July 22, 2013

another wonderful week in Nanzi! i can't even believe all the blessings that we see daily! it is amazing to be a member of this gospel and to see the change that Christ makes in a person's life.

Hou JM got baptized this week- on saturday. it was such an amazing baptismal service. Hou jm's journey to baptism has been longer than we thought but it was amazing that it happened and that i was able to be here for it. my previous companion Xie jm was able to come to the service- she was the one that contacted Hou jm. it was so great to just celebrate together and see her and just have so much joy with Hou jm. after she was baptized, she did a little jump for joy in the font. haha it was so great to see the joy that comes from being clean. and then the next day at church, she was confirmed. being a member of this church is such a blessing. i am so grateful for mom and dad's example and the example of all our family members. being a member of the blake-newman clan is amazing!!

we had a really great lesson with a member's mom and we helped her start doing her family history work. it was really cool to talk to her about her family. and the sister that came with us shared how she did her work for her mother. it was just amazing to think about the covenants that bind us together. and it made me really excited to be more involved with family history. it's all part of this great work- the same great work.

sister Hill is doing really great. she's got a really quiet, REALLY funny sense of humor and i'm grateful for her support. she's really an inspiration to me. she's helping really push myself to think about how i can improve and become a better missionary. she is so devoted to the work and to our investigators. i am really grateful that she has had the opportunity to be a part of a baptism in her first move call. i'm thinking a lot to back when i was a new missionary. being a trainer is really helping me seek the fire, seek the spirit, seek obedience. i'm really striving to push myself and change because i know there are so many things that i need to change.

i'm grateful that we have some amazing investigators and an amazing ward and the support of our leaders and members. they are so willing to help and love. we have a new sister we are working with that is the aunt of one of the members of our ward. the first time we went to meet her, she told us about how she already has the habit of praying daily. and how she has felt prayer bless her day. i am amazed at how the Lord prepares His children to receive the gospel. its so often through us (as members of the church, as people's friend, as family member) and our actions that He is able to touch and prepare the hearts of people to receive the gospel. Heavenly Father is guiding this work. He is in charge and in control. I am so grateful that I can trust in Him. It is only through the grace of Jesus Christ that we receive the strength to continually do good. i am grateful for that. 

i love you all so much. i am grateful for your emails and support!! have a fantastic week! you are my idols

 

keep the faith

yours 

sister Newman 

July 15, 2013

Possibly one of the greatest weeks on my mission. i have felt bombarded with love from Heavenly Father and have seen His influence in my life in a million little ways. thursday and friday were probably two of the most happiest days of my mission- despite the typhoon haha.

we fasted this last sunday for our investigators and our area. one of the investigators in a Hou JM and she has been progressing for about 2 months. the only thing between her and baptism is her husband. he's been pretty opposed the whole time and she has faithfully continued coming to church and reading the Book of Mormon. she has changed so much in the short time that i have known her. she has become steadfast in her faith in Christ. and on thursday morning she called us and was screaming/crying/laughing because her husband had told her that she could get baptized!! we were so excited and just screamed with her on the phone. haha we had fasted with her and i know it was because of her preparation and desire and determination that this miracle happened! i'm really grateful that i had this experience with fasting- it really strengthened my testimony. i've been thinking a lot about the will of God. as long as we pray for HIs will to be done, then no matter the outcome or the situation we can be assured it is for the best, it is for our benefit. Heavenly Father LOVES US. and i'm so grateful that i feel that so often in my life and on my mission. we had interviews with the new mission president, President Blickenstaff, and his wife. i felt so much love from him. i went to the interview fasting and really received answers to my prayers. he gave me the encouragement and motivation and direction that i need. i am so excited to work with him. i loved hearing him bear testimony of the personal relationship he developed with the Savior on his own mission and how that relationship has blessed him throughout his life, as he has encountered hard things. the Savior is always there to direct and teach and comfort. in my interview, we talked about how it is in our moments of trial and affliction that we are able to grow closer to Him. nothing that we have to go through is more than He can help us overcome. we must never be overwhelmed because He is always there to lift us. i am grateful for that. on thursday, we also went to a less active sister's home. i love her and she accepted the invitation to come to the baptism the next day and bring a treat. miracle

