December 2nd, 2013

HAPPY THANKSGIVING AND MERRY DECEMBER! it got really COLD this week- it was like a switch flipped on thursday and we're staying bundled up :) had to unpack all the scarves and coats. it's been so great to have it start to feel like the holiday season. the christmas decorations are set up at the chapel and sister packard and i were so happy!! this week has been one of so many miracles and i'm always so amazed at the tender mercies of the Lord in my life.

we had the chance on saturday to attend a wedding. sister packard was the first missionary to contact and teach this couple in nantou. they decided to get married! so the wedding was at 10:30 and their baptism was at 1:30! it was so perfect. we traveled up to my first area!! that was where the wedding was being held. it was so amazing to go back and see everyone from the beginning of my mission. i love that area and those members so much. the members in taiwan are so special! i am so grateful for worthy priesthood holders all over this little country that are guiding their families and the church. the brother that got baptized- brother Hong- is going to be an amazing leader in the church. it was exciting to be a part of the wedding and baptism. the bride's sister has been a member for a long time and she was so happy. families are most important. i am so grateful that our family has the gospel and has not had to search for it. i am so grateful to be sealed to all of you.

THANKSGIVING was so great! we visited a less active sister in the morning with another sister in the ward. we talked about Christ's love for all of us and the spirit was so strong. the active sister- sister Lee- was able to teach most of the lesson and it was so powerful. i love the way that our wards are reaching out to all of the investigators and less active sisters. Sister Lee then took us out to lunch at a really nice resturaunt and then we went with her to visit a sister in the hospital. for dinner that night, we went to the bishop's house. as we were walking in there was an older taiwanese couple that were from california. we started chtting with them and the bishop invited them to dinner with us! i really love member missionary work. it so simple and brave haha. dinner was really special and the bishop's wife had prepared so much for us. as we went around the table saying what we were grateful for, the spirit was so strong. the nonmember couple had many questions about us missionaries and what brought us out on missions. it was really special. i'm so grateful for the members in our wards. we went to our ward correlator's house that night and taught his wife. that was so special. it was so special to watch him answer her questions and teach with so much love. they were both glowing. she has the desire to get baptized and i'm so excited to continue teaching her

on friday during weekly planning, we had some of our investigators that we were considering not meeting with right now. some of them weren't really progressing. as we prayed about the names, we got the feeling that we should continue meeting with one of the sisters. we called and she was willing to set up a time. when we met with her, we just talked about baptism and the blessings of reading scriptures, praying, and coming to church. she said she wants to come to churhc next week and set a baptism date for the end of the month. i am so grateful for the spirit and i'm so grateful for the opportunity to continue to teach her. sunday was amazing- we had so many investigators and less active sisters attend. as they all came in, the ward was so welcoming and i didnt even feel like i had to worry about them feeling loved. one of the less active sisters invited her friend, who we met at church. it was really special and a wonderful way to end the week.2 less active sisters even bore their testimony. sacrament meeting was really special.

being sister packard's companion is a really special experience. Heavenly Father knew i needed her strength and humility. we are best friends and it makes all the difference. no matter what happens during the day, we still love each other :) it just feels really great to know i have her support. i have really learned the power of prarying for those around you and feeling their prayers for you. she helps be a better person and lifts me when i'm feeling down. we each can impact those around us more than we realize.

i love you all so much! you are all my heroes and i'm grateful for your prayers and letters and encouragement. it is needed and appreciated. i love you all so much.

-sister Newman

November 17th, 2013

THIS WEEK. this week. i can't even begin to count all the blessings that we have had. so many miracles. i am so grateful for the spirit in our work. with the spirit, we can know what is best to be doing and what Heavenly Father wants us to do to bless His children. HE is in the details of our lives and i love seeing that.

we were able to participate in a funeral this week. our ward mission leader's father passed away. he was a member of the church and the funeral went very well. the music leader called us a couple days before and asked us to sing in the choir. i am so grateful for the chances we are given to serve. sister packard, who is amazing, played the piano for the whole ceremony. after the funeral, the sisters in the ward asked if we could come sing with them at the bedside of a sick father. i am so grateful that we have so many opportunities to serve! i am so grateful for the example of our ward members. they love one another and us so much! i just feel it so much. the day after the funeral, our ward mission leader's wife, who is not a member, came to church! he was beaming and i hope she felt the spirit.   

i have really felt the power of listening this week. i have found on my mission that teaching is a lot about listening. it is something that i am still working on but as i have tried to listen to those we are visiting and really tried to listen to the spirit we have seen many miracles. i feel like i miss out on so much by focusing on what I should say next or what scripture i should share. this week as i have listened and tried to turn our lessons over to the Spirit, i have felt real power in our lessons.we visited Chen JM, a less active sister, who is dealing with depression. we were talking to her about the light of Christ and how He can bless us. at the beginning of the lesson, we asked her when she had recently felt God's love for her. she didn't really have any experiences to share with us- she was just feeling really alone and burdened. as we continued talking with her about the love Christ has for her, i felt prompted to share a scripture that sister Packard had included in our lesson plan. as we shared that scripture  she was really touched by what it said about Christ being our light in the wilderness and preparing the way (1Nephi 17:13). she just sat there staring at the words and pondering their meaning. i could really see the spirit softening her heart. as we continued to talk, she told us about some blessings that she has noticed and seen recently. sister packard pointed out to her how THOSE ways are how God has shown His love for her. the spirit was so strong and we all felt so loved. i am so grateful that Heavenly Father sends His spirit as we seek and as we ask. I have learned so much in our teaching appointments this week- the blessings that i am receiving are more than what i am giving.  

i have been thinking a lot about opening my mouth to share the gospel. i'm still nervous sometimes! i love talking with people but then transitioning to testifying about the restoration is hard. i was really praying about it and we practiced it in the morning. i was praying all day for Heavenly Father to help me know what to say to people. that night, as we were biking to an appointment, i started talking with the woman next to me. i awkwardly started testifying of prophets and praying for her to feel the spirit. the woman was willing to pull over and write down her number! she is christian but she wants to learn more. the next person i contacted was a collage student and she had attended a christian school. she wants to learn more about Christ!! Heavenly Father answers our prayers. as we go to the edge and try to do hard things, He proves the way and the miracles. i love the spirit. with the spirit, we can know what to say. Heavenly Father wants to bless His children and He does it through us. all of us!!

i am so grateful for all your examples. i love you all so much. thank you for your prayers and your love. i feel it and i have really felt support this week. because of your prayers, i have seen so many blessings. i love you. 

all my love

sister Newman 

November 11th, 2013

HAPPY 11/11!!! this week has been so great! being with sister packard in Tainan is so fun and we are loving the work. i feel like i have been made very aware this week that Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers. i love it! i feel like i have been able to see HIS hand in the work- as things and plans dont go the way WE planned, they go better!!

