June 3rd, 2013

Dear Family

thank you so much for the little package! the cliff bars are delicious and i'm grateful for dad's sacrifice. i know it will bring forth the blessings of heaven. mom and carli- thank you for the tape. it was so great to hear about life and what's good. and CARLI HOLY COW YOUR POEM IS FANTASTIC! i am inspired and amazed. you get more and more talented every time i hear about you! life is so good being your little older sister. i look up to you so much girl.

ok....so this week was crazy. i feel like i say that every week. and it's the honest truth. this week, because of exchanges, we spent 3 days NOT in our own area. haha wednesday after exchanges, we traveled home in time to have dinner and then head off to Zouying to teach english. on thursday, we had leadership council in Taizhong so spent all day traveling and attending THAT stressful meeting (haha but lunch provided by the mission president's wife was FAN-TASTIC). it was good to receive counsel from President Bishop about how to better set the example that our missionaries need. i started thinking about all the examples i have had in my life and on my mission. each of you came to mind. i love you all so much and i'm grateful for our family. being in a sister leader is really great because i feel like we can help these sisters just by setting a good example and loving them. i feel like that is how life is- the best we can do for others is to inspire them by being our best and love and be inspired by them for being their best.  on thursday, we hopped on a train and traveled down to chaozhou. it's the farthest south sister companionship. it took us about an hour by train to get down there and by the time we arrived, it seemed sort of pointless for me to travel back to Nanzi with sister Tsoi. So we just split up the area and the rest of the lessons for that day and all four of us preached the gospel in ChaoZhou! i was really great to be with sister Tsoi- she's a new missionary and is just so sweet and humble (the exact opposite of what i was as a trainee.....haha) sister tanner and i ended up sleeping on the floor of their apartment that night and doing companion study with all four of us the next morning was really great

this week i have just been seeking to be the answer to some body's prayers for that day. i have really seen how God answers my prayer through others and knows my needs. He is so aware of us. for instance, on monday, sister tanner was having a really hard day and i just wasn't as good of a support as i could have been. im not the best companion sometimes. but i was praying so hard that she would have something happen that help her be happier. a few minutes later, one of her best friends on the mission (previous companion) called with a referral for her and they were able to talk and laugh for a minute. i am so grateful for Heavenly Father for answering my prayer. i just always want to be ready to be the answer for someone else. i have really felt like the Spirit has guided us in our teaching recently. i love teaching with sister tanner. we biked all the way out to our secondary area and had a lesson with a member's wife. he is the ward clerk and has been baptized since he was 19. they have a little son. as we were teaching her, i just felt the power of this man's prayers in behalf of his family. he was so nervous and a little awkward as we were teaching- haha he just wants an eternal family so badly. as we were talking we were prompted to share about Christ and how His gospel can change us. she started crying and saying that is what she wants- to feel like she is changing, progressing, growing. i know that the spirit guided us in that lesson and she came to church the next day!! with her husband and baby. we are so excited to see them grow closer to each other by growing closer to God.

i was praying really hard yesterday for an opportunity to serve the members of our ward. we have a sister that comes in the evening and we hold an english sacrament meeting. she's from the Philippians and is so wonderful. she recently went to the temple and received her endowment. during the closing song of the english meeting, she just started crying. we were able to talk with her about some health problems that she's been having recently and just comfort her. she's getting a blessing from the elders today. that prayer was answered not in the way i expected. but it's the way Heavenly Father needed. im trying to   

you know, most of the time i am a pretty optimistic person. i love this work more that anything and it makes me so happy. being on the streets talking with people and being in lessons seeing people light up when they hear about the gospel is such an amazing experience. i am so grateful to Heavenly Father for allowing me to come serve a mission and become better. and sometimes, it's really hard to see the progress and to see the product of every day. i think that is where faith and hope come in. sometimes it can be a little discouraging to be working hard everyday but just when it seems too hard or too long, Heavenly Father gives you a boost and a blessing. i got a call from Chen JM(my previous companion in TanZi). she told me that one family, whom we tracted into and started teaching got baptized this week!! and another family, that was less active when i was there, is now working to help their son get baptized! wow. i am just so grateful to Chen JM and to Heavenly Father for letting me see the fruits of my efforts...not like either one of those baptisms can really be attributed to me. but i am grateful for the small part i was able to play. this work is so amazing. being a member of this church is amazing. i am so grateful for the blessings of the Holy Ghost in my life that help me as i am humble. i am striving to get to the point where i don't have to see the result of following a prompting of the Holy Ghost. just serve and love and work with no thought of reward. i love the people that Heavenly Father has placed in my life and is continuing to place in my life. I love you all individually. i miss you like crazy and i'm grateful for eternal families.

