Hello Dear Friends and Family!
Looking back on this week and even the whole year 2015 I have seen sooo many miracles and have witnessed the Hand of the Lord working with others and in myself to come unto Christ.
Monday:
We went on a walk at a museum. The museum was not open but it was nice and breezy outside. I love just going on walks with my companion.
Looking back on this week and even the whole year 2015 I have seen sooo many miracles and have witnessed the Hand of the Lord working with others and in myself to come unto Christ.
Monday:
We went on a walk at a museum. The museum was not open but it was nice and breezy outside. I love just going on walks with my companion.
Tuesday:
We had MLC - which is a big meeting for the zone leaders and sister training leaders. It was great! I learned a lot.
On the way home I met a girl on the bus, Andria, who was reading a book. She is super cute and looking for a religion. She hasn't investigated Christian churches yet but wants to. She has a friend who is Christian but wasn’t sure if she is part of our church or not. In the middle of our conversation her friend called her and asked her if she wanted to go to see the church. Woah! She totally agreed and she said that she would check out our chapel.
Wednesday:
We had a great lesson with Liu Pin Shao. We talked about baptism. She wants to be baptized but is nervous about the transformation afterwards. She thinks that she won't be able to adjust. Really, you will be the same person. You will face the same challenges that you would have if you were not baptized. But you will be clean and have the companionship of the Holy Ghost that will guide you and help you. What a wonderful gift!
English was good. I am really good friends with a few of the moms there. There is this one student (Dana) that I have really clicked with. She is not interested in the Gospel but she is a funny older lady who likes to chat - and we have fun! I love the relationships that I have been able to make from our English class.
Thursday:
We met with a less active member today. Her name is Wanda. She is actually really great friends with Liu Pin Shao. She is planning on coming back to church! Yay!
We had MLC - which is a big meeting for the zone leaders and sister training leaders. It was great! I learned a lot.
On the way home I met a girl on the bus, Andria, who was reading a book. She is super cute and looking for a religion. She hasn't investigated Christian churches yet but wants to. She has a friend who is Christian but wasn’t sure if she is part of our church or not. In the middle of our conversation her friend called her and asked her if she wanted to go to see the church. Woah! She totally agreed and she said that she would check out our chapel.
Wednesday:
We had a great lesson with Liu Pin Shao. We talked about baptism. She wants to be baptized but is nervous about the transformation afterwards. She thinks that she won't be able to adjust. Really, you will be the same person. You will face the same challenges that you would have if you were not baptized. But you will be clean and have the companionship of the Holy Ghost that will guide you and help you. What a wonderful gift!
English was good. I am really good friends with a few of the moms there. There is this one student (Dana) that I have really clicked with. She is not interested in the Gospel but she is a funny older lady who likes to chat - and we have fun! I love the relationships that I have been able to make from our English class.
Thursday:
We met with a less active member today. Her name is Wanda. She is actually really great friends with Liu Pin Shao. She is planning on coming back to church! Yay!
We went to the Bishop's house for lunch (YUM!) and then went visiting teaching with the Bishop's wife. Her companion didn't have time at all this week and the person that they were visiting teaching has been waiting for them to come. She asked if we could join her in the visit. It was really good. We visited an older lady and I could not understand a thing that she said.
I also got to meet the new missionaries in the area! Elder Trotter is from Arizona and has been on island for like 3 months. And then Elder Graves from Utah has been on island for a little longer ... I think. They are both really cool.
We visited Zhang Jie Mei and her husband tonight. We shared about the Law of Chastity. She loved it. In her closing prayer you could feel her talking with God. She has developed so much faith - it is awesome!
Friday:
For lunch we were at home because of weekly planning. We had a bunch of left overs so we got creative. A tomato, cabbage and pork ball soup. It actually turned out really good!
We visited Ye Jie Mei who is a less active member. It was a miraculous lesson! Last week we gave her scripture reading homework. She read and prayed. And already the transformation is great! Her attitude is very positive and she wants to change. She told us that she would feel very unworthy to go to the temple because she doesn't keep the commandments. But she WANTS to keep them. We started with the Word of Wisdom. She committed to keep the Word of Wisdom for 1 month. And Sister Cardon will not eat the yummy bread pastries from 7-11's for 1 month. Me?...I wasn't in on that deal. Haha! Just the fact that she WANTS to change is a miracle. This visit really strengthened my testimony in the little things like praying and reading the Book of Mormon. Ye Jie Mei said, " Because I read and prayed this week the Holy Ghost told me to tell you these things and I want to change." YES! What the investigator does in between meeting is the real meat in the sandwich. It’s the same for us and church. We have to be doing our homework (serve, pray and study scriptures) in order to make Sunday meetings more meaningful.
