New Mission President !

FAMILY & FRIENDS!!!

Sorry, this is an email from last week that didn't send for some reason!


Here in the Taiwan Taipei Mission we welcome our new Mission President and his very loving family! I am so grateful for the encourage and faith that they have to takeover the wonderful work here in Taipei!
They just recently updated our mission's website! CHECK IT OUT!!! (see if you can find me ;)
www.taiwantaipeimission.com

This pasted week we all got to meet the Jergensen Family! They are from Logan, UT and have 6 kids! We just met three that arrived here with them! They are a blasted and have so much energy!!

There was too much that we did this week! It's way too hard to sum it all up!!

I've been thinking a lot about what it means to be missionary when your not a missionary! The ward I'm currently serving is very loving but have not yet understood what it means to be disciples of Christ. Being a disciple of Christ is being anxiously engaged in preaching the gospel that He has so willingly given to us! If you feel like God has blessed your life and have the opportunity to share what He has given you - I hope you do so!
Our Heavenly Father has entrusted us with the knowledge that most of the world doesn't have.  Trust me I know! Being in Taiwan not many people understand God or Christ and who they really are. Yesterday, we visited a member whose family members are not apart of our religion. They are baibai (bubbist).  They have a huge shrine in the middle of their home - in that moment I was glad that I had the Gospel of Jesus Christ and that God entrusted me with such a blessing! I'm thankful to be serving a mission and magnifying my calling as a child of God and preaching His Gospel!!!

D&C 58:26-29 I encourage you all to be anxiously engaged in sharing this special message about Christ and our Heavenly Father!

And here are random pictures that I've taken these past two weeks!
Here is a picture of the Jergensen Family in Taibei! Took it from the new website.
Here is a pic of Sister Oviatt and I! We went to the zoo last P-Day (ate ice cream b/c it was sooo hot!) and we ate dinner because it was here 9 month mark!! Lol, we have a blast with each other!!
Also, here are pictures of the food I got when we also went to Costco!!! Costco is heaven on earth for an American! It brought back so many memories of home!!
It's MANGO SEASON!!!! The mango's here are to die for!!!! They are amazing! I can't get enough of them! Was taught how to properly cut a mango!
Bought SPAM at COSTCO! Best decision I've ever made! It's 600 NT here but in US it's about $20 for 6 cans!! :D
Love you all!! I pray for you all!!!

Sincerely, Sister Komatsu

Lift Where You Stand !

Dear Family & Friends,

This week's email is pretty short!

There was a a lot of rain these past few days! There was a ton of thunder and lightening and there was also hail yesterday. Who knew it could hail in Taiwan?! So cool. Sorry I wish I had a picture.

Recently, I've been learning a lot about progressing to become better person and ultimately having a changed nature. Recently I read a talk by President Dieter F. Utchdorf called 'Lift where you stand' (A talk I suggest everyone to read!)
It is about many different people who have shown this example of "lift where you stand". This "lift where your stand" concept came from a situation President Utchdorf encountered while trying to get a grand piano from one room to another. The task was difficult and there were many there to help none could figure out a way to accomplish this task. Standing around this piano for awhile a brethren called out and said, "now brethren just lift where you stand", and that's what they did. Suddenly the piano seemed to have lifted itself and began to move into the room they had set out to do. This concept seems too simple but it is very true.

Being a missionary here in the middle of Taipei sometimes seems impossible to get everyone to hear about God and His Son Jesus Christ. I've been learning a lot about team work and what it means to stand where you are, weakness and shortcomings in all, and then to lift what you have set out to accomplish. I've seen many blessings as I continue to learn a very difficult language and continue to be a disciple of the Lord- I've had many great people that have blessed me here in Taiwan that have made it easier to lift the work.

Working with new investigators has always been the fun part about being a missionary. You get to see people change and change for the better. It's the greatest blessings. At the end of our english class we always have a spiritual share about the Gospel. Last week we talked about the Book of Mormon and read some verses out of it. After class a new student, named Jocelyn (english name), walked up to us and said that she wanted to learn more about this book and if there were any people in our church that could help her. Sister Oviatt and I smiled at each other and said yes and that we were the people that could help her. That very Saturday we met with her and taught her the Restoration of the Gospel. It was very spiritual and she was very willing to listen to us. This same night we were having a ward dinner at the church and a random baptism was happening for 2 little girls from a different district from ours (which we did not know about till after our lesson). Our investigator stayed with us and ate the dinner that our ward members had provided. I then asked if she was going to go home soon and immediately said that she wanted to stay to watch the baptism! I smiled and turned to my companion immediately. The joy in my companions eyes made me smile and laugh!! It truly was the best night ever!!

I love missionary work and the small ways that the Lord goes about in His work!!

Sorry family and friends but no pictures this week. I've been slacking in taking pictures :( But please enjoy this wonderful picture that I deeply love! I also love this story of the resurrected Christ walking with two men on the road to Emmaus. (Luke 24)


Till next week I love and miss you all!! Thank you for your prays and emails!!

Sincerely, Sister Komatsu 小松姐妹
Serving in the Taipei Taiwan Mission

Happy July !

Dear Family & Friends!!

HAPPY JULY!!!!!!

It's a very very hot July here in the City of Taibei!! WOW! I've honestly learned to make the best out of the heat - I think I prefer sweating and biking in Taibei city then freezing and walking through snow storms in Boston! I've learned that water and sunscreen are very important things to have as a missionary in Taiwan. It's been so great to sweat and be active and just be a missionary!!

This week was a wild week! Just helping my comp get to know the area  while she is helping me understand chinese and how to be an effective missionary! Its been great! I've literally had 3 trainers so far since being on the mission - I had one in Boston, one here, and this last week I finished my training with my new comp Sister Oviatt!! Heavenly Father knows me really well. I needed 3 trainers to get it right. 

I'm still in Shuang He - the lovely New Taipei City where people aren't afraid to run you over with their scooters- LOL I love it here and I love how fast pace it is though!

Wei, Chin Chin is our investigator that we've been working hard with to help her come closer unto Christ! She has a coffee problem that she is trying to kick! So, your prayers would be most appreciated! 

We've been doing a lot of member visits at their homes: helping them strengthen their families and working hard to center their homes around Christ!

So many different things are happening here in Taibei that there isn't enough time or space to tell you everything but I can tell you that we are working hard and doing the best we can to find those that are willing to about God's wonderful plan!

In other news I heard about Gay marriage being legalized in America! I still can't believe it. Is it true? Someone email me back! A good member of ours came up to us last week and told us what happened then said in her broken english that, "Christ is coming soon." I couldn't help but laugh at her - she's just too cute! It is interesting though to hear the world around me changing and the different things that are happening - As a missionary we dont hear a lot about what's going on in the world - we focus all our efforts on the work where we are! I know in my heart though that God has His own time and time table. Last week my companion and I taught our english class about Time and we shared this scripture from Ecclesiastes 3:1-11

"To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, a time to heal, a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; ...A time to rend, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace... He hath made very thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that now man can find our the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end."

I'm glad for the time that I live in and for the many things that God has given me the chance to experience. I pray for all you that are experiencing times of trials and heartache. I know that God is mindful of us all! Please continue in faith and love!!!

I love and pray for you all!!

PS sorry there are no pictures this week - left my camera at home  SORRY!!

Sincerely yours, Sister Komatsu 小松姐妹