WEEK NINETEEN: 陳鈞毅 Jerry Zaber Raul Enrique 的洗禮會

We spent this whole morning having 3 Taiwanese people running around our apartment trying to fix our toilet, our shower, and our sink. They were speaking Taiyu so we couldn't even understand what was happening. All we know is that it's all broken but they think it can all be fixed. Let's cross our fingers!

Thanksgiving this week huh?? Well that's weird since I barely even knew that Halloween passed and that means Christmas is soon right? Weirdddd!!! What are holidays, I don't even know.

  

Jerry!

SO YES JERRY GOT BAPTIZED THIS WEEK!!! He is amazing, his testimony is rock solid and he said in his baptismal testimony that he knew it was all true and was ready to be baptized in 3 WEEKS. It really goes to show how fast the Lord will help our conversion if we are willing to WORK and do the things He wants us to do! He said he knows that he will continue to face challenges, but he can do it through his new big family in the ward. He also said that it was his new birthday...a day that he was reborn and got to start over. Wow, he's amazing.

The day before his baptism we met with him and he told us all about his other names...he seems to think he can speak Spanish and English and Japanese too haha and so he has names for all of those! Jerry is his English name and apparently his English middle name is Zaber haha whaaaaat. And he told us his Spanish name is Raul and his French name is Enrique...which is not a French name nice try!!

I realized today that i really am one of the luckiest trainees right now, because my area has tons of good work, my comp is awesome, and I can ride a bike. Yes it took me a long time to get used to the traffic, but now I'm just a bit slower than my comp and at least I can do it! I get along with my comp and GuiShan has amazing prepared people...I am SO BLESSED!!

I went on exchanges with A TEMPLE SISTER this week!! I led the area. I LED OUR AREA ON MY OWN. Yes it was only for a little while but anyone who knows me knows I get lost easily and I was really worried! Plus with a temple sister, and that’s a pretty big deal, they see the Mission President everyday!! But we saw miracles and found a golden investigator, Guo XiaoJie! It was awesome, Sister Bang is amazing!!

INTERVIEWS WITH PRESIDENT DAY this week!!! So good, it made me feel a gengxin nuli...dang it I dont know how to say in English...like a feeling that I want to renew my efforts and try harder. I set goals and he reminded me that "It is better to obey than to sacrifice" which is totally true on a mission...its all about OBEDIENCE!!! As I strived to be more obedient this week, we saw hen duo de qiji...a lot of miracles!! Please pray for our new investigators with a baptismal
date, Zhong Dixiong and Chen Dixiong. We met them both while walking on the streets and our lessons with them yesterday were SO full of the Spirit! Except for when I shuocuole and told Chen Dixiong church was from 1:30-8:30...that was a bit hard for him to hear, ha ha, but I was just so tired and my Chinese was NOT working! It's like a game...How well will I speak Chinese today? Yesterday it was great all day until the night when I basically couldn't communicate in Chinese or English!! Haha it's a good thing the Spirit is the real teacher!!

Stake Conference was this week and it is hard to explain how Elder Huang of the 70 taught us about the importance of missionary+member work...but basically he is hilarious and was trying to speak English and Chinese when his native language is Cantonese so that made it pretty fun by itself! But it was full of the Spirit on Sunday and I learned that we all need to "Stop concentrating on how STRESSED you and start concentrating on how BLESSED you are!" Love it! All of you, always remember how many things you have to be grateful for!!!...especially working plumbing:)

I ate a lot of junk food this week. My comp was nice enough to take pictures of me eating everything, whether I wanted her to or not! Maybe I'll send some of them...well I had a Krispy Kreme donut this week, that was exciting! And some American Halloween candy because I GOT A PACKAGE FROM MY FAMILY!! Halloween, Thanksgiving, and a TON of Christmas decorations, I'm soooo excited!!!!

Package from home!

American Chocolate!

I resemble this man too much

train!

SHOUT OUT TO ALL MY FRIENDS WHO HAD BIRTHDAYS RECENTLY! Jessie
Christensen, Taylor Marris, Elder Mike Hopkins, Hunter Swenson, Jake Eliason, Richie Derrick, and Abbie Whitlock! And of course anyone else I missed!! I LOVE YOU ALL!!

