Transfers, Training, and Temple Tours!

Hello everyone! This week was so fast and so slow at the same time haha. Probably the biggest thing that happened this week was transfers! I am training a new missionary named Huang Jiemei, she is nice and has a desire to learn which is great! I'm grateful to be working with her! Last transfer was great and although I'm going to miss it, I'm excited for this one too :) 

We also had our last 3 Christmas concerts on Friday and Saturday! It was a little bittersweet to see them go, but I'm glad I got to help participate. It's been fun. My last companion's (Li Jiemei) comp got covid and Li Jiemei still had to help with the Christmas concerts, so she stayed overnight with us, which was fun. 

I also did a temple tour on Sunday which I was really worried about, but it went pretty well! Heavenly Father definitely gave me a boost of confidence there and I only had to play charades a little bit. I don't think much else happened that is worth mentioning :) I love you all and wish you the best week! 

Spiritual thought for the week: This week I was feeling overwhelmed with my current situation (STL, training, doing tours, and not usually knowing what is happening). I guess I hadn't realized just how much I have relied on all my companions since I have been here (辛苦他們) and while I know that Heavenly Father enables us to do the things He needs us to do, I was still starting to wonder why He trusted me with this. Feeling such, I decided to read my scriptures and came across these verses that helped calm my stress: "For the Lord hath heard thy prayers, and hath judged of thy righteousness, and hath sent me to declare unto thee that thou mayest rejoice; and that thou mayest declare unto thy people, that they may also be filled with joy.

5 For behold, the time cometh, and is not far distant, that with power, the Lord Omnipotent who reigneth, who was, and is from all eternity to all eternity, shall come down from heaven among the children of men, and shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay, and shall go forth amongst men, working mighty miracles, such as healing the sick, raising the dead, causing the lame to walk, the blind to receive their sight, and the deaf to hear, and curing all manner of diseases." (Mosiah 3:4-5).

These verses helped me realize again that it's not always about us. We can rejoice because the Lord has given us an opportunity to share His message. We can rejoice because the Savior has come, and through Him all things are possible. It helped me realize that wondering if we are good enough to handle something is still a form of pride, because we are still trusting in our own ability (or rather worrying about our lack of ability) instead of depending on the Savior. The best servants are the submissive ones! 

Sorry for that Ted Talk! Hope you all have a great week! 

 

🎀 IT'S A GIRL 🎀

Hello everyone! This has been a crazy week full of Christmas concert trips, exchanges, baptisms, transfer news, and fake famous people! And today is zone P-day and we're going to Taipei 101, so I'll make this quick: 

Exchanges! I went to Danshui with Yao Jiemei, it was fun to be back, and we had a boppin time! 

Christmas Concert Road trip! Thursday, we went to Luodong and had a concert there and then we stayed overnight in a fun air bnb that had wayyy too many different themes for each room, but it was fun! The next day we went to Hualian, and it is so pretty! We were all straight up glued to the window the whole drive. That day we went to Taroko gorge which was gorgeous! This whole trip made us feel like tourists and not missionaries and it was kinda uncomfy but it was a lot of fun! That night we had our Hualian concert and then we went to a night market afterward (another thing that is not a missionary activity...but president took us...) and it was super fun! 

Saturday morning, we came back from Hualian, did our weekly planning, and had Huang Yi Shuo's baptism that night! Ah what a champ I'm so excited for him! Right after the baptism the bishop interviewed him for the temple and the priesthood! So happy for him. 

Yesterday we got transfer news. Drumroll please....as you might have guessed because of my email title...I'm gonna be a mother! Or, if you don't understand missionary lingo, I'll be training a new missionary! Crazy! I didn't think I ever would because I'm an STL, but get this, I'll be split STL training. In our apartment we have four sisters, and they are having another STL named Li Jiemei come, and we will both be training new missionaries. So, we will be STL partners but not companions. It'll be an adventure! 

We were going to have a famous singer named Wubai come to our Christmas concert, and it turns out it was totally an impersonator and I found it hilarious. But this guy was famous too for being a fake one! Good times! 

One of our recent convert's stories got accepted in the Liahona magazine for the Church, so we got to take a bunch of pictures teaching her for it! Look for me in the next few editions! 

Today we went to Taipei 101 for P-day! 

Spiritual thought for the week: 

I had a good thought earlier this week but don't have my study journal now...but right now I want you to consider the significance of each part of the "Love, Share, and Invite" sequence. Without love, sharing and inviting is empty and meaningless to others. Without sharing, there is no reason to act. Without inviting, it is a "nice message," but the change will never be made. What is the most important step for you right now? What do the people in your life need right now?? 

Concerts, Road trips, and Exhaustion at its Finest

Hello everyone! Hope you are all doing well! This week was busy busy ;) we started doing our Christmas concerts and we have done one in Xinzhu, Taoyuan, and West Taipei so far. There were a few hiccups and technical difficulties, but it was good, and we got lots of referrals for each zone! The spirit was so strong at each one. We have been exhausted though all week, so we've just been vibing! Sleep deprivation makes life more exciting :) 

Thursday was exchanges which was good! I went with Sister Layton for the day, we had a good time! Also, miracle alert, we were going to be calling people that night and I was a little worried because I've never really been with another foreigner and my Chinese is kinda trash, so when we did it, I prayed really hard for the gift of Tongues and that we would understand what they were saying. Get this, THEY ALL SPOKE PERFECT ENGLISH. LIKE WHAT. HOW. HEAVENLY FATHER WHAT A CHAMP. We would start by going "Qing wen zheshi (zhege ren) ma?" And they would respond by saying "Um yeah sorry who is this?" Heavenly Father seriously has our backs all the time! He was probably chuckling from Heaven like "look at these kids tryin" so cool though! That literally happened like 4 times in a row!!!

Other things, this week is Huang Yi Shuo's baptism, so excited for him! He's so solid and I'm so grateful that I have had the privilege of watching him turn his life toward the Savior. 

Spiritual thought for the week: After we are baptized, we receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost, or the constant companionship of God's Holy Spirit. The Holy Ghost is one of the greatest gifts our Father could ever give us; He literally gives us the constant companionship of a Member of the Godhead. What more could we ask for? We are in a fallen world, but through the Holy Ghost and taking small actions to continually keep its presence, we can keep that connection with God. That is why with every ordinance and covenant we make; Heavenly Father promises the presence of the Holy Ghost. With the Holy Ghost, we are sanctified, protected, led, and strengthened. Through the Gift of the Holy Ghost, Heavenly Father shows us that He wants us to succeed, and He has provided the ways to do it.