i love you all. keep the faith

sister Newman

May 27th, 2013

.LAST EMAIL IN MAY! It is unbelievable how fast time goes by. i feel like i write that every week...but it is so true. i can't believe how much happens every week. it's so amazing to see the people the Lord puts in our path and the needs they have. it's just interesting where the Lord sends us- usually not where we expect.

I was so so excited to hear about the baptism in ShangHai! that's so amazing! and i am so amazed!! how cool that we're all doing this work together! i just feel like our family is being blessed so much. i was so excited to hear about Luke teaching about the Holy Ghost. that is so great! if there is one thing i wish i had done differently before the mission, it would be that i wish i had gone out with the missionaries, at least once. Luke i am so proud of you! we had a baptism on saturday! she's 15 years old and the coolest, cutest girl ever. she's like my little sister. everything went so well. the mom is from the Philippians and has been waiting a long time for this day. i was just so amazed and grateful that it got to be us to help her receive baptism. a recent convert brother in our ward was able to help her be baptized. it was his first time baptising anyone and was a little nervous but it was so great. it was really touching to see two people progress in the gospel and strengthen their foundation in the church. Christine , our RC, is starting to work on personal progress now and is so great. we're hoping to take her out missionay-ing with us some time this week

we went on 2 exchanges this week and it was really great to serve with the sister in our areas. they are all so great!

i love teaching people and it's been really special to see the prepared people the Lord puts into our lives. we had a first meeting with a younger girl, she's like my age, and we ended up sharing the entire first lesson. she was asking so many questions and seeking to know for herself and it was just really special to see the desire in her. i know that this gospel answers all questions, fills all emptiness, and brings so much light!

things are really great with sister Tanner and I. she is really supportive of me and i'm grateful that we are such good friends- it makes exchanges easier when i get to come back to an area and companion that i love. she's going home in 4 weeks haha so i'm trying to be a support for her and help her. she's really great and i love serving with her.

we went tracting last night and we were knocking doors and then a woman who only spoke taiwanese let us in. we were praying for the gift of tongues! haha is was really great to just chat with her a little bit and feel God's love for her. even though she couldn't really understand us and we couldn't really understand her, we ended up saying a prayer with her and she was happier. i really feel like God lets us bless people in little ways. nothing really came out of that lesson but i am so grateful that ONE DAY i'll meet her up in heaven and be able to understand her and we'll just laugh about that one time when we were just tingbudong-ing each other

each one of us matters and God is aware of each of our needs. i have had so many prayers answered this week and have felt so much love. it's so great to feel like God is blessing others through our little efforts. God's timing and purpose is perfect.

keep the faith. i love you all so much. i am praying for each of you and i'm grateful for your example. i'll talk to you next week

loveyou

sister Newman

May 20th, 2013

Dearest fambamily

i am still thinking about seeing all of you and i am so grateful for your prayers and support! it was so great to see you all and feel together. Happy mother's day mom. you are the best, way above all the rest. thank you so much for the amazing!! package that we received this week. it was perfect and the chocolate is going to last much longer! i was perfect. thank you so much for all you all do. i am so grateful to have such an amazing family. i was praying this morning and i started thinking about each of you and whats going on in your life (even though i'm totally out of the loop and don't really know). but i do know that i am so proud of each of you!! our family is so great. i hope everyone's week is going super great.