 

on saturday night we had made plans to go visit a less active sister (Zheng JM) who lives a little ways away from the church. we had tried to call her all day but could not get a hold of her. we said a prayer to know how to most effectively use our time that evening. we were calling phones, setting up some lessons, when a different less active sister (Qiu JM) called us and invited us to come to her home, meet her daughter and eat some homemade bing. Qiu JM miraculously came back to church last month after 20 years of being less active. so OFF WE GO! it was great! the daughter is so special and we were able to talk with her a little about her hopes for the future and how Christ can help us overcome all things. we had visited Qiu JM early in the week and just before we left, she had told us how badly she wanted to help her children come to church. i felt so much love from her for her children. i see in her true conversion- she knows that the gospel is what she needs and she is doing those things to come back. and now she wants to share it! i love being with mothers and seeing the love they have for their children. as we were leaving her home on saturday, we were debating whether or not to go visit the Zheng family. the elders suddenly called us and told us that there was a meeting with us and the leaders in our ward to update addresses and phone numbers on the ward list. so OFF WE GO! as we pull into the chapel, THERE IS ZHENG JM! she came with her family to practice for the primary program in sacrament meeting. i am so grateful that Heavenly Father guided us and that we didn't bike all the way to her home to find that she was not there.

Another way the Lord has guided us this week was on sunday. on wednesday, we made cookies for some members of our ward. there a many families that have recently experienced either a death or sickness in the family. we planned to drop off the cookies and a note and give some people cookies on sunday. we had some time on sunday and we were thinking about planning in time to go drop off cookies at Xie JM. it didn't really feel right, so we just planned to give her some at church. she didn't show up at church so when we went back to the apartment for lunch, we brought the cookies up and put them in the fridge. on our way out the door to our next appointment, i just had the little thought to bring the cookies just in case. we biked over to the hospital where we go singing every sunday for an hour. as we were biking away from the hospital, i see Xie JM on her scooter riding right next to us! we stop and pull over to the side. she started crying as she told us she was JUST at the hospital visiting her father who has cancer. His condition is worsening and she had just been praying on her scooter that Heavenly Father would comfort her. then she saw us. we gave her some cookies and said a prayer with her on the side of the road. i felt Heavenly Father's love for her so strongly and i know that all three of us were strengthened in our testimonies that Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers. He knows His children and lets us serve one another. there is no better feeling than being on the Lord's errand. Just go about doing good and you will bless lives!! that's the purpose of this life- to prepare ourselves and others to meet God. we can help Heavenly Father's children feel His love as we pray for opportunities to serve. i love it!!

i love the unity that sister Packard and i are having. there have been so many moments or lessons that as we talk about them afterwards, that we say that what the other person said was exactly what we were thinking about saying! does that make any sense? i am just really grateful for the spirit that is in our lessons. we had one lesson with a sister named miki- shes a collage student. i had had a rough day the day before and in my prayers that night, just really talked with Heavenly Father about my concerns and thoughts. i went to bed feeling so peaceful and so grateful for the power of prayer. in our lesson with Miki the next day, she asked us HOW we receive answers to our prayers. how do we REALLY KNOW? i was able to share that experience from the night before with her and testify that He hears and answers prayers. i am so grateful for the challenges or problems that i go through that are able to help others. Heavenly Father is always aware of us and is always preparing us. as we turn to Him we are then able to turn out and bless others. that lesson with Miki was really special as sister packard continued to bear testimony of prayer and Christ's love for us. it wasn't what we planned, but the feelings of the spirit was so strong. Miki agreed to come to church and FHE on sunday and she came. shes praying for more direction in her life and i'm so excited to see her progress. she so adorable. i am so grateful for the spirit and for an amazing companion who is so in tune. sister Packard is really helping me grow. i love her

i love you all so much. i am so grateful for our eternal family and i'm praying for you. you are my heroes.

love

sister Newman

November 4th, 2013

Hello all! 

This week has been so busy and so full of miracles. combining the two areas has been such a blast! i love serving with sister packard. we have the opportunity to work with so many people! and i absolutely love it. our wards are amazing- full of so many strong families. some of them have three generations of members now. we went to family home evening last night at the chen family's home. Guo Baba is the grandfather (who pulled out a picture of BYU nursing students that came to tainan back in april. i knew some of the people!! i'm totally coming back :) and his daughter and their children. i loved being there and just feeling the power of the priesthood and eternal families. these families are such great examples to me. i love working with them.

this week, we had one investigator Lu JM ( i think i've talked about her before) set a baptismal goal! she has previously been baptized in the baptist church and when we invited her before, she was hesitant. just not really sure that she needed it. she called us monday night and told us about some personal problems that she was having a really hard time with that day. she asked for some chapters in the Book of Mormon to read about forgiveness and love and faith. when we met with her the next day, she shared a little about what she had read. and then she asked "what else do i need to read before i get baptized" when she said that, i was totally shocked! she said that previously she had been really confused and not peaceful when reading the Book of Mormon- she has shared that with us. but she said that these past couple of weeks, she has prayed asking Heavenly Father to help her know. She said that she told Him to either 'mix her up' or to give her clarity, depending on the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. as she has continued to read, she has felt like God has given her a 'filter- filtering out all the confusion and the doubts." she has felt a clarity and love start to develop as she has read the Book of Mormon. and now she wants to get baptized. i am so grateful that Heavenly Father answers prayers! i know that He does. for those that are seeking to know and change and draw closer to Him, He will guide them.

we had a really great first lesson on thursday. it was a girl we met at the park and she just hasnt really every learned about Christ or Christianity. we were waiting for her to come, with a recent convert in the 1st ward, Ling JM (who is adorable! i'll send pictures next week) the investigator Hong JM was late and so we just started talking with Ling JM about christmas- i know it's a little early but we were just all really excited for it. as we were just about finished being with Ling JM, Hong JM walked in! i'm so glad that we had stayed at the chapel and been there when she arrived. i'm so grateful that Ling Jm was also there to share her testimony with Hong JM. Hong JM asked her how she developed faith in God and how she decided to join the church and LIng JM bore a really powerful testimony of prayer and God's love. Hong JM said the closing prayer and i could just really feel a change in her already. i'm excited to keep meeting with her. i am so grateful for the tender mercies of Heavenly Father

being with sister Packard is such a blessing and a boost. she is everything i could ask for in a companion. we are laughing all the time. i feel like we are sisters. She is really helping me learn the principle of accountability. We have been fasting to know what is keeping us from feeling the spirit more fully- what we need to specifically start or stop doing. For the next movecall, we are going to "spiritually fast" from these things. i gained some insights into very specific things that i need to change. every day, i am asking the Lord to help me change and i am seeking to be accountable to the Lord for how i do THAT day. I have strengthened my testimony of the Atonement as I see specific changes occuring in me. I am so grateful that through the enabling power of the atonement, I can change! It's been really great. sistr packard is inspring me. we are also two peas in a pod in the kitchen- we like to expirament :) life is just really good.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PACKAGE!! I CAN'T EVEN TELL YOU HOW MUCH I LOVED EVERYTHING IN THAT PACKAGE!! the bike light was much needed as was the granola. we love it!! so much. the candy was great and the letter was the cutest thing ever. and thank you mom for the adorable photo album. i carry it with me everywhere! i love it and it is perfect. thank you so much for that special gift. i love love love it.

