Time Flies!

Congratulations to Sister Wright whose been out a year today!

A week without chocolate!

     So my mom and brother are in China right now, my brother did his Eagle Scout Project at an orphanage in Beijing. So you could say I miss China right now!!! Just bragging on my family:)

    Well this week, nothing much very interesting. We have very few members here in Yuli and ALL the ones who could help us peike were too busy or out of town. So that was a bummer. Also, a LOT of our investigators, well all but about 2 decided they didn't want to meet with us anymore, stopped answering calls or had family 反對. But our really progressing investigator Lin Yi Mei has really been progressing! she fasted for over 12 hours yesterday for the purpose of feeling like her body is strong enough to not drink coffee and tea!! She has a little bit of mental illness, like a lot of people here in Yuli, so her progress is REALLY slow, but we really think she can do this!!! That's right, Sister Chan and I have decided to give up chocolate until Lin Jiemei gets baptized, to show her that we can all do hard things, even give up what we most need to live!!! Yes, that's chocolate in my case.

We also have a Filipina investigator. She FINALLY brought out her real concerns this week. 1. She can't actually READ the material we give her in Tagalog because it isn't her dialect!!! So we can start from the beginning teaching in English. We wish we knew why she didn't bring it up earlier! 2. Her mom wants her to stay Catholic. But we think that once we start teaching Belen so that she understands the importance and beauty of the message we are sharing, she will want to rethink this decision and ask her mom again.

     Our members are really going to help us more this week, they really want to help us become a WARD!!! and even build our own CHAPEL! So we want to start teaching a scripture study class to invite members, less active members, investigators and any of their friends to, to discuss scriptures and help people understand them more. We really think it will be beneficial for some new members, as well as obviously help investigators understand the Book of Mormon and share their own experiences as well as providing a great environment for producing spiritual experiences.

     Happy Independence Day last week!!!! We spent our lunch eating steak at an American's house, pretty nice right? My mom sent me these scarfs so we wore them on the Fourth of July:) I was trying to be really American and use an English copy of the Book of Mormon:) Ha ha, there isn't much you can do to access American things here, especially in Yuli!!

A scripture I wanted to share today is in Mosiah 16:15 "Teach them that redemption cometh through Christ the Lord, who is the very Eternal Father. Amen. "I love this because it is so simply what we stand for as members of this church and what I teach to everyone I meet every day on a mission. 

     This week was hard and it was a million degrees and the humidity is killer. Every day is like walking through a rice cooker, not an oven because an oven is dry heat and this wet heat is a million times worse. Dripping sweat from pores of my body I didn't even know could sweat...it sometimes gets frustrating, and re-knocking doors because Yuli is so small...missions are hard but guess what, Jesus Christ's life wasn't easy and I am so grateful I get to experience at least a little of the pain He felt, even if it's in a different way. Because if we never experienced any pain or heartache, how could we really call ourselves disciples of Christ, who suffered more than any of us can comprehend? So I love this scripture because it makes what we teach SO simple.

As a last note, I want to add that YOU HAVE NOT LIVED IF YOU HAVE NOT EATEN TAIWAN'S MANGOES. Sorry, that's just a simple fact. We were knocking doors yesterday after having had an investigator not show up, and then members who lived in the area invited us in to eat mangoes. Then last night we had an inspiration to visit a less active member who is normal not home, but she was home and we had a great lesson with her, then she gave us free nuts (from COSTCO, what what) and mangoes she grew herself! I might turn orange ha

ha but I don't even care!!!! literally most delicious thing of my entire existence. Well I love you all, have a good week:)

It's Hot

     Never in one week have I felt more gratitude and experienced more miracles. Because Yuli is so small, I feel like Heavenly Father delivers more intimate, personal miracles to every single person. This week we set really high goals. Like higher than I did when I was in  a big city. We poured out hearts out to Heavenly Father every day to help us and guide us. Most of the ways that I follow the Spirit is just like talking to someone who looks interesting or going back to someone I biked past. 