this week, i have bruises on BOTH of my elbows. the first one is really lame. my left elbow, i was stepping ouf of my bathroom that had a very wet floor. i slipped and fell. and then i didn't get up for a couple minutes. haha i just lay there on the ground. haha my RIGHT elbow however is a better story. but not really. we were biking to our area that is a little farther away. i was raining and we were lost. typical us. and we start back up on our bikes and i totally fall over. i like slid down the road and tore my new rain gear. haha but except for the bruise on the elbow, i am ok!! life is so good. i love serving in nanzi. its been so great and it continues to be!

we had our investigator receive her baptismal interview this week!! she walked out of it just glowing!! she was so stressed going in (the elders can be a litte scary sometimes haha) but when she came out she said that she has never felt this happiness and peace. she is getting baptized on this saturday and we are so excited. the ward loves her and we're working on getting her more friends. her and her 4 year old son love church. she loves the standards of the church and we are so excited for her to receive all the blessings. she is so prepared. i love teaching these taiwanese mothers. they are so special.

i am so grateful for the little opportunities that Heavenly Father gives us to serve. I just really felt the power of "the one" this week. we had one day where we did a lot of biking in a more rural area. We didn't talk to as many people as we would have had we stayed in the city. But we visited an LA in that area and she was so touched by our visit. we also left a note at the home of a part member family. The husband called later and thanked us- he was really touched. our numbers weren't really high that day but i really felt the importance of the things that we did accomplish. i love being put in the right place at the right time. seeing the Lord bless others through us really motivates me to work harder and pray harder and seek His direction and will. i love meeting these people that are prepared to be touched by the spirit
in the scriptures, i was reading in alma 62 after all the wars it talks about how the different people reacted to the past couple of years of trials. some were hardened while others were softened and humbled and blessed. it really helped me see that we all experience trials in our lives. my mission hasn't been what i thought it was coming out here- but it has been exactly what i have needed. Heavenly Father has blessed me so much than i ever would have expected- even if its not in the way i thought it would be,

i love you all so much. i am so happy. i am so grateful for an eternal family. i love each of you so much and i'm praying for you. thank you for your support and love. you make this mission even better than it already is!! i know your prayers are blessing me. 

i love you all

yours 

Sister Newman  

May 6th, 2013

MAY! Happy may! it's getting hot here in gaoxiong. but it's so good. this week was amazing and crazy and we have seen so many miracles. we had a lot of meetings this week and a big miracle was that, despite all the time we spent NOT in our area (at meetings and stuff) we were blessed to still have many lessons with investigators and help them progress. we had 6 investigators at church this week! that's a record for me and i was so grateful. they are all such miracles. 

there is one sister- a Han JM. she was a referral to our area from zuoying and she met with us for the first time last week. she said that she has been searching for a church and praying for a chance to come to church. three days later, she met the sister missionaries on the road. her family is christian but she never felt comfortable going to that church with her mom. she was so happy and excited to come and learn. she said that she just felt a peace here that she hasn't felt in a long time. we shared the book of mormon and the story of the first vision with her. she was so touched and just really felt like she is a lot like Joseph Smith- searching for the truth. she feels like she has found it here and she has a baptismal goal for june 1. she is so great!

another one of our investigators in a hou JM. she has had a really hard life. her family situation is complicated and has left her with a lot of pain. every time we meet with her, it's amazing to see her faith in Christ grow. we had a really amazing lesson this past week with her. she was stressed about church and baptism and her husband opposing her getting baptized. she felt like everyone at church was perfect and some things about her past made her feel like she was not worthy of coming. we said a prayer with her and sister Tanner bore her personal testimony of the power of the Atonement to change. we read with her from Alma 36 and she was just crying. She has been developing her faith in Christ and i feel like this lesson was pivotal in helping her understand the power of the Atonement and the blessings of baptism. she is amazing. i love meeting with her. i feel like Heavenly Father has blessed us right now with so many amazing investigators whom i love so much.they are all so different. i feel like i need to take more time to write in my journal and record all their stories- they are all such miracles. 

we went to a leadership council in taizhong on wednesday and met with all the zone leaders and the assistants. it was interesting and exciting to be trained and to learn from president Bishop again. he is the greatest mission president. i just feel like he has such a love for us missionaries and for the people in Taiwan. it's great. going on exchanges with the southern zone sisters has been so much fun! it's really great to be able to support them and compliment them and inspire them. and to LEARN from them. i have seen so many miracles on exchanges and it's just great to be able to serve with so many amazing sisters. 

