pictures of thanksgiving!

November 27th, 2012

mom- you are so clever. put the date in the subject box of course. problem from last week solved. 

the photos were so great!! holy cow- that trip to yangshuo looks like so much fun. we are so lucky to have these totally awesome experiences!! very few of my friends can say that they have been to the meiyou restaurant or the crazy glow in the dark cave. that is so cool!! yangshuo is such a cool place :) thank you so much for the package!! it was perfect and i don't think i have taken off those cashmere sweaters since i got them. they are so comfy and warm. and the jacket came just in time!! it has been raining and chilly the past couple of days. but oh so wonderful :) this week has been a good one. so much is happening. we actually decided to celebrate thanksgiving on the 30th.....no one is going to tell us otherwise. haha so our party is this friday night. we are really excited and so many miracles have come together because our wards are willing to attend and help. we had a pretty small budget and we were worried about getting turkey until we had a member call us and say he was willing to supply the money for the turkey (which is ridiculously expensive here for some reason). his reasoning was "who wants to join a church that doesn't even have turkey on thanksgiving? they'll eat the turkey and think- wow, this is good turkey; i want to learn more about your church." haha we are so grateful for him and so many other members. i feel so lucky to have this opportunity to serve them. we are praying so hard that many people show up and have a wonderful time. we're baking with some members and investigators tomorrow and i am so excited!! i haven't baked in so long. i'm so blessed to have this family away from home. my favorite memories are baking in the kitchen with my mom and sisters and this year i get to cook with my taiwanese family. i'm really excited. we have a little church tour set up as part of the activity where we're going to have several people explain the different auxiliary organizations in the church. we're really excited. our district is so great. the elders are so willing to help and serve us. the light broke off my bike a couple weeks ago and after church on sunday, i found that my zone leader had fixed it for me. i am so grateful for other's service. i am looking for the small things that i can do. i know that service is so important and that as we love people, we are doing the Lord's work. 

the temple today was amazing. it has been so long since i have been there. it felt like coming home. the sisters there are angels. we were able to do a session and i felt so much love. i learn so much every time i attend the temple. this time i learned about how God directs us. He gives us the step by step. line upon line. as we accomplish what he asks of us and are accountable to Him, He will continue to direct us- give us the next step. i was really seeking peace at the temple. every week on the mission is so different and some days are harder than others. but God always lets me know He is there. i was praying in the temple and seeking direction on how to better keep the covenants i have made. the blessings God has promised us are so incredible. i was reminded today of how i am never alone. i don't have to rely on my strength because i have the Lord on my side. it's not my love that will help people change; it's His endless love through me that will touch others and allow me to be a tool in His hands. i have so much to learn and change---but that's the exciting part!! through the Atonement, we can be better and learn and progress. God is waiting to direct us; we need to listen to Him. 

this week on sunday, i was having a hard day. after church i was praying and talking to God about what i needed to do better/what i want to change. i was feeling slightly lacking in direction and i was searching the scriptures for direction. as i was sitting there, a man in our ward whom i respect very much walked over and sat next to me. he asked me about the work, and i just opened up to him. He is the former mission president of GaoXiong. he was an answer to my prayer. we talked about how to help the people in our area need to see how the gospel can bless their lives. we talked about teaching people on their level- for understanding and relevance. i think a lot of taiwanese people see Christianity as an outside, foreign religion. we need to be able to bring the gospel into people's homes and help them see how their relationship with Christ can bless their lives. i have really strengthened my testimony of the Savior this week. i am coming to know Him and i want to help others see His hand in their lives. i know that God answers our prayers- he answered mine through a friend. Zhou dixiong (brother Zhou) told me how proud he was of me and how grateful he was to my parents for raising me. it was just the direction and encouragement that i needed. Christ through him is pushing me to make a difference. i want to be a better missionary and i want to turn this area around. i want to use my personality to serve God. our teaching pool right now is pretty small but i have faith that as we work hard and love these people, we will see success. i love this work. it is amazing to put on my badge every morning. i love it. 

the president invited us to look for ways to serve this week and to pray for charity. i felt an increase of love for my companion and everyone in my area. these are our brothers and sisters!! i think of all the blessings i have received from knowing my relationship with God- there is so much power in knowing your are the beloved daughter of an almighty Heavenly Father. i want these women to know that and to feel His love. our investigator Lin JM is doing so well. she is keeping all of the commandments and reading through the book of Mormon and her family is so wonderful. she is having a hard time coming to church because of family visits and trips. but she is doing great. she's coming tomorrow to help us bake and get ready for thanksgiving. we're thinking about having a family home evening at her home- we're really wanting to help her husband see how this church can bless his family. 

