Dog Bites

Finally! Mail! After going without for 2 months!

With Sis. Kunzler & Sis. Haacke

Outdoor Zone Conference!

Hello everyone, I got bit by a Taiwanese mountain dog this week! NO worries, I am fine:)

It's ironic that that is the title of my email since SO MANY MORE AMAZING THINGS HAPPENED THIS WEEK!!! I don't have a lot of time, but here are a few:

-We went to ChiShang with our district and rode tandem bikes on Monday:)

-We went to the famous Taroko Gorge in HuaLian with the Hualian and Taidong zone for Outdoor Zone Conference!!! SO BEAUTIFUL and spiritual and FUN!! I got to see my beloved Sister Kunzler and I also got to pass of the final language test in our mission Phase 3, reading the Book of Mormon in characters:)

-Zhu Jiemei, she is just AWESOME. She is content with how she feels in her heart, and able to see that her circumstances do not define her. She is ready to make this next step into the waters of baptism and she has her interview planned for tomorrow. I am praying SO hard that she will not give in to the pressure of her friends and drink!! She doesnt have a lot of friends to begin with and so its hard for her to refuse the few "friends" she has. But I will let you know how her interview goes!!

-We met another amazing Zhu Jiemei this week. It was right before dinner time and we were walking back to our bikes and we saw a mom playing with her kids at the park across the street and we felt like we should talk to her. As we approached, we realized that there was another woman sitting on a small bench that had been hidden from our vision until we walked closer. So we started talking to this woman, not the original plan but SO inspired. Turns out she is going through some really rough trials with finding work, with her marriage, and her child's health. Pretty much everything. What was SO prepared about her though was that she had previously been Christian, gone to a bunch of different denominations, said their prayers, read their scriptures, and said "At that time, I was not necessarily more happy." She is the perfect example of people like Joseph Smith, who saw so many churches who proclaimed to have the perfect doctrine and key to happiness, but inspired no feeling. This Zhu Jiemei said a prayer with us, according to our style of prayer, addressing Heavenly Father, and she poured out her heart, sharing everything that was on her mind. She looked hesitant when we invited her to baptism, and it's understandable. She was baptized into her Catholic church when she was younger and it didn't make any difference in her life. But we promised her that OUR church is HIS church and here she would find happiness unlike anything she had ever experienced before. I am so excited to experience her progression with her. 

-WE HAD THE FIRST EVER HUALIAN STAKE CONFERENCE!!! All the members from the entire East Coast went, and our little town of Yuli represented pretty well!! I sat next to Ren He and Ren Ping (SO grateful that members were willing to bring my two favorite 8 year olds!!) and kept them quite and for the most part reverent the whole 2 hours:) I know its been a while since my little brothers have been 8, but I felt such love for this little ones, like their big sis:) It was so awesome to be with our branch, we are growing and becoming so united.

Our branch at Stake Conference!

-BEST NEWS EVER: The Gao Family PASSED THEIR INTERVIEW TO GET SEALED IN THE TEMPLE!!!!!!!!!! woooooooooo <3

-We stayed in Hualian to go on short exchanges with the Sister Training Leaders, I love being with Sister Tan:)

Sister Sleepover

I love Mac & Cheese!

Little last insight for this week:

Sister Haacke shared a quote with me from a talk this past week that she read in personal study. It said "He (God) desires you to be the one who causes things to happen." Of course "things to happen" is very general in this context, but considering its talking about Heavenly Father and it was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles who said it, we can tell that it means GOOD things. And I truly believe that something I have done on my mission and in my life is strive to make GOOD things happen for myself and for other people. Sometimes I have been in situations where NOTHING is happening, good or bad, and I know that that is precisely what Heavenly Father does NOT want, is there to be no action. It is the whole purpose of the Fall and of opposition, for us to have the power to act, so I have continually tried to make things happen for good, to be proactive and not acted upon. Sometimes this attribute of mine is criticized, but I KNOW that when I am doing what Heavenly Father wants done under the influence of the Spirit, I am not wrong. 

I am growing stronger and stronger in my confidence of my divine relationship with Heavenly Father and even thought I am often tempted to compare myself to others, I just need to remember that He doesn't compare me to anyone else, so why should I? I got a letter from a friend this past week that said "You are better than you will ever give yourself credit for." And I realized, wow, I am HARD on myself!! Haha but I always have been. I think I could benefit from taking a step back and realizing all the progress I have made, lives I have blessed, and service I have done. I am ALWAYS looking for ways to do better and humbly do the Lord's will, but I think that if I am always running myself into the ground and never look around me and appreciate all the ways that the Atonement has helped me grow and bless myself and others, then ultimately that progress is useless. It's like walking down a beautiful path and needing to look around to admire the beauty of the flowers that were planted:) Or biking around the mountains of Taiwan and admiring all the watermelon and rice patties;)

I love you all. Read the scriptures. Pray every day. Talk with your Father in Heaven. Rely on the Atonement of Jesus Christ. It's awesome and He loves you. 

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

It's true

Our district!