friday was the best birthday ever. Huang JM got baptised and i am so grateful that everything went so well. there was supposed to be a typhoon and we were wondering if we should change the date. i was fasting earlier that week that, if it was the Lord's will, the typhoon wouldn't affect the baptism. and it didn't! Huang JM was so excited and it was her husband that baptized her. i LOVE families and i'm so grateful for this wonderful experience. remember how forever ago, we asked our leaders in ward council for anyone in the ward that's family member is not a member of the church and one of the men offered his wife's name? that is this Huang JM! i am so grateful that she was so prepared and that her family is now working on going to the TEMPLE. i can't even believe it. her testimony is so strong and she is excited to continue reading the Book of Mormon. the ward has really welcomed her in. she was late to the baptism and that had us on our toes, but she came and it was great. whew

i'm thinking about the rest of my mission and trying to get the vision for what i can accomplish. time goes by so fast and i can't even believe it. a year on a mission is a sobering thought. i am so grateful for this opportunity and i really can't believe sometimes that i'm a missionary. i am so very grateful for all of your prayers and support. i am overwhelmed. i love you all so much. thank you for all the birthday notes. it made my day!!

keep the faith

love sister Newman

July 8, 2013

such a great week!! being in nanzi with sister hill is the life! we are having a great time and the people here are amazing! i love our ward so much and i'm so grateful for the leadership in our ward. the RS president is on the ball- despite the fact that she's very pregnant- and working with us to find and help less active sisters. the sister in the RS wrote letters to the LA sister whom they knew and now we're working on delivering them. we have a sister Huang getting baptized this friday and she is so ready. she is wonderful. she had her baptismal interview on saturday and we got a chance to talk to her for a little bit after that. she told us that she has been super stressed and worried about the baptism all week. she was debating whether or not to call us and change the date for her interview and baptism. that saturday morning, she told her husband how she felt and he told her to go pray and see how she felt. she said she prayed and she felt like someone had stopped her pounding heart. she felt an amazing sense of peace that came over her whole body and the interview went perfectly. she said that she was just so full of peace. i am so grateful for a Heavenly Father that hears and answers prayers. i am so grateful for the Holy Ghost that comforts and teaches and helps us feel God's love. i really felt this in my own life on sunday- i was having a rough morning and Heavenly Father, through the Holy Ghost and through the members in our ward, really let me feel His love for me. He loves us so individually and knows how to make us happy. riding on my bike after church, i had the scripture "seek me diligently and ye shall find me. ask and you shall receive" come to my mind. i know that as we turn to the Lord, however small the action, we will be blessed so much

right now we're training the members in our ward how to help us teach the new member lessons. i love being around the members. they are so amazing and one day you will meet all of them. we went and visited a Hong JM who lives with her mother and sister. we were able to talk with her about some ways to strengthen her family and help them be prepared to hear the gospel. and then of course, as we were leaving she gave us a ton of fruit and crackers. typical taiwan. these members are so passionate about the gospel and about being a Latter day saint. being around them is the strength and encouragement i need to keep serving.

sister Hill is brave and funny and amazing. we've been teaching quite a few lessons and she has so much love for these people. she is the kind of missionary that helps people. when an investigator is having a hard time keeping a commitment, she is really great at figuring out a loving way to help people. her composure and calmness is something that i need. haha. i am very grateful for her companionship. its been better recently as we have learned to work more in unity. 

in the book of mormom, i read about the faith of the brother of Jared and i was really touched by his example. he saw his weakness but he came to the Lord with what he had and plead for a miracle. i feel that way a lot on my mission. we make these plans for the next day and sometimes, it looks a little weak. but we pray and we work and we pray A LOT and Heavenly Father touches our lives. He creates the miracles. we were contacted at an intersection the other day and it was hot and nothing was really coming of it. but we said a prayer and kept going. and i met this amazingly cute girl named robyn. her english was perfect and she was really interested in Jesus Christ. i shared with her (in english...weird) about how Christ has blessed my life and now she is going to start meeting with the sisters in JiaYi. Heavenly Father hears our prayers and He puts people in our path that are ready to hear about the gosple. we just need to seek His guidance and blessings. we watched this video clip in chruch the other day and it really touched me.  https://www.lds.org/training/wwlt/2013/hastening/special-broadcast?lang=eng#media=16902107223790014226-eng 

i am so grateful for all of your examples. i am so grateful for our family! it's so fun to hear about all of you and whats going on. the wedding pictures look GREAT! i love our family so much. thank you for your prayers and supports. i love being a missionary and i love being a member of this church. Christ lives and loves us. God is our Heavenly Father. Prayer blesses lives. keep the faith. 

