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

April 15th, 2013

GENERAL CONFERENCE IS THE BEST THING IN THE ENTIRE WORLD! 

i love this weekend and we have been counting down the days. i can't believe how fast it goes by. shortest 8 hours of my life. as i was listening to conference this time, i had the spirit bear testimony to me again and again that what the prophets and apostles were saying was true. i truly felt my testimony deepen and my desire to change increase. i love this gospel. it is simple and it is wonderful. i love how our leaders teach and direct and inspire us. i have been seeking to know how to be a better companion and leader and i was grateful to learn from their example. i know that this work is true! as sister xie and i discussed our investigators and our less active members, we found that their was at least one talk that answered their current concern. i am so grateful that some of them were able to come and see. its so sad that some people would choose not to come and limit their learning and progression. it's like president Monson's talk on obedience. and president Eyring as well. we are blessed as we make the simple choices and little sacrifices.

i love this ward and this area so much. the members are so excited about missionary work and all our leaders are so supportive. it's amazing how fast you come to love the people you serve with. i feel so blessed to have served in so many amazing areas. we have recently gotten lists from all the leaders of various families and members we can go visit and serve. i am so grateful for the nanzi member's love for their ward. it is like a huge family and they are all looking out for one another. there is so much love and joy. being a taiwan missionary is amazing.

i am so grateful for the spirit is this work. we were biking home last night and we had taken a wrong turn and as we stopped at a stoplight, i pulled over to talk to a woman. it turns out she was on the phone and usually, i would have just gone and talked to someone else. but i stayed and waited. even when the light turned. i don't know why. i just felt like i should. when she hung up we started talking and she has been seeking a church. she set up to meet with us on Friday. i love the people that God places in our paths. I love how He takes our plans and creates miracles. God will place us where we are needed most. i'm trying to not get upset with the "setbacks" or "wrong turns" that we make. i'm praying to see more clearly that God is truly in control. He is the Master and all things work out for good for those who love Him. i am so grateful for the example of parents who know and love God. 

i felt a deep gratitude for my family this conference. you guys are the BEST! we are so blessed. families are the foundation of this church. i love the families here in Nanzi. i was talking with some of the young women and they are so excited to be missionaries! they're only 14 but i am so excited for them. it's such a blessing to have a faithful family. i love you all. the greatest joy comes from being an eternal family.

i know this work is God's work. I know it is in His hands. i know He loves us. 

i love you all. keep the faith

love

sister newman  

April 8th, 2013

hello from gaoxiong! 
holy cow it has been an amazing week. i can't even believe all the miracles and blessings we have seen as we begin working in this area and with the nanzi ward. whitewashing is so fun! and i feel so blessed for all the help that we have from our mission leaders and our ward. its really great to feel supported. and my companion is amazing! sister xie is diligent and happy and we are just laughing all the time about how much we love gaoxiong. this area is amazing and we have what we call "the dream team". our ward leaders are so great! everyone is really excited about having sisters in the area and we are praying to know how to best serve them. we called our bishop the second day we were here and he immediately set up to meet with us. he is a relatively new bishop and a returned missionary. he has a lot of enthusiasm for the work. we are hoping to help many people feel Christ's love.

we had a cool experience as we have been planning nightly. the second day we were here, we didn't really have anything set up. so we found some less actives on the ward list and some formers. one of the last sisters we had set up was what we thought was a former investigator. we went and visited her and talked to her, and it turns out that she was a less active. we invited her to church and the spirit was so strong. she has a desire to come and she told us how she feels the difference between when she comes and when she doesn't come to church. our ward has been really great at continuing to fellowship her. it was a miracle because on sunday, our relief society president suggested we go visit her- and we already had. the spirit has really guided us. its amazing to realize how much we need to, and should, rely on the spirit. i am so grateful for the opportunity to open an area.

going to church on sunday was so great. we have a ward of about 105 people and the bishop has a goal for 120 by the end of the year. we are excited to help this area grow. Heavenly Father has given us this amazing clean slate and we are so grateful. we have a english group that meets in our ward building on sunday nights. we went last night and it was two Philippians sisters, two american members in our ward, and the missionaries. the elders blessed and passed the sacrament and then we had a short testimony meeting. the spirit was so strong and i am amazed at how this ward seeks to serve one another. i love the faith of the members here. we have so many families and so many members who have grown up in the gospel. i love seeing the church be established in TAIWAN. i love this place. we have an investigator who can't walk and has no transportation. we called a member in our ward and he was willing to drive her to and from church. they are so amazing. we are excited to get to know them and earn their trust. the missionaries have a great relationship with the ward. our bishop has a goal of every member doing an hour of missionary work every week. We are so excited to help him meet that goal. 

we contacted a man yesterday in the park who is Christian and started talking with him about church and Christ and the Book of Mormon. as we were talking with him, i realized once more how important our message is. only baptism and endurance in Christ true church can guarantee salvation. if we don't choose Christ's true church, it ultimately doesn't matter whatever else we have chosen. believing in Christ is not enough. Believing in God is not enough. we must be lifelong disciples of Christ, living His gospel daily. i love this message and i feel an increased desire to go share it. 

i love you all so much. i am grateful for all your letters and your support. and especially your prayers. the power of prayer is real. this work is God's work and i'm so grateful that we all have the opportunity to be a part of it. I heard general conference was great! i am so excited!! we are so blessed

i''m praying for you all. thanks for the pictures!! keep the faith

love

sister Newman 

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

Paige's Address!! :D

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