Sister Jarvis has had a great first week in her new area. She is back to fast biking and is enjoying the countryside and friendly people in Da Liao.
I hope you had a super great week! I LOVE Da Liao :) It is an incredible place! We have already seen so many miracles this week and we just want to keep working hard to help these prepared souls to be baptized!
I love the people here.........they seem to be slightly more open to listening to us (maybe it's the small town effect) and the members are so willing to help us! When I went to church yesterday, so many people came up and introduced themselves to me (it's usually the other way around :) ) The new converts in this area are young and super strong.....I feel like I've already become good friends with a number of them. On Friday night the Elders had a baptism and it was the brother of one of our recent converts, LJM. She was baptized in May and after her brother saw her change, he personally met the Elders on the road and began meeting with them. They have a little sister who also comes to church with them every week who hasn't set a baptismal date, but Sister Cole and I think she will be baptized really soon :) All because of LJM, her whole family is beginning to accept the Gospel....ah I love it!
I am officially back in fast-biking mode :P With Sister Liang we could not bike very fast because of her knees, but Sister Cole is one fast biker and I just trail behind.....our area is quite large because a lot of it is farmland.....it is so cool!! We had to bike out to an RC's house on Friday and we biked past all of these rice and banana fields.....I was having a hay-day because I thought it was the coolest thing ever!! It really felt like I was a missionary in Taiwan :D I love the big city, but I am loving the countryside........the people are super friendly and just seem to have a slightly slower pace about life.
Miracle story: New investigator family!!! On Wednesday, we had our English class and had 3 different families come! One was CJM and her daughter and they set up to meet with us. Well, when they came on Saturday, she brought her husband too! At first, the husband told us he was just there to listen and we could just focus on his wife. Well as we began teaching, he began asking questions....lots of questions. As we talked about Christ and His Atonement, he shared with us his thoughts about how some people say they believe in Christ but they are still bad people, etc. It gave us a wonderful opportunity to testify of the power of the Atonement and repentance and how it doesn't make us perfect, but that we continually change and improve. We had an amazing 21 year old new member who testified of her personal experiences and it really seemed to catch his attention. Our first lesson turned into a big discussion, unlike any first lesson I have ever had. We were open with them and they were open with us, allowing us to truly know their needs and desires. We ran out of time, but they said we could meet with them all next week...including the husband :) When we invited them to be baptized, they didn't say no or yes.....just that they wanted to learn a little more first........and then CJM and her daughter came to church the next day and seemed to really enjoy it! Ah families are the best......they are sometimes harder to teach, but they are the most precious investigators. We are so grateful that Heavenly Father sent this wonderful family to us and we have great hope for them!
We also have an investigator right now with a baptismal goal for this month who is blind and can't walk. She has been meeting with the missionaries for a long time and recently decided she wanted to be baptized.....she truly has to live by faith!
Being in a smaller ward creates new opportunities of service......first thing, don't ever quit taking piano lessons! (my mother is probably laughing) I was also told that you would be needed to play the piano on your mission....well I have always been around a lot of missionaries who could play so I never worried about it. I am now one of about 3 people in the ward who can play the piano- ah! I don't even really count because I can only play about 5 or 6 hymns well :P So at the baptism on Friday I had to pluck out the right hand to "I Need Thee Every Hour"......but they still appreciated it :) Another funny music story........at the baptism they had the missionaries sing with a couple members. My voice is just normal, nothing too exciting, but after we were done singing, the member told my companion that standing by me felt like she was standing by Mariah Carey haha These people are so great.......
Something about serving in a more country-side, working class area is that you get to see there are devoted, faithful saints literally in every corner of the world. There are very faithful members out in the little corner of Da Liao who love their Savior, know this is His restored Gospel, and serve with all their might. It's not easy for them......many of them are the only members in their family....but they do all they can to be near to the Spirit and be an example to those around them every day. They may not have much, but they have the Gospel and Heavenly Father's love....and that is enough for them. I love this work, I love these people, and I know Heavenly Father loves his children in Da Liao. I know that the Lord keeps his promises to all His children, and just as the B of M testifies, His word will go to all nations, all people.
I love you all!!!!! Thank you for all of the amazing support!
I am so so so happy here :) I feel that there are great things that will happen this move-call!! Thank you for your prayers!!!
Love,
Sister J.
Love,
Sister J.
No comments:
Post a Comment