love you all so much

Sister Newman   

July 1, 2013

Happy July!~ unbelievable. 
last week was really great. having sister Hill as a companion has been really fun. she's so humble and willing to ask questions and learn. she's also incredibly powerful as a missionary. i love having her ideas and talking about how to help our investigators. Huang JM can to church for the whole 3 hours yesterday. we had an amazing lesson with her and a couple in our ward about the plan of salvation. Zhou DX, the brother that helped us teach, bore an amazing testimony of the Savior and the Atonement. He was so powerful in his teaching and his testimony. that lesson was really special. i love how the gospel blesses and helps families to be happy and whole. i love this area and ward so much. the work is going great here and we are having so much fun. we just found out that sister Huang will probably be getting baptized on july 12- how special is that?! to see a family completed would be the best birthday present. in the lesson the other day, she just said "i wish i could just get baptized right now! i cant wait!' 

another one of our investigators is having a struggle with getting her husband's permission. her faith is so strong and she is wanting to pay tithing and fast offerings before she has even been baptized. she is seeking the Lord's will in her life and is feeling more peace about His timing. she is an amazing example to me of patience and humility. we're fasting with her for her husband's heart to be softened. we do all we can do and then rely on the Lord. 

congrats to blake  and kenzie. i love you both very much and i am excited to hear and see pictures of the wedding. you two are my heroes. thanks for being the example that all my investigators and i need. eternal marriage is amazing. 

things are going well with sister Hill. i'm trying to find the balance between giving her chances to teach and not overwhelming her. i really love her and i'm grateful for her patience with me. i've really been learning recently that it is so important to rely completely on the Lord. when we don't, there is no power in what we do or say. if i am to truly represent Him, then i need His spirit to guide me in what to say and do. we all know what an outgoing and slightly pushy person i can be. i'm learning to try and use the gifts Heavenly Father has given in the way that He needs me to use them. i'm trying to be a tool in His hands and pride gets in the way of that. i'm really grateful for what i read in ether today. it talked about how the brother of Jared cried unto the Lord and the Lord had compassion. i'm so grateful for a compassionate Savior who reaches out to us as we reach to Him

I'm so grateful for all of your support and prayers. i feel it and i need it. i love you all so much. Heavenly Father blesses us as we are humble and prayerful. His blessings are amazing :)

i love you all so much. i'm praying for you all. sounds like an exciting summer. you are always in my prayers

love 

sister Newman

June 24, 2013

Dearest Family

on friday we took the two HUGE suitcases of sister Tanner and sister Tanner herself and headed up to the mission office. about 5 hours later i was back on that train heading south with my NEW COMPANION SISTER HILL! she's great and we're learning together and it's always a growing experience. it interesting to realize how different this mission life is from real life- there are so many adjustments and changes and learning experience. i'm praying for discernment so that i can know sister Hill's needs and concerns. i just want her to be happy

this week has been really great. sending sister Tanner off was sad but exciting. i'm sure she's nervous about life back at home but i have faith in her. i am so grateful i was able to serve with her. and now i have my new companion sister HILL!! i'm really excited to be her companion. i think the first couple days have been really overwhelming but i'm striving to help her feel comfortable. our first lesson together went amazing!!! we taught Huang JM (the ward clerk's wife) and read 2 Nephi 31 with her. we had practiced that morning extending baptismal invites and sister Hill was able to invite Huang JM to be baptized. and she accepted!! it was one of the most perfect baptismal invitations i've had on my mission and i'm really grateful that sister Hill got that opportunity. it's crazy thinking about when i first came on island. i'm having flashbacks like every second to my first move call. the stress. the desire to be perfect. feeling overwhelmed. and also just being so grateful that i was finally here and able to teach and talk and be a missionary. sister hill is a powerful teacher and was able to lead one of the lessons already. she shared a scripture and invited our investigator to read daily. i'm grateful for her boldness in teaching and her powerful testimony. i am so grateful for all that prepared me to be missionary in Taiwan. i love the language and i love the people and i love being a missionary. i am so grateful that Heavenly Father let me come and that He's letting me continue to have a wonderful mission.