 i love you all so very much. i am grateful that we are an eternal family and that i have you all for forever.

you are my heroes!! i am praying for you all. keep the faith

love

sister Newman

October 28th, 2013

Happy Halloween!!

our halloween party this past week was a total success. it was so much fun to set up and be with all the students. the loved it. we had face painting, haunted alley, bobbing for apples (sister Johnson is a CHAMP. she got it in one bite), donuts on a string, and lots of food. english parties are so fun! especially during this time of the year. i love all of the holidays. we had another activity on fiday where we made pretzels and watched the Joseph Smith movie. alot of member and some investigators came and they all loved it. being in this area is really fun and the ward is spectacular. i was talking to some of the sisters this week and was really touched by how involved they ARE and seek to be in missionary work. Chen JM was telling me about a scripture that she found to help an investigator that she helped us teach the previous week. another sister Ling JM, was telling me all these stories from this past sunday of miracles involving investigators and less active sisters. and then we have another Wu JM (who i have adopted as my older sister) and she is taking her full day off work (she only gets 6 days off every month) to come serve with us- just going to appointments and teaching and sharing. i love these members so much and i'm so inspired by their love and service. we are all involved in the same great work. 

so move call (or transfers- as blake would call them). the tainan 1st and 2nd wards used to only have 1 companionship of sisters covering both areas. about 4 movcalls ago they split. now, because this past group of oncoming missionaries didn't have many sisters coming, they are combining the areas again. SO what that means for me is that I GET TO STAY! AND i get to have ANOTHER ward to serve in!!!:) and my companion is amazing. her name is sister packard and i've been able to serve in the same district as her this past movecall. i really love being around- she's just one of those people that everyone loves. i didn't think i was going to be able to serve with her as a companion but Heavenly Father knew i really needed her. so i'm really grateful. sister Johnson is moving up north to Feng Yuan- which is right next to my old area Tanzi. love it. she's so scared because it's going to be cold. haha. last night we were packing up BOTH of our stuff AND all the stuff in the apartment and then she had to catch a train early this morning. busy. i miss her already and i'm so grateful i got the chance to serve with her. 

last week was really interesting. we made it a goal to invite each of our investigators to be baptized on a specific date. this area has been different for me because MANY of our current investigators are Christian and have been previously baptized. they love the church, they love the Book of Mormon, they love learning the gospel. but for some reason, it's really hard to help them understand authority and baptism. Lu Jm, Lan JM, Luo JM, and Chen JM. it's been special with the recent general conference to watch talks with them (bless modern technology) during our lessons and helping them feel the power of the prophet's words. i love general conference. i would love any help or suggestions. 

i've found this week that as i have written down the questions that my investigators ask and seek to answer them, i have really felt the spirit bear powerful testimony to ME that the answers i am finding are true! i have really found this week that Heavenly Father has blessed me as i have tried to help others. being asked questions all the time is hard and i often don't know and it sometimes makes you question things yourself. Heavenly Father has really strengthened my testimony this week. i love the quote from conference that says "the acorn of inquiry can turn into an oak of understanding" let questions arise, and then find the answers with faith!! i know that as we seek to help others learn the gospel, Heavenly Father will enlighten us and strengthen us and build us! serving is the catalyst for learning and being strengthened.

i love you all so much! thank you so much for your support. i pray for each of you daily. i love you. ETERNAL FAMILY!!

love

sister Newman

October 21st, 2013

Hello my dear family! 

it's been a really great week in Tainan. we had stake conference the past two days and the focus of the entire conference was hastening the work of salvation. missionary work is on the mind of everyone! we had a broadcast conference from Elder Holland and Elder Hales. they were addressing the entire asia area and it was so special. something that Elder Holland said that really touched me was "everyone you meet, no matter their current religion or belief, in the pre-existence knew Christ and bore testimony of Him. They have only forgotten. as we use the name of Jesus Christ, we will help our brothers and sisters remember their Savior. it will be familiar." they also bore testimony of the power of the Book of Mormon. there was a story of a Buddhist- Mongolian family that was being taught before the Book of Mormon was translated into Mongolian. the missionaries asked them the pray about the Book of Mormon and Christ. they asked how they could gain testimony of a book they have never read. the elders came back the next day with 3 Nephi 11:10 translated onto a little strip of paper. the family prayed about that ONE VERSE, received an answer to their prayer and was baptized 2 weeks later. the Book of Mormon is so amazing and i have really felt it's power this week. 

THIS WEEK HAS BEEN SO GREAT! we have had the opportunity to teach a couple new investigators that have just been so amazing. on friday, we were eating lunch and this woman comes into the resturaunt and in perfect english tells us that she wants to learn more about our church and how to help her family. oh. ok. she saw us and the sticker on the back of my bike (no success can compensate for failure in the home) and was interested. she just kept saying "i know it's no coincidence that i saw you. i know it's a sign" she came to stake conference and met the sisters for her area. teaching her was so amazing. we're still working on our teaching skills (always :/) but what was really great about that lesson was that i saw how much i needed to improve and despite my weaknesses as a teacher, she still felt the spirit and had a desire to learn more. Heavenly Father truly prepares the hearts of the people

i have never loved teaching the lesson of the restoration as much as i have recently! there is such power in the story of Joseph Smith and in the Book of Mormon. it's been really amazing to see that story and book change people's lives. one of my favorite lessons this week was with a Shi JM. she's 22 and a junior studying chemistry in college. she's so amazing. we taught her a full first lesson and extended a baptismal goal. she is planning on getting baptized on November 23. i love her so much. she came with us to stake conference this past weekend and liked it a lot. the spirit is so amazing. i'm so excited to help her continue to read the Book of Mormon and grow closer to Christ. 

we've got a pretty cool halloween party coming up this wednesday for english class. we're so excited! we also have a movie night where were watching the Joseph Smith Movie and making pretzels. we're really excited! we've got a lot of investigators who recently learned the story of J. Smith so we're really excited for them to know more about the start of this Church. it's going to be so great. i feel like recently my personal testimony of the restoration has been strengthened. i'm really grateful that Heavenly Father is giving me this opportunity. 

move call is this next week! we'll see what changes are in store :)

all my love

sister Newman 

October 14th, 2013

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BLAKE!! i love you so much and i'm so grateful for your example of faithful service. you and kenz are the best. i love you both. let them eat cake. and send me pictures

 

CONFERENCE WEEKEND IS THE BEST WEEKEND EVER! i loved it so much. i felt like it went by too fast and i could have just sat there listening for DAYS. i love listening to the talks about the importance of family, the necessity of enduring to the end, and the blessings that Heavenly Father has for those who put their trust in Him. i had written a couple questions down about things that i have been thinking about and Heavenly Father answered each one of them. it's so great to be a member of this church! 

