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Tender Mercies of the Lord

Dear Family & Friends,

This week in the South of Taipei my companion and I saw tender mercies of the Lord. The Lord here is working hard to help His missionaries by giving them subtle  mercies that full their souls with joy! It's been a hard few weeks for me and my newly just trained trainer, Sis Akita. We are inexperienced sister missionaries doing the best we can. We've received a few miracles that the Lord has truly prepared for us to teach. 

One of our new investigator!! She is a miracle from God! She just showed up at church last week and bore her testimony that she felt something good when she was in America and attended church with a friend. She has this burning desire to know who has been giving her strength throughout her difficult life. She expressed to us that she wants to know the message we have to share. She has true potential and I can see her being baptized soon. She is a Daughter of God. We are excited to teach her about her divine nature and potential. I expressed to her that many people don't think about who their Creator and God really is. I said that He is great and loves her. She expressed that she loved prayer and has been studying up on the books we've given her. She is truly wonderful and has great potential that will bless her life!

Another brother is a miracle  - one day I was randomly calling people to set up lessons and to practice my Chinese. I called him from our ward list. Turns out that he's less active and that he is a 14 year living with his nonmember parents. We met him and all I could see was a young 14 yr old boy with parents that just didn't understand. He seemed lost and confused - he loves basketball and wants to go to America and play pro ball but his parents wont let him. I could feel his struggle and we left with just a simple plead that he should pray and fast for the Lord's hand in his life. We also, invited him to church that sunday. I left feeling like I could have done more - my Chinese is bad and could not tell him everything I wanted to say so I left with a heavy heart- hoping that something good would have come out of it. Then we closed and left. Discouraged we went to church that next day.I sat down next to a sister and bowed my head to pray while the sacrament was being pasted - The next thing I know my companion shakes me and I looked up to see this young man passing the sacrament! he smiles and waves at us - we both smiled and wave back! He was dressed in his wrinkled white shirt (from afar you could still see the lines where it was folded up) and tie - what a change! He was a young discouraged boy in his home but while passing the sacrament he was a honorable, worthy priesthood holder who was happy to pass the sacrament. To me my heart was truly touched. I bowed my head and prayed for him, that the Lord would help him as he grows in the gospel in faith towards Christ! How simple and small was this experience but it meant the world to him and to us!

Our next miracle is a family ! They are crazy! Their dad is less active and they are a crazy family of 3 kids! I prepared the lesson like crazy the day before. I talked about the home and about temples - They expressed that their goal was to all go to church together and the dad expressed that he doesn't go because it's confusing sometimes and has a problem understanding - We've been visiting them for a while and have been wondering what their problem was. We left feeling better and more hopeful in helping them succeed to become an eternal family!

I love missionary work because all we do is help people and sit to listen to them. I'm still learning the language but they still talk and ask for our help in their personal life and in their family life.

How blessed and grateful I am to be with the amazing people of Taiwan! This is what my work consists of and I love every part of it!

The scripture for the week: Alma 37:6-7 by small and simple things are great things brought to pass!!

Love you!! Thank you for all the birthday wishes and your support!