I LOVE OUR WARD HERE IN NANZi! i am so grateful that i am able to train here because i truly believe that this ward is so fun and this area is amazing. i feel real grateful that i have really been able to be myself in this ward. i have made friends here whom i love. the youth here as so much fun and we're really working on getting them involved in missionary work this summer. having a new sister come in has just made me realize how much i LOVE all the people we are working with. we went and had dinner with a less active sister in our ward and talked with her about obedience and her life and she is just like a mother to me. she reminds me a lot of Aunt Amy in her personality- fun and lovable. she is wanting to come visit us in ShangHai when i go back. hope that's ok :) she is really funny and full of life. she has had some hard experiences in her life that make her have less of a desire to come to church. but she knows it is true. we met her daughter and they love missionaries.

 

sister Hill is from Utah. she is studying at BYUI and is an english major. she has a big family. she is a really soft person (which we all know is what i need to be more like). she has grace and is very patient. i am really excited to have her as a companion. she has a concern for all those we meet with and has a really strong desire to connect with them

i am praying that the wedding and traveling and summer is going well for all of you. can you believe i've almost been on a mission for a year. july 5th marks one year and that is coming. i'm having flashbacks all the time. the mtc was amazing. being trained was so great. my first area was so special. and all my companions have been just what i needed. my mission has been so great and i'm grateful to each of you for your support. i know all the blessings i receive are due to your prayers and the mercy of God. this gospel is perfect and helps a live a more perfectly happy life. we can always have hope and light because Christ is our hope and our light.

i love each of you so much. i was overwhelmed with how many emails and pictures i got this week. you are all amazing

keep the faith

sister Newman

June 17, 2013

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KELL! LOVE YOU!!

Well, one day you call your mission president to see if you can have permission to leave your area on prep day and he ends up telling you about your new assignment. being called as a TRAINER. haha i'll be getting a new companion this friday!! a new missionary!! i have no idea what to think right now.......my mind is just blank. except for last night when i couldn't sleep because my mind was reeling!! i was just thinking about when i was trained and how that went with sister Vandegrift and how much i have changed since then....but how unprepared i STILL am. i am really excited about training but i am also very nervous. it'll be an adventure. i just want her to be happy and feel like a good missionary. i just want to help her have faith in the work and in herself. anyway- i'm really grateful that i had the chance to be a training leader and got some experience for what's ahead. i know i am not qualified but i am grateful that Heavenly Father prepared me and let me be sister Tanner's companion. i feel like we're always being prepared for the next step. here goes i guess. 

this week was really great. saturday was especially crazy. i read on saturday morning in 3 Nephi 13:25-32 about how the Lord provides everything for those who have faith in Him. and then on saturday, we had so many miracles. we had 3 member lessons that we hadn't even planned on having. it was just us being in the right place at the right time. we also had our ward clerk show up at the chruch with his wife (who isn't a member) to clean. they invited us to go get bing with them and we ended up teaching the sister about Joseph Smith. she is continuing to grow in her faith and has had some great prayer experiences. all of our meals on saturday were provided by members and at our dinner, the LA sister invited a friend over who ended up adding for church the next day! she came on sunday and now we're meeting with her. on our way home from the LA sister's house, we ended up taking a taxi and the driver was the elders former investigator. we got his information and gave it to the elders who are now in contact with him. DAY OF MIRACLES. i really feel like Heavenly Father taught me the principle of relying on Him and He will provide. all of our blessings are from Him, according to our worthiness and His timing. it's so good to know that all things are done in the wisdom of Him who knoweth all things. knowing our Heavenly Father is such a blessing

we were able to go to another sister's area this week and just talk with their companionship. they have been struggling recently and we were able to go and talk about how amazing they are as missionaries. we talked about what our personal goals as missionaries are- what is important to us and what do WE want to accomplish. every person has their own skills, talents and desires and it's only when we use what Heavenly Father has given us that we can succeed and find joy in the work. being a missionary is stressful sometimes and i think that we loose the eternal perspective. it was really great to just go talk to this sister and her companion and let them feel Christ's love for them. they are doing so much better this week!

