sister Cole was visiting from another area and i
was "the senior" for two days. i was praying so hard for the spirit in
that lesson. it went very well. so from exchanges i learned: sister V is
amazing and i really love having her as my permanent companion; i am
not ready to be a senior companion; the power of the spirit to guide and
direct is real; missions are all about going out of your comfort zone
and learning to rely on the Lord. it was a fun week and it wore me out. i
learned so much and feel like i have become a better person from the
challenges that God gave me.
one investigator that we are SO excited about is Lin JM. she has a
baptismal goal for November 17. we were so excited when she accepted.
she's just feels like it is right and something that she wants in her
life. she has 2 little kids and her husband. her husband doesn't fandui
but he's not really interested. we're trying to set up a time for her
family to come to another family's house and just talk. even if the
husband isn't interested, we want him to be able to know about what his
wife is learning and be able to support her. she is so sweet and just so
prepared. i love her so much and her simple faith that is growing. she
is a miracle and we love her. we're going to visit her today and drop
off a picture of Christ.
i loved hearing about your week
of lessons and teaching and shopping. let the Welches and Farleys know
that i love them :) they are awesome families and i am so grateful for
the friends our family has. for sister exchanges, my old companion from
the MTC, sister Chord,came to my area and spent the day with my
trainer. they are VERY ALIKE and had a great time. i am so glad they got
to meet one another. i think it's very funny how similar my first two
companions are- God is teaching me something. anyway, sister Vandegrift
told me that sister Chord said that our family is how she wants her
future family to be. i have to say that i agree. we are not perfect but
we are all active in the gospel. mom and dad teach us and have helped us
establish habits. we have a lot of love and happiness. i am so grateful
to be a part of our eternal family. i know that as you have
investigators over and help teach them,they will feel something
different and they will want it. the best lessons that we have are those
with members and families present. they bring such a power and special
feeling to the lesson. i am so grateful for our family. i love you all.
anyway, i should probably go :) i am still striving to be asian. i
am learning so much from the amazing members and missionaries around me.
i am so grateful for this opportunity. i am praying for you all and i'm
so grateful for your prayers.
all my love to everyone.
Sister Newman
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