     This week was full of some very hard things. But I know that through my constant prayers to Heavenly Father, I was able to obtain strength to be for the people who really needed me this week. I feel like a lot of my mission has been about serving others because even when I feel weak, people around me need me to be stronger, stronger than I sometimes feel like I am able to be, for them. 
     I felt a really powerful experience this week when I was reading about consecration. I realized how much I have grown and was overwhelmed with gratitude for this mission, and how Heavenly Father has helped me with all of these changes. I FEEL like a powerful missionary, and even though I don't feel like I know who I am sometimes, at least I can rely on the fact that I am a purified vessel for Heavenly Father to work through. THAT is what made the difference for our investigators this week, and being able to find the miracle new investigator we wanted and needed so badly to meet our goals. 
     There is a special power here in Yuli. Sometimes I feel so secluded from everything and everyone, but Heavenly Father sent me here because I don't need people to tell me I'm doing well or have people see me doing well in order for me to feel His approval. That is the lesson He needs me to learn right now I guess:) Also about putting my WHOLE heart into this work. I was told this week "I can see that you have your whole might, mind, and strength in the work, now just throw your WHOLE HEART into it." I am working for it so hard.
     I hope that you can all feel my love for you through this email. I know that everyone we see and talk to each day is the portion of Heavenly Father's children that He puts into our path to be loved. I have truly gained a testimony of doing everything we can to make others feel loved, above ourselves. We can only take the knowledge we have of the gospel, the smarts we get from learning, and the relationships we make with others with us when we die after all. Love you all so much, please do what will bring you closer to the Savior and make Heavenly Father proud.

We Made WORLD HISTORY

My dearest loveliest friends and family, I CANNOT DESCRIBE ALL THE EMOTIONS THIS WEEK!!!!!!!!!

WE ESTABLISHED A STAKE HERE IN TAIWAN!!!

This was the last place in our mission that didn't have a stake, it was a district, up until yesterday morning at 10:15 am!!!!!!! I'm not sure how to put all the miracles into an email, so I will send lots and lots of pictures, so please forgive me, but I want to share this miraculous event in world history with you!!

WHAT AN INCREDIBLE WEEK!!!
At the beginning of the week, Sister Chan and I were really worried that we wouldn't be able to meet our goals because we would be out of our area for 2 days going to Hualian for the establishment of a stake. But we prayed in faith and set inspired goals and WE DID IT!!! We really saw so many miracles, a lot of our days in Yuli this week maybe didn't go the way we planned, but we saw so many miracles!!

 One of our biggest miracles was meeting this young couple, Zhang Jiemei and Wang Dixiong. Zhang Jiemei has been Catholic ever since growing up, but her church is very small and she really wants to go to a church that has a lot of people and everyone feels like family. Wang Dixiong has no religious background but is following his girlfriends example in believing in Christ but knows little about him, other that what he has seen in videos online. We met them outside of a 7-11 and just gave them a first lesson and a baptismal date on the street!! Zhang Jiemei has been baptized before, but she said she would be willing to be baptized once she knew that our message was true. Even more remarkable, they set up to meet with us next Friday, only 2 days later! 

When we met with them, they said they had been reading the Book of Mormon, the very beginning and didn't understand the background. We introduced where it came from and how they could receive answers to the questions in their heart. Zhang Jiemei also agreed it was easier to read than the Bible. They became enthralled in it immediately and I have experienced very few times seeing two people, even as young as they are (18 and 19), be so automatically engrossed in the message this incredible book contains. Then, even cooler, Wang Dixiong brought up how in a video, he saw Jesus performing miracles because He had a certain power that no one else had. WHAT A PERFECT QUESTION!!! 