love you all. these pictures are from last p day. we're heading to the beach right now! love you all so much.

i'm praying that the wedding goes well

send me pictures

Love

sister newman

June 10th, 2013

hello everyone!

it has been such a wonderful week! we've had so many meetings and exchanges and we are staying busy and it is wonderful. the Bishops go home at the end of this month and the Blickenstaffs come on island so we had our last mission meeting with him. i love president Bishop. I have learned so much about love and charity from his example. i am so grateful that i was called to be his missionary. i'm also really excited for the Blickenstaffs coming. President Bishop talking about change in the church and the callings that we are given. he told about how he was called to be a mission president and how that process went. it was really tender to see him reminisce about his time as a mission president. time goes by so fast. i have been thinking about the grace of God recently and how we only can do the best that we can. i read a quote from president Uchtdorf that really motivated and comforted me- he said that the Savior will support us and love us as we strive to follow Him, taking one imperfect step after another. i think about my mission and the assignments i've been given. i really don't know what i'm doing half the time as a missionary or a leader. but i love it. and i'm grateful that God accepts my imperfect attempts to do His will and follow. i just hope i can keep going about cheerfully doing good :) i love being a missionary and just being able to lift and serve and love.

we had a really interesting experience when we were on the way to a first lesson with a new investigator. well....she ended up not being there and not answering her phone. BUT we were tracting in her area and this lady pulls up on her scooter and says: hey- i used to be a jiemei at your church! and we were like really? she said she had gotten baptized like 30 years ago and had a ton of pictures of the missionaries. so we go into her house and start looking at all these pictures of missionaries from like 30 years ago. oh wow. it was just so interesting to think about how that's probably about the same time that dad served and think that there are people in taiwan that probably have pictures of dad that they are showing the missionaries now serving in their area. and then i started thinking about how one day, 30 years from now, i'll just be a memory and a photo in the lives of the people that i've served this. it just really gave me an eternal perspective and just really inspired me. our influence is so small sometimes but it is so important. every chance we have to interact with people should just be a chance to help them feel God's love and faith in them

Sister tanner is doing great. she's so different than me in so many ways but i am so grateful for this time to be best friends with her and learn from her. in president uchtdorf's talk, he said that we each have different talents and gifts and the joy in life comes as we encourage and inspire others to develop THEIR personal divine nature. i am so grateful that my mission is teaching me to find joy in the differences between people. the Atonement is meant to change us but it is not meant to make us all the same. we are individual and special and loved by our Heavenly Father. sister Tanner has really helped me find some of my gifts and talents and i'm so glad for her support. if she was jsut sent to nanzi to be my companion, it would be worth it :) i can't believe how fast time goes by. i'm almost finishing up my 7th move call. i'm so grateful for all the experiences i have had. i am loving my mission and living with no regrets.

life is so good. there was a quote from Thomas S Monson said that reminded me of you all. "appreciate the sacrifices your families so willingly make in order for you to serve. their labors sustain you, their faith encourages you, their prayers uphold you. a mission is a family affair. though the expanse of continents or oceans may separate, hearts are as one. i'm so grateful that i'm a part of our family. i am so grateful for your labors, faith and prayers. i know it is blessing me more than i know. i'm praying to be worthy of your support.

i love you all so much! carli and luke- YOU LOOK SO GEWD!! the cruise looked fun. BLAKE IS GETTING MARRIED! well that's crazy. jump in the ocean for me. i love you and i'm praying for you. davis- i'm praying that you will have a great experience with patriarch West. you are so lucky to be receiving your blessing from him. kelly- you know i love you. look for my package!! happy birhtady in a week!!

love you all

Sister Newman