Sister Wright (Taiwan Taipei Mission)
Rèn Jiěmèi 任曼欣姐妹

WEEK EIGHTEEN: Baptisms Galore!

 It is currently pouring outside...what else is new?? I love riding in the rain, it's awesome...puddles in my shoes is fun too:)

So yes, there were 3 baptisms this past week and OUR BAPTISM IS ON
SATURDAY!!! Jerry's full name is Chen Jun Yi, we only found out his full name
this week, haha, we're the best. He is SO amazing, we found out this
week that he already fasts every Sunday...LIKE WHAT WHERE DID HE COME
FROM?! I promise you if I meet a more prepared person I will faint.
Jerry is getting baptized! yayayayay everyone pray for him please:)

We had 2 investigators, 2 less active members, and 1 recent convert at
church this week!! Pretty awesome! Along with the Tao San elders'
investigator John....so pretty much 3 investigators. Please pray for
John...he has a very...hard heart to put it nicely. He is so awesome
but takes everything WAY too literally!

We had exchanges this week! I went to NanKan with Sister Thornley! It
was a blast, we taught so many good lessons! I learned that I have
A LOT TO LEARN still, and mostly my Chinese is rotten. My English is
also rotten, so sorry. I'm gonna be such an awkward return missionary,
so get ready for it:) But Sister Thornley told me that she's never
seen a new missionary be as willing to talk as I am, and that she can
tell that people like to talk to me. So that compliment was super
needed:)

Our apartment’s water is..."fixed"...meaning that the shower now has two
temperatures: Antarctica cold and Dante's Inferno fire hot. So yah, we
have hot water now! The landlady told us to just fill up the sink with
burning water, turn on the sink's cold water, mix it together, and use
a washcloth to get clean. Yah I'm in Taiwan alright!! Haha also, our
toilet still has wentis(problems). It takes about 17 flushes to work
so that's another thing I would be grateful if you prayed for:)
I had some GOOOOOD food this week!! I had pasta 3 times (yes whattt
pasta in Taiwan??) and had a burrito (slight resemblance to a burrito)
and Starbucks hot chocolate and I had cranapple juice and
Taiwan's #1 hot dog (self-announced by a really old guy on the side of
the road...not sketchy at all!) and super really good pizza and
yah...so if I come home fat, you'll all know why:)

these are sooo good!

Along with that good food...I also ate a place that, as soon as I was
done eating, a cockroach the size of my hand ran across my feet and
the owner just came up and stomped on it and it splattered everywhere.
Yah never eating there again. haha yikes. Speaking of bugs...we did
service this week for the mission leader's in-laws. I have never seen
such a filthy home. I was in charge of moving the stuff on the
counters and cleaning the dead bugs away...SO MANY DEAD BUGS!!!

It was like working in a cave, so dark and dirty. But those dishes and
counters and floors were sparkling by the time we were done!!

We had a crazy miracle this week! We got lost so we pulled over and by
the time the boys telling us how to get there were done, it was too
late so we were turning around to go home when we stopped to contact 2
girls. It the middle of praying with them, this man comes up and says
"Heyyyy are you missionaries? I like church!!" So the girls left and
we're left with this random guy. He's like, yah I love to pray and go
to church! We asked how he knew who we were since it was pouring and
we had our giant rain coats on and he was driving the other
direction...he said he saw our nametags. The power of the nametags is
REAL!! Anyway, we asked him if he had read the Bible and he said "No,
but I read the Book of Mormon every day!" AHAHA – WHATTTT?? It was
amazing! We set a baptismal date with him and he's coming to church
next week!! Miracle!!!

I am learning so much about myself. The trainer/trainee training
really changed my perspective on humility and I have been trying but
not really knowing the difference. Sister Branch told me this week
that I have been more humble and it's changing the way I am, every
aspect. I was overwhelmed with a feeling of gratitude that Heavenly
Father is helping my efforts to be more like Christ and letting it
show. I am also noticing that my efforts are more focused on others
rather than myself and I'm receiving a lot of inspiration for others
and myself and my companion. I am closer to the Spirit and closer to
an understanding of the Atonement. I am becoming closer to my Savior
and gaining a more burning desire to share this gospel with others.