We ran out of time to explain the priesthood in detail, but we told him our church has that same power today, and gave them the Restoration pamphlet to first look over. SO COOL!! The only struggle we might face is that they are looking to move in together and started up a new job that might make it hard to come to church....but we will make it work!!!:)

Many miracles that have been happening down here in the east coast. I am SO privileged to be a part of it. I know that I have a part to play here where there are so seldom people who HAVEN'T seen the missionaries but maybe need a new face to share the same message. I was awakened to a lot of my strengths this past week as we were with other sisters who were able to help me see that I am good at teaching to people's needs and listening to them and then in sequence listening to the Spirit in order to know what to say. That was pretty cool:) Also, we stayed with 12 sister missionaries in one apartment this past Saturday, so THAT was a blast, especially coming from Yuli where we see no other missionaries besides the two elders in our ward ever haha:)

SISTERS!

I am so grateful to be able to be with so many amazing people in this special place in the world. It's not easy, it's not always the most fun, it's definitely not the most glamorous, in fact it's very hot sweaty smelly crowded and dirty most of the time, but I love it:)  

Also, HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!! We had our last meeting with President Day yesterday....we will have a new mission president at the end of this month WOW!! But I am so grateful for the amazing influence he has had on me and I sure am grateful for MY DADDY!! <3

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

this is the tan I have so far from my watch and shirts, and summer REALLY starts in July and August;)

and this is my first time on the beach in Taiwan...I'm pretty happy:)

After the Rain Comes the Rainbow

We like jumping! 

Last week was rough, yes it's true. But this week....THIS WEEK WAS INCREDIBLE. We were under the rain clouds being hammered by the rain and then it was over and now we are under the rays of sunshine and seeing the rainbows!!! Not to mention we had a wonderful adventure last Monday, we were unexpectedly invited to go to the mountains with our members!!! We went up to the very very top of this HUGE MOUNTAIN. yes people lived there, mountain men:) I can only send a few pics at a time, but i hope my mom will post the other pictures! It was so beautiful, and then we got mint ice cream on the way back, the FIRST TIME I'VE HAD IT IN OVER A YEAR!!!

I believe that the miracles we have seen this week are because we have really been trying to follow the Spirit, more than ever before. We have to pray about every single little decision because there are so little places that haven't been knocked or explored here, at least in the city. Sometimes I doubt my own ability to follow the Spirit, but when I follow my promptings, or even just have faith that something even IS a prompting, we see miracles. 

For instance, we got stood up by an investigator so prayed 

to see whether we should visit a non-progressing investigator 

or a potential. We both felt good about either one, but we 

decided to go see the potential first to set up a time to come back and meet with her. Well, she wasn't there, but on our way, I had seen a family I wanted to talk to. We went back to the place that I thought I saw them, and instead met a 23 year old who was feeling very alone because his job was boring and who has recently been going through some health problems. He had actually been praying on his own for some time, and had heard about the Book of Mormon but couldn't remember why or where. He was our miracle lesson on the street, set up and became a new investigator on the street, my first one like that in Yuli!! People didn't reject us as much this week, which I must admit felt pretty good 

Another miracle this week, we were getting back from Taidong and it was really late, like 8:15 and we were just going to go home and make some calls for the next day. But we saw a couple on a bench and even though there were really into each other and not anything else, we decided to utilize our authority to butt into other people's business and talk to them:) Turns out the boy had met with missionaries 2 years earlier but then moved and lost contact with the missionaries. The girl was Catholic and very religious. 

The boyfriend left but the girl stayed and talked to us..and really opened up. She just turned 20 and suffered a car accident in February of this year. Her father is dead, her mom is not around, and she lives with her grandma taking care of her grandpa who is in the hospital. She lives out in the middle of nowhere and doesn't have very many friends and even her boyfriend lives all the way up in Taipei. She really needed us as a friend and we truly believe that she will be baptized!!

