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