Yes, I still doubt myself every day and I need to learn to see my

strengths, but I also realize that I was called here and that fact
alone shows that God trusts me. So I can do it and the only person
stopping me is myself. I am struggling with beating myself up about
pretty much everything, as I am the definition of a perfectionist. But
I am overcoming my weaknesses through the Savior and I love every
second of it! As Sister Thornley told me this week, these people need
my experiences and the Lord will bless me to be able to share them in
Chinese. What a blessing this gospel is, and especially this
opportunity to share it!

I want to challenge you all this week to pray for missionary
experiences of your own, I promise it will work!!! And go read 3 Nephi
27:30...The Lord is pleased with all of us, His joy is full and He
loves you all!! I read this quote on exchanges "Are you one of the INN
CROWD or one of the STABLE FEW?" referring to the story of Jesus being
born. Don't forget to stand up for what is good!! I love you all so
incredibly much and pray for you always:)

Sister Wright (Salt Lake City South Mission)
Rèn Jiěmèi (Taiwan Taipei Mission)
任姐妹

p.s. this is me waiting for my street vendor hot dog...really no cool
pics from this week except for food cuz thats what we do the most of
is eating:)

WEEK SEVENTEEN: Will you still love me if I'm stinky?

I refuse to take one more shower in our apartment because we don't have hot water. And it's getting cold outside so it's like I'm getting pneumonia every time I take a shower! So I hope my comp still loves me even if I stop showering because I can't take the ice cold water anymore! We thought maybe it was because our gas tank was empty...so we had our RC Huang Cong Ming come and change our gas tank! But that didn't fix it, sooo we're still trying!

Such a funny week! Probably the funniest thing...JERRY GOT HIT BY A CAR THIS WEEK. Or more accurately, he hit a car. I know it doesn’t sound funny, but there is a reason why it was actually really funny: There was this van pulling out and Jerry was probably checking out Sister Branch in his mirrors because he has a crush on her, (it’s so obvious) and he ran into a car on his scooter!! Then the craziest thing happens...a huge WHITE guy gets out!!! He’s a Syrian man who has been here for 28 years!!! So strange and funny! We love Jerry - and he's getting baptized in two week so YAY!! haha! 

Taipei 101

 We went to Taipei 101, formerly known as the Taipei World Financial Center. Taipei 101 is a landmark super tall skyscraper located in Xinyi District, Taipei, Taiwan. The building is comprised of 101 floors above ground and 5 floors underground. The building  architecturally created as a symbol of the evolution of technology and Asian tradition!

 SO FUN!!! It was amazing to be 91
stories in the air! We also talked to an American teenager from Oregon; the most normal conversation I've had in Taiwan with a person other than a missionary!!

Before we went up 101 floors!

BEST PART OF THIS WEEK: we had our follow up trainer-trainee meeting!! I GOT TO SEE ALL OF MY FRIENDS!! It was amazingggg <3 I missed them all so much! I learned so much from the trainee meeting this week, mostly about how I am not entitled to more success or less struggles than the Savior. Recently I have been struggling with doubting myself and comparing myself to my wonderful companion.

taking in the view!

what a view!

I took Weston to Taipei 101 for his Birthday! He had a great time!

I cut my hair this week!! Well my bangs...I'm seriously thinking of cutting my hair, it's just so much and the humidity is like BLAH so I’ll see what happens. Oh and we got locked out of our apartment this morning...that was funny. And awkward to sit in our neighbors house while the kids got ready and just sit and wait and wait for a guy to come unlock our house. Ha ha this awkward life of ours is so good.

Most of my struggles have been in my head and I realized this week that I just need to trust in the Lord and realize that everything has a purpose, and as long as I am working to overcome my faults, I am growing. It was a big comfort to me this week to be reminded that the Savior sacrificed Himself for me, that I was worth that much to Him. We all are worth it. I'm just continuing every week to grow and progress. So just all remember that we ALL are entitled to His love!!