Yet another miracle was Ma Jiemei. She was a potential from about 2 months ago. We have been calling and calling her and finally set up a time to meet her in RuiSui, a town we have to take a train to. She picked us up and she is amazing, just the cutest mom of three kids....but she is divorced and only has custody of one kid. She says that when she was in high school, missionaries would read the Bible with her and then use the Book of Mormon to explain some parts, so she really respects our church and already resolved the problem of reading two volumes of scripture! Then her mother said we couldn't meet at her house, so we went to her friend's house.

 Yet another miracle because this friend knows a lot about how missions work and how we help other people because she had a friend who started meeting with missionaries because of marriage problems, but she herself just doesn't know a lot about the doctrine. So we had a meeting with her at her friend's house and the friend stayed in the lesson with us! At the end, the friend's daughter came up and started looking at the Restoration tract, so we gave her her own and a copy of the Book of Mormon too! It was such an awesome lesson, and at the end, Ma Jiemei said the most sincere prayer I've ever heard any beginning investigator give ever. She poured her heart and soul out and truly understands the communication she is having with Heavenly Father. So cool!!!

One of the biggest miracles this week is that I still fit into my skirts. Just kidding, its the fact 

With Sister Day!

that we had branch conference with President and Sister Day came!!! We had a dinner on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon we also had a luncheon! On Sunday, we had FIFTY PEOPLE IN OUR BRANCH FROM YULI!!! That is the record number that have ever come! We had 70 people in attendance, including the members of the district presidency and the mission presidency. It sounds like a tiny amount and yes it is, not even enough to build our own chapel, but I was overwhelmed with the Spirit at having that many people in our tiny little one floor church. 

The priesthood holders got up and sang Ye Elders of Israel...there were 15 of them, including the missionaries and THAT is an astounding record. My dearest loved ones, appreciate the members where you live. We must stand together. We are SO excited for this next Saturday and Sunday, we are all going to HuaLian for it to become a STAKE!!!!!!!! Wooooooo!!!

This was an amazing week and I am overcome with gratitude that Heavenly Father gave us all of these blessings and the ability to push through last week to just make it into this week!! I love this work. It's hard. It's really super hard and I am giving everything, but there's still more to give. We all still have more to give. I am learning how to be converted to Jesus Christ so I will give all I have every day for the rest of my life. I love you all. 平安!

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

"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation;" Isaiah 52:7

The laborer IN Zion labors FOR Zion

Biking to church with 仁平 and 仁傑

My dearest friends and family...what does it mean to you to labor?

To me, it means being outside all day every day in over 90 degree humidity, talking to every person you see about the most beautiful wonderful message in the world, and having them all reject you. But NEVER FEAR! Another part of laboring is the sweat and smiles and laughter you put into making it worthwhile, and knowing that there is a reward of doing a job well done at the end of the day. So keeping faith is anothe part of being "the laborer in Zion" that "labors for Zion" (2 Nephi 26:31). Because here in 玉里, we are laboring for the souls here, we are not just living here and expecting miracles to fall into our laps, like has often happened in other areas of Taiwan that I have served in, but we go out and FIND them. We labor FOR these people.

Why did I start out like this? Well this week was very difficult in aspects of pretty much everything. We went out in to the middle of NOWHERE this week to see if there was anyone prepared and willing to receive the gospel. Well this little tiny town of 大禹 has about 18 houses and 3 businesses and a school....and no one who wanted to listen to us EXCEPT for one amazingly prepared lady 蔡姊妹. She had actually accepted a Book of Mormon from missionaries in earlier years and her husband had thrown it away. She wanted to know how she could help her family and her kids who are all around our age...then her husband came home and said we had to leave. But we planted a seed in her husband's heart that someday will be harvested. 