We had THREE less active sisters attend conference this past week. one of them had cancer treatment at the beginning of this year and since then has not come to church very often at all. we had a meeting with the RS president and she talked to us about this sister's situation. we went over and got to know her, Chen JM, and she just talked to us about everything. it was so great. she's amazing. and then she attended all 4 sessions of conference. we have had so many great experiences in working with the less active members of our ward. i have felt so much love from them and i'm so grateful for those that are choosing to come back. they are wonderful.

we went over on saturday night to help a sister with cleaning her house. as we were talking, she told us how something that really touched her from conference was the fact that she should be praying for the missionaries and investigators by name. she made a POINT to say my name like 20 times that day haha- for some reason, the Lee just wouldn't stick and she kept looking at my badge. haha i felt so touched that she was planning to start praying for us and our investigators. she started talking to us about their situations and how she could help. as we were leaving her home, she told us that she wanted to help her family come into the church. we thought that family history might be a starting point to introduce her family to the Gospel. we are so excited to go share with her parents on friday! it's really amazing how the Lord is hastening His work and i am so grateful to get to be a part of it forever.

my companion is an angel. her name is sister johnson and she has supported and loved me so much this week. i am just really grateful for the companions and friends i've been able to have on my mission- right at the times i need them. I read a really great talk this week about making decisions and being true to the spirit and the answers we receive. i'm going to post the link and you should read it if you get a minute http://www.lds.org/ensign/2000/03/cast-not-away-therefore-your-confidence it's a Jeffery R Holland. it's good

Heavenly Father is so aware of us. He loves us and answers prayers. He does everything for our benefit. i am so grateful to know that He loves me. I am so grateful for a loving family- such great examples of missionaries in my life. i love you all so much

keep the faith

love

sister Newman

October 7th, 2013

I feel like every email home is either the end of the month or the beginning of the next month. time just flies by too fast and i can't even believe it's october. this week has been one of so many miracles and tender mercies. i have really come to SEE that the Lord knows me AND each of His children so personally. He is so constantly aware of us. 

we still haven't watched conference- that's this upcoming weekend. and it seriously feels like Christmas. i can't believe it's already that time of the year again. when octoberstarted, the weather all of a sudden decided to cool down. i'ts not really that cold but i have been spoiled with taiwanese heat for so long that it feels COLD. we left the chapel the other night and we were both freezing! 

there was a wonderful baptism this past saturday. Wu JM got baptized. i think i talked about her story a little in previous emails. her two older sisters are both solid members and one of the sisters spoke at the baptism. it was so tender. there is so much love and joy in this family. all three sisters are preparing to serve missions in the upcoming years. they call themselves the 'san ge chuan jiao shi jiemei' they are so great. i'll attach photos. i just always feel so blessed to meet these people and be a part of their lives. i was thinking about all the people i've worked with on my mission and i just had an overwhelming gratitude come over me. i love these people so much and i have been blessed by their friendship more than i could ever have imagined. being a missionary is such a blessing.

last week, we were waiting at a mcdonalds for a new investigator from english class. she is really special- her eyes just glow and she's so willing to strive to follow the spirit. herenglish name is sylvia. as we were standing outside, a woman nearby looked at us and started speaking to us in perfect english. she said that she had been baptized in our church when she was in australia. just 2 months ago!! and she had just gotten back to taiwan 5 days ago. she didn't know where the church was or who to get in contact with. Heavenly Father knew that we were going to be there and He arraigned for us to meet her. He knows that she needs support right now. we were just so amazed to bump into her! she really great and we're excited to keep helping her. she ended up helping us share about prayer with sylvia and teach with us about God. we're meeting with sylvia again this tuesday and i'm really excited. she is amazing

second really cool story. we had plans to go visit an investigator last night. when we got there and called her she had totally forgotten about our appointment. SO, we went and looked up a former's address. i felt a little lost at this point and was just really praying that Heavenly Father would guide us and help us use our time effectively. when we knocked on the former's door, her husband answered and said she was sleeping. as we left, we said a prayer and suddenly heard this violin music from one of the houses nearby. it was playing a really cute song. as we kept listening, the violin player started playing the tune "nearer my God to thee" we looked at each other dropped everything and went and tracted the door. a man came to the door and as we started talking, he told us that before he had been to our church. i assumed he had just visited or come to englishclass. as we kept talking, he started using words like 'branch' and 'bishop' turns out, him and his wife are both members!! they haven't come in a long time because their kids are busy with school. he asked us who the current bishop is and knows him!! it was amazing. we invited them to conference and we're going to start working with the bishop to see what we can do to help this family. Heavenly Father knows this man, Ye DX and sent us there that night to help him feel God's love. 

i am so grateful for all of your letters and support and love. i have felt God's love for me so clearly this past week. there have been some hard things but i have really felt His peace. i know that He loves His children. I can't think of a better feeling than being on the Lord's errand. Its been a really amzing week. i love you all so much and i'm so grateful for your love and prayers. i know that your prayers are blessing the lives of those we're interacting with. 

love

sister Newman 

September 30th, 2013

Happy last day of September! i can't believe we're already getting ready for our halloween party in english class again. i'm like having flashbacks to this time last year and all that was going on then. being brand new back then and NOW i'm the oldest sister in the district. it's a weird feeling. i'm learning so much from the sisters in my new area. my companion especially. she is such an example of charity and desire to help everyone at their own pace. she's been a real support to me through everything. i feel lik i have been so blessed companion wise. and in every other way. haha. all my areas and wards and districts and leaders and investigators have all been so amazing.