I'd like to ask you all to pray for Joyce, and Jerry to keep progressing.  Any and all prayers are greatly appreciated! Also pray for us to get our water fixed please:) Also, it was an ongoing joke in the MTC that I had old lady clothes
because on three occasions I matched with a senior missionary. I would just like to announce that my FAVORITE pants, the ones I bought in China, the ones I wear like every day...I’ve seen two Amas wearing the same ones. Whatever, I embrace it!!! Haha

Well I literally can't write everything but I love you all and miss you and pray for you every day!!! My heart can hardly hold all the love that I feel!!! Jesus Christ is our Savior and our Heavenly Father loves us all!!!

Rèn Jiěmèi (Taiwan Taipei Mission)

WEEK SIXTEEN: birthdays and holidays and baptisms and temples!

HELLO FOR THE SECOND TIME THIS WEEK! I have less than an hour because
we're going to Taipei 101 today, and I have 150+ emails, but I love
you all so I'll make this good:)

Temple with Sofia, Yoyo and Jerry!

These past 4 days have been great! Halloween, Weston's birthday,
temple tours and a baptism!!!! Saturday was SO GREAT because we went and did temple tours and our investigator Jerry came, along with 2 members!! Sofia is our angel...she peike's for everyone (member present lesson) and asks friends to come to baptisms and church and meet with us! She's AMAZING!!! And her recent convert friend Yoyo came too!

Jerry just soaks it all up and whenever we ask him how he feels, he just says "zhenshi de" which means "This is true". And on Sunday he asked us for the Preparing to Enter the Temple booklet and asked the Gospel Doctrine teacher for the manual!!! He just is SO prepared, we have only taught him 2 lessons and he already knows everything!! We have seen him every day since Friday! Saturday was even his day off from work and he decided to come to the temple and a baptism! I LOVE JERRY!!!

And we had a surprise visit from our investigator Joyce at church yesterday! We haven't been able to get in contact with her all week and then she just showed up to sacrament! She leaves to Australia on the 29th so we were afraid we had to give up on her baptism date (since you have to go to church 3 times before you can get baptized) but then she came yesterday so if she comes for the next two weeks, she can still get baptized!! MIRACLE!

So Cai Zhi Ming actually told us that he wants to continue meeting with us this week and he's been reading the Book of Mormon and reads the Scriptures of the Day we send out and he's coming to church next week!!! Truly another miracle.

Halloween...wasn't anything haha! I took pictures with the Dobby my parents cropped my face onto though:)

Chen Yi Lun got baptized this week!!!!! We were a little worried for her for a bit because her boyfriend didn't approve and she said her faith was wavering, but she was SO beautiful in her white jumpsuit and so

Chen Yi Lun

nervous to bear her testimony! I can't believe she's finally a member!!! She had a problem with Sabbath day observance since she works for NuSkin and Sunday is the best day, so church was only if it was convenient. But I believe that now that she has the gift of he Holy Ghost- shengling enci - and once she gets a calling, she will be GOLDEN! I love her dearly, she's hilarious! Elder Jacobsen from my generation baptized her (she wanted the tallest elder haha) and we told her it was his first time baptizing someone and she said "Perfect, it's my first time getting baptized!" Haha! And at her baptism, she forgot her Book of Mormon in her scooter so she went down the elevator, through the church, all the way across the parking lot in her bright white jumpsuit only!!! Haha she looked very much like an angel:)

Chen Yi Lun's baptism day!

The temple was just what I needed, and going to the temple twice this

week was amazing. I was reminded what blessings the temple brings for
us all. It gave me a renewed desire to be who the Lord needs me to be.

My personal studies have been more insightful and revelatory. I am beginning to see the miracles in my language improvement. And Sister Branch and I have been getting closer than ever. We made SO many inside jokes this week...and we share clothes! Yes, its hard having such a perfect companion but she teaches me so much everyday!!

At Chen Yi Lun's baptism - selfie stick pics!

Every day, someone asks us how we do something we're doing, that we're taking for granted, like finding prepared people, or getting 2 people off the streets to want a temple tour. We honestly don't know what we're doing special besides being unified and always, always praying to have the Spirit guide us according to what God wants. We always share our purpose right off and we always discuss anything in our companionship that prevents us from working in unity. I am so grateful for such an amazing trainer who is teaching me to do things the Lord's way. I can't wait to see what November brings us and our incredible investigators! 

I LOVE YOU ALL!!! I've almost been out for 4 months!

Rèn Jiěmèi (Taiwan Taipei Mission)
任姐妹!