Saturday:
We taught the Zhu Jia Ting. (family: Titian and Vivi). They are soooo ready. We taught the Plan of Salvation and it all made sense to them. Titian also told us the story of why he wanted to start meeting with the missionaries. So about 1 year ago he saw a sign that said, "No Success can compensate for failure in the home." It is a well known phrase here in Taiwan from the Church. I can't remember which prophet said it. But everyday he came home from work he saw the sign. He liked it and didn't know who sponsored it. Then 1 year later he ran into Elder Nipper. Elder Nipper waved at him and he waved back. Elder Nipper introduced himself. Titian said that he was too busy to meet. But then about 2 weeks later he called the missionaries and wanted to meet. He had many questions. The elders directed him to the church website. Then he saw that same phrase on the website. Ever since then he has not been able to find the sign. The Lord is giving him a little info here and a little info there. He is just following the Holy Ghost. Super cool right? Does that story make sense?
We also had a lesson with Chen Jing Zi. She has a lot on her plate and can't even think straight during our lessons. I hope she is ok.
We also met two girls that the elders contacted. They came to the church and we had a great lesson. They act like Americans! Super loud and obnoxious – haha! Their names: Yes and Lilly.
I also got to meet the new missionaries in the area! Elder Trotter is from Arizona and has been on island for like 3 months. And then Elder Graves from Utah has been on island for a little longer ... I think. They are both really cool.
We visited Zhang Jie Mei and her husband tonight. We shared about the Law of Chastity. She loved it. In her closing prayer you could feel her talking with God. She has developed so much faith - it is awesome!
Friday:
For lunch we were at home because of weekly planning. We had a bunch of left overs so we got creative. A tomato, cabbage and pork ball soup. It actually turned out really good!
We visited Ye Jie Mei who is a less active member. It was a miraculous lesson! Last week we gave her scripture reading homework. She read and prayed. And already the transformation is great! Her attitude is very positive and she wants to change. She told us that she would feel very unworthy to go to the temple because she doesn't keep the commandments. But she WANTS to keep them. We started with the Word of Wisdom. She committed to keep the Word of Wisdom for 1 month. And Sister Cardon will not eat the yummy bread pastries from 7-11's for 1 month. Me?...I wasn't in on that deal. Haha! Just the fact that she WANTS to change is a miracle. This visit really strengthened my testimony in the little things like praying and reading the Book of Mormon. Ye Jie Mei said, " Because I read and prayed this week the Holy Ghost told me to tell you these things and I want to change." YES! What the investigator does in between meeting is the real meat in the sandwich. It’s the same for us and church. We have to be doing our homework (serve, pray and study scriptures) in order to make Sunday meetings more meaningful.
Saturday:
We taught the Zhu Jia Ting. (family: Titian and Vivi). They are soooo ready. We taught the Plan of Salvation and it all made sense to them. Titian also told us the story of why he wanted to start meeting with the missionaries. So about 1 year ago he saw a sign that said, "No Success can compensate for failure in the home." It is a well known phrase here in Taiwan from the Church. I can't remember which prophet said it. But everyday he came home from work he saw the sign. He liked it and didn't know who sponsored it. Then 1 year later he ran into Elder Nipper. Elder Nipper waved at him and he waved back. Elder Nipper introduced himself. Titian said that he was too busy to meet. But then about 2 weeks later he called the missionaries and wanted to meet. He had many questions. The elders directed him to the church website. Then he saw that same phrase on the website. Ever since then he has not been able to find the sign. The Lord is giving him a little info here and a little info there. He is just following the Holy Ghost. Super cool right? Does that story make sense?
We also had a lesson with Chen Jing Zi. She has a lot on her plate and can't even think straight during our lessons. I hope she is ok.
We also met two girls that the elders contacted. They came to the church and we had a great lesson. They act like Americans! Super loud and obnoxious – haha! Their names: Yes and Lilly.