a sister Margaret was baptized this past friday. i'm so grateful for the opportunity to be here for her baptism. her faith is incredible. she originally met elders on mormon.orgchat and then she self-contacted them here at a 7-11. she told me that she used to be a person that did not believe in God and had no desire to be involved in religion. but she has changed so much. she used to WALK to church here every sunday morning until a member lent her a bike. now she bikes :) and every where she goes, she brings her Book of Mormon, or as she calls it "Mormon" she says she has this voice and feeling reminding her to "bring her Mormon" every where she goes. i'm so grateful for her example of daily reading and seeking answers. she is amazing. i have really seen in her true conversion. she is going back to idonesia today for a little while to renew her visa. we helped her look up some chapels in her area and where the closest temple is. i am so grateful that Heavenly Father allowed me to move here and meet her. His blessings and mercy are amazing. another sister is getting baptized next week- Wu jiemei. this is amazing

we just went hiking this morning with the bishop's wife. it was so great to get up early and go! being out in nature was so great! i'll attach some pictures! i love the ward here. i'm in the 2nd ward- we go to a different chapel than the 3rd and 4th ward...but maybe it's changed since Jennifer was here. our chapel is in Dong Qu. this week we had the miracle of 3 less active sisters coming to church. seeing those women there was so amazing. the power of the spirit is real and it our area is REALLY SMALL! they say it's the smallest in the mission. which is pretty fun. tainan is such a great place. the weather is cooling down ad i'm wondering if fall is actually on its way. that would be wierd. it's been hot for a long time

i had a really great experience this week in one of our lessons. sister Johnson had prepared something from a liahona edition for margaret talking about feeling the spirit and getting answers to prayers. when we arrived and started talking with her, she started asking questions about how God answers prayers and how she can know that the answer is from God. we were able to share with her what we had learned THAT MORNING. Heavenly Father had prepared us to answer the questions that He knew she had. i know that Heavenly Father knows each of us so personally. the best feeling in the world is to find out that you have been an answer to a person's prayers. we don't always get to see the end from the beginning. but as we keep trying to follow the spirit to serve Heavenly Father's children, He will guide us and bless others through us. but really, i feel like i'm getting way more than i'm giving. He is so merciful. 

i love this mission! i know that Christ is directing the work all over the world. our mission president has talked about the vision for our mission. we are working on establishing more stakes in Jiayi, taizhong and gaoxiong. and then taiwan will be prepared for another temple. the field is white!! it's so exciting to be a part of this work. i love you all. thank you for the pictures and the emails! you are my support and i feel the power of your love. thank you so much

all my love

sister Newman

September 23rd, 2013

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD AND DAVIS!! i love you both so much and i'm so grateful that i'm in your family. you two are the best. it seems like whenever there is a birthday in the family, i end up getting a package. how lucky am i?! thank you so much for the granola and the earrings! i have gotten so many compliments and worn them almost every day. haha. i originally thought you were sending me some really sweet speakers- who is the lucky owner of those? haha thank you all so much for your support and love. i have felt a lot of love this week and i'm so grateful for a supportive family.

well first week in a new area. i feel like it's been a long time since i've been put in this situation. it's a learning experience! but TAINAN is such a wonderful place! i really love being here and the members that we have met so far are so amazing. i had one sister come up to me on sunday and ask to read my palm. she "prophecied' that i had just moved there from Nanzi. i was like HOW DO YOU KNOW? turns out her friends daughter told her. haha i love being with the members! the Church in Taiwan is being established and being a missionary here is so exciting. i get so excited to think about all the strong wards and stakes being established all over the world. this work is amazing.

we originally had a baptism set up for this past saturday but due to the dangers of a typhoon, it was cancelled. everything was shut down- school, work, we were wondering if church was going to be cancelled as well. we were all waiting and anticipating the 'biggest storm of the year so far". it got to about 6 pm that night and all we had was a little rain. it seems like the typhoon totally passed by us. we were a little disappointed. and sister Wu, who was going to get baptized on saturday, was sad. she is amazing and her faith is incredible. her two older sisters are already members of the church. she is 19 years old and she has been studying to be a professional bartender since she started highschool. she's been going to competitions and practicing for about 4 years. for a long time she hasn't had much interest in the church but about a month ago, she contacted the missionaries and said she wanted to get baptized. she is completely changing her major and her life. she wants to go on a mission after she graduates from college. the Atonement is real and i have seen it working in her life. i am so grateful for her example of doing what is right and following the spirit to make hard changes in her life. she is amazing. being around their family is really special. the oldest sister got baptized about a year ago and the middle sister got baptized a couple months after that. and now the third sister will be getting baptized in about 2 weeks. being around them reminds me of kelly carli and i. i am so grateful that we have been born into the gospel and that we have always had those blessings. 

the Tainan ward is amazing. we have two wards in the same chapel and our district is full of really amazing missioanaries. i have learned so much from their example already and i'm just really grateful to be surrounded by people who lift me up. is so amazing to be a missionary. every sunday afternoon we have the chance to go to a handicap hospital and sing with the residents there. it was so much fun. the man that sets it up is a grandpa that everyone calls guo baba. he is amazing and full of so much love. we all just sing hymns together and chat with the residents. they are all so sweet. it's amazing to have opportunities for service!! i love it! 

i was reading in alma the other day and i read Alma 5:13  "And behold, he preached the word unto your fathers, and a mighty change was also wrought in their hearts, and they humbled themselves and put their trust in the true and living God. And behold, they were faithful until the end; therefore they were saved." i thought about the need for us to be converted and then to help convert others. as we are humble- in our desicion making, in our callings, in our prayers- Heavenly Father will guide us. i know that He lives and l know that He loves His children. He answered Joseph Smith's prayer and He answers my prayers. i used to think that one day, i would just 'get it'. i would BE charitable or BE perfect at following the spirit or BE a great teacher. and then not have to worry about it any more. but i have learned that that is not the way. we need to plead for our 'daily bread' and daily earnestly seek those things that we need. we need to depend on the Lord daily, being grateful and humbly seeking His help. then we can be saved.

i am so thankful for the scriptures. i have really gained a lot of power and direction from them this week. The Book of Mormon is the word of God. it is Him talking to us. this week has been great. ups and downs but always great. i love you all so much. our family is forever. that is the best! good luck with rugby! congrats to kelly! happy birthday. the presidents say grood morning. i love you all so much. keep the faith 

love 

sister Newman 

September 9th, 2013

Hello Family! this week has been really amazing and i have really felt the Lord's hand in our work.