i think we need more direction on how to work with our wards. they are so willing to help in every way and i don't think we're using that to it's full capacity. i want to come up with a game plan with sister Vandegrift after our Thanksgiving activity for what we want to do to strengthen and bless our wards. i'm really excited for this activity and the holiday season in general. what a wonderful time of the year. 

all my love as always. dearest family, you are my strength. i love you so much and i'm so blessed to have you all. i am grateful for the temple and the blessings of eternal families. what an amazing gift from our Father. i love you all

yours 

sister Paige Newman 

November 19th, 2012

i never know what to put in the subject box. i don't want to be sappy or try to be clever. and i never know how to sum up a week in like 2 words. so as they say here "suan le" which basically means "forget it"

this week has been amazing. every week is amazing. and the parts that aren't as great are swallowed up in the joy and love i feel from Christ. i am learning so much about the Atonement and how amazing it is that we can be better everyday. we are not who we were yesterday or two years ago. we can grow and progress as we are honest with our faults and allow Christ's grace to shine through the flaws in our character. i had the opportunity to translate in our ward yesterday for a Korean sister. i have never felt so inadequate. i'm pretty sure she was confused the entire time. and i just kept apologizing. but at the end, she turned to me and thanked me and said she felt the spirit. i almost started crying. despite my poor Chinese and English ( and absolutely no Korean), Christ was able to help her feel the spirit. i also got to help her obtain a temple recommend from the bishop. she is so sweet and so pure and i could just see how worthy she was to enter the temple. i was so grateful that i was able to help her in a small way. this was a very humbling experience for me and i am so grateful to the Savior for helping me be better than i am. i love the opportunities God gives me to serve. i had prayed that morning that i would be able to be attentive during church and stay awake (with 3 wards, this is something i am struggling with) and God answered my prayer. no way was i going to sleep while translating. haha i was so grateful for this opportunity.

i have sent two letters to the family in shanghai. before i send any more i want to make sure that the letters are getting there. if not let me know. i don't know how long it takes. you wouldn't think too long but i guess we never know. haha i am excited to get a package!! i love you all so much and i'm grateful for your prayers and thoughts and constant support. i am working to be as good of a missionary as i can be. i know our family is being blessed and that motivates me to work hard.

we had a lesson with our progressing sister Lin JM. we met with her and talked about the word of wisdom. she has so much faith and she is willing to obey. we then talked about her attendance at sacrament meeting and about when we can schedule her baptism. she says that the next month of weekends is booked and there is mei you banfa to come to church. my heart hurt as she was talking to us. we are continuing to work with her and help her see the need for church. i am praying and thinking about her so much. i know that God will help us and that everything is according to His timing. i am praying that we can know how to help. last Friday was a miracle as we met with her again at the bishops house. we had planned to talk about tithing but when her husband showed up (MIRACLE) we quickly changed to eternal marriage and the temple. her husband has never met with us before and we were so grateful that he came. the lesson was perfect. as the bishops wife taught about eternal marriage and the blessings of the sealing, lin JM said "i want that. i want to go to the temple and be sealed" her husband is very quiet but we are so grateful he was there. when we sang the opening song, i looked over and saw their little family of 4 huddled around the hymn book singing, i felt the spirit and love for them so strongly. they will be an eternal family and am so grateful that i have been able to be a part of their progress. we are hoping to help her use this desire for the temple as motivation to come to church. her little family is perfect and we love them. as we were leaving, we were talking about this drink "dong gua cha" which is a type of melon tea (not against the word of wisdom) and she jokingly pulled me aside and said "li jie mei, you're not drinking TEA are you?!? that would be against the word of wisdom!" i laughed so hard and i am so grateful that my investigator is helping me, the missionary,keep the commandments. (to clarify- i am not drinking tea!! dong gua cha is just a melon drink. i am keeping the word of wisdom and being obedient :)

oh next week we're going to the TEMPLE!! i am really excited. i haven't been in so long and i am so excited to feel the spirit and learn and get that boost that always comes from attending the temple. what a beautiful place. i am so grateful for the covenants we have made or will make that empower us and lift us. temple days are on wednesday and that means that our Preparation day is moved to Wednesday. so dont worry when you don't get an email. it will come late wednesday afternoon.

this week we have been working on using the book of Mormon more in our teaching. there is such power in the scriptures and they say things much better than we can. :) we are working on being better at inviting people to act and read and then following up. i think the following up part is where we are struggling. i love Christ's patience with me as i try to become a better missionary. i have been learning this week to lean more on Him and not on myself. every contact is a chance to help someone feel the spirit and i need His help to have any success. i have been praying more on the road than i have my whole mission, seeking His spirit and guidance.

this church is true. the book of Mormon teaches truth clearly and beautifully and protects us from the sorrows and harms of the world. Christ lives and lifts and strengthens. i love Him and our Father in Heaven.

