Taiwan Week 32 - March 18 - First week in Zhang hua!

Hi my dearest, darling, and wonderful family!!

Zhang hua is such a great place! I am loving it :D We saw a lot of miracles this week with lessons and people we met..........Sister Xie is such an amazing missionary! She has only been a member for just over a year.......she had to wait three years to get baptized because her parents were against it, but right after she hit her year mark as a member she left on her mission! She is the most adorable thing and when she teaches or talks to people, she makes you feel so comfortable and the Spirit is always there......so grateful for her..... I have already learned so much from her.  She was pretty much guiding us this week as I just felt completely lost on all of the roads (I attempted to take us home one night and even after 6 days I still went the wrong way :) ) She also likes me to teach her little English phrases.......her current favorite is, "I cried my eyes out!" :)

We had some really great experiences this week.....we really were able to see the hand of the Lord in helping every day's plan to work out and being able to visit a lot of people. We looked up a less-active on the ward list and decided to visit her. She at first didn't answer and then she came out.........after talking to her for a little bit we asked if we could visit her later and share a message with her. This started her on talking about how she doesn't believe there is just Heavenly Father and she believes is all of these other Daoist Gods. The Spirit filled Sister Xie and my soul and we continually bore testimony to her that we knew she was a child of a loving Heavenly Father and that the Savior lived. She kept trying to tell us we were wrong and how could we prove this to her........Sister Xie and I were soon in tears as we just kept testifying. In the end, she really wouldn't believe us, so we left before it turned into an argument or anything. It was so sad to have her not want to listen or believe us, but we knew we had done all we could for the Spirit had been with us. I know that the Savior loves all of Heavenly Father's children so very much and can not even imagine the pain he must feel when they don't want to believe in Him, but I also can't imagine the joy He feels when one of His lost sheep finds their Shepherd and is brought into His fold!! and it happens every day :D We met some wonderful people this week who were willing and touched by the message we had to share........we knelt in prayer with an investigator last night who so humbly asked Heavenly Father if this Gospel was true and met with another investigator this week who had tried to pray on her own for a long time, but was finally taught how and felt the Spirit!! There are so many precious souls coming to know their Savior and Heavenly Father!

Our Zone is quite the pumped-up group of missionaries! When we were doing our English proselyting at the intersection this week, it was quite entertaining.....one of the Elders held up the sign and yelled out on the corner about English and Baptism and English and Baptism...it was so great:) but we were able to talk to lots of people and had a lot of people come to English!

I felt like this week was a stretching week of my own faith. Some days I just felt like my faith wasn't enough, and I find when you feel like that it is easier for your courage to come down a little bit :) Well I can testify that faith is real, that faith is power and that is something we have to work at every day!! I read the talk from the last Priesthood Session of General Conference this morning on courage and found one of my favorite quotes by the Prophet Joseph Smith.... "Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Courage..........and on to victory!!!!!!! (extra exclamations inserted :) ) It takes courage to be a missionary, it takes courage to be an investigator, it takes courage to be a leader, it takes courage to repent, it takes courage to be obedient, it takes courage to be a father or mother, it takes courage to be a disciple of Christ. I was reading in Matthew when Peter denies Christ 3 times and was thinking about that experience......he was an apostle of the Savior, but he was a "young" apostle who was still gaining his own faith and conversion. Later on he becomes one of the most powerful apostles and testifiers of Jesus Christ...full of insurmountable faith and courage. I was thinking about how this is like a missionaries life or a normal life. At first we may be "young" and not always as courageous......but it is only preparing us for later when we will become giants of faith! and courageous disciples of Christ :) I love the Gospel soooooooo much!!!!! I love you all too!!! This Gospel is incredible and builds us all into courageous and faithful beings!!! I know our Savior lives and that He is guiding this work!!

Have an amazing week!
Sister J. :)

P.S. Sorry! Camera connection is not working today! I will try next week!!!