I told you a story last week about the family we tracted into. We have met with them twice this week and the Mom and the two kids came to church yesterday (the Dad had to work). They are so great and we are excited that we get to teach them. We can really tell that the Father (Brother Hou) really wants what is best for his family. The Lord has really prepared this family to hear this Gospel. The two sisters we have asked to help us teach them as peike's have turned out perfectly. I feel like the Lord is really directing us. The lesson that we had with them was really special. when it first started, there was kindof a 'what does this have to do with me?" feel in the lesson. our peike started bearing testimony of how prophet's councel has blessed her family. and Brother hou just really opened up about some concerns for his family. he also told us about his mother. He prayed for the first time at the end of this lesson. it was so special. I love this family.
We have another investigator who we met through English class that we met with once so far. She is Christian, but was interested in why there were so many different christian churches. When we taught her about Prophets, she said it makes sense that Heavenly Father would call another Prophet and she is really interested to find out for herself. She is so special and we really hope we can help her sincerely seek and find that answer.
We also had a girl who self-contacted the Elders come to church yesterday. She was a little late and nervous to come in, but a visiting family came late and saw her standing outside and brought her in. Then, it also turned out that she was really good friends with one of the members.It was PERFECT! We hope to be able to start meeting with her and teach her more about this wonderful Gospel.

sorry this letter is so short this week. i love you all so much. thank you for your support and prayers. i feel it daily

love

sister Newman

September 2nd, 2013

I can't believe it's already September! time flies and i've almost been in taiwan for a whole year. WHAT AN AMAZING YEAR! i've been reading over my journals and just thinking about all the great experiences i've been able to have. this mission has done more for me than i could have imagined. i feel like the unprofitable servant- i am receiving so many blessings! i am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father and His divine plan for us. we have english sacrament meeting every sunday night with some phillipeano sisters and last night was testimony meeting. one of the sisters talked about how she has spent the last 6 years working and striving to climb her 'ladder of improvement" she worked to come back to church, be active, prepare for the temple, get her patriarchal blessing. she is an amazing example of strength and faith. she testified how the church is the only way to happiness. it is only by living the restored gospel of Christ and keeping God's commandments that we can have complete happiness. i am so grateful for the examples i've been able to have on my mission. my companions are so amazing and continue to help and inspire me. the impact we have on others is huge! why not make it a positive impact. i'm so grateful for the ways others, my family, friends, companions, ward members/leaders, have changed my life. being a member of this church has so many blessings.

we had some flooding in some areas of our area and the rain was non stop on saturday. we were soaked! all day. despite the fact that we wore rain gear. we went to visit a member in the afternoon and we talked with her daughter a little about going on a mission and going to college. i love the youth. as we were biking away from her area, sister hill suggested we go back and tract. she said she's just trying to follow the good thoughts and ideas that come and pray that we are guided. what an example to me. so we turned around and prayed and started knocking doors. the second door was a family and the father talked with us. the wife is christian and the father doesn't really have a religious background. but they were interested in learning more about our church. we're meeting with them again on tomorrow. Heavenly Father does guide us! i was able to share this experience in Relief Society with the other sisters and talk about how this family is the neighbors of one of our members. we don't know who is prepared but we can reach out in love to ALL those around us. i loved hearing about all the cool teaching experiences and missionary experiences my family is having. it is not our responsibility to convert anyone- that is the responsibility of the Holy Ghost. our duty is to invite, to love, to serve, to bless. we truly can be tools in the Lord's hands

So it was pouring on saturday, and we had prayed for the chance to serve someone that day. as we were biking under a bridge, we saw a woman on the side with her scooter. it looked like it wasn't starting so we pulled over and offered help. turns out she didn't have her cell phone on her and her scooter was water logged (another reason i'm grateful we have bikes :) we were able to let her use our cell phone and call her sister. we have so many small chances for service every day. doing the little things is part of being tools in God's hands. i am so grateful for the little acts of service that others do to bless me and help me feel God's love.

well, my trainer is married!! she's beautiful and i love her and i'm so proud of the positive changes she has made in her life. sister hill is doing amazing and i'm so grateful that we are able to be together for 12 WHOLE WEEKS. i learn so much from her daily about being a better teacher and a more obedient person. she is sweet and we laugh a lot and just have a great time. i'm so grateful that Heavenly Father knew i needed her as a companion at this time. she's amazing

i love you all so much! has school started for everyone yet? good luck with that. i am praying for each of you. i miss each of you individually so much and i'm so grateful that we are an eternal family. i love you and i'm so grateful for each of your examples. thank you for your prayers and support. i love you

life is so good.

love you all

-sister Newman

August 26th, 2013

Hello everyone!

This week has been really great and sundays are always especially wonderful to me!! I have really felt the power of the sacrament more on my mission than ever before. The sacrament and church meetings really help me feel recharged and clean. I am so grateful for the Atonement and the opportunity to be weekly cleansed and purified. I've been thinking a lot about being pure in heart and having pure desires. I've been striving to think, with every decision, if what I'm doing is for the benefit my investigators or recent converts, and that I'm not doing something for my own benefit. We've been really praying for our investigators and for them to feel the spirit. i've noticed a change in the way a teach. a slow change. i'm really seeking the spirit. we were teaching a less active sister last night and it was haihao. but as we kept talking with her and seeking to ask inspired questions, she really opened and there was a difference in the spirit of the lesson. it became more about her having a spiritual experience talking with her Heavenly Father and less about us getting a less active sister to agree to pray daily. The spirit is so key in our lives. we're going over to this less active sisters house on wednesday and doing some service. she says if we can get her back yard cleaned before moon festival then we can have a BBQ there. THAT is enough motivation for me to do any service.

I'm learning from Sister Hill that being on the same page as the investigator and really knowing how they feel is so important. She is really good at asking inspired questions that help the person feel the spirit and help us better understand how they are feeling. When we are more focused on others and not so much on ourselves, God can truly guide us to know what is best for THEM. Charity is vital. a sister in our ward just returned from her mission to canada and it is really fun to be around her. she is a great example of charity and hearing her talk about her investigators is really special. i'm so grateful for all the people (members, investigators, missionaries, companions) that i've been able to have on my mission. i think Heavenly Father's greatest blessings are the people that each of us get to interact with.