Sunday:
Yes and Lilly said that they were going to come to church today but they didn't. But what a miracle it was that Ye Jie Mei came to church! She is the less active member who wants to change. THAT IS A HUGE MIRACLE! I don’t think she has been to church in years. She is also really sick and sleeps in really late so it is hard for her to get up and come to church. But she walked in with her PJ's on and stayed all 3 hours!
We went to visit another less active member with the Bishop's wife. She is a super cute mom and a nurse. She is really busy but has Sunday's off. Shi Zhang Qui Hui is her name. She gave us a lot of facts about her conversion to the church. She waited 2 years for her husband’s approval. He is a part of a different Christian church. The Spirit pushed me to ask her some questions and invite her to ponder what reading and praying mean to her. After the lesson, right when we got into the car, the Bishop's wife said that was a very successful lesson. She said that the last missionaries that came just invited her to read the Book of Mormon. She said that pondering will help her see the value in it. We can just invite people to do these things, but we should help them learn how to listen to the music of the gospel too.
Today it was pouring rain. We ate dinner at home and as we were leaving the house for the night, no one was out on the streets. But we went to visit a less active family. They were so sweet and let us in. I have seen them at church probably twice since being here. They said that I was "the angel that welcomed them." I can hardly remember those Sundays but apparently I left an impression on them. They were really excited for sisters to come visit them. They invited us to come back again but said that we can't expect them to come back to church.
This week I studied in the Book of Mormon about the Olive tree. This is in Jacob. And I can't remember what verse it was but it said that pride was the reason why the tree did not produce any good fruit. That totally hit me and I realized that I have been very prideful lately. I have been putting more trust in my companion than in the Lord. Ya, sounds weird. But I think, "She has been here longer. She will know what to do." (This is mainly with the language). But then after reading in the BOM I realized that even though I was not putting trust in myself I still should not put more trust in her than in the Lord. So I have been doing my best and I have seen wonderful results from it.
Cool Chinese fact for the week:
Pornography in Chinese literally means: to lose the ability to appreciate the beautiful things.
Isn't that super interesting?? Porn. It is bad and not worth it.
Love you all and see you next week!
-Sister Graham
Yes and Lilly said that they were going to come to church today but they didn't. But what a miracle it was that Ye Jie Mei came to church! She is the less active member who wants to change. THAT IS A HUGE MIRACLE! I don’t think she has been to church in years. She is also really sick and sleeps in really late so it is hard for her to get up and come to church. But she walked in with her PJ's on and stayed all 3 hours!
We went to visit another less active member with the Bishop's wife. She is a super cute mom and a nurse. She is really busy but has Sunday's off. Shi Zhang Qui Hui is her name. She gave us a lot of facts about her conversion to the church. She waited 2 years for her husband’s approval. He is a part of a different Christian church. The Spirit pushed me to ask her some questions and invite her to ponder what reading and praying mean to her. After the lesson, right when we got into the car, the Bishop's wife said that was a very successful lesson. She said that the last missionaries that came just invited her to read the Book of Mormon. She said that pondering will help her see the value in it. We can just invite people to do these things, but we should help them learn how to listen to the music of the gospel too.
Today it was pouring rain. We ate dinner at home and as we were leaving the house for the night, no one was out on the streets. But we went to visit a less active family. They were so sweet and let us in. I have seen them at church probably twice since being here. They said that I was "the angel that welcomed them." I can hardly remember those Sundays but apparently I left an impression on them. They were really excited for sisters to come visit them. They invited us to come back again but said that we can't expect them to come back to church.
This week I studied in the Book of Mormon about the Olive tree. This is in Jacob. And I can't remember what verse it was but it said that pride was the reason why the tree did not produce any good fruit. That totally hit me and I realized that I have been very prideful lately. I have been putting more trust in my companion than in the Lord. Ya, sounds weird. But I think, "She has been here longer. She will know what to do." (This is mainly with the language). But then after reading in the BOM I realized that even though I was not putting trust in myself I still should not put more trust in her than in the Lord. So I have been doing my best and I have seen wonderful results from it.
Cool Chinese fact for the week:
Pornography in Chinese literally means: to lose the ability to appreciate the beautiful things.
Isn't that super interesting?? Porn. It is bad and not worth it.
Love you all and see you next week!
-Sister Graham