i think this move call, i have really learned the power of making people feel loved and taking the time to develop a relationship with them. i have had the quote- never let a task to be accomplished become more important than a person to be loved- running through my head. i am grateful that Heavenly Father is teaching me that it's not about WHAT we do, it's about how we make people feel. i am very grateful for the special relationships that i have been given on my mission. i love these people, these women so much. i love my companion so much. our investigators are amazing. being a missionary is such a special blessing. i feel like i'm getting more than i could ever give in my service. Heavenly Father is so good. He is perfect and He is perfectly blessing me.

i'm so excited to talk to you on sunday at 1pm!!! i i can't even believe its that time again. i'm so excited to see each of you. have stories!! and i'll have stories! and you can meet my companion! i am so excited!! life is good

love you all so much

Sister Newman

April 29th, 2013

Last week of april!? what? where does time go. i'm hearing about all these missionaries leaving on missions and all the missionaries coming home and i'm just amazing at how fast time goes by. this week flew by! i couldn't even believe it. this week has really been so amazing. mom asked A TON of questions about this new assignment and i'll try to answer them all haha. sister tanner and i get to go on two exchanges a week with sisters in the south part of the mission. we are loving it!1 but it's weird having a different companion every other day. i'm really learning so much from these sisters and i feel so grateful that God has given me this chance to work with and hopefully influence some of the sisters. we have seen so many miracles! i love seeing the uniqueness of every sister and learning from her style and example. i also love finding ways to boost them up! looking for the best in others is such a happy way to live!! we also get to call a companionship every night and talk to them about their strengths and trials and seek to help them. i really love this calling. i feel a better connection to the other sisters in the mission and i feel like just having another female to talk to helps alot of the sisters feel more support. there are just somethings that they will tell to us sister leaders that wouldn't come up in follow ups with elders. it's so great to get to know so many sisters!!

i have stayed in our area for both exchanges this week as sister Tanner has traveled to the other areas. i am still getting to know our area so it's fun to get lost sometimes and just feel the excitement and newness of it all. sister walbrecht was here on tuesday and we were teaching a woman and her boyfriend for the first time. as we went around and introduced ourselves, the woman started crying and saying how much Christ has blessed her mother and their family. she has such strong faith but she just hasn't know where a church was to attend. he boyfriend also talked about how Christ through prayer has given him strength to accomplish his goals and do all that he has desired to do. they are coming to church next week and we are so excited to keep meeting with them. sister walbrecht led that lesson and i was just really touched as i realized that Heavenly Father puts us where we need to be in order for us to have the greatest impact. even though it won't be sister walbrecht that continues to teach this Han JM, Heavenly Father sent her to this area for exchanges that day because He knew that Han JM needed sister Walbrecht that day. i keep thinking about sister Daltons talk from General conference- what you do matters because you matter. any act that we do that influences someone else's life matters!! no matter how small. i love how Heavenly Father is allowing me to see the small but powerful influence we can have. 

 we have been blessed with SO MANY prepared sisters to teach and love. i feel like i have seen more recently than ever before the love that Heavenly Father has for all His daughters. i love this area and longer i am on my mission, the deeper my love grows for the people here and the people we are teaching. we have had so many women set up to continue to meet with us and i am just so touched that they are open to us and open to the message of the Gospel.

i love our ward so much!! all of our leaders are amazing and i am so grateful for them. i am also so grateful for sister Tanner- she is amazing at serving people and helping them feel love. she is the kind of person that puts people before tasks and goes out of her way to make them feel special. that is something that i love about her and that i am seeking to learn. it is just so natural to her. we are working and focusing on serving our ward and helping them feel our love. they are so willing and wanting to help. they are wonderful and i just want to help them feel our love and the joy that comes from missionary work. we were in ward council and we asked what families we can visit or strengthen. two of the brothers in the meeting are the only members in their families, and they invited us to come to their houses to meet their families!! i was so touched by their faith and their trust in us. i am so grateful to be able to be a missionary. this is really the best. i am so happy and i am so grateful for this experience

