April 1st, 2013

hey all!

move call day!! i'm in gaoxiong! i moved down south and i love it already! this place is amazing and the train ride down was beautiful. we missed the bus by about a minute but caught the next one. we didn't have a cell phone but it all worked out.  Heavenly Father is in control. i feel so grateful to be a taiwan sister missionary. this is the life. i'm now serving in Nanzi with Xie JM and we are whitewashing our area! so fun! nanzi has never had sisters before and we are so excited to start working with the ward and this area. i love it. i feel so blessed already. so many people have worked to prepare this area for us and the elders told us that we already have an investigator with a baptism goal. they are so great. they put the area book together for us and i just feel so grateful. God always puts people in our path to help us. it is so great to know that we dont have to do this alone. i feel so grateful to have this exciting opportunity. xie JM is adorable and diligent and i'm so grateful to be her companion. i'm now senior companion and i am just so grateful that Heavenly Father is in control. He knows our limits and our needs and He'll push us just enough to help us grow. it's like in Elder Hollands talk where he says to come to the edge. sometimes we're too scared of falling- but by coming to the edge, we can see miracles. i'm really excited for this area.

last week was so great! we had FHE with the ward my last night there and Tanzi really is such a special place. the ward talked about the importance of priesthood leadership and power. i am so amazed by the power of the priesthood here in Taiwan and all over the world. the husbands in Tanzi are strong leaders in their families, who direct and serve with love. i'm so grateful for the restored blessings of the priesthood. families are so wonderful and we're praying that we'll be able to strengthen the families here in Nanzi.

i'm so excited for General conference coming up! this is the best time of the year. happy easter everyone! it was really nice to not have easter so commercialized. it really helped me think about the real meaning of easter. i was teaching english to the little kids in our area on wednesday and we were talking about easter. fuhuo jie. they all knew the story of Jesus and they knew that THAT was the reason we celebrated easter. we talked about the miracle of resurrection and it just didn't even seem right to bring up candy and the bunny and all that stuff. it was wonderful to have a very simple, very focused easter. the kids were so cute! they basically taught the class. i just threw in a couple english words. haha.

in the scriptures this week, i found a scripture that i really want to apply to the rest of my mission. in alma 12:28-29 it talks about being humble and prayerful, being open to the Spirit, and developing Christlike attributes. the blessing of faith, hope, and charity are promised. this scripture really struck me as i read it on the train. i thought about all that i want to change in myself and the way i serve. and i thought about how simple change is. it's hard but it's simple. just keep praying, keep checking yourself, and keep relying on the Lord. i am determined to be a more happy, more prayerful, more grateful missionary. i love this work.

in my prayers this week i just felt very guided in planning for this next movecall. i set some goals and made some plans and pondered what i have learned- and what i still need to learn. i am so grateful for the spirit that prayer brings into my life. it just brings clarity and peace. and guidance. change starts with pray. everything should start with prayer. i love the pattern of prayer taught by elder bednar- having our morning prayers fulfill our evening prayers and visa versa. what an amazing blessing.

i feel so blessed to have the opportunity this movecall. i am so grateful for the opportunity to be a missionary. i can't even believe it sometimes.

i am so grateful for all of you. i had a moment of overwhelming gratitude this week for all those who helped me prepare for a mission and who are helping me daily. i'm so grateful to my family and friends. if it weren't for your support, i wouldn't have been able to come. thank you for supporting me and giving me this amazing opportunity. i just feel so blessed.

keep the faith

love

sister Newman