I can almost tangibly feel Heavenly Father testing my faith, looking down at Sister Chan and I, and NOT giving us the easy way out on purpose, because He knows we can handle it. I can imagine Him looking down at us, pouring our hearts and faith out in prayer, and simply leaving us with our agency and our abilities that He has given us to just go out and WORK. Yesterday we felt very lost, and we just simply said a prayer, left our house, and determined to talk to everyone person we saw while riding our bikes. We didn't meet any new investigators, but we met a teenage girl who had just recently become Christian and a friend had given her a copy of the Book of Mormon and would be interested in learning more. People are impressed with our kindness at least, if not wanting to hear our message. Like I said, we plant seeds here that someday they will be harvested. 

 We had zone meeting this week, and Elder Taulepa is now my zone leader! I still miss our district when he was my district leader back in 桃園! It was really awesome to get to go to Taidong 台東！We found out that we are going to HuaLian 花蓮 for our district becoming a STAKE!!!!! wooooo I'm so excited!!!! 

We learned how to make banana bread in the rice cooker this week...Sister Chan is obsessed with it haha. We actually always come home to eat meals,  I'm SO grateful she is teaching me to eat healthier!

One of my favorite moments from this week was showing the picture of Jesus Christ to a 93 year old man, and him reading "耶穌基督", grabbing the book and saying very slowly but so full of joy "謝謝你！！" He will definitely accept the gospel in the spirit world:) We also attended 劉潔's baptism this week, the elder's investigator! She is SO AWESOME!! We have a blow up font here in 玉里, so the water level is very shallow and she had to be immersed twice because her hair came up the first time!! Her testimony after being baptized was so powerful. She said she knew she had entered into a covenant with God and that she wanted to follow every commandment so that when she returned to His presence, she could confidently say "我回來了" (I've come back). SHE'S SO AWESOME!

I love you all and invite you all to read 2 Nephi 30:5, 8 and think about what it means that the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has been restored and we now know of Heavenly Father's plan for us. What does it mean to you? And if you don't know, find out. Pray and seek it out and act. Because we are given the invitation and Heavenly Father will respond. 

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

do HIS WORK in HIS WAY by HIS POWER

Well I am now 20, officially an adult in Taiwan!!! I don't feel any older though. But my birthday was a miracle day!! We went to an even more remote part of our area in 瑞穗 which you have to take a train to get to. We packed a suitcase full of copies of the Book of Mormon to take with us and it was EMPTY by the time we got home:) We spent the whole day contacting people and we had a miracle! We found a 14 year old girl who wanted to get baptized!!! Just like that, so easy!!

You have to fully rely on the Spirit here in 玉里 because there aren't very many people so you have to know who to talk to and where! But one of the most fun things...we had set up with a referral and we took a taxi to get to where he was going to be....turns out he works at this famous pasture tourist attraction and so we end up walking through this tourist attraction with tons of cows and ostriches and just so much beautiful scenery to his house and had a lesson with him. He didn't turn out to have interest, but it was cool that we got to take a mini tour haha whoops!!!

Another miracle this week was knocking on a lady's door, and she let us in and we shared about the Restoration and when we asked her if we could come back...she invited us over for dinner!! So that's tonight, plus she said we could celebrate my birthday? so we'll see how this goes:)

The mosquitos in Taiwan are deadly. But I came up with a little 比喻 to make it better...The mosquito bites that cover the legs of the people here are like temptations and trials. No matter how much bug spray we use or how much we protect ourselves with reading the scriptures and prayer, we still will mess up and mosquitoes will get through and we'll get bitten. If we itch the bites and succumb to sin, they scar and become much harder to get rid of, and sometimes don't go away at all. But if we don't scratch and don't give in to temptation, just apply the soothing ointment of the Atonement, they will go away and won't become permanent ugly scars. It's deep I know, I hope you like it. It also rains not stop, well when it does stop, its a million degrees. But it's fun:) reminds me of Florida weather!!!

I am almost out of time so I won't write anymore, but I know Jesus Christ lives and this is the best thing EVER, serving Him every second of every day!!! The world is in so much need of righteous people to share His light!! Alma 28:14. I love you all! Thank you all for the birthday wishes!!!

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