I had a really great experience on sunday. I was fasting for some people we were working with and also for myself to have a increase of the spirit. I'm learning how very VITAL the spirit is in our work. Yesterday, we had the miracle of all our recent converts attending sacrament meeting. We also met an amazing woman on the street. I have really learned the power of fasting and prayer on my mission. As one lady in our ward said yesterday "Most people would just look at our blessings as coincidences. But WE know that they are blessings from a loving God who knows us personally." I've really learned that Christ has the power to change us- moment by moment. And it's so amazingly fun to try to be better daily.

we had the opportunity to go participate in a youth conference on friday. we got home SO LATE!! i haven't been out past 10:00 in about a year! it felt really weird. haha the life of a missionary. anyway, there were about 400 youth there and it was so fun to be around them. they had all those that were planning on going on missions stand. it was really powerful! the youth in our ward all stood. I love it! 80% of taiwanese young men and women in the church are second generation members. SO COOL! i love the church in taiwan

i love each of you so much. i'm praying for you as school starts and things get busy. I know that God can give us opportunities to bless the lives of others, no matter what we are doing in our life. i love you mom dad blake kenzie kelly davis luke and carli. you are my heroes and i love you! i am so grateful that i get to be with my BEST friends for eternity.

love

sister Newman

August 19th, 2013

Happy Birthday to Carli!! sorry i'm late in saying that. but a package should be coming your way. it's just a little s but i hope you like it! i was thinking about you alot on the 15th and we celebrated a little for you. i'm sorry to say that i cant remember how old any of my siblings are any more....lame i know. i just feel like you'll forever be the age you were when i left and when i think about you being older i'm like....."what?? no way. bu ke neng..."

this week has been really great. every week is really great! august i think is the hottest time of the month. but we are loving it! we had a really great lesson with a woman whom we contacted about 1 month ago. when we saw her the first time, she was super pregnant and heading up to her apartment with her 4 year old son. we started talking with her and she invited us up to her home. Her name is Ding JM. her son was scared of us so he was crying for some of the time.....haha. alot of kids react that way to us. not great for the self esteem. we talked to her about families and Christ and she was amazing and funny and we love her. so then we called her the next week and she had given birth! in taiwan, after a woman gives birth, she stays inside with her baby for a month! to rest and relax and take care of the little one. ding jm had gone back to her mothers home for the month with her baby. so we stayed in contact with her and last week, when we called her she said that she was back in Nanzi and we should come over! so we did. the baby is beautiful. it was all i could do to not cuddle her. not being allowed to hold kids is really hard!! Ding jm is amazing and she basically invited herself to church. she wants to come. we talked about Christ and how He can change us and our families. She accepted a baptismal date for the end of september! i'm really excited to continue getting to know her and helping her develop faith in Christ. it's so amazing how Heavenly Father prepares people to accept His message. our job is to invite and seek and have a spirit

i've really noticed the importance of the spirit in our lives recently. we can do many good things and be good people, but when we have the spirit, we will be able to know what is most good and necessary to do. He will teach us all things and guide us in all things. i know that sometimes we may not even know we are being guided by the spirit but our responsibility is to be seeking it and living worthy of it's guidance. i have felt an increased desire for the spirit in our work.  I have really realized this week that the presence of the spirit depends in part to how I am reacting to the situations I am placed in. The spirit can still be present when our plans don't go according to plan, but when I get frustrated or discouraged about changed plans, I can't feel the spirit. I am changing through the Atonement and learning how to react in more Christlike ways.With the changes in the mission, I have just felt a renewed desire to seek the spirit and study Preach My Gospel and improve my skills as a missionary. I love the feeling of being more dependent on the Lord. In my contacting now, I'm more concerned with the quality than with quantity. I have always really loved talking with people and I'm grateful for that blessing; however, what I am realizing now is the need to become a better tool in the Lord's hands. I want to improve at talking to people with the spirit guiding my words. I am seeking the spirit more in every aspect of the work. In my personal study recently, I have just felt an increased desire to teach and testify and share. THis work is so amazing!

We had a great experience this week with the Bishop. We had gotten fanged and we were getting ready to leave the chapel when the Bishop pulled us into a little interview with him. He talked about some of his concerns and we talked about some ways to work better with the ward and get the fire really going in Nanzi. We are creating 'area books' for all the leaders in our ward, so that they can be up to date with the less active and recently baptized members of the ward. I have been praying for an opportunity to serve the bishop and I'm so grateful that Heavenly Father gave us this chance to help. I am so grateful that He hears and answers prayers!

 Sister Newman 

August 12th, 2013

Another great week in paradise! August is for sure the hottest month of the year though. every day i am sticky and sweaty and wet and very, very happy. being in taiwan is such a blessing!

our investigator, Huang JM, was confirmed yesterday! her husband gave her a beautiful blessing of health and strength and continued help in her progress. she is so amaizng. she gav a talk yesterday (that's a little stressful for a new member) and it was so perfect. i get to tranlate all the talks in sacrament meeting into english for some american members of our ward so i really get to pay attention to what the speakers are saying. It's Heavenly Father's way of keeping me very focused. haha She bore a beautiful testimony of the Savior helping her through some personal trials in her life. She said that it is through trials that she has been able to draw closer to God and develop more faith in Him. I have seen the spirit teach her and that is such a wonderful feeling. She talked about how Heavenly Father often uses the things that are most hard for us to endure in order to refine us. she hates headaches and she has been having serious headaches recently. she said that she used to drink tea to help the headache go away. she was really sick last week and was just praying that she could drink a little tea to help ease the pain. as she was praying, she got this thought that said "just try and see going without tea. trust me. i will help you." she kept praying and asking for help and strength. she took a nap and when she woke up, she felt like she had done a 180. her headache was gone and she didn't feel sick at all anymore. she really strengthened her testimony in the word of wisdom and in God's love for her. she is just such an amazing sister and she has so many insightful experiences everytime we visit with her. i'm learning way more from her than i think she is learning from me. why is it that i get to be so blessed?! i am so grateful that she is my friend and i love her so much. they are now progressing towards the temple. how cool is that?! i have been missing the temple recently. we're too far south to be going regularly like the more northern missionaries get to. i am so grateful for the temple and the strength that comes from being worthy of a temple recommend.

we have been working with the ward a lot and i'm seeing so many miracles in our ward. we have people bring their friends to english class. we have so many people bearing their testimony of missionary work. we have had the opportunity to teach some friends of our members. a recent convert here, Hou JM, invited one of our english students (a cute young mom) to church and i was able to attend primary with her and her daughter. so much fun! the ward was really welcoming and helped her feel really love. i know that as we missionaries are in the "spotlight of missionary work" there will be so much more success

sister hill and i are doing great. we are happy. we laugh a lot. we pray alot and she's a really great example to me of sincerity and love. Heavenly Father knew i needed her as a companion right now. she is just the support that i need :) i love her. we went to a BBQ with the phillipeano sisters in our ward and they were grilling fish and pork and it was delish. one of the sisters had seriously brought like 30 fish to grill and there were only like 10 people there. haha. sister hill was like "it's like we have to eat a whole school!" she is so funny and i love her

i love you all so much. thank you for your letters and emails. i am so grateful for your support and love. you have no idea. i love you all very much.