i love you all so much. thank you so much for everything. i feel the power of your prayers. keep doing good works and changing the world. i love you all. keep the faith

yours

Sister Newman

April 22nd, 2013

da jia hao

it has been an amazing week. I am so grateful for the blessings the Lord gives us and the experiences He lets us have. there are so many tender mercies everyday. life is so good! it is so precious and i love being a member of this church. we are meeting with a lot of really special investigators whom i love so much. with the women we are working with, i have really been able to see how the Lord has prepared them. I have felt His love for His daughters and His desire for all of them to come unto Him. I feel so grateful to be able to be helping these people come to know Him and feel His love. One sister that we are working with is Li JM. She is about 60 years old and owns a congyou bing dian. we met her at a stoplight- she was selling congyou bing by the side of the road. as we have started to meet with her, she has told us how her job and her family aren't doing great. she doesn't have much support and is very alone. as we were teaching her, i couldn't help but think of the sister in President Uchtdorf's talk. as we have been teaching her, we have seen her whole life change. She has a very close relationship with God and prays all the time. her faith is like a child. and she is feeling the blessings of the light of the gospel. She is reading the book of mormon and just accepted a baptism day for the 25th of may. She comes to church and loves it and has hope. she is so special. when we teach her i think about the humble people in alma 32. she is so prepared and i am so excited to see her life continue to change. Heavenly Father is in the details of our lives. 

so i got a call from President Bishop this past saturday. i had no idea what he would be calling about. he has asked me and sister Tanner (MY NEW COMPANION!!:) to fill the new position of Sister Training Leaders. this is a new leadership opportunity in the mission field. as i understand it, it's basically the equivalent of a zone leader......we get to go on exchanges with sisters in the three southern zone two times a week and train them and learn from them. we are responsible for the sister in east gaoxiong, west gaoxiong, and pingdong. THIS IS GOING TO BE SO CRAZY! i am so excited for this opportunity to serve and learn and train other sisters. I can't even believe it. i have been praying a lot about how we are going to do this. i have felt peace about it. i have also had parts of my patriarchal blessing come to mind- that talk about being an example and helping others. i love the sisters in this mission so much and i'm excited to get to know them better. i am praying to be a good leader. i had the scripture in 2 timothy (be an example of the believers) come to my mind. i am much younger in my mission than some of the sisters that i will be going on exchanges with, but i know that as i am a righteous example or obedience and love,. that we will be able to learn together. i feel so blessed to have this opportunity. my new companion is amazing!! this is her......last.....move call. so i'll be killing her too. i love her already and i'm excited to see what we can do together. i love this place so much. we're going to be going to a leadership council at the end of april and getting more training. i can't believe april is almost over. time goes by too fast

we had zone conference this past week and i was really touched by president bishop's focus on obedience. i thought about President Monson's talk from General conference. obedience is the first law of heaven and i feel like it should be the first law in our lives. as we have sought to be MORE obedient, Heavenly Father has blessed us so much. i think it's all about the little decisions we make- creating that pattern of obedience and building a solid foundation of integrity. i have noticed this week as i have striven to be more obedient and aware, the spirit has blessed me in knowing how i change. not just what i can stop doing, but what i should start doing. when we are obedient, we are given so many opportunities and chances to see the Lord's hand in our lives. i have been really thinking about our area and this new assignment and i'm a little nervous. trying to build up nanzi along with traveling on exchanges. but i have felt a peace that as we are obedient and diligent, Heavenly Father will bless us. on my first move call, i read a quote in the "teachings from the prophet" manual that says- "Let God open the door." just be faithful and diligent and obedient and God will work everything out. its like in DC 123:17- cheerfully do all things and let the arm of God be revealed. I can't believe how much Heavenly Father has blessed me and i'm so grateful for all the opportunities we have. 

i love you all so much. i am so grateful for our family and for your support. i love this gospel and i LOVE missionary work. i love you all so much

yours
Sister Newman 

paige's address :)

Sister Paige Newman
404-46
Taiwan Taichung Mission
No 498-11 Wu Chuan Rd.
North district, Taichung
Taiwan, ROC