Kirsi is leaving for Taiwan on the 7th! Her visa did come through so she is ready to go.
Hello Everyone!
Wow- time is flying! I see why we need 18 months :) Well this week was our first week with our Chinese District....and it was an experience! Sister Bambrough and I were put into a district that had 10 elders and had never had sisters before.....we changed that :) We were really nervous about it, but they were all so nice and made us feel really welcome. Class this week was a rollercoaster......but when is a day in the life of a missionary not haha We have great teachers and realized that we could understand what they were saying the majority of the time, but we learned quickly that we really don't know the gospel in Chinese like our district does. The gift of tongues is so real. Here are ten 19 year old elders who have never studied Chinese before, with the exception of one, and they can teach every missionary lesson in Chinese....it's amazing. We got new Chinese investigators this week and have learned a lot from those lessons. In our old district our "investigator" was Catholic so she knew about God and Christ, but it was a whole new experience with our Chinese "investigators" when we asked them what they thought of God and they said that they came from a Chinese background so they didn't really believe in Him, or that they had never heard of Jesus Christ, or ever prayed in their life! It's exactly what we will encounter in the field, so even though it's hard, it's a great blessing to learn how to deal with these situations. No matter how much Chinese I know or don't know, Jesus Christ is our master- He knows Chinese better than any other human being. I know that it is only through Him I will be able to teach and bear testimony to the people of Taiwan. English missionaries are so great and it is such an amazing experience, but your faith has to jump about 5 steps up when you are learning a language.....it's hard, but your not doing it for you...it's for your investigators and that makes it all worth it :)
Really cool experience Sunday! We got to watch The Testaments in Mandarin! I definitely didn't understand it all, I would understand one whole section and the next would go over my head, but I've never experienced anything like that before. We had the entire Chinese Zone crammed into a little tiny room and we would all get super excited when we understood just one word. I hadn't seen the move in awhile and as we started watching it, my mindset was changed to that of someone who had never heard of Christ, the Book of Mormon, or even the Church before. I watched the entire movie like that and it was powerful.......you can't deny that Christ came to the Americas, you just can't! Christ did come, and He will come again. Those people personally felt the wounds in His hands and feet, and one day, there will be an entirely new group of people who will have the same experience. These are moments when I'm like- this is why I'm here. The world needs to know, the Chinese people need to know, someone in Taiwan needs to know that they have a Savior who died for them and He will return.
O and did I mention that I love the MTC? I love it so much! Sister Bambrough and I got to help host the new Senior couples yesterday and we just loved it! O! and I wanted to tell you the conversion story of one of my teachers. His name is Luo Lao Shi (Teacher Luo) and he is from Mainland China! He said that he always believed in God and that his grandma is an inactive member of the church. One day when she saw him praying, she had her friends bring him to Church. A couple members taught him all the lessons in 2 hours....and then that next Sunday they taught him all the lessons again and he was baptized that afternoon! So cool! He is totally going to be the first member of the 70 from China :) Just an example of how prepared and ready the Chinese people are! Obedience is so key to being a missionary and I have definitely been learning that you really have to be exactly obedient. My companion and I finally made it all the way through the lesson plans for the first time this week and we felt way more prepared then we ever have! When you choose to go to bed at the right time, wake up when you should, or use your day as it is scheduled out, the Lord blesses you. It goes for all areas of life though - obedience is prepatory to blessings & I am definitely learning that!
So I'm suppossed to leave with the group next Tuesday, but my Visa hasn't come yet............they aren't worried and think it will be here, but I don't know details yet. As soon as I know, I will write you! Just playing the waiting game, but preparing for leaving next week!
I can't believe how close I am to leaving.........I feel like I need so much more time, but if the Lord wants me to go now I know it will be ok. He has already helped me so much and is molding me into the person I need to become. We finally got to go to the Temple today which I LOVED. It was beautiful and so peaceful.....SO grateful there is a temple in Taiwan!
Well I love you and I'll let you know what I find out! Moroni 7:33 :) love that scripture and love you all!
Sister Jarvis
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