yours,

Sister Newman

another wonderful week! - November 11th, 2012

hello all!

this week i feel like so much happened! that's how it is every week, i guess. i think back to last Monday and wonder...was that really THIS WEEK? the weeks go by so fast but they are full of so much!! i finished my language evaluations this week, only to realize how much i need to STUDY! haha i love speaking Chinese and i have many good examples of missionaries who master this language. something i really want to work on is being able to just be myself and not let the language stop me. i'm a pretty bold personality so it hasn't been too much of a problem. one of the new missionaries in our area has really inspired me to be better. we are all brought to these particular places because we have something personal to offer- we can't let anything get in the way of accomplishing God's will for us. i know sometimes His will for us may seem daunting (callings, assignments, goals), but with faith, we can do all things. He always provides the way. i want to be more faithful in my studying and teaching and finding. with faith and obedience, we can do so much good. i have been studying obedience this week. obedience develops faith and is the way that God is able to bless us. no happiness comes from disobedience. God has so many blessings He wants to pour out and He is just waiting for us to obey. He loves us so much and wants us to be happy. we will never regret obeying Him and His spirit. 

i don't have much to report this week other than just loving being a missionary and doing the little things. i am really seeking the Lord's will to know how i can improve. i know there are so many things i need to change and i'm trying to find where the Lord wants me to start. i have faith and i'm learning patience as i seek His will. 

i am learning the power of apathy. Satan is working just as hard as we are for the souls of these people. I need to make sure i am giving it my all to help them come unto Christ and have those spiritual experiences. satan will make us think, it's ok that you didn't read the Book of Mormon- you were SO busy. or it's ok that you didn't go to church- you were REALLY tired. apathy is one of His biggest weapons against us. it's really hard as a missionary to help people fight against that apathy, to give people a reason to want it. the blessings of the gospel are so wonderful and so vital. they are essential to our salvation. i am just feeling really determined to be a better missionary- to fight this war against sin like Christ would, with love and with the power of the spirit. 

things with sister vandegrift are going well. we are good examples for one another. i enjoy working with her and we are determined to be better :) i love this area. our three wards are great and we are getting things rolling for a thanksgiving party. we want to prepare some traditional food and then have our members help bring more food. we really want to help them invite their friends. we have organized a church tour with stations for family history, relief society, youth programs, and sacrament/batism. we missionaries also want to put on a little play/musical about thanksgiving. we an elder with a guitar so we're excited. hopefully we can have this be a real success. we love our wards and i am making so many friends whom i love dearly. 

we attended a meeting with sister cook and sister reeves of the general auxiliaries. they taught about the new resources for teaching the youth (SO COOL) and about personal worthiness and purity. it was great to learn from their wisdom and spirit. it is an amazing time to be a missionary and member of the church. we are excited about all the new missionaries that will start coming in the next few months. we are literally going to flood the earth with this message. their are so many people who are prepared and we are getting the reinforcements needed to find them and teach them and bring them to christ. i love it! at the meeting, i saw sister wang from tian jin!! it was so crazy to see her and think about how much i have changed since then ( not so much in height, but in testimony and...maturity...?...psh) she is a wonderful example of joy, faith, and love for the gospel. 

mom- thank you so much for the pictures! wang ayi looks great. i love her so much and it was great to see pictures of her. i am glad you had a wonderful time. i missed hearing from you this week but i have felt your love and strength. i think about you all the time. thank you for the postcard!! it was a perfect surprise. HONG KONG. how i miss it.

i love you all very much. i know that this work is so important. i know that nothing is more important that our relationship with Christ and with God. They love us so much and They are waiting for us to come to them. all the blessings that God has can be ours if we choose to follow Him. do those little things that keep you on the Lords side of the line and He will bless and strengthen you. i love you all

forever yours

sister paige newman

Another amazing week! - November 5th, 2012

Hello all! 

wow. every week is filled with little miracles and stories. i am so grateful for the Lord's hand in my life and for my increased ability to see that power. i am grateful for every person i get to talk to and every time i am able to teach and fulfill my purpose. today is the start of my second movecall. i have been thinking a lot about what i have learned these past 6 weeks (that went by very very quickly). i think overall, i learned the power of the little things. i have been working on memorizing scriptures and this one sums up how i am feeling. Doctrine and Covenants 64: 33. "wherefore be not weary in well doing, for you are building the foundation of a great work. and out of small things proceedeth that which is great." the Lord works moment by moment to help us know what to do. and we just go about doing good. i think missionaries often want the massive baptisms and the large miracles. but as we count numbers at the end of every day and think about all the people/experiences those numbers represent, i am so grateful for the small things that i am able to do. one day, those people that i talked to will know the truth and we will rejoice together. i can't get discouraged while i'm contacting- i have this joy that fills me as i view these people with a more eternal perspective. when we meet in heaven, we will remember that one time on da dun nan lu (a road) that i was able to talk with the spirit and they felt it for a moment. and that moment brought them closer to Christ. i love this work and i love the work of small and simple things.