keep the faith

aloha

sister Newman

August 5th, 2013

AMAZING FIRST WEEK OF AUGUST! how is it already august? Daddy- thank you so much for the package!!!! as always, i was amazed at your packing skills. how you managed to fit it all in is amazing and i had to eat some stuff right then in order to fit the rest back in the box. haha. it's still hot. every day. and so wonderful. we have had an amazing week of finding and teaching many people for the first time. two big highlights from this week:

on sunday night, i started talking to this mom on a scooter with her three little girls. we just talked about families and being a mother (she asked me how many kids i have.....uh......none). but i shared with her about my amazing angel mother and the strength my parents are to me. anyway, we set up a time to meet with her at her apartment. as we were waiting in the lobby i was so SHOCKED to see her husband come down with her to meet with us. i was just thinking, WOW A FAMILY! he seems like such a great father and he was participating in the lesson. i am so excited to keep meeting with them! the ward mission leader and his wife are coming with us this week. as we were talking with them and some of our other investigators this week, i just got this amazing insight into how the Lord is preparing these people. They are His children and His hand is in each of their lives. It's so exciting to hear people talk about their lives- they don't see how the Lord has been interacting with them, but we do. i love helping people gain the ability to feel the Lords love for them. 

second highlight was a tracting miracle. we were knocking doors and a woman came out. she is like in her 30s and her name is claire. we were talking to her and her english is PERFECT which always throws me off a little. it's interesting when chinese comes out more naturally than english. haha. as we were talking to claire she seemed pretty interested but didnt really want to put down her information. we kept talking about her goals and how she is really driven. shes in graduate school studying government and she told us her big goal is to pass this test. as we kept talking to her about prayer, she suddenly blurted out "actually, i do want to put my information down." we kept talking to her and she blurted out again "another big goal i have is to have children. i really want to start a family" i really saw the spirit working within her as we talking and encouraging her to meet with us. i really saw how the spirit is the true teacher. she was willing right then to pray with us and she said it and now we're meeting with her on wednesday. we have been blessed with so many contacting miracles. 

sister Hill is SUCH A GREAT COMPANION! we are seriously laughing all the time. i love being with her. i just feel like we are sisters. being in this ward with her is so fun. our ward is just fun! the relief society president, who is extremely pregnant, bore her testimony this sunday and mentioned how grateful she is that there are sister missionaries in the ward. she feels like we have been able to help so much with the less active sisters. i don't feel like we've down that much but i am so grateful that Heavenly Father knew the she needed support and sent us here.

we took our recent covert contacting and teaching with us this week. IT WAS SO FUNNY! she decided that we should go to carrefour because it has air conditioning and good food. so we went and started talking to people about our english class. there was this huge display of balloons and she asked the sales person if we could have some. they gave us some and she started handing them out to kids and telling them about english class. haha she is such a rockstar and is seriously inviting like EVERY SINGLE PERSON to english class. haha i love her so much and she is so solid.

this move call is so crazy. there are like 30 new missionaries on island and so many changes are happening with the new president. i really like him. he's very focused on our personal development and progress. i think that is how Heavenly Father views us. it doesn't matter as much where we are, or what our calling is, or what we are doing, as much as it matters who we are becoming and how we are using the opportunities He gives us. 

i can't believe sister Hill is already half done with training. another move call like we just had and then we'll see what the Lord has in store for me. This work is amazing and it is all the same great work, no matter where we are or what we are doing. i am so grateful for all your letters and emails!! hawaii sounds like an adventure. sounds like you were hobos for a little while there. haha good olde times. love you all so much. i am praying for you! keep the faith. aloha

love

sister Newman  

July 29th, 2013

Hello all! 

Last week in July!! how does this happen? the months just fly by and i'm so grateful for every moment! i can't even believe how fast July has gone by.

This week was amazing. we were able to meet with so many new sisters who are so prepared and so special. yesterday, we met with a Chen JM who is a college student. her brother was baptized last december and he came with her. this family had been contacted by missionaries 7 years ago here in Nanzi and they had an old copy of the Book of Mormon with a note from the missionaries in it. the brother Chen Dixiong, met the missionaries last year again while he was at school up in taizhong. he was baptized and is now seeking to help his sister accept the gospel. she is so amazing. we were able to share with her the first lesson and when we asked if she would be willing to pray about it, she unexpectedly bowed her head right then and started praying. her prayer was so sincere and heartfelt. when she finished, we all just sat there in this beautiful, peaceful silence. the spirit was there and was touching her heart. i was so inspired by her willingness to ask right then. She is going to college up north in taibei tomorrow and is willing to continue meeting with the missionaries up there. she wants to get baptized. i feel so grateful that Heavenly Father allowed us to have a part in her conversion process. not a big part but i just feel so grateful that i was able to meet her. she could have just waited till she went up to taibei to meet with the missionaries but Heavenly Father knew that i had so much i needed to learn from her and her brother. We are keeping in touch by email now and i'm excited to hear about how she continues to progress.

we met with one of my favorite less active sisters this week, Su Jm. she is so amazing. we talked to her about doing her family history for her dad, who passed away about 7 years ago. she has a very special relationship with her dad and everytime we talk about him, she just lights up. we want to help her prepare for the temple. we found her about 4 months ago, just calling through a list of less active members. i am so grateful that we know her. she told us last week how she has not been in contact with the church for a long time and having us come to home is just a reminder to her that Heavenly Father has not forgotten her. she told us that she wants to come back to church and that she's working on it. i love this woman so so much! she's shorter than me and tell such funny stories and buys us mango bing every time we go over. what could be better?

we were going over to a lesson yesterday and had a minute so we tracted near her home. there was this one house that looked like it was covered in cacti (cactuses?). we go closer and found out that it was dragon fruit! google that plant- it looks so scary and the whole house was covered with it! anyway, we chatted with the man that lived there and although he wasn't very interested, he just reached up and plucked us two dragon fruits (you puck it? that's it? that's it.) taiwanese people are so nice! we are having an english party activity this week and all the sisters in our relief society were offering and cooridinating with us for what food they wanted to bring. someone has a BING machine and another woman is bringing all the ice for it and another woman is bringing mangos. being in taiwan is so wonderful. it got suggested to me like 3 times this week that i should marry a taiwanese man....hmmmmm. anyway.... haha

sister Hill and i are doing well. she's amazing. nuff said. we are just laughing alot and i love it. we really have become good friends. what more could i ask for? she encourages and inspires me to be better. life is good

i hope you all have a great time in hawaii! i love you all so much and i'm glad youre going as a family. our family is the best. i'm not kidding. i love you all so much and i pray for you individually. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PACKAGE!!! exactly what i needed. chocolate. makeup. shorts. shirts. silly bands. it was perfect. my favortie part is always your letters or notes. they are the best. i love you all so much. thank you for taking the time and sending your love. i feel it every day!!

all my love

sister Newman