WEEK 21: You Must be New Here

The new missionaries are here!!!!! Which means I'm not the newest missionary in Taiwan; YIKES! Since everyone in my ward expected new missionaries, I got asked 3 times at church yesterday if I was new and where I was from...also I was told that I was unrecognizable because I had lost so much weight, which is NOT true but makes me happy I guess:) Weirdddd! Well Elder Anderton, Sister Cutler, and Sister Cardon are all in our zone now and I get to see them all the time, yay!!!

Transfers came and went and Sister Branch and I are still together, yayyyyy!!!!!!! But alas there are 2 more transfers this month and I'm scared out of my mind to leave my trainer!!! Like I am incapable of
navigating this crazy wonderful city on my own!! Sister Branch and I are seriously best friends I am SO lucky!! She and I just are completely ourselves around each other and I am SO grateful she doesn't judge  me for how crazy I am :)

We have a Christmas activity in Taipei in 2 weeks, sooooo if any of you feel so inclined to write me a letter that would normally take me forever to get, send it soon;)

Some miracles this week...most of them included Jerry!! He is such an amazing member! He got a new job this week and he works from 10:30pm to 7 the next morning! Then he sleeps a little bit and offers to peike for the rest of the day! He is a hero! But we are also worried that he is wearing himself out! He is a great peike and example though! He got the priesthood this week and didn't tell us until after! But that's ok, he was excited to share the experience with us. I'll never forget how he described his confirmation....just a hot feeling all over his body! Amazing.

We got to talk to Joy this week. She is an eternal investigator who we killed but resurrected this week. She hasn't answered our phone calls for a month and miraculously she answered and met with us 3 minutes later! She hasn't been reading the Book of Mormon and so we gave a very spiritual lesson about it's importance and also about baptism and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. I asked her an inspired question and it just came out of me, the Spirit wanted me to ask her if she would get baptized and she straight up said "No. " 

She feels like she can only get baptized when she is 25 because "Jesus was born on the 25th of December." She promised her family that she wouldn't until she was ready, but she feels comfortable on the Christian path AND the Buddhist path she is on. We honestly have done all we can for her, we
role-play for her all the time and have read with her and texted her every day...we had to transfer her to the former investigators this week unfortunately. Hopefully missionaries with talk to her when she
is 25! Pray for her!!

I also witnessed a lady get hit by a car this week. And I got hit by a scooter. I'm ok and so is that lady. But just saying once again how NUTS Taiwanese traffic is!!!!

I cut my bangs again...I'm getting bored of how I look haha uh oh I hope I dont do anything drastic! Oh and i got letters from Sorella Nicole Decker and from Caleb Lystrup this week YESSSSS <3

English Christmas party was this week!!! success!!! Pumpkin pie was....NOT American pumpkin pie thats for sure!!! Haha i'm missing my holiday food right now but I guess I wont get fatter then;)

Quote from Sister Branch this week: Everyday is full of growth, whether for yourself or for other people. I love that, it’s SO true as a missionary!! I want to invite you all again to go watch He Is The
Gift on lds.org because Christ is the CENTER of this season and the center of our lives!! He is the reason we can grow and progress and change! 

Sister Branch and I had a very spiritual comp study this week. She has always seemed so perfect to me, but she expressed concerns about things she needs to sacrifice because that is what Zone Conference was about. I received some very amazing revelation for her and for myself and I realized that I will 100% defend this gospel to everyone I come in contact with when I get home, even if it means giving up friends I had before the mission. This is what is important and what will save my soul and others' as well. That is all that matters, is what my Savior and my Heavenly Father think of me. I know that if I make sacrifices, I will be blessed for them and compensated even better than what I gave up!

Speaking of change...Sister Branch told me that these past few weeks have been the most improved on my mission so far. Wow I don’t feel like that but that’s pretty awesome to hear! I am just so so grateful for this gospel and that it allows me to improve!!

Pray for Sofia this week, her bunny Susie died and she's really sad bout it. Pray for our new investigator Tony, that his wife will allow him to come to church! Pray for anyone you know who is struggling and pray for missionaries everywhere because our work is hard but incredible!!!

"The happiest people in the world are those who love their neighbors as themselves and manifest their appreciation of God's blessings by their conduct in life" -President George Albert Smith

May you all show your appreciation through your actions this wonderful season! I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!! 加油！！

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