we had an amazing halloween party at our english class this wednesday!! it was so much fun and our whole district had so much fun. the elders were really amazing as they taught about the traditions of halloween to the older participants. sister vandegrift and i handled the little kids with face painting, mummy wrapping, coloring oranges (carving pumpkins...?) and coloring pages. it was so much fun! i am so blessed to be here. we had one woman attend who we are starting to meet with tomorrow. after our spiritual share, she asked to take a Book of Mormon home. while talking to her, i learned she was from China! i get so excited every time i talk to someone from dalu. i love these people so much. the elders also really headed off the spiritual share. the Lord creates miracles out of our small efforts as we have faith and have no fear. elder Allen taught about the Book of Mormon for a minute and then we had a scripture scavenger hunt. we gave them the question and the reference and they wrote down the answer. i loved every minute of our party :) we ate "halloween pudding" afterwards- which sister V and i made that morning. haha. the whole day was an adventure.

halloween was the first day it rained since i've been here. i was so fun! i feel like such a greenie all the time but i hope that never goes away. every experience is exciting :) we biked up this super steep hill to visit and member and an investigator. we talked about prayer and the power of prayer. i loved feeling the power of the spirit bear testimony. we talked to her about praying everyday and the importance of keeping that commandment. we also shared an experience we had the day before. we lost our cell phone as we were going into a lesson and had no time to look for it at the moment. we were praying so hard and we got the feeling that we should go back to a park. we looked once and didnt see it. we went off to look at the church but the spirit led us back to the park where we found the phone. on the ground 3 hours after we had lost it. it was just starting to rain as we found it. i know that God hears our prayers and answers them. i have really learned about earnest sincere prayer this week. i have been being more open in my prayers and pouring out my soul to God. i have felt an increase of the spirit and an increase in direction. i have never prayed as hard and heartfelt as i have the past couple of days. i am wondering why i didn't pray more earnestly before. sincere prayer fills me with light and love and the spirit. i learn as i pray and i truly develop my relationship with God. He is our best friend and knows us better than anyone. i am so grateful for that. when you pray, talk with God. every prayer is different (every person/day/culture is different) and it can be such a personal, sacred experience. i love the power of prayer

i had the opportunity to meet with a long term investigator again. we read the scriptures together and i am so grateful for the spirit for guiding me. we were able to discuss her questions about prayer and the scriptures. i helped her set a plan to study the scriptures everyday. i am really hoping that as she starts this, she will see a change in her life and be ready to make some changes. the first time i talked with her, i was just really focused on trying to get her to think about baptism and i don't think my heart was in the right place. this time, i just wanted to help her in some small way. i just wanted to help her take that next step. God works with us line upon line and precept upon precept. i need to remember that in my teaching. I am grateful that God leads me by the hand and teaches me according to my needs. i need to be more that like kind of teacher.

our progressing investigator Lin JM attended a baptism this weekend with her two angel children. we love this family and we are fasting that we can get the husband involved in the teaching/learning. the baptism was beautiful and i felt the spirit so strong. Lin JM was able to meet so many women in the ward and we are excited to include them in the conversion process. She has so much faith and light and i'm excited for her little family. on saturday night we received a call from some other sisters that a progressing family is coming to our ward. they are all interesting in getting baptized. we are so excited to start working with them and help them on the road to enduring conversion. meeting them on Sunday was great! the daughter is so cute and i just love them. our wards, again, were so welcoming i feel so grateful for the miracles God puts in our lives. all success comes from Him and i am blessed to be a part of this work. i am learning so much about serving the Lord. i really feel like this mission is preparing me to be a life long disciple of Christ. Serving in the place we have been placed, in the calling we have been given is all Christ asks of us. i am grateful for the example of my family and of Lisa. you have been a wonderful dedicated YW president and i'm excited to see where the Lord will use you next. elder Eyrings talk at RS conference really helped me learn more about the power of being dedicated to our calling.

i love you all very much. it was great to hear about wang ayi. send pictures and tell her that i love her so much. send her to taiwan for a weekend and we can teach her :) haha i will love the opportunity we have one day to teach her and her family. i love these people so much and this work is going forth nobly. the new missionaries coming in will help us fulfill the prophecy that this gospel will literally flood the earth. i am grateful to be a part of this work my whole life long. Christ is at the head of this work but He is also with us individually as we seek to do His will. I hope everyone at midway was safe and had a wonderful time. i love you all more than words can say and i am grateful for your prayers and strength. i couldn't do this without you.

all my love.

sister Newman